《Although I Am Only Level 1, but with This Unique Skill, I Am the Strongest》 1 146.1 million I followed Alice around to watch her hunt. ''Go around from the back of the spiky spikes, and when the bonbon hits three shots, stop your hand and wait for the honk--there. Under Alice''s command, the four companions were fighting the slime. It wasn''t just the previous mere push all-out attack, they were fighting to cut down to a certain extent and make a tome at the right time. Not only that. ''Pulls melted once,'' He was also giving instructions that didn''t seem to make any sense from the side. They were all actions that were really incomprehensible from the side, but that was why the drop was at 100%. Defeating a monster would always result in a drop, as good as drop A. After turning it around for an entire day, Alice had earned more than 500,000 piro. Hmmm, no. In the city of Cyclo, after observing the haglemono I had restrained with my restraining rounds - Frankenstein at close range for over a minute, Alice concluded. ''''You won''t drop it any time you take it down, will you? I knew it. The only person who can drop it is Ryota, after all. I guess so. The test revealed another thing. Alice''s ability and how this world works. Alice has the ability to know when to drop something if it can be dropped. That meant that if she timed it correctly in the dungeon, it would drop 100%, but not if it was outside the dungeon. You can keep pulling off the 1% chance for a long time, but there''s nothing you can do about the 0% ones. And that the drops in this world are practically spinning roulette. The higher the status drop, the more area per area the roulette is. Every monster has that roulette, and the haggler has zero per area. And all my drop S''s that don''t exist in this world are per-roulette. "Thank you. I said, and took Frankenstein down with a headshot with a penetrating bullet. I pick up the tracking rounds while I''m at it. "No, Ryota, thank you" is my line. I dropped a whopping 300,000 piro today thanks to Lyota. 300,000 piro, that''s how much she makes. It''s a 100% drop, but it takes a good amount of time because it requires the procedure of trying to get the timing right. So she stayed at 300,000 piro. But. ''Good, now Alice is a 100 million player. Yeah! 300,000 per diem, which, by simple math, means over 100 million a year. That''s one hurdle, a symbolic figure. Alice was of course very happy to have achieved this. It''s all thanks to Lyota. Thank you for having me on board. You''re welcome. She thanked me for my help, but I think I might be happier than she is. The upper limit of level 2 is low, so no matter which family she went to, they wouldn''t let her join them. I''m glad to see that she was able to come this far after being on the verge of losing her job. Oh? What''s the matter, Alice, you stopped. There: "There: ...... There?Ah, the magician. Alice stared at the familiar face of the magic tool shop. ''Do you want ......?'' Yes. There was no way Alice was going to pay attention to me without something happening. I suggested, and Alice quickly walked into the store. I followed her. Inside I saw a familiar face, the owner Isaac, and a customer I didn''t know. ''Ah,'' Alice saw the magic fruit in her customer''s hand and shouted. ''What''s up, Alice?'' That magic fruit: ...... You want it? Yes. Alice nods quietly, all the while gunning for the magic fruit. ''Why not another one?'' The fruit is all different. Only that one was there. As I grasped Alice''s ability, I tried to decipher what she felt. They were all different, and "there". Maybe it''s a lottery box for each magic fruit - or maybe it''s roulette. And only that magic fruit has a chance of getting the magic Alice is looking for. But. ''Uncle, sell it.'' "I''m sorry, this one has just been purchased by a customer here. Isaac looked apologetic, as he said. ''If it''s a magic fruit, it''s not here yet. I like this one. Come on, sell it. ...... then 10 million piro. The man thought he was staring at Alice and then he hurled a ridiculously high price at her. The price of the magic fruit went up a while ago, it''s still 5 million. The man offered Alice something like 10 million, because he saw that she wanted it at all costs. As proof that it was a trick, Isaac''s eyebrows furrowed the moment he heard the price. ''''One, ten million piro ...... ugh ......'''' Alice moans in annoyance. She looks like she wants it, but she can''t afford to pay ten million for it. She says she can''t afford it. Lyota!So, but ...... I know you want it. ''Yes!That''s true, but also at ....... That''s good enough for me. I turn to the man and say again. "So I''ll give you 10 million, and you can sell it. ...... 30 million. The man pauses for a breath, then raises his price even more. He''s completely watching our step. He raised the price because I was too stubborn. What do you think, I can still get 30 million out of this, but I''m afraid he''ll raise the price again. In the worst case, they might stop presenting the price and start pulling on us. What do you do in such a case? "Customer Isaac interrupts the conversation. "Not to me," he says, "but to the man who bought the magic fruit. "I''d like to offer you one piece of advice. Hey, I''m not asking you to force me to buy one. No, sir. It''s just that that man is Mr. Lyota Sato. ...... Huh? The leader of that Lyota family, Lord Lyota Sato. Please consider this matter carefully. Ryota Sato, the man who almost brought down the Clifford family. ''Yes, sir. If you know what I mean, you understand that that one incident was ''self-inflicted'' as well. Ugh. The man grunted, and Isaac didn''t say anything else with it. Unlike earlier, his bullishness had been completely reversed. I hadn''t expected the name to work that way here. ''Here,'' I cut in. ''Ten million piro.'' What? So we agreed to it once, okay? ''Oh, yeah. That''s fine. The man looked like he was saved and shook his head so longitudinally that his head was torn off. At night, in the living room of the mansion, Alice is staring at the magic fruit she has received. Alice was staring at the magic fruit she had brought. ''What''s wrong, Alice? I explained her newly acquired abilities to my questioning companions, and then I explained to them. ''They say the same thing happens with magic fruits. Which means that he''s trying to time the magic he''s aiming for. Celeste understood immediately. As expected of the family''s best brains. ''What kind of magic?'' I shook my head at Eve''s question. ''I don''t know, I didn''t ask that.'' But it''s so serious, it''s really quite magical. Or maybe it''s just a spell he really wants to cast. Carrot multiplication, right? That''s the genre. Eve''s usual blurbs didn''t sound like a blur in this case. That''s because there''s that possibility. Considering Alice''s peculiarities, that possibility is also quite possible. While we were talking, Alice continued to stare at the magic fruit. It''s probably a bit like staring at a roulette wheel that keeps spinning. In the dungeon, Alice, who was convinced of the roulette after a few seconds, or even a minute of haggling, continued to stare at the magic fruit the whole time. An hour passed, then two hours. Still, Alice continued to stare. Eventually, it was dawn. Alice bit into the magic fruit with a gusto. I wondered what the odds were in the hundreds of thousands, I thought to myself. 1 01. Man dropped from slime Durin! There was a light, joyful sound effect. It sounded like an effect from some game, he thought to himself as his mind rapidly cleared. My head was getting clearer, but I didn''t want to open my eyes. It''s like that feeling you get when you fall asleep twice and don''t want to get out of bed. Pecking, munimni. Someone pecked me on the cheek. A tiny, soft fingertip, like a child''s or a woman''s finger. ''You''re a human ......?But it''s a drop and ...... I know, it''s a human-shaped meat, I''ll try to process it a bit. Wait a minute! I heard some kind of boisterous line, so I got up in a hurry. There was a girl in front of me, all puffed up. She was squatting in front of me, a little girl. She was about six feet tall, with slender arms and legs, and her weight was probably light enough that I could pick her up with one hand. And yet there''s a huge hammer-like weapon next to her. The length of this one clearly exceeds my height, with a couple of meters to spare. The expression on his face is childish, but there''s something mature about it, and the imbalance is fascinating. ''I''m surprised, were you really human?'' For all intents and purposes, it''s a human being! How did a human drop out of slime? What?Slime?Drop? What the hell, I thought. The little girl in front of me said the game language as if it were obvious. And the subject of the game was me. She used the game-like expression that I had dropped from the slime. Could that be it?Are you the kind of person who can''t tell the difference between video games and real life? That''s a real thing, and realism is a shitty game in a way, and practically a death game, but it''s still real. ''That''s right, you were dropped from the slime. Oh, it''s not quite the same thing. You were dropped from a rare slime broth. ...... Are you sure you''re crazy? Why do you look at the poor guy like that? That''s because ...... people say things like slime and drops in real life. ...... You really don''t know? ...... What does that mean? He stared straight at me and asked me if I was afraid of him. Huh?What, does that mean I''m the one who''s wrong and the poor guy is me? Haha, that''s ridiculous-- --No, right? What''s really going on? ''Well ......, oh, I just came to the right place. I''m just looking. The girl hefted the two-meter hammer with a flourish. I wondered if the hammer was actually too taut and light, but I soon realized that I was wrong. This was the first time I had ever looked at the place I was in and confirmed it. It was a dimly lit space with bricks all around it, and the walls glowed faintly in some places. At a glance, it looks like an underpass somewhere. A round object emerged from the corner of the passage. It was about the size of a seat cushion and was greenish transparent. It moved in the shape of the object, changing its shape in the course of its journey. ...... slime? They are round, irregularly shaped, translucent and jelly-like, and move like a living thing by themselves. It''s just like the slime you often see in video games. Why the slime?Is this a haunted house in some leisure land? Just as I was thinking about that, the slime suddenly flew. Like a super ball, it bounced around the floor, walls, and ceiling, jumping on the girls. ''Look out!'' She screamed, but the girl didn''t move. The slime hit the girl from the side, the girl staggered. It was quite a shock from the side, the picture and impact of a soccer ball hitting a schoolgirl as hard as it could. The girl staggered, but stopped. ''That''s a weapon, isn''t it!You''re not going to fight back! I''ll be fine. The slime flew around even more, this time plunging headfirst into the girl. ''--nothing, sir! As if waiting for it, the girl swung the hammer down. Boom! I slammed the hammer down with such force that the ground shook - and just met the slime. Lifting the hammer, the slime was crushed and became as sad as a pudding dropped on the ground. After being crushed, the slime gradually faded and disappeared. And after it disappeared completely. The bean sprouts appeared! ''Why sprouts!'' ''The slime drop on the first basement floor of Tellurium is sprouts. It''s common sense, you know? No, that''s not common sense! What do you mean?What the hell is this all about? When the slime was defeated in the underpass, the sprouts were dropped. I was confused. I was so confused that I wanted to write on Twitter or something to say, "I feel like a porpoise, man. Are you settling in? ''Oh, oh, thank you ......, the sprout soup is good.'' I thanked her for making a fire on the spot and serving the dropped pinch of sprouts as soup. ''Um, ...... what''s your name?'' My name is Emily Brown. My name is Ryota Sato. Nice to meet you for now. Hello ...... Yoda? ''It''s not that kind of toll-free name!Satou, sa-t-u-li-u-ta! I slow down my pronunciation and say my name again. ''I''m sorry, it''s the first time I''ve heard the type of name: ......'' ...... Hey, aren''t you in Japan? "Japan? Earth, right? "Earthquakes? ....... Something''s wrong, there''s an alarm going off in my head. The story is not engaging, fatally not engaging. Combined with the drop of sprouts from the slime, it''s starting to feel fatally bad. ''''Was this ...... sprout that was born ...... drop from that slime?'''' That''s right. Is this how sprouts are made? Can I be squeamish? ...... All of them? All of them? Everything in this world will be dropped from the monsters in the dungeon. ...... You don''t know that, do you?Emily is troubled by this. ''All kinds of things?'' Yes, sir. How far is "every"? Every is every: ...... Emily looks even more troubled. That''s that one, the reaction you get when you''re asked too many basic questions about common sense and you don''t know where to start explaining it. I''m often like this when I''m explaining to a client - a client that I know nothing about. I''ve decided to help them out, because if I don''t, I''ll just get them in trouble. "Not just sprouts, but vegetables too? Yes, sir. Meat?Cows and pigs and sheep. Yes, sir. The metal?And jewelry. ''It seems that the rare monsters on the bottom floor of the Tellurium sometimes drop pearls. It''s strange that this is a vegetable dungeon. ............ You don''t have any air or water, do you? Isn''t it? Emily tilts her head back in the air. Then the slime appears again. Emily stood up with her hammer and confronted the slime. She withstood the same blow as before and then crushed the slime with a bang. This time there were no sprouts. Instead, the slime''s corpse disappeared with a sizzling sound. She came back to me with a look of accomplishment on her face. ''It''s like this,'' This is what it looks like: ...... ''Once upon a time, it was assumed that there were outliers in the drop, but recent research has shown that even the outliers can be air or water. So ...... eh. Emily chose her words, but said it like it was obvious. ''''Everything in this world gets dropped in dungeons, right? I stick around behind Emily for a while. In the meantime, I sort out my confused head. My name is Sato Ryota, and I''m pretty sure I was unemployed from today. The reason I say starting today is because I came to work for the first time after being discharged from the hospital after collapsing from overwork and was suddenly told I was fired, but that''s not important right now. What''s important is that this is a place where my common sense doesn''t apply at all. A place, I mean, the ...... world? From the information I pulled out of Emily, it seems that this world has dungeons here and there, and everything is obtained by killing the monsters that inhabit the dungeons and dropping them. Then what about farming and fishing and stuff like that?I asked. That''s farming, isn''t it? I was told with an obvious look on my face. So, killing slime and dropping sprouts--producing them is what agriculture in this world is all about. Really ...... what does that mean? I can''t even think about it, it''s as if my head is starting to hurt. I don''t know, so I stop thinking about it for now. Suddenly, I realize something. ''Emily seems to be killing only slimes earlier, but not the others? Tellurium''s basement floor is nothing but slime. ''If you''re talking about the basement floor, that means there''s a second floor. You''re not going down there?That hammer could take out another monster. I''m weak. Emily smiled flatly. ''It doesn''t look like much.'' He''s a lumpy one. If the enemy is even the slightest bit tougher, his attack doesn''t work and he''s going to get killed. Oh, so you''re saying you have power but not speed. Emily nodded. ''So that''s the type, that''s sad. ''But the sprouts are delicious and they make me hungry. Sometimes, if it''s a good drop day, I can sell the excess and make some money income from it.'' Can''t you just be strong? If I can just get to level 2, I might be able to get to the second basement. Levels. You have levels too? Yes. Oh, I just found it. Here it is. Emily stopped and turned to the side. There was what looked like a billboard on the wall of the underpass. ''What''s that?'' It''s called the Now Board. Thus: ...... When I put my hand on it, a large number of words appeared there, which looked like a billboard. ---1/2--- Level: 3/40 HP B MP F Power C Strength E Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck E --------- ... What''s this? It''s my status. It really is like a game: ...... I looked at it while tweeting. ''Sounds like a typical power-type character, Emily. ''This is how you can check your status. Tellurium is pretty important as a dungeon, so they put this kind of thing on me in the dungeon and I can check it at any time. Isn''t this amazing?If we did it in the city, it would cost a hundred pyrro each. It''s kind of a free public service. I noticed the ''1/2'' at the top of my status. ''Does this mean the first page?Is there a second page? Yes, sir. Emily took control of the bulletin board - the one we call the Now Board. The page switches. ---2/2--- Plants E Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... ''This is my drop status. ''Drop status ...... what happens when this is high?'' ''The higher it is, the easier it is to drop and the more it is, the more it increases in quantity. I''m in this tellurian all the time because the plants are the highest. I see. Emily said the plants are expensive, but they''re not expensive by any means. Out of five, one is an E and all the others are an F. It just looks like it''s better than the others. ''Would you like to try it, Yoda?'' It''s Ryota. Do you want me to touch you? Yes, sir. After Emily''s hand retracted, I touched the Now board in the same way. Then the same status came up. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ...... Hey! What the hell is this, what the hell is this! Mr. Yoda, I''m not very competent: ...... ''That''s a hopelessly low level. And does this mean the level is ...... maximum is 1 and not up? That''s what it comes down to. Hey, hey, hey. ...... Isn''t that awful? "I don''t know if it''s that bad after all, I was so stupid to expect this. The drop is sad, too. Sighing, Emily reached out from beside me and manipulated the Now board. Oh, right, and the drop is low, too. ...... haha. Not a good thing at all, me. It doesn''t level up, and its ability is low, so there''s nothing good about it. ''''Let''s see... ......ABCDEF...... Emily, who breaks her fingers and counts, is that low. ''To ......Q, to R, to S......, right here. Very low.'' What? My brain put a "wait" on it. What''s wrong with the story? He looked up from his depressed face and looked at the now board. ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... The second page was outrageous in a different way. 2 02. The beginning of a new life ''We might not drop anything this low. Wait a minute, is S low? ''What?Because of the ABCD at ...... Emily breaks her fingers and counts as she did before. It''s true that if you''re in alphabetical order, S is pretty far back, so it''s reasonable to say it''s low. But to my sense, from the sense of a generation that has had video games since they were born. S is above A. I actually looked at the board again. In fact, I looked at the board again. ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Is this good or bad? My sense is that it''s incredibly good. It just looks like an all-S high spec, cheat character. But Emily says it''s low. Which is just. ''I''ll give it a try,'' I looked around, in order to check the drop rate, I have to defeat the monster ...... slime. First, I need a weapon for that. Of course, there''s no way you''ll find much of a weapon by looking around. It would be nice if you could find a stick piece of something: ....... "What are you looking for? "Weapons to take down the slime. Make sure the drop rate S is really low. Would you like to use mine? Emily held out the hammer. I took it. ''Ugoge!'' His body was dragged by the hammer and he almost fell down. He tried to lift the hammer off the ground. I put my back into it and gritted my teeth. I put all my strength into it, but it wouldn''t lift at all. It must weigh a hundred pounds or something! I''m sorry! Emily apologized and lifted the hammer with a flourish - with one hand, by golly! I shuddered. A pretty girl with a 130 centimeter appearance is holding up a hammer that lightly weighs over a hundred pounds with one hand. Come to think of it, she was swinging it around earlier! A shiver ran down my spine. The backs of my thighs were drenched in cold sweat. ''Well, how about this then?'' Completely oblivious to the fact that I was frightened, Emily took a green stick out of her pack. I looked closer and saw that it wasn''t a stick, it was knobby and knotted, with a sharpened and pointed tip. It was a bamboo spear. I took it - this time with great trepidation - and found it to be ordinary bamboo. It''s a good weight and the thickness feels good in the hand. It feels good in your hand. The slime is here. I looked in the direction Emily had given me. An underground passage - a single slime appeared from the end of the cave. Pong, pong, pong. It bounced like a rubber ball and came toward me. I readied my bamboo spear. The first move is winning. I pounced on the slime from this side. I buckled down and thrust the yari horizontally. With a thud, the bamboo spear caught the slime and pierced it. I could feel a strange sensation in my hand. The slime, pierced through the center of his body, stopped moving just like that. It melted and spilled out of the bamboo yarns onto the ground. Eventually, the corpse disappeared - and the sprouts dropped. A massive amount of sprouts, like the kind you''d find in a commercial supermarket, about two kilo packs! ''Wow, wow. I''ve never seen so many drops before. ''Didn''t the higher the drop, the higher the quantity? Yes, sir. ''How long would it be if Emily did it?'' Um, ....... A slime appeared from the other side. Emily grabbed her hammer and waited for the slime. She withstood a blow from the side of the slime and smashed it with the hammer when its movement slowed for a moment. Receive it and strike. Emily has been fighting like that for a while now. The smashed slime disappeared and became a sprout again. This time they are the kind of sprouts you normally see in supermarkets, a pack of sprouts that cost less than 10 when they are on sale. At a cursory glance, it''s about ten times bigger than mine. ''It''s like this,'' ''I have more than you. Does Emily have any experience in getting this much out? No. I''ve been in the basement of the tellurium for about two years and I''ve never seen anything like this. Well, if you go to ...... then I guess that means S is above A after all. How can S be on top of A?That''s odd. That''s just the way it is. I don''t know why either. I don''t know, but I do know that the S is above the A. Come to think of it, there''s also SS and SSS above S. ...... Emily, have you seen any other S''s? No, I haven''t. I''ve never heard of it. I''ve never heard of it, because it''s common knowledge that A is the greatest. Well: ...... I can''t be sure, but maybe it''s not SS or SSS. Drop rate all S. For a moment, I broke out in a cold sweat, wondering if I was going to be forced to go through another (,) day of hell, where nothing I did would be rewarded (). This seemed to be okay. And when I was relieved, I was hungry. Geez - my stomach rumbled so much that it echoed through the cave. I glanced at Emily, a little embarrassed in front of the girls. ''I''ll have rice, sir.'' She smiled and said with a smile like a mother''s smile. I made a fire on the spot and filled a pot with water and brought it to a boil. ''There''s water in the cave, isn''t there?'' I looked at the puddle of water at a distance. ''When you kill a monster and nothing - say, a slime doesn''t drop a sprout, air and water drop instead. Yeah, I heard something like that earlier. It''s piling up all over the cave. I see. A few moments later, the water boiled and Emily quickly cooked. She put the dropped sprouts from the slime and took the chives out of her pack and tore them into bite-sized pieces. I put them both in a pot of boiling water, drained the water in about ten seconds, and mixed the dressing with the chili oil and seasonings. It''s a great trick, but it feels like it''s a bit lazy. Well, since we''re outdoors, or rather in a dungeon, I guess that''s about it. Here you go. I took a bite of the recommended sprouts and put them in my mouth - yum! The crunchy texture of the bean sprouts and the slightly spicy texture of the rayu dressing go well together. The freshness, sweetness, and spiciness are combined in a nice way. This would go great with a snack. Is that so? You don''t drink? That''s a lot of booze. I pretended I didn''t hear a sad reply. I munched on the sprouts. They were insanely good and I could get in as much as I wanted. In the meantime, Emily made another dish. A soup of bean sprouts from the massive amount of sprouts we''d killed and dropped. The steamy, steamy, red, green and white color of the sprouts make it a very appetizing dish. The white color of the red and green bean sprouts is also very appetizing. I took it and sipped it. The umami taste of the bean sprouts and the warmth of the soup permeated my body. It was also ...... soaked into my heart. I couldn''t help but ...... tear up. ''''Eeeeeeee!Dude, what''s wrong with you, Yoda? I''m tearing up, but wasn''t it ...... delicious? No, it''s not. I wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. ''It''s been a long time since I''ve shared a hot meal with someone like this. I''ve been eating alone lately ...... so I''ve been eating alone. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. It was that way until I got sick and was hospitalized. I sipped on the bean sprout soup. Thank you... I was about to look up and thank him when my eyes went dark. Warm and soft. I didn''t know what was going on. ''Mr. Yoda,'' I heard Emily''s voice above my head and for the first time I understood that she was hugging me. She was six feet tall, and she hugged me. ''I''ve heard this before. A person''s hard work always pays off. There''s a difference between early and late, but those who work hard will always be rewarded. It''s not... Moreover, sir. Emily patted the back of my head gently. ''The longer you work hard but don''t get rewarded, the bigger the reward. It''s the same as when you decapitate, you have to google ...... it with your thumb. The longer you google it, the stronger you become. So the most amazing thing is to be reborn and be rewarded in the next life. ...... ''I think Yoda-san has worked very hard. So I''m sure it''s only going to pay off now. Emily whispers to me in a compassionate voice, like a mother. I found myself clinging to her, wrapping my hands around her waist and holding her close. After the meal was over, I settled down to be ...... distraught. I suddenly mumbled. ''Speaking of which, is it noon now?Night? ''I think it''s night, sir. That''s my third meal of the day, my supper. So I guess I''ll just have to find a place to stay. In that case, you''re just outside the dungeon and you''re in town, so you can find a place to stay. Okay. I got up and tried to get out of the dungeon. Meanwhile, Emily, who told me, is not moving. ''Are you going to take down the monsters again? I''m going to bed. Do you want to go to bed?Instead of leaving? ''I live in a dungeon. The drops are low and I don''t make much money. My dream is to rent an apartment one day. Emily said flatly. Isn''t that - isn''t that like being homeless? Maybe it''s close to that. As I recall, I''ve been taking out pots, pans, spices, and other things from my luggage since a while ago. At first I thought they were camping gear, but then I saw ....... ...... Yeah. I stood up, determined to do something. ''Mr. Yoda, I''m taking this with me. Bamboo Yari...... okay? It''s hard to be without a weapon. Emily smiled at me. I was more and more touched by her kindness and thoughtfulness. I''m going to borrow it. I''ll get it back to you in time. Yes. I''m always in the basement level of this tellurian. Okay. I nodded, and once I was out of the dungeon. I got the minimum amount of information I needed from the city and redeemed the dropped sprouts. That''s where I found out a few things. First of all, the currency unit of this world is Piro. It''s worth about the same as the Japanese yen. That business pack of bean sprouts is 200 piro, a cheap hotel for sleeping only is 2000 piro for a night, and a bowl of ramen-like food is 500 piro. There are various errors, but it''s like we can spend about 1 yen = 1 pillow as a sense. After checking that and the price of what I wanted (), I went back to the dungeon. Tellurian dungeon, first basement floor. So I went around looking for the slime and defeating it. Beat it and drop the sprouts. Take it back to the city and redeem it, then go right back and beat the slime again. If I got tired, I slept in that area just fine. The ground in the dungeon was hard, but I didn''t mind because it wasn''t that different from sleeping under my desk at work. And so I repeated the sleep, carry, and earn. First day''s earnings, 5123 piro. Second day''s earnings, 4,970 piro. Third day''s earnings, drop delays and 10210 piro. I only got about an hour of sleep in three days, but I did my best and reached my goal. For sprouts, 20,000 piro (yen) for three days. That''s--. Ciclo, an agricultural town of tens of thousands of people with five dungeons. On the outskirts of Ciclo, an 87-year-old rundown apartment building. I brought Emily there. ''What is this place?'' I got it. I made three days'' worth of money. ''In three days!That''s great, Mr. Yoda. ''But it''s old, no key money and no deposit. That was the most I could do in three days. It''s still great. How much is it? 20,000 pillows a month. 20000...... is amazing. As she said this, Emily looked around the room. It wasn''t a flattering room, a room that was 87 years old and 20,000 pirouette worth of rent. Still, Emily looked around with envious eyes. I''m glad I did it, she thought. ''So, here''s the key.'' "Yes, ...... why are you giving me the keys? Because I''m going to live here today. Who did? You did. ...... yeah. Of course, I''ll pay your rent next month and the month after that, so don''t worry. Don''t do this. This is not-- Thanks for the soup. "-- Emily gulps and looks at me in disbelief. ''That soup was good: ...... It was warm.'' ...... Thanks for that. It''s not a nice room, but I want you to live there. ...... Okay, After staring at me for a moment, Emily nodded slowly. I was relieved and happy. I was so relieved to be able to repay her for the soup. "Well, I guess I''ll just... I was about to turn myself around and go outside, when... My clothes were caught and I was held back. "Emily? My hands are ...... covered in blisters. ''What?Oh I''m sorry, there''s probably blood on the bamboo yarns I borrowed from you, but I''ll wash them properly and return them. There are dark circles under my eyes too: ...... Do you have more?Haha, the bear has to be gone before it can be a reality. I''ll stay up all night and it''ll be gone before you know it, oddly enough. ...... Emily? Shut up Emily, I don''t know what''s going on. Just as I was thinking that, she looked straight at me and said. "I''m making soup. Well, I''ll just have one drink with you then. I''ll make you a drink and we''ll drink it together. ''What?...... That''s it. The next thing I knew, she was holding my hand. She looked at me with the same compassionate, motherly eyes as she did then - the same eyes. I kind of knew what she was going to say. Are you sure?That''s what I thought. ''Hey.'' She smiles at me, and I nod my head as if I were caught in the act. This is how my life with Emily - living together - began. 3 03. Wall of S run and A run The next day, after hiding for an hour or so in the basement level of the tellurian, I carried the dropped bean sprouts back to the city of Ciclo and brought them to my favorite buyer, Tsubame''s Benefit Shop. Tsubame''s Benefit Shop is still very busy on this day. In this world, everything is dropped from dungeon monsters. The dungeons, adventurers and these buyers are what we call the primary industry in my former world - producing raw materials. Most of the towns are clustered near dungeons, and they are overflowing with adventurers and fence-sitters. That''s what makes this so popular. It''s an interesting sight and system, if you think about it. While thinking about this, I look for a counter that is open for purchases. A pair of purchases have just finished, and a counter has been vacated. I went to the counter, Elsa Monsoon, a familiar face who has been in charge of my purchases many times, greeted me with a smile. ''Welcome. It looks like you had another great catch today. There you go. That''s it. ''Yes, just a moment, please. Um, Satou Yota. It''s Ryota. Oh, I''m sorry. Lyota, your name is very difficult to understand, unlike everyone else''s. I hate it. No, I''m sorry. Elsa stuck out her tongue with a mischievous smile and checked the contents of the bag on the counter. She weighs the amount and calculates the amount. Yes, let''s see, ...... it''s all 1,967 piro. Mr. Lyota, you always bring in a lot of stuff, so I''ll give you a service of 2,000 piro. Thank you. But it''s still sprouts, so it won''t be worth much money. Considering the amount of time I''ve dived into the dungeon, the hourly rate is a little over a thousand piro. Piro is roughly equivalent to a yen, so I''d say it''s good and bad. ...... It''s heavenly, though, from those days when rusty work was averaging 100 hours a month. ''I think I''ll go to the basement bunk of Tellurian. What''s the basement second floor like? The monster is a sleeping slime and the drop is a carrot. Carrots or ....... I imagined the scene. The slime is defeated and a carrot is dropped as an item. It''s too surreal. It''s too surreal, but that''s what''s "normal" in this world. ''What about other dungeons?Even on the basement floor, everything else would make more money than tellurian, wouldn''t it? What are the other dungeons like? Silicone, Arsenic, all sorts of things. You have a lot of interesting names. Is that so? Erza tilts her head slightly. Well, maybe it''s normal for the residents who live there. ''''But the name of the recently born dungeon is a bit difficult to say. Born?Are dungeons ever born? Yes, they''re born sometimes, aren''t they? Again, I nodded my head and said, "Of course not, right? Elsa makes a face like. So you''re born. What kind of name is that? Uh, it''s called nipo-- or niphonium, for short. Nihonium. That''s easy to say. Really? It''s kind of like "The elemental elemental name I thought of in the Greatest Generation", which makes me feel strangely close to it. ''The drop is being looked up by the Neptune family right now, so you''ll find out soon enough. "The Neptunes? Don''t you know?It''s the most powerful organization in Cyclo, it''s an amazing group with five plant drop A''s. Oh, so you''re gonna bring me all these awesome fruits and vegetables and stuff? It''s amazing, but I won''t bring it to our house. Elsa chuckled. ''Why?'' ''''There''s a lot of them, and some of them are expensive. From what I''ve heard, the other day they brought hundreds of melons from the dungeon with 50,000 piro per ball all at once. It sounds like it was a big mission for the whole family. Oh, wow. It''s a great story. I mean, what kind of melons cost 50,000 pounds each?Yubari melons or muskmelons or something expensive like that? I was talking to Elsa like that, but I suddenly noticed that I was pinched back. All of the adventurers who are bringing in the same buy-in are making reluctant faces. Oops, this isn''t good. I''m sorry for interrupting. I''m done with this. I''ll see you tomorrow. Um! Hmm? I was about to return the kibisu and leave the store when Elsa stopped me. I stop and turn around, she''s squirming for some reason. ''What''s wrong?'' ''Mr Lyota!Bi, do you like beer and stuff? Beer? ''Yes. There''s a new shop around the corner, called Lantern, that serves delicious beer straight from the dungeon. Why don''t you come with me today if you want? Beer or ....... I''m not sure. I don''t hate beer, in fact, it''s my favorite drink of all. I like it, but ...... my entire fortune right now is 2,000 piro. I don''t have enough money to go out drinking. Besides, I have to get home to Emily. Sorry, I''m gonna sit this one out. ''I see. ......'' See you later. Oh, wait a minute. Here. This time I was about to walk away, but I was stopped again. Elsa pulled out what looked like a ticket from behind the counter and handed it to me. ''Is this a ...... coupon?'' ''Yes!Here''s a coupon to buy it back next time for 5% more. I didn''t know there was such a thing. Yes, sir. Elsa winked and gave a mischievous smile. ''''Please continue to patronize our house for as long as you can. Okay, thank you. He waved to Elsa and left the store. The front of the house was filled with more people coming and going than the inside of the store. The agricultural city of Cyclo, with five dungeons. Since most of the monsters in the dungeons drop plants, it''s a city that attracts people with high drops from that side, and tens of thousands of people still live here. The pure residents and the adventurers who squirm into the dungeons to produce vegetables. These two types of people naturally mix together in this strange town. Let''s buy something to go with sprouts for dinner for less than 2,000 piro. With that in mind, we wandered around the city and headed home. Elsa stares at the door with a wistful look on her face as Swallow returns the favor, and her colleague Ena at the counter next to her. ''Too bad you got dumped,'' "Hmmm, I haven''t been dumped. I mean, it''s not like that! "Ha-ha, no hiding, no hiding. You don''t want to look like that. That''s not the kind of thing you can go to ...... or ...... I''ll give you one piece of advice. I''ll give you one piece of advice: if you don''t invite him out for a drink, he won''t be able to get through to you unless you ask him out in a different way or say it in words. So... Oh, we have visitors. Welcome. Wow, Eve, you''ve brought a whole bunch of stuff today. Ena had just walked in, heading to serve a petite bunny girl who was pulling a cart. Elsa was left behind after being pointed out one way or the other. ''It''s not and ...... not at all.'' He murmured sadly again. I''m back home. A cheap 87-year-old apartment in a lonely part of the city of Cyclo. I put my hand on the door and stop. I hear someone inside. Sorry I lied. Knowing the presence is an exaggeration, I''m not such an expert. It''s a rundown apartment, and even when I''m outside, I can hear the clattering of feet inside. There''s someone inside, it''s Emily. That''s fine, that''s fine. ...... What am I going to do about it? When I think about it, it''s been decades since I''ve left while someone else is here. What am I supposed to do, say I''m home? Uh ...... ugh ....... Yeah! I can''t even think about it!Let''s just get inside. Ta-ka-hi. I opened the door and chewed him down, uncoolly and grandly. It''s an uncool bite that could end a hundred years of love in one fell swoop. Welcome home. Emily greeted me, smiling. ''Ta, I''m home,'' This time I stuttered, but I managed to say it. "Yes, you''re home. What did you do today, I mean, is the room nicer than ever? Yes, I''m done cleaning. Cleaning is not at that level ...... Yes, it''s not on that level. The walls are pure white, the floor is shining. Before I left the house in the morning, it was so crumbly that it might have been a big cockroach war, but now it''s so clean that it looks like a new house. It''s more of a renovation than a cleaning! ''No?I''ve never cleaned a room before, so I got into it. ...... No, it''s not bad. In fact, it''s great. ''I see!'' Emily''s face brightened as she almost sank into the shunned. But ...... it''s amazing. I walked into the room and checked every detail. I traced my finger over the frame of one window - it slipped on the slippery side! It''s so beautiful that even the meanest mother-in-law can''t complain about it. All I can say is wow, wow is all I can say. Yes, Yoda. Here''s a towel. A towel? Emily held out a hot steaming towel. I took it and naturally wiped my hands and wiped my face as well. It''s so refreshing and pleasant. What''s this? Thank you for the day. Would you like some tea? ''You even have tea?'' It''s kind of amazing, I guess that''s what being blissful is all about. Emily made me feel good all the way home. For that, Emily was moving impatiently. ''Emily, since you have so much going on, why don''t you take a break?You''re tired. It''s new and exciting to get f*cked in the house. I''m not tired at all. Yeah. That''s okay. Emily seemed to be really enjoying herself, as she self-declared, and was smiling the whole time. Well, if that''s the case, I''ll let her do what she wants. ''Oh, by the way, I heard there''s a new dungeon on the horizon. It''s called Nihonium. ''I heard that too. It''s like a bad dungeon. Bad dungeon? Many people have gone to investigate, but it seems to be a dungeon with no drop at all. I called for support from other cities, and there were a lot of people with drop A''s, but they didn''t seem to drop anything. Oh, I didn''t know that was a thing. ''There is. There''s a dungeon called Chrome, but it doesn''t drop anything the same way. But the water there is so good that some people sell it, so some people say the drops are water. I see. ...... A dungeon that doesn''t drop, nihonium. I''m a bit curious. Stars. The next day, I left Emily to go to the basement level of Tellurium as usual, and I headed to Nihonium. The dungeons in this world that drop this and that. There are dungeons that only drop alcohol, like beer, wine, shochu, etc., and there are dungeons that are monopolized by a group of rogues because they only drop marbled meat, even meat. In this world where dungeons drop all kinds of things, it was counter-intuitive that they don''t drop anything. I came to the dungeon and went inside. It''s a dungeon that feels like a natural cave, like a stalactite cave, unlike the underground level of Tellurium. It''s not very popular inside, and there''s no now board to check your abilities. Maybe they don''t drop anything, so they don''t install those things. It''s kind of like I''ve just been born and this neglect is proof that there really isn''t anything here. Oh well, we''ll just have to see it in action. Even for me - if I don''t get anything in the drop S, I''ll just go back to Tellurium and meet up with Emily. Now, what kind of monsters will we get? After wandering around in the dungeon for a while, a monster appeared. It appeared as a human-like monster, but with tattered clothes and nothing but bones. Its name is probably Skeleton, that kind of monster. I attacked the skeleton. Aiming at the skeleton, I hit the body of the skeleton with a bamboo spear. It penetrated the tattered clothes, but did not hit the bones. He drew the bamboo yarns out of the bamboo, struggled to avoid it, and stabbed his head this time from the side. A full-force blow, the bamboo spear pierced his head. The bamboo spear went through the head. The skeleton, whose bones were destroyed here and there, staggered, fell to its knees, and fell to the ground. It stopped moving and just disappeared. Phew ....... And the drop is ...... oops? There was some kind of seed-like drop where the skeleton was. Is this the drop? With that thought, I picked up the seed - and it melted the moment I touched it. It melted and disappeared in the same way that a raccoon dipped cotton candy in water. What happened?What does this mean? If you think about it. -- Maximum HP has been raised by 1. Such a voice came out of nowhere. 4 04. Bright and warm house Nifonium dungeon, basement level. I hunted skeletons without a care in the world. I hunted all the skeletons in here, where all the A-ranked people had decided that there was nothing to be found. Every time I defeated one, something like a seed would appear, and when I picked it up, it would melt like a snowflake falling into my palm and I''d hear, "Maximum HP up 1. I intuitively realized that it was a monster-drop "status-boosting" item and hunted all over the skeleton. That was the 100th one - when the maximum HP was increased by 100, I had a good chance to kill it, and I wanted to know if its status had really increased, and how much it had increased. I think about how to try it. I went around the first basement floor, but they decided that this was a bad dungeon, so I didn''t see a single Now Board. Well, I''ll just go back to Ciclo - or maybe tellurian and use the free Now Board. With that in mind, I tried to get out. Just as I started to walk out, a person appeared from the corner. It was my roommate, Emily, a small girl carrying a big hammer. ''Good, you''re still here, Yoda,'' What are you doing here, Emily? Mr. Yoda didn''t come back at night, so I came to check on him. Night? Yes, it''s night. Emily nodded. ''I didn''t realize it was already nighttime, I didn''t notice that at all. ''My internal clock is supposed to tell me when it''s the last train. ...... Shuden? Yeah, I''m talking to you. ''Is Yoda still here?If you''re here, I''ll be leaving. You wanna get out of here?Why? I''m going to pack a lunch and bring it to you. I don''t mind my lunch, but that''s it for today. I''ll come home with you. Yes, sir! When I asked her to come home with me, Emily looked extremely happy and gave me a big smile. Emily and I headed for the dungeon exit. We were in the basement level of Nifonium, much deeper, and it took us a while to get back. On the way, we encountered a skeleton. It appeared from the ground as if it was crawling out of a tomb. ''''Wow, so this is the monster in this dungeon. ''Yes, ......, wouldn''t that be a good match for Emily?'' Oh, you may be right. Emily nods, motivation in her eyes. The skeleton moves slower than the slime. It sluggishly approaches, crunching its bones. Basically, it''s as slow as your grandma''s walk, but it can''t be careless because it''ll jump at you with a sudden acceleration when you''re one step away. Still, he''s usually slow. He''s even slower than the slow, power-type Emily, and Emily has power. Even Skeletons would be able to attack first and crush her. ''''Let''s try it.'''' I''ll do it. Emily readied her hammer. Only the slime opponent that bounced around would get one shot and slam the hammer into the air in the nick of time, but that wasn''t necessary for the skeleton opponent. Taking the initiative, she swung the hammer down from directly above and slammed it down first. Dogon! The sound of bones shattering hidden behind the sound of the hammer and the ground colliding. When I lifted the hammer, the skeleton was shattered. ''Yay, sir.'' I knew it was going to be a good match. ''Yes!But I''m sorry, I''ve heard that nothing drops here: ...... Emily was soaring with an easy win due to the chemistry, but the disappointment seemed to be greater because of it. If this is a proper drop, he thought he could make money here. ''I knew it wouldn''t come out with Emily. ''What?Everyone says they won''t answer, right? Emily cocks her head and wonders. Rather than explain, another skeleton appeared at a good time, so I jumped at it with my bamboo yari ready. I''ve killed a hundred of them, and I''ve learned most of this guy''s behavioral patterns. I efficiently blew its head off and then crushed it into pieces, making it drop seeds. ''It comes out like this when I take it down. Yeah, yeah. Yes, Emily, take a look at this. ''Yes, sir-- Huh?I can''t get it off. Emily grabbed the air as she tried to pick up the seeds on the ground several times. She looked at me with a troubled look on her face, I picked it up instead - I could pick it up normally. ''Can you pick them up normally if you''re Yoda? Yeah. How does that happen? ''None. Anybody can pick up a dropped item because it''s just a thing. Otherwise, it can''t be sold. That too. Oh, he''s gone. --Max HP raised by 1. Is there an item that gives you an ability? What do you mean? When I pick this up, I hear a voice telling me that my maximum HP is up one. I''ve never heard of such a thing. Don''t you? ''Yes, sir. Because if there was such a thing, it would be very expensive - and rich people and princes would be the most powerful in the world. That''s right. It''s something I thought about when I used to play the game, and it''s something I''ve actually done. I always thought that if there was an item to increase status, the richest person would be the strongest. And I actually put that into one character and played with it, making the weaker characters stronger. I always thought it was some kind of balance breaker thing that would break the balance of the world if it actually existed. And Emily clearly said it didn''t. If it actually existed, it would be traded for a lot of money, those who use it would use it, and those who don''t use it would make money and become a longing item with a shot at turning it around. It''s something that shouldn''t exist, there''s no doubt about it. But it did, and now it''s in my hands. I''m the only one who can drop it, and I''m the only one who can take it. ...... Let''s go to ...... and see if the status actually goes up. ''Then go out front, there''s only one place to check at the entrance of the cave. Do we have one? ''I think that''s what the people doing the research used to do. I think it will probably go away in time. I see. I nodded and left the dungeon with Emily. We walked out easily without running into any skeletons on the way. It was nighttime outside, just as Emily had said it would be. I approached the now board set up in an inconspicuous spot near the dungeon''s entrance and put my hand on it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP C MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ''Yeah!My level is still the same, but my HP is up. Did it work? Is this a result of that thing you just did? Yeah, that''s what happens when you take out 101 of them. ''It''s amazing, I''ve never heard of anyone getting stronger without leveling up. Emily bounced her little body and looked at me with sparkling eyes. The next morning I woke up first thing in the morning. Emily had picked me up yesterday and I was able to get home at a normal time and go to bed at a normal time, so I woke up feeling pretty refreshed. And it''s partly because of this room. When I rented this room, it had a musty smell and a draughty wind blowing through it. At that time, we chose this place just to be able to live in it. There was also the problem of budget. Now the house is warm, bright, and nice. A nice house that not only takes away your fatigue completely, but also fills your heart with happiness the moment you wake up. Suddenly I saw a little bird by the window. It was perched on the window frame looking at me. It''s as if it wants to come inside. I''m sure you''ll be happy to know that even the birds are attracted to Emily''s house ....... "Good morning, Yoda. Here''s your breakfast. Thank you. Oh, an omelet. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. The omelet I had made was fluffy on the outside and melty on the inside. As soon as I chewed it, the rich taste of the egg spread in my mouth, piling happiness on top of happiness. ''Feast, it was delicious! Will Yoda be diving in Nifongnium again today? Yeah, I''m gonna do that. If I can raise my ability, I''ll go under until I can''t raise it anymore. And then there''s the floor below, once I''ve got my HP up, I''d like to go downstairs and see if I can''t raise a different ability. So I''m going to stay in Nihonium today, and probably for a while to come. And just when I thought that much, I noticed Emily''s worried look. ''What''s wrong, you look like that?'' Um, please don''t be too hard on yourself. Rash? Yoda, you are reckless. When I rented this room, ...... I looked so tired at the time. Yeah, that happened. Well, I''m used to that kind of thing, so it''s a big deal. I''m not going to run away from the dungeon, so if possible I''ll come back at night. I''d be more than happy to do that too: ...... ''What?What did you say last? ''Nah, it''s nothing. Anyway, I don''t want you to take it too hard. No? ...... -- leaving work on time, you don''t know enough about the working world. I just remembered something I didn''t want to remember. A time I''d rather not remember. I shook my head and tried to forget it. "Yoda? All right, I''ll be back before nightfall. Oh ...... yes! I''m out. Have a good day! Emily saw me off and I left the house. I made up my mind to go home early today. Stars. I said I''d be home early, but I didn''t say I wouldn''t be reckless. I hid in the basement floor of Nifonium and hunted the skeletons at a terrific pace. I said I''d be back before nightfall, so I decided to go for it before nightfall. I blinked away the skeleton at the head of the encounter. Picking up seeds and running around the dungeon. And then blink and kill it at the encounter head - and then blink and kill it. The skeletons'' movements and the points where they appeared gradually came into view, which made me more efficient again. Then, by the end of the day, I was able to raise the maximum value of my HP from C to S. When I arrived at the end of the day, Emily greeted me with a very happy smile. 5 05. Wow, mysterious I woke up from my slumber. I look up to a strange ceiling, a stone ceiling with no warmth whatsoever. It''s like an underground passage somewhere - oh, I''ve been to the tellurian basement second floor. Huh?So why are you lying there looking up at the ceiling? I suddenly felt myself being pettisoned. I get up and turn my head to the side - pfft! Something slammed into me. It bumped into me and kept its distance. Once again, I saw it was a slime. It''s the sleeping slime from the Tellurium''s basement two floors. ...... This thing sent me to sleep! Remembering that we are in the middle of a battle, I get up in a hurry. I pick up the bamboo yarns that have fallen beside me and hold them up. How long have you been sleeping?I mean, they put me to sleep and beat me to a pulp. Shit, I''m glad I didn''t die. A slime flew at me, and I intercepted it with a bamboo spear. The furious bamboo spears grazed the sleeping slime. Shishu!Slime changes direction and comes flying back in with a bang. A clean hit to the side!Huh?It doesn''t hurt--I was thinking. ''This is ......?'' I fell asleep again as my consciousness grew distant. I wake up from my slumber - and this time, I get up with a bang. I''m back where I came from, and the sleeping slime continues to batter me. I set up my bamboo spear, and this time I aim well and skewer the flying slime. "...... Phew. He wiped the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. It was a bad fight. Tellurian dungeon, two underground levels. The moment I stepped in, I ran into a monster, and in that moment, I was put to sleep twice and beaten to a pulp while I was there. They put me to sleep, beat me up, and in the game, it''s a trend that could have wiped me out. And that''s two times! I feel like I''ve been baptized on a new level. I see why Emily doesn''t want to come down. That slime dropped a carrot. It''s a decent-sized, well-shaped carrot. I wonder how much it would sell for, I picked it up and put it in my bag, wondering that. I walked further into the dungeon and searched for the sleeping slime. They''d put me to sleep and beat me up, but my body wasn''t much of a problem. Maybe - or maybe it was definitely. It''s because I got my HP up to S in the first basement floor of Nifonium. If my HP is at its maximum, getting beaten up by a weaker monster from a lower level won''t do much damage. That''s the way it is. That''s why I kept looking for the slime boldly. A sleeping slime appears. Setting up my bamboo spear. The slime flew at me, and I dodged it. I decided to take it more seriously. Even if it put me to sleep, I could probably get up before I died, but since I''m hiding in Telluride for the purpose of hunting and exchanging drop items, it wouldn''t be efficient if I slept every time I went to bed. Dodge and hit. Dodge and poke. I fought cautiously, because a hit would put me to sleep. The fight was long. Three minutes in, and we''re still not done. Something flew in from the side. Something red flew straight at the slime, and the slime burst into flames. It burned, melted, disappeared, and turned into a carrot. A smaller carrot than the one I just gave you--what the hell? Quickly turning to the side, there were four men and four women there. Three men and one woman. I wonder if it''s a party. What are you waiting for? If you''re too busy dealing with one sleeping slime, you might as well go back upstairs. "''Easy Scan'' ...... level 1... I warn you, it''s dangerous to be on level 1 in the Tellurium''s basement level 2. They ran their mouths off, didn''t look at the dropped carrots, and slipped past me to the back. The three men had their way with me, and then they headed to the back. There was a staircase a short distance away, and we used it to get downstairs. What the hell was that? I was a little angry. However, there was no point in being angry, so I decided to go back to hunting sleeping slime. -- and then I thought. ''Whoa, what the heck.'' ...... I thought you were going to be there. The one who suddenly appeared in front of me, startling me, was the reddest of the four girls. She''s a little over five feet tall, in a bunny girl outfit. She''s probably an unsympathetic character, or maybe she''s just looking at me emotionlessly. I mean. "Those ears ...... own? When I first saw her, I thought she was dressed as a normal bunny girl, though she was in a rather orthodox bunny girl outfit. When I looked closer, I realized that the bunny''s ears look like real ears growing out of her head, not a hair band or something. What does that mean?He wondered. ''Level one?'' ''What?Yeah, me. Well, you''re level one. What''s the matter with that? Low-level hate. And then the girl said that and bit me in the forehead. Huh!I heard a sound of air being ripped out of the air and it "flattened" against my forehead. It didn''t hurt, I was confused by that. What the hell was that chop? "......? The girl also got a puzzled look on her face for some reason. She tilted her head back and made a curious face. ''What, what?'' .................. He walked away without saying a word! He turned himself around and stuttered away. Yeah, yeah, yeah, what was that all about? It was difficult to understand what was going on, but since there was no sign of the four of them coming back, I was going to go back to hunting sleeping slime. I didn''t want to miss Emily, so I got up on time today. I brought the carrots I dropped in the basement second floor of the tellurium to Tsubame''s favor and got them redeemed. The person in charge was my familiar face, Elsa. ''''Where did you hunt these from?'''' Where? Tellurium, downstairs, the Sleeping Slime. Yes. Do they produce carrots like this over there? What do you mean by this carrot? It''s great. There''s not much of a carrot smell, and it''s very sweet. They''re so good that you can eat them without dressing. ''Heh, ...... the higher the drop, the higher the quality?'' ''Oh, plant-based drops are high, aren''t they, Lyota? Well, you know how long you think ...... is? ''If it''s such an awesome carrot, I''d say it''s ......B or the world''s best A.'' Is A the best? ''Yes. Human abilities range from A to F, with A being the best. Hmm. This was a nice little supplement to what Emily told me. Her abilities range from A to F, and A is the highest. I was skeptical because Emily is a bit of a natural, but Elsa seems like a normal girl, and she''s a clerk at a place like this, so I''m pretty sure that''s it. My S doesn''t usually exist, right? I don''t know why. While I was thinking about it, Elsa was bartering me some carrots. High-quality carrots, in bulk. Today''s earnings came to 8,000 piro. 8,000 times 30, that''s 240,000 piro for a month''s income. Considering that one pillow is worth roughly one yen, it was a little more than my old monthly income. I was a little happy. I came home to a warm house. The moment you open the door and walk in, you are surrounded by happiness. ''Welcome home, Yoda, ...... and look around your room to see how you''re doing. Emily greeted me and asked me if I was weird. I thought it was strange," she said. I mean, it''s so ordinary, but when you look at it as a whole, it''s so warm and inviting," she said. Really? ''It''s beautiful, but it''s not the only thing that''s beautiful. Hmmm ...... Yes, ...... and more importantly, welcome home. Yeah, I''m back. He''s here for tea. Thank you ...... Oh, it''s cool and delicious. The tea Emily offered me was moderately cold. It wasn''t exactly kinky, and it wasn''t lukewarm either. It was cold enough to soak into my body after I got home. That''s great, Emily. I gave her a carrot. I gave them to Emily and gave her some carrots, saving enough for the both of us to eat. I give them to Emily to make dinner. I''m sitting in the room, happy and excited, wondering what I''m going to have for dinner. Concon. ''Yes, who are you?'' Yeah, I''ll get it. Yes, sir. I stopped Emily as she started to cook, and I went out to take her place. I open the door and I see a familiar face. "You''re the guy from ....... There was a bunny girl I encountered in the dungeon. She took one look at me and chopped me right in the face. --Snap. I didn''t want to hurt her, but it was too soon. "You shouldn''t have all of a sudden... Low-level hate. You can''t do that in a public place. ...... Bunny Girl looks at me. Her eyes, devoid of emotion, are nowhere to be found in what she''s thinking. ''Um, ......'' ...... She left without saying a word. What the hell is this? Who was it, Mr. Yoda? No, I want to know. ''What?Oh, it''s back again. "Huh? The bunny girl returned, dragging the man with her. The man was one of the four I had met earlier, one of the four I had met. He was the one I remembered because he was the foul-mouthed, thug-like guy. ''Godd*mn it, what are you doing?'' It won''t take long. It won''t hurt. It hurts - you''re lying, we''re on the same side. The bunny girl made the man stand up and let loose with a chop. Pfft--pshhhhh! Blood blew from the man''s forehead, like a whale squirting. ''Kyah!'' Emily screamed. It''s obvious, right? Bunnygirl left her fellow man alone (they''re buddies, right?) He looked at me. "I hate low-level stuff. Oh, yeah. Pfft. I got chopped, it didn''t hurt much. ''Why is it ...... when the level is so low?'' Why? ...... Maybe this is what happens when you''re level 1 and your HP is S. ''Wonder ...... now chop, this house would be broken.'' You did that to me! It''s just so weird. The bunny girl nodded her head in a very strange way, as she said. 6 06. Rabbits, carrots and seeds of power "Well, ...... what are you doing here in the first place? Here. Bunnygirl pulled out a carrot and stuck it at me. "Carrot?What is this? You must be Yoda''s carrot. Emily said from behind me. ''My carrots? I looked again at the carrot that was thrust at me. It looks like a carrot that I had bought from Elsa''s shop, which I had dropped at Tellurium''s basement level. I can see them, but I''m not sure. I have to remind Emily to check it out. "Are they? That''s what it smells like, and that''s what it is in color. They are Yoda''s carrots. "Yoda Carrot. Bunny Girl whispered to herself. ''It sounds like that kind of breed,'' It happens. What do you mean by that? ''There are artisans out there who hunt certain monsters all the time. People who only drop things that others don''t produce very often can have their own names attached to things. Yeah, I can see that. Because it''s often named after the producer. I get it-- I saw the bunny girl. If I brought back a carrot from the dungeon, what does that tell you? Carrot butterflies. The "big time"? "Rabbit and Carrot He nodded at me and stared at me with a straight face. And I realize now that I''m not the only one. The rabbit ears that seem to grow out of the bunny girl''s head are the ears of a real rabbit. When I said "I''d like to eat a carrot," the rabbit''s ears twitched. The rabbit''s ears bobbed in tandem with my eyes, which were as excited as a child''s when he got a toy. The girl dressed as a bunny girl was a real rabbit. ...... This world still seems to be very deep. Inside the house, a bunny girl named Eve is standing next to Emily, staring at her as she cooks. ''Thus, the first thing we do is peel the carrots. After we peel them, we slice them and cut them into thin strips. Noodles......? ''Yes, sir. Now you have carrot noodles. Boil them for ten seconds and let them cook just enough to keep them crunchy. Ooh, ....... Now chop up the carrot leaves and fry them up a bit with the meat, season them to taste and thicken them with potato starch. Ankake ......? Finally, if you toss in those carrot noodles from earlier-- yes!It''s a three-color ankake carrot soba. "Whoa! The bunny girl''s eyes sparkled. There''s so much sparkle in her eyes that it looks like her eyes are shaped like stars. I know what you''re thinking, Emily''s skill is like a magic trick. The three of us ate the food that was made in such a short period of time. I was a little nervous about the carrot noodles until I ate them, but as soon as I slurped and took a bite, it was gone. I didn''t feel the carrot smell I had been afraid of, only a nice sweetness. Even though it was cooked, it still had a crunchy texture, reminiscent of thin noodles made from balikata. Thanks to the use of carrot leaves, the mochi is a perfect match for the noodles, and the soft taste spreads from my tongue to my whole body. I was so happy. Along with the deliciousness, an unexpected feeling of happiness enveloped my body. It''s so good! I''m glad it''s in your mouth. ''It''s not like it''s good for your mouth or anything, it''s good, it''s very good!It''s the kind of thing you can get in a restaurant. "980 piro for a drink. ''Realistic pricing!No, this tastes even better than that. Eve and I were raving about it, and we were gobbling up our food with great gusto. Maybe it was because we were both praising the food and praising it as delicious, but Emily was too embarrassed to eat. Eve looked at her portion of the food greedily. ''''Juri.'''' Oh, you want some of this? "Foodie Talk Emily gave her her own portion. Eve gobbled it up with an incredibly happy face. ''Are you sure?'' ''Yes, sir!I''m happy for you because you''re going to eat well. Okay. I saw Eve, who was eating well. We met in a dungeon, and then she came out of nowhere. I thought she was a strange girl, but now she''s kind of cute. Noticing my gaze, Eve blushed, "I don''t like it. "Low level, I hate it. You don''t have to chop as you remember. When I said that, Eve looked dissatisfied, but she neatly flattened Emily''s food and finally said ''feast'' with a neatly clasped hand. The next day, this day, I came to Nihonium. I graduated to the first basement floor because my HP was at S. I headed to the second basement floor with high hopes. After walking for a while, we encountered a monster. The monsters on the basement level two were zombies. A zombie, just like Skeleton, wearing the same tattered clothes and rotting all over his body. "So you''re a zombie as we know it. The dungeons of Nihonium had already been researched by other humans and information was shared. The names and characteristics of the monsters and their characteristics were also shared and disclosed, along with the contents of the drops that the producer named Adventurer was most concerned about. As per the information, a corpse monster, a zombie, appeared. I don''t mind the ...... one that showed up. ''Jeez,'' I feel like I''m being watched a lot. They are staring at me from the shadows. She turns around, hiding, but her ears are sticking out. The rabbit''s ears are twitching. ''It''s Eve. ''Hey, what are you doing there?'' ...... No reply, but the rabbit''s ears remain visible. It''s hard to tell if he''s really trying to hide or not. Just as I was thinking that, a zombie attacked me. I groaned, "Wooaaa......" and swung my rotten arm down. I was so distracted I didn''t duck in time. I take it with the bamboo yari I have. Crack, melee! The bamboo palm Emily had given me broke in half. ''Shit, my weapon--'' "Ei. As I was wondering what to do, Eve appeared in front of me. She had been hiding right behind me a few moments ago, and now she''s in front of me. Eve stepped in between me and the zombie and swung her sword at it, and the zombie shattered. The zombie shattered. ''How could you shatter it with a chop?And it''s not even a bone! I plunged into it. One vertical swing of Eve''s chop, not in half or in pieces, shattered the zombie. ''What the hell did you do now?'' I chopped a hundred times in one second. You''re chopped! I do it for the carrot guy. ''That was beaten a hundred times! 101 times to be exact. ''Fine! It''s the last one! Eve looked at me with a straight face as I gave her a big shove. "You shouldn''t be here, ''What?Hey, why not ...... I''m not dropping carrots here. That''s it! For a moment, I thought there was something wrong with me, that I didn''t know about the Nikonium bunker, but that''s not what happened. I was just thinking about the carrot. "I don''t want to hear that you''re not here, you want me to go back to Tellurium, ''Carrot people go back to carrots.'' That''s a strange thing to say. Rabbit, I need a carrot. Why don''t you just buy it at the store? I want to eat your carrots. Her eyes were moist and she accused me of looking up. Ugh, I thought. The gesture was adorable and "I want to eat your carrots" made me imagine that I was evil. I was doubly "ugh". I don''t want them both to realize it, especially the latter, which is bad. I had to fake it. "Okay, okay. I''ll come over later. Later? Later. ...... Got it. Eve looked reluctantly convinced, returned the kibisu and left. And then she stopped and came back to me. What''s the matter, you''re still here? He hit me in the forehead, causing me to pinch myself. "I hate low-level crap. Don''t bother going back to do it! I really hate it. You hate it that much? After a short pause, Eve walked away this time, feeling a little better. I looked at the broken bamboo spear. We''re out of ammunition, but we''ll still have to kill one of the zombies before we can leave. I''ve got S-HP, so I should be able to handle that. The skeleton on the first basement floor dropped a seed that would increase HP, what about the zombies here, that''s what I want to know. I walked around the dungeon. After a minute or so, I met another zombie. I pulled myself together and confronted the zombie. I punched that guy with my bare hands. He hit me a few times, but surprisingly it didn''t hurt, and I decided it was okay, so I didn''t dodge and hit him. I wish I had a weapon ....... I''d like to have a weapon for long range combat because fistfights are dangerous. I used to use a lot of gunners and wizards in games and stuff like that. I was thinking about that when I fought. I''d put in a few good shots, the zombies would fall over, disappear--and the seeds would drop. The same shape as the zombie upstairs, only different color. I picked it up. --Your power has been raised by 1. I heard a mysterious voice saying "My power has been raised by 1. "Whoa! I heard the rabbit, too. You didn''t come home, yet. 7 07. There are celebrities in one jump I picked up the seeds and raised my power to 1. Then he turned to Eve. Eve was leaning back almost completely. The scissors are twitching. She''s forgotten she''s hiding and is staring at me. What''s the matter with you?Suddenly. Her eyes met Eve''s, as she remembered, and she hurriedly hid again. ''No, it''s too late. I mean, my ears are still not hidden. -Oh! The buzzards!I stiffened. Oh, come on, you were going to hide your ears. Eve came out of the corner in despair, and then she came around to me. She stood in front of me, looked up at me with a grudge, and then she started grabbing chops. Snip. It didn''t hurt as much as it did before. I don''t know if it''s just my imagination or if I''m just sulking in disgrace. What''s that? That? Drop. ...... Yeah. Huh, what can I say? Circumstantial, and judging by the totality of the information I''ve gathered, I''m already almost certain that I''m the only one with a drop S. I''m almost certain that this will happen. I wasn''t sure if I should talk about it. In my experience, I don''t trust the "just me" or "just you" thing, and I''m not going to do it. That''s a pretty useful magic word when you''re doing your job, but it smells like a scam, and if they find out, it''s going to cause a lot of trouble. I don''t want to say those things as much as possible. Even if it''s true. Well, let''s see what we can do. Hmm, Eve''s just staring at me. Hmm. B.... B.... "Buh. Don''t tell me that yourself! ...... He stares at me again. This is that one, a pattern that won''t end forever if I don''t say something. All right, this place is-- "Have you gotten the carrots yet? There!Where''s that story you just told me! I need a carrot. What do you think? Gulp. What''s wrong with that? Your eyes will be bright. That sounds like a bunny! Like this. You''re just looking too wide open and bloodshot! Dodo Oo Carrot. Is your life in danger? Haha ....... I''m so tweaked that I''m thrown off at once. Well, okay, it''s fine, but the drop and seed thing went through. Still, I was tired all at once. ''Carrots are in the afternoon. We''re going to go to tellurian in the afternoon, so the carrots will have to wait a little longer. Really? It''s true. Okay. Eve was easily convinced, returned the kibisu and left. I was wondering if she was going to hide and give me a revealing earful again, but she was really gone. All you need is a carrot ......? In the morning, I raised my strength from F to D in the Nifonium basement second floor, and in the afternoon, I hunted carrots in Tellurium''s also basement second floor. Thanks to my increased strength, I realized that it was clearly easier to kill sleeping slimes. Even though I lost my weapon, the bamboo yari, my efficiency was higher than yesterday. That caused one problem. A little before the regular time, at roughly four o''clock or so, which was subtly not enough to make another round trip. The carrots I dropped were more than yesterday, and I couldn''t hold them. When I came to return Yan''s favor, Eve was already waiting for me. In the store that is crowded with buyers, Eve sitting by herself is extremely conspicuous. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. As I approached her, wondering why, carrying a carrot, I heard a commotion around me. ''Who''s that guy?'' I don''t know. I thought you were an unknown rookie? Ignorance is a scary thing, going up to the Killing Rabbit yourself. What''s the matter with you?I spoke to Eve, wondering. ''Yes, Carrots,'' When I held out the carrots to them, they buzzed even more around me. Nonsense. It''s a carrot. You know what he''s doing?Who is doing what to whom? That poor little boy has a pomegranate head, you know? I''m buzzing again. It''s true. Just when I thought it was over, Eve hit me with a handful of carrots. "You know what? I gave you a carrot. Low-level hate. You''re you? Well, that''s not so bad. The levels don''t go up. No, I don''t know, there''s a seed that increases HP and strength and so on, so I wouldn''t be surprised if they drop something that goes up every level below Nihonium. Well, we''ll see. I''m just thinking it''ll be lucky if it happens. While I was thinking about that, Eve took a bite out of a carrot. She held it in both hands and jiggled it around. She ate them like a hamster or a squirrel or some other rodent. If I had a smartphone or something, I would have taken a picture of it and posted it on Twitter - or maybe a video of it, but it was so cute. What do you think? Carrot butterflies. Okay. That''s good--I was thinking. "What the f*ck? It''s Eve. ''A carrot that a carrot junkie would accept! It started to buzz again, a slightly different buzz than before. Until a while ago, most of the time I had been somewhat dumbfounded and sympathetic, but this was a shock to me. What the hell was this? Since I have no idea what''s going on, I decided to buy the leftover carrots from them. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the best way to do that. ''Hello, I''ll take care of you again today,'' Lyota, Mr. Lyota. What the hell was that? What''s that? Did you know that man? That man? I followed Elsa''s gaze, and beyond that, I saw Eve. Eve was still gagging on the carrot. ''You mean Eve?It''s more of an acquaintance, or maybe it''s just clinging to you. Clue? Sorry, I didn''t mean it. That''s just not true. I fed him with carrots and he missed me. I don''t know if this is a good way to put it, but seeing Eve chewing on a carrot so adorably now, I think it''s more appropriate to say it that way. I fed her with a carrot, and she took a liking to me. Yeah, this one''s right. I was right, but the people around me are buzzing around me, and Elsa is looking at me in disbelief. "What''s the matter with you? Wait, wait, wait. Elsa panicked and withdrew to the back of the room. Waiting for her while everyone around her is buzzing around. What in the world is going on, since just now. Elsa came right out, her expression slightly back to normal. ''Sorry for the wait, I checked with the master. Check what? I''d like to buy those carrots for twice the price. ''Yeah!Double?Twice as much eeeeee! What the f*ck is going on here? What''s going on? No, it''s fine. ...... I turn around and look at Eve. She''s done biting into the carrot, and she''s still staring covetously at the rest of my carrots. "Is that what this is all about? Elsa nodded her head in agreement. Eve Carus Leader. She is an adventure producer with her trademark bunny-girl outfit and her own Usami. His special attack, Excalibur, may look cute at first glance, but he is also famous for his ability to inflict explosive damage a second after hitting it. It''s rumored to split a mountain in half. He is also famous as a carrot sommelier. She has trudged through all five dungeons and all seven levels of the dungeons where carrots drop, and the carrots on the 19th floor of Bismuth are especially rare, as she is the only one who can get them, including the way to defeat monsters. Her habit of saying "Dedoa Carrot", and many of them have been sacrificed because she fed them bad carrots. There''s just so much information. I can''t keep up with it. Anyway, the carrots Yves approved are very rare. So I guess that means I''ll have to thank her. I look at the 15,000 piro that I got from the carrot purchase. Roughly double the amount I earned yesterday, no doubt thanks to her. ''More carrots than thanks,'' ''Wow!Where do you come from? Where? Between the legs. You''re a child!Don''t talk to me from that place, just talk to me like a normal person. Carrots. I''ll see you tomorrow. Tomorrow? I''m on time for the day. I gotta get out of here. I made a promise to Emily to get off on time, and I''m going to keep it. Are you going to frog? Yeah. Ugh. ...... ''You can''t look at me like that. I''m not working today. ...... Why? I have to. "Cheapskate. No need to be stingy. Low-level hate. I was chopped. ''That has nothing to do with it now,'' Hmm. Eve walked out of the store with a pout on her lips. The air in the store relaxed at the same time she was gone. Oh, come on, how much. All right. I stood up and said goodbye to Elsa. Let''s get out of the office and get Emily something to take home. "Tell me who produces these magnificent sprouts. As there seemed to be a new commotion going on in the store, I left quickly so as not to get caught up in it. 8 08. It has nothing to do with taste The next day. Just like the previous day, I spent the morning in the basement of Nifornium to raise my strength, and then in the afternoon I came to the tellurium to pick carrots. That''s where I witnessed something rather unpleasant. Terdungeon, basement level two. A trio of men and women were on the prowl. One was a well-groomed, first-generation man there, energetic and with a powerful face. The other two were young men and women in contrast, perhaps in their early twenties. Their equipment is tattered to the point where you can see the intensity of the battle with the monsters, and their hair and skin are not shiny, and they look as if they''ve just been up all night for days. The three of them walked through the dungeon in formation. The monster--a sleeping slime--has appeared! The man and woman jumped at the slime with a slow start. It took two of them to deal damage, and when the slime''s movements began to weaken, the first man stepped forward and topped it off. The sleeping slime creaked and a carrot dropped with a pop. The elder man picks it up and puts it in his magic cart. He looks at the loot piled up in the cart, the vegetables dropped from the monster, and looks satisfied. The man and woman, on the other hand, were exhausted. They are exhausted to the point where they have dark circles under their eyes, but they are on the verge of collapse, even more drained by this one battle. ''''Come on, let''s move on.'''' "Ta, captain ......, I need to take a break. I''m at my wit''s end. ...... What, you tired already? I''ve been cooped up for two days now and haven''t had a proper rest. I just need to get some rest. That''s not good, that''s weak. You can''t spend two days in a dungeon of this caliber making noise. When I was young, I used to spend a week or two in dungeons like this one. But I haven''t been sleeping properly: ...... In a dungeon, you don''t know where or when to sleep. You can sleep standing up. The first man said so. The young men and women who were told looked at their leader emotionlessly, as if they were truly exhausted. An unpleasant color flashed in the elder man''s eyes for a moment. It was literally only for a moment, however, as the man clenched his fists and spoke passionately to them. ''I''m whipping you guys to work for no reason, is that what you think? No! I don''t think so. No, you can''t blame me for thinking that. It''s true that it''s a bit more difficult than the others, I''m aware of that. But I''m doing it all for your sake. Our ....... For ......? The young man and woman looked at each other. ''Yes. It''s a credit to your talents. People only grow up when they are young. On the contrary, if you want to grow, you have to give yourself a break while you are young. Don''t you think so? It''s ....... Maybe. I want to see it with my own eyes. I want to see the dreams I saw in your eyes. "Dreams? That''s right. You can do it, now that you''re in this shallow level of the Tellurium''s basement two levels, but when you''re grown, you''ll grow up to be an agricultural king, capable of conquering all five dungeons in Cyclo. No. We don''t need to. And... The words the man and woman were about to say were interrupted by the older man, who put them on. ''It''s a success story. It will be a success story for the next generation of young people who want to dive into the dungeon. I want to see that excitement, and I want to bring that excitement to the world! Hey, Cap''n! You felt that much for me? The young man and woman were impressed. The excitement overruled their exhausted faces as they stared at the first man. ''I believe in you, I know you can do it. Will you two trust me, too? Yes! The young men and women have their motivation back in their faces. Stars I witnessed a nasty scene. A party of three, a party of three, an elderly man whipping his weakened friends to work. I shuddered at the sight of him talking about excitement, growth, and dreams. ...... reminded me of myself a little while ago. I was in a company very similar to this one. The CEO was saying similar things to this guy, and people were just thrilled to be working for him. And it was a little, you know, f*cked up. And I felt a little, you know, bad. "Hey, Yoda. Is something wrong? I was just about to be in a state of bewilderment when I was approached from behind. I turned around and saw Emily - and Eve, the owner of the voice - there. Emily is still tiny, with a big hammer and a package on her back, and Eve is dressed as usual in her own bunny suit and bunny suit. Eve wordlessly approached me, reached out and chopped me. "Low level, I hate it. I know. "Harry Carrot. Okay. Apparently, Eve wanted my dropped carrots as soon as possible, so she came here. She must have really liked them, not only did they come straight from the source, but they went to the source of the carrots. All she wants is a small amount of one or so, so I thought I''d get her some first. I turn around and call out to Emily. ''Let''s do it, Emily.'' ''Oh, I think you should get some rest first,'' Rest? Emily stalks up to me and looks up at me. I stare at her and then say, "We''re going to eat lunch first. "I''m going to eat my lunch first. Lunch or ....... Yes, I''m hungry. And I''m also a little tired, because I worked pretty hard in the morning holed up in Nihonium. Now what am I going to do: ...... and then Eve tugged on my hem. ''Carrots.'' Okay, I''ll start with... Eve, you need a break too. Emily suggested, and Eve''s lips quirked up incidentally, a little annoyed. ''I don''t need a break, okay?'' Now you can have carrot pudding. "Whoa! Eve''s eyes light up and she makes a familiar odd sound. You mean carrot ...... carrot pudding. Emily smiled and began to get ready. She pulled out various things from her luggage, and among them was a pudding that was the color of a carrot. I''m sure you''ll find that the color is not often seen in pudding, but regardless of that, it looks good from the outside. Even I think so, but of course Eve, the carrot-loving girl, shone her eyes. Carrot pudding, hurry! Here you go. Yoda, yes, and here''s your lunch. Yeah, thanks. I took my lunch and sat down on the mattress Emily had laid out. I opened my lunch. I opened the lunch box and saw the colorful side dishes and the fragrant aroma of the food. It''s a perfect bento, both visually and aromatically, and probably nutritionally perfect. But that balance was instantly shattered. A small hand reached out from the side with ridiculous speed and snatched the carrots from the bento. When I looked to the side, Eve was mugging and chewing and looking in the direction of the day after tomorrow. --? ? I whistled. No, you''re too bad at faking it. Oh well, I don''t care if he takes the carrots. You''d be happier if the girl you like ate your carrots. I pulled myself together and said, "Thank you for your help. Oh, this is great. This chicken cutlet?It''s amazing like that. The smell is amazing and this batter is just slightly sweet and awesome. I used sweet potato flour for the batter, the spices are a bit of a secret. Sweet potato flour?You mean dried and powdered. I don''t know if there is such a thing: ...... If you ask me, the batter did indeed have a sweet potato-like flavor the more I chewed on it. The more I chewed, the more sweet potato-like the batter tasted, which combined with the juicy chicken, filled my mouth with umami. Emily''s home-cooked meal before work made me a lot happier. Then the three guys from earlier walked by. The young men and women looked increasingly tired and covetous. On the other hand, the older man had a terribly unpleasant look on his face. ''''You guys, don''t be like that. "What? An astonished young man and woman. ''It''s outrageous to expose yourself in such disarray in a sacred dungeon. Nothing produced with that kind of attitude will resonate with the people. Uh-huh. Yes. ...... Our efforts are directly reflected in the quality and taste of our products. Our efforts are directly reflected in the quality and taste of our products. That''s what impresses the people who take it in their hands. The old man was talking to his men in exactly the same tone as before, and to be honest, it was hard to hear, so I was about to leave. To be honest, it was painful to listen to, so I was about to walk away. I was just about to walk away. Eve went away and came right back. I came back from capturing the sleeping slime, the monster in this tellurian basement level two. Eve is holding the tough monster, and even more so, the resisting monster, as if it were a plush toy in her arms without a care in the world. It seems to be stronger than I thought. That Eve came back in front of me with the slime in tow. "I''m going down. What? I''ll take it down. Oh, yeah, you''re the carrot. You must be so anxious for the carrots that you actually got the slime and wanted me to take it down. "Phew. The first man snickered. Somehow, I felt like he told me that he was going to have to ...... that easy way. I tried not to worry about it and took down the sleeping slime in Eve''s hands. It was locked in place, and I used today''s Nifonium to bring my strength up to a C, so I was able to take it down in one hit. With a pop, a carrot came out, and Eve caught it in midair. Well, that''s the end of our quota, and now - I thought. Eve grabbed the carrot and headed over to the trio. I''m not sure what to do with it. "Eat. What? Carrot-eating. ''No, but ......'' The young man looked at their leader, the older man looking more and more sullen. A blue streak twitched at his temples. Just eat it. I''m sure you''ll be pleased with the results. The two men were suddenly and unavoidably shoved carrots into their mouths, but... ''Yum!'' It''s really a carrot! In an instant, his eyes lit up and he raved about the carrots. Then, despite being raw, he munched on a carrot that was (actually) just peeled. ''The taste of carrots has nothing to do with hard work,'' Eve said quietly. I understood that''s what you mean ......, but "carrot''s" might be an afterthought. Even if it was an afterthought pillow word, it worked. The first man''s blue streaks are getting more and more twitchy. He looks like an angel-infested child. ''''You--! When the man lunged in to argue with her, Eve took the initiative and thrust her sword at his throat. Blood flowed from his throat. The man gulped and stopped moving. Eve said quietly, "I don''t like the misunderstanding of carrots. ''I hate misunderstandings about carrots.'' The man was misinformed, or rather misinformed, on the subject. Still, Eve interrupted him because of the carrots. Carrots are delicious without being hard to find. Low-level carrots are delicious. You don''t remember my name, do you? And why are you pretending to be something you''re not? I pointed out, and Eve moved in a way that made me feel like she was moving behind me. She presses her body against mine, so that I''m in front of her. "Low-level carrots are delicious, Wow!You sound just like me!I didn''t know you had that kind of skill! The teased older man was getting more and more twitchy. I felt a little bit better, I thought. 9 09. The man who protected the city The trio left. The first man clicked his tongue and stared at me evasively before leaving, while the other two looked at me with a look of regret. Eve also walked away. She was the one who caused the mood to turn ugly, but she didn''t care about it at all, and she left, chewing on carrots at her own pace. The rest of me and Emily worked. We had defeated the sleeping slime in the Tellurian basement second floor and collected the dropped carrots. Together with Emily, I was able to hunt efficiently with a party in the game. As a result, we were a little earlier than our regular time, and not enough time to make another round trip, the same as yesterday. The two of us were able to drop just enough to bring it home. Today''s income came to 2,000 pillows. ''Come to think of it, you don''t have a magic cart, do you? After receiving today''s purchase amount in return for the swallow''s favor, Elsa said something like that. ''''Magic cart?'''' It''s a must-have item for everyone. Elsa said and turned her attention to the other buyers. If you ask me, most of the adventurers are indeed pulling something like a cart. Or rather, I remember the three guys that were there earlier were also pulling the same thing. I''m sure everyone has one, that means it''s a magic cart. I didn''t understand what was magical about it. Why is it a requirement? The magic cart has several useful features. First of all, it can hold roughly twice as much stuff as it looks. Double it? Double it. Elsa nodded. I looked at the nearest cart. It''s about the same size as a home improvement cart. At a glance, it looks like it''s going to hold a lot of stuff, but it''s twice as big as this one. That''s pretty good. There''s also a feature that only the owner can take out to prevent theft, anti-vandalism to prevent monsters from attacking, and a weightless drop that doesn''t weigh anything. You can also add many other types and optional features, but the basic idea is this. ''It''s all very useful for dungeon diving,'' Yes, that''s why they say it''s a must-have. I see. With those features, it''s certainly a must-have. Or rather, I want one. Yesterday and today, I filled up the amount I could carry, but when I tried to get out of the office on time, I didn''t have enough time to go back and forth, so I left early. I can earn more money when I can carry a lot of stuff, regardless of weight. Even if I just simulated it in my head for a minute, I can see why that guy is called a "must have". Where do I get that? There''s a cart shop in town where you can buy them. Okay, thank you. I thanked Elsa and left the store. Emily was waiting for me in the sunset. "Hi, honey. Goodnight, sir. ''Do you have a moment before you go?I want to see the magic cart. Mr. Yoda, would you like to buy a magic cart? ''From what I''ve heard, it sounds like it would be more convenient to have one. Have you ever used a magic cart, Emily? ''I have one. I was in a dungeon with someone else before, and he had it. Yeah, how''d it go? His was a very expensive car. It came with an effect that allowed the party to gradually recover its MP. ''There''s such a thing! I''ve heard that''s an option. It''s very expensive. ''Oh, by the way, what did they say about options?'' As I walk out with Emily, I think about it. Then again, I''d still like to have a magic cart. I''m sure there are many more options besides what I just heard. ''I knew there were a lot of beneficial effects for adventurers. ''Yes. Some of them are completely hobbyist, but many of them are aids for adventurers to kill monsters in dungeons and drop them. Because everything in this world is produced in dungeons. Okay. I wanted it more and more. Then I got curious, and watched people passing by as I walked the streets. Once I became curious, I started to notice them more and more. There are quite a few adventurers pulling and pushing magic carts. Some of them let animals pull them or people ride on them. It''s true, there are a lot of things. Yeah, I want one. I''ve learned that just wanting the world doesn''t help. ''Gee, you must cheer up. Emily comforted me as I slumped my shoulders. I went to the magic cart shop, but I dared to lose out on the expensive ones. Because they''re all priced at a million piro or two million piro or something like that. The more options we added like monster detection and ability check, the more expensive they were, and the more options we added to the latest models, the more expensive they were. To be honest, it''s exactly the same as buying a car. "Well, you know, we also have a used one. ''Used. Even ...... seems to have some pitfalls when it''s used. ''Well, yes. Actually, the amount of items you put on it will gradually decrease as you use it. Plus, sometimes the stuff you put in it gets swallowed up. I''m scared. But they are very cheap. Some of them cost less than 100,000 pounds. No matter how cheap it is, it''s useless if there''s a problem. It''s the same feeling around here as buying a car after all. Well, let''s accumulate and buy a proper one sooner or later. Yes, sir. Well, let''s just hope that I''ll get stronger and be able to produce higher things on the deeper levels of the dungeon. I''ve changed my mind about that. I''m going home with Emily now. I''m going home to the warm and friendly home that Emily has set up for me. As soon as I put my mind to it, I was in a state of high spirits. Let''s get home early and get some sleep, let''s get some rest in the warm, bright house. Or so I thought. I''ve found something. Suddenly, the city began to buzz. There were screams and roars from a distance, and people were panicking. If you look closely, you can see people running away from the direction of the noise. I asked Emily, "What''s a haglemono? What''s a haggler? It''s about the monsters that show up in the city, and when they leave the dungeon, they become more violent and attack people at will than they are inside. What''s wrong with this? Why do you have to blame us adventurers? ''Many people don''t want to fight Hagremonos because they don''t drop any items at all, so it''s not worth it. Monsters only drop items in dungeons. Hey, hey. That''s ridiculous. You don''t fight them because they don''t drop items. I saw people running away. I saw one of the houses crumbling away from me. A giant gorilla was there. A gorilla the size of a house. "We can''t leave him there. Let''s go, Emily. "--Hey!Yes! Emily and I ran with her. We ran against the flow of people and got to the scene in no time at all. There were monsters there, with several buildings collapsing. The giant gorillas that I could see in the distance - what two of them! Oh, no, there are two of them. And I was thinking, "What am I gonna do to fight them? "Ha-ha! Formation Smaleca, here we go. You ain''t got nothing! ...... A group of four men appeared from the other side and attacked one of the gorillas. ''That''s .......'' It''s Eve. The one who showed up was Eve and her companion (?) that she had encountered earlier. It was a group of people. The foursome attacked the gorillas in a breathless attack. ''''Awesome ...... those people, they are all strong.'''' ''That''s not the point!We''ll take this one! "--!Yes, sir. Leaving Eve and the others to deal with the other side, Emily and I attacked the other gorilla. As I charged in, the gorilla swung at me with a hammer punch with an arm bigger than a log. ''Yoda-san!'' I caught it, sluggishly. It was a blow so strong that the ground under my feet cracked and caved in. ''It''s okay!But more importantly, fight back! Yes, sir! He teamed up with Emily and engaged in a fierce battle with the gorilla. The gorilla was as strong as it looked. They were so powerful that they could gouge out the ground, grab collapsed buildings and throw them at you. If we fought with all our might and lost, there would be even more damage. When I thought that, I felt like I couldn''t lose. I gave it everything I had to beat the gorilla. I''d take all of the attacks, and I''d restrain the gorilla as Emily swung her giant hammer at me, and follow up with a follow-up attack to make sure it hit. Other times, I would attack myself. I repeat the process, and finally my all-out body blow stabs it, and I manage to bring the gorilla down. The giant body collapses and slams down!And the ground shook as he fell. ''Whew, you''ve managed it,'' Goodnight, sir. Are you okay? Yes, sir. I followed up, and Emily was unharmed. I was relieved to hear that. Suddenly I remembered to look at Eve and her friends. "Nah, I don''t want to pay for that. If she was in the dungeon, she would have dropped a tuna. Still, it''s not worth it. This guy''s got a lot of tuna. I know that much. It''s a hell of a lot better than dropping anything at all. Eve and the other four had beaten the gorillas long ago, and their friends were swearing and Eve was fumbling around. None of them seemed to be wounded, and they seemed to have a much easier time of it than we did. I''m so lucky, I thought. As I was thinking about this, the people around me were cheering and thanking me. The people of the town who had been attacked by the gorillas had come to thank me. It felt a little good to help people and be thanked for it. ''Yo, Yoda, you''re going home early. I don''t know if I''m not used to being thankful, but Emily has been urging me on, as if I''m not located. It''s cute, that''s what I like about it. But I certainly don''t want any more trouble. I can''t wait to get home and get some rest in the warmth of my room. I was just about to leave, when, lo and behold, in front of me. And then, lo and behold, right in front of me. A gorilla dropped in front of me! 9.1 billion men I had eyes on the head of the Samethyllene society and his assassin in custody. Neither of them would talk, or even look me in the eye. A few moments later, Alice came back with Clint. "Well, well, well, ...... Clint arrived, his eyes glittered when he saw the two men being held captive. I got a bit of a chill, because they were the eyes of a predator that had found its prey. It''s a sharp eye that makes me tingle even though it''s not prey. And yet he''s smiling, and he''s smiling like crazy. "Don''t get me wrong, this is-- Of course I won''t be mistaken. There''s no one here, and there''s no way they could be mistaken. It''s kind of a white clint. His eyes are looking straight at the other guy, but he''s babbling, "There''s no one here. ''There''s no one here, and nothing is happening. Right, Mr. Sato? Yeah?Oh, ...... yeah. I wasn''t sure what Clint wanted to do, but my instincts told me it was better to match up. So I guess I''m going to have to talk to myself now. ''I''m going to offer you,'' said Clint, speaking with straight, non-smiling eyes, after a preamble. "Indor, I''m going to offer you a billion dollars," he said, "and I''m going to offer you a deal. It''s a difficult negotiation, but what, I''m sure it will happen (). Wow. Awesome. Blackmail, I''ve never witnessed blackmail before. Sametylene thrust 10 billion piro for the release of Indor, and Clint threatened - and negotiated - 1 billion piro. Ten billion to a billion, a tenth of a billion, or ten times their original offer, well, that''s reasonable. And my accidental work is worth 9 billion piro. It''s kind of amazing, isn''t it? Clint, whose eyes weren''t smiling, and the head of the Same-Tierne Association, who was biting down on a bitter bug. The two men stared at each other for a while, and then the other side broke off. I''ll make you a billion. You can pay me whenever you want. Mmm, I just felt like talking to myself again. I don''t know if I''m getting enough sugar. With a theatrical gesture, Clint pulled out a large quantity of sugar cubes, threw a mouthful into his mouth, and crunched them up. I and the others were taken aback by this act, and Clint completely dominated the atmosphere. And then the sugar cube was completely consumed. "If you don''t give me a billion pounds of pillows, I''ll never forget something." () Nah... Wow. Wow, I mean, it''s not just great, it''s egregious, Clint. I thought the 1 billion was a bargaining chip!You''d rather have them pay me off in hush money! Demons!You''re an animal! And this guy. I can''t afford it! I think I heard something, but I guess I''m just hearing things. Yes, I''ll have to ask the Samethyllene Society and the adventurers what they think of what they just heard. No, don''t do that. ...... Clint didn''t say anything, he just stared at the other guy with eyes that weren''t smiling. The fact that he was smiling so hard on his face was unbalanced and rather frightening. Seeing that, I seriously thought, "Let''s not make him angry," I thought. After the other side was gone, Clint pocketed the reminder with a satisfied look on his face. He had the other side write it, a contract that said both the renunciation of Indor and the payment of a billion piro, both of which were written. As soon as the other side wrote it, a magic circle spread across the paper, so it''s a contract with a magical power - maybe a coercive one - added to it. I became more and more afraid of Clint, who had even prepared such a thing in this moment when Alice went to call him. ''''I suppose that pretty much settles the Indor matter. Is that so? ''''Same-Tyrene has abandoned this place, and a billion piro is enough for the time being to build the infrastructure to welcome adventurers. Beyond that, it depends on the tax revenue from the dungeon. Okay. I was a bit surprised, the way Clint talked, he said he''d spend the entire billion piro on Indor. This Indor, and Aurum, is the dungeon we''re going to earn our money from now on, so we''ve got to make the most of that billion piro. Auldurm? It''s a dungeon name. So you''ve decided. What? Clint is puzzled. Did I hear something funny? Are you under the misconception that people decide what to name their dungeons? You''re not? ''Each dungeon has a name from birth, the humans just magically confirm it. Yeah. That was surprising. ''There is a theory that the god of the earth is following the law of some kind, but I honestly don''t know what it is. I know something about the law of not being able to understand Clint. Tellurium, Arsenic, Silicon, Nihonium, Selenium, and Aurum. It''s a law that will probably lead to helium and uranium. He was recognized as Clint and returned to the village. As soon as I entered the village, I was found and the villagers came rushing in. ''Thank you, Satou-sama! The village chief, who was leading the villagers, suddenly thanked me. I have no idea what I''m talking about, and I''m a bit puzzled. Oh, what do you mean by thank you? Alice tells me that you not only freed Indor from Samethyllene, but that you have taken billions of dollars for the development of the village. ''What?How do you know that already?I just found out with Clint. Thank you, Mr. Sato. Thank you! Thank you, benefactor! You are the savior of this village! The villagers have thanked me for my mouthful. From benefactor to further savior, it''s getting more and more over the top. ''We must repay our benefactor''s kindness. ''Oh yes!There''s money, and there''s dungeons!Let''s make this village bigger by ourselves! I can''t face him if he doesn''t take you this far! They''re all very enthusiastic, and then I remember what Clint said. --"A billion piro, we have to make the most of it. That''s what Clint said. The billion-dollar story has been partly perverted, but the villagers say it''s to my credit. And they were motivated, and their spirits were lifted tremendously. I''m sure it''s all part of what Clint calls "making the most of it. That''s good, no, it''s better to do it with this much enthusiasm than to do it. It''s a good ....... ''We''ve got to gun the monster down! I''m not afraid of that little devil. I can''t help but feel uneasy about some of the young man''s lines. That would make me think I''m going to have another accident. ...... There''s no way around it. Give me a minute. Where are you going, Master Sato? I''ll be right back. Then I made the villagers wait and headed back the way I''d come. When we got back to the deserted forest, I dropped a piece of gold from my porch onto the ground. I put the glittering gold down, kept my distance, and waited for a while. The gold turned out to be a haggler. I fired a straitjacket with the gun I had already stunned, and restrained the five little demons - Hagremono. Then, he took them and returned to the villagers. ''''Say, Satou-sama?What kind of ...... is this? Let''s train now, everyone spread out in a circle. When he saw that the villagers had distanced themselves from him as he had told them, he spoke to one of them. "You there, you said it was going to be a piece of cake. Uh-huh. Okay, then you should try fighting this guy. He tore off the rope of light and sent one of the little devils out (I could easily untie it as I shot him). The young man with the big mouth was easily killed. I rescued him from the little demon that almost killed him with a restraining round and healed him with a recovery round. ''''That was too hasty. I told you before, these guys are pretty mean, and they''ll come and pretend to be dead or something.'''' ''Yes, yes ......, sorry.'' Are you still up for it?Then it''s the second round. I trained the villagers. More and more villagers were rushing into the woods because of Clint, so I figured I should at least train them so they wouldn''t die in vain. Alice and Eve watched Ryota and the villagers'' training from a distance. ''Low level, good-natured.'' That''s Lyota. No stone left unturned. Because of that, people look up to Ryota more and more. They treat him like a god. The female there and there, her eyes are in heat. Really, it''s Eve''s eyes when she looks at the carrots. Eve wordlessly slapped Alice with a fast (,) chop. As they watched, Ryota subconsciously grew more and more trustworthy and likable to the villagers. 10 10. Popcorn and black are In the morning, on my way to the dungeon in Nifonium. As I was chewing on the slightest bit of happiness I''d had since I woke up, I was reminiscing ...... about the time before. I''ve been in the world when I first arrived. A few days before that day, I wasn''t feeling very well. I was feeling a bit dizzy, and I found myself having moments of unconsciousness. But I was still working with nutritional drinks and stuff like that. I started working from the morning, and the last hour of the day was when it started to get really tough, but I still didn''t finish, so the last train passed while I was working, and I went blank in front of my eyes and laid down on my desk to take a nap, and then... -- and the next thing I know, I''m dropped into slime! I don''t know, when I think back and try to put it into words, it doesn''t make sense. I don''t know why, and I''m like, "Is that here in my dream? I think about it. I decided not to think about it because it didn''t seem to answer my question. In the meantime, I arrived at the Nifonium dungeon. I did an ability check on the Now Board on the table that I somehow saw. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F Power C Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... I''m still at level 1, but my strength is steadily increasing thanks to the seeds. I''ll do my best today too! With that in mind, I went inside and came to the second basement level of a cave that looked like a limestone cave. I immediately encountered a zombie. The zombies attacked me as usual, ooohing and ahhing and moaning. From yesterday''s gorilla - the one that dropped from the hagfish that the humans of this world don''t "drop" in their mouths. Pan! The sound of the explosion was deafening, the powder smoke was deafening, my hands were chattering and numb. And then - the zombie''s head is blown off. In my right hand is a revolver pistol that doesn''t belong in this world. This handgun and a bunch of bullets dropped from a gorilla. I think I''m going to do some seed hunting and test the waters today. One shot blew the zombie''s head off and it just died and went to seed. I pick up the seeds, raise my power one, and look for more zombies. I saw a zombie in the distance. It''s about twenty meters away. I holster my gun and shoot it, and it misses ...... and hits me in the shoulder. The zombie staggered, and I quickly fired a second shot into the zombie, this time with a solid head shot and a head shot. Two zombies as soon as possible, if you get used to it, you might be quicker. Now for the seeds--. "Whoa! I was about to pick it up when the wall suddenly collapses, revealing a zombie. The zombie took me by surprise and tried to bite me, opening its mouth to bite me. You--take this! I pull it off forcefully and give it a front kick. The zombie bends over and flies through the air like it''s been hit by a truck. They won''t die like this!So he quickly raised his gun and-- ''Uh, uh, ......'' From the back!This! He knocks another zombie that has teamed up from behind and knocks it to the ground with a forceful backhandedness. He readies his gun, and this time he pulls the trigger. Pan!Pan! The zombie at my feet and the one I kicked off in the distance, blowing both of their heads off. I cringed for a moment, but I managed it. I pick up two seeds, raise my power to two, and go around the dungeon some more. I took out the zombies, trying out the combination of gun fire and fighting, which my body is learning over the past few days. After noon, my power was up to B. We left Nihonium to join Emily and head for Tellurium. The guns were handy and powerful. At first I was worried that it would work on monsters since this is the world, but it''s a gun that physically flies lead bullets at great speed, so it usually worked pretty well. It''s going to make monster hunting in dungeons a lot easier, I was wondering what I was going to do with my weapon after the bamboo yarns broke, but now I don''t have to think about it. The problem is the bullets. Yesterday, the number of bullets dropped from the gorilla along with the gun was just under two hundred. That''s quite a few in normal life, but I''ve actually already shot about 50 rounds in the morning. At this rate, we''ll soon be short, we''ll have to replenish them. ...... I guess I''m still haggling. Somehow I thought so. I think I''m starting to understand the law. I''m the only one who was able to find seeds that I can touch from Nihonium, which everyone says don''t drop, and guns and bullets from the other side of the world from Hagremonos, which don''t drop so it''s not worth it to fight them. The key word in common is "no drop". Haglemono ...... monsters that attack the city away from the dungeon. Of course it''s better if it doesn''t appear, but I''m going to expect ...... it, don''t you think? I waited for a moment there, on the basement floor of the tellurium. ''He''s not coming.'' He''s not coming. I met up with Emily, hunted one of the sleeping slimes and dropped a carrot. With that, I waited for Eve, but she didn''t show up. Eve waited and waited and didn''t come, and Emily''s face became worried. ''Is something wrong?'' They''re on their own time. They don''t come here every day. Yes, sir. ''Let''s save these carrots, maybe I''ll go home and open the door and there''s a chance that I''ll be inside. ...... You don''t have that. After I said that, I got a little nervous imagining the scene. When I got home, I found Eve had broken in and was waiting inside waiting for the carrots: ....... It was kind of a scary scene that I could imagine in a very real way. I put the carrots away in my luggage, just to prepare myself for it. ''Well, let''s go downstairs today. Are you going? ''Yeah, I got a weapon and my strength went up from a C to a B. I''ve improved my fighting skills, so I thought I''d give it a shot. Yes, sir. Emily followed along, smiling. Despite her small stature, Emily is a giant hammer-wielding Emily, and she''s as powerful a fighter as a gorilla, but when she''s not fighting, she''s just like this, giving off a gentle air of comfort. She''s that kind of comforting character that makes you feel at home just by being with her. I came down to the third basement floor with Emily. "Has Emily been here before? I don''t. I just know the name of the monster and the drop. Yeah, what''s it like? The monster is a cocrosse lime and the drop is a pumpkin. What does ...... coclo mean by slime again? I understand squash. Sprouts, carrots, and other normal dungeon-dropped vegetables are rather normal. Everything in this world is produced in dungeons, the things you produce in dungeons themselves are normal. I don''t know if you can beat a gorilla in a dungeon and it will drop a whole tuna, but the things that drop themselves are normal. So I think the pumpkins that drop here are normal too. And if it''s a normal pumpkin, you can find it at ....... I glanced at Emily. A smiling, petite girl, a girl who makes a warm room and cooks food that warms my body and soul. Yeah, I''m sure she''ll do it. I had a little hope. After walking for a while, a cocrosstime or something like that appeared. ...... The shape is a slime, but its size is tiny and its body is black. But its size is tiny and its body is shiny and black. And yet, unlike the slime on the two upper floors, it didn''t jump around, but crawled on the ground -- making a cracking sound as it moved. --Bish! The air froze. Turning to the side, Emily is staring at the glowing black slime. Her expression remains - smiling and friendly. But something is different. ''Emily ......?'' Mr. Yoda. Yes! I''m going to kill it. It''s kind of scary, Miss Emily! Emily held the hammer up with a smiling face. The hammer was small and huge, as usual, but scarier than ever. A shiver went down my spine. Emily dragged the hammer and lunged - and lunged! This is my first time!I''m going to try to get a head start against the slime, Emily! Emily swung the hammer down, the whole dungeon felt like it was shaking. The ground cracked as it was struck by the hammer, there--. Guri Guri. Emily pushed the hammer down and grizzled the ground. ''Yeah, Emily, you don''t have to do that, do you?'' What are you talking about, Mr. Yoda? Emily turned around, smiling at me. ''You have to kill this much or the tragedy will spread. Ha ha! Her voice flipped over. Funny, Emily''s face is still kind, but it''s scary, I could see something of a shura on the other side of her? This floor is not good, let''s go back up. Just as I was about to do so, a hammer and a crack in the ground crunched. A cocrosstime came out. ''We''ve leaked our house: ...... That''s enough, Emily, let''s get back to it. Mr. Yoda. What the f*ck? ''You may hate me, but please don''t hate the drop. I don''t hate you!Stop before you hate me! "Huh! With a tremendous amount of energy, the hammer swung down even more. It accurately caught the cocrosstime and shook the dungeon even more. Pong! The hammer jumped up, and a basketball-sized pumpkin appeared from where the slime had been, which was the same size as the shiny black thing. And Emily''s mood returned to normal. I''m glad we were able to defeat it before it got any worse. ''Emily, let''s go back upstairs. I feel like a carrot today. Yes, sir. Emily throws the hammer away and retrieves the pumpkin. Then we both walked back upstairs. But a pumpkin of this size from that little slime? That thing at the moment it was dropped, it looks like a scene of popcorn bursting. It would have been a bit more interesting if it hadn''t looked like a shiny black thing. What was I thinking? A crumbling sound. Crumble, crumble, crumble. Crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle, crackle. As I came back to the stairs leading upstairs, a bunch of cocrosse limes appeared. If you find one, expect to see 30 of them. That''s exactly what happened. "Yoda-san: ...... What? I don''t know if I''ll ever be human again. Wait, wait, wait!I got it!I''ll take care of this one! I forced myself to get in front of Emily as the air changed again. Don''t let her do it! You can''t-- no! Guns up, aim at the slime. Pan!Pan!Pan! In this moment, I''m more focused than ever before. Pan!Pan!Pan! I messed up the gun, with a sharpened concentration, each shot, slaughtering the slime as fast as I could. All the bullets hit, all of them smashed through the middle of the slime. ''''Ho......'''' I patted my chest, because I felt Emily''s air softening back behind me. But immediately after that. Pomp, pomp, pomp, pomp--. The pumpkin dropped from the slime, dropping like a popcorn bursting out of the slime. And - probably because of my drop S - a pumpkin the size of a balance ball, much larger than Emily''s, dropped at once. The popped pumpkin (popcorn) instantly blocked the way - the way home. Ironically, killing the slime in the blink of an eye resulted in me being trapped on three underground floors swarming with co-cross-limes. Then I smelled the carrots and struggled to quiet Emily until Eve appeared with a chop to the pumpkin pile. Three floors below the tellurium, I had to make sure I didn''t bring Emily back again. 11 11. Gs counterattack The next day, we spent the morning in the basement level of Nihonium doing our daily zombie hunt. I''ve gotten much more comfortable with the gun and I can fire it continuously. My accuracy has improved and I can take a solid headshot as long as I don''t get hit by surprise. I also practiced a few combos with physical techniques. Punching, kicking, and throwing. I drilled into my body how to break it down and then slam a bullet into it. ''Another surprise attack!That''s a lot of nihonium! The walls collapsed and the zombies suddenly attacked me. I stuck out my right hand, which wasn''t holding a gun, and accidentally grabbed its neck. As it was, I grabbed the zombie by the neck and lifted it up and put a bullet between its eyes. I cringed as it attacked me, but I only got away with a cringe. I continued to hunt the zombie, and with the drop seeds, my strength went up to A. In the afternoon I came to the third basement floor of the tellurium. After reflecting on yesterday, I came alone today. I was glad I did. This is because when you''re on the third basement floor, all the female adventurers you see are whisking past you in a hurry. Some ducked down to the lower levels, others returned to the top from below. Nearly all the women are rushing past in a hurry. A cocrosstime appeared. It looks like a slime, about half the size of the palm of my hand. Its body is shiny black, and it moves with a cracking sound. I knew it wasn''t good for women, I thought. But I thought it was good for practice. Set up the gun, take aim - and shoot! You missed! It came off the slime and hit the ground like an underpass, sending pebbles flying. Crunching. The slime approached - and jumped. ''Whoa!'' I quickly dodged it. I''m scared. I''m scared. It had just jumped in front of me, right in my face. For a moment, my vision was 70% obscured by this thing with a flash of blackness. My heart flutters. In a way, this is worse for my heart than a zombie attacking me by surprise! Pull yourself together, get your gun up and take aim this time - this time. Pan!Pash!Poof! The bullet firmly penetrated the coclo slime and dropped a huge pumpkin. No matter how many times I look at it, the sight of a palm-sized pumpkin the size of a balance ball dropping from a palm-sized slime looks like that of popcorn. The slime itself is weird, but the moment of the drop is a bit of a pleasant sensation. And then they show up in large numbers again. If you see one, think there are thirty of them - not thirty, but close enough. No Emily today, no problem with blocking the road. I took a deep breath and fired my gun with everything I had in me. When I had less than 50 bullets left, I wiped out a bunch of cocrosstime. Just like yesterday, a huge pumpkin that had dropped all at once filled the dungeon''s path. Once it was carried out to the front of the dungeon, I called out to Emily. ''It''s another big catch today,'' ''Yes. That''s roughly the same amount as yesterday. Yesterday it was ......, let''s see, roughly 10,000 piro each? Yeah. On a price per gram basis, there wasn''t much difference between the squash and the sprouts. This pumpkin was huge, and its body was heavy and slender. Elsa was delighted to buy them for me because I could take them down to the cafeteria and other places for commercial use. It was, as Emily had said, worth about 10,000 piro each. Yesterday''s, and today''s. If we sold them all, it would be about 500,000 piro. That''s quite an income. 500,000 or ....... With that much, I might be able to buy a used magic cart. No, no, no, maybe we can move into a nicer room. But first, you might want to treat Emily to a nice meal together. I was secretly excited as I imagined all sorts of ways to spend the money. ''Well, let''s do our best to carry it. Hi. I hauled the pumpkin and got it bought out. I''d come back and haul them back and buy them back. Each pumpkin weighs a few hundred pounds, but I, and Emily, who is a little girl of about six feet, can carry them just fine. Emily was already carrying a big hammer, and I had already made some progress with the seeds. I kept carrying it, and when I came back for the last time, I saw a shocking sight. When I came back for the last time, I saw a shocking sight. Black ones were swarming around the two remaining pumpkins, swarming and scurrying. You could see them from a distance, glowing black cocrosse limes. The giant pumpkin swarmed by the slime had holes all over the place and was being eaten by insects. The slime outside the dungeon - or is it slime outside the dungeon? Yoda-san: "Yoda-san: ...... Haha! I huffed and turned my head to the side, Emily was looking at the pumpkin with a blank expression and ...... eyes like a dead fish. ''That pumpkin is ...... no more,'' ''Wait, Emily, don''t do it!Sure, that one''s a bust. I was ...... born for this time. ...... Emily said and took the hammer, which she kept away for once. You know, for this occasion, it''s too heavy. Wait, Emily, I''ll do it! But ....... Just stay back, Emily. I pushed Emily back and stepped forward. Totally!I didn''t hear of any cocrosstime out there! I grabbed my gun and charged at the giant pumpkin. There were only a few bullets left, and if I missed here, Emily would be in more and more trouble. I can''t miss a single shot--. I showed more concentration than I did yesterday. While charging, I shot a cocrosstime that scattered from the pumpkin. I shot at them as they ran away, and I shot at them anyway because it would be hard to miss one of them. I fired my gun wildly, slaughtering the slime anyway. Click, click. Click!You''re out of ammunition. After all, this is my day. Yeah! I put the gun away and hit the pumpkin. I hit the entire cocrosse-lime there. Petya! I had a bad feeling about this, but I had to do it. I have to do it. "Whoa! Raise your spirits and hit the slime. With all my strength, I lash out at the slime with every pumpkin and hit it. Eventually, the pumpkin shatters and the slime is wiped out as well. I managed to ...... manage it. I was relieved. I looked at Emily, her face clearly relieved to see that the black guy was gone, too. Thank goodness I won''t let her do it. But why is the cocrosstime out there?What does that have to do with swarming a dropped pumpkin? Maybe if you leave a drop item by the dungeon, it will come from there? What was I thinking? Pom. Pop-pop. Pop-pop-pop. The cocrosstime I defeated dropped items one after another -- the bullets I''d used up earlier. Speaking of which. The cocrosse lime that appeared outside the dungeon was a haggle. Happened, in exchange for the loss of 20,000 piro and Emily''s bad vibe that almost stepped into the Shura path. I was able to replenish nearly 500 rounds of ammunition from the haglemono. 12 12. Where things that dont drop dont drop I told Elsa about the scene I saw earlier in the day at the buyer''s shop "Swallow''s Grace", which was crowded with adventurers today. Didn''t you know that?If you leave a drop item in an unpopular place, monsters will be born from it. Oh, I''m sorry: ...... I''m a newcomer to this world, I have no way of knowing, but the way Elsa talks, it''s common sense, so I apologize without thinking. "So, does that mean that Hagremonos are almost like man-made disasters? ''Yes, it does. There are exceptions, of course. Exception? There was a storm, and things got blown out in the open. ''Ah ...... I see, I see ......'' In that case, would it still create a haggle of monsters? The point is, if you drop something from a dungeon and leave it in an unpopular place, it will revert back to its original monster. ''Even in a dungeon?'' Even in the dungeon. Okay. I''ve put together in my head what I just heard. If that''s the case-- ''Um, Ryota-san. If it''s okay with you, I''d like to have dinner with you tonight!I found a really great place-- ''Thank you, Elsa!I''ll be back! I ran out of the store excited to try what I noticed right away. I was so excited that I couldn''t see what was going on around me if I could make it happen. Inside the shop where Ryota had disappeared, Elsa''s colleague, Ena, came in beside her as she stared wistfully at the doorway. ''Zannen, you got dumped,'' It''s not like I was rejected. Ryota-san, I just had something important to do. "Ha-ha, no sulking, no shuffling. I''m not sulking!It''s just that Ryota-san should be more alive. Wow, that''s some pretty good food. Oh, welcome. Elsa stared at the door that Ryota had left with a sad look in her eyes. I dropped the carrots that killed the sleeping slime in the Tellurium''s basement two floors and brought them to the ground. The reason I didn''t use a pumpkin is to prevent accidents. If I did it with a pumpkin, I could see that Emily would somehow (...) pass by. I''ve gone with the carrot. You can do it with carrots, pumpkins, or even sprouts. The key is to intentionally create haggletons. When you kill a haglemono, you get something that doesn''t exist in this world. Kill a gorilla, get a gun, kill a cocrosstime, and the bullets are replenished. Bullets are consumable and need to be replenished constantly. If you can intentionally create a haggle of things, you can replenish them at will. With that in mind, I put the carrots in an unpopulated area, just in time to see them in plain sight. What do you think? Then, after waiting for a while. "The Great Carrot. You can''t catch it! Eve appeared out of nowhere and picked up a fallen carrot and ate it. Eve ate the carrot in a way reminiscent of a rodent. ''Why are you eating it!'' Low level. Don''t call me that!Why are you eating that carrot? Because that''s where the carrots are. Yeah, well, I''m sorry I didn''t think you''d be able to catch me with a carrot. Good. You like carrots? I won''t eat it! I''m not giving you anything. You can''t give me that? This carrot belongs to the rabbit. This carrot belongs to the rabbit, and I would never give it to anyone, no matter how hard heaven and earth may turn. That''s the first time I''ve ever heard that long line of dialogue from you! Bunny-girl Eve gurgles carrots contentedly. Her own cowlick twitches. ''Ha, I''m glad I got more. I put down the spare carrot. Jumped, and Eve''s ears jumped. She''s staring at the carrots, she''s drooling! No, wait a minute, don''t do that. But the carrots-- All right, there''s something for you. He also handed a spare carrot to Eve. Eve looked at the carrots in turn and compared them with the ones on the ground. That one is a carrot, and this one is a carrot. ''Really? ...... Yeah, you can take that carrot to Emily''s.'' Emily: "Emily: ...... She would have made a hell of a carrot dish. Carrots...... Emily...... God was born. Is that it? Without paying any attention to my tsking, Eve left with a new carrot. Phew, that''s something. I look at the carrots and think. Somehow I dug a hole in the ground and buried the carrot. And then you move away from it, and look at the ground where you buried the carrot from a distance. Then, I wait for a while. Just when I thought it was no use. With a pop, a slime was born from the ground. And a slime was born from the ground. It''s the sleeping slime that lives in the underground level of the dungeon in Telluride. I''ve been waiting for you! Grab the gun and pounce on the sleeping slime. Pan!Poof! The sleeping slime has been shot out and 10 bullets have been dropped! Yeah! I couldn''t help myself. The experiment was a huge success. Now I can deliberately put out a haggle of bullets at any time and have a steady supply of bullets that don''t exist in this world. A big step forward. I thought it would be hard to wait for the haglemono to drop anything, but I''m glad I discovered this method. ''Hmm?Wait a minute, ...... nothing drops ......? I felt an inspiration in my head. Stars Nifonium, basement level two. Sink a zombie that has taken you by surprise with a headshot. The zombie''s head is blown off and it drops a seed. Picking up a seed raises its power by one. This zombie is also a "non-dropping" monster. They''re the only monsters in this world that can''t drop, and they drop their seeds when I kill them. Just like hagglers. So I figured. What if a zombie turns into a haglemoth? I came to Nihonium with that in mind, but I was in trouble. The seeds of the drop items disappear when you pick them up. Items have to be taken outside to spawn haggles, but the seeds here disappear as soon as you take them up and they take effect. I went back to the basement floor above. I searched a bit and found a skeleton. It''s a bone, so I didn''t have much to aim at, but I calmly took it down with my gun. A seed dropped. Maximum HP hit 0. This is a problematic result. I thought I could bring the seed to the max HP of S, but it only goes up to 0, and the seed still disappears. I can''t take the seeds out of the house. It''s a good idea to make sure that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of these things. It''s no use. It''s just that it doesn''t work out that way. We''ve replenished our ammunition, so let''s go back to tellurium and make some more money for today. With that in mind, I leave Nifonium. I came to the exit, and I was wondering if my HP would be SS or something, since I got a seed in S. That''s when I came to the exit. The wall collapses and a skeleton ambushes me. ''You too!I love the monster ambush on Nifonium! He kicked away the skeleton that grabbed him. The skeleton flew away and flew out of the dungeon. ''''Oh shit, by the haggle - that? The skeleton disappeared. A second after I left the dungeon, it disappeared into a fog. What did that mean?I nodded my head. Tellurium, and Nihonium. After some experimentation in two dungeons, I discovered yet another simple principle. All monsters can only live on that floor. They can''t set foot on a different floor by themselves, but if they are blown up or sent to another floor, they will disappear as soon as they are blown away. The only time they become haggled over is when the dropped items are left outside, and if the monster leaves normally, they disappear immediately. If you go to another floor or go outside from the first basement floor, it will disappear. Monsters followed that principle without exception. Nifonium, basement level. I was waiting for you in the doorway. I waited patiently for a long time. I waited for it to come out, and finally, after about an hour or so, a skeleton appeared from the ground and attacked me, waiting for me. "Whoa! He grabs the skeleton''s thin neck bone and throws it outside. Then he shoots at the skeleton as it is thrown outside. Sharpening his nerves, he fired in rapid succession, aiming between the bones for only a second. The bullets shattered the skeleton into pieces. And then--. Pong! One bullet dropped! Monsters that don''t normally drop, outside of dungeons that don''t normally drop! I dropped the item. Pick it up and put it in the gun. I''m sure, this is something different. Outside the dungeon, you aim at a single tree and pull the trigger. The bullet hits the tree and a magic circle spreads out around it. Immediately after, the tree turned into a large block of ice. Frozen Bullets ...... magic bullets. An expression like that naturally appeared in my head. 13 13. Resident Evil The next day, we went to Nihonium in the morning, but we were on the ground floor, not the basement level, not the second floor. And I didn''t go to the back, I stayed at the entrance the whole time. I waited for the skeleton to come out, then I pushed that guy out of the dungeon and shot him down with my gun. If you take it down after you get out of the dungeon before it disappears, it will drop a single frozen bullet. Skeletons don''t have much area to aim at, so you''ll need to fire an average of five bullets here and there to defeat them. It''s calculated by using five normal bullets and converting them into one freezer bullet. That''s fine in itself, you can get a lot of normal bullets with the sleeping slime haggler. The problem is that it''s hard to wait for skeletons to appear. By the way, even if you try to drag him out from the depths of the dungeon, you''ll end up fighting back against the rampaging skeletons and defeating him in the process. In the end, it''s safest to wait here. That''s how I kept going in the morning, and I got ten frozen bullets. It took me quite a while, so I must use them carefully. In the afternoon, I met up with Emily in the basement level of Tellurium. We formed a party and took down the sleeping slime. If we hit it, we would get one shot with a regular bullet and one shot with Emily''s hammer. The carrot hunt was going well, and I was going to make quite a bit of money today. It''s going well, so let''s give it a try while ...... enemies are weak. Emily. Yes, sir. I''ll follow up with you, and when I come up with another one, you just charge in. Okay. Emily nodded instantly, without asking for details. It was kind of nice to know that she put all her trust in me. After a short walk, a sleeping slime emerged from the ground ahead of us. The distance was about fifteen meters, and Emily quickly rushed forward with her giant hammer. With about five meters to go, she kicked the ground and pounced on it, swinging the hammer at it. Aiming with bullets. I sharpen my nerves and pull the trigger. The bullet caught the center of the sleeping slime. The moment it hit, the magic circle spread and the slime froze to a clickety-clack. It became a block of ice that was nearly twice its original volume. Emily swung the hammer down as it was with a staggered and unstinted movement. Boom! It was such a big blow that the cave shook, the frozen slime shattered, and then the carrot dropped. Not good. I stop it from moving with the frozen bullets and hit it with a strong attack in the meantime. It''s an effective pattern I learned in the game, but it could be used here as well. The problem is the effect of these freezer bullets. How strong is the enemy you can freeze?What kind? What''s the range you can freeze? I''d like to get a better grasp on that, otherwise it''s hard to use in a pinch. Well, it just takes time, acquiring frozen bullets is easy, so I''ll get them steadily and try them out occasionally. As I picked up the carrots while thinking about this, Emily asked me with a twinkle in her eye. ''Yoda-san is amazing!What was that? As you can see, it''s a bullet that can freeze your opponent in place. We have a limited number of them, so we can''t go on a rampage. But it''s still amazing! The combo with the freezer bullets worked for now. We then hunted down as many carrots as we could carry, roughly 20,000 piro, and tried to get out of the dungeon. We went back to the basement floor and were just about to go up to the ground. Outside, we noticed that it was raining heavily. It was raining sideways, and a strong wind blew in with the rain inside the dungeon. Pica!Rumble rumble ....... The sky in the distance glows and a thunderclap roars a few seconds later. ''It''s raining, sir.'' It''s amazing, it''s like an overturned bucket. It''s just that I can''t leave. We''ll just have to wait it out in the dungeon: ...... I glanced at our carrots. "These carrots are okay, right? Yes, sir. Emily, who I''ve been working with for a while now, immediately understood my concerns and gave me a quick answer. Haggler gets it when people aren''t around. They''ll be fine when you''re around them all the time. Okay. Okay. I sat down on the ground in peace. I kept my gun in hand, ready to aim at the slime whenever it came out. As I did so, I looked outside. It was pouring down like a downpour and the ground was hollow and flowing like a river. It was like a typhoon. It''s not surprising that some of these rains could collapse. ''When it rains hard, the house can collapse. I don''t think we''ll be able to afford it. It''s an old apartment. ''It''s all right. And even if it collapses, the city of Nazarov is just a stone''s throw away, and Cyclo is a town where you can get building materials cheaply. Yeah?Oh, right, so Nazarov has a lot of dungeons that drop building materials, and since it''s close by, it''s easy and cheap to transport. Yes, sir. I see. I''m beginning to understand this world more and more. It''s a world where everything is dropped in dungeons - in other words, everything is produced, and people''s livelihoods are based on that. For example, I live in Cyclo, which has five dungeons where you can get a lot of vegetables for a fraction of the price, but meat and alcohol transported from the most distant cities is a bit more expensive. The logistics are not so well developed, so the price reflects the distance. This is the world I''m beginning to understand. Eventually the rain stopped in the morning of the next day. On the way back to Ciclo, carrying carrots, we came across a disturbance. There were two people screaming, a middle-aged man and a young man. The middle-aged man was dressed in fancy clothes and shiny rings and necklaces, and the young man was dressed like an ordinary adventurer. They''re arguing by the cliff. I was curious, so I went up to him and asked him. ''What''s going on?'' There was a baggage accident, with the rain yesterday. A young man with an adventurer''s look answered. ''A baggage accident?'' An unfamiliar word came out, and I looked to Emily next to me for an answer. ''Cyclo is an agricultural city with five dungeons all producing vegetables, there are a lot of things missing, so we import a lot of things from other cities. Yeah, you were talking about that last night. Sometimes there are accidents in transit. "And when we talk about baggage accidents, it usually means that the cargo has fallen somewhere, has drifted away or is gone. ''Ooh!''Ah, so it''s under this cliff. The two men realized what it meant to be fighting in front of the cliff. The men nodded. I glanced down as I approached. It was a pretty high cliff, and I could see what looked like a magic cart at about 20 meters, pretty deep. "Is that where you dropped your load? It rained last night. I see. I''m relieved. I''m glad we spent last night in the dungeon. If I''d forced myself to leave, I''d have dropped the items I was selling like that, too. Even if you''re using a magic cart, it''s easy to lose the ones I have. Yeah, just don''t force yourself to leave... Wait, that''s a long way down the cliff, which means...? Yes, sir. It will be a haggler with time. Oh, right! I remember that and realize how hard it is. You take another look at the cliff, there are no people underneath the cliff, and a quick glance at the cliff is 20 meters away. At this rate, that stuff is going to be packed up and turned into something haggard. ''But at least it''s outdoors. Well, it''s outdoors, and it''s not like it''s going to happen right away, so we can just get rid of it even if it does. It would be a loss of luggage, but it''s better than causing human casualties, right? I thought. ''That''s what''s feminine about it. "Feminine? Emily shook her head. You don''t know. She looked at the man and asked with a look. ''It''s a kind of monster,'' she said. They are a kind of monster, they are transparent and have no definite shape, and you only catch a glimpse of them the moment they attack someone. Is it a gas system or a ghost system or something like that? ''Their aggression is pretty strong there, but the tricky part is that they can possess humans and use them as a breeding nursery. It doesn''t matter if it''s a man or a woman, they''ll find themselves possessed and impregnated in large numbers. Ugh. ...... It''s making me feel sick. What a story, and I mean, it''s a very bad story. That''s why I have to get rid of it before it becomes a haggler. The young man looked at the rich man. ''You''ve got to be kidding me!How much do you think that load is worth? It''s three million piro at cost. But we have to burn it while it lasts. You''ll have to figure out a way to pull that thing off. I can''t!Look!It''s stuck between some weird rocks and is that deep. There''s no way to pull it out. We''d better make it disappear all at once. The men struggled. The adventurous man insisted that he would burn it before it turned into something bad, while the rich man ranted that it was a loss and that he should do something about it. I know what they both mean. Of course I''m in favor of incineration. Of course I''m in favor of incineration, but if we''re going to release too many troublesome monsters before it''s too late... It''s too late. "Anyway-- whoa! The mature man suddenly screamed out, looking up to the heavens, trembling, and blowing white foam from his mouth. I can see something faint and clinging around his body. ''''Eei!'''' The young adventurer man held up his hand and fired an arrow of fire - an attack spell. The arrow missed. The mature man dodged it with great speed. It wasn''t a man''s move, it was manipulated. ''''Ugogiyah!'''' The man screamed. Quickly, he pulled out his gun and fired in rapid succession. He was moving too fast to miss. A manipulated, adult man, faster than a cocrosstime! I hastily loaded the bullets and fired even more in rapid succession, firing as hard as I could. I made sure to scatter the bullets as much as I could, and I ended up firing nearly 20 rounds, and finally took down the monster. Bullets dropped from the haglemono and fell to the ground, but this was no time to pick them up. I hurriedly looked at the bottom of the cliff with the young man. The magic cart is starting to (...) break down from inside, something comes out of it. "No, no, no, ...... that''s an expensive ...... You can''t do that again-- agh! This time the young man started grunting. Before he could think, he fired his gun in rapid succession. Anyway, he fired in rapid succession - firing wildly and shooting around the man. After firing, the man fell to the ground like a threadbare doll. Bullets dropped, the monster fell. We don''t know if the young man is alive or dead, but we don''t have time to check. I looked down the cliff, I could see that monster faintly in the distance. Right now, the magic cart is about to come out of the pack in droves. Run, Emily! I shouted as I loaded the bullets. I screamed because I heard the word "nursery" or something bad earlier. I peeled the muzzle down and put my finger on the trigger. a?--! Before I pulled it back, I remembered something. Reloading the bullets, reloading all I could find. I wanted to test the effect more, but--it had to be done! I put all the freezer rounds I could find in the carts. I put all the freezer bullets into the magic cart, which was turning a lot of cargo into haggles. Immediately afterwards, a huge block of ice was created. With the magic cart in the center, a huge ice of ten meters in diameter. Many translucent monsters, feminis, were trapped inside it. It was like konjac inside a jelly. "Yaaaaaah! Emily has jumped! He jumped down a 20-meter cliff and swung the hammer down as hard as he could! Boom! Gravitational acceleration plus a huge hammer, Emily''s blow shattered the entire frozen magic cart of feminis. ''''Emily!!!!'''' At the bottom of the cliff, next to a monster that disappears without dropping anything. ''I got it right,'' Emily had a big smile on her face. 14 14.130 cm and hammer After pulling Emily up off the cliff, I asked in a hurry. ''Emily!I don''t have any injuries-- I got it right. I mean, what? I was able to hit him properly after Mr. Yoda. ...... ah, the dungeon. I remember when I was a sleeping slime. I''d put it to sleep with a freezer bullet and Emily would smash it with a hammer. That''s exactly what happened. I mean, it was the right thing to do. Emily looks at me. How did it go? Praise, praise, praise. I didn''t say anything, but I felt like you said it that way. ...... Oh, yeah, right. ''That''s great Emily, you almost crushed it in one blow. ''The monster didn''t move, so I could hit it as hard as I could. That''s amazing. A huge block of ice with a single blow, shattering its contents. Ehehe. ...... Emily is embarrassed, and when I praised her, she grinned happily. I worry about her, but more than that, Emily did a great job, then I have to praise her. ''Oh.'' What''s up, Emily? I''ve raised the bar. ''Level up?Okay, so that means you just defeated a monster called Femini. It''s a big lift. "Huh? I was curious to see how much it went up. I returned to the city of Cyclo. I drove the two men to the hospital, sold the carrots I''d hunted for money, and then checked Emily''s abilities. Unlike the dungeon, the city''s now board costs money. In the dungeon it''s free, in the city it costs the opposite. It''s a bit of an interesting phenomenon, but considering that everything in this world is produced from dungeons, I think it''s understandable that it would be so. I spent 100 piro on that Now board and checked Emily''s ability. ---1/2--- Level: 20/40 HP B MP F Power A Strength C Intelligence F Spirit F Speed E Dexterous F Luck D --------- ... The bar has been raised so high! Yes, sir. It''s going up a lot. ''All at once ...... up about 14 or 15?'' I looked at Emily''s status on the board. When I first met her, she was level 3. That had gone up to 20 all at once! ...... Feminis were strong monsters? I don''t know, sir. ''Come to think of it, I didn''t know about feminis themselves. Well, it was transported from another city. Emily said that, but I was almost certain it was because of that. At that moment, all the items in the magic cart were haggled together - turned back into monsters. So I launched all the freezer bullets I could find and froze them all together. Emily crushed it with a single blow. Emily, who had a low level but a lot of power, took out the monsters that had completely stopped moving in one hit. That made the level go through the roof, a common sight in games. I can only speculate, but it''s probably right. And it''s more than just right, it''s more than just right. The fact that Emily''s level went up all at once and her abilities went up is more important. Emily''s level has gone up all at once and her abilities have visibly increased. I noticed that Emily''s eyes were sparkling like never before - excited. Arsenic, one of the five cyclonic dungeons. Emily brought me here with her, and I was a bit surprised when I entered the dungeon. You''re a monster! There were more monsters than ever before, and the level was swarming. Rocks were lying around on the ground of the dungeon as if it had been dug out of the ground. The rocks vary in size, the big ones are big enough to sit on and the smaller ones are about the size of a baseball. They all have eyes and mouths. The rocks became faces, and they looked at me. There are more than a hundred of them here and there, not to mention counting, and the eyes that glow in the dungeon are a bit scary. I decided it was definitely a monster of sorts, pulled out my gun and growled. The bullets flicked off. Even with the eyes and mouth on it, it was just as rocky as it looked, and hard enough to repel bullets. ''It''s tricky, isn''t it ......?'' I racked my brain for more shots or more ways to take them down, but I realized that the monsters weren''t moving, and neither were the other monsters I had shot. They didn''t move, as did all the other monsters, not even the one I''d shot - a rock monster big enough to actually scoot down. They just move their eyes and stare at me. "What''s this? I turned around and asked Emily. ''It''s a monster called Dante Rock. All of Arsenic''s dungeons are these immobile rock monsters. All of them? All of them, down to the bottom floor. You can take it down as much as you want - or is it really that hard? I remembered the bullet that had just popped. ''Yes, sir. It''s a monster, but it doesn''t attack you, so you can defeat it just like breaking a rock. But it''s very hard and only a few people can defeat it. Haha ...... I see. I stared at the monster ...... called Dante Rock. "You''re not going to attack? Yes, sir. Emily moved closer, and the rock head (?) stroked. Dantelok stared at Emily with an angry look on his face, but he did not attack her. On the contrary, it doesn''t even run or move. It''s just that it has eyes and a mouth and it moves, so it seems to be in zero danger. ''This is a challenge,'' ''Challenge?Oh, because you got Power A. I remembered what happened earlier. Emily''s level went up to 20 at once, and her power is now A. Originally her power was a C, the higher of Emily''s, but with this level up, it went up to A at once and became the highest value. Okay, so that''s why I''m here. ''''I''ll give it a try, right?'''' Good luck! Yes, sir! Emily is cheered and enthused. With a body of 130 centimeters, she swung a huge hammer - more than her height - and knocked it down. The rock monster shattered into pieces. ''''I did it!'''' That''s great. Shattered in one blow. I did my best to break it open. Which drop is ...... and is this a dandelion? Yes, sir. Emily picked up a dropped dandelion and said with a big smile. ''Arsenic is all dropping flowers,'' All flowers?I thought all the monsters were rock types. Yes, sir. Heh. ...... You drop (produce) flowers by hitting rocks? ''By the way, are there dungeons that only have fruit?'' Yes, sir. Okay. I''m starting to notice a trend in the dungeons. Tellurium tends to be slime, Nifonium tends to be undetectable, and here at Arsenic it''s rocky. And what they drop probably has a tendency. Telluriums are vegetables, nihoniums are the seeds that give you that ability, and here it''s flowers. "Then we''ll have to segregate the telluriums for the vegetables and the flowers here on Arsenic. ''Yes, sir!But there are exceptions. Exception? ''The 17th floor of the tellurium is a watermelon drop. So it''s all vegetables-- Oh, that''s the one. I point out, with an awkward look on my face. "Watermelon, it''s a vegetable. ''Yeah! Emily was surprised to death. I feel bad about that. Watermelon is a vegetable. After that, I hung out with Emily for a while. She went around cracking every single one of the rolling rocks, Dante Rock. It''s a monster, but it doesn''t look like she''s going to beat it because it doesn''t move, it looks like she''s going to crack it and go around. Cracking and cracking and cracking and not dropping dandelions and so on. The drop rate is low Emily, so it''s not going to be a drop every time, but it''s still quite a lot. The efficiency of splitting them is incredibly high. Another adventurer comes along the way and hits the rocks with a blunt instrument as well, though. Obviously, it''s not as efficient as Emily''s to crack. While the other adventurers are cracking one, Emily can crack five. As if she was digging through a mine, Emily cracked the rocks alive and got dandelions. On this day, she earned about 5,000 piro. Emily was to go here regularly, every day. 15 15. Ring that doubles the drop In the morning, I got my power up to A in the Nifonium basement level, and in the afternoon I came to Tellurium as usual and met up with Emily, who was smiling at the entrance. Then we entered the dungeon together. Suddenly, I encountered a monster and reflexively pulled out my gun and held it at the ready, but. ''Huh?This slime is a little different. Oh, slime broth. Slime Bros. ...... I lower the muzzle and search my memory. I''ve heard that name before, and much earlier. "The one that says you dropped me at ......? Yes, sir. Emily nodded clearly. The slime moving lazily in front of me is slightly different in color from the sprout-dropping slime I usually encounter, and it''s a bit longer in length. I see, this is the rare monster that dropped me and brought me from that world to this one. It''s rare - ah, ......, I think you''re ahead of me. I was standing at the entrance looking at the slime when another adventurer came in from outside and walked past me with a slightly disappointed look on his face and headed to the back of the dungeon. ''What was that?'' The sooner you kill a rare monster, the better, and if you can''t beat it, someone else can, but even I can beat Slime Bros. So he gave up quickly because he couldn''t help himself? Rare monsters are the first to be killed, and I''ve learned one more rule of this world. ''Well, let''s take this one down. I readjusted my gun and set my sights on it. I wondered if I should beat this slime broth outside the dungeon or inside. Unlike the other humans who originally lived in this world, I let them drop different items on the drop S. I''m not sure if I should beat them outside the dungeon or inside. Both in and out of dungeons. And the items that drop inside and outside the dungeon are different. So I was confused for a moment, but then I immediately remembered the example of the cocrosse lime. If it''s a normal item, I can drop it and turn it into a haggle outside, so in order, I''ll have to defeat it inside the dungeon first. ''''Yoda-san?'''' It''s nothing. We''ll take him down. Hi. I shot through the slime broth, looking forward to seeing what would be dropped. Even though it was a rare monster, a weak guy on the first basement floor, I was able to defeat it in one shot. The slime broth disappeared, and with a pop, an item was dropped. I bent down and picked up the ring. At that moment. ''''Oh, so it''s double the number of items dropped. Yes, sir. ...... Do you know what that means? I don''t know, it just popped into my head. Yes, it flowed into my head. As soon as I picked up the ring, I remembered that as if it was an old memory (). This ring is a piece of equipment, if you equip it and defeat a monster, the items it drops will be double the usual amount. ''''Is there such a thing?'''' You''ve never heard of it? Hi. Okay. Then I should put it on and try it. I thought, and tried to run my finger through it, but I slipped and dropped it. The ring rolled to Emily''s feet, and she picked it up and held it out to me. ''Hi.'' Can you have ......? What? You can have it unlike seeds: ...... Emily, try it on. Me? Yeah. Okay. Emily nodded and put the ring on herself. Arsenic basement floor. I took a break from my daily carrot picking routine and came here with Emily. The ring is worn by Emily, if you want to test its drop effect, this is the best place to do it. That''s why I came over. ''I''m going to start,'' Hang in there. Emily smiled as she was cheered up and went to the monster, carrying a hammer. Dante Rock, a rock shaped monster that drops dandelions. This morning''s seed hunt gave me an A in strength, so I kicked the smaller sized dantelock lying at my feet, but it was hard. Power A, but the rock system was difficult without a good weapon - not difficult, but it seemed to be deadly efficient. I watched Emily, lightly resigning myself to hiding in this dungeon. Swinging my hammer, boom! Swing the hammer and boom, boom, boom. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! Emily cracked the rock in a lively manner. I told her to keep on cracking, and I''d collect the drops afterwards. With a thumping sound, I went around the basement floor for about an hour, cracking nearly 200 Dante rocks. Now that I had a good population count, I came to the conclusion that the ring would not drop even if I wore it. Wearing that ring would not change the odds of dropping them. Instead, each time it drops, the number of times it drops doubles. From a relatively early stage, the rate of drop is the same as yesterday, but the number of drops has clearly doubled. That''s why I was convinced that the number of times had increased. I stop Emily and tell her the conclusion. ''This ring is amazing! ''Yes, because if you have it on, you''ll genuinely double your productivity. Yes, sir. Emily smiled, took off her ring and held it out to me. I stare at it for a moment and then say to her, "Keep it on. Keep it on. ''What?But ...... I felt like I looked better with Emily wearing it, now that I''m wearing it. Oh, really? Yeah. Emily walks around the Dokkon-Dokkorn Rock wearing a ring that doubles the number of drops. To tell you the truth, I was just admiring the way she looked. Perhaps it would be more effective if I wore it, as a quick thought, it would double the drop of the nifonium seeds. Still, I thought it looked better and better with Emily wearing it, and I thought it looked good on her. ''''Okay, I''ll beat a lot of monsters with it. Good luck!I''m rooting for you! Emily spluttered. We then went around cracking rocks for mecha and collecting dandelions. I figured that I had made 12,000 piro for the day, a little more than double what I had made yesterday (5,000 piro), which was probably due to the extra tension. 16 16. Request from gourmet In the evening, after I got back from Arsenic, Emily and I came to the tavern. It''s called Villadierci, and it''s mainly beer, but they have 10 different beers from different dungeons every day. It''s a world where everything depends on dungeon drops, so both production and quality depend on the adventurers who dive into the dungeon that day and their abilities. This shop specializes in beer, collecting and serving beer from the top ten places every day. That''s where I came in with Emily. A celebration. ''Well, then, here''s to celebrating Emily making over 10,000 piro a day. Okay, cheers. Emily shyly toasted. ''I feel like I''m not used to being celebrated. ''It''s something ...... strange,'' Yeah? I never thought I''d be able to drink beer in a bar like this. You could do this for 10,000 pirouette per day. A package of bean sprouts is worth about 30 piro, and three carrots are worth about 100 piro. A pack of bean sprouts costs about 30 piro, and three carrots cost about 100 piro. A pack of bean sprouts is about 30 piro, three carrots are about 100 piro, and the beer I''m drinking now is 500 piro. But if you think of it as a beer shop, it''s like that. I couldn''t even imagine it a while ago. You said you''d like to have a proper home one day. No, I didn''t say that. ...... Protesting, I sipped my beer and covered my mouth with my cup. Maybe it was the beer or maybe it was the embarrassment. Emily''s face turns bright red. I tease her about it and drink a beer with her. After work, a bright drink at the end of the day. It''s been a long time since I''ve had a drink like this. "Excuse me, you''re Elliot, right? ''What?Yes, but who are you? I''m a fan of Mr. Elliot''s!Elliot of Bolan is our admiration and our goal! Oh, come on, man. Suddenly, I heard a conversation at a table two tables away. A man who was having a drink with his buddies was greeted by another young man who came over, bowed his head incessantly, and finally shook his hand. ''I wonder if he''s famous?'' I''m a celebrity. Emily answers immediately. I look at her and urge her on with my gaze. Boran ...... is the name of the dungeon. I''m Elliot of Boran, a level 49 plant drop A celebrity. Yeah. Drop A, and yes, the level is quite high. The higher the level, the deeper you can dive into the deeper levels of the dungeon, and the higher the drops, the higher the number and quality of drop items. Considering that Emily''s limit level is 40 and he''s at least 49, it''s pretty amazing. ''''I''ve heard that the matsutake on the 37th floor of Boran is only available to Elliot-san, so I''ve also heard that there''s a request to pinpoint it and get it for me. ''That''s great, you''re getting requests to pinpoint it. You don''t just go get it and sell it. I thought it was great. Satisfied to be able to say hello to the man he had been longing to meet, the young man returned to his seat at a distance. He showed his hand to his companion, probably his companion, and bragged about it. ''Hey Acro, go get the bill for that seat. Dull. Elliot said to his companion or prefect, or whatever it was. The man who was called Acro left his seat and went to the counter to talk to the shopkeeper about something, and then returned. ''I''ve been following you,'' Oh. He''s a cool guy, I thought. He''s powerful, he''s famous, he''s got a man''s touch. Yeah, he''s cool. That''s what I want to be. Just as I was thinking that, Elliot stood up. He walked in a straight line to the entrance of the store, while his friends looked at him curiously. He spoke to a well-dressed, elegant-looking man standing there. ''Isn''t that Eric? What are you doing here? Oh, Elliot. I hear you''re getting more and more popular these days. I''ve heard a lot about you. That''s okay. I''ve been stuck in Boran for so long now, I''m going to have to develop something new. What''s that? I''m sorry, I don''t know. I ask Emily about it, but she doesn''t seem to know about the man called Eric. I''m kind of looking at it, and I''m starting to understand a lot of things. "Maybe he''s an ex-employer, or something close to it. Do you know? ''I guess it''s more of a power relationship. You see, even though we were talking normally, Elliot went to someone named Eric. When that fancier-looking guy from earlier came to say hello, he didn''t even move from his chair. Oh, I see. ''And his tone is normal, but he''s oddly attentive. An employer, or at the very least, a major client, I guess. It''s amazing how much you can learn from just looking at it. ''Somehow, though, if you can''t read the dynamics of multiple business partners together, it can be fatal. It reminded me of the old days for a moment. While I was talking to Emily, Elliot went back to his seat and Eric went to the counter to talk to the owner. He stopped looking and turned to Emily, since it looked like they were done talking about that one. ''It''s Arsenic again tomorrow, right?'' That''s what I''m trying to do, sir. ''I''ve got my powers up and I''ve got a ring, maybe I don''t need to go to Tellurian anymore. Maybe we''ll just keep going like we did earlier and call ourselves Emily of Arsenic. ''Well, that''s a bit embarrassing: ...... I think it''s cool. Half teasing, half serious me. I lift my glass and stick it out and wait for Emily to take it and make a toast. Then. "Hello, Satou-sama. ...... is this where you can find us? What? A voice came from behind me. Emily is surprised. I turn around, and there''s that well-dressed guy from earlier, Eric. Eric is staring straight at me, or rather, he says my name with pinpoint accuracy. I asked Eric to sit down anyway, since it was awkward to have all the attention in the bar - especially from Elliot - staring at me. I listened to the story anyway. Eric called himself just a gourmet. I didn''t think so. This demeanor, this vibe, this upbringing, it''s normal. What''s scary is that he doesn''t try to hide it or make it seem bigger than it is. It was very natural and good breeding came out. Eric told me that he heard about me from The Swallow Repayment and came to see me. "Have you been to the fourth floor of the tellurium? Four floors down?No, I didn''t go. Because of the Emily thing, and the Hagremonos one. The teller stops at the third basement level. ''Well, well. As a matter of fact, the fourth floor below the tellurium is the only level where the bat-slime can drop bamboo shoots ...... in this cyclo. Yeah, The carrots Satou-sama took from me, I was allowed to taste them. They were so delicious that I regretted my life and wondered why I hadn''t met them sooner. Not much. ...... You mean, you want me to get some bamboo shoots? I asked Eric, thinking that''s what it would be like after all we''ve talked about so far. Eric nodded quietly. His expression was still hush, but his eyes began to glow. They changed to eyes that were excited about something, like a child. I could tell that you really like to eat, even though I had never met you before. Okay, I''ll go get it. ''Oh!We appreciate it! Thus, I was commissioned to pinpoint the location of the tellurium''s four underground levels. I was asked to pinpoint the four underground levels of the tellurium. 17 17. Ryota brand Nihonium Dungeon. I came to the fourth floor of Tellurium''s basement to take a frozen bullet for the first level to be attacked. You never know what you''re going to find, so it''s best to be prepared. ''''Huh?'''' I winced. It was widely known that it wasn''t dropping, and it was a quiet Nifonium every day, but today there were people there. It was rather noisy, and as soon as I stepped into the basement level, I came across the group of people who were causing the noise. It was a strange bunch. Five men and one woman. One man is like a middle-aged foreman giving out all kinds of instructions, and the other four are like lowly errand boys. The woman on the other hand is young - or rather a bit young. She''s a fluffy-looking princess, and that''s why she''s dressed in pure white armor. There''s a longsword of prey at her waist, but it''s such a thin arm that it''s doubtful she can even wield it properly. ''''Hm?What are you? A guy who looked like a foreman found me and asked me if I was in the field. "Yeah, I''m just, you know, hunting here every day. Hunting in here?You love stuff. What are you doing here?Since you say you like things, you know this place isn''t going to drop anything, right? So I''m here. The man lifted the corners of his mouth in a grin. So you came?What does it mean? I wondered, but I soon found out. The skeletons appeared. First, four of the errand boys attacked the skeleton. Are four of them strong enough to be necessary?But the four of them were obviously not knocking him down, but were carefully taming him, weakening his skeleton. Eventually, the skeleton became tattered and could hardly move. The girl finally started to move. Sluggishly, she swung her longsword with as much ineffectiveness as she looked, and delivered a blow to the skeleton. The skeleton fell down and couldn''t move. I see, the men weaken it and let the girl do the final tome. A scene you sometimes see in games and such. The stronger men weaken the monster and let the weaker men do the work for them to gain experience. In a way, that''s what I did to Emily, wasn''t it? But I guess that wasn''t the case. After the skeleton fell, the men rushed to move. I put the skeleton in a box. A box that was somewhat well made, a box that would seal and store something. They put the skeleton in there and sealed it tightly. And then I heard a pop. The sound of a monster disappearing and dropping - if it''s a Nifonium, it doesn''t drop anything, but it''s the same sound. Inside the box, the skeleton disappeared. ''Alright, up a bit.'' What was that? The airbox. Airbox? ''You know that the monsters here only drop air, right?'' ''What?Oh, that''s how it''s supposed to work. My sense was that it didn''t drop anything, but then again, Emily said that the monsters in this world drop water and air when they don''t drop anything. It''s a bit of a different perception. ''This nihonium place doesn''t even give water, it only drops air. I see. This is the airbox made by Princess Margaret. This is the air that comes from the monsters she killed. It''s our signature product. ''Air!You can''t sell that! It sells. Come on, the air that the princess made. That''s what sells. ...... I was stunned. It was a world too deep, if you will. I stocked up on frozen rounds on the first floor of the Nihonium basement, then came to the fourth floor of the Tellurium basement. I left Emily behind because I was going through the cocrosstime den on the third floor, and I came by myself. Now, what is a bat-slime? I soon found out. It came with a flapping sound of feathers, a dark blue body, bat-like wings, a slightly evil-looking face, and sharp double teeth. Just like the name of the bat-slime, it was a slime with bat elements in it. It flies at you and scares you, you think it''s going to hit you, but it opens its mouth wide and bares its sharp teeth. Is it biting or is it sucking blood? I don''t know which one it is, but I avoided it because it would have been disgusting if it did. I dodged and fired my gun when the bat-slime stopped its momentum. I don''t know if it was a head shot or a body shot, but it hit in the center anyway. The slime fell to the ground and disappeared with a clunk. What came out was a bamboo shoot, a slick, heavy, fresh bamboo shoot. A drop from this fourth underground floor that Eric had requested. Pick it up and go around the dungeon some more. I left the dungeon after hunting a certain amount of coherent numbers. "Hmm, here''s your bamboo shoots. I came to the tavern yesterday. It was still midday, so there were no customers, and the owner was preparing to change the menu tags before the bar opened. I was a little concerned about the fact that they were changing two out of ten beers of the day, and I secretly wondered if I''d come back tonight. Eric looked at the bamboo shoots I had brought with me. I stared and sniffed them. "Hey, this is ....... What''s going on? Excuse me. After refusing to do so, Eric took a knife from his pocket. A nice knife, small but well cared for and sharp looking. It wasn''t just the knife that was good, Eric''s skills were also very good. He used the knife to dexterously peel and slice the bamboo shoots. It''s an adorable skill, like a top-notch cook. I didn''t expect him to be a good-looking gentleman, and I thought he would leave the cooking to others, even if he was a gourmet. He ate the sliced bamboo shoots as they were. He ate them raw! I was surprised, and then Eric started to swoon. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on it. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that there''s not a hint of bitterness despite the fact that it''s raw. I''ve never tasted bamboo shoots like this before. This time, he praised the deliciousness of the bamboo shoots with exaggerated expressions, just as he called himself a gourmet. He seemed to like it. The tavern, Villa Diechee, just after it opened. I met up with Emily and we enjoyed a drink after work for the second day in a row. ''Then you were satisfied,'' ''Yeah. It was a bit of a shrug, though, with a reward of two thousand piro. How old were the bamboo shoots? Ten. That''s 20,000, so that''s pretty good. 2000 piro for a single bamboo shoot. The price was like an expensive department store food, but honestly, I was expecting a bit more, considering Eric''s appearance and all. Well, it''s not like I was losing money, but whatever. By the way, I saw this thing called an airbox today. What''s an airbox? I don''t know if it''s a box of air, or if it''s a brand name, or what it is. I enjoyed a beer with Emily as we talked about what we had seen in Nifonium. Today''s beer of the day is the one that drops thirty floors below the farthest dungeon this place has a contract with, called Beryllium, and it''s some sort of bitter-chocolate flavored local beer. It was quite tasty, and as I was about to raise my hand to call for a refill, I saw Elsa come in from the entrance. She is looking around the shop as if she is looking for something. ''Ah, Lyota-san! It looked like I was the one to find. She came trotting down the street in a straight line to our table. "What''s the matter? I''ve heard about it. You must sign up with us! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What do you mean, "What''s the deal? We''d love to have Lyota bamboo shoots at our house. Lyota bamboo shoots? What the heck. Speaking of bamboo shoots, it''s all about Eric: ....... There''s a rumor going around Cyclo right now that Eric Macy''s bamboo shoots have been approved. ''It''s going to be a rumor!'' I''d love to bring Ryota''s bamboo shoots to my house. And I''ll sign a contract with you to be allowed to use your name. Of course, we won''t lose anything in terms of terms, please. I was pressured by Elsa, who was trying too hard, and I nodded my head, unsure, and accepted the story. Thus, with Eric''s blessing, I was able to create a brand of bamboo shoots called Lyota bamboo shoots. The brand of bamboo shoots, called Lyota bamboo shoots, was born and I was able to earn a more stable and higher income. 18 18. Compassion is not good for people Home in the morning. A warm, cozy room that was crazy warm and cozy thanks to Emily, and I was in distress. I put all my money on the table in front of me. 495,000-- well, half a million piro. That''s all the money I''ve been accumulating for a while now. ''What''s the matter, Mr. Yoda, staring at your money? I''ve saved up a certain amount of money, so I figured, what am I going to do with it? Which means you''ve already narrowed it down to some extent? I nodded, just as Emily had guessed. ''I figured I could either buy a magic cart, even if it''s used, or I could move. You''re moving out? ''I''m getting used to living here, but it''s still too small. It''s 87 years old, 20,000 piro a month, and it''s a one-room apartment. I don''t have to... I thought we should have two rooms. Two ......? Yeah? Emily got a surprised look on her face, I don''t know what''s wrong with her. ''Maybe we should make it three rooms, since Emily''s stuff is so much of what it is, maybe that would be better. Oh, ...... can I go with you? ...... Emily looked kind of happy. ''What is it?'' Well, that''s true, anyway. I''m thinking about that and what I''m going to do with the magic cart. I''m not going to be able to do both with this kind of money. If you want to rent a proper room, you''ll have to pay a deposit and a key money. You can move in. Emily threw her hands up in the air and gutted herself. I mean, leave the heavy lifting to me. The gesture was cute when Emily, who was 6''3", did it, but she could seriously and completely leave the heavy lifting to her, right? Well, that''s just as well. ''I''m trying to decide which one to do. Which one do you think Emily would prefer? The magic cart, then. It''s better to buy the magic cart first, so if you want both, the magic cart first will be faster in the end. Very true. All right, let''s start with the magic cart first. Yes, sir! Emily and I went into town to buy a magic cart. The money we had on hand was about 500,000 piro. The market price of a magic cart is almost the same as a car, so we can only buy a used car for this amount. I asked Elsa and she introduced me to a shop called ''Progress'' that deals in used magic carts. You can find many magic carts lined up in front of the store, and there are many different kinds and numbers, so this looks promising. I went into the store thinking, "I''m going to be able to have a look at this. "Dad ...... what the hell is going on? It was a young man in his early twenties who was working at the store. The young man has a look of concern on his face. What''s going on? ...... and a visitor. Excuse me, welcome. The young man saw us, and he gave us a self-conscious business smile. ''Are you looking for a magic cart?We have a variety of normal and custom types available... What''s going on? I asked, interrupting the young man''s business talk. The young man is startled, his eyes widen and he looks at me. ''Mr. Yoda?'' Sorry, but we''re gonna have to make a detour. I''m fine! Emily smiled and nodded. She looked at the young man again. ''You seemed to be in some kind of trouble, is something wrong? The young man stared at me. His business face fell away, and he became more and more troubled - until he looked like he was going to cry. After a while, he spoke up with a grasping at straws look on his face. To tell the truth, my father has been missing for three days now. ''Yeah!It''s a big deal. Shouldn''t we be open for business? I knew where we were going, and I was hoping it would be okay, but we were worried because he wasn''t coming back for three days. But then again, I can''t go looking for him either. Where did he go? ''It''s a dungeon called Arsenic. It''s just a rock that doesn''t move, so I don''t think there''s anything to it: ...... A young man who still looks worried. He and Emily looked at each other and nodded at each other. ''What''s your dad''s name?'' What''s it look like? ''What?Maybe, just maybe-- The young man looked like he had seen his savior. Arsenic, ten floors underground. I and Emily descended in a straight line through a dungeon that had nothing but rock-shaped monsters that didn''t move, no matter if we went down or not. The tenth underground floor was full of immobile rocks with the same faces as the floors above. ''It''s a heavy rock, the heaviest monster in Arsenic. It''s the heaviest monster in Arsenic, and if you accidentally put it back in the haggle, it will crush everything else, so it''s the most important thing to handle it in Arsenic. Yeah. So that''s what happens. All of Arsenic''s monsters are rock types that don''t move, so I thought they were all harmless even if they went back to the haglemono. Well, it''s true, if you suddenly revert from a flower to a heavy rock, that''s a serious problem. ''Huh?There''s something up there. That''s a light rock. It''s a monster from the tenth floor underground, and it''s the lightest monster in Arsenic. It''s rare. If you ask me, the lightest ...... is a rock, but it floats around like a balloon. I guess that''s what the tenth floor is all about, I guess. We looked for the boy''s father. It didn''t take long to find him. That''s what the young man gave me. A stocky, bearded man in his forties. In a word, he told me he looked like a dwarf. Is there a dwarf in this world, or is he the dwarf I know? I didn''t know what to expect, but he looked exactly like the dwarf I knew. He''s sleeping in the middle of a cave. And he''s cowering behind a bunch of rocks. "...... ...... ...... ...... Emily. Hi. Kick him in the head. Hi! Emily stuttered up to him and kicked the man away. The man was kicked away and blasted away, involving several heavy locks, and he stood up, holding his head, "Aiteite," he said. ''What the hell, all of a sudden,'' Excuse me, you must be Mr. Orton. Yeah?Yes, I am Orton, but what?You guys, Your son was looking for you. Chuck?I left a note saying I''d be here. After three days of not hearing from her, I''m concerned. ''Three days?I see, three days have passed. I was so absorbed in my work that the time just flew by. ...... Mr. Yoda, I feel like kicking again. I''ll be patient. I''ll be patient, too. Yes, sir. Well, we can now confirm that Mr. Orton is safe. I''m going to go back and report to your son - Chuck. I was about to turn myself around with that thought. ''What''s Mr. Orton doing? Emily asked. ''I thought you were here to get materials for modifying the magic cart. ''You know we sell modified carts too,'' Modded cart ...... I remember Chuck saying that too. ''Do you want to modify it yourself?'' Oh. You''ll live to tinker with the magic cart. I came up with a crazy feature three days ago and I''ve come to get the materials for it. Haha ...... but the material, all of Arsenic''s drops are flowers. ''Hmmm ...... who said anything about using drop items'' "Huh? Don''t use the monster. The monster?But if it''s a monster, it''s going to be a monster--oh. Yes, Arsenic''s monsters are immobile rocks. It''s the only monster that can be used as a haggler. Oh. I''m a little impressed, and I''m starting to get interested. Mr. Orton, who thinks so much about monsters and using haggle-heads. I was curious to see how he would modify the magic cart. ''I can''t seem to get any rare light locks. I need a light and a heavy one, and all I get are these guys! Mr. Orton kicked a pile of heavy rock at his feet. ''They were over there then. Really?Where are you? Mr. Orton came so close to his face that his face became a throat close-up - and he ate it up. We left Arsenic and came further away from the city to an unpopular meadow. There, I place two flowers. The flowers are both roses, one red and one blue. I put them on the ground and the three of us moved away. I moved away until I could just barely see it, and watched as it returned to the hagremonos. Then, with a pop, the two roses turned back into monsters. Haglemono-ized, Heavy Rock and Light Rock. ''Yup, that''ll do--can''t it! Mr. Orton dashed away. The heavy rock remained on the ground, but it floated up the moment the light rock returned. The light rock, which looked so balloon-like that it was stuck to the ceiling even in the cave, flew into the sky. Mr. Orton dashed and flew. The chunky, dwarf-like plumpness didn''t reach him. Emily dashed and flew and knocked it down with her hammer. The light rock floating in the air has the properties of a balloon with its hardness intact. Just a graze and it floated up even more. ''Ahhhhhh ......'' Mr. Orton looks at Lightlock as he walks away and screams in grief. ''You''re going to miss it by coming here?'' the voice asked. ''It''s okay,'' What do you want to do, Mr. Yoda? I''ll tell you what. I''m glad I had a shot left. I took out my gun and loaded it with freezer rounds. The one remaining round of freezer ammo that I had taken from Princess Margaret''s airbox production. I fired it into the lightlock. It hit, and the lightlock froze. The balloon-like Light Rock, which had turned into a huge block of ice, fell down, losing to the force of attraction. ''Yoda-san, that''s amazing!'' You''re not supposed to do that. They are excited. Somehow, they managed not to waste a rare monster light lock. When Mr. Orton returned to Progress, he withdrew to the back of the store, despite his son''s concerns. His son, Chuck, chuckled in dismay, but seemed resigned. ''It''s always like that, Dad,'' Chuck said that, but he still had a relieved look on his face. It''s not that we were in any danger or anything, but I''m glad to reassure him, and Emily and I high-five each other in secret. Well, now we can choose the magic cart - I thought. Mr. Orton reappeared from the back. He came out pushing one of the carts. ''It''s done!'' You''re early! It was a moment. It''s almost done. All we had to do was fit them in. There was one heavy lock and one light lock fixed to the part that pushed the magic cart. The heavy heavy locks wouldn''t crush you, and the light light light locks wouldn''t miss. Each one is properly secured. ''Is this the one you modified?'' Yes. Do you see these two loaves of bread in here? Pops!That''s my lunch. I''ll set this guy''s unit price and get him in. Mr. Orton maneuvered the cart and then filled it with bread. One 150-pilo pastry bread, which was apparently also dropped in the dungeon. Immediately after putting it in, the panel above the two monsters displayed a number. 150," it said. ''This is what you get when you put another one in. I put the second loaf of bread in, and this time it read 300. It''s a function that detects the weight of the item you put in and calculates the amount of money. Oh, that''s handy. It''s nice to know right away how much money you''re making when you dive into a dungeon. I see, so you weigh it, so you have one heavy and one light. I don''t know what the principle is, but it makes some strange sense. ''This is for you.'' What? Thank you for your help, and thank you for coming to find me. Are you sure? ''Oh!Bye. Mr. Orton retreated to the back again, and at last I heard him say, "Well, what shall I make next? You love to make it, and you don''t care about anything else. Um, ....... Emily and I looked at Zipper awkwardly. "Here you go, that''s what my dad always does. And I haven''t even thanked him yet. Okay, ......, I''ll take it. So I got a custom-made magic cart for free and had all my money left over. I thought we could move in like this. 19 19. A man who earns 300,000 a day Next day. Today, I took a complete break from giving abilities in Nifonium and came to Tellurium. The purpose was to test the performance of the magic cart. How much will it pack with a full load and how much will it cost? That''s the test. First of all, the basement floor, the monster is slime and the drop is sprouts. The slime is weak, so save your bullets and take it down. ...... but. The efficiency was decidedly inefficient. Meet them, get close and take them down. It was inefficient to take them down in close combat because of the effort it took to get close and the fact that the other side also moved around a bit on the way to get close. Split up and take them down with immediate fire when you meet them. Defeat the slime and put the sprouts in the magic cart. I repeated that endlessly, and eventually, I got an alert that the cart was full to capacity. That happened, so I tried to use the custom function that Orton had put on it. We entered the purchase price of the sprouts and the total amount came up. 41789 piro, that''s over 40,000! This surprised me. It used to be roughly 20,000 per round trip, and suddenly it''s double! It was too awesome and exciting. Moyashi turned a fraction of the 1,789 piro into a haggle of bullets and brought the others to Elsa. ''Forty thousand exactly!Why! Elsa was messed up and surprised me. When I explained that it was a function of the cart, Elsa was impressed, and another adventurer who was listening beside me wanted one too, so I told her about Mr. Orton''s shop. After earning 40,000 in bean sprouts, I now came to the second basement floor of the tellurium. I aimed to drop carrots on the ground floor against the sleeping slime. The first thing I did was to set the unit price of the carrots. Meet the sleeping slime and defeat it in one shot. Put the carrot in the magic cart. 34 piro. Then we meet more slimes, defeat them in one shot, and put the dropped carrots into the cart. It went from 34 to 63 piro. Next, I beat it and got a rather large carrot, and it went up to 101 pillos. I didn''t calculate it all together when I did the sprouts, I entered it first and built it up a little at a time. It was exciting to see the numbers, the income, go up a little by little. Soon, the magic cart was full again. The amount was 38814 piro--a little less than the sprouts, but still about double what it was before! Turn a fraction of 814 piro into bullets and earn 38,000 piro. Next up, on the third basement floor, it''s pumpkins in the cocrosse lime. Set the unit price first, just like with the carrots. Kill the cocrosstime, and poof, a pumpkin as big as popcorn is dropped. Put it in the magic cart, 10016 piro. That''s over ten thousand for one! I''m putting them in one at a time and the range of uptake is amazing, though I was excited in a different way than I was earlier ....... The magic cart couldn''t hold up to four, and there was a blurring range, so four of them were 39608--just short of 40,000. The bullets I used were four, so I didn''t refill the bullets. The sprouts are excellent. It is different from the squash and the carrots, and it is a lot of bean sprouts. Probably the most incompatible is a pumpkin. The smallest of the four is in the 8,000-pillo range, and because it''s big, we don''t need five. At worst, it could be around 35,000 piro per round trip. Still, though, it''s vastly more efficient than before. After redeeming the full amount of those pumpkins, we finally came to the fourth underground floor of Tellurium. The monster is a bat slime and the drop is a bamboo shoot. The unit price setting - I was a bit confused about which one to choose. It''s the last money earned today, so let''s go for a good economy. With that in mind, I set the unit price for Lyota Bamboo Shoots. I''m going to put in some branded bamboo shoots that shoot up the bat slime. ...... I tried not to look at it because I was in the middle of it, I decided to summarize how much it would be at the end. Beat it, put in bamboo shoots. Take them down and put them in while looking away from the numbers as best you can. I mindlessly knocked them down and put in bamboo shoots, one after another. Then an alert sounded that the load was full. It was full, now the amount! I was so nervous, so nervous - for some reason, I looked at the numbers with one eye closed and fearful. It was 211740. Huh? Let''s see, one, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand ....... Let''s see, one is two of these in a row, not a blur that you can see, right? I mean, let''s see, ...... six digits? --Six figures!200,000 piro! Did you get 200,000 pirouette for a bamboo shoot? The bamboo shoots here are branded and expensive thanks to Eric, but 200,000? You mean ten times as much as usual? It''s double the efficiency, so that means you can go 100,000 piro without a magic cart. Amazing ....... The magic cart is amazing and the Lyota bamboo shoots are amazing. I was in a dungeon for a day and experienced both of those things. I was extremely excited, and it was a day of high spirits. And then. 40,000 and 40,000 and 40,000 and 200,000 for ...... about 320,000? I got off on time, but I realized that I had made more money in a day than I used to make in the past, when I was working late every day and getting paid for overtime. I was even more excited to find out that I was earning money in a day. 20 20. Super relaxing in a new house The next morning, I and Emily took a complete break from work - stopped hiding in the dungeon and came into town. I came to the real estate agency that had helped me the last time I rented a room for Emily in a hurry. The man inside sees me and stands up to greet me. ''Huh?Satou-san, was it? What''s wrong with you today? A soft-spoken man in his early thirties. He is completely thin, or to put it worse, he looks like a slouchy type. But his speech is clear, so he''s not unreliable. Let''s see. ...... I think her name is ....... .......... "My name is Antonio. The man smiled and replied. He guessed that I didn''t remember him and cut him off first. That was a bit of a relief. Antonio showed me around and the three of us with Emily sat down across the table. ''I need to rent a new room,'' ''Thank you. What are the conditions? Just new and wide. All right, what''s the budget? 800,000 pianos including everything else. Mr. Yoda? Emily, who was listening quietly next to me, looked at me in surprise. ''Eight hundred thousand piro is Yoda''s entire fortune, are you sure it''s safe?I think it''s best to leave some of it behind. I''ll be fine. If you run out of money, you can earn it. The drops are all S, and that makes it easier to kill monsters with the increase in power and the efficiency of earning money with the magic cart. There''s nothing wrong with spending all your money here now. Even if I spend it, I can earn it again tomorrow. I have the power and confidence to earn tomorrow. That''s what I have now, and that''s how I''m using it. I understand. Then... how about this kind of property? The room was easily found. It''s a two-bedroom apartment in the center of town. It''s newly built and clean, and the quality of the residents around it is said to be excellent. The rent is 150,000--about half of what I make in a day with my magic cart! Since we could move in immediately, we decided on the spot, paid the security deposit, the key money and a month''s rent in advance, and went to sign the lease. By the way, we decided to keep our previous room, which cost 20,000 piro, as it was. If I move out, I''ll keep the previous room as rented, leaving it in the second house. I''d also like to keep that warm room that Emily took care of. It''s a bit extravagant, but it''s doable, and I''ve chosen to have that extravagance. The next day, the first day of our new house. I woke up and ate the breakfast Emily had prepared for me in the beautiful living room. "Wow, Emily is amazing. What is it? You moved in here yesterday, right? Yes, sir. And yet... I looked around the living room. The house was beautiful. It wasn''t just clean because it was new construction. It was the cleanliness of new construction and the warmth of years of living in it at the same time. It definitely wasn''t like this when I walked in yesterday. It was shiny and new and extremely clean. It was just beautiful (). Now it''s like this, it''s crazy not to be surprised. ''I cleaned it up a bit,'' You''re not talking about a little bit, are you? It''s worth marveling at. For someone like me, who gets scuffed up with new shoes every time, all I can say is that the room is new and warm and worth marveling at. Emily is still an amazing woman for doing it. I felt even warmer at home than I did at my parents'' house. ''Do you want to go tellurium to tellurium again today?This is Yoda''s lunch. With that, Emily holds out a package. I take the package and the contents are definitely lunch. I''m sure that Emily''s lunchbox is delicious. I''m sure it''s made to taste good even when it''s cold, even in a dungeon. That''s Emily''s skill. I''m happy to eat it in the dungeon and have a smoke in the dungeon. But. ''I''m not going today.'' Why? I''ve found an even greater happiness, a happiness I''d kill for all day to enjoy. "I''m gonna hang out at home and not work today. ''Yes. Are you sure?If I didn''t go to the dungeon, I wouldn''t have any income. I''ll be fine. I''ll do it tomorrow. I mean. Yes? Now I feel like a fool for working every day. ''Yeah!Well, can I not work every day? I think it''s good! I just told him flat out. Yeah, that''s good. You don''t have to work every day, you can go to the dungeon whenever you want and earn enough to get by. I have the power to do that. So I think it''s okay to have a whole day to slack off! I mean, I''d rather be slutty!In this environment that Emily has created for me! That Emily is crickets, crickets for not working. "Emily. Yes, sir. ''Take the day off!At all costs. Yes, sir! I seemed to have been pushed to the side and Emily agreed to let me rest. The day was very relaxing. I just hung out with Emily and relaxed. I gave some carrots from my stock to Eve, who came to beg for carrots on the way, and mucked around with her too. And so the day went by - I had no income for the day. Still, it wasn''t a problem at all! 21 21. Its not an accident In the morning, I headed to the dungeon today. I defeated a zombie in the basement second floor of Nifonium to get a seed and raise my strength to S. This brings my HP to S, which means I''ve completed the second level of the dungeon. Tomorrow it''s time to move on to the third basement level. Skeletons and zombies, I left Nihonium, wondering what kind of monsters would be in the third floor. I came to Nami''s "swallow favor". The magic cart is all sprouts. I push that magic cart into the store and look for the clerk. Elsa was there - but she''s doing the buying for the other customers. Our eyes met, and she gave me an apologetic look. I told her with a mouthful and a gesture that I''d see her later, and took it to the open clerk. ''Welcome! Oh, Satou-san, isn''t it? Hi. You used to be close to Elsa: ...... It''s Ena Mistral. Elsa-- oh, you''re in the middle of something. Okay, I''ll be back later today. I''ll come back later today. Yes, I''ll do the math now-- Huh? Elsa''s best friend, Ena, was surprised. ''That''s exactly four thousand piro.'' It''s what it was meant to be. I did that because the magic cart has a new feature, and it''s an easy drop to adjust the amount like sprouts. By the way, I turned the little bit of excess into bullets via Hagremonos. ''It''s easier that way too if you don''t have a fraction. Yeah, well, Ina stared at me. I don''t know what''s going on. "I see ...... that''s why I know Elsa is going to have a meltdown. ''What?What did you say? ''It''s nothing! Well then, thank you for making it easier to calculate. Yes, it''s 4,000 piro. Hi. I hope to see you again. I was about to push the magic cart out when Ena said so. Now, next time I''ll be in the tellurium, downstairs for the carrots-- "It''s crazy! Don!The sound of a man''s wild voice and the sound of something being tapped and a man''s wild voice echoed through the store. The lively shop, where numerous adventurers were bringing in items for purchase, was instantly silent. I stopped and looked in the direction of the voice to see what was going on. The counter where Elsa was located was half collapsed when the man struck her. Elsa''s face was pale and frightened. ''But sir, the results of the tally--'' Also, Don! This time I stepped on the ground as hard as I could. It freaked out all around me!The building shook with such an impact that it was like. ''Nine thousand piro?That''s not right, but I brought it in properly, over a thousand. You''re cheating on bringing in customers, here. There''s no way I''m cheating. I weighed exactly 40,000 pounds just a few minutes ago, and when I didn''t say anything, he surprised me perfectly. I don''t understand why you would cheat and ruin your credibility in this kind of business. What''s up with that? I''m sorry. "I''m not sorry... The man raised his arm. He drew his bow and swung it at Elsa. Everyone gasped. Pan! Peek-a-boo! A man''s arm is frozen! He shot the man with a freezer bullet on the spur of the moment, freezing him halfway through his arm. ''What the hell?'' That''s not the same as raising your hand to a woman, is it? What?What the f*ck? Mr. Lyota! Elsa called out my name in a half-crying, but relieved to be alive. "Did you see that? You''re freezing in a second.Is it magic? I didn''t see any chanting. Was it uncensored? I can''t believe that uncensored magic is that freezing. I can''t even feel the magic. But the magic circle is there. The other customers started bugging me. I can''t afford to care, I''m going to kick them out of my head. And then I turn around and face the man. He freezes half his body in place and stares at me with his bloodshot eyes. "What the hell do you think you''re doing? ''I know this place well, it''s a nice place that doesn''t cheat on volume or purchase price. How the f*ck do you know that? I got the magic cart and asked Elsa. ''The purchase is ...... leeks or this. What''s the unit price? "Uh, uh, ...... After entering the purchase amount that I heard from Elsa, who replied timidly, into the magic cart, I put the leeks that the man brought in. You''re going to be able to get the most out of it. "Oh, I see, the magic cart works. It''s handy to have it calculate the amount of money you put in there. I haven''t seen that feature before. Who''s that? I''ve heard of this option they give you at the store called Progress. When the begrudging surroundings understood, we added the last green onion. The result was 9120 piro. I show it to the man and say, "Well, this is what happened. "This is what happened? That''s bullshit!There was a deception! How did you do it in front of everyone? Yeah, it''s that f*cking noise! The man was furious, the blue streaks in his temples twitching. ''Hmph!'' As the man exerted himself, the ice burst away. Not only that, but his body swelled up to twice its size. Muscle. He became a muscular looking, like a youkai that might say 80% or 100% of a hundred percent, and muscular. ''Get out of my way, I won''t let you! The man huffed his fist at me. Buh-oh! There was a tremendous sound of wind and my fist came flying through the air. I took it. I stuck out my hand and took the punch in the palm of my hand. The ground crunched harder, but I didn''t move a muscle. "What? Phew! And then a full-bodied right hook on the counter. The man''s body bent over in a "ku" shape, and he was knocked to the ground. He whites his eyes and stops gurgling, wiping foam from his mouth. "Hey, hey, ...... you got it in one shot! I thought you were a wizard. The man''s power was real: "That man''s power was real: ...... and you surpassed it: ...... Ignoring the even more buzzing around him, he decided to quieten Elsa down first. The guy ended up being arrested by some kind of city cop, and then he got ditched. I blew him off and destroyed the store for a bit, but I was completely unchallenged and rather grateful. Then the buyout - business as usual resumed. And I''m out in the shop with Elsa. "Thank you so much. Don''t worry about it, I''m just doing what I know to do. Thank you so much: ...... Elsa stares at me. With enraptured, moist eyes. It''s a little uncomfortable, I don''t often experience this kind of stare. I don''t know what to do, so I decide to run away. "All''s well that''s fine, then I''ll bring you a carrot later. Yes ...... I was about to leave with the magic cart, when I suddenly remembered that I hadn''t told him I''d moved out yet. Yes, I--I--I mean-- I turn around, and Elsa catches up with me and talks to me. The two of us crossed - chuff. I heard a wet sound, a warm, soft touch. .................. A kiss? It wasn''t until about ten seconds later that I realized that was it. I rushed away, and Elsa turned red and clutched her mouth. "I''m sorry, I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to. He rushes to defend himself. I shouldn''t, this is not right. I can''t allow this to happen, to take my lips away from me in an accident. "I''m sorry that that was an accident, and I''m really sorry. I''ll do anything I can to help-- I tried to explain myself very hard, but... Mwah. "...... Yeah. Wet and warm. The same feeling again. A kiss. Elsa kissed me. "Yes, Elsa? It wasn''t an accident. What? I don''t want it to be an accident. Yeah, that''s: ...... I did it because I''m Mr. Lyota. Elsa said and ran back into the store, holding her face as it turned even redder. I stood there in front of her until I realized what had happened. 22 22. Battle of S and A My morning routine of jogging brought me to the dungeon of Nifonium. There was a now board at the entrance, so I checked my abilities. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F Power S Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... As usual, my level remains fixed at 1. But just as I raised my HP to S in the first basement, I also raised my strength to S in the second basement. So, it''s time to move on to the third basement level. We''ll go through the skeleton basement level and the zombie basement level two. It was annoying how many times they appeared from inside the walls and ambushed us, but we went through them anyway and came to the third basement floor. The third basement floor was almost exactly the same as the air up to that point. It was dimly lit and gloomy, like a natural cave. The monsters showed up immediately! The thing that came out of the ground as if to break through the ground was a full-body bandaged humanoid monster. It''s not that different in size from a human, if I had to say, it''s at the level of being a bit bigger than a professional wrestler. Is it the type of monster called a mummy man or a mummy? I was a bit relieved. This Nifonium has skeletons in the first basement floor and zombies on the second floor. The dungeons in this world have some kind of dungeon-by-dungeon trend or characteristic. It''s just like that here, and the same undetermined mummy appeared. I was relieved to see the same mummy. Now that I''m relieved, I''m ready to check it out. I fired my gun at the mummy coming towards me. It was easy to hit it because of its size - but it just staggered forward further. I was a bit impatient and fired in rapid succession, hitting the head with all the cylinders, and finally I was able to blow its head off and take it down. I managed to take it down with a dozen or so bullets. I was in a bit of a cold sweat, but the monster drops themselves were the usual (). Nihoniums don''t usually drop anything, but only I, with the "Drop S" ability, will drop something that only I can have. Seeds. I picked up the seed, it immediately melted in my hand and disappeared. --My speed just went up a notch. I was relieved that this was the same. Apparently my speed goes up in this underground third floor. You know, I''m feeling the heat. I looked around for Mummy. "Whoa! The Mummy caught me by surprise! The walls just came crashing down!He''s coming around to me. Resisting. I just fired off a series of shots at Mummy, just as her muzzle was pointing at me. Pan, pan, pan, pan! I shot the bullets in hard, but they didn''t do much good. Quickly, he threw a front kick and kicked away, and then slammed in a spinning kick. Mummy''s body was ...... in the shape of a "ku" and then it was torn off from her waist and split in half. Mummy on the ground, dropping the seed again. I pick it up and think about it. Unlike the floor above, it''s not as efficient here with a gun. It''s better to hit them directly, or physically with a force S. It''s better to hit them with a force S. The gun should be a checkmate or something. Once that was decided, I lightly clenched my fists and looked around for my mammy. I was a bit tired compared to the floor above, but I was able to raise my speed from F to E before lunch. We came back to the city of Cyclo and came to a place called Hollow Hollow. It''s a kind of popular diner, and the clientele is mostly adventurers. It''s a bustling place with all sorts of adventurers. I take a seat and order a random snack. I''m meeting Emily here today. I don''t need a magic cart when I''m holed up in Nihonium for my morning routine, so I left it with Emily, who cracks rocks and drops a lot of flowers in Arsenic while I''m there. Flowers can be piled up in large numbers, so Emily should be able to earn quite a bit of money. I was excited to see how much money Emily could make. Moments later, a shadow covered me. "Emily. I look up, but... Hey, you must be Ryota Sato. It wasn''t Emily. A gentleman in his twenties or so. A handsome guy with a fuzzy mask, like an idol, that kind of guy. He sat down right next to me. "Is this nice? I don''t want you to ask me this after you''ve sat down. There are still other seats available in the first place. I''d like to talk to you. You said your name. Speaking of which: "Speaking of which: ...... I''m pretty sure he was calling my name. I looked at him again. "And you? The people closest to me call me Nay-kun or something. You can call me Mr. Nay. Er, ....... I don''t know what it is, but it pulls it off. ''No, thanks. More importantly, the requirements. Yeah. You know, you have a great body. Are you going to go over there? With a puff, I knocked over a chair and stood up. I wanted to run as fast as I could. "Ha-ha, no, no. No, no, no, I''m not a faggot, I''m straight, even though people often mistake me for one. What proof do you have? I later realized it was a weird question, but I felt threatened, so I just asked. "Lil, Lan. Yuuo calls out to the back, and then two women approach. One is a bewitching beauty who looks a little older than Yuuo, and the other is a beautiful girl who looks like a younger teenage girl, on the contrary. One is an older sister character and the other is a younger sisterly character. ''''What is it?Is that it? Are you leaving already? Ha-ha, no. He just thought I was more into that kind of thing. Oh, that''s how it goes-- Tut. Not even close. Tut. Lil and Ran, they continued to kiss the man. A light kiss, but a lover''s kiss. After proving - and proving it - they moved away and returned to their seats. ''Those two are my partners, privately and publicly. Oh, oh, ....... So I''m not a homos*xual, you know? I''m sure you''ll understand. ''Oh, ah, ...... yes,'' I thought I''d rather die making a harem, but if that''s what you''re talking about, I''m relieved. So, what do you want with me? Yeah, I was wondering if I could touch your arms. I knew you were going to be there! He knocked the chair over again and stood up to run away. ''So no,'' he said. ''Hmm, well, arm wrestling, arm wrestling then.'' Arm wrestling?Why? I heard a rumor yesterday. I heard you put a bullet in that big guy''s head. ...... Relieved was a bit different. We''re back to normal, serious. I''m curious about your powers, your powers. To see if the rumors are true. ...... Right. I don''t know. Okay. Thank you. The man put his right arm on the table, propped his elbow up. I did the same thing, putting my elbow on the table, hand in hand with him. "Then let''s go. Yeah. Lady ...... gosh! With a command, I put a lot of force into it. It was a tremendous amount of force, I knew I might be a faggot and I didn''t want to be working with a guy in the first place, so I tried to end it in an instant, but it didn''t end. Their arms were pulling and shaking and their strength was in competition. I''m going to get serious. I grabbed the table with my left hand and went all out. The equilibrium is broken, and I push, inch by inch, until I press the back of his hand against the table. I win. "Ew!Nay-kun lost. Inertia. That''s what happens when you don''t level up. It''s a good pill to swallow sometimes. But I''ve never seen anyone as powerful as Nay-kun. There''s an upside to that. It''s just that he was above it. Two of his companions were saying that behind him. I know their reaction - especially the girl''s. I''m a force to be reckoned with now. I''m now Force S. I''m the one who can finally win an arm-wrestling match with all my strength. I''m a Force A. "A-ha-ha, I beat you, dude. You too. The Power A man, I was secretly wary of him. I''m no longer suspected of being a homos*xual, only about 10% of the time, I was usually wary of him. And so I stare at him. We stare at each other - and he''s smiling, brushing aside my gaze. "What''s the matter with you, boys? Come on, I''ll show you how to wrestle a real arm wrestler. A middle-aged man came from the side. He was a heavy man with a beard, looking like a foreign professional wrestler. He sat down at my table with a thud, propped himself up on his elbows and offered me an arm-wrestling match. The big guy had someone with him. This one was a normal young man with no features, just a normal looking guy. He stopped him. ''Oh, hey, stop it.'' I''m going to teach those wandering sprouts how to be tough on the world. It''s a lesson. No, no, no, that''s not what I mean. That man is a nep-- All right. Yuuo smiled, sat back down and joined hands with the big man. His arms are roughly three times as thick as they were. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it. I''m going to have to ask you to give me a command. No, no-- Please. The young man gulped as Yuuso said. Then let''s get to class. Ha-ha-ha-ha, oh, be nice to me-- Pan! There was a tremendous noise and something slammed into the table. A big man''s arm. The arm of the guy instantly bent in the direction it shouldn''t have bent and went limp. "Uh-oh! The big man screamed and the young man with the clutch clenched his temples. I stopped him. I''m sorry, you''re Neptune, right? This guy is an idiot, so give him a break with one arm, please. The young man bowed his head at the waist ninety degrees. The man called Yuuo - Neptune is still smiling. I''m just doing the arm wrestling that was initiated. I''m not going to do anything more than that. Thank you. The young man bobbed his head once more and left the shop with the big man in tow. ''You''re going to treat him. ''Neptune, you say?'' You idiot, didn''t you notice that?There''s also Princess Lil and Princess Lan, for all intents and purposes, the Neptune family, right? It''s my first time. Wait, then who was that guy over there that beat Neptune in an arm-wrestling match? The only thing I know is that ...... they''re both monsters. The restaurant started buzzing at noon. Neptune...... I''ve heard that name somewhere. Of course, it''s not the god of the sea or anything like that. I''ve only been in this world for a short time, and the things I''ve heard about people''s names are usually the "this guy is awesome" type of gossip. I can''t remember for the life of me, but I''m pretty sure Neptune is in that category. "Hey, can you arm-wrestle me again? ''Let''s not go to ...... and make too much noise any more.'' Well, if you ask me. Okay. Lil'' Lan. Neptune called the two women. You''re going to come back to me - I thought. There was a snapping sound, and at the same time, the world went into slow motion. Oh, this is bad, this is bad, I don''t know what I''m seeing, but this is bad. I reflexively let go of my punch. Force S, a full-on, life-saving punch. Boom! There was an explosion, and the shockwave spread. The table between us was caught in the shock wave and crushed to wood. I staggered, but managed to stay on my feet. ''What are you doing?'' You''re good. Neptune''s arm was slack-jawed. Bloodied and battered. I finally realized it was his arm that had been battered, punching and punching. I panicked and looked at my hand. My knuckles are red and tingling, like my wrists are on the verge of being sprained. It''s like the feeling you get when you hit a punching machine as hard as you can. But I seem to be OK somehow. I''m even more buzzed around. "Mr. Neptune is at ....... Hey, is this really a losing proposition? Who is that guy really? ...... The guests who look at me with distant, frightened faces - mainly at me. Neptune, on the other hand, was really quite stone-cold. His arm was mended by your sister, the one you called Lil'', using magic. "You''re good, baby. It''s ....... Can you be mine? I knew you were a faggot! I was caught by his line, which was not hostile at all, and I plunged into it. 23 23. Increased efficiency The store buzzed even more. ''Hey, seriously?'' Wasn''t it three years ago when the last time there was a recruitment for the Neptune family? And it''s not just the leader himself. There''s a buzz all over the place, and everyone''s all messed up. Some of them are watching our move with bated breath. Is it really such a big deal? "Hey, I don''t know. I''m sorry, but I don''t want to. ''Oh, well, that''s too bad. Oh, and just to be sure, you didn''t turn him down because of the homos*xual allegations or anything. Then you can go in without worrying about it. No, no, no. I shook my head clearly. It has nothing to do with homos*xuals or anything like that - yeah, it has nothing to do with that. I mean, I don''t want to be part of any organization for the time being. I''ve come to this world and I''m very comfortable with it. It''s like a complete change from the hell I was living in before I started working overtime to living my life freely and enjoying my free agency, literally. I don''t know what a Neptune family is, but I don''t want to belong to any family for the time being. ''Yeah, okay,'' Neptune stared at me for a while, then nodded and withdrew very easily. I thought. "You can come to me anytime you change your mind. I''ll consider you one of us now. In the end, he didn''t back down at all, and with those words, he walked away with the two women in tow. The guests were more and more buzzed by the words Neptune left behind. I was reminded later that the Neptune family was an elite group of people I''d heard about before, an elite group with five drop A''s, who had investigated Nihonium. I heard about it, but I''d forgotten all about it. Tellurium Basement Floor. After that, I got the magic cart from Emily and left the uncomfortable shop and came to the dungeon. Yeah, I feel at home. After what happened, I feel even more at home in the dungeon. I took a deep breath and let the air of the dungeon that I had become so familiar with into my lungs. Now let the hunt begin! The slime quickly appeared. I raised my gun and triggered - and then I suddenly saw a magic cart and stopped moving. A scene flashed through my mind. ...... Yeah, if I could do that, I''d hunt more efficiently. I nodded and mumbled the words. I decided to do the first thing I could think of. I held my gun up and waited, the slime flew at me. I held out my palm and caught the slime as it flew at me and flung it back. When the slime came directly above the magic cart - I pulled the trigger. A bullet shot through the slime. The slime popped in the air!And dropped the sprouts. The sprouts went straight down, straight into the magic cart. Success. Soon, another slime appeared, waiting and waiting, jumping away and shooting at the top of the magic cart. The sprouts went straight into the magic cart. Another slime appeared. The slime''s body hit a bit off this time. I reached out and grabbed it, and while holding it, I shot it on the magic cart. The sprouts went into the cart. That went pretty well. By defeating the monster on the magic cart, the drop goes straight into the cart. Instantly kill it the moment you meet it with ease!It wasn''t, and there was more work to do, but the time was saved by having the drop go straight into the cart. Stars. After redeeming the sprouts, I came to the basement level. I decided to improve my method a bit more. First, I pushed the cart to come in front of me. As soon as I came down, a sleeping slime appeared and flew at me. I took aim and concentrated. When the sleeping slime that flew over was right above the cart - shoot! A bullet shoots through the sleeping slime, the carrot drops and goes straight into the cart. Okay, it worked! Put the cart in front of you, shoot it as it comes and put it right in. This is less of a step and a little faster than the way you''d catch it. This method was very much in my hands. Push the cart, shoot it as it comes and keep it in. Push the cart, shoot it as it comes, and put it in as it goes. As I was doing it, it started to feel like I was pushing the cart at the grocery store and popping the items into the cart. This way I was able to fill the cart in about half the time it took me before. Yes, it''s more efficient, and I''ll be able to make more money this way. The result of my continuous pursuit of slime hunting efficiency in the tellurium on this day. As a result of my continuous pursuit of efficiency in hunting slime in Tellurium, I was able to drive a full magic cart back and forth five times to Cyclo. I''ve never seen someone bring this many times in just half a day: ...... Elsa was raptured by Elsa. 24 24. Freezing and flame bullets Morning Nifonium, I was reunited with the group I had encountered before on the basement floor. The foreman, the four errand runners, and Margaret, the natural princess, looking as fluffy as ever. I was going to walk past them to go to the third basement level, thinking, "Another air box, I''m in business," but the box they were carrying was not there. But I noticed that the box they were holding was noticeably different from the previous one. A cube box of 30 centimeters square. It has six sides, one of which is pure white. I couldn''t help but ask the foreman about the strange box. I asked the foreman, "Excuse me, what is that box? Yeah?Oh, you''ve done this before. That''s funny you should mention that. "This is the tool that our company has worked so hard to develop, and it''s called the Pandora Box! It was almost like a line of concentration was about to be shown on the man''s back. ''Pandora Box, that''s a great name. What''s it all about? You know the collection boxes. No. ''What, you don''t know. There are germaphobes out there who can''t eat anything that someone else has touched or that has ever fallen to the ground in a dungeon, right? ...... I''m sure you''re there. I''ve never actually had that happen, but I thought there might be such a person. The collection box is a magic item for such people, if you activate it, it will suck the items into the box the moment the monster drops them. If you use it, you''ll have dropped items that no one will touch or fall to the ground. I see. I remembered something I mastered yesterday. The thing is, it does things like make me slay slimes on a magic cart and put them straight into the cart, automatically. "Based on that, I''ve spent over 300 million pounds of my company''s money on this Pandora Box!Watch. The man said, and the group''s "air hunt" began. The skeleton goes out, the four errand runners weaken it, and Princess Margaret tops it off. The skeleton disappeared and the Pandora box sucked the air out of the drop. Soon, Princess Margaret''s face was printed on the white side of the box. ''''And well, here''s what it looks like. That''s where the face of the person who made the item drop appears.'' You mean like a grower''s label? ''Oh, sometimes people wonder if it''s really Princess Margaret''s air. This is all we need to prove the princess''s air. I see. Well thought out. "You''re an adventurer, aren''t you?I''ll give you a few Pandora boxes and you can use these to promote them to your friends. The man then shoved five Pandora boxes at me. I don''t mind the publicity, but this doesn''t mean much to me. Three floors underground in Nifonium, I beat up Mummy and got my speed seeds. Without any incidents, I continued to stay in the morning, and my speed went from E to D. When I was about to go out of the dungeon after I finished my daily ability raising, I noticed something. This Pandora Box, or rather the collection box, is the same. I wondered if I couldn''t use it to collect seeds, collect them, and then take them out. I returned to the basement floor, where I found it. The basement floor is a skeleton, and with my unique skill, the drop is an HP seed. If I can get the seeds out, I want to give them to my roommate Emily, then I''ll need HP first. Activate the box, kill the skeleton. The seed drops--it gets sucked into the box! Well, well, well, this is going to work! I excitedly packed a box full of HP seeds and left Nihonium. Stars. I can''t get it. ...... When he joined us, he offered the box to Emily and tried to get her to take the seeds, but she couldn''t get them. ''Oh well: ......'' After all, only Yoda can take it. I thought it would work. In fact, I was able to bring it outside the dungeon. It couldn''t be helped. The seed was for Yoda''s use only, after all. Emily wasn''t discouraged. She thought that if she could catch the seed, she could eventually reach her full capacity, but it didn''t seem to work out that way. ''That''s a shame. What am I going to do with this? I''ll have to make it into a haggler and replace it with an item. What would a skeleton be? Freezer bullets. Well, you''d think they''d be able to mass-produce frozen bullets. I got there and stopped. For a moment, something went through my head. So far, the only way to get the freezer bullets was to kick the skeleton out the doorway and take it down in a second. The reason why this was so is because the seeds would be gone if I touched them, so I couldn''t take them out and haggle them. Other humans can be defeated and turn into air - by the way, air and water don''t create haggler things. That''s why it was hard to take frozen bullets. However, if you use a Pandora box or a collection box, you can bring out a large amount of seeds like this. While asking in my mind, I put the box far away and moved away. After a while, the box exploded, and the seeds all turned into skeletons - hagglers - all at once. Guns at the ready, ramming and firing wildly. I took down all of the nearly 50 skeletons without missing a beat. Then all of them dropped frozen bullets. What was a struggle for just one round became 50 frozen bullets at once. ''''Yoda-san, that''s amazing.'''' No, not yet. What? If you can do this... I placed the Pandora box just outside the Nifonium dungeon, in the middle of nowhere. Stay away, wait - the zombies hatched in droves (...). What I was sure of, I could afford. Loaded with freezer bullets, I froze the ground with the lower half of 50 zombies, and then one by one, I hit them with a headshot. And what came out was 50 rounds of frozen bullets and different bullets. I picked them up, loaded them into my gun and shot them into a nearby tree. The moment it hit, a magic circle came out--the tree was on fire! The zombie bullet taken using the box was a flaming fireball. It was another possible moment of nihonium. 25 25. Disaster Relief On the outskirts of Cyclo, I was busily converting hagremonos into special bullets. The pandora boxes I received were a total of five, and I stuffed all the seeds into them, then took them out of the dungeon and turned them into hagremonos in an unpopular place. Since there were a good number of them, I did it box by box. The first and second boxes are skeletons, take them out, and fire them up with bullets to make a total of 100 frozen bullets. The third box was a zombie, this one I carefully took out with a headshot, making it 50 rounds of firebombs. And I was just about to take out the last box. A strange sensation went through my body. It was a strange sensation I had never felt before, and if I were to compare it to that, I would say I felt sub-zero cold for one second, accompanied by a strange cold. What the hell is this? I looked around and wondered. Then I saw Emily''s little figure clattering in the distance. ''Ah, there you are, Mr. Yoda,'' Emily. What''s going on? As a matter of fact, there was a magical storm warning. That''s what I''m here to tell you. A magic storm? ''Yes, sir. I''m not going to be able to use magic around Cyclo for a while because of it. Yoda-san and I don''t have much to do with it, but I''m here to teach you. What''s this magic storm?Tell me about it, because I don''t know in the first place. Well, I don''t know much about it either. I can''t use magic, so I don''t know that much about it. Okay. It''s a magic storm, and I can''t use my magic. I was worried about this, so I stopped changing the last box of bullets into special bullets and returned to the city for the time being. I went to Elsa''s place because she was the easiest person to talk to. I invited Elsa, who was just coming home after work, and she was very happy to follow me. I came with her to a caf in town and listened to her. ''Is it a magic storm?'' Yeah, I don''t know, so why don''t you tell me from the beginning? ''I understand!We''ll take care of it! I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about it. It''s a natural phenomenon that happens very occasionally, and when it happens, the magic becomes unusable. Does that mean I lose my magic? ''Yes, it becomes completely useless. Depending on the size of the city, you can use magic in the city and you can''t use it in the city either. ''If it''s a city, it''s ...... a city. So that means it''s a dungeon? Elsa nodded clearly. ''''You will be completely useless in the dungeon. So when a magic storm is coming, wizard adventurers are forced to take a break. I see. If you can''t use magic in a dungeon, wizards can''t do anything about it. There are characters in the world who look like professional wrestlers for all intents and purposes, or characters who are monks but are sanctioned with an iron fist or something like that, but basic wizards have poor physical bodies instead of being able to use magic. The traits I learned in the game were recognizable as they are in this world. ''A wizard who can no longer use magic, is no better than a clunker. ''And it''s a bit of a problem if you''re a cyclo. Why? Do you know what a dungeon is called?Monsters over there are almost ineffective except for magic, though magic is messed up and effective. That''s why whenever I go there, it''s always full of wizards. ''Oh, so that means that when there''s a magic storm, silicon production stops completely. ''Exactly. Silicon is mostly a drop of leafy greens, so leafy greens are going to skyrocket for a while. Well, we''ll know at least the day before, so it won''t affect us that much once we get used to it. It''s like a typhoon, I thought. But I get the point. There are natural phenomena, and this world is affected by these natural phenomena in various ways. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the world and what''s going on in the world. It''s not my business since it''s a magic story, so I''ll know about it for now, and that''s the end of the story since I''ve satisfied my thirst for knowledge. And then I thought. "Huh?I''m sorry, Mr. Lyota. Elsa got up and walked out of the store. I followed her out and saw Elsa talking to a certain man. The man was wearing a vestment that looked like a wizard and was holding a magic wand in his hand. ''''Elsa-san!'''' What''s the matter, Mr. Reyes, you''re in such a hurry. Rosa was left in the silicone! The man called Reyes was pale and had a look of relief on his face. His name is Rosa, and he is Reyes'' partner. They are both wizards and recently came from another city and settled here in Cyclo after learning about a wizard''s heaven-like dungeon called Silicon. We went to Silicon as usual on this day. Reyes brought the dropped items back to the city for a while, and then a magic storm broke out. Most wizards knew the magic storm was coming the day before, so they didn''t go or cut loose early, but the two newcomers to Cyclo didn''t grasp the means to catch the information, and the magic storm came when Rosa was diving deep. The result was that one wizard was left alone in a dungeon where magic couldn''t be used, and that''s what happened. It''s a tragedy. I was listening to Elsa and Reyes when they spoke to me out of the blue from the side. The suspicion of homos*xuality hasn''t cleared up in me yet, Neptune. ''Don''t come out of nowhere, you''ll be surprised.'' Are you ready to be mine? You''re not making any sense to me!And now is not the time. I looked at Reyes. ''I can''t help it, honestly. I can''t help it, just like that. Silicon is the last place I''d want to be during a magical storm. It would take me more than 10 minutes to take down even the weakest monster in there. ...... even for you? I know about Neptune''s powers, because we had a bit of a go at each other in the tavern. Even with him like that, it''s still a dungeon that takes 10 minutes per body, ...... that''s so tough on physical attacks. So, I''m sorry to hear that. I''m an adventurer who hides in dungeons and fights monsters, so this kind of thing is a common occurrence. Neptune said Kellogg, he really seemed to think so. The other customers in the caf, as well as passersby who were passing by the shop. Most of them look sorry for the situation, but they say it can''t be helped. A value born in a world where dungeons and adventurers and all production is deadly. Somehow I felt that way. That''s the natural way of life in this world, I thought. It''s one thing to think and another to accept. When I heard the location, I came to the Silicon Dungeon. The purpose, of course, was to help a female wizard named Rosa. I take a deep breath and go inside. ''I thought you said it was three floors underground. I proceeded through the dungeon, mumbling the stories I heard from Reyes. Silicon was a cave type dungeon, with natural earthen walls that stretched everywhere. A monster appeared immediately! It''s a caterpillar in shape, about the size of a tissue box. It''s not that big - it''s too big for a caterpillar. It depends on how you feel about it, depending on which one you take, but right now is not the time to worry about it. I wanted to ignore it and move on. But the other side didn''t miss it. I tried to turn around and move on, but that guy wandered around and then suddenly flew at me! Quickly, he hit it with a counter. I hit him with the full force of the force S. It didn''t work. I punched him off and slammed him into the wall, but that guy was pinned down. ''You hit him with all your strength and almost didn''t make it. It looks like you''re not a fan of physical resistance. I can''t go through with it, so I have to take it down. I raised my gun and fired a bullet into it. Even though it looked like a caterpillar, it was repelling bullets. Looks like regular bullets won''t work, what do we do? Suddenly, I remembered that the moment the freezing and flaming bullets landed, a magic circle would appear. I loaded the flaming bullets and shot the flying caterpillar. It hit, the magic circle came out and the caterpillar burst into flames. In the process, it stalled and fell to the ground, convulsed and then stopped moving. And what dropped items. A leaf-centric silicon, the caterpillar on the ground floor looks like a cabbage. I didn''t pick it up and moved on. Apparently the special bullets work. A special bullet that is unaffected by the magic storm that makes magic useless and is actually a magic attack. I was just a little relieved. I would - I''m the only one who can save her, I thought. I used two types of bullets to defeat the monsters that attacked me and move on. The monsters were persistent, and even if I tried to run away or ignore them, they would come at me from the other side. Normally I''d be happy to take them down and make money, but right now I''m annoyed. I can''t avoid them, so I use freezing bullets and flaming bullets to take them all down. Upstairs in the basement are flies about the size of a softball. This one isn''t that big either, but it''s too big to be a fly. The flies can be defeated with only freezer bullets and flaming bullets, as punches and regular bullets are almost ineffective. By the way, the drop is spinach, naturally ignored. When I was loading the bullets, I suddenly realized that the items dropped after defeating the monster were like a signpost. I froze it with a frozen bullet and went around. It would be bad if these guys turned into hagglers later on. I don''t know if I could freeze them and stop them, but I did it anyway. The pathway became a path of ice. And then the third basement floor. And now a grasshopper the size of a three-year-old! It''s huge! Defeat it with firebombs and freeze the drop items with freezing bullets. By the way, the drop is Chinese cabbage. That''s how I proceed. ''''Rosa!Rosa, where are you? He must be on the third basement floor, so I called out loudly. I called out and walked around and looked for them. Every once in a while a grasshopper would come out, take it down, and freeze the drop. Then I searched all three basement floors. ''Rosa--there she is! I found the female wizard in a bit of a jam-packed area. The woman is on the ground, unconscious. She''s breathing hard and her chest is rising and falling - she''s alive! All right, now all I have to do is bring her home. But then the grasshopper showed up again. Let''s take her down, I''m going to pull her back and I''ll just use the flaming bullets--. "Out of ammunition? There were no firebombs, and there were no frozen bullets. I panned out both of them in the middle of the process, which caused me to cut both of them off. The grasshopper jumped on me, pretty fast! I duck and punch him away, and then fire a series of regular bullets at him. But it doesn''t work. It doesn''t work at all with force S or normal bullets. Just a bonus, it''s fast! Just as I was trying to figure out what to do, we got hit! It''s a much heavier blow than the slime guys and a lot heavier than the zombies. I don''t think I''ll be able to handle it right away since my strength is also S, but there''s nothing I can do about it. I kept firing normal bullets to see if I could somehow defeat them. I shot and shot and shot, dodging and shooting, and before I knew it, I''d fired more than a hundred rounds, and the area around me was covered in nitrous smoke. ''You did it,'' But no. A grasshopper flew through the smoke. Oh, no! What do we do now? Do you want to carry Rosa and protect her while you run? You''re a strength S. Do you think you''ll be able to hold on until you''re on the ground? Yeah, don''t even think about it, if we can''t beat it, we have to run! With that thought, he dismissed the grasshopper once and ran to Rosa. He carried her unconscious and tried to get away. ''...... Oh my god, so much.'' There were more grasshoppers. Five in all. They all converged on me and surrounded me. One grasshopper was in trouble, but five? This is ...... not good. What to do?What should I do? Just as I was thinking this, I heard a horde in the distance. A sign of a monster, and a horde. More to come! But then a zombie came. A zombie?Why zombies? Mr. Yoda! Emily? I''ve got Yoda''s box! "--Hey!Thank you! In an instant, I fought off the grasshoppers in front of me and killed the haggle-headed zombie Emily had brought with her, turning it into a fireball. I''m on my own. First I used flameballs to kill the grasshoppers, then I wiped out the zombies. With the recovered flameballs, Emily, Rosa and the three of us escaped. We turned into Hagremonos from a drop on the way, but we managed to use the remaining flameballs to get through and escape from the dungeon. ''Thank you!Thank you! Thank you, you are ...... a lifesaver. ...... Reyes and Rosa thanked me so much. Just go to a hospital or something. ''Yes!Let''s go, Rosa! Yes. ...... Reyes took Rosa with him. They kept looking back and thanking me until the end, when they disappeared into the city. I was relieved that I had been rescued. 26 26. Third bullet After seeing Reyes and Rosa off outside the silicon dungeon, he thanked Emily standing next to him. ''Thank you, how did you find me here?'' Elsa gave me the box and told me about it. I thought that Yoda would be here. Really? I chuckled. I asked Elsa to give the Pandora box containing the power seeds to Emily to prevent it from becoming a haggle in the city. He decided to slowly turn it into a fireball later. She brought it to me. I was so grateful for the ridiculousness of being able to see through so many things and I was so grateful. ''Thank you Emily,'' You''re welcome, sir. ''Let''s go get dinner somewhere today. Emily helped me out, so I''ll buy you a drink to thank you. ''Then I''m going home. Actually, I''ve got a new recipe and I want Yoda to try it first. ''No, thank you. Wouldn''t that mean Emily would have to cook for you? That''s why. Emily has such a big smile on her face that she has a heart mark at the end of her words. This is ...... a real treat. I''m going to do what she wanted, feeling my heart grow warmer and warmer, and I''m going to do what she wanted. I''m going to be able to at least buy a good bottle of alcohol to take home. I''ll save the food for later. What kind of sake do you have in mind? I''ve heard that spirits go well with it. All right, I''ll buy a couple of those and take them home. Yes, sir! And so, after a day''s work, plus a few other little happenings, I went home with Emily. The next day, I entered Nihonium in the morning, but I didn''t increase my capacity. First I bought a regular collection box in town. The boxes are used for people with special interests, so they were slightly expensive at 10,000 piro each. But not so much that we couldn''t afford it, so we bought about six of them. I used four of them first, and replenished the frozen bullets and the flaming bullets with 100 rounds each. I used up most of them yesterday, so I replenished them. The other two were from the speed seeds I got from the mummy on the third basement level, and I got 100 rounds of new special bullets. Mammy''s special bullets were even more special, and after trying many things, it was noon by the time I finally figured out how they worked, so I went back to Cyclo to meet up with Emily once more. I brought in my usual buyer, Swallow''s Benefit, Emily and I brought in a magic cart full of dandelions. Elsa''s counter was just empty, so I went over to her. ''Yo,'' Oh, Lyota: ...... and Emily. Good day, I''d like you to buy this for me. Yes, just a moment, please. Elsa took a dandelion from the magic cart and counted the amount. ''Come to think of it, Lyota, it''s been rumored that you rescued someone from silicon during a magical storm. Have you heard the rumors already? That''s how great it is. Okay. Maybe so. Even thinking back now, yesterday''s was a cringe-worthy experience. Just remembering that we were in a dungeon with no magic and surrounded by monsters with (probably) 100% physics resistance, I really feel chills just thinking about it. I rescued someone from there, so that''s what the rumors were about. "Rosa, right. Is that person okay? Actually, I heard that ...... isn''t very good. What do you mean? ''''This magic storm, it''s so strong that even the city can''t use magic. Rosa-san''s injuries are pretty serious and it''s bad if you don''t cast a healing spell. Then why don''t you take him to another city? That''s a serious injury that ...... can''t be moved downstairs. ...... Really? ...... So, ...... it''s a bit painful, but it''s about whether or not your body can last until the magic storm passes. ...... Oh, sorry, I''m getting heavy. Well, I just finished tallying up all the numbers. Where''s Rosa? ''What?What, what is it? Tell me, where are you? I looked straight at Elsa. She blushed and was upset, but she told me. I came to the largest hospital in Cyclo that Elsa had told me about. I asked the receptionist for Rosa''s hospital room and she told me right away. When I entered the hospital room, I saw Rosa suffering on the bed and Reyes, who was completely depressed with dark circles under his eyes. ''Oh ...... you are yesterday ......'' It''s Ryota Sato: ...... How is she doing? ''...... not good. The doctor says the pass is around tonight, and if the magic storm doesn''t pass by then, it will be ....... Okay. ''The healers are waiting for me, but the magic storm has to pass... ...... kook!Why is this happening? Reyes pounded on the wall. Blood trickled from the fist that he slammed on. You can see that not only your fist is bleeding, but the corner of your mouth is bleeding as well. You''re gonna bite your lip off. I looked at Rosa. She''s in agony, her face is pale and white as paper. Maybe tonight is the night we''ll get out of here, and something needs to be done soon. I got my gun out and I held it up. "Hey, what are you doing? It won''t take long. You said it would be over soon, so... I didn''t want to waste time explaining it, so I fired at Rosa. The bullet hit the middle of her torso. A moment later, a white light enveloped her. I got the last remaining shot, a hundred rounds, but it was too special, Mummy''s special bullet that I didn''t know the effect of until I fired 99 rounds. White light, a healing light. Healing bullets, it was a bullet with an effect to call it that. Rosa was suffering, but in a short time, her face became calmer and her blood color returned. Eventually, she looked like she was sleeping normally. ''''What is this?'''' ''Maybe you''ll be okay now. You can have a doctor look at the rest. Or help her. ...... Reyes huffs. He finally realizes that this is the power of the same principle that rescued her from the silicon. ''Thank you!Thank you! I left the hospital while Reyes thanked me over and over again. 27 27. Ordering featured products In the morning, I was hiding in the third basement floor of Nihonium. The monster was a bandaged mummy, and the weakness of these monsters is probably fire. I loaded the gun with flaming bullets and looked for the mummy. The mummy appeared soon after. I stick out my hands and shoot the flaming bullets at the approaching macho mummy. It hit, a magic circle unfolded, and the mummy burst into flames. The fireball moved forward, but with one or two steps, his body collapsed and fell to the ground. Eventually it stopped moving completely, the body disappeared and the seed dropped. I pick it up and increase my speed to +1. Yeah, this is good. Regular bullets had to be shot quite a bit to take it down, or else it would be dangerous and inefficient to get close enough to hit it. That''s why the flame bombs would kill one shot at a time, and they were safer. Nifonium, the third basement level, Mummy. This place seems to be stable enough for us to pass through, as long as we have some flaming bullets. I used a large quantity of flaming bullets I''d prepared beforehand to roam the deserted dungeon. Defeating mammies, getting seeds, and increasing my speed. In just half of the morning, I was able to raise my speed from D to C. By the way, the confirmation was an afterthought, but I knew how much I needed to raise my speed from D to C from HP and power, so I was able to raise it properly without error. I spent the remaining half of the morning packing the seeds into the collection box I had prepared. I took the box, looked for the Mummy, and took it down with a fireball. Take the box, find the mummy, and take it down with a fireball. I repeated the process and secured 50 recovery rounds. In the afternoon, I brought my daily routine of 40,000 pirouette sprouts in my magic cart to repay Tsubame''s kindness. When I was about to leave the store after receiving the exact 40,000 pillow from Ena, who had done the procedure for me, I thought it was time to pick carrots. "Satou-san, ...... do you have a minute? Ina stopped me, and she had a look on her face as if she was having trouble saying something. Normally, I have a strong image of her getting along well with Elsa and teasing her friend with a cheerful expression. I''ve never seen her look like this before, it was a bit unusual - I was curious. ''''I need to talk to you about something. It''s not the place to be. With that, they took me out of the store. The two of us came to the back of the store, in an unpopulated area. ''Actually, ...... my parents run a grocery store,'' Really? But it''s not that profitable. I mean, isn''t Cyclo an agricultural city?There are a lot of grocery stores, and they sell pretty much the same stuff as the other stores, so the pull is weak. "Mmm-hmm. ...... and I was wondering if you could get Satou-san to make regular deliveries to my parents'' store, something that would be a highlight... Now look up at me like you''re looking up at me. No? Okay. I told him right away. I didn''t mind helping people like that. You know what? Terdungeon, I came to the fifth basement floor. Since I''m delivering the centerpiece of the store, I had better bring something that has never been done before in my life. So I came to the fifth basement floor. I walked around a bit and met a monster. It was a slime, but it wasn''t a normal slime. There were a few slimes there, and one slime suddenly swallowed another slime. The slime that swallowed the slime changed its shape, it looked like two round slimes connected together. It swallowed another slime and this time it turned into three connected slimes. It swallowed and grew into a bead of slime. I wished there was such a game, and I held up my gun. First of all, a normal bullet. I aimed well and took a head shot. The slime''s head is blown off - but the part of the slime that is the body is now the new head. Kintaroame - or is it a daruma drop? That''s the kind of image I had in mind when I saw the slime. This isn''t very efficient with regular bullets. I switched to flame bullets. I avoided the snake slime that jumped into the air and fired a flame round as it passed me. The slime burst into flames. It fell to the ground in a fireball and didn''t move. Pong!and a large watermelon was dropped. I left the dungeon with the watermelon. Ina, who was waiting for me at the entrance, came running right away. "Mr. Sato! Here. ''Thank you!This is ...... Satou''s ...... Ena looked at the watermelon. ''It looks pretty normal. Mmm. Oh, I''m sorry. I don''t mean that. I mean, I think they''re really good. The Ryota bamboo shoots were just plain looking and I think-- ''No, well said. That''s important. What? Ena looked at him. ''Just give me a minute. I''ll get you something. Oh, and while you''re at it, check out the flavor. Yes ...... I left Ina with a look on her face as if a fox had pinched her, and I left the place to go get that thing... It was about evening, and this time I took Ina to the fifth floor of the tellurium. It''s easier to understand what we''re going to do if we actually show her what we''re going to do rather than explain it to her. ''How did the watermelon taste?'' ''It was so good!I''ve never had a watermelon that sweet and juicy in my life!I knew Satou-san was great! Well, that means the quality is fine. Yeah! Well, then... As he said this, the slime appeared. ''Oh, Hevislime.'' Do they keep the name? Yes. All right, well, watch. After checking around to make sure there were no monsters except for the hebislime, whose body is in front of me in a quadruple row, I put Ena down and stepped forward. I set up my gun, then put the item on the ground. A well-aimed fireball at the hebislime that jumped at me. The body was a bit long with four streaks, but just like before, it instantly turned into a fireball and fell to the ground, motionless. And then the watermelon was dropped - and was sucked in in an instant. The box on the ground - in a Pandora box. ''A collection box?'' No, it''s some guy''s modified version of Pandora''s Box. Pandora''s Box?Oh, I saw Satou-san''s face. It''s a system that shows the face of the person who beat the monster and dropped it like this. This will make it look special, right? ...... A huffy Ena. ''Satou-san''s ...... watermelon'' She''s a Pandora''s Box with my face reflected on it. Gradually, her eyes lit up at the sight of a watermelon with a producer''s label. The next day, I came to town in the morning before I went to the dungeon. I came to Ena''s parents'' house, which I''d heard about the location beforehand. The grocery store was open since the morning and there were crowds of people there. Everyone was looking at the Pandora box in the most prominent position in the store and saying this and that. "What the hell is that box? Don''t you know?It''s the same Pandora Box that was recently used for Princess Margaret''s air box. That''s how you can find out who has killed the monster by using that. Oh, so this watermelon is from this man''s family. Ryota Sato, that bamboo shoot? Oh, so Ryota makes watermelons as well as bamboo shoots? I''m going to have a little look around. How much is that watermelon? Wait, wait, I''ll be the first to drop Lyota. No, I''m buying. The bamboo shoots were unbelievably good, and the watermelon is on my mind. There was a bit of a battle at the store. People were buying watermelons, and other people came to see what was going on, and it was a big crowd. Eventually it became a little auction, and more and more people got caught up in the excitement. ''Thank you, Sato-san,'' Ina. Before I knew it, Ena came to the side ...... Well, it''s my parents'' house. She looked down a bit and thanked me with a superior look. ''Thank you so much.'' You''re welcome. I was doubly happy to be able to fulfill a job I was asked to do, and to be thanked for it. By the way. The person selling the air of Princess Margaret also thanked me for promoting Pandora Box. 28 28. Step up, rank up, step up Before entering Nihonium in the morning, I checked my status on the Now board in the dungeon table. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F Power S Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed C Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... I haven''t leveled up and I''m using all the dropped seeds to increase my abilities, so I''m very unbalanced and still have a long way to go (,) but I''m confident that if I continue to steadily dive down to the ninth floor of Nihonium''s basement, I''ll be all S. So even though it''s not balanced right now, I''m rather looking forward to seeing it grow. Speaking of which, I remembered that the monsters that join you in the game have an incredibly low level of cleverness that you can''t manipulate even at the normal limit, and you need to use items to improve that level to make them useless. I''m right in line with that, I thought to myself. There were two pages of abilities, and I checked the second page as well. 2/2 --- 2/2 --- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Stats that affect item drops. This one was an S from the beginning and hadn''t changed. After confirming my abilities, I got my mind back on track and dove into the dungeon. First of all, we were on the second basement level. Our goal was to find the seeds of speed on the third floor, but we needed to procure flaming bullets from the second floor in order to advance to the third floor efficiently. So we''ll have to do this first. Use the collection box to headshot every single zombie you encounter and collect seeds in the box. By the way, the undetectable monsters in Nifonium often surprise me, but I didn''t take any damage today. I think it''s a benefit of my increased speed to C. Even if the wall in front of me collapses and I''m attacked, I can instantly retreat to a safe zone and calmly aim at the zombie''s head. Again, I was able to experience the increased ability in a real battle. Thus, I collected the flame bombs and went to the basement three floors to work and take down the mammy where the flames were weak. In the morning, my speed went from a C to a B. I didn''t feel like working much in the afternoon. The weather was kind of nice and the city was busy, so I decided to take it easy and make it a day of not working. So I took down a bad slime and some bamboo shoots on the fourth underground floor of Tellurium, and a watermelon in the Pandora box after taking out a hebislime on the fifth underground floor. I made minimal deliveries to the people I''m in contact with, and I''m done for the day. I thought. ''Ryota-san, you''ve gone to the fifth underground floor of Telluride, right? Yeah? I''m in the middle of delivering the bamboo shoots and getting the amount confirmed. Elsa asked timidly. ''I''m going?'' ''What about the other dungeons?How far down do you want to dive? What else?Tellurium is on the fifth floor underground, Nihonium is on the third floor, Silicon is on the third floor with human help, and Arsenic is on the first floor with human help - oh, you went to the tenth floor once with human help. ''I see. ......'' What''s going on? Then you don''t have your license yet, do you? License? I looked back at Elsa, wondering what she was talking about. ''It''s the first time I''ve heard that word since I came to this world. ''You don''t know?In Cyclo, you have to have a license after the sixth floor below the dungeon. Like a permit?Do we have to have that? ''Yes. It''s the same for all dungeons around the world, but the danger level of dungeons increases every five floors. That''s why cities that have dungeons have policies in place to deal with them. Ciclo keeps it simple, we have a permission system for every fifth floor. What''s the rest of the city doing? ''You can''t buy stuff from people who didn''t have a permit, or if you''re injured in an area that doesn''t have a permit, your medical bills triple the normal cost, and so on. ''I see. You can get in there, just in case. There''s a lot of interesting things about it. It''s a world where the monsters in the dungeon drop all the supplies, so there are a lot of interesting rules related to that. Reminds me of the drop ability I checked in the morning. The drop is all S, and I''d like to visit other cities sooner rather than just the agricultural city of Cyclo. ''So ...... please?'' Yeah? I was thinking about the other city when Elsa pulled me back. She timidly cut her off, a little apologetically. ''If you''re just Lyota, I''d like you to get your license. I mean, if there are a lot of regulars who have a license, the restaurant ranks higher. Oh, I see. It''s a somewhat understandable story. License is by its nature a parameter of some degree of strength. The adventurer doesn''t belong, but it''s a trading partner that looks like it belongs from the outside. The more licensed adventurers there are, the better looking they are. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the right one. I''m sorry for asking you to do this. I''m indebted to Elsa and the shop. Okay, just tell me where to go and what to do. As soon as I understood what was being said, I answered with a resounding yes. Using the map Elsa had given me, I arrived at the Ciclo Town Hall. I walked into the magnificent building with my vegetables and went down to the basement, just as I had been taught. It was a huge space. It reminded me of a shooting range I used to go to in Hawaii. There was one counter with a middle-aged man sitting at it. The man spoke to me in a languid manner. ...... what is it about? Well, I''m here to get my license to go into the basement six floors. What are your ...... achievements? I make regular deliveries of watermelons from the Tellurium''s basement five floors. In the way Elsa had taught me to say it, the man still looked languid, but he got up and started to move. ''I''ll do the ...... test,'' A test? It was tellurian: "You were a tellurian: ...... If we can defeat the monsters below the fifth floor here, we''ll pass. Simple. ...... The most important thing is that you have the ability to take it down consistently. Yes. Diving into dungeons in this world is about producing drops from monsters, or supplies. It''s not a game where the goal is to dig in and beat the bosses on the first floor, but to dig in every day and bring back stuff consistently. So it''s simple-is-best, as long as you have the ability to defeat monsters consistently, it''s natural to say that there''s no problem. ''''All right, we just have to go to the sixth floor below Tellurium for now, right? ...... No, we''ll do it here. What? While I was puzzled, the man got ready to go. He placed one melon in the middle of the vast space. ...... I had some idea what he was going to do. I waited for a while, away from the melon, and then the man came back. The melon turned into a haggler, and then turned back into a monster. It''s a metallic-colored slime. "Metal slime ......? It''s ...... steel slime, the blades are so hard that they don''t basically work. I guess I''ll just have to take this one down. ...... Yes. Okay. I left the man and moved forward. Steel slime is bouncing around. It doesn''t seem to have any hostile intentions, even though it noticed us, it didn''t attack us. I don''t know why, but I tried hitting it first. The steel slime blows away - but it''s not damaging and it''s pinging. That''s hard, even with a force S, it does little damage? Well, I knew the moment I called it "metal slime". Well, now I''m going to do it for real. I''m going to take out my gun, and put two bullets in it. You fire a barrage of rounds at a steel slime that''s about to bounce. I hit him in time. A magic circle goes off, a big blaze of fire, then freezes. I walked up slowly and gave it a nudge. Palin. The steel slime shattered. By the way, I dropped the bullet, but quickly recovered it without the man seeing it. ''...... What was that?'' The man was surprised, though he still seemed languid as ever. ''Fatigue destruction. It''s brittle when you warm it up or cool it down in a short time. Hard stuff like that. ...... You know what''s great about it, The man was extremely impressed. It''s a rather normal thing, but isn''t it well known over here? Oh, well. More importantly, I got my license for all the dungeons in Ciclo, from the sixth to the tenth floor, without incident. After I left the town hall, I thought to myself. Freezer bullets, flaming bullets, fatigue destruction. I wish I had another gun, he thought. 29 29. Best managers and new weapons I built a plan. In the morning, while eating breakfast in my usual warm home, I cut to Emily. ''I''d like to be away from home for two, maybe three days,'' Are you going somewhere? Emily nodded her head. The 130-centimeter apron is now imposing, and looking at it gives me a sense of security, like my parents'' home. You can''t blame me for cutting it off even for a while, but I can''t blame you for wanting to do it right now. Yes, there are things I want to do. "I''ve got some money to spend. Roughly 1.5 million piro. That much? ''Yeah. I calculate that if I make a steady stream of money on the dungeon tiers I know, I can make it in about three days. Of course, I''ve been working that math almost tirelessly, but I don''t dare say that. I love my life in this carefree world, but now I need the money for my purposes anyway. That''s why I''m going to be away from home for three days. ''Yes. I''ll be away from home, but I''ll be in Tellurium all the time. Okay. Emily listened to me easily. I didn''t want her to say anything, and I was grateful - I was grateful. ''I''m coming too,'' What? I''ll be assisting Mr. Yoda for three days. Emily had a big smile on her face and said it was only natural. Terdungeon, basement level. A slime has appeared. I guided him onto the magic cart, shot him down with regular bullets, and then put the drop sprouts straight in. I repeated the process and quickly accumulated enough for 40,000 pillows. ''Then take it with you,'' Are you sure? ''Yes, sir. You must help Mr. Yoda. With that, Emily pulled the sprouts out of the magic cart and repacked them in her backpack. ''What are you doing?'' Alright. Well, I''m going to cash it in, and Mr. Yoda will use the magic cart. No, it''s heavy-- It''s okay. Emily smiled and left with her backpack. The backpack containing so many sprouts that it almost hides her petite body. From the side, the backpack looks like it''s floating or moving on its own. Still, Emily''s steps were nimble. A force A girl who is 130 centimeters tall and wields a hammer that weighs more than a hundred kilograms, that''s what I''m talking about. ...... She''s going to do so much for me, I''ve got to work hard. I pushed the magic cart around further in the basement level where I was alone. I shot down the slime and sprout drop. Shoot down the slime and sprouts drop. When the bean sprouts were almost full, Emily came back. ''''Here you are!'''' It''s full again. You must take it with you. Sorry. Oh, and I''ll do the carrots next time. Yes. So we''ll go downstairs? Please. After handing over the bean sprouts, we went to the basement floor and harvested carrots from the sleeping slime. I shot and shot and shot and shot, and we accumulated 40,000 pillows worth of carrots in no time. We had accumulated a lot, but... "Oh no! We''re running out of ammunition! I almost ran out of bullets in the third round. To be exact, I almost ran out of regular bullets, freezing, fire, recovery, and I still have quite a few special bullets left. But it''s a waste to use them. It''s inevitable, a little less efficient, but I''ll switch to bare hands. "I''m sorry to keep you waiting. Emily. I''ve got some carrots waiting for you. Please. Yeah, just take it easy next time. It''ll be slower, I promise. Oh, that''s okay. What? You must come with me. Emily took me by the hand and we left the dungeon together. I asked her what was wrong on the way, but Emily didn''t answer. Eventually we came to a less popular place - and that''s where I found Eve. A strange girl in her own bunny suit with her own bunnies and a revealing bunny suit. ''We''re waiting for you,'' Carrots: ...... Yes, sir. Emily took one of the carrots from her backpack and handed it to Eve. ''Properly ...... sugar cane carrots.'' Eve was relieved to receive her favorite carrot. ''Oh ......'' And then suddenly, he started running. I looked in the direction I ran, and there were about ten slimes there. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what to expect. ''Hagremonos?'' ''I asked Eve to keep an eye on the slime that came back from the sprouts here. So that''s the carrot. Come on, Mr. Yoda, refill your ammunition. "-- I was surprised and impressed. Emily knew how many rounds I had left, and then saved some of the sprouts to haggle, and then called in Eve to help me hold them down. ''You must help Yoda,'' "I''m not at the level of helping you. ...... Thank you! You''re welcome, sir. Emily looked extremely embarrassed and frowned at her cheeks and left like the wind, carrying 40,000 pirouettes worth of carrots. I''ll have to thank you for what I''ve done. I prepared the bullets with the haglemono that was prepared for me and dove further into the dungeon. Kill the monsters, collect the item drops and ask Emily to redeem them for you. Defeat it and when you''re about to run out of bullets, take a single carrot and go to the ground and refill the bullets at Eve''s place. Refill your ammo, come back, and kill the monsters again. I focus on defeating the monster anyway, single-mindedly. Morning passed, noon passed, and night came. We kept at it late at night, and then the second morning came and went, and then noon, and then night. On the second night, Emily told me. ''I''ve accumulated 1.5 million piro, my goal. and we were almost a full day ahead of schedule. I was more and more grateful to Emily. Stars. I spent 1.5 million piro, I bought a whole tuna. That''s what I''m talking about, it was a good price to buy a whole tuna. Late at night on the outskirts of Ciclo. Seeing the tuna in the middle of nowhere makes my heart beat faster and faster. There''s an all-night high, and then there''s the anticipation of what''s about to happen. It''s a combination of all that, and it got my heart rate up tremendously. Eventually, the tuna turned into a haggler - a gorilla. A gorilla as huge as a house that once rampaged through the city. ''Yoda-san,'' I''ll take it from here. I''ll take it from here. Hi. Emily sends me off with a smile. I go towards the giant gorilla, loading the gun. I struggled before, but I''m okay now. The gorilla spots me, and he comes at me with his arms raised, his razor-sharp maw open, threatening. I fired a barrage of bullets, first the frozen bullets. All the bullets hit the figure that couldn''t be missed, and the gorilla froze all the way down, leaving its head intact. ''''Goooooooooooh!'''' A roar roars, a spine-chilling, anger-laden roar, but it no longer sounds like a decapitation. I reload the bullets, climbing up the gorilla''s frozen body. ''Tome.'' A series of conventional rounds are shot at the head. I fire one round through the magazine, reload and fire another full round. Finally, the gorilla''s head is blown off. Soon after, the gorilla''s huge body disappears. Just as before, the bullet and the pistol - the second pistol was dropped by the power of the drop S. 30 30. Infinite possibilities The next day, the Nihonium dungeon. Today I''m going to test the other gun I got, the two pistols, at the same time. I came to Nifonium with a collection box so that if I ran out of ammunition for it, I could quickly replenish it. First, on the basement floor, the skeleton showed up as usual. Since I was at a distance, I took my time with both hands and aimed and fired properly. Physically, the continuous firing power increased with another gun, and the bone-only monsters were shattered into pieces by bullets here and there. Next, we came to the basement level and looked for the zombies. I remembered most of the points where they would physically exit, so I headed there in a straight line and soon encountered them. I fired a series of shots at a decent distance, I didn''t dare aim for a headshot. Unlike skeletons with only bones, zombies that have bodies, even though they are rotting, were hit by a series of shots and their bodies were dancing wildly. It''s a sight like something you''ve seen in a movie or something, and it was refreshing and refreshing. Next, I was advancing to the third basement floor--and as I was advancing, I was taken by surprise by the zombies! A zombie suddenly appears, moaning and waving his arms around as he groans "Woo ...... ah". I quickly pay it off with my left gun and make a headshot with my right gun. It''s just a coincidence that I paid with my left gun. ''Gun = scuffle like a kata,'' In an old movie I saw, there was a battle style that combined two guns and Japanese martial arts, and it was unexpectedly exciting for me to experience something like that. Pulling myself together, I went to the third basement level, and this time it was the Mummy Man - a mummy with a tough body. Since regular bullets aren''t effective, the mammies are loaded with fire and freezer bullets, respectively. Then I look for them - I find them. He raises his gun and pulls the trigger at the same time, and the two bullets hit almost simultaneously. The bandage covered mammy freezes and bursts into flames, a very amusing situation. More mammies appear, shooting at the same time as well - but What a coincidence, the bullets hit in the middle! Just before hitting Mammy''s body, the freezing bullet and the fire bullet collided first. Keeeeeeee. A sound that resembled a strange mosquito noise deafened me. The next moment, I couldn''t believe my eyes. I couldn''t believe my eyes. I don''t know if "swelling" is the right word. The area around Mammy''s chest - that is, the area where the two bullets met - was empty (). It is as if the artist drew a picture called "Mammy" and erased that part neatly with an eraser, but there is nothing there. It was as if the entire space had been erased. What do you mean by that? ...... I watch in dismay as the body disappears and the mammy drops a seed of speed, and I remember what happened. Because two bullets hit it? Arsenic Dungeon, first basement level. Boom Boom Boom Boom!I stepped in there, listening to the rhythmic sound of ''Emily,'' Mr. Yoda, what''s going on in here? I wanted to try something. I figured the hard monsters here would be perfect. Then I look around. Arsenic''s monsters are rocky. The dungeon is swarming with hard rock-based monsters that are a pain to crack, even at Strength S. ''Is it something you want to try?'' I''m sorry, but I''m going to take some of your monsters. We''re partners, but in a world where dungeons are the bane of our existence, monsters are kind of quasi-property. I said "no" to him. "Go ahead. Thank you. Suu ...... He took a deep breath, concentrated, and held his two guns at the ready. I pulled the trigger at the same time towards the monster ...... Dante Rock. The two bullets that were launched intersected before they hit the monster. The two collided, a frozen bullet and a fireball, and the space the size of a basketball disappeared (,) as the two collided. The Dante Rock looked like a moon gouged out by Dr. Octopus, and shortly after, it disappeared and dropped a dandelion. ''It''s amazing!'' Emily saw that and got very excited. ''What did you do?Is this a new drop? ''No, I used a frozen bullet and a flame round, one from the basement and one from the second floor of Nihonium. I fired them all at the same time and hit them bullet to bullet and that''s what happened. This is what happens: ...... Freezer and flamethrower, and, from what I can see on ......, annihilation bombs. Annihilation bullets ...... that''s awesome, that''s cool. Despite Emily''s excitement, I tried more. Shooting two pistols at the same time. One misses and Dante Rock freezes and burns, then hits again, causing it to disappear. A combination technique that egregiously takes a few dozen inches of space around the spot where they hit. I still needed to get used to it, but I thought it was pretty powerful. The other pistol, 1.5 million piro''s worth--'''' ''''The combination is just frozen bullets and flaming bullets? What? ''Well, there were two other types of bullets, weren''t there?Is there any other combination that you can think of? ...... I was stunned. I felt like a fool for stopping my own thinking, wondering why I hadn''t thought of that idea. I reload the bullet. This time - the same bullet on a dare. Both were loaded with regular bullets and fired. I kept shooting and shooting and shooting. Most of them didn''t hit, just flicked off sparks into the hard rock body of Dante Rock. As I was shooting, I only hit one shot (a pair). A normal bullet and a normal bullet collided - what a single bullet, and it went through Dante Rock. It had only been repelled until then, but it penetrated cleanly, as if it had been drilled through a thin hole. ''''It was amazing, it went through. ''Yeah, great: ......'' I stare at the gun as I watch the disappearing monster. I''m still getting used to it, though, and it''s going to take me a while to master it. Another gun that has given me unlimited possibilities for fusing bullets together. I was convinced that it was worth far more than 1.5 million piro. 31 31. Rice riot In the afternoon, I brought my first earning of the day, 40,000 pirouette worth of sprouts to the buyer''s shop by the magic cart. Once inside, I noticed that things were a little strange. The buying business was going on as usual, but the people in the store were talking about something behind the counter with a serious look on their faces, and the adventurers were divided into several groups, again all with a dour look on their faces. I walked over to the counter and spoke to Elsa, wondering what was going on. ''Hello.'' ''Ah!Mr. Lyota. What''s going on? Actually, there was a strike at ....... "Strike? It''s the first word I''ve heard since I came into this world. Do you know what a strike is? No, I shook my head in immediate response. I know exactly what it means, but in this world, I''m sure it would have a slightly different meaning. I can at least guess that it''s dungeon-related again, based on my experience so far. ''You know about the silicon dungeon, right?'' Yeah. That''s the only level that drops rice in Cyclo, six floors below ground. ''The only thing that drops rice is still a great piece of writing. What? Sorry, this one. So?What''s wrong with that sixth floor? That''s the territory of Adalbert''s gang. Sometimes, there are people who band together and monopolize a level of the dungeon among themselves. I feel like I''ve heard that story before. ''So, you know, the Nifonium dungeon was recently created. The Adalbert''s group has started to move since that Nifonium is now confirmed to have no drop. They told us that the cyclo rice was only on this floor, and if we wanted it for sale, we''d have to raise the price. I see. ...... ''When a new dungeon is created, people expect it. If the drops are covered, the exclusivity will be broken. It''s a shame. ...... Elsa looked extremely disappointed and was dreading it. The other shopkeepers and adventurers were talking about Adalbert. I thought I was the only one who was lucky enough to get a special drop, but that''s how it affects me. It''s a funny world, after all - I guess that''s not what it''s all about. There are a lot of people who don''t want to be stopped from going to market by having a monopoly on rice. The city officials are trying to negotiate with them, but the Adalbadis are so numerous and so skilled that they''ll probably have to raise their prices. ...... That''s not good. I came to Silicon. Since we are in the middle of the commotion, there were a lot of government officials and merchant-like people outside the dungeon that you don''t usually see. These people gathered with straight faces, even more so than the buyer earlier, and were discussing something with each other. Anyway, let''s find the person in charge and talk to him or her. "Hey, that''s not Satou-kun! ''What?and some time faggot! It was a nice guy I met in a beer shop, Neptune, who spoke to me. He comes up to me with the same smile as before I''m not a homos*xual. I love girls, you know. But what are you doing here? You too. You''re here because of Adalbert? ...... Yeah. I''ve got a request. Adalbad has done the same thing many times before, you know. I''ve been asked to raise the price of rice for everything," he said. And the people in the city were getting fed up with it, too. You mean you might ask the Neptune family to eliminate them? No, it''s not. ''What?Then? I''m going to nod my head and listen back, and that''s what you''re talking about now. ''It''s not elimination, it''s annihilation.'' It''s more than I expected. It''s better to do it. The problem is that there are so many of them that my friends and I may end up doing some of the damage. I need a consultation at ....... What is that at ......? Will you let me try? You want me to eradicate them? Get rid of it. I looked at Neptune. I''m here because I have a way to keep things quiet. Stars. Five floors below the silicon dungeon, in front of the stairs leading down. That''s where I came from, me and Neptune. At a distance were Lil, Ran, and some of Neptune''s friends from before. All of them were in a pretty good mood, giving off an air of dexterity. And Neptune, the leader, says to me, "Check, if you can''t make it. "Make sure, if you don''t, we''ll exterminate them for you, okay? Yeah. Well, good luck with that. Neptune saw me off and I went down to the sixth basement floor. There were guards downstairs. ''Stop, what the hell?'' This floor is out of bounds. There''s a path downstairs. There are two men on guard, and a taxiway is being built that looks like a construction site. They''re occupying this floor, but they''re clearing the way to the lower floors. I have a gun at the ready, two guns, including the one I just got. ''Hardball!'' Come on, boys!The city''s people are coming in force! The men were ready to fight. I fired my gun in silence. I fired my pre-loaded recovery rounds at the same time, turning them into fusion rounds. The fused bullets glowed and enveloped the two men. The men crumbled down like dolls with broken strings. They began to breathe in their sleep with tremendously happy and calm faces. Huh, it looks like you''re going to be able to handle it. Hey, what''s that? There''s a faggot! Ha-ha, that''s why I''m not a homos*xual. Anybody who suddenly puts their face on my shoulder from behind is a confirmed faggot! I shouted out and brushed away Neptune, who put his chin on my shoulder as soon as I spoke to him. I feel like I''m in danger, so I decide to distract him by explaining. ''''Sleeping bullets, these only heal injuries when used alone, but when the two are fused together, it changes the effect to make you sleep. Oh, so you''ve doubled your healing powers. That''s what I''m talking about. Footsteps sounded from the depths of the dungeon, and one by one the adventurers appeared. They held their guns at the ready, shooting loaded recovery bullets and fusing them together, putting them to sleep one by one. The effects of the fusion bullets were excellent, and the people who were shot were able to put them to sleep without exception. The leader of the gang, Adalbard, was also put to sleep, and all the people who occupied the sixth floor of Silicon Underground were put to sleep and carried out of the dungeon. ''Thank you!You saved my life. As I left the silicon dungeon, a man with a skinhead and a beard spoke to me. ''And you are?'' I''m sorry about that. I''m Clint Gray, dungeon master of the Cyclo dungeon. Dungeon Master? This is the first time I''ve heard of the position - in a world where all this stuff drops from dungeon monsters, he''s probably a pretty great guy. "Thanks again, thanks to you, I didn''t have to make any sacrifices at all, and the price of rice won''t go up, thank you very much. No, no, no, I''m just doing what I can do. That doesn''t change the fact that we''re all still here. I''ll have to think of something to thank you for it. No, really: ...... I''ll consider it and get back to you. Thank you, thank you so much! Clint didn''t listen to us, he spoke one way or the other, shook our hands forcefully, and walked away. Oh well. Anyway, this whole rice thing is over, so I went to Elsa to let her know. Again, she thanked me with all her might. 32 32. Request of the dungeon chief In the third basement level of Nifonium, I collected speed seeds and checked the performance of the fusion bullets against a mummy. If bullets launched from two pistols hit each other before the monster, they fused together to create a new effect. Regular bullets are used for piercing bullets, flame bullets and frozen bullets are used for annihilation, and recovered bullets are used for sleeping bullets. Also, flaming bullets and recovery bullets create divine flames, and the mammy-like undettoes melt like butter when they are burned. Because of the phenomenon and the nature of the opponent''s monster, we named it the purification flame, the Holy Flame Bullet. A fusion bullet created by the two bullets. Is it because it''s this gun, or is it because of my constitution? I don''t know, but I do know that they always fuse when they collide. There''s just one problem: you have to fire two bullets at it and hit it in the air to make it fuse. My success rate is still about 90%, but this is a necessary situation to use it, so I''ll have to practice to get it to 100%. With that in mind, I took down Mammy with penetrating bullets using normal bullets. Regular bullets have little effect on Mammy''s tough body, but if it becomes a piercing bullet, it can pierce her head with a single shot. Although there is a surprise attack unique to Nifonium, I was able to practice my fusion bullets a lot against mammies that are slower than zombies and skeletons, and my success rate went up a little bit. Incidentally, as I hunted the mammies, my speed seed rose from a B to an A. This afternoon, I''m not at my daily routine in Terdungeon, but in a nice building in town. In the reception room of the Cyclodungeon Association, I''m facing the dungeon master, the skinhead with the beard I saw the other day. The last time I saw him, I was in a state of high spirits right after a battle, so I didn''t mind, but being alone with him when I was calm was a bit scary. He had such a stern face. I''m sorry to call you out of the blue. Well, have a cup of tea and calm down. The head of the dungeon said and offered me a cup of tea that his secretary had made for me. There were two teacups of fragrant tea. He added a sugar cube to his tea. Potong, potong, potong, potong, potong, potong, potong, potong, potong, potong. Too much sugar, don''t you think? I tweaked my voice backwards, so much so that I had to tweak it, so much so that it was a sight to behold. There was literally a mountain of sugar cubes in the teacup, and the sugar cubes were sticking out on top of the tea like icebergs floating in the ocean. The chief of the dungeon had been drinking the tea (?) He gulped down a stern smile and let his stern face light up. To tell you the truth, I have a sweet tooth. There are limits! You can have your drink now. When did you put sugar in your tea? My teacup was also piled high with sugar cubes. It''s slightly dissolved, turning it into an amber-colored sludge. If you drink this stuff, you''ll be a diabetic all over again. I couldn''t drink it, so I put it down and listened to him. ''Well, why did you call me today?'' Hmm. You know a town called Hetero? Hetero? I nodded my head. Is it bad that I don''t know? As I nodded my head, the dungeon master began to explain. There are only three dungeons in the city to the east of Cyclo, and because of that, it''s a livestock city with a lot of high quality meat. I see. Hetero, nearby city, dungeon drops all the meat in three dungeons. Ryota, I learned. ''What''s up with that hetero?'' A long time ago, a dungeon was created between Ciclo and Heero. It''s located right in the middle of the two cities. Yeah. ''It''s just that it''s right in the middle, and there''s been a lot of wrangling about whether the dungeon is Cyclo''s or Hetero''s. As you know, when you buy a dungeon drop, a certain amount of tax is deducted in advance. Which dungeon belongs to which city''s finances are at stake. Heh, they were withholding tax on the purchase. ''In that sense, Nihonium was a pain in the ass. Yeah, you can''t get a tax because there''s no ...... drop. ''So they finally came to an agreement recently, and they''re going to decide which one will be the one with the drops. It was agreed that if there are too many vegetables in the hierarchy, they will be the ones with cyclo, and if there are too many meats, they will be the ones with hetero. That''s what they agreed on. I see. That''s where I need you to do some research. You''re the strongest and highest drop guy I know. How did you know about my drop rate? I''m sure he''s not talking to anyone but Emily. ''I''ve heard rumours of bamboo shoots and watermelons. I don''t know the numbers, but if they can bring in that many drops, the drop rate must be pretty high.'' I see. Circumstantial evidence, I suppose. Actually, I''ve done some homework. "Huh? ''It''s only because it''s between two cities that the vegetable and meat drops are almost evenly matched in the hierarchy. Then why? It''s a rare monster drop. The dungeon master looked straight at me. He looked at me with a fearful, serious face. ''''Rare monster rare drops, that''s what determines the outcome. And since not everyone can produce rare monster rare drops, we need to send out the ones with the highest drop rate. I see. Do me a favor. Of course I won''t make you work for free, I''ll give you a gold seal when it belongs to the other side, and when the dungeon comes under Cyclo''s jurisdiction, I''ll waive the tax on the drop completely for you only. Tax exemptions. That''s delicious. And ...... yeah, it''s a fair price. If the dungeon belongs to Cyclo, he can take taxes from hundreds of people, so it''s rather easy to get one of the architects of that dungeon exempt from taxes. If it makes sense. Okay, I''ll try. ''Thank you!Thank you so much. The dungeon master stood up and gripped my hand tightly across the table. "This is a small price to pay in advance. With a clatter, the door opened and the secretary from earlier brought out a mountain of sugar cubes. ''I don''t want those!'' No, no, no, no, no, sugar''s energy, sweetheart. The dungeon chief threw one of the sugar cubes straight into his mouth, making his stern face smile. I politely declined the advance payment as it could lead to diabetes, no joke. This is how the unexpected request to investigate the dungeon came in. 33 33. Garbage and recycling On the way back from the Cyclodungeon Society. I broke my fingers and counted them as I walked. I thought about what I would need to take with me to the dungeon. I''ll need bullets. Regular bullets can be replenished at random, but you should take more special bullets that can only be produced in Nifonium. Besides that, we''ll need a magic cart, and how much change of clothes to take with us. ''''It''s kind of like preparing for a business trip. That thought made me laugh. It reminded me of what it felt like to go on my first business trip right after I joined the company, when I hadn''t been hit by hard work yet. I remember I was excited about it because it felt like a little trip, like a school trip. I''m looking forward to this new dungeon trip. --But then I remembered something. It''s like leaving Cyclo and going to a new dungeon. It''s a bit like being out on your own: ...... A new two-bedroom house with a rent of 150,000 piro a month. I got home earlier than usual and explained the request from the dungeon master to Emily. I explained in detail that a new dungeon had been built and that I was asked to do some preliminary research on it. ''It''s amazing, Yoda, just like the Neptune family,'' I remember when I was at Nihonium. I hadn''t even met Neptune at the time, I''d only heard about him through rumors. ''Yes, just like that. It''s an amazing thing to be entrusted with investigating a dungeon. It''s a world where dungeons drop everything. Okay. Emily smiled and patted her little chest with her pretty hand. ''I''m staying at home properly while Mr. Yoda is away,'' No, I want you to come with me. ''What?Are you with me? Yeah. But I can''t help you, can I? ''No, I don''t. I want Emily to come with me. I said, looking straight into her eyes. I didn''t want to go alone without her. I stare at Emily with that feeling in mind. She stares back at me. After a moment of surprise, Emily huffed and smiled. Smiling serenely, she nodded clearly. Thus, Emily and I were going to the new dungeon together. The next morning, Emily and I set off as soon as possible. We left the city of Cyclo and headed to a new dungeon using the map we got. I was pushing a magic cart and Emily was carrying her hammer and a big backpack, just the way we always do. She''s been smiling for a while now. "Sounds like fun, so what''s going on? ''I''m going out with Yoda, it''s a lot of fun. Okay. I''m glad I invited him, I thought. It was worth it, I thought, just to see them smiling like this. It''s fine, I thought, looking around. When I left the cyclone, the scenery immediately changed. There were a lot of people in the city, and it seemed like a city in its own right, but within a short walk away from that, it was a complete wilderness. There is literally nothing, not even dead trees, in the wilderness. There''s nothing there. ...... It''s a disaster. What? If something happens, you''ll be a haggler.It''s only air, water, and earth that won''t hug the haggle. ...... Yeah. I was told a quick and amazing thing. Yes, everything in this world is produced from dungeon drops. And anything dropped in a dungeon will revert back to the monster that dropped it if it''s left in an unpopulated area. In other words, these unpopulated wildernesses are always empty because if something is there, it becomes a monster. ''''I can''t build a cabin in case of emergency, in this world. After all this time, I feel like I''ve been transported to an amazing world. Stars After walking for a whole day, it was evening. I was getting tired by now, so I decided to camp by the river. I''ll get ready. Emily dropped her backpack and took the tent from inside and began to set it up in her familiar hands. She had lived in a survivalist lifestyle before she met me, so she was very familiar with it. Yoda, could you go get me some water? All right. ...... Can you use the magic cart? I''m fine. I nodded, pushed the cart and headed for the river. I filled the cart with water from the river. I look out at the river, it''s a beautiful river. Nothing, no fish, no grass, no nothing. I''m sure the fish aren''t in the river either, because they are dungeon drops. ...... It''s still an amazing world, and I thought it was interesting again. When I returned to fetch water, the tent was complete. ''Emily?'' He''s in there. I put the magic cart down and walked into the tent. What is this? A tent? It''s almost like the living room of the house! I went in with a bang. The inside of the tent was very Emilie-like. Just like home, it was warm and inviting when you walked in. On the other hand, it didn''t look like a tent at all. The inside of the tent was so much like home that it felt like a magical space in another dimension or something. There was a table, a sofa, and a lamp on the wall. There was a table, a sofa, and a lamp on the wall, and it really felt like a home living room. How did it come to be? I brought it in my backpack. In that backpack? It was heavy. It''s not like that. It''s shiny, it''s fluffy. Is that a rug? The floor was as fluffy as if it were unimaginable from the wilderness outside. ''I did my best,'' It''s not like you can''t handle it. I was stunned, but Emily had a scowl on her face. It''s a look that says, "I just did the obvious. I was surprised, but I thought it was typical of Emily. Emily, whose home is also warm and welcoming and sometimes temple-like and divine, and it might not be a big deal to make her tent look like her home''s living room. ''I''m making dinner next,'' Yeah. I didn''t think too much about it. I just wanted to relax in the tent Emily had set up for me. Stars. After eating Emily''s hot supper, we took a break from drinking tea. We were supposed to be in the field, but even the food was the same as usual. Well, we''ve been served a meal in the dungeon a few times over here, so it''s not a surprise. ''Here''s your after-dinner ice cream.'' There are limits to what you can do! I plunged into the dessert that was gently served to me. I plunged into it, but ate it as it was. ''Oh, this is delicious. It''s not too sweet and light. It''s yuzu ice cream. Yeah, it''s good. Yoda, please go easy on yourself. I''m going to take care of the garbage. ''Oh, the ...... process?'' "Yes, it''s a process, okay? ....... That phrase stuck with me a bit. Garbage disposal, not garbage disposal. ''What do you do with the trash?'' I''ll do my best to burn it. When I''m in town, the contractor will take care of it for me, but in this kind of situation, if I don''t burn it properly, it will become a monster. Oh, and the garbage? If you think about it, you''re right. In human life, we almost never completely use up our supplies, we always end up with some kind of garbage. In this world where everything dungeon-drops, matter becomes a monster if left unattended. Then that means the same thing for trash. If you don''t extinguish it, it becomes a monster. It''s the first time I''ve ever heard of this, but if you think about it, it''s probably obvious. I''ll help you, you''ll burn it. Then he took out his gun. Emily smiled, knowing about the flaming bullets. ''Thank you!'' We went outside the tent. It was a different world outside than inside the bright, warm tent, a desolate wilderness. I set down the garbage from the day and stood away from it, holding my gun. I fired a flaming bullet, the garbage started to burn - but. ''It hardly burns at all,'' Garbage is a lot of work. ''That line alone would be normal. I don''t see anything out of the ordinary in front of me. I take out my other gun. This time I fired the flaming bullets at the same time and burned the trash with the fusion bullets. The trash was burned with flames so bright that it was hard to look directly at them. ''''It''s all right now.'''' Yeah. Garbage is not good when it becomes a monster. Because they''re trash, they''re different from the original monsters and very strong. That''s a lot of work. If there''s illegal dumping of trash or something like that, it''s going to be a big problem, no, I''m sure that''s part of it, and it should be a problem there. If it''s so difficult to dispose of that it can finally be burned by the flames of fusion bullets, then there''s bound to be some cheating and accidents. The garbage problem on this world might be a bigger problem than you think. Wait for ....... ''Emily, what did you say?'' Yes? Does garbage turn into a different monster than the original? Yes, sir. What about it? What''s going to happen to his drop? No?Hagremon--oh. Emily, who is about to say it and hats it off. She finally seems to realize that she''s not the only one. Hagremonos don''t drop anything, except for me. But hagrems that I kill do drop items. So you think the original monster came from the garbage and not the original? Emily made me dinner for the night and I took out the trash. I put the trash far away in the middle of the wilderness, away from the garbage and waited patiently. We waited for about ten minutes, and then the garbage lit up and turned into a monster. It was humanoid. A man-like figure with green skin and gnarled skin, with what looked like nails driven into his neck. In a word - a Frankenstein. ''It''s a checkmate, sir.'' Emily said, and took off carrying the hammer. She jumped into Frankenstein and swung the hammer down from directly above. Frankenstein sluggishly waved his arms and intercepted the hammer. There was a dull, but huge sound. Emily''s hammer came to a complete stop. The hammer, which was smashing the rock monster to smithereens, was stopped without a care in the world. ''Emily, step back,'' Yes, sir! He thought it was a bad idea and flew backwards as soon as he landed. Frankenstein gives chase, firing his gun at it to stall it. Regular bullets didn''t work very well, just like the Mummy. The flaming bullets burned a bit and quickly disappeared, and the frozen bullets iced up for a moment and quickly melted. He fired a couple of bullets, but a single shot had little effect, and Frankenstein sluggishly moved forward towards Emily. ''Emily, take another shot. Yes, sir! As soon as she responded, Emily knocked the hammer down with the momentum of her rush as well. Again, evenly matched, Frankenstein had the same power as the giant hammer of force A. But it stopped properly. I took advantage of the momentary lapse and put all the flaming bullets in my gun. I fired a barrage of flaming bullets at Frankenstein, and all but one of them turned into a fusion bullet. My gnarled skin went up in flames, and the flames from the fusion bullets didn''t dissipate, they burned Frankenstein. Eventually his body crumbled to the ground in tatters and was reduced to ashes. ''Thank you,'' I didn''t expect it to be this tough. I really didn''t expect me and Emily''s nightly trash to become such a strong monster. Maybe the garbage problem in this world is a matter of life and death. Well, that''s just it, you just have to deal with the trash properly. More importantly, it''s a drop right now. Waiting in anticipation, Frankenstein disappeared completely. A single, golden, never-before-seen bullet dropped. The result of that look and only one bullet. I couldn''t help but expect the effect of the bullet. 34. Tracking bullets and people who work too hard Put a new bullet, a golden one, in the gun. Bring it away as a foodstuff and put the carrots on the ground that haven''t been trashed yet. I move away and wait patiently. Next to me, Emily is watching with bated breath, her face even more nervous and expectant than mine. After a while, the carrot haggled and turned into a sleeping slime. I take aim, anticipate it, including the movement patterns of the sleeping slime I know so well, and shoot. The bullets fly away. The flying slime has a parabolic trajectory, it should come down and hit just as it intersects with the bullet. But then the bullet bends in the middle! It bent upward to meet the trajectory of the sleeping slime, and the bullet also descended in a parabolic trajectory to meet the parabola. And then it hit. I shot through the sleeping slime at the expected point, but the process was unexpected. ''Yoda-san, was that ...... turned ......?'' Yeah, it bent. I mean, you chased it, the bullet. I knew it. ...... tracking rounds, you mean. I pictured the scene now again. The trajectory of the bullets that moved to match the trajectory of the sleeping slime. ''I''d like to try it. I wonder if the garbage is still there. I''m making it! Emily clattered over to her bags and, with a practiced hand, boiled water and made tea. The tea leaves - trash - were now away, and I just brought the tea. Thank you, Emily, have a cup. I''ll drink it when it''s ready. Emily said and went ahead and got ready for the next one. She put the carrots in the opposite direction of the garbage and then came back to me. We had a cup of tea together and waited. The trash haggle, Frankenstein, comes out and kills him instantly with a fusion fireball. As I was picking up the dropped golden bullet, a sleeping slime came out just as Emily had set up the time difference. ''Thanks,'' Ehehe. ...... A happy Emily, sending her more thanks, then shot in the direction of the day after tomorrow () with a golden bullet. The bullet took a sharp turn the moment it was shot out. It made a bend that would normally be impossible, and shot through the sleeping slime with pinpoint accuracy. ''''Wow ...... that''s amazing, Yoda-san. Yeah, that''s what I''m thinking about, a tracking round. Bullets reclaimed from the garbage were a pretty handy substitute. I stayed up all night and tried a few things, and I got a pretty good idea of the performance of the tracking rounds. First of all, they definitely hit the people I was trying to hit. Bad slime, cocrosse slime, and hebis slime. After taking out a bunch of slimes that were moving around, the tracking rounds would catch them no matter how they moved. Its accuracy is 100%. Its power, by the way, was on the same level as regular bullets. In other words, it''s a regular bullet that always hits. It''s a very effective thing to hit 100%. I thought I''d better get a few more. The next day, I was slightly sleep-deprived from too much testing, but I left in the morning. Around noon, I could see it in the distance. A large number of tents were gathered at the entrance of the dungeon. ''Is that our destination?'' Looks like it. The name of the dungeon is Seren, by the way. It''s a feminine name. What kind of monsters do you have in mind? I''ve heard it said that... Trying to remember the information the dungeon chief had given me beforehand, I found a different gathering away from the dungeon and the tent. A pile of trash, visible even from a distance. There was literally a pile of what looked like ...... treasure there. As I approached the pile of trash, I saw a tall, dark-haired, beautiful woman. A sleek, model-like beauty. She took one deep breath and then spread a magic circle around her feet and used her magic. She shot out a ball of flame from the hand she held up and hit a corner of the trash pile. The trash slowly burned. The pace of burning was slow in comparison to the momentum of the flames. As I experienced yesterday, the trash in this world has a characteristic that makes it difficult to burn. That''s fine. "What is that man doing? Maybe, but I think he''s a garbage man. Garbage disposal? There are a lot of people around the dungeon that is the same as the city, and when people live there, they create garbage, and there are people to take care of it. Oh, I see. Come to think of it, you''re right. I glanced at the Seren Dungeon. Lots of tents there, and some adventurers. The dungeon chief told me that since the dungeon isn''t a cyclo or hetero dungeon right now, the Selenium drops won''t be taxed. That''s why some adventurers are coming here to make money, apparently. If there are those adventurers, of course there are people to deal with the garbage that is produced a lot. Yeah, it''s a natural cycle. "Ah. What''s going on? The dungeon''s brought in some garbage, sir. ''True - I mean, isn''t that more than the amount she just burned? It''s a lot. Emily and I watched there for a while. Only one dark-haired model beauty is handling the trash. She seems to be a wizard, and she''s burning the trash with her flame magic, but she''s clearly not keeping up with the pace at which the trash is being produced. That''s why there is this pile of trash. The only thing that matters is the fact that you''re not going to be able to get your hands on it.I''m wobbly. It''s true. Emily took off running, and I trailed after her. "Are you okay? Are you guys ......? Uh, we''re here to check out the dungeon. Yeah. If you''re going to sleep around here, you''ll have to bring all your garbage here. I don''t want any sorting, I''m sprouting it on fire. ''That''s all well and good, but ...... you need to take a break.'' ''Thanks, but I can''t say that. If we don''t get rid of the garbage soon, it will affect everyone''s business. But ....... I''ll be fine. The woman said that and tried to use more magic, but. The magic circle spread out at her feet for a moment and then disappeared, at the same time she wavered. ''It''s okay!'' Emily hurriedly hugs him away. ''Duh, it''s okay,'' She was adamant, but I didn''t miss it. Her beautiful face has dark circles under her eyes and a pale complexion. If you look closely, you can see that she''s unhealthily thin. It''s the face of the people I used to see in my corporate days, the ones who worked overtime for over 100 hours a month. She tried to stand up like that, to take care of the garbage. Her sense of responsibility is evident on her face, though. I silently load the gun and fire. A fusion of recovery rounds, sleeping rounds, putting her to sleep. "Emily, take care of her. All right, sir, you need to get out of here. Emily understood in an instant and carried her away. I moved away from the pile of trash, too. There could be crows flying overhead. It was a pile of trash for all intents and purposes, but to me, it was a treasure trove. I kept my distance, loaded my gun, and waited. After a while, the trash turned into a haggledy Frankenstein, one by one. I take them down one by one. And I got a lot of tracking rounds. "U......n. Inside the tent, a beautiful woman wakes up. She opened her eyes and was dazed for a while, but then she huffed and jumped up as her eyes focused. ''Don''t push yourself, you need to get some more rest. She jumped out of the tent without a fight. I followed her outside, and Emily and I followed her out. Then I see her standing there, stunned. I look out of the corner of my eye and see a place where there used to be trash, but now there''s nothing. ...... What do you mean? I took care of it for you. Oh, you did? Yeah. I nodded, and she stared at me. I stared at her with a dumbfounded look on my face - and then I thought. I slumped into place, heaving. ''Good. ......'' What? The number of adventurers coming in to earn money was growing by the day and outstripping my processing capacity, so I was wondering what I should do: ...... I didn''t know that. You''ve been through a lot. Thank you, thank you so much. She slumped down, looked up at me and thanked me over and over again. But then she collapses again, as if her battery is suddenly dead. I quickly hug him, surprised at how light he is for such a tall man. He must have been working really hard, I thought. ''Emily,'' ''Yes, sir!I''ll make something that will give you energy! Emily smiled and nodded and started to flutter around. For now, let''s give her some more rest. We''ll just let her rest a little longer, we thought. 35. The power of tracking bullets After leaving the exhausted woman in Emily''s care, I headed towards the dungeon. First of all, I was going to report my arrival and ask her what was going on. The entrance to the dungeon is surrounded by many tents that look like a field camp. Numerous adventurers come and go all over the place, pushing magic carts filled with dropped items. The adventurers pushing the magic carts are gathered in several specific tents, is that the place to make a purchase? It''s vaguely obvious from looking around, the buildings are just tents, and the same life activities are going on as in the city. I grabbed a young adventurer I passed and asked him where the Cyclodungeon Association representative was, and there he was. It was a rather large tent that looked like something a nomadic tribe might have used. Inside, it was decorated like an office, with several secretaries bustling about, and a man in charge in his 30s sat at the far end. ''Excuse me, I''m Sato Ryota from Ciclo. Oh, there you are. When I said my name, the man stood up with his arms outstretched and came toward me. He held out his hand for me to shake, and I gave him a knowing smile. I''ll get back to you. Thank you so much for coming. I''m in charge here, and my name is Duke. This is Ryota Sato. He gave his name again and proceeded to speak quickly. ''I''ve only heard a cursory description, so could you explain to me what exactly you''re going to do? Of course. There was a tent made up like an office, with a couch in it, where I sat across from Duke. ''Have you heard about the idea of investigating rare monster drops? Yeah. ''''That''s actually a bit of a different situation as well. That''s because this selenium is all the way down to the tenth floor underground, but as of now, the normal monster drops are alternating between vegetables, meat, vegetables, and meat. I see. ''In these cases, as in other dungeons, the rare monster drops will also be all vegetables, meat, and vegetables. Then there''s no point in investigating it, is there? But we need to decide whether it will be Cyclo''s or Hetero''s. Duke didn''t answer the question directly, but went on with the conversation. I nodded at that. Since this story is a dispute between Cyclo and Hetero, as well as the city''s income and taxes, there is definitely a need to put a black and white on the matter. ''''So, in effect, we''ve agreed that we''ll decide on the amount of rare monsters that are found to drop within the deadline. Rare monsters are rare in their appearance and don''t always drop, and it was decided that not doing so within the deadline would be considered a ''don''t do''. Of course, there''s always the possibility that they really don''t. It''s true that there are monsters that don''t drop anything. I see, so that means I should focus on the five floors of rare monsters out of the ten levels. Duke nodded clearly. The story was simple. That kind of thing was easy to understand, the target and goal was clear, so it was easy to act on it. ''All right, let''s get on with it, and tomorrow--'' ''That''s okay, I''ve made sure to reward the adventurers. Bounty? When a rare monster comes up - if it comes up in the vegetable hierarchy, you''ll call me and I''ll call you and we''ll - I mean, you''ll go out and beat it. I see. It''s not very efficient if I''m the only one going around looking for rares, so the Cyclo Association is going to buy information on rare monsters from adventurers and send me to pinpoint them. I thought it was getting easier and easier to do. Earlier in the day, I received a call. The basement floor of Seren, I received a call that there was a rare monster in there. I headed over there with Duke and found a number of people there. There was one young adventurer, who was catching a slime-like monster. The mollusk-like monster is undulating and trying to escape, but the adventurer has a firm hold on it. On the other hand, a well-dressed, elderly man and a fearless-looking adventurer stand a short distance away. The first-aged man is looking at me with a grin. Somehow, I feel like I''m being looked down upon and I feel strangely uncomfortable. Curious, I asked Duke. ''Who''s that guy?'' Harvard. Harvard, the Heterodungeon Institute, same kind of people I am. Are you in charge of the other side? He certainly looks like a middle manager, in more ways than one. ''You see that one adventurer behind it?That guy''s name is Eugene, he''s a competent adventurer, but he''s a guy with a lousy F plant drop. Plant drop F? Why do you even bother to mention it, Duke? It makes sense to say it all the way through, I thought about it. I thought about it, and then I had a flash of inspiration. ''I''m going to bump the lowest plant-drop adventurer to a rare monster that will drop vegetables. ''Then the vegetables might drop from the rare monster that might drop them, but they won''t drop from the rare monster. If you continue to do that until the deadline-- In other words, sabotage. Well, now I know why the guy in charge on the other side is smirking. ''That''s a nasty move. But there''s no doubt that he''s a capable adventurer, and no one can stop or blame him for killing a rare monster. Yeah, of course. There''s no rule anywhere that says you can''t kill it because it''s drop F. If you say that, Emily is not allowed to defeat the monster. Even if it''s Drop F, it''s still allowed to defeat a rare monster in an attempt to get a shot off. It''s practically sabotage to reverse that - a seccool move, as Duke says. It''s just a matter of time before we win. That adventurer has an agreement with us, and as long as he''s in custody, Eugene can''t intercept him. We can''t take down a monster secured by an adventurer without permission. I''m going to take him down. Please. I took out my gun and loaded it with regular bullets. I figured that since I had an adventurer on my side, I could use a conventional round. Just hold on to it. I''m on it. The young adventurer nodded clearly. He readied his gun and, just to be sure, he held both of them up and shot the monster with a fused, powerful penetrating bullet. The monster was shot through and chipped like a crescent moon. One shot up - or so I thought. Almost at the same time as Harvard grinned more and more, the monster regenerated. As it regenerated, its volume expanded, and it flicked off the young adventurer''s hand and fell to the ground. ''That guy,'' The man introduced as Eugene, an adventurer on the hetero side, said in a reluctant voice. ''There''s a nucleus somewhere in your body, it regenerates with every attack that doesn''t crush the nucleus, and with every regeneration it gets stronger. That''s how it works.'' The location of the nucleus is different for each individual, and only Eugene here can spot it. Harvard said to add. ''Defeating them in the dark would make them stronger, and that would put us all in danger. Let us take care of things here. Harvard said, looking more and more scornful, like a declaration of victory. Duke''s face turned bitter and bittersweet when he heard that. ''Guguugu ...... I thought you were so smug and smug in your yakuza, but that''s what I thought. He looked at me in frustration, then looked at me with an apologetic look on his face. "I''m sorry, I didn''t do my research. You''re going to find out where his weaknesses are right now. I loaded another round in my gun and silently pulled the trigger in the direction of the day after tomorrow, while Duke was practically defeated - declaring his withdrawal. Half-convinced that I could do it, the bullet takes a boomerang-like trajectory and shoots through the monster as it bounces on the ground. The monster that was shot out, the same as before, chipped like a crescent moon - shattered without regeneration. ''''Nah--'''' Can you spot the core? The expressions of the two men on the hetero side changed. Harvard was stunned, and Eugene looked like he''d just bitten down on a bitter bug. He ignored it, staring at the remains of the crushed monster. Eventually, the monster disappeared - a sprout was dropped. If you look closely, you''ll see that the grains are big and yellow, and they''re soybean sprouts. It was a crappy drop for a ...... rare monster, but it was a crappy drop. ''''As you can see, it''s a vegetable.'''' Duke turned to the other side and bellowed a triumphant declaration of victory. The two heteros looked frustrated and walked away from the dungeon. I guess we''ve won this one for now," he said. After they were gone, Duke took my hand in his and squeezed it. "Thank you.Thank you so much for coming. He thanked me again and again. I was relieved to have been able to fulfill my request so quickly, and I felt a sense of satisfaction. 36. Delicious earning place The Duke gave me a ''Golden Seal''. It''s a reward for defeating the rare monsters on the first floor of the Seren basement, dropping them, and giving ''points'' to Ciclo''s side. In the past, I received a golden seal once at the company I work for. At that time, it was 5,000 yen and I was like, "Isn''t that an admonition! I remember feeling very uncomfortable about it. After I found out that it was Duke, I opened the envelope and looked inside. There was a whopping 100,000 piros in the envelope. A pillow in this world''s money is worth about the same as a yen. I was surprised and a bit happy to see that there was more money than I expected in a gold envelope, 100,000 piro. We finished earlier than expected, so I decided to hide out in the basement level of the Serenium for a bit. I walked around the dungeon. There are a lot more adventurers than the tellurian in Cyclo. Almost all of them have a gleam in their eye. As soon as a monster comes near them, they jump on it and take it down. They''re all high on defeating it because they don''t have to pay taxes and they''re making a lot of money. The monster was a slime, but not like the tellurian slime. Its body is speckled, rainbow colored and colorful. As one of them appeared near me, I quickly drew my gun and fired a normal shot. The bullets shot through the rainbow-colored slime and dropped the thing. It''s roughly enough soybeans to grab with one hand. The rare monsters are soybean sprouts, and the regular ones look like soybeans. I walked around the dungeon to earn some more money. I watched other adventurers earn more money as well. After 10 minutes of walking around, I''ve figured out what it''s all about. It seems there is no difference between me and the other adventurers in terms of what they drop. They drop a handful of soybeans whether I kill them or another adventurer. The difference is that they always drop a handful of soybeans when I defeat them, but not when other adventurers drop them. It''s like Seren''s basement floor, the drop S advantage is that it always drops. I''m starting to get the general idea - and then I see a different scene. A swordsman with a windy appearance cut a slime in half, and double the soybeans were dropped from that slime. ''''Oh, this is lucky.'''' Lucky?What do you mean by that? I asked the windbag man without thinking. ''Is this your first time here?'' Yes, I just got here today. I see. All of these Seren monsters have characteristics, each individual has a different drop point, and if you attack and kill that point, you get double the drop. That''s right. It''s unique here in Ceren, and that''s why we''re all making so much money right now. I see, that''s one of the reasons why the adventurers are so hyped up. No taxes, and in some cases, double the drops. Yeah, that''s what makes me excited. Good luck to you too. Yeah, each other. The windbag snickered and left in search of the monster. I ruminated on what I''d heard. I remembered the rare monster I had just defeated. Similar in appearance, similar in nature. You can''t defeat a rare monster if you don''t attack its weaknesses, but you can defeat a normal monster normally, and if you defeat it in a specific spot instead, the drop is doubled. That''s the nature of this dungeon. So that means. I walked around a bit and saw a rainbow colored slime. I loaded my gun with tracking rounds and intentionally shifted it a little bit to shoot it. The bullet bends and penetrates the edge of the slime''s body. It penetrated the part that was blue--dropped twice as much as normal. I look for more, I shot a tracking bullet into the next slime as well, and this time it penetrated the red part of the center of the body. The soybeans dropping were still twice as much as normal. I looked for it, found it, and fired a tracking round. The drop point was really different for each individual. The location is different, and the color is also different. On the way, I shot through it with regular bullets, or even burned the whole thing with flame bombs, but that was a normal amount of drops. When you shoot through a single point with a pinpoint, the drop is doubled. It was the newly acquired tracking rounds that could do that 100% of the time. While I had a feeling that it would be a mainstay in Seren, I killed the monster, with a 100% drop on the drop S and a double drop on the tracking bullet. Furthermore, with a 10% increase in buy-in, which was not taxed. On this day, I had earned over 500,000 piro in the dungeon. 37. Thank you Emily I came back to Emily''s place with the money I had earned that day in my pocket. The tent wasn''t in its original place - I thought it had been moved a little bit, and it had been moved closer to the garbage. I walked up to the tent and went inside. ''I''m home, ho: ......'' The moment you walk in, a warmth envelops your body. It''s not that it''s cold outside, it''s not that it''s hot inside. It''s just warmth. No, it''s happiness. The warmth of happiness gently envelops my whole body. It''s a tent, but it''s warm. "Welcome home. It''s all in Emily''s power. A smile naturally formed at the corner of his mouth and he smiled at her. ''I''m home, sorry I''m late,'' No, sir, not at all. Thank you for your help. What''s going on?Looks like the tent was moved around a bit. ''Yes, sir. Since then, people have come to throw out the garbage. The original place was too far away from the garbage, so I moved it a bit. I see. I nodded lightly and looked at the edge of the tent. The tall, beautiful woman I rescued earlier is still sleeping. However, her face is no longer vexed and she''s sleeping peacefully, so I decided to leave her alone for now and told Emily. ''Of the dungeon, I''ve gone underneath Seren''s basement floor. How did it go? I think it''s pretty interesting. A characteristic of the monster, the nature of the monster, is that if you attack a specific spot and kill it, the drop is doubled. And I told her that I''ve used tracking bullets to defeat it and earned 100% drop doubling. Emily listened with interest, but suddenly tilted her head slightly as if something was bothering her. ''What''s up,'' Mr. Yoda, did you use a lot of tracking rounds? Yeah, the second half of the day, I mean, you used more than two-thirds of your tracking rounds. Isn''t that a bit of a waste?I think it was two firebombs and one tracking round. That''s the kind of rate I was talking about. I''m suddenly reminded of this after being told. The most efficient way to defeat a Frankenstein hatched from garbage is with a flame fusion bullet. You get the flaming bullets themselves the way you use the shipping box, you kill two zombies and get one shot, so it''s calculated that four zombies and one tracking bullet. Of course, you can kill all the monsters with your bare hands. The only reason it''s a bullet equivalent is that it''s somehow easier to understand. With that calculation, it may indeed be a "waste" as Emily says. It''s fine. Do you mind? Yeah, I don''t like to keep the elixir. Tracking rounds are the most effective in there, so I''ll use them. ''I don''t know about the elixir, but I get it: ...... Emily nodded and agreed. My name is Celeste. A tall, beautiful woman I noticed said her name. She was sitting upright in the tent, staring at me in an elegant manner, and said her name. I thought she was fidgety, but she was fidgeting. She glanced at the inside of the tent with a curious, troubled look on her face. It''s easy to see what''s bothering him. It''s her, Emily''s special ability. "Huh? The person who had been introduced - Emily - sounded more unconcerned. ''Whether it''s a ramshackle apartment or a new building or a tent, he has the skills to turn it into a divine and warm place like this, like a temple. ''My God!That''s great! ''Yes, yes, no, it''s not true!I''m just doing my normal cleaning and tidying up. I know, I know. I folded my arms and nodded deliberately in agreement with him. ''''Geniuses are the kind of people who would say that the talent they have is normal. Yeah! ''I understand!Talented people don''t have the faintest idea that they''re gifted. ''Yeah, yeah, ''What?Is that normal?'' That''s what it''s called. ''And ''why can''t everyone do it?'' And you''re in trouble on the other side. Right? Ugh. ...... Emily looked extremely annoyed. Eventually her face turned bright red. ''Oh, I''m going to make a cup of tea,'' And then he ran away from the tent. Cute. After Emily disappeared, Celeste and I stayed in the tent. She looked at me and again bowed deeply. "Thank you so much for letting me rest. ''I did what I thought was natural. More importantly, why were you taking care of the garbage by yourself?We''ll need to hire more people if we''re not going to be able to process it in time. "At first I was in time to make it on my own. Then word got out that the tax incentives were about to end, and the number of last-minute gains and adventurers exploded over the last few days, so. I see. Maybe we''re talking about an arrangement between the Cyclo and Heero''s Dungeon Association. If it''s decided to come under the jurisdiction of either city, of course that city will have to pay taxes for the purchase, so I guess they want to make some money before then. Oh yeah, how long have I been sleeping? Half a day, maybe, but it''s getting dark. No. Celeste jumped out of the tent. A short distance from the tent, just barely out of the way due to my presence, a pile of garbage was already piled up. There was a pile of trash piled up in the middle of the pile, lightly amounting to several truckloads. I was a little taken aback by the fact that there was so much trash piled up in half a day. I knew it was going to increase. Yeah. Excuse me, I need to clean up. I nod. It''s a bit of a waste in terms of special bullets, but it''s no use. Celeste stood in front of the trash and spread her magic circle at her feet. ''''Whoa! I couldn''t help but gasp. The magic circle she spread out was bigger than when they met, and it glowed with magical light. Celeste held up her hand, a blue-white flame enveloped the pile of trash - reducing it to ashes in an instant. ''''Feng......'''' Amazing, was he that high in magic power? As I was thinking, Celeste turned herself around and went to Emily, who was far away from Stasta and bowed her head heavily. ''''Thank you, I owe it to you.'''' Huh? ''''Thanks for letting me rest in the tent, I was able to recover my magic power even more than usual. Thank you so much. You''re an amazing person. Wow. I normally don''t-- For some reason, the compliment on Emily made me happy, too. It''s amazing that she''s 5''3" and wields that hammer with Power A. But more than that, the warmth of the house she made. I think it''s amazing how she makes it relentlessly happy and warm, even in a tent. ''Yeah, yeah, it''s all thanks to Emily. Whew! ''Emily has made it possible for Celeste to handle everyone''s garbage on her own, which she can''t keep up with on her own. Emily keeps everyone''s lives together. Yeah, yeah, that''s an exaggeration. That wasn''t too much to ask. I feel the same way. I can''t wait to go around and tell everyone about you right now. Please don''t do that, sir, you''ll kill me if you do. Emily turned red as a boiled octopus as Celeste and I fought to lift her up. Still, we didn''t mind, and we thanked her profusely, which resulted in her being knocked down a lot. 38. Thank you for 1 million pillows The next day, I spent the morning hiding in the basement level of Seren. I used the tracking rounds to earn double the drop. I guided the slime that flew by and shot a tracking round on the magic cart, then threw the double drop straight into the cart. It was a bit of fun to shoot it after guiding the movement, even though it was a tracking round. In no time at all, the drop soybeans accumulated and were bought out of the dungeon. The soybeans that filled my magic cart were about 1,000 ponies - I weigh 70 ponies, so that''s roughly a ton of soybeans. I got about 80,000 pounds for the soybeans, which was quite a nice profit. Using the magic cart''s calculation function, I earned 200,000 piro in the morning. Celeste. Mr. Ryota. After my third purchase, I was kind of wandering around the dungeon when I met Celeste. Even in the midst of the crowd, she was quite conspicuous. With her long black hair and model-like height, and the fact that she has a straight spine, she''s attracting a lot of - in a good way - attention. ''What are you doing here?'' I need to shop and buy some stuff. I see. I nodded and looked around. There''s quite a variety of shops here. They sell everything from household goods to luxury goods to jewelry and so on. Why jewelry? Jewel is a popular selling point in these places. Why? ''All the adventurers who come to work must have warm pockets now. Yeah, it''s warm. So do I. Yesterday''s 500,000 piro and today''s 200,000 piro, I''m making 700,000 as soon as possible. Then I buy a souvenir on my way home. Then I''ll buy souvenirs on the way home, like jewelry and accessories for women. That''s the vanity of men. I''m also sad that I can understand that. When you have money in your pocket, you can''t help but look good for gifts. That''s just the way it is. I look at a stall selling accessories. My favorite gun suddenly made its presence felt like it was making a statement. I remembered that I''d been putting off thanking Emily for the second gun I''d gotten. ...... Hmmm. It''s not vanity, it''s gratitude. That gratitude just happens to be all the money I have. ''No, it''s still a small price to pay,'' As I said it, I started to think it''s normal(,). Two days'' earnings, plus the cash on hand I brought in from the cyclo. The ring, worth a million piro, is now in a box in my pocket. From the moment I saw it, I knew it would look good on Emily. It cost a million piro, but my gratitude was so great that I bought it on the spot. Now, Emily is walking back to the lash tent with it. I''m naturally fast, nervous and nervous. I stumble and almost drop the ring box. I hurriedly catch it in mid-air, letting out a breath of relief. ''...... Mhm?'' I was about to drop the box and suddenly, something came to me. A feeling as if a white lightning had struck, a sensation of something fluttering. What was it?What did you just think? Thinking, not remembering. It''s a feeling I usually get sometimes, when I think of an idea and then immediately forget and can''t remember. But I want to remember. At times like this, I repeat the same action. Often I repeat myself and then I remember. I''ll backtrack a bit, walk in the same way and almost trip and drop a box. I catch it - I remember it. I almost dropped the ring - it almost fell out of my hand. This ring, too, is a dungeon drop. That means that, according to the logic of this world, if I lose it, it will become a haggler. And if you lose it, it won''t usually drop. But if I defeat it, it will drop, and it will be something different from the usual. ...... million pillows. I wonder what the ring haggle is going to drop. Curiosity and gratitude to Emily. I was torn. An unpopular place away from the Seren dungeon. I put the ring on the ground with the whole box and kept my distance. ''I''m sorry Emily,'' In the end, my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to make the ring a hugulemon. For Emily, tomorrow - or the day after tomorrow. I''ve convinced myself that I''ll earn all the money I can and buy the same thing again. And so, I wait. Grabbing the gun and laying still. After what felt like an eternity, the box cracked open from the inside and a monster emerged. A humanoid monster, but clearly not a person. He was twice as macho as a man, and his hair and skin were burning red. The name "Efreet" came to mind. I loaded two guns with frozen bullets and fired. The bullets hit the flaming spirits and spewed cold air. But it was only for a moment. The flame spirit only seemed to ice for a moment where it had been hit by the bullet, but it quickly melted. I dodged the flames blowing at me and fired more. I fired in rapid succession and aimed at the fusion bullets, but it didn''t happen as I dodged and fired, it just hit me. The frozen bullets hit me in rapid succession, and the range of the icing increased. It melted, it melted, but it took longer than before. Maybe it''s my imagination, but the flames are darker where they hit. ''It''s working.'' I felt that, and I fired all the freezer bullets I had. I shot all the freezer bullets I could find at the spirit of the fire. The genie was down and the item was dropped. ''''The exact same ring ......?'''' The one on the ground was the exact same ring I bought. I didn''t know this was possible outside of a dungeon. Actually, the ring cost a million dollars, so I was expecting some kind of weapon that was stronger than a gun. I was, but it didn''t happen. Well, let''s just say that the ring was returned intact. I picked it up to present it to Emily properly. The moment I held it in my hand--. --All drops will be +1. I heard a voice. A voice just like the one I heard when I was a seed with increased abilities. Is this the same?No, it was subtly different. The seed disappeared in my hand as soon as I took it, but the ring didn''t disappear. ''......'' I put that ring down and picked it up again. --all drops will be +1. I heard the voice again. I think I understood it somehow. If it doesn''t disappear, then this must be an equipment. A status-boosting equipment that has an effect when it''s equipped. Stars. I brought Emily to the Now Board near the dungeon. What can I do for you here? Put these on. This is--whee! Emily scowls at the ring. ''Here, here, here, here! It''s my usual way of saying thank you. Take it. ''So, but ......'' He stared at Emily, who was lost. When she stared straight at me, Emily made a hundred faces. Startled, annoyed, and blushing. Finally, with a curt nod, she accepted the ring. ''Ah, .......'' I huffed when I received it and turned my attention to the Nowboard. ''You heard me.'' Yes, sir. Try it. Emily nodded again, and she manipulated the Nowboard with a familiar hand. She skipped the first page and brought up the second page as it was. ---2/2--- Plant D (+1) Animal E (+1) Mineral E (+1) Magic E (+1) Characteristic E (+1) --------- ... A status indicator that we had never seen before appeared in front of us. Looks like it''s just some kind of equipment. Thank God. Yes, I''m trying to do this kind of thing for the first time, but I guess it was Yoda''s help. My long-time friend Emily got an answer right away, but that''s not important right now. I looked at her again and said, "Thank you for everything. "Thank you for everything. ............ Yes. After a slightly longer silence, Emily nodded happily and shyly. ''Thank you,'' He clutched the ring with both hands as if it were precious. 39. For you Seren dungeon, basement level two. I came there with Emily and we looked for the monster. We walked around for a bit, and then it came out of the ground like a creeping thing. Trent, the monster in the second floor of the Serenium. It was an old tree, about three meters tall from the side, but as I approached it, it reacted to me and attacked me, twirling its branches like a tentacle. I quickly dodge it and look at Emily. She''s staring at Trent with a straight face. Her hand, holding a hammer that''s bigger than her own body, also strains. ''Well, let''s do it.'' Yes, sir. Emily took one deep breath and jumped out, carrying her hammer. In her hand is the ring I gave her as a gift. She kicks the ground and dives in, while Trent intercepts her with a whip-like branch. I take cover. I fire a conventional round and flick the tentacles. Emily continues her lunge, and finally jumps and swings the hammer headlong down! Becky! There was the sound of wood snapping and half of Trent''s tentacle branches shattered. ''Did you do it?'' Hi! Emily slumped as she landed, and Trent fought back. After attacking with his remaining tentacles and pushing Emily back, the shattered branches began to regenerate. With tremendous speed, it regenerated back to normal in a mere five seconds. It''s the same as the rare slime above. I''m sure you have a lot of self-renewal in your life ...... I''m fine! Emily pounced again and slammed the hammer down again and again. It''s like a rice cake making machine: ...... such a word comes to my mind. Trent was shattered by Emily hitting him at full throttle. Trent, shattered by more damage than he could regenerate, disappeared with a pop. ''Looks like it''s okay if you hit it carefully. Yes, sir. Emily nodded, her profile was reliable. The trent was down, but there was no drop, I didn''t care, I looked for the next one. Soon the next torrent grew again. Emily pounced on it before it was fully grown. She struck first. I didn''t need to cover her, and this time I crushed it with a single blow. The item dropped. The old tree disappeared with a pop, and the meat dropped. It''s a juicy looking chicken breast. A breast, I wonder if it''s cheap per unit price. While I was thinking such things. "It''s been dropped: ...... Emily picked up the dropped breast meat, her voice quivering with emotion as she stared intently at it. ''Does it matter that much?'' I was an F. F is just below E, but in reality the gap is very wide. There are even dungeons that prohibit players from entering the dungeon from the first floor, because the people who drop all Fs are called F-final. ''I see. So that''s why you sent me the F. Emily nods her head. I told her about Eugene, a powerful man hired by the hetero side. ''He''s a strong fighter, but he''s a plant drop F,'' she said. ''That''s one strategy. Emily was strangely impressed. After a moment, she put the dropped breasts in the magic cart and looked up at me. ''Thank you so much, Yoda,'' I''m glad you like it. I''ve never heard of this kind of equipment. Is that because you are Yoda? Emily stifles her voice in the second half. Drop S. It''s almost a secret between us at the moment, a secret that only Emily knows. So she asked in a stifled voice. ''Correct. I made it a haglemono and took it down once more. I knew it. ...... That''s Yoda for you. Now, I''ve checked the effects of the ring. Now we just need to loosely hunt monsters to make money. ''''Now we can ...... both animals and minerals. I can keep up with Yoda-san everywhere ....... Emily gently touched the ring and murmured calmly. I couldn''t quite catch what she mumbled, but she seemed happy, so I thought again that it was worth giving it to her. Then a monster attacked Emily by surprise! An old tree was born not from the ground, but from the wall directly beside her. Sharp branch tentacles ripped through the air and attacked her. ''Emily!'' -Oh! Emily jumped to her side in response to my voice. The monster''s attack gouged the ground where she was standing. "Are you okay? Yes, sir. Good. But this tree is a little different from the one in question. Huh? I was safe, Emily told me, and I looked at the one that attacked me again. It looks like an old man with an old man''s face and goatee, though it is still an old tree. The size of the tree is one size larger and has a certain atmosphere. It''s clearly a different one from the one before. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot of people who will be able to help you. So that''s the one downstairs, the rare. I''m sure he is--Hyah! Rare Trent waved his tentacles, sharper than a normal guy, and Emily quickly guarded with her hammer and was blown away. ''Emily!'' I''m fine! Emily holds the hammer up as it lands, and it doesn''t seem to do much damage. ''This--'' I raised my gun - and for a moment, I hesitated. The monster in the second floor of the Seren basement, the drop is meat. That rare monster, the drop must have been meat. It hasn''t been confirmed, but it''s theoretically certain, and we''re just waiting for proof. Both the cyclone and the hetero are waiting for it. That this guy is going to drop some meat. "There it is, Trent Beard. Oh, God, I wish I had. Don''t drop, don''t drop, don''t drop, don''t drop. Before I knew it, adventurers had gathered around me. I''m sure this rare monster, Trent Beard, will give out a large amount of rewards from the Hetero''s Dungeon Association if I find a drop from him. Just like I got a reward from Cyclo in the basement. Only the first person to get it will get it, just like I got it from Cyclo in the basement. And monsters are only allowed to be beaten up by the first adventurer to secure them. So the other adventurers are hoping that I don''t drop it. If I don''t drop, they''ll be left with a chance to take their chances the next time they come out. But I''m the drop S. If I take this thing out, you can bet your bottom dollar it will drop. So what do you think? If I beat him, I''ll have to bring Ciclo and Heero back to even terms. That''s - that''s ridiculous. Suddenly, I saw a familiar face among the adventurers. He''s in charge of Hetero''s dungeon society... a guy named Harvard. He''s looking at me, with a wry smile on his face. He sees through me, doesn''t he? You know that I''m lost, and you know why? It''s possible, and a competent adventurer would have a high drop, which is an imagination that anyone who''s not crazy can quickly follow. Maybe Harvard sees through it. If you look closely, you''ll see a man standing beside him. He''s not like Eugene, but he still has an air about him. I can tell, just like I can tell with Harvard. Maybe he''s got Animal Drop A. I''m sure hetero put a bounty on the info, and when they found a rare, they went right to work. When I looked closer, I saw Duke on the other side of the room - the man in charge of the Cyclo side - and he was there, too. He''s looking at me with a puzzled look on his face. Many onlookers, both of them in charge. I''m not going to let them beat me any more if I''m in charge of ...... Emily! Yes, sir! The moment I called out, the wind blew past me from the side. Running past me was Emily, a six-foot-two girl carrying a huge hammer. She glanced at me and threw something fluffy at me. I catch it on the spur of the moment - it''s the ring I gave her. Emily seems to notice what I was thinking, too. No, I''m sure she noticed it before I did, as she''s been an animal drop F for years. So she took on Trent Beard. To make use of her own drop - the drop that she removed the ring and returned to F. ''I''ll cover you.'' I loaded the gun with frozen bullets and fired a series of shots at the ground. The legs of the old goatee tree - freeze the whole root, and freeze all the branch tentacles, too. Emily pounced on that thing that had stopped moving completely. ''''Yaaaah!'''' Dashing up, Emily jumped up and swung the hammer down headfirst. A flash of spirit, a blow so strong that the dungeon shook. Emily shattered the Trent Beard with a single blow. The rare monster disappeared - there were no drops. The adventurers around her scattered in a racket, happy to see no drop. Harvard, who had a thin smile on his face, understood the significance of Emily''s defeat () and left with the adventurers, looking like he had bitten down on a bitter bug. After Harvard was gone, I approached Emily and gave her the ring back. "Thank you, Emily. You''re welcome. But that''s great, by the time I got to you, you were already in the air. I just remembered what you said earlier. Okay. ''I''m glad I was able to help you, Yoda. It was always worth it to me to think about what I could do. Emily said with a carefree, smiling smile. My chest felt a little hot. ''Thanks for the help,'' He smiled at Emily, shook her hand and handed the ring back to her. She takes it happily and with great care. I''m both happy and excited. Perhaps if I defeat the hagrete, other items will appear. Items, like seeds, gain status, but if you remove them, they lose their effect, so you can change their effect as you please. This leads to many possibilities, I''m excited to see. ''Thank you!Thank you, Satou-san! "Oops! ''Thank you so much, that''s why Satou-san didn''t take it down himself, isn''t it? Thank you so much. I was thanked, over and over again, by Duke, who understood Emily''s low drop in the situation. 40. My own equipment The next day, I crawled into Seren''s basement and shot every single one of the encircling slimes with a tracking round. Drop S dropped 100%, and Tracked Bullets dropped twice as much. I used the strongest pattern in the first basement floor to earn money by being mindless and not thinking about anything else. The reason why I chose the first floor is because when you''re in mindless mode for efficiency, you don''t think about it when you see a monster and you just put bullets into it, while in the second floor you''ll accidentally kill rare torrents. I earned my money in the first floor so that I didn''t have to think too much about it. I filled up my magic cart and grabbed about 80,000 piro. I repeated that three times, and the third time I escaped in the middle of the game because my tracking rounds ran out of bullets and my efficiency dropped. I made 200,000 piro. I was going to use it to do some tests. A long way from the dungeon, where it wasn''t very popular. The dungeon, the cluster of tents, and Celeste''s trash pile looked much smaller, and I took out my bag. I put in about 200,000 pirouette, the four bangles I had earned today. Each bracelet has a different jewel on it. A pink sapphire. An orange sapphire. White pearls. Red rubies. All together, about 200,000 piro. Each one averages 50,000, one-twentieth of the ring I gave Emily. ....... It can''t be the price, yes. I get my mind back on track and put the pink sapphire bangles on first and keep my distance. Load the two guns with frozen and flaming bullets and wait. Flame and freeze, when waiting for unknown monsters, this is the best combination to deal with the situation. Of course, we have both regular and recovery bullets ready to be loaded in case of emergency. When I waited for a while, a hagure thing hatched from the bracelet. It was a burning monster, like a human soul. The word "lower class spirit of fire," vaguely appears in my head. Perhaps because of the distance, the spirits were not attacking me, but were drifting around instead of attacking me. I hold the gun, aim, and shoot a frozen bullet. The bullet hit, and cold air gushed out. The spirit of fire seems to have noticed us and is drifting in and out of the air. The momentum of the fire is weaker than before. I continued to fire the freezer bullets into the air. Every time I hit it, the momentum of the fire - the size of the human spirit itself became smaller and smaller. When I hit five normal freezing bullets from a distance, it disappeared without a trace, and the same thing as before it hatched, a pink sapphire bangle, dropped. I approach and pick it up. --mineral drop is +1. I heard the usual voice in my head. I see, so this is just one kind. All of the million-pilo rings are +1, and this one is only +1 for one type. Well, maybe it''s worth the price. Next, I hatched an orange sapphire bracelet. A light blue human soul came out and I took care of it with a fireball. I picked up the same bangles, so I picked them up. --The mineral drop will be -1. Drops are going to drop! Well, there''s some equipment like that, and the drop F is useful in some situations, so there''s a use for it. No, maybe. A further -1 from F might reduce the drop to a complete zero. You''ll still get a bit of drop at F, but it''s not a complete zero. I think there are two types of probabilities. I think there are two main types of probability: 100% and 0%, and the other two. 100% and 0% are absolutes with opposite vectors. -I''ll get Emily to help me with that next time. Now the pearl bracelet. Now there''s a dog. Medium-sized dog, vicious-looking, with a body made of fire. So I shot it with a freezer bullet. The flames on its body weren''t extinguished much when I shot it, so I shot a fusion round of freezing bullets. The flame dog that was knocked down by it dropped a pearl bracelet. --10% more damage against plant drops. Huh? I found something interesting. A piece of equipment that increases damage to certain races? This is a useful one. As I thought about it, I felt a bit awkward. It''s not a slime or undead type item, but a plant drop, which I thought was very typical of this world. At any rate, I should get another pearl bracelet or two. After a while, I''ll go back to Cyclo, an agricultural city cyclo that mostly drops plants. I''d like to see more damage increases on plant drops. The last bracelet, a red ruby bracelet, also hatched into a hagremonium. This time, a black ball floats up, its body clad in crackling electricity. I don''t want to get any closer to this opponent than the two from earlier. I play it safe. Sharpening my concentration, I shoot fire and freeze. They fused in front of the monster''s eyes and turned into an annihilation bullet. The annihilation bullet swallowed the lightning spirit and took it down with a single blow. A red ruby bracelet is dropped, picking it up. --The number of hagre-mono drops is increased occasionally. ''''Huh?'''' ˼鷺Ǥ Ĥƥ饤֥Εr„褦ʤΤƤƤ롢Ǥɫ`„Ƥ ƥεһAǡ饤֥Ȥ󥹥`ָ݆ɥåפ ϥɥåפˤʤָ݆󥸥ڤǤǤʤ ϥΤˤτǤʤ顢Τޤޥߥ`ˤޤޤˤʤäƤ롣 Ȥ` 󤬤ϤäȥϥΤ޶롢 ֲϵ˥`åפƤƤ롢ϥΤ޶롣 ֥ϥΤ˥`åפΤ⤢ɡϤ졣 ޤϡ݆΄Ԕ֪ꤿä ϼȡ ˥ۥ˥फ֤äƤơ⏎a䤹뼯䡣 äơxȤäơʮΥȥ ˤ褦 ȥͨǵ뤬ʹä zơĤäơzơĤäơ һkһǴ_g˥ȥ򵹤Ф ΥȥϤȫ礷ϥɥåפʰơ ȫǡ 򵹤ơk ݆ĤƤʤr˱Ȥ٤ơƤ ˤΥϥΤϣDD~顣 ݆ϡg|ʹ댟װä 41. Complete victory Seren is crowded with adventurers from two different cities, and there are free now boards set up all over the place. I wandered around with Emily to the farthest away from the dungeon, in front of the now board, which was not in use. I took the familiar steps to operate it and check the status. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F Power S Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed A Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... Yoda, you''ve gotten so strong, your speed will soon be S. I miss the fact that everything was F when I met Emily. Will we all get Ss at some point? I think so. I said to Emily almost immediately. I''m told there are nine floors underground in all of Nihonium, and a total of nine items on the first page of status. And a seed for a status upgrade that only I can drop. I couldn''t believe it was a coincidence that the number of 9''s coincided with each other. Well, this is good. Now for the next. Yes, sir. Manipulate the now board and move it to page 2. ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Mineral S (+1) Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... ''Huh?It''s still an S. I thought it was going to be an SS or something. I stare at the pink sapphire bracelet I''m wearing, grabbing it and twirling it around my wrist. The mineral drop +1 effect, it''s also on the Now board. But it''s still an S on the status. ''Is it because Yoda-san''s S is the best, so it doesn''t go up or something? Maybe. Emily can try it on just in case. Yes, sir. Emily put on the bracelet I had removed and took control of the Now board. Then the mineral drop went from F to E. ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Mineral S(-1) Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... ''Huh?It won''t go down. It''s not going down. I''m surprised. I thought the equipment for mineral drop-1, I thought it was going to be an A. Why is that? I''m sure. Emily smiled smugly. ''It''s because you''re Yoda,'' I''m starting to feel that way. Somehow I''m starting to feel that way too. Drop S, or some mysterious status that I''ve heard a little bit from people in this world for that matter, but no one tells me they''ve ever heard of it. A status that is unique to me. It seemed to be something that is not affected by equipment. * * * * * * *. I left Emily, who said she had shopping to do, and returned to the tent alone. The tent near the dump, where Celeste was looking difficult. ''What''s going on?'' Mr. Sato: ...... What''s the matter with you that''s so hard to deal with? In fact, rumor has it that the number of adventurers will nearly double tomorrow. "Twice as many adventurers? "It''s still a rumor, but if it''s true, there will be quite a bit more trash and I''ll be able to get my hands on it. ...... I keep sending out requests for ......, but again, it''s a rumor, so I''m not sure if I''ll get any help. ...... Celeste looked troubled. The trash was proportional to the number of humans there, and if the number of humans was nearly doubling, I can see why Celeste would be annoyed. ''I''ll help you,'' What? I''ll help you dispose of the garbage. ''But. Satou-san has a dungeon at ....... I can''t leave you alone. -Oh! He looked at Celeste in amazement and said with a straight face. When we first met, she had collapsed from overwork. She continued to work hard on her own, even though the trash was slowly increasing and exceeded her ability to handle it. Maybe she was her old self in such a way. Maybe I''ve been overlapping myself with the person I used to be when I joined a black company and didn''t take on any new employees. I had to help, I thought to myself. I looked straight at her with that feeling on board. "Thank you ....... Celeste blushed and thanked him shyly. The rumors are true. Inside the tent, Duke, the head of the Cyclodungeon Association, said. I went to him to confirm the rumor. "Oh, really? Was it just a rush? No, they sent them to us. They''re all from the other side. "...... You''re going to fill an even number of floors with human naval warfare techniques. You''ve got it backwards. What? Duke looked like he was biting down on a bitter bug. ''We''re going to fill the odd floor, or the plant drop floor. You''re going to send me a bunch of drop Fs! Duke nodded. Duke nodded. "It looks like they''re going to do whatever they can to sabotage us. Tomorrow, they''ll be here in droves. I''ve heard there are hundreds of them at ...... and they''re swarming with them! Occupy the hierarchy? ''And it''s legal. On the surface, it would just be ''more adventurers flooded in than there were monsters''. I can see how I''ve become bitter, too. It''s not like the people who took over the Silicon basement five floors with a strike before. There''s nothing wrong with sending a bunch of adventurers out to hunt down all the monsters. Suddenly, an inspiration strikes me. "...... Let''s settle this today: the third, fifth, seventh, and ninth floors. If rares drop on all of these, it''ll be at least a tie, right? ''If you can do that, you''ve practically won. Rare drops don''t come around all that often, and there''s less than a 1% chance of dropping them all in a period of time. I''m 100% in control. That''s ridiculous. Let''s double the information fee for rare monsters - or even raise it all at once. The first one to arrive gets 10 million. ''Too expensive!If you put out that much money-- If I don''t drop it, I''ll give you money for it. -Oh! Duke was astonished. I stared straight back at him. The two armbands confirmed the drop S. My own unique status that does not fluctuate. It''s a 100% drop, if you can find it. I was sure of that. Stars. Seren Dungeon, 9th floor underground. The Duke''s face, which had been skeptical until then, gradually changed. Rare monsters themselves were appearing every day. As soon as we made it known that the first one to arrive would receive a ten million dollar information fee, the information started coming in one after another. I would go to the dungeon with Duke to defeat the rare monsters that were held in the dungeon. The third, fifth, and seventh floors of the basement. Each time I defeated a rare monster, Duke''s expression changed to one of amazement and then respect. Eventually, the ninth floor underground. A ten million information fee, and word quickly spread that the third, fifth, and seventh floors had been dropped, and the dungeon was flooded with an overflowing crowd. With a packed gallery looking on, I came face to face with a giant snake with eight heads. It looks like a Yamata no Orochi. One of the necks is the weakest point, and with each regeneration, the weakest neck changes. Duke said. The monsters themselves are out there every day, so we already know how to defeat them. I tried a small move first, counter-punching one of the biting heads and hitting it with a fused penetrating bullet. The big head was blown off, but it quickly regenerated. This time their necks bit down in two pieces. The ground where the snake had bitten was gouged enough to make a pit. While rolling your tongue at the offensive power, you hit the annihilation bullet that is a fusion of fire and freeze. The moment it is hit, three heads disappear as if they were swallowed by something. But it also quickly regenerates. ''''It''s very tricky. I know that if I give him a drink, he''ll only get drunk in his weak neck. Have you found out what their weaknesses are? I giggled at the increasingly typical Yamata no Orochi weakness. Shall I have them fix you a drink? It''s okay, I''m just gonna take care of it. He punched an attacking Yamata no Orochi in the direction of the gallery. While the guy was rolling, I loaded all the tracking rounds in my two pistols, set them up and fired wildly. All at once, the tracking rounds spread out like homing missiles and flew in all directions, concentrating on one of the eight necks and rushing in. The Yamata-no-Orochi, whose neck alone is thicker than a human''s body, was turned into a beehive. The giant body collapsed with a thud and disappeared, and the enoki mushroom was dropped. All of Seren''s rare monsters are a pain in the ass, and the drops are not worth it. It''s a bad dungeon that I don''t want to visit in the future. Be that as it may. ''Thanks!Thank you so much! Duke came running in and grabbed my hand tightly. He buzzes up and down and calls out the same words with a look of admiration on his face. ''Now we Cyclo don''t lose anymore, thank you so much!You made it happen! No, it was Duke''s fault. No need to be modest, you were the one who made it happen. Yeah, I''ve got to go report this to headquarters. Duke said and ran off. I looked behind him as he turned to leave the dungeon, and I muttered, "It''s not humble," he said. When I was in the company, anything I said was dismissed. But it was Duke''s decision to accept an adventurer''s proposal and put together a 40-million-piro budget that won him the day. I was rather grateful to him for letting me do it. 42. Return the darkness Inside the tent, he faced the Duke, who was in a good mood. ''Thank you so much, Satou-san, Seren is going to almost be Ciclo''s. I''m glad I could help. I was relieved to see that Seren has fulfilled his assignment. We''re discussing Satou-san''s compensation at headquarters, and I''m expecting three things to come in. Three? Selenium''s drop buyout and Mr. Sato''s tax exemption. I''ve heard that. It was offered to me when I left. ''And, to a lesser extent, there will be a cash reward as well. Okay. That''s a reasonable line. ''The dungeon chief is running to prepare a year''s supply of fine sugar, I''m told. I don''t need that much! Like a year''s worth of sugar. ...... Wait a minute, what''s that year''s worth of sugar based on? ...... Duke looked away. ''Not by her standards, is it?Not really her standard, is it?That''s not her standard, is it? ...... very much from my mouth. I said it three times without thinking because it was important, and Duke looked away. I knew it was a year''s worth of ...... that dungeon chief standard. I''m a little vexed because I feel like they''re going to push a lot of sugar on me. Stars. I leave the tent and try to get back to Emily''s place. Now that I''m done with what I have to do in Seren, do I stay here a bit longer or do I go back to Cyclo already? I decided to discuss it with Emily and decide. The area around Seren is still buzzing as usual, rather than the guys who were called in by Heero, who started hiding in the dungeon to produce a normal drop - a normal drop - without any sense of interruption, so I''d say it''s even more crowded. The adventurers hiding in the dungeon, the ones supporting them, and the ones trying to make money by selling their goods. Roughly by the thousands, by the rough count, the place was as crowded as a little town. Yes, if I''m going home, I''ll buy some gifts for Elsa and Ina, who are always so helpful to me. There are many vendors for this purpose, so you should have no trouble choosing a good one. Then we should stay here for a few more days and earn some money before we return. While I was pondering this, I suddenly noticed something strange. The crowded area around us has disappeared. No, they haven''t disappeared completely. The air as a hustle and bustle has disappeared. Instead, I was surrounded by people. I was surrounded by opponents who were obviously hostile to me. The men surrounding me from a distance of about five meters away. The men were staring at me with an evil expression. There are roughly ...... twenty of them. What the hell is this? Don''t feel bad. The man in front of me, the one with the chipped front tooth, replied. He asked me to punish you a little. I''m not gonna take your life. I''m just gonna have to break your arm and put you out of commission for a few days to make sure you''re punished for doing too much. ...... hetero. It''s a vendetta against those who lost their jobs to you. I see. Maybe it was the adventurers that Heero called in, and they lost their jobs because of me ...... and maybe they weren''t paid, so they resented me and went on a revenge killing spree. I don''t like it, but I''ve got to pay for the fire that came down on me. The second I pulled my gun, the guy raises his hand in the air. The next thing I know, a magic circle stretches out from underneath me. "What is this? I know how you fight. So you''re going to pull out your trump card?This is a magician''s circle that disables flying objects. A flying machine? It''s like a magic storm, an artificially created one. A magic storm, a weather-like phenomenon where you can''t use magic when it''s coming. So it''s this magic circle that''s doing that artificially and making it impossible to use flying tools. That''s pretty elaborate. Huh. Come on, boys! I gave the word and they all attacked me at once, men surrounding me. I put my gun away and clenched my fists. I ducked the first man who jumped at me and punched him away. I ducked the first man''s attack and punched him away, and the man squirmed and flew away. What? Their leader is in a state of disbelief, and he has a look on his face that says, "I''ve never heard of this. "You know, I almost had a gun when I came to Seren. What''s this all about? As long as you don''t worry about efficiency. He kicks the ground, steps in, and dives into the man''s pocket. Then, aware of holding back a bit, he unleashes a body blow. The man''s body bends into a "ku" shape, and he lets out a gasp of stomach liquid. "I''m stronger without a gun. I grew up with nihonium seeds, strength S and speed A. Seeing the leader fall and fainting in agony. The men turned the tables and pounced on him all at once. Powerful and speedy. Leaving it to her basic abilities, she takes down the men one by one. I don''t even miss a beat. Monsters are defeated and dropped, but the same people don''t have to go that far. All you have to do is take away their fighting ability. And so within five minutes, every single one of the men had fallen on top of the magic circle. ''''Silly, na......'''' Groaning, frustrated men. All of them are sprawled out, holding somewhere. It''s hard, isn''t it? Nothing personal against these guys, so I pulled out my gun. The magic circle is still glowing on the ground, but I''m pretty sure that won''t be a problem. Lock and load - shoots the leader. Bullet pops out, leaving the leader pinned down and unable to resist. A white light surrounds him. It''s a recovery bullet that was shot. I shot a recovery round at all of the men who had been knocked down in the magic circle of the flying tool invalidation. I''m not going to be the only one to have a problem with this. I''m not going to be the only one who can do that. They all recover in a flash, confused as to what happened. ''''You can use your flying tools ...... and what the hell are you ......? The leader man is speechless. One last threat - so I thought and shot an annihilation bullet into the ground. It seems that there was something there to activate it, shooting an annihilation bullet into the middle of the magic circle of the flying object invalidation, the magic circle disappeared without a sound, gouged by the annihilation bullet. I don''t think this kind of thing works on me. And- He holds the gun to his head and looks around. There is no next one. I threatened. The men shook their heads like broken dolls. 43. Celestes magic, Emilys magic I fought off the dark men and returned to Emily''s tent. It hadn''t been moved since I''d cared for Celeste, and it was still there, so the dump was nearby. There would be even more people and more trash from now until the last day of the tax exemption. Celeste faced the trash. Standing a bit farther away, she increases her magic power, chanting and releasing magic to burn the trash. Flames that seem to leak out of nowhere envelop the various trash and turn them to ashes. It''s beautiful and cool. I thought. The trash is burned by the magic of the powerful flame, and the interesting profile illuminated by the flame is very beautiful, I thought. While I was gazing at that profile, most of the trash was burned and there was only a few left - about a poly bucketful of trash. I''ll just burn the rest appropriately and be done with it, and then I''ll call out to him when I''m done - or so I thought. Celeste chanted her magic. The same magic as before, the same magic, the same great magic that spread out the magic circle and fluttered her hair. With enough karma flames to burn up a truckload of trash, he annihilated a bucket-sized amount of trash. Defeating the weakest monster with the final magic, such an overkill sight. Why would he do that--I thought. Celeste wobbled! She collapses from her knees and nearly falls over. I dash over and hold her close. ''Lyota, Ms.'' Celeste murmurs in my arms, raving in my sleep. He looks exactly the same as when I met him. Consumed and weak. His eyes are unfocused, I''m not sure he''s conscious. "Don''t move. I pulled out my gun, making sure the recovery round was still loaded, and pressed it against Celeste''s second arm and pulled the trigger. I shot the recovery round into her as if it were an injection. One shot wasn''t enough, so I fired two. That''s when Celeste''s complexion finally returned. ''Are you okay?'' ...... Celeste? I mean, my eyes are focused, but Celeste isn''t saying anything. I thought she was just sitting there staring at me, and I was like. "No, I''m fine. I''m fine. He hurriedly pushed me away from him and kept his distance from me. At the end of the distance, she blushed for some reason and glanced at me. You look like you''re in trouble, what are you in trouble for? Why am I so nervous?And ....... Celeste glances at me and blushes even more. You''re mumbling something, what''s the matter with you? If you''re in trouble, I''ll listen and help you out, I thought. Patin. Celeste suddenly slapped herself on the cheek. ''Taut with my right hand, taut with my left hand, taut with my right hand, taut with my left hand--'' ''I mean, that''s too much! I interrupted her in a hurry to stop her. I didn''t know what was going on, but I stopped her from slapping herself on each side of her cheek in turn. She slapped herself all over the place, and then she inhaled with a sigh. ''Yeah, it''s calmed down.'' And then he went back to the crisp look he had seen earlier. The crisp face, though, is a face that suits the tall Celeste well. ...... delicately swollen cheeks, I could only say "eeeeee". I had a funny thought, and I got fired up. You see? She calmed down and explained the reason for her earlier odd behavior. It made sense, to a point. Surely there are times when you slap yourself in the face to get your spirits up. ...... Yeah, there is. Let''s not go into the ...... number. When I got my bearings, I asked her what was on my mind, just to divert the conversation. You were burning trash earlier," she said. And at the end you were burning a lot of trash with your fire magic. Why?Why didn''t you just save your money and use some simple magic? Because that''s all I''m good at. Is that all you got? A level three ranged fire magic, the inferno. I''m the only one who can use this magic. That''s it? That''s it. Celeste nodded clearly. ...... mmm? Did you just say level 3, or is it level 1 or 2?Isn''t that available? No, this is all I have. The wind blew, her beautiful hair fluttered. Celeste nodded clearly, without an ounce of hesitation. ...... So, you mean that you can''t use me* and me*mi, and you can only use me*zoma. I see, so that''s why I did that. I overkilled him with level 3 magic against garbage until the end. I''m not sure how often that happens.Well, you know, levels one and two are not available and only three are available. There''s not much I know about magic, most of it is learned from the bottom up. No, I don''t know anyone else who does either. Really, and why is that? I ask, but instantly regret it. It''s because Celeste gave me a complicated smile. It takes me a moment to realize that I don''t want you to hear this. I have to follow up, I have to divert the conversation. What to do? Welcome back, Yoda. Then Emily came out of the tent. She greeted me with her usual warm smile and gently painted the air of the place. ''Oh!''My Goddess! "Huh? Thank God, I need a goddess like you to be around for a long time. ''Huh?W-what is it, Yoda?! She rolled her eyes and I thanked her over and over again. I made her blush, but I made her blush even more, telling her how much I appreciated her. Emily is cooking a feast. She has heard that I''m done with my work and she''s cooking a feast to celebrate. Emily builds a fire beside the tent and begins to cook. I watch as Celeste and I chat with her. I''m impressed," says Celeste, "that the attack, as I recall, still has the confirmation of rare monster drops. Does that mean you''ve confirmed all of them? I''ve only checked the odd floor. Just the odd floor? I told Celeste about Cyclo and Hetero. He nodded his head at first, but it quickly made sense. ''It''s great, isn''t it?'' I don''t know. I''ve never heard of anyone doing that on their own. I''m a little embarrassed. Being lifted up by a beautiful woman like Celeste is embarrassing in and of itself. I''m embarrassed, but at the same time I wish she''d say more. I''d like to see more praise, just as I thanked Emily with all my might. "Celes-- He''s waiting for you. I was about to ask for courage when Emily came back to me. ''It''s just baked, so be careful how hot it is. Thank you. Thank you--cake? Celeste was aghast when she received it. I was also a little taken aback and stared at the cake. I was presented with a white plate, a silver fork, and a delicious-looking cake cut into triangles. ''What''s wrong with this cake?'' I burned it. Burned? In the bonfire? Yes, sir. ''Cakes on a bonfire: ...... Cakes on a bonfire?'' Celeste was mumbling and comparing the fire and the cake in turn. I blew out a little. "Celeste, I don''t want you to think too much, What? ''We don''t understand Emily''s cooking or how to make a warm tent, just as a warrior can''t understand how to use magic. Even if it takes a lifetime. Oh, ....... Celeste glanced at the tent and made a convincing face. Other people wouldn''t be convinced by saying this, but she actually knew that tent, and she was convinced when she heard Emily''s wonder (...). ''Yeah,'' Baked a cake in a bonfire. You think Emily could do that? Yes, we do. So, thank you, Emily. I''ll take it. Thank you. Yes, sir. You are welcome to eat. I''m going to prepare the next one. Then Emily runs off with a clatter. Celeste and I watch her and giggle at each other. I wonder what they''ll come up with next? ''I don''t know. But it''s Emily, so I won''t be surprised if anything happens. You''ve been through a lot, haven''t you? Emily is amazing, that''s all. I said, and Celeste nodded. We both ate the cake. The cream was sweet and the sponge was moist and delicious. I wondered how it would burn over an open fire, but it was good, so that was okay. ''We''re waiting for you,'' Just as we were finishing the cake, Emily came back again. ''Thanks for the meal, the cake was delicious,'' Yes, sir. And now this. Celeste - who received what Emily offered her - but Ice cream?Why the ice cream? Thank you. I''ll take it. ''Yeah?You''re going to eat it, Ryota?Are you going to eat that ice cream without question? I told you, don''t be surprised by what you find. ''Yeah, yeah, ......'' Celeste is puzzled, and Emily is smiling. I ate the ice cream she had made for me. It was sweet and delicious, and it soaked into my body. It was worth all my hard work with Celeste. "Thank you, Emily. Good night, Mr. Yoda. With a slumping Celeste in between. We laughed serenely at each other, feeling the satisfaction of having done our job. 44. All-rounder After waking up in the morning, I got out of my tent, which felt as secure as my parents'' house, and stretched out. The work I had undertaken was accomplished, so I slept a little later today. Combined with the effects of Emily''s tent, I felt refreshed and completely exhausted. ''Mmm?'' Suddenly, I saw Celeste dancing in a pile of trash. There was a pile of garbage even though I had cleaned it out yesterday. No, rather more than usual. It feels almost twice as much. I walked up to Celeste and spoke to her from behind. ''Good morning,'' Good morning, you''re finally up. Emily''s tent is just too comfortable. I know. It was hard for me to get out of the tent in the morning, too. Five minutes to go, one minute to go, 30 seconds to go... ...... It was so hard. I''m telling you, it''s not like this in a regular house. Even the tents are that nice and warm, you know? Celeste gulped and cleared her throat. ''From the tent: ...... Gokuri.'' You''re mumbling, you''re imagining it. I''d like to ask you out for a bit. What can I say, I want to brag about Emily. I''ll ask her out for a little while when I get back to Cyclo. Well. With that in mind, I look up at the pile of trash. ''Come to think of it, what''s going on here, isn''t there a lot more trash than usual today?'' ''Yes. Apparently there was a dungeon master out there, and the adventurers couldn''t get into the dungeon, so almost all of them were eating and drinking from the dungeon, and that''s what happened. Dungeon Master? He nods his head. I''ve never heard that word before. As the name suggests, he''s a dungeon bogeyman. He only shows up every few months, so I''m guessing this is a first for Seren. Oh, I didn''t know there was such a thing. Is it strong? That''s the problem, my dear. I nodded my head, wondering what it meant. The people who gather in Seren right now are mostly pro-cycling adventurers. People who specialize in consistently hunting the same monsters. You can''t handle a higher-ranked monster. ''Yes. Tomorrow we''ll have adventurers to deal with. People who are very good at dealing with dungeon masters. It makes sense. There are different types of adventurers. Well, there are those who produce air and sell it to princesses for their airboxes, and then there are those like me whose abilities are better suited to researching new dungeons. I wouldn''t be surprised if there are adventurers who specialize in high-ranking monsters. Let''s leave it to them. Ah, ...... What''s going on? It''s getting haggled over there. There are so many of them that the other side has been judged uninhabitable. I''ll take him down. ''What?But, I''m not going to be able to dive the dungeon today anyway, so I''ll help you. Thanks to ....... Celeste blushed for some reason and thanked me. I grabbed my two guns and headed around the pile of trash to the other side. It took me about a minute to run around to the other side. And there was Frankenstein, all over the place. Well, yeah. They hatch into haggles where there''s no one else in sight, not one or two of them if there''s something like this all together. Celeste is annoyed, but I grimace. It''s a treasure trove of hagremonos in my opinion. Red ruby bracelet, a bracelet with an effect that sometimes increases the drop of haglemono. I load the two pistols with flaming bullets and hunt Frankenstein from a safe distance. Stop and take them down one by one with the flame fusion bullets. Golden tracking bullets drop from the burned out Frankenstein. One basic shot, sometimes two drops due to the effect of the bracelet. I take down the hagremonts in a streamlined manner. It occurred to me that my style could be classified as an orbiting type, right? My body has somehow become ingrained in the safe, efficient way of doing things. I naturally do things to make it more efficient, like guiding a slime over a magic cart to defeat it. That''s all well and good. Sometimes you just want to do something a little different. He mumbled and winced. When Frankenstein was in his final unity, he put his gun away and stepped in with a clenched fist. A punch of wind-beating sound came out of his gnarled muscles. He caught it with both hands, crackling, and a shockwave blew everything around him away. ''Whoa!'' He grabs an arm and pulls it back, knocking him off balance with a counter punch. He rushes at the blasted Frankenstein, catches up with him, clasps his hands together and hits him with a hammer punch. The giant forks and plunges to the ground. The ground cracked and cratered. Struggling to get up from it, Frankenstein is still tough. He doesn''t rest his hand and gives chase. He uses his strength and speed A and high physical ability to demonstrate fighting techniques like you''ve seen in manga and anime. I used to have a problem with the world''s most famous anti-aircraft technique when I asked my friend to fly from the jungle gym and I twisted my wrist, but now I can blow up Frankenstein''s huge body with no problem. Kinda gross. It took me a long time to do all those things. I took down just one Frankenstein in twice the time I''d spent on the herd so far. It dropped a single golden tracking bullet as well. It''s only one shot because the armband hasn''t been activated. The results are exactly the same, the efficiency is the worst. I still wanted to do it, and it felt good. I wanted to play efficiently, but at the same time, I wanted to have a good time at some point. It''s a bad habit of mine. But it felt good. At the same time, I was reminded that I could do more than just play efficiently. I picked up the tracking rounds and went around the garbage heap to get back to where I came from. There I found the opposite of me, a man with the worst efficiency. Celeste also fired her inferno at a bit of trash a short distance away. As I burned the trash, I couldn''t help but leave a little bit here and there. Normally you can use a weaker magic on the ones that are left a little bit, but Celeste can only use one type of great magic, so it''s deathly inefficient in these situations. And with that, he wastes his magic power in a way and drains his energy. I''m still wobbling around. ''''Emily, are you there?'''' Yes, sir. Responding quickly to the call, Emily came out of the tent. ''Let''s give Celeste a break. Let''s tie her up in the tent and force her to rest. I''ll take care of the trash. Okay. Emily said and went to Celeste. She grabbed her hand and tried to drag her into the tent. Emily with a smiling face, Celeste with a troubled look on her face. She tries to shake Emily off, but she can''t unshake her. Celeste, who is nearly six feet tall, is losing power to Emily, who is about six feet tall. It''s kind of funny. So Celeste is dragged into the tent by Emily. Before entering, Emily shifts the tent a bit, moving it away from the trash. That''s Emily, as expected of her, Haglemono - she doesn''t forget to follow up on the Frankensteinization. She''s an amazing woman(person). What''s even more amazing is that for a moment, I could see a divine, temple-like wave from the open tent. That''s what I''m talking about, Emily, she''s an amazing woman. "Go and be healed. While blessing Celeste, I kept my distance from the garbage. This time, I used the flame fusion bombs to play efficiently. "It feels so good to be ...... good to be ...... I cleaned out the trash and got a bunch of tracking rounds, while I could hear the distracted, mellow voices in the tent. The last one tried to hit me again, but I held it back with a wry smile and took it down with a fireball, as well. ''Whoa?'' Suddenly, four adventurers came from Cyclo''s side. By all appearances, two warrior types and two wizard types. All four of them seem to be competent and atmospheric. And the balance of the combination is also good. ''''Is that...'''' Maybe he''s an adventurer who wants to take down the Dungeon Master. Emily came over to me from the side. ''I knew it,'' ''Yes, sir. I don''t have a magic cart, even though I''m a powerful man. It''s a piece of equipment you''re only here to take down. Yeah, sure. The adventurers were all equipped for battle. If they were produced around, they would bring a good amount of equipment, magic carts and all sorts of things, but there was nothing of that sort at all. They seem to be specialized equipment for defeating people. ''''Seren will be back to normal operation from tomorrow. Yes, sir. Where''s Celeste, by the way? He''s taking a nap. I''ll have a snack with him when he wakes up. You can help me with mine. Yes, sir! Emily''s snack when she woke up, to soothe Celeste. I didn''t know what was going to come out of it, but it made me drool just thinking about it. As I expected, the snack not only heals Celeste, but also me. A night to be healed by Emily. In the background, the experts in defeating them had been wiped out by the Dungeon Master. 45. Party formation Inside the Cyclodungeon Society tent, Duke was in a big hurry. He''s giving the secretaries a string of instructions to the arrowheads, and he''s desperately trying to do something about it. I was going to come hear about the adventurer who was killed by the dungeon master, but it looks like that''s not the place to be. Well, I guess we''ll have to come back--. Satou-san! I locked eyes with Duke, who was skipping instructions, and the other side got up from his chair and came over to me. ''Thanks for coming, I was just about to call you. Sounds like a lot of work. ''Yeah, I didn''t expect the Conrad family to get hit, so a lot of things have gone wrong with my plans. By Conrad, you mean those four guys? Do you know? I just caught a glimpse of it yesterday. Okay. Duke nodded, gesturing for me to do the same, and I sat down on the couch. I sat down across from him and listened again. ''What''s the situation now?'' I''m trying to get HQ to send some more help, but we''ve got the cha-cha from the heteros. Cha-cha? ''We should go here with caution, the new dungeon master of the newly created dungeon, we should go with caution so as not to make any sacrifices. ''...... Cha-cha, that''s a bad idea, isn''t it?'' ...... dungeon master changes ecology. Duke says like he''s biting down on a bitter worm. ''It''s not just a strong demon, if it exists long enough, it can change the very ...... kind of dungeon monsters'' biology. That''s why they named him Master. What do you mean by "change of species"? ''The monsters in each tier are going to be different, they''re going to be completely different from what they were before. And of course, the drops will change. After hearing that much, I finally understood. ''And the rare monsters?'' Yeah, and a rare monster. I see, so it''s more convenient for Heero to let them run amok for a long time. If we can get it right, we can overturn what''s about to become a Cyclo, or at worst, the status quo. Duke nodded gravely. ''So, what''s with the cha-cha?'' He wants a joint cyclo-hetero formation for the next round. They''re trying to interrupt us. ''Just dragging your feet, or whistling that you can''t pick someone over here, that''s all you need to do. ...... sucks. ''Can''t it be that the adventurers go voluntarily, rather than on a strike force?'' I put in an order for you as well. Order? There must be at least three adventurers, all of them must be of at least A level, and all of them must go voluntarily. The number of people and their abilities are reasonable considering the fact that the strike team was beaten back, but the people who come here to work are, with the exception of those who are stable-minded, we can''t expect them to spontaneously go take out the dungeon master. ''I understand that more people are better, what is the rationale for a minimum of three?'' ...... It''s a measure against Mr. Sato. What? They expected Satou-san to come out. That''s why I put a limit on the number of people. Ore measures ...... Emily ...... ''Yes, the other side knows that Satou-san has come with a pair. And they also know that no adventurer wants to venture around Seren now. Circumventive adventurers become more and more cautious as their abilities increase. It''s not uncommon for them to start out dealing with monsters of a higher rank, but by the time they run up, they''re taking stability from monsters two ranks below them. ...... You can find in this selenium what the ability wants in an A adventurer: ...... Duke said, and let out a deep sigh. I left the tent and talked to a few adventurers. After a few days of going there, we get to know each other''s faces to some extent. Especially when you bring in a lot of purchases - even more so with the faces of talented people. I approached those adventurers and offered to take down the dungeon master, but they all turned down the offer. All of them rejected it with a shrug. I can see the stability-oriented attitude in their words. Most of them said that the dungeon master would be taken down by Ciclo or Heero eventually. It felt malicious. Three of us can get in, I and Emily are there, we can find another one. I can handle one of them - I''ll run around where I think I can - and I can''t find one. Adventurer''s habits are that tricky. In this world where dungeons drop everything, the adventurers who circle the dungeons are practically "producers". Despite what they call themselves, they all don''t want to venture, they take stability. There are hundreds of them, but I can''t find a single one. I''m starting to feel like they''re harassing me more than they''re harassing me. They''re harassing me in pinpoint accuracy. I remember the look of complexity on Duke''s face, and I''m pretty sure he knew that. "Huh. ...... What are you sighing about? Wow! I was suddenly startled in a grand way when I felt warm, raw breath on my ears. I was so startled that I jumped up and turned around, taking my distance. There was a man I didn''t expect to see. ''Neptune!'' Hey, good to see you. You''ve been good. Neptune, the alleged homos*xual gentleman, was there for some reason. There were two women behind him, Cyril and Ran, who had also seen this one before. ''I''m glad I dared, hey, do you have time tonight?'' "I don''t have time for this, and I''m definitely not ''tonight'' with you or anything! Ha-ha, you''re boring. You''re a pain in the ass to your future buddies. "I''m not your f*cking friend, you faggot-- your friend? I felt like a savior had appeared in front of me. ''Hey, you can have a party for one day. I asked Neptune to do it. He''s perfectly capable of facing off against me, with my strength of S, and he''s got A. And he was in our first quest when the Nifongium dungeon was born, so he''s not entirely stable. He fits the bill - he''s got the right stuff. The thing is. Neptune was disappointed. I''ve got a formal request from the Cyclodungeon Society, and I''m waiting for my companion from the other side. W-- I''m really sorry. I wanted to see you a little later and see you before you reported in. Neptune glanced at me with great disappointment. A shiver ran down my spine and I shuddered at the buttocks. A shiver of horror crept down my spine, but at the same time, I realized that he couldn''t expect it. A glimmer of light appeared for a moment and then disappeared like a receding tide. When I got back to Emily''s tent, I could see it from the outside, but for some reason it was a flurry of activity inside. I was wondering what was going on, when Emily came out. ''Oh, welcome back, Yoda,'' I''m home. What are you doing here? ''I''m preparing to go to the dungeon. I''m preparing to take down the Dungeon Master! That''s great, Emily, that I didn''t have to tell you to do that. I chuckled, thinking that this was still the same. But I''m sorry I made you work for free this time. Actually, we can''t get into the dungeon without the three of us. Yes, I''m aware of that too. "?If you''re listening, why-- As I wondered at Emily''s smile, another person came out of the tent. It was Celeste, a tall, beautiful woman with beautiful hair. ''I''m going with you,'' Celeste?Eh, the garbage-- Poof, I turn around and see a few adventurers around the usual pile of trash. The adventurers were happily chattering away at the trash heap. When I said I would give them my salary, they all agreed. ...... You''re very stable. I''d imagine that since I''ve been struggling to find people, Celeste would be easier to find. Garbage disposal is a stable, stable, stable place. It would have been easy to find a replacement. ''That''s fine,'' he said, looking at Celeste. ''But you don''t want to be in a dungeon. For some reason, Celeste blushed, but operated the nearby - now board that was set up here and there during this period of high exodus. ---1/2--- Level: 21/54 HP D MP C Power E Strength F Intelligence A Spirit A Speed E Dexterous F Luck C --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... I saw Celeste''s abilities for the first time, the first page was how she was like her and the second page was casually telling me why she was a garbage disposalist, not an adventurer. ''I want to go with you,'' Celeste said, her cheeks coloring more and more as she looked straight at me. ''I want to help you, Lyota,'' I couldn''t help but feel my heart skip a beat. 46. ??Thank you for your tears Emily, Celeste, and I entered the Seren dungeon. ''Mmm,'' I groaned as soon as I stepped in. You could say the air was stale. The air is ten times worse than that sticky air that sticks to your skin during the rainy season, or maybe even a hundred times worse. The air is stifling, it''s hard to move, and it makes you want to run away from the place. What''s so unpleasant about dungeons? No, it''s not, or at least it wasn''t like this here yesterday. ''This is the air of a dungeon when there are no monsters at all,'' Emily replied with a straight face. ''This is the kind of air I get when the Dungeon Master is out. Do you know? ''I''ve seen it happen a few times in Tellurium. I didn''t understand it at first, so I ran away when the defeatist told me to. Well, you did live in a dungeon, at the time. I look around, convinced. The air is heavy, but also. ''I don''t see any monsters at all, is this also because of the dungeon master? ''Yes, sir, and as long as it''s out, there won''t be any other monsters. We''ve got to take it down fast. Dungeon-master or not, the lack of monsters in this world is deadly. This is a world where everything, from all kinds of goods, to water and air, are dropped from monsters in dungeons. No monsters would mean that the primary industry would stop completely. ''''Dungeon masters can move freely through all the tiers of ......, I think. ''Yes, I''m stuck in the dungeon, along with all the other monsters, but only the Dungeon Master is free to move between levels. So we have to find him. I nodded to the two of them and walked away. We headed to the back of the dungeon, still in a combat stance. The first basement floor, there was nothing. The second basement floor was likewise empty. Then I stepped into the third basement floor. ''''--!I am. Yes, sir. It''s choking me. ...... Emily and Celeste both looked like they were having a hard time. That''s no wonder, because as soon as they entered the third basement floor, they felt an intense pressure that they had never felt before. It''s a strong, intimidating feeling that made me say that the one before was just a child''s trick. I grabbed my gun back, nodded to the two of them, and moved on. They appeared from the other side. A black horse that seemed to be asserting its evilness, a huge body with two horns on top of its head. ''''This is the dungeon master? Bicorn ...... otherwise known as ''The Defiler of Innocence'' Bicorn... or whatever it is, let''s do it. Yes! Yes, sir! First, Emily jumped out of the way. She carried a hammer on her petite 130-centimeter body and pounced on it, twirling it around in the air before shaking it off. The hammer hit the bicorn''s head - and it was stopped just above the two horns, I thought. ''Emily!'' The bicorn flicks off the hammer and tries to poke Emily''s body with its horn. He fired a barrage of bullets to stop the movement, and Emily jumped back with the recoil of the hammer. She kicked the ground and dashed into it. With a familiar hand, she instantly refilled all the bullets with tracking rounds, thrusting her hands out horizontally and firing in rapid succession from side to side. Bicorn was puzzled for a moment. The dozen or so bullets scattered to the left and right were sucked into the bicorn in an arcing trajectory, like homing missiles. At the same time, they were fleshed out and kicked off. The tracked bullets collectively landed on one of the horns where the tracked bullets landed collectively, launching a reloaded fusion penetrating bullet into the corner. Ga. ''Doesn''t work?Is it a barrier or something? There was no response at all. In Emily''s case and mine, the attack on the bicorn''s horn felt like it was being repelled by something invisible. Let''s just keep attacking. Celeste, cover me. Okay. Celeste at the back of the line nodded and increased her magic power. She spread out her magic circle and unleashed her magic after a chant. Level 3 great magic, flames engulf the bicorn as it fills the cave. I don''t think this is enough to defeat it, I and Emily jumped into the swirling flames. The bicorn wasn''t down, it was onslaught against it. Emily slams her hammer down, and I fire bullets into her, while she fires bullets into the air. "Yikes! Emily! I quickly shot a recovery round at Emily, who was hit by a counterattack. She was gouged in the air by a corner, but when she landed, she was already healed. ''Thank you.'' Don''t do anything rash. Yes, sir! ''Never mind Celeste, just keep firing your magic!You can''t make a half-hearted attack on this thing! Okay! The third wave of attacks. We took on the bicorn with everything we had. It was a gradual process, but it was manageable. There was some kind of invisible barrier around the bicorn, but after a certain amount of attacks, it would gradually weaken and the attacks would be more responsive. If you take a breath and attack again, the barrier will return to normal. Perhaps it''s the type of barrier that can be broken by a saturation attack. If that''s the case, if you push it all at once-- "...... ah. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Celeste lying on the ground. I ran over and shot a recovery bullet while holding her up. For most injuries, one shot is enough, but for overuse of magic, a few shots are not enough to recover. While holding her, I press the muzzle of my gun against her and fire a series of recovery shots. "I''m sorry I''m dragging my feet ...... Don''t worry about it. The last thing you want is to fall down on your ass. What? You don''t have to hold on until you fall-- mmm. Emily was struggling because she took off to help Celeste. She grabs her gun back and gets Celeste back on her feet and back in the line of fire. I run up to Emily, who has been blown up against the wall. ''Are you okay, Emily?'' Something is wrong. Is that funny? That one. Emily pointed at the bicorn''s feet. A strange magic circle spread out from the black horse''s four legs. The magic circle spread out and took up most of the cave, as if it had been put out when. ''''When did you put that thing out?'''' I don''t know. ...... What''s wrong with ....... Emily put her hand on the wall to get up, but there was a Nowboard where she had been. The effort she put into getting her body up activated the Nowboard. The status displayed there was. ---1/2--- Level: 22/40 HP C (-2) MP F (-2) Force C (-2) Strength E (-2) Intelligence F(-2) Spirit F(-2) Speed F (-2) Dexterous F (-2) Luck F(-2) --------- ... His abilities had dropped across the board. Other than Emily''s outstandingly high HP and strength, they had dropped to almost the lowest point in Emily''s life. ''He who defiles purity ......'' -Oh! I huff at Emily''s murmur. I see, this is the power of the bicorn, the power of this magic circle. A dungeon master with a debuff that lowers the power of the humans inside the magic circle. ''''Is Yoda-san okay?'''' Celeste. Yeah! While Celeste is stranded in the inferno, I check my abilities on the Now board. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F(-2) Power S Strength F(-2) Intelligence F(-2) Spirit F(-2) Speed C(-2) Dexterous F(-2) Luck F (-2) --------- ... The ability to get up to S was unaffected, probably because S is just me () and I''m far from the providence of this world. At the same time, the speed A, which I didn''t raise to S, was firmly lowered by the bicorn. I''m down, but I can still fight. "Emily, I''ll take the front. Emily, I''m in front, you follow me. Yes, sir. Celeste-- Calling out to them, I fire the recovery rounds early. ''Take cover, don''t do anything rash. Yeah. After saying that to the two of them, I jumped at the bicorn that came out of the flames. Perhaps because I began to be aware of the magic circle, I could vividly feel my body slowing down. The turnaround of the attacks became slower and it took a lot of time to reload the bullets. The attacks themselves were no longer hitting me, making it more of a struggle than it was earlier. Still, the power, the power hasn''t gone down. It''s still at S, so if I hit it, if I hit it and hit it all at once, I can defeat it. I thought so, but I couldn''t see a way out of it. The battle became bogged down. (side Celeste) There had never been anyone like that around Celeste before. No one had ever spoken to her like that, in fact, they often said the opposite. Don''t fall down, do what you have to do. Worse, she once told me to tell me when I was going to be sick first, or to fall down after I got out of a busy period. I never thought that was wrong until now. Partly because my magic is unbalanced and flawed, and partly because of the fact that I''m involved in everyone''s lives, which is garbage disposal. I''ve always thought that I shouldn''t fall down, that I should do my best. But the man in front of me was different; he told me I didn''t have to try my best. He even told me that if I tried too hard and fell down, it would be hard for me. I''ve never heard a man say that to me before, it struck me and I was strongly attracted to him. I want to do my best for him ...... him. It''s a contradiction, but an honest feeling. I want to push the envelope for the first man to tell me I don''t have to work hard. Power. Celeste exerted herself to the limit. ''All of me,'' A magic circle of light pushed back the bicorn''s magic circle. Mr. Yoda! Just when I was beginning to think that I was going to be left in a bit of a bind - Emily shouted with great force. When I turned around to see what was going on, I saw Celeste, far behind me, chanting magic. Her appearance was unusual - her long, beautiful hair was on fire (...). ''Celeste!'' I''m coming! The moment Celeste said it, the magic burst forth. He quickly jumped back, distancing himself from the bicorn. The bicorn was engulfed in a swirling fireball, which was engulfed in flames. The magic circle on the ground faded at a tremendous rate. Celeste almost fell down with a wobbly ....... ''''Celeste!'''' Mr. Yoda! Emily screams again, and something comes at me with great force. I quickly catch it - Emily''s hammer. She throws it at me, and Celeste runs at it. Emily runs to Celeste. You grit your teeth and suck in a breath. Gripping the hammer tighter than I expected, I plunge into the still burning bicorn and swing the hammer down. With the force of the S, I slam Emily''s hammer down. From the tip of the hammer, I could feel the response of smashing the barrier into a thin layer of skin. Eventually, the flames went out and the black horse''s body shattered into pieces. Only two horns were left behind. I come to Celeste, who is lying on the floor. She''s being cared for by Emily, and she''s terribly debilitated. The same as when I met her, but far more debilitated than that. The karma flames that burned through the bicorn, the magic beyond the limit - I could easily imagine it. I put the gun to her and shoot the recovery rounds like a syringe. One, two, three rounds ....... Even though the magazine was empty, she still hadn''t recovered, and after another set of shots, she finally recovered. It just goes to show how reckless I was. There are many things I want to say, but I held it together. ''Thank you Celeste, thanks to you I was able to take that guy down. Will I help you? Of course, I''m glad you''re here. Celeste''s eyes widened and tears spilled out of her eyes as they did. ''Dude, what''s going on?'' That''s the first time anyone''s ever said that to me: ...... Yeah? I panicked a little bit, because I didn''t think she was going to cry. I had to do something. I had to get her to stop. And then I panicked, and then I remembered something I''d picked up earlier. "Oh, yeah, I wanted you to have this. ...... What''s this? What the bicorn left behind ...... would be a drop product. I held out the two horns of the bicorn I picked up earlier. It''s two sizes smaller than the original, about the size of my finger. "Is this ...... for me? Yeah. Oh, I''ve got two, and I''ll give one to Emily. No, that''s two in one. And I think you deserve it more than you do. Me? Take it, so we can see. ......? Celeste takes the bicorn horn from my hand with a fox-pulled expression on her face and fearsomely takes it from my hand. The moment she takes it in her hand, her eyes widen in surprise. ''You understand--why are you crying again! I was in a panic as Celeste, holding the bicorn horn, was even more ragged and tearful than before. The bicorn horn, the bicorn horn. The ability is one that allows you to use level 1 magic unlimitedly just by having it. I gave it to Celeste, who can only use it at level 3, just in time for her to follow up on her daily routine, but for some reason, she cried terribly. Emily gently hugged Celeste like that. Celeste clung to Emily and sobbed. It looked like that, a big kid and a little mother. Really, what was wrong with her? ''Celeste. Mr. Yoda is in trouble, and I need to make sure I express my feelings right now. Yes. ...... Celeste looked up, wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and looked at me. And... "Thank you. And he said it slowly, quietly, clearly. He said it to me. I''m blown away, thank you? So.... Yes, that''s right. I''m crying tears of joy. Oh, no, don''t tell me!Don''t say that! Celeste tried to cover Emily''s mouth in a big hurry - or even if she did after saying it. But yeah. If that''s what you mean, I chuckled. There was a bit of a hiccup at the end, but I got to see a different side of Celeste. The defeat of the dungeon master was also a success. 47. Family The Cyclodungeon Society tent. I came to report that I had defeated the dungeon master bicorn. Duke, the man in charge, couldn''t believe it at first, but he was forced to accept it as adventurers rushed to the dungeon when another monster appeared in the dungeon, not to mention the fact that it was defeated, not to mention the fact that I didn''t need to send someone out to check. ''I''m surprised, I didn''t expect you to defeat the dungeon master as well. It was going to take some time with the hetero, so I messed up. Did I bother you? ''No way!Bicorn, as you know, has a formidable ability. I was trying to send a family of Neptune''s that could handle it, but the heteros also knew that, so they were stretching themselves by ordering this and that. I''m so grateful they forced us to take them down. Can you handle it if it''s Neptune? ''I don''t know the details--the more skilled adventurers tend to hide their abilities. I know something about that. I told almost nobody about the drop s. Emily was the only one who knew. "So, judging by performance and self-assessment, the Neptunes have a solid track record. I see. ''In any case, thank you for taking down ....... I can''t decide on the reward here because it''s so sudden, probably after Satou-san returns to Cyclo--I won''t let you work for free, that''s all I know. It''s okay. I just wanted to do it. Then at least let me thank you. Thank you so much. With Duke thanking me and the adventurers coming alive outside the thin tent. I''m glad I stuck out. Stars. We left the Dungeon Society tent and walked towards Emily''s tent. Seren''s surroundings returned to normal. Adventurers entered the dungeon one by one, and early on, another adventurer came out pushing a magic cart loaded with drop items and went to buy them. The purchased drops were carried to the city, where supplies for the adventurers and goods for the money they earned were brought in one by one from the city. I thought it was interesting to watch. This place is like a microcosm of this world. In a world where dungeons drop everything, people''s livelihoods revolve around dungeons. Production, manufacturing, services, and everything else. All sorts of activities revolve around dungeons. I wonder if there is inflation or deflation in this world, or if there is a bubble or recession? If so, what is it like and how does it relate to dungeons? I was curious about that, and I thought as I walked along that I''d check it out when I returned to Ciclo. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * When I came back to Emily''s tent, I saw Emily and Celeste. Emily had built a bonfire in front of the tent and was doing something with it. I waved to her and she waved back, smiling at me. Celeste was a little ways away from the tent, with her back to us, facing the garbage as usual. He deployed a magic circle at his feet and burned the trash together with his level 3 flame magic, Inferno. After burning them all together with the broad-spectrum magic, there is a little bit of trash left here and there. This time, he held out his hand and held up two horns. Dungeon Master''s Drop, the Bicorn Horn. When I held it up, an incomparably smaller flame burned the trash than before. The flames were small, but the firepower was enough to burn the small amount of trash that was left over. I used my own large magic to burn the large amount of trash and the excess was burned with the small scale magic of the bicorn horn. When I dealt with all the trash that was there, an additional little bit of trash was brought in. I burned it with the flames of the bicorn horn and handled it easily. When I was sure everything was taken care of, I called out to her. "Celeste, Mr. Lyota! She turned around, smiled, and came trotting over with a smile on her face. ''......'' I think it''s the first time. Ever since I met her, I haven''t seen her this energetic, even after the garbage disposal. Until now, I feel like all I''ve ever seen is her exhausted and exhausted. More often than not, she''s exhausted and down. ''You''ve been taking care of the garbage, haven''t you?'' ''It''s all thanks to this bicorn horn Mr. Lyota gave me. I''m glad I could help. These bicorn horns are amazing. This is the first time I''ve ever been able to use an unlimited amount of magic, even at level 1. I''ve known the ones with a limited number of uses, but... Used up? There are only three places in the world that produce them, and they are produced from a dungeon that drops a special item. Don''t you know? It''s a special quality of ....... Celeste nodded. Come to think of it, I remember there was something called ''traits'' in the drop. Animals, plants, and minerals are easy to understand, and I can kind of imagine what magic is. Only the trait wasn''t clear to me at the moment, but I see, that''s what it is. If there are only three dungeons in the world, I''d like to go to them sooner or later. I somehow turned around and looked at the Seren dungeon, which was crowded with adventurers and people around it from the outside (,). I''m done investigating the drops, I''ve defeated the happening dungeon master, and I''ve got my work cut out for me here. My work here is done. It''s time for me to say goodbye to Ceren. Are you going to ...... already? ''Yeah, it was originally just a short trip at the behest of the Cyclodungeon Society, and I''m starting to miss home. Emily''s tent feels as warm and secure as my parents'' house, but it''s still not as good as a normal house that the same Emily took care of. So ...... when will you be back? ''I guess I''ll take the night off and go to ...... tomorrow. There''s nothing more to do here, and I can''t make any money right now with all the adventurers flooding in. ...... Celeste, pouting, biting her lower lip, trying to say something. She clasps her hands together on her chest and squeezes her bicorn horn. I look at her and I say, "Why don''t you come with me? "Do you want to come with me? I''ll go to Cyclo when I''m done here. At the same time as I cut her off, she said, "I don''t know. It was almost the same timing. The two of us were both scowling as the lines crossed. ''Going to Cyclo, what, what are you doing there?'' Even Cyclo needs to take care of the trash, so I was going to quit my current one and get a job there. ...... Would you like to come with me? You know what I mean? Suddenly, Neptune''s disgusted face popped into my head and I said the words as I thought them. ''''--The Ryota family?Or something like that. Be! Celeste responded immediately and pressed on. If I let this opportunity pass, there would be no next time,'''' he said. ''Be!Make it!If only I could go to the dungeon with Lyota-san again! Celeste, with her bicorn horn clenched tightly in her hand, is pressing down on me. The seriousness of the ...... thought is palpable. ''Yeah, I''ll come with you. Oh, but first, I have to ask Emily-- It''s a celebration! Wow! I was startled when he suddenly spoke to me from directly behind. I turned around and saw Emily there, and to my surprise she was holding a cake. A beautiful whole cake on a plate, a beautiful whole cake. ''Did you have a cake ready?'' I was baking. "...... You were building a bonfire. Yes, sir. Emily smiled serenely as she held the cake. I took another look at Celeste, and she looked at me with a sullen look in her eyes as she put the conversation on hold. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the right one for you. It''s nice to meet you. Nice to meet you. Yes! Celeste squeezed the bicorn''s horn even tighter and nodded with a big smile. 48. The first team of the family Ciclo, an agricultural town, a two-bedroom property for 150,000 piro, which is rented. That''s where I was bringing Celeste''s belongings in. She will live there until we find a place for her to stay in Ciclo. By the way, we''ve decided to have her stay in Emily''s room for the time being. It''s a two-bedroom apartment, so Celeste is very apologetic and refuses to let the ladies use the two rooms, so they agreed to share a room with someone else, and as a matter of course, Emily and Celeste are now sharing a room. When things settle down, we can go and rent a bigger room. Since I''m inviting Celeste to join the Ryota family, I''m naturally going to have to pay for that. I have two plans. Either we can rent a three bedroom apartment and move in together, or we can rent a studio above this one and move in without me. The reason for the higher rank is because we both rejected the idea of having two people use the two bedrooms and I would move to a cheap apartment for 20,000 piro. If I was to leave alone, I''d have to move to a higher-ranked place, which would be more troublesome for me. I was thinking about this as I carried Celeste''s luggage into the room. "Yikes! ''Oops!Sorry. Because I was thinking, I bumped into Celeste and dropped the package on the ground. The cardboard box fell and cracked open, causing some of the packages inside to fly out. ''Sorry, I was thinking,'' No, I''m the one who didn''t even look at the-- Oh, my God! Celeste screamed when she saw the package that had fallen, or more accurately, the package from the box. I scream and snatch it up and hide it behind my back. I saw it sticky, or rather, I can still see it. Celeste hid it, and you can see it from the box that has been cracked open. It was a fancy plush toy, with girlie taste. It''s an object that''s a bit of a departure from her slender, tall, model-looking image. ''You see that?'' I didn''t see him. I answer immediately, but the other side knows it''s a lie. Celeste''s face turns bright red. ''Wow, forget it.'' I said, half pleadingly, and ran into the room. I did it. ...... I''ll follow up with something later. After the move, I went into town with both Celeste and Emily. We have a lot of things to do, but first we have to find Celeste a job. I decided to start by visiting a garbage disposal company to see if it would be good to do what I was used to doing. ''Oh, hey. Look at that. "Holy shit, she''s beautiful. Have you seen someone like that around here? Some stranger from out of town? ''Wow. ......'' I''ve been walking around a while now, and I hear people whispering. I know how it feels, and I feel the same way. When we were in the Seren dungeon, we didn''t often move together, but now that we''re together, I can understand. Celeste is beautiful, tall and straight, with her hair blowing back and forth. She is so beautiful that all the modifiers feel tactless. Beautiful. That''s the kind of beauty that suits you best. When I walk with her, I feel a sense of superiority. I suddenly think. I wonder what she will do with those fancy stuffed animals. Will she hold them in her arms and sleep with them, or will she talk to them? ''Chuckle.'' I couldn''t help but smile as I thought about it all. ''Huh?Isn''t that Mr. Lyota? "Elsa. It was Elsa, the buyer, who came from the other side. She spotted me and came trotting over with a smile on her face. ''Long time no see, it''s good to see you back. Yeah, I''m almost done with that Serenity thing. I''ve heard the rumors. I heard that you did a great job with the whole gamut of activities. We''re very proud that one of our customers is now famous. Yeah, I''ve heard the rumors and I''ve been asked to do some commissions for Lyota-san, so when you''re free, just drop me a line. Okay, I will. When we were done talking, Elsa looked behind me. "Um, how''s it going over there? There''s Emily and Celeste standing there, I know Emily, so I was curious about Celeste standing side by side. ''I''d like to introduce you. This is Celeste. Nice to meet you. ''I''m Elsa, nice to meet you! ''A fellow ...... family member?The family?It''s going to be a target. Is that so? Elsa was startled, a little depressed, and then quickly chuckled. ...... Why were you a little depressed? So we''re finally going to enter the basement six floors and beyond in earnest? Yeah, what do you mean? ''Huh?Isn''t that why you formed the family? "No, there''s a lot going on, so ...... do you normally form a family and go in? Yes, sir. Elsa nodded, and she explained with the bright smile I often see in shops. ''The dungeons in Cyclo get a lot more complicated from the fifth basement down, like how to beat them and how to beat them efficiently. Okay, so that''s why you need a license. Yes, we usually get a party and a bunch of people together and try it. Okay. I nodded and looked at Celeste and Emily behind me. They nodded back at me. Since we''re going to go there, I could feel their eye contact. ''Thank you Elsa, I''ll bring some drops later.'' Yes, I''ll be waiting for you. When we found out that Elsa had a business smile on her face, I changed my plans and headed to tellurian. Elsa, who looked away from Ryota, had a sad and envious expression on her face. With that expression, she looked at the newly appeared tall beauty, Celeste. ''''A rival has appeared.'''' Ina. Don''t be silly. I''m not: ...... A co-worker, Ena, who appeared out of nowhere, teased Elsa. It''s a pretty in-depth way of teasing, as is often the case with best friends. ''Yeah?I want to join the family too! You look at me like, "I want to join the family too! I don''t think that''s true. I don''t think that''s true. I''m just slowed down by dungeons. You know what I''m talking about. Ena patted Elsa on the back. This exchange is also because they are such good friends. It''s a good idea to buy in and be the first to know if there''s any information about the dungeon. Yeah, it''s just the information that helps. That''s what I mean. Thank you, Ena. It''s okay. We''re all friends. Ena gave him a thumbs up and a wink. It was a great exchange, because they were best friends. This cheered Elsa up and they walked towards the store. ''By the way, Ena, didn''t you say it was us earlier? ''What?Did I say that? It''s gone. Tellurian Dungeon, 6th floor underground. The first time I stepped into it, the atmosphere was definitely a bit different. It was a dungeon, but it didn''t look like a dungeon. Trees were growing, and in some kind of logic, I could see something black but empty. ''So this is the dungeon: ...... It''s like being outside. You''ve got a little bit of a problem with your selenium. Yeah. We walked around in the dungeon while exchanging with each other. I soon encountered a monster. One huge slime and dozens of smaller slimes appeared together. ''''Hmph?Two kinds of monsters?How does this happen? No, that''s the parent and child slime, that''s a single slime. The big parent is the body and the little one is like a limb. "Good luck with that, Celeste. I talked to some people earlier and got some information. Oh. I''m pretty good at this stuff. Thank God. I''m not very good at collecting information and all that, you know. I pulled myself together and looked at the mother and child slime. If you look at it as a body and its limbs, it looks like the child is protecting its parents. "Then I''ll strike the body first. The gun was loaded with tracking rounds and fired in rapid succession. The bullets followed an erratic trajectory, passing through the child slime and hitting the parent. ''Ah ......'' Huh? Celeste''s reaction was strange, but she soon found out why. The tracking rounds accurately struck only the parent slime, knocking it down and making it disappear. After the parent disappeared, the child would follow suit and disappear. After everything disappeared - the drop was nothing. There was no drop whatsoever, and in my experience, that was not possible. The cause - I don''t know, but Celeste seems to know. ''Sorry, I got ahead of myself. You still have the information. ''Yeah. The drop of the parent and child slime is determined by the number of children defeated. The more children you kill, the more they drop in batches of that number after you kill the parent. I see. ''Then you''ll have to kill a bunch of little ones before you get a bunch of drops. ''Yes, but every time I defeat a child, the parents get stronger. I heard that if you defeat them all, they become so strong that you can''t even touch them. A threshold of stability, huh? Probably the adventurers who go to this sixth basement floor consult with their own skills and decide how many children to defeat and so on. Of course, they can''t defeat a certain number of them every time successfully, the monsters move, and they attack in the first place. I see, so you have to have a license or something to get a permit. ...... I simulated the strategy in my head. Encountered a second father and son slime. I dodged eye contact with Emily and Celeste. Nodding to each other, I fired a freezing bullet first. With almost sniping momentum, I shot the freezing bullets into the parent slime, freezing it and stopping it from moving. ''Inferno!'' In the meantime, Celeste chanted, fluttering her long hair and releasing a wide range of magic to engulf all the parent and child slimes. The child, except for the parent who is freezing it, is being burned by the karma flame. With a crack, the ice cracked. The center of the parent slime''s translucent body began to blink violently. "Hi! Emily pounced, spinning the hammer around and over her head, knocking the hammer into the parent slime. Gakin. It was as if there was a sound of metal clashing, and the parent slime appeared to be almost unharmed. Emily''s all-out blow left it unharmed - but that was the calculation. It was also the reason why Emily jumped in first. ''Annihilation Bullet!It''s about four shots! Yes! After Emily announced her response, I kicked the parent slime away. I was stunned, and I fired in rapid succession with two pistols. Freezing on the left, fire on the right. The annihilation bullets fused together to strike the parent slime. The bullets struck the slime and gouged the body of Emily''s hammer, which even repelled it. The slime gagged, but it quickly ran out of power and slumped to the ground. Then it disappeared with a pop, and with a pop-pop-pop, drops appeared in a heap around it. A large number of potatoes were dropped where the burnt-out child slime had been. ''''Awesome.'''' I did it! As Emily and Celeste cheered, I was secretly gutted. The strategy we had discussed was set in stone. The three of us, not just me, gave me a sense of satisfaction that I had never felt before. This was the first battle of the "Ryota family" with Celeste in attendance. The three of them made me want to try out more and more things. 49. Planning and improvisation The morning after my return to Cyclo, I came to Nihonium for the first time in many years. I started by restocking the flaming bullets that I had used the most in Seren. Upstairs in the basement, the monsters are zombies. The first one, it had been so long since I''d seen one, I almost forgot what to do for a moment, and then my body went rigid. With a bitter smile on my face, I readied my gun and took a headshot. The zombie crumbles and becomes a seed of power, getting sucked into the collection box. That''s right, I just need to make a headshot. I calmly make a headshot and go to take down the zombie. I keep walking like that, and suddenly, I almost remember something. My body moved faster than my head could fully recall. ''Hah!'' The wall cracked for a moment, and then he punched into it. Force S''s all-out punch, his fist thrust into the wall, and he could feel a raw body across the hard rock. Nihonium''s famous, undead surprise attack. I''ve been through this place so much that I''ve already learned the signs of the moment of the surprise attack. In the moment of the signs, I made the opposite preemptive strike and smashed the head of the zombie still buried in the wall with my fist. That''s bad, if you take it down inside the wall, the seed is inside the wall too. The seeds would disappear if you touched them, my power is already up to S. I don''t want to touch the power seeds because I want to use them as bullets. I thought it was a no-brainer, but the collection box worked well and sucked the dropped goods'' power seeds out of the wall. I continued to kill the zombies on the second basement level and replenished my 200 rounds of flame bombs. Three floors below Nifonium, the monster is Mummy. They are macho undead monsters wrapped in bandages. They are tough, and often can''t be defeated with a single round of normal ammo. That''s why it often takes a long time to defeat them. In the afternoon, I promised to meet up with Emily and Celeste in Tellurium and go underground to the sixth floor. We have less than an hour to spare. I''m lost at the entrance to the third basement level, and I don''t have much time. Time is running out, should we cut loose or continue? Let''s do ....... Remembering what happened in Selenium, I choose to continue. First, I close my eyes and picture in my mind the structure of the third floor of the Nifonium basement. Then the points where mammies are common, the points where they usually come out, and the points where they surprise you. Add to those points the time of reoccurrence and build a route in my head. The most "efficient route to go around". ...... Okay! After we made our decision, I took off running. I ran into the mummy. I take two pistols and shoot it through the head with a fusion round. I don''t wait for it to go down, just hold it and keep going. The mummy disappeared in the middle of the process, and I dropped a speed seed. --Speed has been increased by 1. The speed of the A stop has been increased by 1. After reflecting on the bicorn battle, I decided to raise my speed to S. It''s a trait of mine, and it''s the way of the world. The "S" in status is in every way a privilege. So I''m going to give it to you. I figured I''d give it to you right before the meeting. Mummy showed up again. This time I grabbed her by the neck, lifted her up and busted her head off as I proceeded to the next point. I take the seed of speed and increase my ability. We came to a little hall. There were two mammies. I put a fire fusion bullet in one of them and left it there, and ran to where the other was. I took this one down with a meatball, not a gun. He''s as powerful as he looks, Mummy, but he''s no match for me, a power S. I kicked him up and knocked him down with a hammer punch, then stomped on his head to take him down. I pick up the dropped speed seeds and then go back to the other side. The mummy from earlier had dropped and turned into a speed seed, and as you approach it, another mummy comes out of the wall and takes you by surprise. ''DON''T!'' The timing of the surprise/regeneration is as per the route I concocted in my head. This guy will kill it instantly with a penetrating bullet, take the seed of speed that has been reduced to a total of two, and head to the next point. Thus using various moves. With my speed turned to S, I was able to meet up with the two of them just in time. Six floors below Tellurium. In the cave as if in the open air, I concentrate and look for the slime. Suddenly, I found it at a distance. I left the area dotted with trees and grass and came to a wilderness-like area where I could only see rocks and dirt. There was a little hollow in one spot on the ground, where water was pooling and the ground was muddy. There were some baby slimes there, playing in the mud as if they were playing in the mud. ''They''re just kids. In this way, they are very cute. ''It''s like a little pig. Anyway, no parent slime? The father-son slime is an integral part of the monster, it has to be out there somewhere. Okay. I''ll be at the vanguard, so... Just as he was about to say it, the rock in front of him slithered. It wasn''t a rock, it was a mud-covered father and son slime! Disguised--they were ambushed by the inadvertent proximity of a parent and child slime that had assimilated into the ground! The kids all pounce on him at once, crossing their arms to guard against a body hit, while flying backwards to escape the damage. ''Yaaaah!'' Emily? I stepped back and Emily jumped forward instead of me. I hit the ground as hard as I could with the hammer, mud splattered with a pajah, a wet sound. ''Hah!'' It didn''t stop there, Emily swung the hammer right beside her. With the wind pressure, mud, rocks and parent and child slime went flying off the ground at the same time. Seeing this, I stayed in the air and raised my gun. I fired a freezer round to freeze the mud and rocks. A wall of muddy ice was formed. The wall pushed back the slime, and the slime fought back, tackling it one by one. Seeing that it was cracking slightly, I fired another shot to reinforce the ice wall. At the same time, I rushed and pushed the wall. I used the ice wall, which was about ten centimeters across, to bulldoze the parent and child slime into the first mud-playing slime I saw. I thought I had it all together - but then one of the little slimes slipped through right beside me and flew over. I''m pushing as hard as I can, I can''t avoid it--but I can avoid it as normal. But I was able to avoid it normally. I slumped over my upper body, grabbed the slime and pushed it into the ice wall. It was pretty easy to do. I was puzzled for a moment, and I soon found out why. It was because I was now at speed S, but my body still felt the same as it did at A. I thought that would make it impossible to avoid it, but it actually did. ''Mr. Yoda!'' Oh! He kicked the ice wall and flew backwards. ''Inferno!'' The moment I left, flames engulfed the parent and child slime. The flames melted the walls and burned the child slime. In the midst of the flames, the strengthened parent slime was slowly coming at me like a phoenix. Feeling a little bit cool, I held up my two guns and hit it with exactly four annihilation bullets. The bullets gouged the parent slime, almost killing it instantly. Just like yesterday, a lot of potatoes dropped from the parent and child slime. By the way, if we defeated all the child slimes and then the parent slime, the total amount of drops would be about 125,000 piro. It was 120,000 piro for a combined effort. Emily and Celeste arrived. The three of them looked at each other. Yesterday''s victory was the result of a meeting. Today''s victory was a result of an almost impromptu show of force by everyone. Smiling at each other in silence. We high-fived each other with our elbows. 50. Nihonium, 4th basement floor The next morning, I came to the fourth basement floor of Nihonium. I checked the now board at the entrance to make sure I was in the right place, and the status was. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F Power S Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed S Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... Yesterday, the speed on the third basement floor was reduced to S. So from today, it''s the fourth basement floor. The Nifonium Dungeon is like a so-called limestone cave, a dungeon worthy of being called a "cave". That doesn''t change on the fourth basement floor, I wondered if it would change after the sixth floor, which requires a license, as I continued on. ''Oh, there it is: ...... is it Mummy again?'' I was puzzled for a moment. The encountered was a muscular, humanoid demon wrapped in bandages. It looked almost identical to the mammy on the third basement floor, and I thought I''d gone down the wrong level. You''ll find out if it was a mistake or not--you''ll find out when you take it down! The caves of this world, monsters are all about the drops. I was starting to realize that this was becoming common knowledge to me, so I thought I''d start by hitting the monster in front of me. I stepped in first, using my speed to get behind it right in front of it while keeping it close to me, and then I finished off the mummy''s side. As the body bent into a "ku" shape and blown up, I quickly aimed at the head with a penetrating bullet. The bullet pierced his head, and Mamie staggered back, only the bandage remained in place as if the contents had melted away. ....... ....... ....... I waited a moment, but there was no drop. The monster was gone, but the bandages were still there and the seeds that should be there didn''t drop. It''s not the same as ...... third basement level. I mumbled something to myself. This had never happened before, the mummy on the third basement floor never disappeared, leaving only bandages behind. I left the bandage on the spot just in case and hunted for another Mammy. This time, I killed it instantly with the mummy''s weakness, a fire fusion bullet. Then, after all, only the bandage remained. ''''Hmm, what does this mean?'''' The lack of drops is a bit of a problem. My ability is Drop S. It''s a better S than the world''s best A. I''ve been using it to drop monsters that never drop, and they don''t exist in this world. With that Drop S, I''ve been able to drop monsters that "never drop", and they don''t exist in this world. If you beat them, they''ll never drop, and that''s what I consider a drop S. So the no-drop situation in front of me was troubling. ''Are there exceptions to the drop S?Hmmm. As I was groaning, something strange happened. It was a monster whose contents had melted, leaving only bandages, but this time, like a video played in reverse, it felt like the contents had been filled in (...) and swelled up in a flash. The bandage returned to the bandage man and attacked him. ''Oops!So that''s it! Conviction, and relief. It''s not that I didn''t drop it, I just didn''t defeat it. Then I''ll just defeat it properly, so I''ll fight the monster again! Remembering what happened in Seren, I loaded the gun with tracking rounds and fired. The tracking bullets are excellent because they are bullets that chase the enemy and hit 100% of the enemy, and not only that, but they also aim at the enemy''s weak points on their own. I fired it in rapid succession - and lo and behold, all of the bullets didn''t bend, didn''t go to the weakest point, and were shot straight into the mummy. That made me stumble for a moment, and then Mummy fleshed me out and hugged me. Bearhug, or mackerel fold. The mummy hugged me with such force that it snapped my spine. "Ko......''s oh! He gritted his back teeth and shook off Mummy''s bearhug. He kicked off with a front kick and used the momentum to fly backwards and launch a flame fusion round. It was burned by the industrial flames, and only the contents melted away, leaving only the bandage in its place again. Now, here''s the thing. This guy will revive, he hasn''t been defeated yet. To prove it, I shot a tracking round directly behind it and it bent 180 degrees and slammed into the bandage. Which means we''ll need to make some more strikes from here. I stepped on the bandage, pecked at it. It didn''t fight back, so I picked it up and yanked on it. It looked like an ordinary bandage, but it was so strong, it didn''t look like it was going to break. "Nuh-uh-uh! I''m on the force, and it still won''t come off. So you need a special technique. ...... I know what it looks like. Special rounds are loaded, except for the tracking rounds you''ve already launched, and the bandages are placed on the ground. First he shoots his intended target, a flaming round, which didn''t burn. Next, he throws in a freezer round, which only froze, but didn''t do anything. No way. Finally, I shot a recovery bullet into it. The light from the recovery bullets enveloped the bandage and it melted away in a flash. The one that couldn''t be torn off when I pulled on it with my strength S melted and was completely gone in less than 5 seconds after being shot by the recovery bullets. And there, the seed was dropped. -- Strength increased by 1. ''''Yes!'''' I was gutted. To fully figure it out, I look for the next mummy. I turned back the way I had come and found the revived mummy where I had just defeated it. I fired a recovery round - nothing happened. I fired a recovery fusion bullet, a sleep bullet - nothing happened either. In a meatball fight, I took it down with a rush of punches, melted its contents, then fired a recovery round at the bandage, and the bandage disappeared and the seed dropped. I got the gist of it. I''d have to kill this mummy once, leave the bandage alone, and then use my recovery powers to finish it off. Once I knew that, I prepared my recovery shot and got into full-blown mummy hunting mode. As long as I knew how to beat them, they were almost as strong as the mammies on the third basement floor. Looking for a pattern to work with, I raised my strength from F to E. Nihonium basement level. It''s almost noon, time to meet up with Emily and the others. But first, I need to make sure we''re okay. I''m going to grab my gun and look for a skeleton. Right now, the gun is loaded with the mummy in the fourth basement, the special bullets I got after I haggle it. The Nihonium dungeon is almost a "me only" dungeon. If you defeat it normally, you''ll drop seeds that only I can raise my ability, and if you use the collection box to take them out of the dungeon, turn them into hagremonts and defeat them, you''ll get a special bullet. I''m going to join Emily and the others after checking the effects of the bullets in the four underground floors I got for the first time. A skeleton immediately appeared. A move that my body completely remembers. I kept my distance from them, no matter what happened, and fired the special bullets. The bullets that were fired went poof!The light shone and burst. A light of about 0.1 seconds in time, about the last burst of fireworks. After that light, the skeleton was unable to move. It was tied to the rope of light and was unable to move. ...... I see. In addition, this is a "straitjacket", I guess. I need to find out how to use it, or at least the effect and the range of the bullets. I''m suddenly very excited to get a new tool. 51. Kings and slaves attacking the city Lunch at the buyout shop. I met up with Emily, who had hunted dandelions in Arsenic in the morning, and I waited for her in the waiting area inside the buyer''s shop while she tallied up her purchases. As I was hand-held watching the adventurers in the same purchase, a teacup was presented from the side and placed on the table in front of me. I looked up and saw that it was Elsa. She put the tea in front of me and sat down across from me. "Have a cup of tea while you wait. We''re serving tea here. ''''Mr. Lyota, you''re a regular customer. I''m sure this cup of tea will help us do even more. Well, I''m gonna have to go hunting. Elsa and I laugh and drink the tea. To my surprise, it doesn''t taste like tea bags or powdered tea, it tastes like proper tea leaves steeped and brewed. I was a little pleased to see that the tea leaves had been steeped properly, not just in a tea bag or powdered tea. Come to think of it, it''s almost the harvest festival, isn''t it? Harvest Festival? ''You don''t know?It''s a festival held once a year in Cyclo. ''Oh, since it''s called a harvest festival, does it have something to do with monster drops?'' ''Yes. The festival will take place over three days. During that time, the products of all the dungeons in Cyclo will be collected and released to the public. Yeah, it''s all there. Yes, all of them. What are you going to do with all the produce you''ve collected? I remembered a tomato festival. I remembered a festival I was at that was held overseas, and I was impressed by the huge amount of tomatoes that filled the streets and made them look like snowball fights. I wonder if they''re going to smash the produce, or eat it. ''We''re going to take them down,'' "Huh? There''s an arena in the south of the city, where they display the products and then turn them back into monsters. It''s an exhibition of both products and monsters. Oh, I see. I''m subtly convinced, this is another event that''s typical of this world (...). For a moment I was like "Oh?" at having them haggle in the city. But it''s a well-planned event in the arena, and it''s an annual event. I''m sure they''ve done a good job of dealing with it after turning it into a haggler. It''s good for ordinary products, but rare monster drops are still difficult to collect. That''s why they''re so expensive.'''' I see. ''I''ll give you a list of the rare drops that haven''t been collected so far later. Ha-ha, I''ll work for my tea. Yes. Elsa smiled and gave a flowery smile. We left the buyer''s shop, including Celeste, who joined us at the end of the day. Ryota and his family, the three of us, headed to the tellurian today as well. ''''Harvest festival, that''s what it''s all about. Wasn''t there a place Celeste used to live? We didn''t have any festivals where I lived. I see. I nodded and agreed. There are towns that don''t have any such festivals, right? It wasn''t anything to do with me, so I ended the discussion of the harvest festival. Instead, I brought up a topic I''d been thinking about. I''m thinking of renting a new room. My current room is a two-bedroom, and Emily and Celeste are in the same room, but I still think we''d like three rooms. I don''t mind, you know? Me too. Yeah. But you know what, I just want to. The three of us make a living off the potatoes, don''t we?I''d like to use that to rent a room for the three of us to live in, the Ryota family''s hideout. Emily and Celeste looked at each other. "I agree with you, Me too, sir. ''Alright, we''ll go to the real estate office as soon as we get up there after this today. I''ll see what I can do. ''I dare to suggest a bad room. I''d like to see Emily take a bad room and make it look like a temple before and after. ''I know the feeling!I know, but since we''re here, why don''t we rent a nice room? ''Yes. Besides, a room like that might leave. I''m a little scared of the ghosts. Emily pulled with her hammer. Even though she could physically smash a huge rock, the spiritual ones looked scary. ''Nah, I mean the thing that comes out,'' That thing? Yes, that thing, Goki-- No, Celeste, no more! I stopped in a hurry, but I was already late. Bish!I heard the sound of the air freeze. I looked at Emily fearfully. Emily stopped in place, and the light was gone from her eyes. ''Miss Yoda,'' What? I would commit seppuku if I had to. With that, Emily tightens her grip on her beloved hammer. ''Wait, Emily, that hammer won''t cut your stomach! That''s all right, people can do it when they think they can. I''d rather cut myself cleanly with a hammer than be threatened by that thing. Hmmm, that''s right, I''m going to practice a bit now. ''Woohoo!Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, don''t be too quick--and you''re too strong Emily! While Celeste is stunned by what''s happened, I do my best to quiet Emily (Power A), who is trying to commit seppuku with a hammer. By the time I finally stopped Emily and brought her back to her senses. ''Mr. Lyota, you''re not supposed to talk about that ...... thing. Celeste seemed to understand. After I managed to quiet Emily down, we pulled ourselves together and headed back to Terdungeon. Suddenly, I heard a scream. It was a mixture of male and female voices, from all walks of life. The city suddenly began to buzz. ''What''s going on!'' I don''t know, sir. I can hear the screams coming from over there. Celeste pointed towards the entrance of the city to the dungeon. I soon found out why. ''Monsters!There''s a haggler! Residents of the city shouted loudly as they came running in. My mind wandered back to before. An adventurous-looking man and woman run past us. "You idiot! What''s going on? ''I was so blinded by money that I forced myself to beat the rares in the deeper levels, but they died while I was coming back to town from the dungeon. Oh, ...... unattended items from being turned into dead bodies. All right, I''ll give you a break. That''s not something we can handle. Yeah! The pair of adventurers said that and ran away at full speed. ''''Kyaaaah!'''' I heard another scream, closer this time. I looked at the voice, and to my surprise, it was Elsa. She''s falling backwards on her ass. The one approaching her is a slime. It was a beautiful slime with a pink body, double eyelids and long eyelashes - if you just look at its face, it was a beautiful slime. "Slime jarya! Celeste let out a near scream. You''ve only been at Cyclo for a short time and you''ve already found out the information. But I didn''t have time to listen to it carefully. I drew my gun and fired at the slimejahlia anyway, without the time to load it. Regular bullets flew out from the left and strapped bullets flew out from the right. The straitjacket emitted a flash of light and bound the slimejarya with a rope of light. While it was being restrained, I approached Erza and quickly picked her up. ''Lyota-san. Hang on! I flew backwards, holding Elsa in my arms. In exchange, Emily turned her hammer and jumped, with a covering shot from Celeste''s bicorn horn flaming bullets that Celeste fired. The slime jarya in restraints was hit by the flaming bullets, and Emily''s hammer also hit her in the brain. But it didn''t cause him to fall down. ''''Haaaaah!'''' Emily''s spirits rose as she slammed the hammer down again and again on the slime jarya, which was still bound. It was like pounding like a rice cake. Halfway through, the rope of restraint light broke, so I fired another restraint round into the support. After ten seconds of hitting the almost (,) unresisting Slime Jarya one-sidedly, I was finally able to defeat it. ''''That guy''s tough. Slimejarya, that monster in Tellurium 26. Twenty-sixth floor?He was that deep in the hierarchy. No wonder he''s so tough. ''Oh, um, ...... Mr Lyota.'' Elsa''s voice came out in her arms. It''s a faint voice. When I looked at her, her face was pale and her hands were trembling. Thank you ...... for that. You okay?Are you hurt in any way? No injuries. Good. For now, Elsa seemed to be fine. She was fine enough to let go of her hand and fend for herself. ''But why hasn''t the commotion subsided? ''I think it''s because Slimejarya is a regular monster on the 26th floor. ''What?This one wasn''t rare. Celeste nodded and said with a serious face. ''''The rare monster on the twenty-sixth floor is the Slime Sultan, a slime wearing a crown, so they say you can easily recognize it by looking at it. You mean like the crown ...... is kingly. Well, that''s different from what we have now, that was more like a queen around a king. Yeah. But I think I''m okay now. As Celeste said, the commotion was slowly subsiding. High level adventurers who had heard about the emergency appeared one by one, and battles were beginning all over the city - battles that weren''t for escape. Even from a distance, I could tell, the atmosphere I often felt in the dungeon. I felt that atmosphere of monsters being defeated by adventurers and diminishing in number. ''''I guess we''re all good now--'''' "Kyah! I was almost relieved when I heard more screams. I looked at Emily and Celeste and ran out at almost the same time. As I ran towards the scream, I saw a monster there. It was a crowned slime, a slime sultan. There are a few adventurers down around them, it looks like this guy got them. ''Mr. Yoda, we''re going to help everyone! Emily was the first to jump out of the way. She turned the hammer in a circle and jumped on it, but instead of swinging down as usual, she landed and then swung directly to the side. With a full swing of the giant hammer, which far exceeded his 130 centimeter body, he swept the Slime Sultan right to the side. Emily is chasing after the blown up slime sultan - no, she''s chasing after the fallen adventurer as if she''s defending him. Celeste also ran while following her. ''''--! Gritting his teeth, he filled his two guns with recovery rounds and shot every single adventurer around him. I sent out a few recovery shots here and there to make sure we were out of the danger zone, and then I rushed out to save Emily and the others. Emily was in trouble. She''s underneath the Slime Sultan, preventing him from nearly crushing her with his hammer. Celeste is bellowing fire with her bicorn horn, but her level 1 magic has little effect on the slime sultan. ''Let Emily go ...... away! Rushing, I teamed up with the Slime Sultan and pushed him in place. I pushed it back on top of Emily and gouged the ground. He pushed the slime sultan against the wall of the building, the wall was half destroyed and debris came tumbling down. The Slime Sultan fought back, transforming his body. It flew backwards, guarding, quickly reloading and shooting a restraining round. After glowing, the Slime Sultan was restrained by a rope of light. However - it came off immediately. ''''Won''t it last two seconds?'''' I glance behind me, Celeste is waking Emily up, Emily doesn''t seem to be injured, but her hammer is bent from being latched onto by the Slime Sultan. I can''t expect Emily''s firepower, I''ll have to do it. I reload - a series of shots. One of them is all regular bullets, the other one has the first strapped round and the rest are all regular bullets. The strapped bullets hit, and the slime sultan was held for about two seconds. During that time, he shoots penetrating bullets from a close range of only one meter. I''ve shot enough to empty my magazine, but I haven''t been able to reach my goal. But he seems to be listening. "So long! Loaded again, same as before, one strapped round, all the others normal. "Whoa! Fire a series of shots at the restrained slime from one meter. He keeps firing while he is restrained. Just before the restraint is released, he shoots more restrained bullets and fires a series of penetrating bullets. Repeat that - 10 sets. I was finally able to defeat the slime sultan that was literally turned into a beehive. "Wow, you''re not even close to being tough. You''d be in big trouble if you fought that bastard. Thank goodness I had strapped bullets, I managed () to get out of harm''s way with a barrage of strapped bullets that efficiently traded for 4 flaming bullets and 2 recovery bullets. So while I was relieved, a pouch-like thing was dropped from the slime sultan, which was a haggle of things. 52. Emily Hammer I put the pouch I picked up in my pocket for now. In my experience, this must be some kind of good item too, but I''ll check later. I went back to Emily and Celeste first. ''You okay, you two?'' I''ll be fine. Me too, sir. They are, as they say, all right with their bodies. "Hammer handle''s bent. Fix it-- No, no, we''ll reinforce it. Now we''re going to strengthen the hammer that will never bend. Nice idea, Celeste. What kind of hammer would you like to use? ''There''s a one-of-a-kind item in an arms store in this city for five million piro. Celeste, who has become completely informed, replies. ''Both ends of the hammer have different effects, one hits the spot you hit and delivers two impacts, and the other one deals the same damage to all the monsters around it when you hit it. ''You can switch between two attacks and a ranged attack at will, that''s a good one. Okay, I''ll take that one. Celeste and I nodded to each other. No, no," said Celeste, "that''s a waste of something as expensive as 5 million pyrro and it''s haunted. What''s the point of a hammer if you do this? Emily tried to bend the handle of the hammer in the opposite direction, trying to decline in a hurry. Hmmm - and when she was trying to bend it with all her strength with a red face. PAKIN! The handle of the hammer broke off with a high-pitched sound. ''Yeah, I know how Emily feels,'' You''re about to beat me to death. ''Ha!No, sir, it''s not! ''Then brag about the power. Surely force A is a level of bragging rights. You look like a gorilla. ''Ha!This was an accident!I mean, if you tape them together, they can still be used. What kind of tape is that? "Enough tape to withstand Emily''s Force A--it''s going to cost more than a new hammer. "Ugh, ...... there''s a waste of a ghost out there ...... Emily is getting a little teary-eyed, still trying to decline. Come to think of it, Emily hasn''t spent any money on herself since we lived together. Even when we started living together in the first place, I found out that the room I rented for her was rented for her to live in with me. Emily always put me - me and us - before herself. I suppose that''s the source of her warmth, but for once I have to impose my feelings on her. "Emily. He crouches down and looks straight into Emily''s eyes at the level of her 6''3" gaze. ''You''ve always been good to me Emily, and I want to repay you. U...... Emily slumped slightly, her face stained for some reason. ''Let me return the favor. Please.'' ...... Yes, sir. Emily nodded as if in contemplation. ''If we decide to do that, we''ll start making rough money tomorrow. Target five million piro. Hey, if we get serious, it won''t take us a week. ''I''m looking forward to diving the dungeon with Emily''s new weapon. I''m sure we''ll be able to dive deeper levels together. Ah, ....... We''ll be doing ourselves a favor if we think it''s payback for Emily. When I shrugged my shoulders, saying it in a mockery, Celeste smiled serenely and Emily went from a horrified expression to a smile. ''Yoda, Celeste,'' Emily looked at me and smiled her best, happy, happy smile. "Thank you so much. He said. That''s a line over here, but I decided not to say it because it was tactless. I was returning home after a night of dungeon diving when a well-dressed young man came to visit us. After bringing him into the living room and sitting across the table from him, he introduced himself in a polite tone of voice. My name is Smith, henceforth known to you. Yeah, nice to meet you. Please forgive me for my abruptness. I saw the incident of the Slime Sultan in town today. The way you three fought against him was also very impressive. There aren''t many people who can defeat the powerful monster on the 26th floor of the tellurium with a party of three. Haha. ...... Smith went on and on with his praise. I don''t feel bad about being praised, but it''s a bit annoying to be hit by someone you don''t know who just came to visit you out of the blue. When I look at them, I see that both Emily and Celeste look troubled. ''''Well, this is the main topic. It seems that your daughter''s weapon has been damaged. Yeah, I''ll get a new one soon. Let me offer it to you, by all means. Provided? "Ah, ....... Emily and Celeste blurted out at the same time. They both seemed to understand, but what did it mean? I''m in the arms business, you see. What kind of weapons do you think you can sell, Satou-sama? How''s that for a weapon? ''That''s true, of course, but what if there are multiple weapons of equal strength?'' ...... Come on. A celebrity''s weapon, that is. Many adventurers want stability and are reluctant to try new weapons. I don''t know how many times I''ve heard that story. That since all sorts of things are dropped in dungeons, hunting monsters in dungeons is an ''act of production'' and hence the majority of adventurers take stability. That''s why the ''weapons used by famous people'' sell like hotcakes. That''s why ''famous people''s weapons'' sell very well, as long as they''re used by famous adventurers, they''re guaranteed to be effective and safe to use. I see. Therefore, I would like to offer you Lady Emily''s new hammer. I''m sure the hammer used by Lady Emily, who also smashed the slimejarias, will sell like hotcakes. Okay, so this is the same manufacturer that provides tools to athletes. So Emily lost her hammer in the battle between the Slime Sultan and the Slime Jarya, but now she has the opportunity to get a new one instead. I looked at Celeste and she nodded quietly. I was going to give Emily a gift, but I might be willing to consider giving it to her. "It''s all taken care of. You okay with that, Emily? Um, ....... Of course, since we''re asking you to use it, we''re giving it away for free-- Please! Emily went at a tremendous rate. It went from five million piro to zero, so that''s what it would look like in her terms. ''''Thank you. Then I will immediately start making Emily-sama''s original hammer, the Emily Hammer. Please tell me more about what it will look like. Yes, sir! Emily and Smith began the meeting. Emily told them what she wanted, albeit modestly, and Celeste watched, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. I began to get excited about Emily''s hammer and what it would be like. 53. Genius Sometimes God, later Prince The next day, I came to Nihonium in the morning as usual. As I entered the basement floor, I came across Princess Margaret and her gang. They are the ones who sell boxes of air dropped by monsters defeated by a beautiful girl named Princess Margaret. The leader of the gang sees me and smiles. "Hi, Sato-san. Hi. ''I was going to say thank you when I saw you. Thank you for using Pandora Box. You''ve raised the profile of this box a lot, thanks to you, Sato-san. Really? Thank you so much. More importantly, you''re producing air today? As I listened, I looked around the dungeon. I find Princess Margaret and her four assistants, who look fluffy in the distance. They are in the middle of a battle right now. A familiar scene with the four men weakening them to the extreme and Princess Margaret stabbing them to death. ''Ah. Sales have been a little slow lately, and I''m trying to figure out what to do about it. That''s ....... It''s the air that''s selling. The fact that it''s been selling so well is already unbelievable. It''s not that Princess Margaret''s popularity is diminishing, but whatever. ''Can''t I sell something else?'' The other one? ''Yes, you''re going to use Pandora''s Box to show off that girl to the producers, right?Then I feel like there are more things that could be sold. Like, say, pants. -Oh! The man''s eyes widened in amazement at the grand opening of his eyes. ''Are you a genius!'' ...... might be more of an old man. I regretted it a bit after I said it. When was the last time I heard of Brucella? ''It sells!It sells, but the image of Princess Margaret is ...... It''s a yogic, in a way, the act of cracking open a chicken''s belly to get the eggs out. ? The man nodded his head. I see, the proverb doesn''t work in the world of the Drop. Explaining it would be a pain in the ass, so I fudged it appropriately. ''It''s something else: ...... Mmm, that''s a tough one. I saw the man snarling and I had an idea. I''ve been thinking about the girl called "The Princess," whose producer label I could sell. And then I remembered yesterday. Smith brought in a proposal to provide Emily with a weapon and a billboard. ''Brand,'' the word popped into my head. ''How about a ring, or something?'' "Rings? Yes, the ring. The ring produced by Princess Margaret. It''s not degrading, and yet you can sell it essentially the same way as air and pants, right?Yes, ...... with the tagline ''Princess Margaret''s Ring for You''. You''re God! The man complimented me further. ''Yes, I like the ring!Very good!If it''s a ring, it''s a macro ride, not a cyclo. Then you''d have to hire an adventurer: ...... The man picked his jaw and began to mumble. You''re a businessman at heart, who sees a business opportunity and immediately explores the possibilities to make it a reality. I don''t want to interrupt you, so I''m going to-- "Yikes! I heard a scream. I looked to see what it was, and it was Princess Margaret''s scream. The four assistants were knocked down or blown away by the surprise attack of several skeletons that appeared from the walls and the ground. After eliminating the men, the skeletons went towards Princess Margaret. Quickly, she pulled out her gun and fired a series of restraining rounds. The skeletons were restrained by the rope of light as they raised their bone-only arms to ostracize Princess Margaret. He steps in and flies backwards, holding Princess Margaret, who is about to sit up, in his arms. While in the air, I quickly switched to normal bullets and fired a series of shots at the skeleton. Several of the consecutive shots caught the skeleton and crushed its bones. Almost as soon as it landed, the skeleton disappeared (), leaving nothing behind. ''Are you okay?'' Ah, ....... Princess Margaret pushed my chest away with her little hands. I turned my face away and slumped. Her face was stained with vermillion. "Are you okay, Princess! Yeah, I''m fine. ...... The princess replied in a faint voice to the man who came running up to her. The man was so relieved that the princess was safe that he turned to me and bent his head. ''Thank you!Thank you so much! Thank God you''re okay. Let me do something for you. You don''t have to go that far. I''m sure the attack that buried the skeleton just now is expendable. It''s in the category of arrows and such. I''m really sorry to let you use that kind of thing in a dungeon with no drops like this. Right!I''ll pay you back with a ring. What? ''I was just thinking of selling the princess''s ring with the cereal on it. Please take that number one! It''s the other way around. ''The princess is frail, you are flattered, you saved her life. Please! The man bowed further. Well, I''ll take what I can get. Stars. I separated from the guys and went to the fourth floor of the Nifonium basement. I had a quick encounter with Mummy, and since I was almost at close range of the surprise attack, I took him down with my body art, and then shot a recovery round into the bandage to make him disappear. The drop did not appear. ''''Hmm.'''' We checked the situation and proceeded further into the dungeon. This time it''s a pair of mammies. Noticing the speed difference between the two mammies approaching, I first turned around and ran away. I turned around and shot a penetrating bullet when the pursuing mammy was in a line back and forth. The guided penetrating bullets pierced the heads of the mammies lined up in a straight line and blew them away in succession. The flesh disappears and the remaining bandages fall to the ground with a tangled feeling. I hit a recovery into it and make it disappear. The drop was still not there. After assessing the situation, I reached into the pouch at my waist. There were five grainy things inside. --Maximum HP raised to 0. --HP max raised by 0. --Vitality raised by 1. --Vitality raised by 1. --Vitality raised by 1. Your ability boost call is now a call for grains--a group of seeds. The amount for defeating Princess Margaret and the amount for coming down to the fourth basement level. A total of five bodies were collectively called for. Porch, the item that was dropped when I defeated the Hagremono Slime Sultan. The effect is to take the dropped items directly into this one. It''s similar to Collection Box and Pandora Box, but the biggest difference is that you can put the dropped items directly into the box. From the side, it looks like "I didn''t drop". This is a great piece of equipment. Up until now, I''ve always been careful not to be seen the moment I took down Hagremonos on the street or in public, but now I don''t have to worry about that at all. While I was thinking about it, more mammies appeared, so I killed them instantly and cleansed the bandages too. After I did so, I turned the pouch upside down to avoid touching its contents. The seeds fell to the ground. -- Strength increased by 1. I took it and increased my ability. I''ve taken it and increased its power, and now it''s stuck in the pouch because I can''t touch it while it''s in there. If I store them in my pouch and take them out of the dungeon to turn them into hagrefactos, I can save the cost of a collection box for the humble collection of special bullets. ''Is there any other use for it?'' While I was trying to think of a use for this characteristic. I defeated the mammy one by one in a workmanlike manner. My physical strength increased from E to D. 54. The Melancholy of the Wizard I woke up refreshed and refreshed in the morning. I could smell the good smells coming from outside the room, I walked out into the living room and Emily was in the middle of putting breakfast together. ''Good morning, Yoda,'' ''Good morning ......, Celeste, what''s going on?'' Good morning, ....... At the dinner table, Celeste was like a wilting flower. She didn''t look very pale and looked like she was about to collapse. ''I think my head hurts.'' Headache?You got a cold? No, it''s a magical storm. A magic storm is a natural phenomenon that causes the magic to go out of existence? Celeste nodded emphatically. ''My head is heavy and throbbing when the magic storm comes,'' Ah, ...... I get a terrible headache on a low pressure day too, so I know how you feel. Should I get some medicine or something? "Don''t worry ......, he''ll be back after the magic storm. Okay. Celeste said, as if it was obvious. If you say that much, then it must be so. Apparently, Celeste, a wizard, not only can''t use magic when a magic storm comes, but her physical condition also becomes extremely bad. ''''Well then, let''s not go to the dungeon today. No, Ryota, you and your friends can go on as usual. I''ll be fine. No, I''m getting ready to go. I smiled at Celeste. "Let''s go to the real estate office today. The search for a new house had been stretched out for some time. If it was a day that wasn''t suitable for dungeon diving, I suggested we do that one. In the morning, I raised my strength from D to C in the fourth floor of the Nifonium basement. I could have gone to the real estate office right after breakfast, but it would take some time for Celeste to be able to move, so I raised my abilities in the meantime. I made use of the porch to raise his abilities. Instead of knocking them down and giving them one at a time, I knocked them down and used the strength seeds that I sucked into the pouch, all together at the end. The brain calls for ability boosts were called in batches, and it was a continuous increase, like when I defeated a goofy metal at level 1. Earning in the morning felt good, brain juice in a different way. After lunch, I met up with Emily and Celeste and walked around the city. Due to the influence of the magic storm, many wizards could be seen in the city. Restaurants had "Wizard Day", "10 times points for wizards to come to the store", "free for groups of wizards", etc. They are trying to make money on the spot. Celeste, one of those wizards, is still in a bit of a tough spot. "You okay? I''m feeling much better. I can''t push myself, but I''m good enough to be normal. Okay. To begin with, this one isn''t so hard, since I''m the one who can use magic in the city. That wasn''t too hard: ...... There are two types of magic storms, depending on the scale: magic can''t be used only in dungeons, and magic can''t be used in both the city and dungeons. The one you can use in the city seems to be the smaller scale, both in terms of sense and Celeste''s current testimony. Still, it seems like it''s a tough one. After a lot of small talk, we arrive at the real estate office. When I walked in, I saw a familiar face. A soft-spoken young man - Antonio stood up and greeted us. He said, "Hi, Satou-san, it''s been a while. What''s going on today? I''m thinking of renting a new room. Okay. Antonio smiled and nodded at Celeste, smiling smugly and looked at her. ''A new companion, I want a house for the three of us to live in, with her in it. ''Yes!This way, please. Antonio, with his smiling sales smile, showed me around and made me sit on the guest couch. As I settled in, Antonio asked me, "So, what kind of property are you looking for? ''So, what kind of property are you looking for? ''Three bedrooms is the minimum requirement, or at least three bedrooms. Wouldn''t it be better to have a guest room? The drawing room. Yeah. Celeste nodded and glanced at Emily. Emily said, "? He tilted his head slightly. ''I thought when we lived together, sometimes I''d bring someone over to show off. I know! I totally agree with Celeste. ''There are times when I feel like bragging about how awesome Emily House is. I mean, there are times when I feel like if I bring in a bad guy, he''ll be healed and reformed. I''m curious what will happen if you bring a deadly monster into the house. I wonder if they''ll be purified by the vibes in that temple. It''s possible. I nodded in agreement with Celeste and I. "No, please don''t say anything strange. No, please don''t say anything strange to either of us. No, no, no, it''s not weird. Hey, Celeste. Yes, Emily''s healing is definitely the best in the world. Shit!Both of you are full of jokes: ...... Emily was a bit flustered, and I''m just being serious. ''By the way, what''s the budget?'' 300,000 a month. I said immediately. The rationale was that the last one cost 150,000 pounds, and we were going to move to double that. "Three hundred thousand! Is that so, Mr. Yoda? ''''It''s not that much. If the three of us went out and hunted the father and son slime at maximum efficiency, 120,000 piro per sortie, 300,000 is an amount of money we could earn in a day. And more importantly. I looked at Celeste and Emily. I want to live in a nice place with both of you. I said. Celeste and Emily both stared back at me in surprise. I''m in charge of the Ryota family purse now. All the money from the purchase of the drops is coming in to me. I''m earning money, I''m earning with them. It''s out of the question that I''m earning it and not giving it back to my friends, and that''s money we earned together in the first place. The money we earn together is spent for everyone else. That''s all I''m saying. Thank you, Mr. Lyota. Thank you. "There''s no need to thank me for that. We''ve all earned our money, too. So, what do you think of the property, like this-- Ugh! Just as Antonio pulled out the property documents, Celeste suddenly held her head and groaned. ''What is it Celeste?'' Hey ...... my head. Head?Was it the magic storm? Speaking of which, the forecast said the storm was going to intensify this afternoon, making it unusable in the city. Antonio raised an eyebrow. ''So that''s how it happens. ''Was your customer a wizard?'' ''Oh yeah ......, is there a building that doesn''t make you sick when a magic storm hits?'' A series of "Wizard''s Day" services I saw in the city, and a magical storm that felt almost like a natural phenomenon - like the weather. Could it be?I asked hopefully. ''On a day like this, just one house, and it''s out of our budget--'' Let me see that. Antonio took me to a house with three floors on the west side of Cyclo. The first floor is a parking lot for several magic carts, the second floor is a common area for the bath, kitchen and living room, and the third floor has three bedrooms. That''s the kind of layout I''m talking about. It''s a perfect layout, but most importantly. "I''ve got a headache. ...... Really? Celeste entered the house and felt better as soon as she closed the door. ''Yes, I didn''t know a house could have such an effect. Are you sure you''re okay? It''s amazing. As he said, he was feeling surprisingly well. How do you feel? Antonio asked. ''Very good,'' How much is this place about? 400,000 pounds, and it has the latest magic storm blocking system, so it''s 30 percent more expensive than the same floor plan. 400,000 ...... Well, you see, that''s just-- I''ve come to the right place. Emily frowns, and Celeste is afraid to bow out. They turn to me and I make the decision. They are surprised. They look at me with their eyes wide open. "It''s a small price to pay for this to go away. Then Celeste looked at me with a twinkle in her eye. "Thank you, Lyota, for ....... That''s how I ended up moving into this house. It was another step up in the ladder of housing. 55. Special dungeon The next day, the living room of our new house. Even though we had just moved in, the house was already filled with warmth. There was almost no increase in the number of things, there was almost no sense of life. Still, the house felt as warm and secure as my grandmother''s house. ''Emily, be afraid,'' Really. What''s the difference? This is the fourth time I''ve put my tent in and I''ve given up trying to find it because I never saw it coming. You don''t know what it''s like to go through that much. Looking at Emily in the kitchen making breakfast, Celeste let out a troubled sigh. ''I try to think of it as a phenomenon already. If Emily is here, it''s bright and warm; if she''s not here, it''s a normal house. I try to think of it that way.'' Yeah, I think I''m going to have to agree. Speaking of phenomena, we have another magical storm going on today. It seems to last until the end of the day. Celeste sighed with a different quality. She nodded and seemed to bemoan her inability to do anything about it. I''m a failure today. I''m not going to be able to use my magic when I''m like this. Don''t worry about it. You can rest on your laurels when you''re like this. You don''t mind being at home, do you? It''s amazing how well it works over there. I didn''t know buildings like this existed. ''That''s good to hear. That alone made it worth renting this place. ...... Celeste''s eyes widened in surprise, and immediately afterwards she slumped down, her cheeks coloring for some reason. ''Um, .......'' Yes. Thank you. ...... Don''t worry about it. I''m with the Ryota family. ...... Yeah. Celeste smiled serenely and nodded as she did so. Since Celeste was out sick due to a magical storm, I went it alone again today. In the morning, I raised my strength from D to C with Nifonium, and I was able to hunt with ease as I got used to the mammy, which required a two-step tome, and felt like I was completely circling the area. In the afternoon, I first hunted slime and produced sprouts in the basement level of the tellurium. This one felt much easier, but it was so easy that I was getting tired of it. I couldn''t help it, so I mixed in some special bullets every once in a while, and I took down 1 in 20 of them in a technical way, which wasn''t work. So I continued to beat the slime and got exactly 40,000 piro''s worth using the magic cart''s function, and then I went back to Ciclo and took it to the buyer''s shop. Yes, exactly 40,000 piro. ''Thank you. ...... is that it?'' Did you notice? Elsa laughed at me when she gave me the money to buy her out. That''s understandable. Forty thousand piroos is four ten-thousand-piro bills if you do it normally. But what I just got is three ten-thousand notes and ten thousand notes. It''s not a problem because it''s 40,000 piro. ''Sorry to be so detailed, but the money in circulation is a bit low these days. Really? ''''The country''s official who was managing the dungeon is being held up for corruption, so production is down temporarily, but now that his guilt has been confirmed and a new official has been appointed, I think things will return to normal in a while. ''Oh, yeah? ...... Yeah?Wait, does what you just said mean that money will be dropped from the dungeon too? Yeah? Elsa nodded her head, "?" on top of her head. He asked back with a number of things floating in his mind. What''s the obvious thing to ask?I felt like I was being told. Well, money is a dungeon drop, too. I took the 10,000 and 1,000 piro bills I just received and some coins from my pocket. Does this money that we take for granted is produced in Dungeon-drop in this world? Wait, that means the country that holds the dungeon that produces it can use as much gold as they want... Well, it''s the same in the other world, too. The country can create as much gold as they want, and they control the amount. I''m sure it''s the same here, which is why we''re talking about the bureaucracy. Thanks, I''ll be back. Yes, please come back! Elsa''s smile waved me off and I left the store. I put the bills away carefully, took out the biggest 500-pillow coin, flicked it with my thumb and repeated the process of catching it. This is a dungeon drop," he said. I hadn''t paid attention to it before, but when I learned about it, I thought it was interesting. This world where everything dungeon-dropped was still interesting. Don! Excuse me. As I was walking around thinking, I bumped into a passerby. I failed to catch the coin I was fiddling with and dropped it on the ground. I caught up with the 500-pilo coin that rolled around like a wheel and stepped on it to secure it. I bend down and pick up the coin, which is sticky with dirt - a moment. Something flashed through my mind. A white light went through my head. The coin I had dropped, I was about to lose it. Lose it, get away from it, lose its owner. --Haguremono. My eyes widened so much that I could see it for myself. On the outskirts of Cyclo, an unpopular place I used to pass many times. There I placed a ten thousand piro note on the ground. I moved away and waited for a while, and then the bill hatched into a huggle. It was a bird. A big, black bird, nearly three times larger than the crows you see in the city. It flapped its wings and took off in the opposite direction to me. I was running like a bat out of hell! Let him go! I pull out my gun and shoot a bullet. The bullet flies away and chases the bird. The bird seems to notice and turns sharply to avoid it. "You''re very mobile, then! This time he fired two tracking rounds, just to be sure of that too. Special bullets tracking in an arc from left and right, the bird tried to avoid them in its acrobatic flight, but the bullets tracked well and both shots hit the bird. The bird died in the air and dropped something with a pop. It went towards the spot where it had dropped and examined the area around it. It finds these things and picks them up. "Is this a ...... key? The bird dropped a key with a jewel-like object on it. Hagremoney hatched from money, a jewel-like object. I thought that maybe this was the bird''s drop for sure. ''''That''s fine, but what''s the use of this?'''' I stared at the keys, touched them, poked at them, and flicked them lightly. Suddenly, I heard a voice in my head. A voice that I could hear when a special item dropped, explaining how to use it. ''Like this?'' I followed it and made a twisting motion in the air with the key. The next second I was sent somewhere! I was in the open air in Cyclo, and suddenly I was sent into a dungeon. Like a temple, like a ruin, a vast cave of space. There was only one monster there. At first glance, it looked like a woman, but it was obvious that it wasn''t a human being. Her body was strangely pale and translucent, and she was floating in the air with no legs. If the monsters of Nihonium are undead types, then this one is most likely a wraith-type monster. The key seems to be an item to enter a special dungeon. Anyway, if you''re a monster, you have to defeat it. I can see it in myself, the smile on the corner of my mouth. In this world - in a world where even money is produced by dungeon drops, monsters are practically like treasure chests. It''s also a dungeon monster that enters in such a special way, it''s crazy not to expect it. The Wraiths wavered towards me. I fired my gun to intercept it. Regular bullets--slip. Frozen bullets--slip. Flame round--slip. Recovery rounds--slip. Tracking rounds--slipped. I fired round after round, but they all slipped through and didn''t hit. Finally, I shot a straitjacket--it worked. The bullets flashed in the middle, and a rope of light tied up Wraith''s body. And only where the rope of light tied up, the substance could be seen without being transparent. I quickly loaded a tracking round and swiftly swung at it. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this, but I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. I''m sure you''ll be able to hear the scream that Wraiths can''t make out. Apparently, it seems to work. Since I''m tied up, I switch to regular bullets and fire a series of shots at the spot where the ropes materialize from zero distance. The Wraith screamed more and slowly dissolved into the air as it disappeared. Dropped was a glass bottle with a red liquid in it. When I picked it up--what a surprise, I was returned to the open air from the dungeon in an instant. I see, it''s a special dungeon with one monster per key. Let''s see, you earn money, turn that money into something huggable, use it to get the key, and then use the key to go to the special dungeon to get it. It''s a bit of a pain in the ass, but how does it work? I opened the mouth of the bottle and drank the red liquid in one gulp. I can feel the liquid seeping into my body in an instant, it''s like an instant fix. And then. --The plant drop is increased by 3 ranks for 10 minutes. It was subtly different from the previous one, and in a way it was a completely different category of item. 56. Ability boost I wanted to try things out, so I put down another 10,000 piro bill and tried to move away. Speaking of which, it''s going to be a bird from now on, and that one is pretty fast, so it would be a pain in the ass and a waste of time if I missed it. How to beat it exactly so that you don''t miss a single one in ten thousand ...... Now what do we do? I thought about it for a minute, and then I remembered something. ''Okay, let''s go with that.'' After the decision was made, this time I moved away from the bill and kept my distance. After waiting for a moment, holding the gun at the very edge of the distance to be a haggler. ''Five, four, three, two, one--'' I counted down with my mouth. The regular bullet I fired the moment the count reached zero, shot it out the moment the 10,000-pillow bill hatched into a haggler. ''Good.'' I gave a small pause at the fact that it worked as intended. The timing of how long it takes for a haggler to turn into a haggler is pretty much the same, and I''ve come to know the timing by experience. I fired accordingly, and the moment the haggletons appeared, I shot them out. The more you pursue efficiency, the more you accumulate attacks in time with the monster''s emergence. It''s the same thing. Haglemono dropped the key again, so I picked it up and inserted it in the empty air and made a twisting motion. I was sent to a dungeon like ruins, where the same wraiths as before are there. I shot a restraining round at the wraiths that were wavering towards me, then jumped into the place where they were restrained and materialized and tore them apart with my hands. I knew it was safe because it was restrained, but I wanted to know how hard they were. ''Is he more than a zombie or less than a mummy?'' I was satisfied because I could get a feel for how hard it was for the most part. The wraith disappeared and a glass bottle of red liquid was dropped and we were back in the open air. I immediately drank it. --The mineral drop will increase by 3 ranks for 10 minutes. This time I heard the mineral drop go up three ranks. Earlier it was plants, now minerals. I''d like to check the verification some more. Stars After defeating the wraith, a bottle of blue liquid was dropped. Drink it without hesitation. --The plant drop will be increased by one rank for 10 minutes. I heard it. Repeated verification gave me a general idea of what to expect. First, there are two main types of drops. Keys obtained with paper money have the effect of increasing one type of drop by +3 ranks at random. Keys obtained in coins will also randomly increase one type of drop by +1 rank. It doesn''t matter what the face value is, paper money is +3 and coins are +1. But even if they''re the same color, if you take one plant''s, for example, you''ll be able to tell if it''s a plant that goes up next time. Now that we know about the drop, we just need to verify the actual effect. We''ll need their help: ...... The next morning, the entrance to Terdungeon. I came in with Emily and Celeste. Emily has a new hammer that she was promptly provided with, and Celeste has a refreshed look on her face, probably because the magic storm has passed. ''''What are you going to do?'''' Emily, are you wearing that ring? Yes, sir. What''s your status? Emily made her way to the nearby Now Board. Manipulating it with a familiar hand, she produced a second piece of status. ---2/2--- Plant D (+1) Animal E (+1) Mineral E (+1) Magic E (+1) Characteristic E (+1) --------- ... You''re up to speed. Yes, sir. ''I''ve heard about it, but ...... it really does have that effect. ''Now try these pink sapphire bangles, put them together and see what happens. Yes, sir. Emily, equipped with a ring and bracelet at the same time, operated the Nowboard from scratch. ---2/2--- Plant D (+1) Animal E (+1) Mineral E (+1) Magic E (+1) Characteristic E (+1) --------- ... It''s the same: ...... No equipment duplication? ''You''re not going to wear a bunch of rings and go to drop A, are you? ''I hope so. Then try this next time. I offered her a red potion. I take the same potion once, and I know what it will do to you. "See the same status? Yeah. Emily took a very large drink without hesitation, and immediately afterwards she looked surprised. ''Did you hear that?'' ''Yes, I heard you. But is this ...... really? I''m going to test that today. I see! Emily has come to the point here, while Celeste, on the other hand, is puzzled and unable to swallow the situation because she hasn''t been drinking. In spite of her, Emily operated the now board with trepidation - with clear expectations. ---2/2--- Plant A (+4) Animal E (+1) Mineral E (+1) Magic E (+1) Characteristic E (+1) --------- ... I''m at ...... drop A. ...... After both Emily and Celeste had been incensed by the duplication of equipment and medicine effects, they looked at me with respect. Star. Terdungeon, basement level. Emily swung her hammer and jumped at the slime. When we met, Emily had been using the tactic of waiting and aiming for an opening after receiving a shot, but she had completely improved her level and was able to surpass the slime''s speed to get ahead of it. Rushing forward, she dodged the slime''s body hit and swung her hammer down from right beside it. I just hit the slime and took it down with a single blow. With a pop, a bean sprout was dropped from the slime. ''''It''s out!'''' Let''s move on to the next one. Yes, sir! Emily found one slime after another and took them down. Me and Celeste pushed the magic cart and picked up the dropped sprouts. ''Great, they''re dropping 90% of them. ''With those odds, ...... really is drop A.'' Those pills are consumable, but how much do they cost? ''Just ten thousand piro for one - yeah, it''s a bit different because it takes a lot of bullets to take it down. Ten thousand piro for the cost, yeah, that''s it. Really?! ''Ten thousand piro and a ten-minute drop up, that''s a great effect, but it makes the hunt more impatient. I thought as I watched Emily hunt. ''More than that,'' Hmm? Celeste looked at Emily with a straight face. ''''If you can make it to drop A, it''s rather effective only when you get a rare monster. ''Right!It''s always a good idea to give them a drop rate before a rare or boss. "If A can do it, and if he''s rare... Ten thousand pianos is rather cheap. Celeste and I nodded at each other. Without a doubt, it was a form that made us realize how to use it. ''But Lyota-san is really amazing, I didn''t know you could do this. Celeste blurted out as there were other adventurers around. My drop S explained the whole thing when I entered Lyota''s family. Celeste listened in a bewildered manner, but shortly afterwards she said, "Are you sure you wanted to osiete such an important thing? In fact, I got upset. I said, "Keep it a secret," but I don''t think Celeste would divulge it, so that part should be okay. ''Ever since I''ve known you, Lyota-san has never ceased to amaze me. I never cease to amaze myself. But it''s fun. I''m with you on this one. Me and Celeste smiling at each other. "Do you want to try it Celeste? Me? I nodded and handed the red potion to Celeste, pointing to the nearby Nowboard. Celeste takes the potion while tilting her head and manipulating the Nowboard. ---2/2--- Plant C (+3) Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... This is me: ......? Celeste exclaimed. All the drops are F''s, "F Final". She could suddenly divulge her drop''s lowness at times like that. That turned into a C all at once, so it was only natural to be immensely disappointed. Even if she had seen Emily do that and knew in her head, she couldn''t help but be surprised that she would be the one to do it. ''Try to beat the slime, maybe it will start dropping normally. ''Drop ......?Do I drop from the ...... monster? Celeste is puzzled, her face saying she hadn''t even thought about it. "Come on, ''Yeah, yeah, I''ll try .......'' Then you will wear this. Emily? Before she knew it, Emily came back and took off the ring she was wearing and held it out to Celeste. ''Yes, that''s what Emily got from Miss Lyota. ''What Lyota gave me is the family''s common property. It feels so much better than that. Mr. Celeste is going to try it too. Emily held out more rings. Celeste looked at me with a puzzled look on her face. I was puzzled for a moment by Emily''s offer, but then... "That''s Emily. ''What?What do you mean? That''s what I''m talking about. Celeste, that''s what Emily says, and you should try it. Okay, then: ...... Celeste put on the ring and checked her status on the Nowboard. ---2/2--- Plant B (+4) Animal E (+1) Mineral E (+1) Magic E (+1) Characteristic E (+1) --------- ... I was momentarily confused by my drop rate, which had risen to a B. I gulped raw and looked at him with a determined look in my eyes. Slimes sprang up at the same time. From the ground, from the walls, and from the ceiling. As if they were born out of the cave itself, five slimes appeared collectively. ''Soo--inferno! In the nick of time, Celeste burned the slime together with her level 3 great magic. The ranged magic engulfed the slime and burned it. And - Popopopomp! A bit lucky for drop B () level, sprouts were dropped from all five of them. ...... It''s a drop. As expected, the amount seems to be less than Emily''s A. ''Yes, sir. But it was good. ''Oh, good for you, Celeste: ...... Celeste?'' ...... Celeste was dumbfounded, staring straight ahead and pouting. Gradually she came back to me and turned around to face me with a jerky movement as if she were creaking. Mr. Ryota!Emily! He suddenly jumped to his feet. ''Thank you, Lyota!Thanks Emily. Congratulations. Thank you ...... goooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Celeste sobbed and thanked me over and over again as she hugged me. 57. Dogeza for private power generation Nihonium Basement Level 4. Today I continued to hunt mammies in the morning. Killed the mammy in a stream of work and cleansed the remaining bandages with a recovery bullet. I used the seeds I dropped to increase my strength. I''ve gotten used to this dungeon, and after hunting steadily, my stats had risen from C to B before noon. Just when I thought I had to use the collection box to replenish my special ammunition... A chill instantly ran down my spine as a terrible chill hit me. "This murderous atmosphere--a dungeon master! He quickly pulled out his gun that was about to be put away and pointed it toward the killing spree. ...... There was a fierce beast there. It''s a petite beast of prey, clad in a bunny suit and with its own petrel. She was standing right next to me before I knew it, chewing on my arm. ...... Um, what are you doing, Eve? Carrot or Alive. Disturbing as always. Carrot or Alive. Ugh. I''m starting to kill again with a gaggle of people. Food resentment is bad. I tried not to go against Eve. Stars. I gave Eve the carrots I had dropped in large quantities after defeating the sleeping slime on the second floor under Telluride Dungeon. I don''t have a magic cart, so it''s a rough estimate, but it''s roughly 100,000 piro''s worth of carrots. Eve was nibbling on such a mountain of carrots like a small rodent animal. She is beaming, as if to say, "Where is the murderous spirit we had just witnessed? ''Sorry, I''ve been away from Cyclo for a while. Clint tells me. ''Clint ...... Oh, the dungeon chief''s name. Yeah, I was there at his request. Sorry I couldn''t produce carrots. I don''t care. It''s just a carrot. Eve gnawed on a carrot. It was oddly adorable, and I couldn''t help but watch her. She noticed me looking at her and hid the pile of carrots behind her back. There are so many that I haven''t been able to hide them at all. "I''m not giving you carrots. I won''t touch it. My tone and feelings have become somewhat gentle. As Eve began to bite into the carrot again, I remembered something. I remembered that Eve has a friend. I''ve recently made a friend, and we formed the Ryota family. We broke up with them. Okay?Why! "A dungeoning mismatch. You''re a band! I plunged in as hard as I could, but Eve answered with a very straight face. I''m sure you''re not the only one who wants to be adventurous and stable. People who want to dive the same levels all the time, or they want to dive a lot. People who want to stay in the same city and visit different caves in different cities. ''Ah ...... I see. Given that, dungeon-ness discrepancies seem normal. Yes, I have. What kind of a disagreement was Eve''s? The new girl joined her, and all the men followed her. That''s more of a princess or circle-crusher kind of thing! I went into it again in a big way. I don''t want to hear the details, I don''t want to hear this one because I can imagine it''s too graphic without asking. In the meantime, Eve flattened a mountain of carrots. I''ve eaten all the carrots, which are obviously more than the volume of my body. ''You ate them all: ...... Did you think I was going to leave you with this? Eve put the last remaining part of the last carrot, even the stubby part, in her mouth, chewed it up and swallowed it down. ''Carrots are meant to be eaten clean,'' No, it''s not about that, it''s about quantity. Thanks for the meal. You''re welcome. ...... low-level haters. I chopped it. As I recall, it''s still ...... and the chop is subtly gentler than before. ''Carrots and pieces don''t give me strength.'' There''s a lot of stuff in the mix. ...... Speaking of which, Eve often asks me for carrots, but doesn''t she hunt them herself? Eve didn''t answer, but manipulated the now board right beside her. ---2/2--- Plants D Animal A Minerals E Magic C Characteristic C --------- ... ''It''s plant drop D, so it doesn''t taste good to hunt it yourself.'' ''Why are you in Cyclo with that status before that? Because that''s where the carrots are. It''s a myth! "This is why I got the nickname ''The Carnivorous Hare'' It''s Animal A! Really, why are you in Cyclo? ...... That''s how much you love carrots. Gazing at the Nowboard, I noticed something. ''Eve, try this. He takes out a red potion and hands it to her. ''Carrot juice?'' ''Get away from the carrot!No, I don''t have to leave. Which way? I''ll know it when I see it. Eve stared at me and then took her pills. "Huh? Did you hear that? What do you mean? You should try operating the Nowboard again. Eve nodded with a surprised look on her face and manipulated the Nowboard. ---2/2--- Plant A (+3) Animal A Minerals E Magic C Characteristic C --------- ... A...... plant drop on A...... So... "I can be a ''herbivorous rabbit,'' I''m a herbivore, for God''s sake!Or better yet, try to take down some slime. Yes. Eve nodded and walked off in search of the slime. She immediately encountered a sleeping slime that dropped a carrot. ''Phew!'' So don''t smash this monster to bits with your sword. I laugh bitterly, as usual, Eve''s hand blade is outrageous. Meanwhile, a carrot was dropped from the defeated sleeping slime. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. ''''Delicious ...... this mellow but not insistent, with just the right amount of sweetness and a clean finish. You''re a gourmet! It''s a carrot! No, it''s a carrot. ''Drop D''s carrots are not carrots.'' Eve assured him. As I recall, the status of the drop makes a difference in quality as well as quantity. Eve shattered yet another sleeping slime with her hand sword and turned it into a carrot. She nibbled on it and looked blissful. ''Delicious ......'' That''s good to hear. Hunt it yourself and eat it yourself...... homegrown. You can''t say you''re self-made! After flattening her carrots, Eve maneuvered the nearby Nowboard to bring up the drop status screen. I don''t know why, but she and I took turns staring at it, which was +3 ranks and an A. Eventually, it dropped to its knees in a fluid motion. "Let me join you. No, enough to get down on your knees? If it''s not enough, I''ll pay with my body. You don''t have to take it off!Because it''s too erotic to do a peron over a bunny suit. Well, if it''s not enough, I''ll pay by ear. ''Why are you blushing there!Something more embarrassing than taking off! ''Please, let me join you, and I''ll do anything for you if you let me join you. Eve was pestering me with a tremendous amount of machine gun talk. It''s clear that the purpose of the red potion - or rather the carrot - was to join the group, but it was even more refreshing to see it this far. ''Okay, join me--'' "I love low levels! Eve jumped up in a flash, hugged me and repeated, "I love, I love, I love. I giggled a little bit, feeling like I was literally feeding a rabbit rather than a mate. 58. Playing monsters What was that drug? ...... Well, we''re buddies and I''ll tell you. To answer Eve''s question, he maneuvered the nearby Nowboard to bring up the status. ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Eve came up next to me, looked at the status, tilted her head back, gave me a little scissors and looked up at me. "......S? My drops are all S, with S being above A, like this. It allows me to get all sorts of unusual things in my drops. I see. ...... You''re easily convinced. Better than my carrots, that''s for sure. You''re still basing it on the carrot standard. I laughed bitterly, but I thought it was typical of Eve. I regained my composure and resumed my explanation. ''I have all sorts of items that I''m going to show you, like that potion and stuff, but I have all sorts of items, and they were all dropped from monsters in the Drop S.'' Okay. I''m only telling my friends about this, so don''t tell anyone. Okay. Eve nodded with a very serious look on her face. I''m not going to tell you what''s going on," he said. I asked you not to tell anyone, but what is this seriousness? I soon found out why. ''I will never tell anyone, even if this body is torn to pieces and scattered to all the dungeons in the world. ''My resolve is heavy!No, it''s not so much that I have to keep it that secret. For the carrots! It was said like a code word. And it made sense. When Eve says "for the sake of carrots", I get most things right. ...... It''s amazing, that''s what Eve makes me think. After Eve said her decision, she stared at the Nowboard again. ''What''s up?'' ''''Is this one''s ability, HPS and strength B......S greater than A?'''' I said so earlier. ...... Eve stared at the now-board for a moment longer, then she turned to me and reached out and chipped me. I heard a snapping sound. What?Suddenly. ''Low-level haters'' again? ...... Eve didn''t answer, but chopped into the dungeon wall directly beside her. Part of the wall shattered. It wasn''t cracked, nor was it slashed. Part of it was shattered. And then you looked up at me again. "Solid. I said. ''Is that the chop you did for me?'' I chopped it a hundred times a second, very finely. A high-frequency cutter!Don''t do that to people. But it''s solid. Well, ...... it didn''t hurt too much. If you''re strong enough, it won''t hurt at all. -Oh! I was shocked by Eve''s casual words. Shortly after noon, in the city of Cyclo. I came up to Emily and Celeste, who were waiting to join me. ''Thanks for your help, Yoda,'' ''What are you doing today?Do you want to dive to the sixth floor of the tellurium? Sorry!Let me split up for the day! I put my hands together to worship them both and bowed my head. ''What?Separate action is ...... what does that mean ...... I have to run an errand. ''What''s the urgency of that ......?Even if it''s only after you''ve dived into the dungeon-- Okay. Celeste was puzzled by this, but Emily accepted it very easily. ''''You are going to leave this to me. ''Thank you, Emily!And I''m sorry Celeste!Yes!This is a plant drop-up potion, use it for both of you. I handed them all the red potion I could find and I turned and ran. I ran as fast as I could through the crowds of people in the city, thinking of what I wanted to do and the scene when I succeeded in doing it. Emily and Celeste after Ryota walked away. Celeste''s expression is half confused and half depressed, but Emily watches Ryota disappear into the crowd with a gentle smile on her face. ''He''s gone ...... thank goodness I let him go without asking,'' It''s the same old Yoda. What? Whenever Yoda-san comes up with something and does it, he has that look on his face. It''s a face that makes me want to cheer him on. It''s ...... and it''s the best-looking thing in the world, but it''s ...... At Emily''s suggestion, Celeste''s cheeks flushed with vermilion and she looked in the direction where Ryota had disappeared with an embarrassed expression. ''That face of Ryota''s...... what I want to do...... okay! Celeste was about to run off after Ryota, but Emily grabbed her arm and held her back. ''You mustn''t interfere with Yoda-san,'' But I think I might need help, so. If there''s a need, Yoda will let me know. Since he didn''t tell us, we''ll go into the dungeon ourselves. Let go of me, Emily. Please, let go of me. You can''t... Eeekeek-a-tee. Celeste wants to go to the other side, and in the end, she starts begging like a silly child. Emily grabbed her hand and dragged her cunningly into the dungeon. Four floors below Nifonium, an uninhabited dungeon as usual. As soon as I descended, I grabbed Mammy''s throat whistle, which I immediately encircled and rushed at her, knocking her straight into the wall and grabbing her throat. The head was taken off and Mammy was knocked down. The moment the flesh melts away and you are left with only bandages, you fire a recovery round. I obliterate it while the bandages still barely retain their human form. A seed was dropped and my strength was increased by 1. I look for the next monster. I found a mummy in the distance, shot a piercing round and then shot a recovery round in time. All the while, I dashed to close the distance. The mummy that was pierced through the brain fell down, the bandages were cleansed, and I arrived just as the seed dropped and picked it up to increase my strength. I was at max tension as I dove into the nihonium, and I wanted to get my strength up as soon as possible. With the tension high, I decided on the fastest way to defeat the mammy I could find on the spot. After entering the dungeon at noon, my stats went from B to A and then from A to S all at once as a result of my rampage through the dungeon. Once outside, he checked his abilities on the only Nihonium Nowboard in the front. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F Power S Strength S Intelligence F Spirit F Speed S Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... His level was still at 1, but his strength had gone up to a solid S. With that confirmed, I returned to the dungeon. Nifonium Underground Level 1, a level where skeletons appeared. The skeletons appeared right away. Normally I would have defeated it immediately, but I didn''t do anything. I stood on my feet with my hands in my pockets. The skeleton came at me, bones crunching, and attacked me. I felt a crunching sensation. The skeleton''s attack didn''t hurt at all, but it only felt as bad as being hit by a kindergartener. I continued to stand on the stick even more, and yes, it doesn''t matter how much I''m hit, it still doesn''t hurt. I started to walk away, the skeleton following me, attacking me. Nifonium, which normally doesn''t drop, doesn''t have another adventurer, so I quickly encountered another skeleton. That skeleton and the first skeleton attacked me from both sides. Petite, petite, petite. It still didn''t hurt. I dodged a bit, just in case. The attack swung by the skeleton gouged the ground. Yeah, it''s a pretty heavy attack. I''m just being stinging. I''m not affected at all. It''s a HPS and a Strength S effect. I''m probably in a game where I''m constantly getting hit by 1. Skeletons are not defeated, but are being dragged along. Two of them became three, then three of them became four, then four of them... The skeletons kept growing and eventually they would all be attacking me in droves. When there were 20 of them, they were so dense that I couldn''t walk. Still, it doesn''t hurt at all, and I''m still getting hit for 1 damage on and on. With the skeletons beating me to a pulp, I kept thinking about how I could use this power. 59. A man approaching his sister Terdungeon, 6th basement floor. Inferno! The flaming magic Celeste released scorched the two slimes. They were exactly the same size and the same pink slime, about the size of a balance ball. One of the burned slimes flew out of the range of the flames and the other one was burned intact and disappeared without a trace. ''''Kuku.'''' Celeste groaned. Because the slime you let go split into two again at a distance. The exact same size and the same pink slime, the same as before. What''s more, the surviving slime was damaged by magic, but as soon as the split was complete, the damage was cleaned up and disappeared. Sister Slime, a rare monster on the sixth floor of the Telluride Dungeon basement. ''''I see, so this is what happens.'''' ''You have to take them down at the same time, and this one, if it''s just one of them, no matter how many you take down, it''ll come back immediately, and when it comes back, it resets all the damage.'' We failed to defeat it, but Celeste, who had researched it beforehand, explained it to me. I, Emily, and the newest addition to the group, Eve, listened in. "How many times can you beat it? ''The world record for continuously knocking one side down is 666 times. I heard he stopped there. ''I don''t know how you did it that many times when monsters are all about the drops. I''m rather a bit impressed. ''Can we take them down at the same time?'' Yeah, but the two HPs are different every time. I''ll just be a minute. He shot two slimes each with two pistols. They fired conventional bullets, which landed at about the same time. One of them was easily shot through and flew away in a paraplegic fashion, while the other was only slightly gouged. And then the two bodies regenerate again, their wounds fully recover. It''s tricky. What can you do, Mr. Lyota? Hmmm: ...... Emily, Celeste, and Eve. My friends and their fighting strength, and while I was figuring it out, I thought of a way to do it. Stars. I went at the pink sister slime. The slime slammed into me at the same time. It hit me and bounced back in the direction it came from. In the open air of the cave, one of them knocked down a tree and the other hit a rock, shattering it. I, on the other hand, felt as much pain as if I''d been clenched by a plastic bat. More slime flew at me, hitting me hard. I keep going, straining my abdominal muscles and walking straight ahead. I walk like a heavy tank, ignoring the S of HP and S of Strength, ignoring the damage I''m taking, which is only 1. The slimes would come at me one after another, hitting me and then rebounding from me. Eventually, I drove the slime into the wall. Celeste and Emily on the left!Eve is right! As I shout, Celeste''s flame projectile (bicorn horn) lands on the slime to my left first. Immediately afterwards, Emily and Eve jump out from right behind me to the left and right. Emily swings her hammer down, spinning it above her head in a circle, and Eve slams her chops into the ground with a waggle of worms and a waggle of her tail. The two slimes that I had identified through my senses, and I assigned my friends'' attacks to them. The pink Sister Slime burst away at the same time. I was able to properly defeat the rare monsters that were troublesome to split and damage reset. ''We did it, Yoda-san! It''s a shame they didn''t have any carrots. ''To begin with, Sister Slime''s drop isn''t a carrot. There wasn''t a drop that took down a rare monster, I don''t know if it was going to be Emily or Eve who took it down, but it wasn''t there anyway. ''But Yoda was cool. The way he drove the slime into the wall in a heap was really cool. Wow, I think so. It''s so cool to see you not flinching... It was like assaulting a woman. Huh? Celeste was about to say, but her voice flipped over at Eve''s words. ''Huh, what do you mean by assaulting a woman?'' "We''ll close in on the sisters, drive them up against the wall and keep them pinned down. Well, now that you mention it, it''s pretty close. Because it doesn''t look like him!It''s not like I''m assaulting a woman or anything! I couldn''t help but shout. Eve''s parable was too disturbing. We need to change the subject of something. ''Well, come to think of it, wasn''t Eve''s chop earlier oddly slow? It was a slow swing. It''s not too late. What? "When it''s not an attack, Eve waved her right hand up and down, fingertip aligned, for a traffic control doll at a construction site. ''This is how it normally works,'' You''re a little late. Oh, that''s what you get for chopping me. One hundred percent of the time, it''s like this. It''s getting really late. He''s shaking it 200 times a second. That one that looks really fast and slow! ''Don''t worry, this one won''t go low.'' I wish you could do something about the name, but thank you: ...... I''d be interested to see what would happen to me now if I was hit with a high seismic chop of 200 times per second. Suddenly, I saw Celeste staring at Eve. She seemed to be fidgeting or trying to say things. ''Come to think of it, we haven''t been formally introduced yet. This is Eve, the fellow we''re going to be fighting with. ''I heard that before I went into the cave. That''s fine, though: ...... But what? What''s bothering you, Celeste? Were you offended by my decision? ''It''s not!It''s Lyota''s decision on who to put in the family. Not so: ...... Still squirming, Celeste, what''s really going on? Eventually, she asked Eve, as if to summon up her courage. ''Oh, um, ...... what do you think of ...... Mr. Lyota?'' "I love low levels. Yeah, it''s a big-- Celeste was shocked for some reason. She was so shocked that she could almost see the lightning in the background. ''He''s a carrot god,'' What? ''I won''t give you a low-level carrot, even if all the money in the world were loaded here and now, I wouldn''t give you a single carrot whisker. I don''t need that kind of commitment. You''re still the same, Eve. I chuckled and turned to Celeste. "Well, you see, she''s a carrot... I lost: ...... For what? The tweaks were so tweaked that my voice flipped over. I don''t know what defeated me, but Celeste was in an ORZ pose in the dungeon. Eve, sniffling and enthusiastic, Celeste, devastated. Beside her, Emily spoke to her as usual. ''But it was a bit of a waste, if Yoda-san had done the tome, we would have gotten a rare monster drop. No, I don''t need the sixth floor. Why? Emily looks at me blankly and I pull out a note from my pocket. The note smells a little bit like flowers and has pretty handwriting on it. This is the rare monster drop list that Elsa gave me for the portion of the harvest festival that is still missing. "The ones that sell well are the ones on the seventh floor. I see. ...... Do you want to go? When Emily asked me about it, I looked at the three of them. The first real battle with the four of us was even more of a battle because of Eve''s inclusion and my increased abilities. To put it simply, we''re stronger as a party. Then... Everyone looks at me, including Celeste, who has just come back from her orz, and they all stare back at me. "Come on, let''s go to the seventh floor. The three of them nodded clearly. 60. Onions and tears Telldungeon, 7th floor underground. Similar to the sixth floor, with trees and pepper grass, an open-air-like dungeon, but it was snowing. "Snow?Even though we''re in a dungeon? It''s dungeon snow. When you kill a monster and it doesn''t drop anything, it''s either air or water. Depending on the structure of the dungeon, there can be layers of snow in some of them. ''Come to think of it, the water was sucked into the ground, I see. It was a bit of fun. I caught the snow with my palm facing up. The moment I touched my palm, the snow melted away. ''It''s not cold.'' ''It''s the snow that''s grown from the nutrients and magic of the monsters that were defeated in the dungeon. I thought it was the temperature. ''The tiers that Dungeonsnow descends on will strengthen both the adventurers and the monsters, because their bodies will receive that nourishment and magic. Yeah. You''re the expert, Celeste. ''Yeah, well, not really, but I did ...... and got a compliment.'' Celeste blushes as her voice goes down the drain. As she and Emily and Eve proceeded through the dungeon together, they came across a face they had encountered sometime ago. It''s a trio of men, a first-generation man and a young man and woman. They seemed to have just defeated a monster, and the first man picked up a dropped onion and put it in his magic cart. ''''Well done!I''m intensely moved now. ""Captain ......" The elderly man looked impressed and cried. The young man and woman looking at him - they looked even more haggard than the last time I saw them. They look ragged and their bodies are covered in fresh wounds, and they look like they''ve done something quite reckless. It was hard, wasn''t it? There were times when I defeated you and didn''t drop it, there were times when I failed to take it down and let it go. I''ve been frustrated by your frustration and I''ve had a hard time with it all ...... I know all about it. Captain ...... I feel the same way. I feel the same way every time you''re in pain, I feel the same way. But I couldn''t say it because I knew that if I said it, you would end up there. The first man cried even more tears, raggedly and with a full-blown lie. ''''It must have been hard for the captain too: ...... "Don''t worry about me!You. I am proud of you for what you''ve accomplished, for what you''ve endured and grown!I''m glad to have met you guys! "Hey, Cap''n ...... No, we''re the ones. I''m glad I followed the captain. They were moved to tears by the old man''s tears, and the three of them hugged each other there. I left as quickly as I could, having witnessed a disgusting scene. The word "brainwashing complete" came to mind. I almost felt like I was going through the motions again. "...... I''ll do a little bit of random stuff today, and if I don''t see a rare monster, I''m out. Yes, sir. Hey, do you want to come to dinner with me? I found a tavern with a good view of the light in the dungeon, with Lyota. I''m going back downstairs. I want to sleep with the carrots. The black emotions that had been hanging around my neck slowly faded away as Emily, Celeste and Eve each responded in their typical (...) ''Miss Yoda!There''s a monster! Emily''s voice got everyone''s attention in unison. As the dungeon snow was pouring down, it was a bit of a large but unremarkable slime that encircled. I decided to take the lead here, hard (,) I decided to take the lead. I sprinted to close the distance between me and the slime while shooting penetrating bullets with my two guns. The bullets penetrated the slime, but it didn''t fall. Then, I jumped straight to the ground and gave a straight right as best I could. ''''Eh?'''' I couldn''t help myself. There was no response to the full force straight right. Haunted, this time I fired two pistols in rapid succession, firing all the loaded bullets I could find. --But no. I''m not sure if it''s working at all after the first penetration round. So, I fired a penetration round, but this time it didn''t penetrate. What do you mean-- In a bewildered moment, he was hit back by the slime. I quickly guarded the blow from close range with my arm and flew backwards with the momentum. My arm tingled. It hurts more than the father and son slime on the sixth basement floor. Maybe it''s the effect of the dungeon snow. ''''No, Ryota-san, you can''t take down the Guts Slime alone! What do you mean? ''''Gutslime becomes invincible right before it''s defeated. It will no longer accept any damage from the last person it attacks. So you need a sharper and a driller. Yes. Celeste said, and sent a small flaming bullet with her bicorn horn. The gut-slime that hadn''t fallen under the barrage of bullets was knocked down intact. ''''Wow, it went down.'''' ''No soloing hierarchy. Occasionally it happens. Emily and Eve spoke up. ''That''s why we''ll take care of this floor. The best person to be the last man standing is Lyota with that. Well, if that''s the case, I guess I''ll have to do it. The three of us and I walk through the snow. As I observe my surroundings for some reason, I notice that there are two kinds of adventurers. One is a stable-minded production adventurer who normally hunts the monsters they encounter and puts the drops into a magic cart. The other is the adventurer who ignores the gutsy slime he encounters and aims for something with the eyes of a bird of prey. They''re probably aiming for a harvest festival rare drop and hitting one big one - they must be the ones who are going for the big one. We decided to take the guts-slime that these adventurers had missed. Emily jumps out, whirls the hammer around and smashes it with great force. The slime is half flipped off, and Emily is hit back at the same time. ''Emily,'' And I''m going to finish him off! Emily screams as she distances herself from the slime. I hold the gun in both hands. I fired a recovery shot at Emily, then a normal shot at the slime. Emily heals, and multiple onions drop from the slime. ''Are you alright Emily?'' ''Yes, sir. It was more successful than that. Well, it''s not that strong of an opponent if you know your way around. It''s a hierarchy that I can''t help but be alone. Onions: ...... Do you like onions, Eve? All I need is a carrot. You sound like a person. "Rabaa. ''Don''t tell me that with your cheeks dyed! In that case, I''ll have curry tonight. It''s a curry with potatoes, onions, and carrots in abundance. Roly-Poly Carrots: ...... Eve slobbered in a julienne, and Emily hurriedly wiped it away. It''s a surreal sight to see a big drool ...... in a bunny suit on your own bunny suit. ''We''ll make it together,'' I''m good at cutting. Eve then cut the onion with a quick (,) chop. ''Hiya ...... na, I''m crying.'' Sorry. The onions that Eve mangled brought tears to my eyes as she was struck by the onions, and I could see the tears streaming down from the nape of her neck as well as her own ....... I''m not sure what I''m doing, but I''m smiling a little bit. Celeste loves curry. Watch out! Almost as soon as I was paying attention, something hit me from the side. It swooped off with the impact and plunged into the ground, causing a cloud of dust. ''Mr. Yoda!'' Carrots! I''ll be fine!Call me something else! I jumped up from the ground. My side throbbed with complete surprise. ''Tsk,'' I heard a cluck of tongues from close by. I looked at the adventurer, who was looking for a shot, and saw a frustrated look on his face. I turned around and saw a different slime where I had been. A rare monster from the seventh floor! "The lucky guy. The adventurer said with a sulking look on his face. So, you''re frustrated because I got caught by surprise and I got the right to attack the monsters. Well, that''s just a bit of luck. Feeling only slightly sorry for the man, I returned to the others. Before attacking, I asked Celeste. ''How do you defeat this guy?'' ''High gut slime. It''s the same thing with Todome being a different person, but be careful, it will reflect an entire attack when you exceed the limit of your strength or become invincible, so be careful. You''ve got to be very careful. I''ll take care of it. I know his level of fitness. Eve said and then jumped out of the way. ''Do you grasp it?'' I''ve done this before. Roughly this much. Eve let go of the chop. She let off a chop that was medium fast - a little slower than when she struck me, and a little faster than when she was at full force. It cracked the slime over my head. The slime, which turned into a pomegranate, tried to fight back, but Eve quickly dodged it. ''Oops!'' Oh. You raise the gun and pull the trigger. A normal round is launched and shoots out a rare monster. Tears spilled from the slime''s eyes. The large tears fell to the ground almost at the same time as the slime''s body disappeared and froze in place. ''''That gemstone is a drop, and when equipped, it has the effect of reflecting some of the attacks. Yeah. The rare monster on the seventh floor underground, its drop had a bit of an interesting effect. HP and Strength S, it was an effect that he wanted to use in combination with it. 61. Auto level up Telldungeon, 7th floor underground. Dungeonsnow - a gutsy slime emerged from the snow. I shoot a penetrating bullet at the monster that created a picture-perfect scene. With a single blow, the slime gapes into a crescent shape, and all subsequent attacks are no longer effective. ''''Please do so.'''' Thank you. I randomly walk up to it with the rare item I got earlier from Emily, a slime tear, and walk up to it. The slime, whose body is missing, bounces and hits me - the moment it does. The moment it hit me, the slime bursts away. The slime drops an onion and disappears, assuring me that the experiment has been a success. Emily, Celeste, and Eve, who had been keeping their distance to watch the test, approached me. ''I see, so you can use this to hunt on the seventh floor of the tellurium by yourself. ''Yeah, we can do that first until the slime''s special ability is activated, then we can get one shot and reflect. I figured going into invincibility would be 1 HP or something like that. But this is something only you can do. ''Well. Getting attacked every time you try to take it down is too good to go around. It''s impossible to make it practical unless you have both strength and HP. Was Ryota-san safe from the attack? I''ll be fine. How much of an attack was it? At Celeste''s question, I thought for a moment, then turned to Eve and touched my forehead. Eve nodded and chopped at me. ''Good, a little later.'' I said, and Eve gave a quick (!) chop. As fast as it feels, Hang on. Eve walked stoutly over and stood in front of the tree and chopped at the same speed. The thick tree, which was about the size of a grown man''s torso, was cut in half and wobbled. It''s that kind of thing, Yoda, that doesn''t faze me. Yeah, you''re good. Emily was rather childishly happy, and Celeste glanced at me with a sly grin. ''A grasping but not grasping clunker,'' ''Don''t be so sure, Eve, your damage reflexes are still amazing--'' What''s going on, Mr. Yoda? Three people wondering. I''ve got an interesting idea. Nifonium dungeon, basement level two. This is the best place to get out of anyone''s way. Regular dungeons are filled with adventurers, and Princess Margaret and her friends come to produce air in the first basement level of the Nifonium dungeon. From the second floor onwards, you may or may not run into another adventurer for a week. I''ll be strutting around in this limestone cave like dungeon. I''m just going to wander around. Just like before, when your stats reach S, you find monsters and don''t attack them, but get hit by them as you please and walk slowly. You''ll encounter zombies one after another, sometimes by surprise. Take them and walk anyway. When there are more than 15 zombies - poof! The first zombie that attacked me burst through the air. It burst about the same time as I attacked it, and then it disappeared, leaving its seeds behind. "That''s great, Mr. Yoda, you killed a monster just by walking. I didn''t know you could do this. Emily and the rest of the group, who were standing off to the side, rolling their eyes in admiration as they stayed out of my way. Yes, that thing I did before, the one where I''m walking around with a bunch of monsters in tow. That one keeps getting attacked all the time, combined with the slime tears there, and the other side gets hit on its own. ''''That''s fine, but it''s not very efficient. I pull out my gun and start firing away, wiping out all the zombies around me. The monsters are gone, and Emily and the others are approaching. ''It''s no use, Yoda, you''re too strong. Yeah. Well, I guess you could say this. ''What do you want to do with this? I know it''s a useful item, but the Harvest Festival needs this. That''s a pretty high price to pay. How many carrots do you have? I chuckle back at Eve''s question, which is not blunt. ''Let''s go up for today for now, we''ll make a decision tomorrow. Okay. Okay, let''s get out of here. I''m going to tellurium. Surrounded by mountains of carrots. The three of us were completely at ease with each other as we headed home. Meanwhile, I stopped in my tracks. I stopped, because an idea came to me in my brain. The three of them stop and turn to me. "...... Mr. Yoda? What''s going on? Sorry guys, you can go home first. Emily and the three of them were puzzled for a moment, but they quickly accepted it. ''Okay,'' You can tell me what you''re thinking about again. I''ll be careful, low-level. The three of them turned themselves around without asking anything, and this time they were heading home. I waved to the three of them and saw them off. The next morning. When I woke up, I felt a terrible pain in every part of my body. When I stretched out to see what was going on, I felt a crisp sensation. I''m sure you''ve slept in the dungeon. I immediately remembered that there were five zombies surrounding me, attacking me. The zombies kept attacking, and one of them was knocked down by a reflex and dropped a seed. The seeds get sucked into the collection box I keep nearby. After seeing them off last night, I spent the night here in the basement of Nifongnium. I haven''t even moved to where I am now, where I saw them off. All I did was set up the collection box and then I slept with the slime tears. I didn''t do anything in fact. The result of doing nothing - I looked inside the collection box to see what I had done. ''One, two, three...... thirty-seven in all? I was able to defeat 37 zombies just by sleeping here one night. It''s not very efficient, and I can''t really say it''s practical. It was a bit of an interesting experience to be able to hunt just by sleeping. 62. Double reward The new three-story house we just rented, a new house that can survive the magic storm. That, the living room on the second floor. When I came back from Nifonium, I just came across Emily and Celeste eating breakfast. ''We''re home. Are you two alone? Eve really did go to tellurium. And I have a proposition for you. ''Yes, sir. When he came back, Yoda asked me what he was going to do with the slime tears, but I told him it had nothing to do with carrots, so he said he could do whatever he wanted. Steady. I''m impressed with what I''ve seen so far. ''Looks like you''ve got something to show for it, Ryota. Well. I explain to both Celeste, who is very perceptive, and Emily, who has an excited look on her face when she hears it. That I spent a night in Nihonium with the Tears of Slime, and that I was able to take out 37 zombies with my reflexes just by sleeping and getting a drop for that. ''Great--but subtle?'' ''Yeah, it''s subtle. It''s definitely amazing, you can beat it and get the drop items without doing anything, but the efficiency is too subtle. To begin with, that''s something only Mr. Yoda could do. Well, sleeping through the night in the middle of a pack of monsters and then looking all kelopy the next morning is a trick that only Mr. ...... Lyota could pull off. Celeste said. ''Even that Mr. Yoda is delicate, it might be better to deliver it honestly here. That''s what I thought. Interesting, but not essential. I''ll cash this one in and keep it for next time if I can get it again. Then I asked them both for their opinions. Emily and Celeste both nodded their heads without objection. Eve, who wasn''t here, wouldn''t have a problem with it since it had nothing to do with carrots at all. ''''Then let''s go to Elsa''s place after we eat. Apparently, the buyer''s employees also have achievements and things like that, so I decided to make these slime tears her achievements for her familiar face. Suddenly I noticed that Celeste was thinking about it. ''''What''s wrong, Celeste?'''' No, it just occurred to me. Yeah? ''What do you think the rare monster haggler will drop? ''That bothers me, hmmm, it bothers me. Whatever I drop is going to change from the original one. I can''t let these slime tears confirm that. It''s all right then. Emily smiled and took out a ring. ''''It''s ...... that''s right slime broth''s! ''Yes, sir. It''s a drop of slime broth on the first floor of the Tellurium. After eating breakfast, we are on the outskirts of Ciclo. We come to an unpopulated area and make sure there''s no sign of people around. I place my slime broth ring on the ground and keep my distance with both Emily and Celeste. ''It''s exciting,'' Well, I wonder what we''ll get. ''There will be another great one!Mr. Yoda''s Drop S is the best in the world. I smile, a little embarrassed to be lifted so high. I load up my bullets to hide my embarrassment and get ready for battle. Hagremono is a slime broth, I remember when I took it down before. Even then, it was pretty weak, and I was able to shoot it out with a single normal bullet. I would be able to defeat it this time as well without any problems, but I prepared a whole range of special bullets, such as straitjacket and tracking bullets to one side, just in case. After a while, it hatched from a ring into a haglemono and became a slime broth. At about the same time, a normal bullet penetrated the slime broth. I pulled the trigger the moment it hatched and shot it out when it was fully hatched. The guy disappeared and poof, an item was dropped. I walked up to it and picked it up. I heard a voice in my brain. ''Double the drop--and the occasional HPMP recovery effect when you attack? It''s a good one! There''s another effect on top of the original one. Do you have a recovery effect sometimes when you attack this attack? Emily and Celeste thought for a moment and replied. ''I''ve never heard of it,'' Double drop exists, but not that one. I see. That''s what I''m talking about, Ryota-san. I''m wondering what new tears will be added to the slime. Yeah, but no. He replied to Celeste''s words with a bitter smile. Because the design of the ring that was dropped was completely different. The shape of the ring, and the stones on it. It''s so different that even a layman could see it at a glance. ''''If I do it with slime tears, I won''t be able to deliver it. Yeah. Celeste laughed, too, and looked disappointed. ''It''s all right,'' What? We can''t be sure, but we can get to it. How? Emily chuckled and pulled out a pouch - a pouch that had been dropped from the Slime Sultan''s haggle - and showed it to me and the others. This is the rare monster in the seventh floor of the tellurium! Buyer. The place was bustling with activity today, with various adventurers bringing in their drop items, but then Elsa''s loud voice rang out, and she quieted down and turned her attention to us. I laughed bitterly, and Emily and Celeste. ''Seven floors underground?'' You know, the Guts'' ''Oh, I''m pretty sure that thing has a low drop rate, so they pull it to the end of the line every year. You''re a lucky guy. ''That one usually drops, but it''s harder to collect than other rares because a lot of adventurers destroy themselves with it because of the effect, so it''s harder to lose it every time it''s lost. I can hear the adventurers. I somehow understood why they didn''t gather even though they belonged to the seventh floor underground. On the other hand, Elsa blushed and hurriedly apologized when she realized that she had attracted attention. ''''Oh, I''m sorry.'''' ''Don''t worry about it. For that matter, you can still buy this, right? ''Yes!Thank you!Thanks to Mr. Sato, our store''s credibility and rank will rise again. ''Is that what happens when you put it out for a harvest festival item?'' ''Yes!And the rarer it is, the better. So I really appreciate it, Satou-san! I''m glad I could help. And will you be at the harvest festival, Sato-san? Yeah, I''ll get you out. I replied, aware of the pouch in my pocket. Along with the honor of the store, the adventurers are honored. At the harvest festival, during the festivities, they would haggle the items on display in the arena. They display both crops and monsters. It is the adventurer who must defeat the haggler. In particular, it is customary for adventurers to help with rare monster drops. Originally, the festival began as a way for adventurers to display the monsters and their drops, and to share with others how to defeat them. As Ciclo''s town grew, so did its population. Nowadays, demonstrating how to defeat a rare monster at a harvest festival is an honorable thing for adventurers to do. It''s a way to show that you can beat this monster, and it''s a way to show off your power. Plus, people who want to pinpoint the item might ask for it afterwards, which is a good thing. That''s what I said I would do. I used to avoid taking down haggles in front of people a while ago, but thanks to the pouch in my pocket, an item that makes it look like it''s not going to drop, I don''t have to worry about it anymore. ''Then please,'' I''m on it. Well, then, here''s your fee. Elsa held the wad of bills out on the table. An easy to understand, very easy to understand wad of bills. That''s it - three stacked up. Probably a high price drop from the original, but the festival price was even higher. Not only did I get a confirmed drop of Slime''s Tears Hagremoney, but I also got a reward of three million piro. I turned around and dodged a high-five with Emily and Celeste. 63. Ryota VS Metal Ryota After a night, we''re on the fifth floor of the Nifonium basement. The fourth basement floor was completely cleared with my strength rising to S. From today, it was the fifth basement floor. The place I came down to was the exact same limestone cave as the 4th floor. Coming from a dungeon like the sixth or seventh floor of the tellurian, or some other outdoor-like dungeon, the drop is huge. But one thing is the same. "Dungeonsnow ...... is another level where it snows? Just like the seventh floor underground in Tellurium, it was snowing with magic here too. Unlike that one, snow falling in a completely cavernous cave chick is a bit interesting. A monster appeared. It was a skeleton that broke through the ground and came out. It looked exactly the same as the skeleton above, and it moved the same way after it came out. Is there such a thing as the same monster?What a bewilderment, I held the gun up - and the skeleton changed. Snow fell on the skeleton''s body and it seeped into his bones. The skeleton that took in the snow of magic power gradually turned red. The white bones turned bright red. ''Good, it''s all properly different mon--'' To my relief, the skeleton was in front of me in an instant. ''''--! I guarded my crossed arms against the skeleton''s attack, and I quickly kicked him and tried to fly backwards - but Keri teased him. It ducked with great speed and ducked right next to me to attack further. Fast!The red skeleton is three times faster than the last one! ...... but! Skelton was fast, but I was faster. I was surprised because they caught me by surprise, but once I knew that they were fast, I was good to go. I caught the attack and got ahead of the skeleton the moment it moved even faster and hit-and-away away. Speed S, I went around one step ahead of Skeleton, who moved diagonally, and countered a side kick to that guy who had just jumped into shape. The counter, which combined both speed and power, broke Skeleton''s hip bone in half. The bone rolled to the ground and freaked out, but it quickly stopped moving and went to seed. When he picked it up. --The maximum MP value has been raised by 1. And I heard the usual voice. The fifth basement floor drops MP seeds, okay, let''s give this one a little bit more. ...... Huh? I just remembered something. MP, the kind of energy that makes magic happen. How do you know what magic is? At any rate, after I raised my MP from F to E, I asked Celeste, who joined me in town. It''s usually something you learn as you level up. It''s not just a matter of time before you''re born, but also what kind of magic you''re born with, just as levels and abilities are unique to you. Okay. But I''m stuck on level one. ...... normally?Is there any other way? There''s this thing called "magic fruit" that you''ll learn to eat. There is such a thing? ''Yes, but there are quite a few disadvantages, so a lot of people shy away from it. What downside is there to this? It''s something that goes against your natural growth, so the moment you eat it, your level is fixed and you are cursed not to grow at all. Furthermore, there is one type of magic fruit, and what you learn after you eat it is completely random ...... and sometimes you learn things you already know. That''s a tough one. But if that''s the case, why don''t you just raise the bar all the way up? Yes, just one. What''s the problem with the second one at ......? After the second one, every time I eat, my level goes down a level, and of course, my ability goes down. That''s too tight. If you eat one, you won''t be able to level up, and after the second one, you''ll level down even more. It''s a tough curse. But. ''''Are there any other disadvantages anymore? No. If I had to choose, I''d say it''s only because one of them is still expensive, since you eat it after you''ve completed your level. Well, I don''t have a problem with that. ...... That was right, Lyota, you have the highest level and a 1, so none of that is a disadvantage. That''s what I''m talking about. You bought it. Outside the largest wizards'' shop in Cyclo, I was carrying a fancy crate. Celeste, who accompanied me, took the lid off the crate. Inside is a fruit the size of a melon with a six-pointed star pattern on the outside. Is this a magic fruit that can learn magic if you eat it? ''But was it okay to buy it?I threw out the entire three million I got yesterday, and it would have been better to spend it on everyone else. I think I''d like Lyota to have it. I''m sure Emily would say the same. Eve would-- She doesn''t seem to mind that it''s not a carrot. I laugh bitterly. My friends don''t seem to mind. Well then, let''s get on with it. No, wait. Why? I''ve learned. You shouldn''t eat these things by themselves. "?Are you going to have Emily cook for you? I smiled back at Celeste, who smiled at me quizzically, and walked ahead, closing the lid of the box. Cyclo''s open air, the usual unpopular place. When they came there, Celeste quickly understood. ''I see, you''re going to haggle and re-drop it. ''Yeah, it''s probably going to be better than the original magic fruit. I said it outright - but secretly I thought it was a 50-50 proposition. Maybe it will be a good one, but I can''t get a vector for that good (...). Sometimes you can get a normal, upward-compatible drop like a rare monster drop, and sometimes it''s something completely different, like that gorilla, which goes from tuna to gorilla and from gorilla to gun. I don''t doubt that it gets better, but I''m 50/50 on whether the effects of the magic fruit will remain. Still, I decided to give it a try. When I was at the company, every time I tried something, it was usually rejected as unprecedented. But when I came up with an idea and someone else did it first, the rejected boss or company would say, "Why didn''t you think of that? He yells at me. No more of that, I thought I''d challenge you. I put down the magic fruit and leave with Celeste. I put down the magic fruit and leave with Celeste. I jumped out of the fruit in a combat stance. The monster is a metallic-colored ball - and then it suddenly melts and changes shape. The molten metal changed shape and became a human shape. "Ryota-san! Celeste screams. Yes, it was dressed exactly the same as me. The only thing missing is the color, and it''s still metallic all over. A liquid metal android. It''s just like something out of a movie. It jumped on me. He''s fast! He guards against the gouging punches, and then kills them to get some distance. He readies his gun and fires a series of regular bullets, hitting it, but it doesn''t seem to be working. He pounces further, fleshes out with great speed, punches and kicks bellowing in the wind. I took it, fought back, and this time I hit a penetrating bullet. The balls hit him in the chest - and he was stopped before he could do it. I crossed my arms and he guarded me. That''s what I''m used to. "Hard, fast, powerful. Metal Ryota (I''ll call him that for now) had pretty high basic specs, but he wasn''t as good as I was. But not as high as I was. Guns didn''t seem to work, so I put them away and fought back with bullets. I avoided attacks, counterattacked, punched them away, caught up with them, and changed directions at right angles. The more battles I''ve fought, the more I''ve figured out. My power and speed are roughly 80% of mine. It''s a monster that''s probably 80 percent of the specs of the opponent I''m copying. It''s not a good opponent to go around... I grabbed the guy who was fighting back and threw him into the air, then shot a restraining round into the air. Metal Ryota is tied up in the air by a rope of light, unable to move. We''ve got the gist of it, we''re going to get it done. I put bullets in two guns, a flame round and a frozen round. I fired them in rapid succession - fusing them into a series of annihilation rounds, the most powerful of all. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what to expect when you''re in the air and you can''t dodge it. It struggled through the hole, but the holes grew one after another, and eventually it exceeded its limits, cracking like a water balloon and drifting down to the ground in a slushy manner back into liquid metal. I held the gun up, just in case, but it was fine. The liquid metal-like substance quickly disappeared, and with a pop, it dropped. I approached slowly, while Celeste, who had been watching from a distance, ran to join me. Celeste gave me a complicated look as I picked up the drop. ''It''s still a magic fruit. Some things never change, do they? No, not really. I twisted the corners of my mouth in a grin and turned the magic fruit I''d picked up around and showed it to Celeste. The six-pointed star sign, which had been one earlier, was now two. ''''Is this ...... maybe?'''' Maybe, no, I''m sure. Probably a slime broth pattern. More of the same, upward compatible. I took a bite of the magic fruit, confident that... --I''ll learn two magic. An announcement-like voice echoed in my brain. 64. Two magics Window cutter! I used my magic just the way it appeared in my head. A green wind whipped up, and a blade of wind sliced through the empty space. ''So that''s the first magic. Yeah. It''s called a window cutter. It''s wind level one magic. "Level 1, well, that''s about as powerful as it gets, but ...... it''s true that this has a lot of disadvantages. It''s a bit sad when you level up and pay millions of dollars for a spell like this. ''In some cases, a girl like Emily can learn recovery magic, so if it''s up to one, it''s more of a luck than a disadvantage. Yes. I nodded and agreed with Celeste. And if you''re lucky, as Celeste says, if you can learn recovery magic from a pure warrior type like Emily, you''ll expand the dungeon''s, and the adventure''s, scope. In that sense, I wasn''t a good puller. ''What kind of magic is the other one? It''s not that easy. Terre d''Argent, 6th floor. I came down with Emily, who had joined us. We immediately encountered the monsters of this level, the parent and child slime. There were many small slimes in one group of large slimes. They may look like a group of slimes, but they''re actually all one piece of slime. Well, as we discussed. Yes, sir! I''ll take care of it-- Inferno! Celeste cast a spell. Inferno, a level 3 broad-spectrum fire magic, burned the spreading slime together. The child slimes were burned one by one and disappeared without dropping. ''''Resurrection.'''' When all the children disappeared and there was only the parent slime (the real thing), I cast a magic spell. A magical light enveloped the powered-up parent slime. The magic light was absorbed into the slime''s body and disappeared. In the next moment, Emily jumped on the hammer, spinning it around. The hammer blow with speed and weight on it hit the slime cleanly. The slime''s body crumpled and part of it flew off. The parent slime, which had been strengthened to its upper limit after the child slime was knocked down, didn''t fall with a single blow. It regained its shape as if it were clay and immediately fought back at Emily. ''''Don''t let it!'''' She fired a restraining round to stop the slime from moving. With no more worries about counterattacks, Emily pounced on the slime even more. She kept hitting the slime as if it were a rice cake. I closed the distance somewhat. I held my gun at a distance where the strapped bullets were sure to hit, but not get in Emily''s way, and tried to follow up. After Emily''s hammering spree and two strapped rounds. The parent slime was smashed by Emily. Immediately after, a pile of potatoes was dropped. A large amount of child slime was dropped from where the child slime was once. It wasn''t Emily''s drop E, it was the drop from when I was defeated by my drop S. ''It''s amazing, it''s just like Yoda,'' So now magic is ...... Yeah, I''ve cast a spell that only applies to people I''ve already cast a spell on and whoever kills me will get my drop. You mean the drop-s equivalent? Yeah. But it''s also very subtle. It''s nice to have someone other than me as the drop S, but since I''m putting it on the target monster and not a human, it ends up having to be me, so there''s no point. ''Right. If I could get a human to call me instead of a monster, I could have Ryota-san call me and we could split up and do something called ....... Well, for all the trouble you''re going to put into this monster, it''ll be a lot faster if I take it out myself. I smiled bitterly and nodded at each other, I and Celeste. Not that it doesn''t make sense, but it seems to be a subtle outlier. ''No, it''s not!Thank you. Emily suddenly thanked me. ''Thank you for what?'' This way. Emily took me by the hand and started walking. We walked through the open air-like dungeon for a while and found the Now Board set up for adventurers. Emily manipulates it and gives me a status. ---1/2--- Level: 25/40 HP A MP F Power A Strength C Intelligence F Spirit F Speed E Dexterous F Luck C --------- ... Level 25 ...... leveled up... now. ''Yes, sir!I wasn''t up since then at 24 when I was a bicorn, but I''ve moved up a level again! Emily said with a big smile on her face. If you look closely, not only did her level go up, but her HP went up as well, to A. ''''I see, because if you use that magic, you can make someone other than Lyota-san take the top spot. I can raise the bar! ...... Oh. I clap my hands together. The reason I ate the magic fruit is because my level is fixed at maximum 1 and won''t rise. The drop is S, so when I''m hiding in dungeons with my buddies, I''m almost always the one to beat them, but that''s a complete waste of experience. This magic is a solution to that problem. But Ryota-san has a lot of work to do. That''s not true. Hi! Celeste let out a small scream as I immediately refuted her. I couldn''t help but scream. I had taken away their experience without realizing it. When I realized this, I felt I had to give them their experience back. And now, to top it all off - share the experience with the rest of you. Look at Emily and Celeste. ''We''ll all eat the magic fruit when we''ve leveled up. ...... Yeah. Thank you! 65. Resort messenger I woke up in the morning and came downstairs from the third floor bedroom to the upstairs living room. Emily, who was in the kitchen, turned around and smiled at me. ''Good morning,'' Good morning ......, where''s Celeste? I went out with Eve. She said that from today, there will be fewer adventurers going to the dungeon because of the harvest festival, so Celeste said she would ask her to bring out all the carrots. I see. We sat down at the table and sipped the tea Emily had brought for us. Today is the start of a three-day harvest festival. As I recall, it''s a big event held once a year in Cyclo. Yes, people from other cities seem to come to see it. Since people come from all over the world, they come from many different cities and put on a show to get adventurers. "Acquisition of adventurers? It''s like they bring in drops from other dungeons and sell them, or make them into haggles and promote them as an easy to earn dungeon or city. I see. There''s quite a lot going on. I mean, that''s what the appeal for adventurer acquisition is done, right? Well, in this world, everything is dropped from monsters in dungeons, so the adventurers who hunt the monsters are the producers of the primary industry. The number and quality of adventurers is directly related to the tax revenue of the city. In a sense, it''s like attracting businesses. Yes? ''No, this one. ...... Speaking of which, that''s Emily''s from earlier, it''s all hearsay (it seems). Emily gave him a troubled look. ''Miss Celeste told me about it. From Celeste?I know she''s getting a lot of information, but why would Emily ask her? You''ve lived in this town all your life. I''ve spent a lot of time in dungeons, and festivals are expensive. ...... So that''s it. Emily was an unfortunate adventurer in Drop E until I forced her to rent a cheap apartment for 20,000 piro and dragged her there. She lived a survivalist lifestyle living in a dungeon. ''Alright, so let''s go to the festival together. Together? ''Yeah, there''s a lot of interesting stuff out there, right?Let''s have some fun together. Yes, sir! I left the house and Emily and I walked around the city. It''s only mid-morning, but the streets are already quite crowded. There are people dressed in unusual outfits, and stalls selling non-cyclo goods are everywhere. It''s similar to the peddlers who gathered around the Seren Dungeon, but there are far more of them, and their wares are far more diverse. ''''It''s amazing, there''s so much to choose from.'''' Let me know if there''s anything you need. ''What?But ...... Emily looked around the stalls and said with an apologetic look on her face. ''It''s a festival thing, so it''s at a premium: ...... Don''t worry about the money. It''s a festival, so let''s just spend it all. But ....... If Emily doesn''t pick it, I''ll just buy it myself.Well, it''s like a stuffed animal that looks like this thing... "Please don''t, please don''t do that, please don''t do that, I''ll do anything! I was talking up very fast. It''s a stuffed animal that looks like an anthropomorphic black creature, which is cute in my eyes, but not in Emily''s eyes. You can''t even get a fast-moving cocrosstalking, crunching, fast-moving cocrosstalking lime. Let''s get something. Okay, okay. Emily was oddly enthusiastic and started rummaging through this and that merchandise. Suddenly, she stopped in front of one of the stalls. ''What''s up Emily ...... collection box?'' Side by side, I look at the items in that store. It was all a collection box. An item that automatically sucks in drops from defeated monsters and packs them in a box. It''s the one I often use to boost my special ammunition. What''s this? ''Listen to me, sir, this is the experience of the Alkir product. The owner of the stall, a young man with thread-thin eyes and a friendly smile on his face, answered the question. ''Experience?What does that mean? This was dropped by a monster called a plated mouse. Do you know it? Platemouth. It''s a great monster that gives you ten times more experience than other monsters of the same strength. Yeah. We''ll put her in a public place and be gone for three minutes. Oh, great. ''Yes!With a plated mouse that''s turned into a haggler, you get ten times the experience of a normal mouse. I see. I hadn''t thought of that idea. In this world where drops are important, levels and experience exist, but few adventurers care about them. All adventurers go through dungeons and kill monsters continuously, so most of the time their level is at their upper limit before they realize it. ''''You mean you don''t drop haggle-heads, but you get a decent amount of experience? Mr. Yoda, I''ve raised the bar. ''What?Oh!Feminine under the cliff! Emily nodded. It wasn''t long after I met her - just about right after I got the frozen bullets. There was an incident where she fell down a cliff and turned a package away from people''s hands into a haglemono, and she defeated it all at once and leveled it up. ''I see, even haggler things can level up properly. ''''I see, so you''re selling experience ...... What''s inside this, by the way? Wait, sir. The owner of the store stopped me, but I took a box and opened the lid. The moment I open it... "Whoa! Haha! d*mn it! He hurriedly closed the lid and put the box down. The moment I opened the box, a ridiculous smell came flying out of the box. It was like rotten meat and fish that had been dumped into the sewage system and further fermented and then boiled down. It''s such a strong odor. Ugh, ...... it stings my eyes. ...... Holy shit. ''That''s the poisonous mushrooms in the plated mouse drop. The thing itself has absolutely no value at all, so this is how we sell it as an experience in a box. I see. I''m sorry for barging in. The stench pervaded the area, and people who were enjoying the festival stared at me. Unable to stand it, I bought a box as an apology and hurriedly ran away with Emily. Outside of Cyclo, in the open air where it is not popular. I put down the box of experience (poisonous mushrooms) and keep my distance. It''s good to have them, but it''s not good to get rid of them, so I paused my tour of the festival and tried to make them into hagremonos - experiences. While waiting to become a haglemono, Emily and I look at the pamphlet I got from the owner of the Itome shop. ''Is it a guide to Alkil?'' ''Oh ...... this pamphlet makes it sound like you specialize in tourism, Alkil. Sightseeing? ''They say that 70% of the Alkil drops are poisonous or stink like that thing and 30% don''t drop anything. So they say the city''s tax revenue is hard to come by when you have four dungeons. Is that so? ''''The drops are rotten, but in return, all the monsters have high experience, so they''re specializing the town for tourism and adventurer support, and they''re trying to get adventurers to drop money from them. See, here, there''s a haggle arena, complete with a haggle arena for those who don''t like stink drops. There are cities like that. ''It''s funny. Emily and Celeste aren''t maxed out on levels, are they?Let''s go back to that place. ''Yes!We''re all going together! Emily nodded with a big smile on her face as she remembered her promise to level up and learn magic. At that moment, the box swelled up from within. Hagremonos would hatch. ''''Yoda-san!'''' Yeah. We nodded at each other. I stood by with my support ammunition - restraining and recovery rounds. Emily took the hammer, ready to leap at any moment. A large rat about six inches long hatched from a poisonous mushroom. Its body was metallic in color, but in some places it had peeled off, revealing a dull color from within. It somehow reminded me of a zombie, just like the flesh that rots and falls off. I felt the same way when I saw the metal zombie, the plated mouse. It''s a bit creepy, to say the least. Moreover, it moved like a mouse, moving a little bit and stopping and moving a little and stopping. Are you sure about that, Emily? What? ...... No, no, it''s okay. A lot of kids who don''t like G don''t like rats, but Emily seems to be okay with it. I do! Yeah. Almost at the same time I fired the restraining round, Emily jumped out of the way. The rope of light easily restrained the plating mouse, and Emily''s hammer hit it. Gakkien! Yeah, it''s hard. I can help you. I''m fine! Emily took a deep breath and readjusted her hammer. Emily gathered her strength, as if she could hear a giggling ...... sound. An amazing one is coming, or so she pretended to think. ''Hah!'' "--reservation. Quickly, I remembered and cast a spell. The magic hit first before Emily''s blow hit. Immediately after that, the hammer was knocked down. Thud!The ground shook so much that I felt like I was going to fall over from a distance. The hammer struck the ground, and there was a crater about three meters in diameter. You did it, Yoda! What are the levels? It''s up to you! Okay. You''re up with that one. This is getting more and more like we''re all going to have to go to Alkil together. ''Yoda, I''ll take a look at this.'' Yeah?Whoa, new bullets? As Emily called me closer, I saw a new bullet in the center of the crater that I hadn''t seen before. 66. First collaboration I pick up the bullet and stare at it intently. ''Yes?'' Let''s find out. I''m pretty sure it''s a special bullet. Then I''ll go for the rock. Emily raised her hand and pointed in the direction of the day after tomorrow. There was a rock about the size of a shed there. "Yeah, I''ll try. Emily, I''ll take a step back, just in case. Yes, sir. Next to Emily''s moving, I only loaded my newly acquired bullets. I turn to face the large rock and pull the trigger. Click. "Huh? What''s going on? Nothing is going to happen, okay? Click, click. He pulls the trigger a few more times, but there''s no sign of a bullet going off. ''Was it a miss?Or is your gun broken? Let''s try it. New bullets stay in place, load a regular round in there and pull the trigger. Pan!A corner of the rock was blown away with the sound of a gunshot, "I''m sorry, sir. ''It''s not broken,'' ...... Mr. Yoda? Is it a little strong? What? Didn''t those regular bullets have more power than normal? Really?...... Oh, maybe. Yeah. I nod. I''m probably thinking what Emily thinks and I am thinking what Emily thinks. I pull out a fresh round, only reload this time, and shoot a large rock. "It''s a little weaker, sir. ...... Emily, let''s go buy some experience. Yes, sir! I hurried back to the city of Cyclo and bought nine boxes of poisonous mushrooms from the threadbare merchant from earlier. I brought them outdoors, turned them into Hagremonts, and had Emily take them down after I applied Resurrection every time. Emily''s level went up by two, to 28. And nine more new bullets, bringing the total to ten. ''Let''s go with two loads this time. Yes, sir. I load two new bullets and pull the trigger first. I still can''t shoot. So you load the regular bullets--shoot! A large rock was gouged out by a regular bullet. Great, I know what I''m talking about. Yeah, they''re getting more powerful. Now give me three. I put three new bullets in and then shot a normal bullet, the power increased even more, and the large rock was shattered by the repeated damage. ''There''s no doubt about it now,'' ''Yes, sir, it doesn''t shoot, but it makes the other bullets in the gun as strong as they are in it. It makes the others stronger, so they''re the stronger bullets. One regular bullet and everything else is going to be a lot of firepower. ''You have to reload every single shot, but, well, it''s a good one that could have some use. I thought about all the different ways I could use my newly acquired enhanced bullets. Suddenly, I noticed Emily was staring at me smiling. "What''s up, Emily? I''m glad. Happy? I''m so happy that Yoda is strong again. Emily was as happy as she was. After checking the performance of the enhanced bullets, Emily and I returned to Cyclo. For now, we''ve settled the experience value, the plated mouse, and the reinforced bullets, so we pulled ourselves together and resumed our tour of the harvest festival. The town is even more crowded than it was in the morning, perhaps because it''s past noon. It was so crowded that people bumped into each other as they walked, and the whole town was getting more and more excited. ''There''s something going on over there,'' That''s the way it should be. All you do is crawl into dungeons when you''ve got some energy left in you. Amidst the festival''s typical enthusiasm and sense of the extraordinary, I and Emily went around to various places. By the way, Emily was excited by everything she saw and did. Remembering the words "participating in a harvest festival" for the first time, I spent the money on Emily for some reason or another. Emily is now parked in front of a stall selling trinkets. The accessories, with strings and thin chains, are all cute and in the right size. It''s the kind of thing that would fit on a strap for a phone or something. Emily looks at it with a twinkle in her eye. I followed her gaze and found her staring at the bell-like accessory. ''Is that what you want?'' ''What?No, I just thought it was a bit nice. Okay. Give me that. Three thousand piro. He takes out the money and gives it to the shopkeeper, who takes the bell jewelry. I give it to Emily. ''See?'' Thanks to ....... Emily took it and, with a shy smile, cradled it carefully in her hands. Then you can put it on the base of the hammer. You''re going to put it there? Yes, sir. After tying it securely, Emily raised the hammer a bit. There was a beautiful chirping sound. ''This is always the same.'' ''Right. Maybe one of these days the monsters will run away when they hear the bell. ''The Grim Reaper!The Reaper''s bell is here!And maybe you''ll start to sit up and take a back seat. I''m a monster! We went around the festival further, joking around with each other about the right things. The occasional chirping and chirping sounds that came to symbolize Emily''s presence gradually came to symbolize her presence, and the sound of Emily''s bell, which made her warm home, gave me a sense of security. But it was unceremoniously broken. A sudden explosion and screams came from a distance, and a little later, people fled from that direction. ''Mr. Yoda!'' Yeah. I nodded to each other and ran off with Emily. I called with the sound of a bell, and when I reached it, there was a monster. With pointed ears and green skin, bent at the waist and leaning forward, it looked like a monster called a "goblin" - but it was huge. It was less than three meters tall with its hips bent, and would be even taller if it stood upright. It looks like a goblin, but its size is a giant. Such a monster. The people of the city are running away from that thing like spider spiders. What is this thing? I don''t know, sir. ''If Celeste is here, you can go to ...... and we''ll do it anyway.'' Yes, sir! Wait. I was about to jump out of the room when a man''s urgent voice stopped me. I turned around to see a young man with his head bleeding. "That''s the Incredible Goblin," he said, holding his head. That''s an Incredese goblin," he said, holding his head. It''s a tricky one, as it will gradually grow stronger and stronger as it is attacked unless it is defeated in one fell swoop. ''That''s the kind of monster you are: ...... It''s going to be a pain in the ass to get around in a dungeon. We''d have to take it down in one blow. ''I used to keep them in a cage for the harvest festival, but a kid threw a rock at them as a prank, and they grew up strong. Ordinary adventurers are no match for him now. You must hurry up and run away. But, It''s okay, call for backup-- they''re here! A man looked behind me and looked like he had found the God of salvation. I turned around and saw three familiar faces. "Neptune, and those two... This is Mr. Lan and Lil'' The alleged homos*xual and the two women who always followed him appeared together and stood in front of the Inquirer Goblin. ''Lil, Ran. Can you handle it? Who do you think I am? I''ll do my best for Nay-kun! The three of them nodded at each other, and first Neptune stepped forward. As if to sandwich it, Ran and Lil stood on either side of it and deployed a magic circle. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one. The two chanted as if they were singing and cast a spell on Neptune. ''''God Press!'''' "Devilkers! Two spells, black and white, took hold of Neptune. Two lights enveloped him, creating wings on his back. White and black. A pair of wings of different colors. Creep. Feeling the pressure, feeling Neptune, which is just as strong as he is, became even stronger on his skin. Squeezing my sleeve. It''s Emily. She grabbed my sleeve anxiously. "Let''s go, ha! Neptune jumps out, an unremarkable, unremarkable dive with no great speed. Then it unleashes an attack. Just ahead of him, he flapped his wings and jumped up, and thrust his palms down - as if he were crushing them - towards the Incredible Goblin. You can see the goggle ...... goblin''s body crumple up. The hand isn''t directly hit, but you can see that it''s about to be crushed by some huge invisible force. Swoosh! After a sound, the goblin fell backwards, its spine bending in an impossible direction. Landing Neptune, he puts away his wings. ''Phew.'' Immediately after he took a breath, people cheered. They praised Neptune for taking care of the powerful monsters that rampaged through the city, mouths full of praise. A girl jumped out of the crowd and ran to Neptune''s side to look up at him with admiring eyes. The tense atmosphere of the battle relaxed into a smiling spectacle. It wasn''t my turn, but it didn''t make a big deal out of it. I turned to leave. Oh, Satou-kun, he''s over there. Sorry, I''m sorry, I''ve got a friend over there waiting for me. Shit, a faggot found me. I was going to get away before he found me. All right, we''ll just have to wing it. Watch out! His voice came out before he could even think about it. How the goblin that Neptune was supposed to have defeated rose up and attacked him. Neptune reacted quickly. He guarded the attack from the goblin''s thick arm and was blown away. ''''Neptune! Hey, nay. Ran and Lil rushed to him in a hurry - but things were worse. Neptune was blown away, and only the girl was left on the spot. This is the girl who ran up to Neptune. The girl couldn''t even get down, she was standing and shaking. Neptune attacked her, and the Inklesse goblins, which couldn''t be defeated by a single blow and grew even bigger, attacked the girl--. Papan! My body moved before I could even think about it. I pulled out two guns and shot them simultaneously. I shot two normal bullets - loaded with a total of ten enhanced bullets. The piercing bullets fused on the way penetrate the goblin. No, penetration is not something easy. The four-meter giant''s chest was gouged out without a trace! The bullet flew further and gouged the roof of the building in front of them. ''Yo, Yoda, ......'' ''Oh ...... such a powerful thing to do!'' I was horrified by what I had done in the blink of an eye. Ordinary bullets fired from five reinforced bullets in one direction, and a combined penetrating bullet. It was far more powerful than I had expected. And then. woohoo! There were cheers from all around me. When I looked around to see what was going on, I realized that the people of the city were cheering for me in a big way. 67. Thanks and promises With the booming cheers and people returning to the festive mood, I ran toward the blown-up Neptune. Neptune, who is already on his feet, is covered in dirt and grime, but he doesn''t seem to be injured. The dust is being brushed off by Ran and Lil, and Neptune is making it seem like it''s a normal thing. ''Looks like he''s okay,'' Of course. I''m sorry I caused you so much trouble. I should''ve taken the blame for my mistake. It was a girl. Don''t worry about it. But I still want to thank you. Thank you. Neptune said that with a calm expression. That blow was undoubtedly strong, it was just that it didn''t defeat the Inklings Goblins in a single blow. In a melee, I''m probably as strong as or better than the S. I''m not sure. I wouldn''t have been able to do it either, without my gun. "You''re the man I knew you''d be, and you''re completely above board. Really? That was a great shot. I''m going to fall in love with you all over again. That''s why you''re taking such a risk... Speaking of which, the lines in your arms are nice again. I love the way the lines run down your neck. I knew you were a faggot! How many times do I have to tell you? I''m not a homos*xual. For that, every single thing I say is dangerous. ''What can I do to make you believe me?So, if I swear on the name of my beloved father, will you believe me? ''Don''t do it because faggot on top of faggot is the worst thing I can imagine. ''How rude!I''m not a motherf*cker, I''m a motherf*cker! That''s the worst part of it! It was probably a mistake to come out here and see if I was worried about my acquaintance, since he''d been blown away. When I talk to this guy, I get completely caught up in the pace of it, it''s very gripping. "Oh, by the way, ...... Neptune looked behind me. I turn around, and there''s Emily standing there. "I heard you started a family? Yeah. Well, ...... it''s a shame. I liked you so much, I couldn''t bring myself to join you. I''m afraid you''re going to like it. It''s okay. I don''t think I''m done with you yet. Not yet! Oops. Neptune held it in his hand as if it had slipped out of his mouth. This guy is definitely a faggot. Perhaps fearing the pursuit, Neptune walked away with Ran and Lil, hand in hand, with a good-natured smile that suited his sweet mask well. That''s all it takes to be a harem man with flowers in his hands ...... This guy is definitely a homos*xual, my sixth sense whispers to me. I don''t want to get involved in the future, I thought. After Neptune had left, Emily, who had been keeping a low profile, spoke up. ''Mr. Yoda, you''re tired.'' I''m a bit tired (). ...... More so than fighting a monster. ''What was that monster drop?'' Oh, that. Maybe that''s it. I took out my pouch. I had the pouch with me so I wouldn''t have to show it to the people who helped me with my exhibit at the harvest festival. I open the pouch and show the contents to Emily. It''s ...... full of regular bullets. ''''That''s what I''m talking about. That Incredible Goblin was a weak monster, the original for the Harvest Festival. Maybe all the normal monsters haggling for Cyclo''s normal monsters are normal bullets. That''s what Tellurian was. ''I see!But I''m a little disappointed, I thought it was another new item. It''s never too late to get out. He smiled at Emily and took the regular bullet out of the pouch and tucked it away with the other bullets. ''Um, ......,'' I was approached again from the side. Who is it this time?I turned around and saw the girl from earlier there. The girl who had run up to Neptune and was now in a pinch. I crouched down and held my gaze at the same level and asked, "Are you okay? Are you okay?Were you hurt? Yeah, thanks, Uncle. Well, I''m glad you''re not hurt. From now on, you must be more careful. Monsters disappear when they''re properly defeated, so don''t go near them before they disappear. I thought I was becoming familiar with this world. It''s a world where monsters drop everything, monsters that disappear when they die, and I''m definitely becoming familiar with this other world. I am definitely becoming familiar with this other world, as I explain such commonplace phenomena to children. ''Yes!All right!You know what, Uncle. What? Amelia, I want to be an adventurer when I grow up. What''s her name, Amelia? ''Yes!So hey, uncle, when Amelia grows up, can you take her to the dungeon with me? Yeah, sure. I answered almost immediately. When I grew up, I would take him to the dungeon, because it was a very cute little treat. Really?Thanks Uncle! Amelia was innocently happy. I wondered if I''d be able to go dungeon diving with her in ten years or so, which would be fun, I thought. I vaguely imagined her rebuking me for being a badass adult. That might not be a bad idea, I thought. I''m imagining such a thing. --A soft touch was felt on my cheek. I felt a soft touch on my cheek. Amelia leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek. "I promise. Yeah, I promise. I was a little surprised, but that''s what kids do. I smiled and patted her on the head. A woman in the distance, who looked like Amelia''s mother, called out to her, and she trailed off backwards as she ran back to her parents. ''You are my new mate,'' Yeah. I guess I''m a future Dora 1 candidate. Me and Emily smiled at Amelia and even waved her off. Beyond them, we see Celeste and Eve. Celeste is empty-handed, but Eve is carrying a large amount of carrots. To be honest, I can hardly see Eve, she just looks like a leg growing out of a pile of carrots. But for some reason Celeste is staring at me with her eyes wide open, as if she''s about to get rid of the blinds. I wonder what''s going on with her. Que-- Que? Ke ke ke ke ke marry Mr. Ryota? Yeah? Because when you grow up, and promises and all that: ...... Yeah, that''s-- Ugh, ...... I didn''t think you''d get ahead of me. What? What''s wrong with this story? What do you mean, you''re ahead of me?I think Celeste is rather ahead of Amelia, don''t you think? But Celeste looked extremely depressed, as if she had seen the end of the world. She was comforted by a pile of carrots. Don''t worry. You can have the carrot starter. I''m just tired of being half-heartedly nice. Celeste felt like a screw had been blown off and ran off to wherever it was, leaving behind the Doppler effect. 68. Trust When she returned, Celeste was back to normal (,). A model beauty with beautiful hair, sober as usual, I couldn''t help but look at her. ''Sorry to keep you waiting, I encountered a freak outbreak of sleeping slime in Tellurian, so it took me a while to catch up. A glitch? Every once in a while, a large number of the same monster is spawned from a dungeon.Don''t you know? ''It can''t be helped, anomalies aren''t usually noticed much. It''s only noticed when everyone is at a festival and there aren''t many people in the dungeon. I agree with Emily''s explanation. It''s true that adventurers usually swarm the dungeons, I don''t know how many abnormal occurrences there really are, but even if they are in somewhat large numbers, the dungeon zakos in this world are doomed to be killed in the blink of an eye by adventurers who are used to going around. ''''So that''s what happened.'''' "Bunny saw heaven. Eve is still buried in a pile of carrots. It''s not so much Eve anymore as it is a carrot. ''There''s an awful lot of them,'' Carrot-obsessed. Wow, I''ve been wanting to cook. Suddenly, Emily said with a weird barb. ''Emily?'' I''ve been wanting to make carrot dishes for years. I''m gonna eat a carrot! It was normal for Eve, who was biting so hard. I''m going to make it right away. I''m going to make sweet peppers stuffed with carrots... ''Whoa, whoa. Huh, rabbit suggestion. Carrots stuffed with carrots. No, that''s just a carrot. I wonder what it will look like. Celeste and I look at each other with a slight smile. "Yes, I''ll be back to make it then! Yeah! Celeste is with Yoda. There are carrots all over the place, so no one but Eve is allowed to come home for a while. No, it''s strictly forbidden. ...... haha. Celeste noticed something and huffed next to me as I was giggling. Emily winked at her and left with Eve. "What''s going on? ''You don''t have to do that anymore, Emily....... Well, that''s okay, with Emily''s cooking skills. I might even have a carrot stuffed with carrots later on and go, ''Whoa!'' You know how good Emily is. You know how good Emily is. ''I know, but ...... I know, but it''s not.'' ? For some reason, it was Celeste who started to squirm. I wonder what''s wrong with her. Is it still anxious about stuffing carrots with carrots? Hm, then you need to take away your anxiety. It''s okay, I trust Emily. I said. Celeste looks at me with a surprised look on her face and is now shocked. "I envy you, Hmm? I''m so jealous of Emily, that she believes in me so much. I''m so jealous of-- What are you talking about? I believe in Celeste, too. What? Celeste is surprised again. I''ve been repeating my surprise and depression from earlier with roller coaster-like ups and downs. ''Do you believe me ......?'' ''Oh ...... for example, the Inklese Goblin. You know. Yeah, yeah. The monster on the eighth floor of the Germanium. On the one hand, they''re very poor monsters, but on the other hand, if you don''t defeat them with a single blow, they recover all of their HP and reinforce themselves, so they''re a troublesome monster in many ways. For adventurers, they''re practically harmless, but they grow up and are used for all sorts of things. By the way, the drop is a bell pepper, and it''s not a very good way to earn money. Celeste returned to her usual tone and explained the details of the monster I had just defeated in the city, the Incredible Goblin. I just gave her a name, and she said the information was far more in depth than what I knew. As opposed to Emily, who knew nothing about it when I asked her. ''That''s it,'' ''What?What''s up with the Inkless Goblins? No, I mean Celeste. "Huh? ''''Of course, Celeste''s great magic''s widespread annihilation power is the best in our (family), but even more than that, her knowledge of the subject is unparalleled. If I''m not mistaken, Celeste already knows every monster in every dungeon in Cyclo, right? ''Yeah, yeah. I''ve been in town a long time, and I''ve learned it all the time. It''s a no-brainer, and besides, "What about it? Celeste says with a look on her face. I''m sure she has no idea how great she is doing. This makes me like her even more. That''s what''s so great about it. I can''t imagine being without Celeste anymore. Does that mean I need ...... to go to ......? Celeste frowns fearfully. "Of course. We''ll always be friends. ...... Mr. Lyota. Celeste stared at me for a moment, then smiled at me with a giggle. ''Do you realize that''s pretty awful?'' ''Oh, my God!What? The line about being together for life. What''s so terrible about it? ''Hmmm ...... or whatever, I won''t bother with it now. As long as I don''t give up. Oh, oh. Don''t give up? And I''m going to try even harder. Celeste''s gentle smile as she said this caught my attention and I couldn''t help but notice ...... Oh, oh. Good luck. That''s all I could say. With that, we watched the festival for a while before returning home. As a side note, we were served a dish called carrot stuffed with carrots. "Whoa! And both I and Celeste groaned with hearts in their eyes. The next day, at the southern end of Cyclo, in the Harvest Festival arena. In the midst of a large crowd of spectators, Celeste and I were confronting the High Guts Slime. Celeste unfurled a magic circle and chanted, then thrust her hand straight out and unleashed an inferno. The flames burned the High Guts Slime - suddenly, Celeste clenched her outstretched fist and ''guffawed''. So the flames disappeared in an instant, and I saw the slime dying in tatters. I fired a conventional round to finish it off. There''s a cheer. The arena is filled with adventurers, ordinary townspeople, and tourists alike. ''''That''s great, that ne''er-do-well, I''m pretty sure that high gut slime reflects excess damage, right? It''s unharmed.'''' He can do big moves and make small adjustments. That''s a feat you can''t do without knowing the monster and having the technique to do it. Celeste of Lyota''s family: ...... I didn''t know such a high level wizard was unknown. I trusted him completely, and he was the leader of the family. Check it out. She used to struggle with a pile of garbage, but now she turned to me and smiled at me with all kinds of compliments. I felt a pang of excitement. 69. Level 1 girl The last day of the Harvest Festival. I was separated from my friends and wandered around the city at random. The town of Ciclo is still very festive as usual. As I looked around, I noticed a store. There was a huge, tennis-court-sized tent, from which I could hear yellow screams and sounds of fighting. On the other hand, the shopkeeper didn''t seem to be disturbed by the screams and noises, rather he was touting to bring in more people. As I stood there wondering what it was all about, I was approached from the side. ''A monster house?What is this? That''s a children''s attraction. Elsa. The one who spoke to me was Elsa. She''s wearing a familiar buyer''s uniform and looks up at me, smiling. ''Are you curious about the Monster House?'' Yeah, what''s it all about? Simply put, it''s an attraction that takes a specific monster that can''t damage humans and turns it into an attraction, especially for children. It''s especially popular with children. Kids love to be adventurers. ''Heh ...... there is such a thing as a monster that can''t be damaged by humans. But doesn''t that mean you can hunt all you want? That''s why the drops are so cheap. I see. Is it like a haunted house? In comics, there are times when a character who can summon ghosts or spirits makes use of their abilities to create a safe and realistic haunted house, and I suppose it''s similar to that. In fact, there''s an entrance and an exit, and a boy in elementary school who came out of the exit even begged his parents who were waiting for him to do it again because it was fun. I understood, so I walked away from the monster house. Elsa follows beside me. "Are you at work in that outfit? ''Yes, but it''s okay. Like yesterday and the day before, the adventurers hardly come during the harvest festival. They''re just enjoying the festival. Really? Would you like to go out for a bit?I''ll serve you some good tea and snacks. Are you sure?There''s nothing to bring in. Mr. Lyota is a big fan of yours. Elsa smiles. If that''s the case, I''ll just go by myself. "Come to think of it, is she still around? That girl? She''s been here since the day before yesterday. She came out of the village to become an adventurer, and she''s looking for someone to join her party. You''re an aspiring adventurer. Yes. But they''ve been rejected at every turn. Why? ''They decided that we weren''t talented enough. We were all judged to have a level of 1 and a maximum of 2, and our abilities were so low that we didn''t merit joining them. That''s sad. ''Those kids aren''t adventurers, they''re the ones who naturally go the other way, but I think there are circumstances that prevent them from giving up. I hope they''ve already found it: ...... She came to the buyer''s shop with Elsa as she spoke. She fixed her sinking expression and opened the door with her usual smiling sales smile. ''''Come on in,'''' Sorry to disturb you, sir. The inside of the buyer''s shop was just as rattled as Elsa had said. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot more than just a couple of adventurers in total. You''ll need to be able to get a cup of tea now-- You''re really going to let me in! A cheerful girl''s voice echoed through the store, interrupting Elsa''s lines. I looked towards the voice, a pony-tailed, how lively-looking girl with a ponytail, her eyes were shining. The other person was just behind the counter, and I couldn''t see what kind of person she was from here. ''Is that it?'' ''Yes. But I''m glad to hear you''re going to join us. I guess so. Hmm, you have the makings. It''s a quality that shines through in the dungeon. Yeah?This voice is ...... What''s up, Mr. Lyota? I walked towards the girl, despite Elsa''s doubts. I can see the shape of the other person hidden behind the counter. A well-groomed, energetic-looking, first-generation man. I recognize him, he''s that guy in the dungeon who talks to his subordinates in the dungeon about "dreams" and "hopes" and forces them to work. The two guys that that guy brainwashed and worked them until they were torn to shreds. The two of them and the girl overlapped. I couldn''t help but think about the girl''s future. "Come on, let''s dream together in the dungeon... "Wait a minute. I moved reflexively and stepped between the man and the girl. I glared at the man. The man who suddenly glared at me frowned. ''What is it with you?'' I''m going to need him as a friend. What? Me?What, yeah, yeah?Why all of a sudden, when I''ve been totally screwed up before? The girl looked at me and the man in turn and began to panic. I put her aside and glanced at the man. "You interrupted me afterwards, isn''t that rude of you to look at me like that? I won''t give her to you. Do you know him?If so, it''s ...... You can''t have it. ...... Mwah. Even the inside of the quiet, even if it was just a few people, the inside of the buyer''s shop became more and more quiet. The few adventurers, the shopkeepers, and the girl in question were all watching with bated breath. Everyone was watching the proceedings with bated breath. The old man looks at me coldly, his eyes filled with hostility. I thought I heard the little boy say ...... to get out of my way. Looking into his eyes, I''m more and more convinced that I shouldn''t let him take me. I don''t have the power to undo a brainwashed person, but if I encountered them before they did, I would stop them at all costs. My hand reached for the gun at my waist, and at worst, it was all I could do to stop it. "Well, are you sure you''re going to join us, Lyota? A cheerful voice interrupts the tense atmosphere, it''s Elsa''s voice. You''ll be able to find a lot more information on the subject of this article. Congratulations, what a lucky girl you are to be invited to join the hottest Lyota family of the moment! Are you a lucky girl?Me? ''Yes!Because it''s the Lyota family. ''''Yes, although they''re a super small group, they''re the most popular gang in Cyclo right now. We even got a big job as a dungeon chief a while ago when we were asked to do it. Following Elsa, my colleague Ena joined in from behind the counter. She''s lifting me up as much as I can. Is she really such a great person? Yeah! He''s amazing. Elsa and Ena, two people I know, will lift me up - and that''s not all I thought. ''So that''s the rumoured Lyota Sato. I heard you got that Neptune fiasco the day before yesterday. ''Seriously, Neptune, that Neptune from the Neptune family? A few adventurers have also lifted me up in the form of gossip. This has changed the way girls look at me. Respect, admiration, and that sort of thing. "......... The older man clicked his tongue, glared at me hatefully, and then walked away with a big grin on his face. I guess he thought the girl who visibly yearned for me was unfit to be brainwashed. In fact, the girl didn''t see a man anymore. Elsa and her friends have been staring at me with sparkling eyes as the adventurers lifted me up with all their might. I watched him walk out of the store and secretly patted my chest as I watched him leave. I was relieved to find that I had just barely managed to save a child who was about to be captured by Black. 70. A dungeon-born girl I took a girl outside the fence. What''s your name? It''s Alice. I see. I''m Ryota Sato. It''s nice to meet you. Yeah! All right, first I need to introduce you to my people. And convince them. I didn''t want to give it to that man from the black company itself, so I impulsively joined him, but now, how do I convince him? I can''t really imagine people disagreeing with me, so I''ll just take him home and talk to him straight. Two low levels. What? Eve appeared out of nowhere. She was dressed in a bunny suit and a bunny mimi, and she was staring at me and the others with her usual ennui - but her eyes gradually turned to Alice alone. "I don''t like low-level-- No, no! I stepped between her and Alice and took the chop instead. There was a pecking sound and I was kind of sore. ''Low level disturbance.'' I''m not trying to get in your way, just don''t chop at strangers or anything. But I hate low levels. It''s true that Alice is a low level. The upper limit is 2 and probably 1 now, so she''s a low level anyway. "But no, if I chop her up, she''ll be out of carrots for a year. -Oh! Eve despaired. She slumped to the ground in an orz, and her wispy skin hung down without power. The threat was so effective that I became impatient. Oh no, it''s the opposite of depressing me that much. If you don''t do it to her, I won''t do it to you without a carrot. Really? Yeah, unless you do. I''ll hold out for the carrot. Yeah, okay. Eve stood up quickly. And then she gave me a very fast (...) chop while she did it. Well, as long as it''s okay with me. "Hey, I want this girl in my group, okay? Eve looked at Alice. "Do you like carrots? Sorry, I''m not a big fan of carrots. Okay, then. You sure? We won''t be fighting for it. ''I see, that''s what I meant. Then that''s fine for Eve, but I''m not sure about the other two. Persuade. Yeah? Give me a carrot and the rabbit will convince you to do it for me. Eve looked at me. With a hell of a glitter in her eyes. This is more like ...... eyes begging for carrots. I don''t think Emily and Celeste would disagree, and it''s not like Eve''s persuasion would make them better than me. You can''t beat this begging eye. ''Okay, if I can convince you two, you can eat all the carrots you want for the whole day. ''Leave it to me, and even if the heavens and the earth were to turn upside down and the stars were to spill over, I would definitely try to convince them. ''You''re strangely poetic on top of your usual eloquence! Eve was like, HUNGER, and then she left. As usual, you''re wasting your enthusiasm when carrots are involved. The enthusiasm is a bit scary, but for now, I''ll leave it to you. Apart from convincing Eve to go along with it, I have a lot of work to do later on. For now, we''ll let Eve do the carrots. After Eve was gone, I turned to face Alice again. ''Shall we go to the dungeon?'' Really? You remind me of Eve. You like dungeons that much? ''Yes!I was born in a dungeon. Born in a dungeon? The mother who got pregnant with me was working in the dungeon and had an accidental birth, so I wanted to go to the dungeon someday. I''ve always wanted to go in a dungeon. You didn''t just pop up in a dungeon, you know, like in a dungeon or something while you''re working on ...... No. Hatake? Cyclo is aka agricultural city, all the vegetables are dropped in there. It''s like a field in a way. I came to Nihonium. We chose this place because it''s unobtrusive. This dungeon, which is deemed not to have any drops at all, is only for people like Margaret and her friends who are aiming for "air". Normally, it''s completely uninhabited. I paused in front of the now board at the entrance. ''Touch this.'' Okay. Alice did as she was told and operated as she was told. A status appears. ---1/2--- Level: 1/2 HP F MP E Power F Strength F Intelligence E Spirit E Speed F Dexterous F Luck D --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic E --------- ... This is Alice''s current status? Yeah, well, it''s my second time. Is that so? Yeah, I haven''t had one of these in the village and I haven''t used one since I moved to Ciclo. I took a closer look at Alice''s status as she spoke so. To be honest, the status was one word: Despair. Her level has an upper limit of 2, and her abilities are mostly E or F. There''s also only one drop that has an E and it''s not the so-called ''F final'', but since the plant is an F, it doesn''t make sense with Cyclo. I can see why so many people have asked me to join them, but I kept getting rejected. I''ve given it a lot of thought. It''s the last thing I''d ever do. Raise one level, feed him one Hagremonos magic fruit to learn two spells, and then give him a drop-boost with equipment and medicine. That''s about it. If you do that, you should be able to fight in dungeons reasonably well. ''''What''s wrong?'''' No, I was just making a plan. Let''s just go inside. Let''s level up. Yeah! The basement level of the Nifonium was unoccupied today. I wondered if Margaret and the others were in air production, but they weren''t there either. ''Wow. ......'' What''s going on? That''s awesome, dungeons are awesome. Great? ''Yes!It''s very calming. This is the kind of place I''d feel comfortable in: ...... I didn''t have that feeling. There are different types of dungeons. Nifonium looks like a limestone cave, a cavernous place full of pillars of rock from the ground and ceiling. I''ve never felt at home here before. And this air is very nostalgic. Maybe it''s because I was born in the ...... dungeon. ''I know!I''m still glad I came to the dungeon: ...... Alice huffed and then murmured with emotion. ''Now then, let''s go slay the monster. Okay, this way. Alice suddenly turned herself around and started walking without hesitation. ''Huh?'' ''What?Can''t we go this way? No, no, no, no. Why not you? Because there are a lot of monsters over here. I know the Nifonium basement level well, I''ve been through it many, many times, and I''ve memorized almost all of the places where monsters are born, where they try to take you by surprise, and almost all of them. It''s one of those places where you can remember when they''re born and get around super efficiently. This one that Alice went to (...) is the place where the skeletons are most concentrated on this floor. Of course, you can''t see them from here, and you can''t feel their presence. But Alice said as a matter of course. ''You''ve been here before?'' No. That one?Then how do I know? Alice was now confused. ''You know what?I thought you knew. Yeah. I can feel them all over this place. Is it because you were born in a dungeon? I guess so! Alice didn''t worry too much, she just laughed matter-of-factly and said. ''Do you know where there are no ...... monsters or anything?'' I know, but why ......? Let''s just tell it like it is. I''ve been walking with Alice for the past twenty minutes, and I still haven''t seen a single skeleton. I told Alice to go in the direction where there are no monsters, and when I did that, we didn''t see any. ''Hey, why are you doing this?Aren''t you going to fight the monsters? Alice twitches her head. She still doesn''t realize how amazing she''s done. It''s pretty ridiculous to walk for twenty minutes in a dungeon that''s almost completely devoid of adventurers and swarming with monsters and not encounter them. Even I can''t dodge this many dungeons, even if I remember most of them. Even if you know the birth points, the monsters move, so you''re never at the exact same point. It''s just that when you''re walking around, you somehow get encountered. It''s amazing. What? What? It''s horrible being a natural. ? Alice nodded her head grandly and said, "?" over her head. I floated a number of Stars ''Wow!What is that?Doesn''t it hurt?Awesome! I''m back, and Alice calls me "wow". Now I''m surrounded by ten skeletons. The skeletons are attacking me. I''ve done this before, using S-HP and strength. Don''t kill the attacking monsters, just bring them to me in batches. Alice, you have to keep your distance. Yeah! I checked her away as I was told and then loaded the bullets into the gun. Five reinforced bullets and one restraining round. I fired them at my feet. After the bullets flashed, ten skeletons were tied to the rope of light. I was leisurely walking away from the skeletons. I don''t know how long it will be, but it''s a straitjacket strengthened with five rounds of reinforced bullets, so it can probably be held for a pretty long time. Let''s test it out next time to see how long the restraint will really be. For now, it''s Alice. "Try to beat them. Maybe that should bring you to level 2. Okay!But what am I going to do: ...... My first time fighting a monster. ''Yes. Why don''t you hit it with that rock over there? That one! Alice did as she was told and lifted a basketball-sized rock that had fallen into the cave. It was a reasonably large rock and looked very heavy. With it, she struck one of the restrained skeletons with a "good ......" call. The completely immobile skeleton was smashed by the rock, its bones broken and shattered. ''Yes!'' Keep up the good work. Yeah! Alice took down the skeletons as they went. The rocks were heavy and faltering, but the restraining rounds didn''t break up during that time, and she took down ten of them in about five minutes. ''Ah.'' You''ve gone up a notch. Yeah! We''ll go out there and check it out. Yeah! Take the overjoyed Alice out of the dungeon and check her abilities on the Now Board. ---1/2--- Level: 2/2 HP F MP D Power F Strength F Intelligence E Spirit E Speed F Dexterous F Luck D --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic E --------- ... I''ll check it against my memory, my MP went up by one, but everything else is the same. I feel sad that this is a level bust, but my MP has gone up, so I should make him eat the magic fruit as planned. Or rather, if it''s only going to go up this much, do I make him eat the magic fruit with a bang, prepared to go back to level 1? The level is back to 1 and the MP just drops from D to E, and you learn a lot of magic for that. Maybe it''s possible. ''''Well, let''s take our time with that.'''' Hey, hey, can we go back inside? Did you drop something? No, but I was just told by Honnehoney to come back early. ''He told you?To the skeleton? Yes. I didn''t hear anything. But he told me. "Hmm. I''m not sure what it is, but I''m not sure what it is. Alice misses the dungeon and can see where the monsters are. I wonder what happened to her when she said she heard voices. All right, let''s go back. Yeah! Alice jumped into the dungeon first with a big smile on her face. I''m going to follow her into the basement floor. Skeleton and I engaged the skeleton. I fired a straitjacket to stop him for now. What do we do now? He wants me to beat you. Masochism?What a joke that was in my head. Alice, on the other hand, approached the skeleton, and this time she hit the skeleton with one of her long, thin stalactites. It wasn''t as aggressive as the rock, and after a few strikes, she finally knocked the skeleton down. The scattered bones disappeared as usual - but it was different. The bones gathered in one place, glowing and condensing further. ''''Wha, what?'''' After the light subsided, something I hadn''t seen before appeared there. A very small, cute skeleton. It''s about the size of a toy that goes into a Gachapon, and it looks like it''s been deformed. It is moving, shaking its bones with a clatter and making a sound. To be honest, ...... is very cute. Yes, it''s nice to meet you. Alice squatted down and placed the SD skeleton in her palm as if she were talking to him. ''Nice to meet you from now on?'' She said she would fight with me. Go to ......? I was at a loss for words because I hadn''t expected this to happen at all. 71. Protected smile Maybe I''m witnessing one hell of a sighting right now. Terre d''Urbain, first floor. A slime and a skeleton are fighting there. The slime is the original monster in this dungeon. The skeleton on the other hand - he''s not quite the skeleton I know. It''s a deformed and enlarged form that is strangely charming. The bones clattering around are also frightening in nature, but in its current form it looks comical. The slime and the skeleton are fighting. "Keep up the good work! Alice was cheering him on from a bit of a distance. The skeleton, of course. Telluride Dungeon, the basement level where there should only be slime, has a Nifonium monster. Monsters are supposed to disappear on different levels, much less the dungeon itself. It must be pretty outrageous that skeletons are here. Such a battle between the skeleton and the slime ended in a hard-fought victory for the skeleton. He won after his arm was removed and his skull was cracked, and he was in such a tattered state. "Wow, hone-hone-hone-hone-wonderful. Oh, do you want to go back once? As soon as the skeleton nodded, it disappeared with a pop, and was back to being an SD-sized skeleton again. The arm wasn''t taken off, the skull wasn''t cracked, and it returned to Alice, 100% back to its original skeleton. Alice lifted it up in the palm of her hand and cheeked it as if she were going to turn it into a small animal. ''Good job, Honehone.'' Clatter clatter. Skeletons can''t talk, but their movements are comical, and they seem to be responding to Alice in some way. I pick up the sprouts that the defeated slime dropped and check them out. The quantity and quality of the sprouts are quite impressive. It''s about a drop C in my experience. I put them away and spoke to Alice. ''Can you make that skeleton big again?'' I can do it, it''s going to take me a lot of MP. Alice sticks out her hands in the shape of a plate. The SD skeleton on top of it has grown again. It became intact, with no arms or anything else removed. Will the damage heal? ''Yes!He said he''d get better once he got back. ''That''s great ...... or how did this happen in the first place?'' Don''t you get it?But, But? Hone Hone, he calls me big sister. I wonder what that means. ...... because we were both born in dungeons? Okay. She thought it was out of the blue for her, but she guessed that from the content of the conversation. That made a lot of sense to Alice, the skeleton - Honehone approached her to spoil her again. She didn''t have a clue, but she thought it might be so. ''Ah.'' What have you done now? The pulls are calling. ''Pulling?You mean the slime? Yeah! Alice nods widely. I think I''m starting to understand her naming sense somehow. Skeletons are honehoned and slimes are pulled. I''m starting to get a little curious about what the other monsters will be. Alice and Hone Honehone, the three (?) and proceed through the dungeon. A young adventurer who passed him on the way was startled when he saw Honehone. ''A monster!No, the monsters aren''t this cute. Besides, this is slime. I was surprised and convinced one way or the other. A few moments later, I reached the monsters. One of the slimes was bouncing around vertically in a twitchy manner. ''Is that him?''Are you calling me? Yeah. Try to beat me, because... Shall we? As he says this, he puts his hand on the gun. ''I guess it has to be me.'' Okay. I knew it was coming, so I easily backed off and let her do it. Speaking of her, I let Hone Hone do the fighting. ''Good luck Hone Hone, I''ll be cheering for you. Thanks to Alice''s support, Hone Hone went towards the slime with more tension than before. ...... I wondered how I could find out that the tension was high against a skeleton, but the more the form changed and the more charming it became, the more I understood it somehow. The skeleton and the slime fought. They were both weak monsters, and it was a back-and-forth battle between them. The slime''s attack took off Hone Honehone''s head - and then he kicked himself in the head. ''You''re good with that!'' I plunged into it. Honehone''s skull went spinning and flying, hitting the slime and blowing half his jelly-like body off. The slime faltered - but it didn''t disappear. Just like the skeleton, the body emitted a light, and the light became blinding all at once, then condensed into a hand-sized slime. The form was almost the same, but it had pretty eyes. Good job, honehonen. Yeah, nice to meet you, Pruitt. The skeletal honehone turned back into SD bobbed its clattering bones in Alice''s hand, and the SD-formed slime bounced vertically, pulling on her hand. ''You''ve got a little brother again,'' No, no. ''What?Didn''t you call her big sister? Honehone is a girl, not my brother again... You''re a woman! SD Skelton, Honehone''s face - or rather his skull - turned a little red. Seriously? ....... Hone Hone and Pru-Pru beat the slime to a pulp. They''re both deformed and charming, even when they''re big. That''s their true form, how monstrous they are, fighting a monster slime. "C''mon, keep up the good work! Alice cheered, and the two easily defeated the slime, which was worth it. The slime dropped the sprouts and just disappeared. Hone Honehone and Purpuru were back to hand size again, and Alice''s hands were on them. Hone Honehone is the same way, but Pull Pull is extremely cute. She''s so cute because of her size that I want to decorate her with a phone strap or by my computer. The two of them rode on her shoulder after the battle was over and Alice rewarded them. It got even cuter. ''Hey, neeee Ryota.'' Yeah? ''Thank you!Thanks to Lyota, I got to meet Honnehoney and Pulle. I didn''t do much of anything. ...... ''But thank you!That''s what Honnehoney and Pulle say. Hone Honehone clattered her bones on Alice''s shoulders with a big smile on her face, and Pru-Pru bounced vertically in the air. I don''t know what it is, but they''re thanking me for it. Suddenly I spot a group of people looking through Alice. The old man who keeps his men tied up in "dreams" and "emotions" and the young men and women who work for him. The man and woman looked even more haggard and tragic than the last time I saw them. I know that look, I''ve seen a lot of them at my previous company. Even at the harvest festival, the group working on their day off went ahead and disappeared downstairs without noticing us. ''Lyota?'' Sorry, I was just thinking about something. It''s better than that. I''m glad you met these guys. ''Yes!Thanks Lyota! Alice nods broadly and smiles even more happily. Seeing her like that, I''m glad I was able to save her from the black man. That''s what I thought. 72. The day the drop disappeared from the dungeon At night, while the city was still celebrating the last day of the Harvest Festival, I took Alice home. A three-story house, a new house that blocked out the magic storm. I brought Alice there. ''I''m home.'' Sorry to disturb you. I go home normally, and Alice follows me, acting cheerful and unafraid. We climbed the stairs together and went upstairs to the living room, where Emily, Celeste, and Eve were all there. All of their friends were there. Eve is sitting at the table, eating something that is being cooked on a steak griddle. If you look closely, you can see it''s a carrot, which she swoons over, cutting it up with a knife and fork and taking bites of it. ''Welcome home, Yoda.'' I''m home, Emily. Did Emily make that one? I made carrot hamburgers as a thank you for letting me know that Eve was good. Carrot hamburger? Yes, sir. Emily nodded, and I approached Eve and looked at the griddle. At first I thought it was just a carrot, but when I got closer, I saw that it was indeed a kneaded, hamburger-like thing made of finely cut things. It had the color and aroma of a carrot, and it was shaped like a carrot. ''Why are you doing this again?'' I''ve had a bit of an adventure. ''The rabbit was born for this day.'' Eve is so impressed that she''s chomping down on her carrot hamburger. ''Sounds like a big hit,'' It was good. I want to eat your carrots for the rest of my life. He''s proposing to me. Oh, no, I don''t want that! Emily gasped. I''m interested in the carrot hamburger, but that can wait. I thought I''d have to introduce Alice to everyone first - but "She''s cute. ...... Celeste was closing in on Alice when the carrot caught her eye. Her eyes are almost heart-shaped and she''s swooning like crazy. ''Celeste?'' Cute ...... Their names are Bone-Bone and Pru-Pru. What a cutie. ...... Hey, can I rub my cheeks a little bit? ''What?Hmm. How is everyone? Alice asks the two SD-sized bodies (two of them) on her shoulder. They can''t speak, but instead they quickly hide behind Alice''s back. ''Oh, you''re scared.'' Oh, no. ...... Celeste went "bam". Suddenly I remember. The first day after returning from the Ceren dungeon, when we were moving out. I remember seeing a fancy stuffed animal in Celeste''s luggage. Hone Hone and Pru-Pru are like stuffed animals now, and the more comical they move, the cuter they are, even to me as a man. Celeste seems to have been completely taken in by their cuteness. I don''t mind, but I don''t think I''ll be able to introduce her to you at this point. "Alice, can you make everyone bigger outside of the dungeon? I''ll try. Honeoneone, puru puru. As soon as Alice called out to her, the two bodies that had been hiding behind her back grew in size. They reverted to their original form of combat readiness. ''Looks like I can do it,'' All right, that''s it. Kaeweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. We can talk, I thought, but that wasn''t the case. Celeste''s eyes became more and more heartfelt as she approached the two bodies. ''How cute you two are, let me give you two a little cheek rub and, um, let''s sleep together tonight! The two returned to their original size and hid behind Alice''s back, even more frightened. ''Don''t worry, we''re just going to sleep. We''re just going to sleep for a bit. That line doesn''t make it okay. Jury''s out. What do you mean by that? I plunged in so far that my voice flipped over. Celeste''s eyes are crazy and she''s approaching, Alice is troubled between them, and the two monsters are using her as a shield to hide and frighten her. What a surreal sight. ''What do we do now, Lyota? I guess we''ll just have to make sure they don''t see us like this. I don''t want to be seen at ....... Come on back, guys. Hone Hone and Puru Puru were back to SD size again. Alice lifted them up and tucked them into her pocket, making them literally invisible. ''Ahhhh ......'' A moment later, Celeste''s outburst stopped and she was disappointed instead. What a great idea: ....... ''Weird'' You don''t say that! Before he knew it, he turned his voice back to Eve, who came right up beside him and said with a huff and pouted, and then turned his voice back again. After we all sat down in the living room so that we were all facing each other, I introduced Alice to everyone again. This is Alice. Nice to meet you all. I''d like to bring her into the fold, but I''m not sure. No objections! Celeste was the first to answer. The reason is clear. ''Celeste needs to calm down a little more or she''ll be avoided all the way. "But. She''s cute, you know?Isn''t she pretty?She''s pretty as an angel, you know? He''s a monster, though. ''There''s no denying that she''s pretty, though. Eve is a-- "I hate low levels. So that''s how it is. By the way, does Alice like carrots? Sorry. I''m not very good at this. Then I''m going to give Alice''s carrots to Eve. "Rabbit, 10,000 votes for yes. One person, one vote, usually! Eve was Eve, and she was so tiny. I look at Emily one last time. "What about Emily? ''What?I''m sorry, I was thinking of something else. Another thing? Alice, I''m going to make your skeleton big again. What? Alice saw me. What do you want to do?That''s a look. "Eve, hold Celeste. "Isuzu, Yuengin. With an unintelligible salute, Eve hugged Celeste from behind. ''It''s going to be all right,'' Yeah. Honestly. Alice brought Honehonen back to its original size. Celeste, who was restrained, was thrilled to see her, "Oh, it''s still very cute ......," but she went through it for now. Are you sure about this, Emily? Emily didn''t answer, but stood up and approached the skeleton. ''I knew it, my clothes are in tatters. ''What?Yeah, it''s a skeleton. I''ve never cared for skeletons before, but the skeletons still have tattered clothes. All skeletons are like that, and even Honehone has become pretty in shape, but her clothes are still in tatters. ''I feel sorry for them,'' Oh, yeah? You have to wait. Emily pattered and ran to the third floor. I wondered what was going on, and then she quickly pattered back again. With a piece of clothing. ''Try this on,'' What''s that? I made it as a hobby. I didn''t know he had such a hobby ...... or well, it''s typical for Emily to be a housekeeper. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the skeleton wear the clothes you''ve brought with you ....... ''''Whoa!'''' Celeste exclaims. Finally, he has a character breakdown. I jittery and try to run up to Honehone, but Eve has me stumped and I can''t move. That''s fine ...... and I looked at Honehone intently. ''What about this one?'' No? I think I''m pretty. ...... Seriously? Not as much as Celeste, but both Emily and Alice have made the "yes" decision. Could it be just me?What makes you think gothic lollies () don''t look good on a skeleton? Yes, Emily brought a black gothic loli dress with lots of lace and ruffles. It''s made to look good on any girl, but it''s the bones that wear it, after all. It''s kind of ...... something. I''m a hone-hone-hone-girl, so I look good in it. ''Oh, come to think of it! Hone Hone was clattering as usual, but his white skull had turned slightly red. It seems that he, himself, isn''t so unconcerned. That said. Emily, Celeste and Eve. I''m relieved to see that they don''t have any objections to having Alice join the group. I''m a little relieved. The party was almost over and the city was getting quiet. I left the house to take Alice home. I decided to let her stay in her old room, a brand new two-bedroom for 150,000 piro a month. Ostensibly because she didn''t have enough room over here (), but really because Celeste would be afraid of the monsters if she lived there with them. So I decided to let Alice live there alone. Incidentally, I wasn''t particularly surprised that Alice had a monster as a companion. It''s a relatively well known fact that very few people are able to do so, and although it''s a rare occurrence, I wasn''t surprised. ''Sorry, just one person,'' No, I''m really happy. I don''t have a place to live. I was thinking of living in a dungeon with you guys. Are you sure you''re okay with two bodies in the city? One clattered at my question and the other bounced on Alice''s shoulder in a jiffy. By the way, Hone Hone is in her previous raggedy outfit. When I went back to SD size from my original size, the clothes were still the same size, so I concluded that it was practically impossible to continue wearing them, even if they fit. ''Yeah, I''d be happy to go anywhere with you guys. Alice smiled and patted the two bodies, I didn''t get a direct answer, but she said she''d be happy anywhere with Alice. ''Huh?'' Suddenly, Alice stopped and looked in the opposite direction. ''What''s going on?'' ''What was it called ......?New girl? ''Hmm, does that mean there''s another girl who could be one of us? Yeah, maybe. I don''t know. Well, that''ll have to wait until tomorrow. It''s late today. A lot of things have happened. Let''s get some rest first. ''Yes!'' Alice nodded. We walked together for a while, and then we came to the front room. We walked in together, the smell of Emily still lingering in there. Gentle and warm. The warmth of Emily''s touch was still there. ''Come on, come in,'' ''Wow ...... awesome room'' I''ve left the bare minimum of furniture, so you can use whatever you want either way. Thank you, Lyota! It''s a spare room. Don''t worry about it. ''Yes!Thank you! Alice said, smiling and hugging me. An embrace of pure gratitude, without any ill will. It made me happy again. The next morning, we ate a hot breakfast that Emily had made for us. Including Alice, who had arrived first thing in the morning, and Eve, who had brought her own carrots to cook for us, the five of us spent a noisy but enjoyable time that was no less than last night. After breakfast, the Harvest Festival was over, so we left the house to dive into the dungeon in normal mode. On my way to the dungeon, I noticed something strange about the city. It''s noisy and everyone has a serious look on their face. The atmosphere is different from the atmosphere in the middle of the harvest festival, and it''s different from the atmosphere of everyday life before that. Something is wrong, what''s going on? Excuse me, Mr. Ryota Sato? As I stopped to look at the city, a man approached me. ''Yes, but what about you?'' This is a messenger for Mr. Clint Gray. It''s an emergency. Clint: "Clint ...... dungeon chief. The man nodded. The head of the dungeon is looking for me. ...... I was pretty sure something was going on. ''Hey!I''m glad you''re here. When I entered Clint''s room at the dungeon society, he stood up and greeted me with his arms outstretched. "Come on, come on, put it over here. Excuse me. We sat down opposite each other on the reception sofa and the secretary brought in coffee for two people. ''You need dozens of sugars,'' Just one! You''re as modest as ever. Clint put one sugar cube in my coffee and a mountain of sugar in his. The pile of sugar cubes rising up from my coffee was like an iceberg in the ocean. Clint had a sweet tooth, and he drank it, and he got heartburned just looking at it. Then he looks away and asks, "What''s going on? ''What''s going on?'' In fact, all the dungeons have lost their drops since this morning. ''What?It''s from every dungeon. ...... ''Tellurium, Silkon, Arsenic, Bismuth and Boran. Five dungeons in Cyclo, all of which have lost their drops. Adventurers are reporting that no matter how many monsters they hunt, nothing is dropping. ...... ever done this before? I listen back, and I find myself wrinkling my eyebrows tremendously. In a world where everything is dropped from monsters in dungeons, nothing is dropped there anymore. It''s a huge problem, a big deal. It''s not there, I''ve never seen anything like this before. It''s been a mess for the adventurers all morning. As you know, there are a lot of adventurers who don''t want to hold on to the Zenith for the night. I can make money every day at ...... if I just dive in. Clint nodded. Yes, the adventurers in this world have a temperament like the children of Edo. As long as they can get into the dungeon, they can earn money, so many of them spend what they earn as soon as they can. The exception to this is wizards, who sometimes can''t enter dungeons due to magic storms, so it''s common sense for wizards to save up some extra money. Conversely, most of those other adventurers don''t. That''s how the economy runs, so that hasn''t been a problem until now. ''''And a lot of them have taken out loans for weapons and armor. "And a lot of them have taken out loans for weapons and armor. Yes. You''re my only hope!You''re the only one I''m relying on--you''re the only one who made the rares drop together in Selenium! Dungeon Chief, Clint gets on his hands and knees and bows his head. ''Please!'' I said. I answer immediately to Clint, who keeps his head down. "Okay. Really? We can''t let this situation go unnoticed, we''re just going to do ...... or we''re going to do our best to find out why. ''Thank you!Thank you so much!Ah, ......, that''s a relief. The dungeon master grabbed my hand to shake it and shook it up and down as hard as he could. I feel a strong sense of gratitude and relief, but at the same time an equal amount of frustration and confusion. The situation where the drop disappeared from the dungeon. I have to do something about it. ...... 73. Drop Curse Telldungeon, first basement level. Emily jumped in with a hammer, with an all +1 ring, a plant +3 red potion, and a plant drop fully boosted to A. She came at the jumping slime with more speed than that and smashed it with a counter blow. The slime disappeared - it just disappeared. ''I knew it was no good.'' ''This is the tenth body ......A in a row without a drop. It''s never happened before. And that means: ...... I nodded to each other, and Emily nodded to each other. Emily has been experiencing the world of Drop A since she learned of the existence of paper money haggling and started boosting drops with potions. She''s clearly strange, too. Then Eve walked in from the back of the dungeon. She hung her own scissors and slumped her shoulders. ''How did it go?'' The carrot is dead: "The carrot is dead. ...... ''Carrots don''t kill you, but neither does the ...... basement level. I asked Eve to split up and go check out the sleeping slime and carrot drop on the second basement floor, but it seemed to be no good there either. It wasn''t just Eve who was depressed. The other adventurers around me were also despondent. "Why didn''t they drop the carrots, d*mn it! Oh, crap, crap, crap, I can''t pay you back for that money you owe me until this evening. ''Keh!No way.Ooh, drink, let''s go drink! You can hear impatient and desperate voices from all over the place. One by one, adventurers are being pulled out of the dungeon. There are far fewer people in the dungeon than usual. The phenomenon of lost drops. It''s not a decrease, it''s a disappearance. I had heard about it, but when I actually came to the site, I realized that the situation was worse than I expected. Ryota-san. This time Celeste came from outside the dungeon. ''Well?'' This is pretty bad. The drop is gone, so there''s hoarding going on all over the place. All the vegetables are gone from the market. Celeste said gravely as she went to check on the city. ''I thought you might be buying up, or maybe,'' he said, ''but it''s happening a lot faster than I expected. ''This isn''t good,'' Speaking of which, what about you, Yoda? I don''t know if it''s me. Just as one of the slimes came to me, I pulled out my gun and fired a normal round. The bullet blew through the slime and blew it away--the sprouts dropped! ''Wow!Mr. Yoda is a sloppy-- I quickly put my hands over Emily''s mouth. I picked up the sprouts and threw them in the magic cart and looked around. Fortunately, no one seems to notice the current drop. Oh, sorry, shut up about that one. "Mugu. Nodding, Emily releases her hand from her mouth. ''Puh-uh ...... I thought I was going to die. Bad, bad. Celeste and Eve, keep your mouth shut about that one. Of course I do. The rabbit demands to be kept quiet. Double it when you''re done. Eve nodded, she was cholo. ''But why?Only Mr. Yoda is ...... because that''s the one, after all. That must be because it''s ....... Ore and Emily nodded at each other. What came to their minds was "Drop S". It''s no good at A. Only Yoda is ...... like a haggle. Or niho--no way. In a flash of inspiration, I ducked down and ran out. "Mr. Yoda! Where are you going? I shook off Emily and Celeste''s voices and ran out of the dungeon. The moment I left the tellurian, I ran into Alice. ''Lyota?What''s the matter with you? ''Just in time, Alice!Last night, "The new kid? And you said it. ''Uh-huh. Like I said, ....... Which one is it? Uh, ...... that way? Alice looked around once and then pointed in the direction of her right hand side. ''Over there ...... I knew it! Oh, wait, Lyota! I''m running even faster, overcoming Alice''s voice. I''m running as fast as I can through the streets at full speed, and I''m in Nihonium. "Huh ...... if I''m right. After catching my rising breath, I loaded the two guns and stepped into the dungeon. Nihonium, the first basement floor. Normally the place is crawling with skeletons, but right now I didn''t see a single one. I walked and walked and couldn''t find them, no monsters at all. I know this sight. Dungeon Master. When he shows up, all the monsters disappear from the dungeon. And if you stay long enough, it changes the ecosystem - the master of the dungeon. It''s the exact same situation as it was in ...... Selenium, which was out. Dungeon Master of Nihonium. A situation like this one, where only I get a drop, has spread throughout Cyclo. ''''So you''re saying that the drop disappeared from Cyclo because of the dungeon master? We have no proof, only circumstantial evidence. But. The air in Nihonium is the same air I felt in Seren before. The very same air as when the Dungeon Master showed up. And ...... the air I felt when I left home this morning. ''Why couldn''t I remember this earlier, at all! Swearing, I proceed through the dungeon with my gun at the ready. Without a doubt, I am convinced that the dungeon master of Nihonium is the source of this no-drop phenomenon. I searched the entire basement floor, but he wasn''t there. I went through the second and third floors, but as soon as I entered the fourth floor, no one was there. Phew! I felt the presence of the densest dungeon master I''ve ever seen. Definitely - he''s on this floor. I paused and switched bullets. Regular bullets, frozen bullets, flame bullets, recovery bullets, restrained bullets, and tracking bullets. I loaded all six types of bullets I had. We don''t know what works, the first time we meet a dungeon master, we don''t know what will work, and we''ll be able to deal with whatever opponent comes up. After doing so, I proceeded in the direction of a thicker presence of air. After walking for a while - I met it. It was a humanoid monster. She was just under six feet tall and looked like a woman. Her hair was long and hanging down to the ground - probably over two meters long. She has no clothes on, she is naked. But I don''t feel Eros, rather a chill runs up my back. This is probably because of its expressionless face, pale skin and the phosphorescent light it emits. I intuitively thought it was a zombie or a dead spirit of some sort, with no signs of life at all. ''''You''re the dungeon master here, can you speak?'''' ...... I asked him while holding a gun to my head, but he didn''t answer. I couldn''t resist attempting a dialogue with him because he was humanoid - but that was a mistake. The dungeon master''s figure shook. a?--! The next moment phosphorescence appeared in front of me, I quickly crossed my arms and guarded. The impact goes through my whole body, I''m blown away. I landed with a stance in the air and saw that the Dungeon Master had released a kick. My guarded arm is numb, even with HP Strength S, I''ve taken a lot of damage. But this was easy to do. If it was a completely hostile monster, even if it looked humanoid, it was until I took it down. I raised my gun and fired a series of bullets. All the bullets were fired at once. I didn''t know what would work, but I shot them all anyway. ''Slipped through? I let out a scream-like voice. A total of twelve bullets, left and right, slipped through the Dungeon Master''s body - and slammed into the wall behind him, where there was nothing to see. Even the tracking bullets slammed straight into the wall. The Dungeon Master flew in with more bullets. He''s still fast!This time, a kick swung down from above the jump. I raised my arm to guard it, the impact penetrating through the guard and into the side of my head. He was blown away as it was, and rammed into the wall. I fired wildly with 12 regular rounds in it. As usual, all the rounds slipped through, some of which ricocheted off the cave wall. I''m getting used to the speed, so I dodge and fire again, all the bullets slipping through, and again the bullets ricochet off the cave wall. All the bullets slipped through and ricocheted again, giving me a front kick. I managed to land, but I fell to my knees. I press down on my belly, forcing something in my stomach that is about to reverse. It''s strong, and it''s tricky. There must be some way to attack it. Just as I was thinking about it, I noticed that the Dungeon Master''s foot was bleeding. You know, the one that kicked me in the leg that bled. The Dungeon Master raised his foot and pried the bleeding out with his fingers, so much so that it hurt to watch. A single bullet was teased out of his foot. It had hit me in the leg that kicked me. And the bullet had been fired just now-- The dungeon master''s figure shook again. For the fourth time, my eyes were getting used to the sight. I counter shot a bullet in response to the swooping kick. Countered a single shot. A normal bullet hit the back of his leg and penetrated. Catching the kick whose momentum does not diminish, I use that momentum to take the distance. I knew it. Normally there''s no substance to it, but just the moment it attacks--. The impact came from right beside me. I was blown off my feet and into the wall, unaware of what had happened. My head was shaking and my eyes were flickering. You realize belatedly that you''ve been attacked at a greater speed than you realize. ''You''re going to speed up again.'' He stood up while holding his knees and fired a series of bullets with twelve bullets. All of them aimed at the Dungeon Master''s feet. All of them slipped through and into the ground. Twelve more rounds were loaded and fired in rapid succession, and as expected, the bullets went into the ground. (Grin) The Dungeon Master, who had been expressionless until then, lifted one corner of his mouth. It''s a mocking face. I felt like I had been told that was useless ....... And the next moment the Dungeon Master''s figure shook even more. More imperceptible speed comes. I didn''t move. With a faint flash of light, the twenty-four meteors followed! ---- The light stopped with an unheard-of scream. The dungeon master slumped to the ground, facing forward for a deafening moment. His right leg and both of his arms were ravaged by a hive of bees. The Dungeon Master looked at his limbs with an incredulous look on his face. ''''You didn''t just use your legs, you used your hands as well?'''' He stared at me with a snap. I felt like I was being asked, "What did you do? "The one that got hit and knocked out the first time, I thought it was a ricochet, but it wasn''t ....... It wasn''t a regular bullet you were jerking off, it was a tracking bullet. As I explain, the dungeon master looks at me incomprehension. Your attacks, the first two tracking bullets you fired as soon as it materialized. As soon as it materialized, it flew off the wall and tracked you automatically. I realized this and fired all the remaining tracking rounds I had left at your feet. -Oh! The dungeon master turned with a flash and saw where he was standing. The hole was gouged wide open because the bullets had shot out of it at a different angle. Twenty-four of those bullets responded to your attack. You''re fast, faster than I am. But you''re not as fast as a bullet. He approaches with his bullets loaded. The fallen dungeon master looks clearer () than he did the first time around, probably because he took heavy damage. I raise my gun and fire a loaded conventional round. The bullets simultaneously pierced through the Dungeon Master''s brow and chest (...). The look of hatred is bared for a moment, and then the Dungeon Master is gone. The air of the dungeon returned, the air returned to normal. ''Fufu......'' I wobbled and fell on my ass on the spot. I got attacked stubbornly, and when it came to the last one, I probably wasn''t just kicked, I was punched. The proof of that is that every part of my body hurts to death. It was a narrow victory. He was faster than an S-speed human, and he was a nasty opponent that only materialized for a split second after attacking. It really was a narrow victory. "I don''t want to do anything else ...... today. I rolled over on my back and looked up at the ceiling in a wide circle. I rested for a moment until Emily, who had come looking for me, informed me that the dungeon drop had returned. 74. Shape experience points Mr. Yoda!Mr. Yoda, you''re okay! As I lay on my back, I could see Emily''s frantic face from right above me. She came over and found me on the floor, apparently worried about me. ''I''m fine,'' But I''m hurt a lot. I don''t know what to do about it. With a slightly awkward motion, he loaded the gun with a recovery round and shot it into his arm like a syringe. The recovery rounds took effect, and my injuries healed and my strength recovered. I''ll wake up my body, yes, I''ll be fine now. ''Thank goodness ...... what happened?'' More importantly, ....... I look around and see the Mummy appearing in the distance. ''There''s a monster. Emily, what''s the city drop? Oh, yes. I just wanted to let you know that. We just got the drops back in all the dungeons. I knew it. You were right, Yoda did bring it back? Emily said with a look of half surprise and half respect. ''Yeah, there was a dungeon master here just now. The dungeon master of Nihonium, apparently that guy was losing all the drops. Oh, ...... the dungeon master of Nifongnium, which drops nothing: ...... ''That''s what I''m talking about. But it''s a tricky ability, affecting all the drops in the city, is it a natural phenomenon? In terms of impact, this is more than a magic storm. It was a natural disaster. But Yoda stopped it. That''s something. This time it was a narrow victory. Well, I found what seems to be a strategy, maybe next time I''ll be able to beat it more easily. Well, let''s get back to the report. Hold on, sir. There''s something on the floor. ''Is this a ...... dungeon master drop?'' I picked up the ring from the ground. In the dungeon society, the dungeon master, Clint, grabbed my hand and held it tightly. "Thank you!Thank you so much!Thanks to you, Cyclo was saved! You''re not exaggerating, are you? ''No need to be so dramatic!I don''t think you know this, but while the drop was missing, the goods disappeared from the stores in town. Celeste told me that they bought up all the vegetables because they weren''t producing them. It wasn''t just vegetables, then there was a hoarding of other goods. Really? ''We were all panicking that much. I couldn''t imagine how far things could escalate if the no-drop continued like that. So, Clint stared at me even more. My hands were clenched painfully in a gaze that was 100% grateful. ''Thank you so much!'' ...... I''m just doing what I''m supposed to do because I need a drop too. ''Still, I''m sure Cyclo has been saved. I''ll have to return the favor: ...... Yes, how about a year''s worth of top-grade sugar? ''I don''t need that much sugar!I mean, how much is a year''s worth? About 100,000 sugar cubes or so? You eat 300 sugar cubes a day? Mmm, sugar is too cheap to convey the feeling. I''ll give you a year''s supply of top-grade honey. Stay away from the sweet stuff, please! I''m sure I''m diabetic if I get a gratuity from Clint. Other than that, the criteria for one year''s worth are vague, and I wouldn''t want to have to deal with a whole year''s worth of them at once. I declined Clint''s gratitude and left the dungeon society quickly. We left the Dungeon Society and walked through the city alongside Emily. ''Hey, I heard the drop is back in the dungeon,'' ''Really?What''s going on? Apparently, there was a dungeon master in Nihonium and it was his fault. ''It''s Dunmouth''s fault, he''s totally disturbed. After all the madness that had occurred, the city of Ciclo was now completely back to normal. Once they found out that the reason for the disappearance of the drop was due to the dungeon master, they all agreed in an instant. It''s a typical reaction for people in this world that revolves around dungeons. ''I''m still amazed that Yoda-san solved the case all by himself. If it wasn''t for Yoda-san, I think it would have dragged on much longer. ''Well, it would have been a long drawn out ...... nihonium, I''m going through and only the very occasional Princess Margaret and her friends come in. ''People don''t go to places where they don''t drop, I think the dungeon masters have been very slow to find them. I don''t think that''s the cause of the problem in the first place. I want to tell everyone that Yoda-san has solved the problem right now. ''Don''t, I don''t like attracting too much attention. The disappearance of the drop phenomenon has been resolved, that''s fine. Yes, sir. Emily pulled back easily, but she seems to be more itchy () than usual, mind you. "Let''s go to the ...... dungeon, I want to check out this one I picked up earlier. I changed the subject and showed Emily the ring I had picked up from the dungeon master. Star. I came to the ground floor of the Nifonium basement. I went to the tellurian, but that place is flooded with adventurers because the drop is back, so I came here. What do you want to do? Put this on and take down the monster. Emily will have to wait a minute. Yes, sir. Emily nodded, and I put the ring on again. I put the ring on my thumb because it''s so big and pukey except for my thumb. I encountered a skeleton, shoot a normal round into the head of the encounter to take it down. I have the dropped seeds sucked straight into the pouch. ''Yoda-san, did you get your arm up yet?'' Yeah?Maybe so, because it used to take a bit of work with regular bullets on skeletons. You could have taken it down in one shot. More skeletons appeared, and this one was defeated with a single shot. The wall collapses, and the skeleton is born from inside it and attacks, this one is taken care of in one shot as well as the moment it comes out. I take Emily with me as I walk away and take down the skeleton. ''Yoda-san is getting stronger, but what you''re doing is the same? You''re with me. Didn''t that ring have any effect on you? I think so. Maybe soon. Two skeletons emerge from the bend, so I take care of them all together with a series of shots. A seed went into the pouch, the next moment. The next moment, the ring flashed. ''''What''s wrong? There you are. I extend my hand horizontally, palm upward. The light gathers in my hand, forming a crystal about ten centimeters across. ''It''s a new drop?'' No, not a drop. Here, hold this. Yes, sir. The moment Emily received it, the crystal emitted light and gradually disappeared. ''''Aww, wow, what''s going on here?It will disappear. Calm down. You''ll be fine. Maybe because... Emily stopped in her panic at the disappearance of the crystal. Her expression changed from panic to surprise and then to joy. ''Mr. Yoda!'' Is he gone? ''Yes, sir!I''ve leveled up, I''m now 26! I nodded, it seems to have worked properly. What''s this all about? This ring is apparently able to crystallize the overflowing experience after a level cancelling, like before, so that you can give it to someone else. ''Crystallized experience!I''ve never heard of such a thing. No? ''Yes, sir!It''s amazing! Emily marvels. I could have predicted that it wasn''t usually there, after all, it was a drop from the dungeon master of Nihonium. That(...) was to be expected, so I''m not surprised. Instead, I was a bit happy. I''ve been thinking it was a waste of experience at level 1. Now I could give my friends the experience that was useless to me, and this was a nice item. This was a good item. 75. Level 95 Morning, the daily routine of Nihonium. When I entered the basement floor, I found Princess Margaret and her friends. The leader of the group, the man who was leading the group, the four men who were grinding, and Princess Margaret herself. I encountered the usual group of six people. ''Yo Satou, there it is again. ''Hey. Looks like you''re giving off a lot of air today. Pandora boxes are stacked in a pile next to the leader. All of them are air boxes with Princess Margaret''s picture on them. ''''Yeah, we can still sell this guy, too. We''ll hunt it today as long as the princess has the strength to do so.'''' I haven''t seen you around lately, what''s going on? I was just trying to see if I could do the business you''ve been teaching me. Me?...... Oh, you''re talking about the ring. I remember the last time we met. He was wondering if there was anything else we could do for him besides the airbox, and I said, "What about the ring that Princess Margaret is going to give you? "So, what happened to the ring? ''''That''s why ...... the ring-dropping dungeons, the majority of them are held back by big families. To the family? I remember the rice. Even in Cyclo, a gang called Adalbard had a monopoly on the sixth floor of the silicon basement, the only one that dropped rice. That kind of thing is everywhere, isn''t it? ''They say it''s quantity and quality control of shipments. I tried to hit a lot of places, but there''s one place where there''s a hierarchy that those guys can''t manage: ....... "But? And there''s a dragon there, and he''s not very strong enough to do anything about it, so he gave up. The man shrugged, palm up. I saw the battle. As usual, the four men weakened him and Princess Margaret stabbed him in the back. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it. No, it''s frail and dainty, so it''s a perfect score for a princess. It''s certainly not possible to be a dragon with that one. ''Right?The princesses are high level too, though. Is that so? When I asked him back, the man threw out his chest and said as if he was proud. ''Listen and be amazed, the highest level of a princess is 99 and the current level is a whopping 94. What? ''''And his ability is an amazing all-F, and he hasn''t improved a single thing since he was at level one. ''How is that possible?'' ''In fact, the princesses are like that, they''re not strong because they''re at a higher level. That''s true. Strength is not about level, it''s about status. I didn''t level up at level 1 either, but I got stronger in my own way by raising my status with seeds. But I''m not sure if there are people whose abilities don''t improve even if their level goes up like that. All F at level 94, I''d like to see a bit of the actual status screen. ''I suppose it''s about time to go up to 95, but well, I guess nothing will happen. While they were doing that, the skeleton was defeated. One of the men who was following came back at a small run with a Pandora box full of air, while the other three escorted the princess back slowly. Ga. ''''--'''' The moment she saw me, the princess turned bright red and ran away. The three men guarding her scurried to chase after her. What''s going on? ...... Speaking of which. Their leader stares at me. "Sato, you saved the princess when we met last time, didn''t you? ''What?Yeah, that happened. ...... is like that. ''What?What do you mean? Haha. ...... The leader let out a deep sigh and I felt like I was being pinched by a fox. Nifornium, the second floor. It seems that Princess Margaret can''t move properly when I''m around, so I went downstairs. I made sure my pouch is empty and that I have the ring on my thumb. I loaded up my regular ammo and started walking through the dungeon. I blinked away the zombie''s appearance and the seed goes into the pouch. I went around the basement second floor in efficiency mode, blink at the head of the encounter anyway, and even if I was taken by surprise, I handled it with minimal movement and blinked it away. After killing ten zombies, a crystal was created. Due to the effect of the ring, the overflowing experience after leveling out is turned into crystals like this, which can be passed on to others. When I defeated ten zombies, a crystal was born. I put it away carefully and look for more zombies. There were no adventurers at all in Nifonium after the second basement level, so I was able to encounter and defeat them smoothly. After another ten zombies were killed, a second crystal was born. This was much more confirmed, but I hunted even more just in case. The third crystal appeared after the 30th one was defeated. I''m sure this is it. "One crystal for every ten zombies. I also took out the two crystals I had taken earlier and placed them in my hand. Three crystals of exactly the same size, reflecting the faint light of the dungeon, shining beautifully. It was a different feeling of accomplishment than I had ever felt before. When I came to this world, the highest level is 1, so I didn''t have anything to do with experience, but having the experience in the palm of my hand as an item was a different feeling of accomplishment from killing monsters and having them drop items. When there were five crystals, I left the dungeon. Princess Margaret and her friends are no longer on the basement floor, they must have pulled up. I go outside the dungeon and drop the seeds from the porch onto the ground. Then I move away and wait for Hagremono to hatch into it, I think. Once you kill the hagremonos and replenish the flaming bullets, you''re pretty much done for the morning, not that there''s any more work to do, so the pace of your routine hasn''t changed. That means I can produce 5 experience crystals in the morning if I do it at a normal pace. I wanted to quantify that for now. I made roughly 40,000 per round trip with the magic cart, and about 200,000 per day with a normal drop. Just like that, my goal for today was to quantify how much experience crystals earned. I''m relieved that I''ve successfully achieved that. As I did so, a zombie haggler hatched from the seed. Fifty zombies appeared on the scene at once. I''ve got my regular bullets ready, let''s just kill them all and get back to the dungeon for the afternoon. "Yikes! I heard a woman scream from beyond the zombies. Not good!Someone was passing by. And this scream, it''s the scream of an ordinary girl, not an adventurer. I stopped using normal bullets and reloaded the restraining rounds and fired continuously. The zombies are restrained by the rope of light. Rush into a crowd of zombies, kill them with your bare hands, break through the crowd and head in a straight line in the direction of the scream. There''s a girl on her buttocks at the end of the rush. ''''Princess!'''' It was Margaret who was there. She was dressed exactly the same as she was when we met, only she was not carrying a weapon. A zombie leaked from its restraints, scaring her, and she couldn''t even dodge it, looking frightened. "Get away! Kicking the ground, she lunges furiously, grabbing the side of the zombie''s head as it groans and tries to bite her, grabbing it and squeezing it in place. ''Are you okay!'' "--! She didn''t answer, instead she hugged me. No, she clung to me. Her little body was trembling and she buried her face in me. ''Don''t worry, it''s going to be okay now.'' I escape by flying backwards with my hands around Margaret''s waist and holding the gun in one hand. I''ll get her out of there and we''ll be good to go. I reload with one hand and keep firing, taking out the zombies. I''m holding one of the girls, so it''s a little different than usual, but the zombies are easy to take out. But because it''s different, I didn''t realize that Margaret was shaking and looking up at me from close range. You okay? I asked Margaret, who was still in my arms after making sure I had killed all 50 zombies. She doesn''t answer me for some reason, but just stares blankly at me. "Did you hurt yourself? ...... "Margaret? He didn''t answer, so I reached out my hand to try to slap him in the face. ''Kyah.'' As my hand came closer, Margaret turned to me with a huff and pushed me away. I was caught off guard, and she slipped out of my grasp, causing me to lose my balance. The five crystals I had stored away fell to the ground. Before I could pick them up, I looked at Margaret. Her face was red, and she flinched and glanced at me. What''s wrong, what''s going on? "Nah, whatever. ...... Hmm?You didn''t get hurt or anything. Kokoro, Margaret nods with a blush on her face. It''s bothering me that she''s acting weird - but if you think about it, she''s much weirder today. More importantly, she doesn''t seem to be injured, so I decided to let it go. It''s not safe for her to be here, so I''ll take her back to town. With that in mind, I went to pick up the crystals I''d dropped. Oh, here we go. Oh, wait a minute. Before she could stop herself, Margaret picked up the crystal as if to take it away. --In a moment, the crystal disappeared in her hands. ''Huh?'' Amazing, Margaret. I''ve learned one more thing about the crystal. Apparently they disappear as soon as anyone other than me has them, just like they did with Emily, so maybe that''s her experience. So what about Alice?I wondered what would happen if she had a girlfriend who was also a level expert. I''ll check it out when we meet up with her, I thought. Oh, ...... I''m up to level. Are you sure?Come to think of it, that guy said he was going to be 95 soon. You went up for the current amount of crystals. Congratulations anyway. Thank you. What happened to your powers? She remembered what the leader man had told her, and her interest was revived at the same time. Margaret started to scurry around. ''Isn''t there somewhere on the Now Board? The entrance to Nifongnium is the furthest thing from here. Margaret nodded. We walked out together and headed for Nifongnium, and as soon as we arrived, Margaret took control of the Nowboard and gave us a status. ---1/2--- Level: 95/99 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... Ooh, ....... I couldn''t help but squeal, the highest ceiling and highest level I''ve ever seen. And yet, the ability is a stunning all-F. I''m even impressed when I get to this point. I knew it: "I knew it: ...... Yeah? No, it''s nothing. For a moment, Princess Margaret looked forlorn. It wasn''t her imagination, that''s for sure. No matter what she did, she wasn''t being rewarded for it, and the despair she felt when she felt it. She must have felt this every time she leveled up. I want to do something about it. With a forlorn expression on her face, Margaret operated the Nowboard and went to the next page. ''''Huh?'''' What''s wrong with ......? ---2/2--- Plants E Animals E Minerals E Magic E Characteristic E --------- ... It wasn''t all F''s there, it was all E''s, all one level up. ''It''s going up, it''s going up! Delighted and flabbergasted Margaret. At level 95, her status has finally risen, and even if it was an E, she would be excited about it. But I''m not. I''m not so much excited about it as I am about the possibility of it, and that''s why I decided to go for it. "E, D, C, B, A...... 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9...... I broke the fingers of both hands and counted them, and I was aware of a possibility. 76. Perpetual motion What was the crystal, by the way?Could it be that this is what you hear rumors about, selling experience? After the excitement subsided, Margaret asked the obvious question. Experience sales ...... Ah, like the plated mouse I saw at the harvest festival. Monster experience is incredibly expensive, but the drop items are inexplicably undemanding and cheap. It''s the experience value that is used to turn them back into hagremonts. It''s a completely different story from the crystal I gave her in the sense that I''m going to return it to Haguremono and beat it again, but I guess she only knows that it''s an experience sale and doesn''t know much about its contents. ''''It''s a little different from that. With this ring''s ability, I can turn the experience value into crystals like that after the level has been canned and give it to others. So that''s what happened. More than that. I looked straight at Margaret. She looked at me and she blushed, and she felt depressed. "I want to raise your bar. Me? If I''m not mistaken, you''re going to be a big hitter when you hit the next level. ? Margaret nodded her head as hard as she could. Didn''t he realize that he was the one who saw that? Is common sense getting in the way, or did he get used to that because the period of unhappiness with the all-F''s was too long? Drop all A at level 99. She doesn''t even seem to have imagined the prediction I made that she might do so with a super-late growth type. Now, how could I raise it most efficiently? That was the question. An hour or so later, there was a huge pile of sprouts in front of me. A small pile of sprouts piled up there, still outside of Nihonium. The equivalent of a million piles of bean sprouts. It would be a spectacular sight to see that many bean sprouts piled up. Incidentally, I had the idea for the sprouts, but Margaret gave me the money. She seemed to have a lot of money, and the more bean sprouts she had, the better, so she said, "I''ll get you a million piro for now," and that''s what happened. By the way, the amount of bean sprouts we had now was equivalent to the entire stock of bean sprouts in Cyclo. I''m sorry to make you pay for it. No. More importantly, what are you going to do with this? Watch. I left the pile of sprouts with Margaret. We waited for a while, and then a slime hatched from the sprouts. In the middle of a deserted field, the slime came toward us as soon as it was born. I shot the slime, shooting it out with my gun with a conventional round. The slime disappears with a single shot. More slime hatches, and this time I take care of it with a regular bullet before it starts moving. At this point, Margaret has an accomplished look on her face. "So this is how you turn sprouts into experience! ''Yeah, this is what is commonly known as an experience sale. It''s usually done with an experience-efficient plated mouse, but Cyclo doesn''t have that. And that merchant probably would have pulled up to the city he was from. The slime hatches one by one. He shoots them all out of the way as they hatch with a single blow. ''''It''s amazing, there are a hundred of them. I can''t believe I didn''t move and beat the monsters one after another. ...... Margaret looked at me with respect. I chose slime (or sprouts) for two reasons: first, it''s easy to kill them as soon as they hatch, and second, there''s a 99% chance that they''ll be killed in a single blow, even if they''re not moving. The first is that they''re easy to defeat as soon as they hatch, and there''s a 99% chance you''ll be able to kill a slime with a single blow if you can see it without moving. And the other reason--. I took out a regular round from the pouch on my hip and loaded it into the empty gun. A pouch that sucks in the drops. I used it to replenish the regular bullets from killing the haglemono slime without moving. Defeating the slime with regular bullets, and if you defeat it, the pouch is replenished with regular bullets. The composition of the game was such that I continued to hunt with a permanent engine to the point of infinite boiling. Slimes are the same as skeletons, one crystal will appear for every ten slimes. I give it to Margaret as soon as it comes out. I take them down, refill their ammunition automatically, and give her the experience. I repeat the process. Every once in a while, an adventurer passes by at a distance. The adventurers craned their necks and wondered, or the corners of their mouths quirked up in laughter. Those who didn''t know why they were defeating slime as a haggler wondered, and those who knew it was for experience laughed. In this world, it''s common knowledge that levels are raised as you go around, and before you know it, you''re going to have to do it. After doing this for a while, my eyes started to sweat. I fluttered my eyes and tried to drive the sweat away. It''s a little bit tiring to do that for so long, as expected. That''s when a nice scent wafted up from the side. What happened was that Margaret wiped my sweat off with her handkerchief. Is this scent from a handkerchief?Or is it hers? I don''t know, but ...... smells good, like fruit or flowers anyway. Thank you. ''No, it''s me who should be thanking you. I''ve never experienced anything like this so quickly. Is that so? I''m so powerless that I can''t even defeat a single slime by myself. ...... Oh, you''ll have to have them scrape off some slime to take it down. Margaret nodded. ''I''m always hoping my MP will at least get a boost. Why is that? I''ve learned some amazing magic along the way as I level up. Like the life-stopping spell ''Eternal'' and the ultimate divine flame spell ''Phoenix''. You remember some great stuff! That''s not at all what you think of Margaret. There are at least a dozen such magics. More and more awesome! But none of them can be used, and I can''t fire a single shot until I''m at about D MP. d*mn, not enough MP. State? It''s similar, with Celeste. He continued to hunt the slime while chatting with Margaret. A million pounds of sprouts, the pile of them getting smaller and smaller. I keep hunting from my initial position. Hagremonos and slime, the perpetual motion engine that hunts with it, so I was rather conscious of not moving. The perpetual motion engine worked perfectly until the end. As the sun was setting in the twilight, I shot the last of the slime. The crystals came out, and I gave them to Margaret. "Well? I''m still a little overwhelmed. Isn''t it enough for a million pirouettes? It''s level 95 to 96, so what can we do? You''re ordering now: ...... I see you don''t have it in stock anymore. It''s not much more efficient to go there, though. I can''t help it, the leveling up is going to carry over. And that''s what I was thinking. ''Mr. Yoda,'' I turned around when I heard a voice calling for me and saw Emily, Celeste, Eve, Alice and their friends. The girls were coming towards us, carrying a pile of sprouts. ''What''s going on, guys?'' Low-level liar. Eve chopped me up out of the blue. ''What?'' I skipped carrots this afternoon. ''Oh, I''m sorry!I was obsessed with this one. Eve is miffed. When I''m dungeon-diving with the others in the afternoon, I make sure to drop a carrot for her while I''m in the basement level I''m passing through. ''Obsessed!I''m infatuated with her. No, no, Lyota, you don''t do that kind of obsession. I''m sure she''s the same as I was - which is even worse! What''s the matter with you, Celeste, you can''t just talk yourself out of it? It''s nothing. I''ve come to deliver some bean sprouts to Yoda. Thank you. ...... What''s that about? An adventurer told me what Mr. Yoda is doing here. ''That''s great, Lyota!Everyone was talking about ''the leader of that Lyota family''. I didn''t know Ryota was that famous! Alice is excited. Rumors ......?Oh, a bunch of adventurers are back in town talking about it by accident. Yes, that''s what I heard, and I have some more for you. Smiling Emily. What the four of them brought with them was a rather large amount of sprouts. It''s not much less than the first, but it''s still 200,000 piro''s worth of sprouts by my rough estimate. ''''You all gathered them together? Emily held up her hammer, Celeste held up her bicorn horn, Alice turned her hone-hones and pulls back to monster size, and Eve took out a carrot. ''That has nothing to do with me! I plunged into Eve as hard as I could and then looked at my four friends again. ''Thank you,'' I said. The four of them smiled back at me. At night, we returned to the Nifongnium table. Margaret approaches the Nowboard and operates it. ---1/2--- Level: 96/99 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... Her friends cheered. Thanks to everyone''s help, her level was successfully raised to 96. ''......'' She turns around and looks at me. I''m getting a little nervous. Are you sure that''s a good idea?Or was that all there was to it? Her heart fluttered. Nodding back to Margaret, she takes a deep breath and manipulates the Nowboard further. Gokuri...... and a fresh spit. ---2/2--- Plants D Animals D Minerals D Magic D Characteristic D --------- ... Level 96, drop all D. I was almost certain to get all A''s as expected. I was almost certain it was going to be all A. I got more cheers from my buddies, which I explained beforehand. "Thank you! Margaret hugged me, her thin arms around me, holding me close. I could tell she was happy to see me. I''m tired of continuing to take down the slime with tremendous density, but I think the effort was worth it. 77. Emily and Celeste With Margaret on the level, she and I visited the man selling air. The building she led us to had a sign that read "Archive Shiher". It was not a private house, but an image of a building used for offices or shops. Once inside, the man was surprised to see me and Margaret together, but let us go in the back anyway. Then we were let into the parlor and faced the man. "What''s the sign out front? That''s my name and the name of my office. I didn''t know that. The man ...... archives frowned slightly and compared me and Margaret in turn Why are you with the princess? I was leveling up with her earlier. I explained the situation to the archives. I happened to come across Margaret''s leveling up and went along for the further leveling up, predicting that her status might make her drop all A at level 99. As a result, at level 96, her drop was all D. I also told her that I was sure she would be all A at 99. At first the archives looked fatherly, as if they were about to take my daughter, but halfway through the conversation, it was replaced by surprise. ''It''s true, Princess!'' Margaret nodded quietly. She has calmed down compared to earlier, and her neat gestures give off the air that she is indeed a princess. ''Seriously, ...... no, but that doesn''t mean you''ll be an all-A when you get to 99. ''She didn''t get anything up to level 94, it was all F. That''s right. Yeah, why not? ''I spiked to drop all E in 95 and then all D in 96. In a case like this, it''s definitely all A at the end. I''m not from this world, but I''m beginning to understand a lot about the laws of this world. In the same way that the inherently non-existent S in this world is on top of the A, if you don''t grow at all at the beginning, but grow rapidly in the endgame, you''ll eventually become the best at what you''re capable of. It''s a sure thing, just like if you talk about getting married after the war, you''ll die, just like if you drink Coke, you''ll burp. It''s a sure and certain thing. Yeah. Well, if that''s the way you want it, then so be it. After all, you''re the leader of the Lyota family. I was surprised at the way the archives were convinced. I thought I was talking about Oyakusoku (), but he was convinced that it was Sato Ryota. It''s nice that he was convinced, but it feels a little strange. ''But ...... so ...... level 99 and all A?'' You can do a lot with that. ''What?Yeah, right. ...... Were you thinking about something different? Yeah, I''m thinking about using the princess''s upgrades to help me make a living. I chuckled and said, "I see. The Archive Shiher was very much a merchant. I was thinking that when I got to all A''s, the drop would be better and I''d get more and more money out of it, but they were figuring out how to cash in on the process too. I never had that idea. I didn''t have it, but I have an idea that would come up if you gave me the idea. Princess Margaret selling air boxes. What she was doing was the same as a certain profession. "Do you know a town called Arkill? ''Alkir?You mean the city of plating? I''d never heard it called the City of Plating before, but since I know Plated Mouse, I figured that was the way to go. We''re going to put together a tour to go there with Margaret. Tour? ''Yeah, like ...... help the princess level up,'' he said. I''m going to go to Alkil for that procedure where I usually make airboxes, and I''m going to let any adventurer who wants to do it do it. You''re a genius! The archive smiled so reluctantly that he stood up quickly. ''Right!If you let the princess''s fans do it, it''s easier to level up and get money from them, so you can kill two birds with one stone! Oh, I knew I was a fan. I was satisfied that I had been right. "Alright, I''ll let the princess''s 100,000 fans know about it right away! 100,000 people. ''Thank you, Sato!I''m going to make you a fortune, thanks to you. Let me give you something in return! The archive grabbed my hand and shook it up and down. I could tell by this reaction that it was quite forceful, and that it must be a very profitable calculation. Thank you or ...... Yes, I suppose. I thought for a moment and looked at Margaret, who was smiling up at me. I''ll leave it at that: ...... I told the archives of my desired gratuity. The next morning, instead of hiding in the daily dungeon today, the full family came to the outskirts of Cyclo with Emily, Celeste, Eve and Alice. The location was the same as yesterday, where Margaret and I were leveling up. ''This is ...... amazing,'' There''s a lot of carrots. They marveled at the amount of carrots there, as much as yesterday''s sprouts, a small mountain of them. ''You must be Satou-san.'' A young man who had been working on the carrots came over and talked to me. I looked closer and saw that he was a bit of an acquaintance, one of the four people who were following up with Margaret to create the atmosphere. ''Yeah, I''m Sato Ryota,'' These are the million-pirogram items I promised you. It was a carrot. I don''t get many sprouts. You got it. We used it all up yesterday. I''m sure you did, bye. The man said and walked away. ''This is the gratuity I asked the archive for yesterday. ''Well, let''s do it.'' ''Mr. Yoda, that man is not here today. If we already have this in the first place, don''t we need to get rid of us? Emily and Celeste raised the obvious question. ''I think I''m going to level everyone up today,'' I explained to my friends. I figured since we can crystallize our experience, and since we invented a perpetual motion engine using tellurian hagrefactors yesterday, I thought it would be a good idea to raise everyone''s bar. I ...... ...... of them? Emily and Celeste are surprised. ''Yeah, you''re both still up. What''s the problem? Objection! Eve objected, pushing Emily and Celeste, who had almost nodded in trepidation, away from her. ''We won''t allow you to wreck the carrots,'' I don''t want to be shoddy, I want to be experienced. Carrots are for eating. That''s true, though. If you insist, go over the rabbit''s head. Eve stood in front of the pile of carrots with her arms outstretched. ''As usual, your personality changes when carrots are involved. ''We have to be patient here,'' ''Yes, if you persevere here, I''m sure Lyota-san will prepare more delicious carrots for you instead. Emily and Celeste try to persuade Eve to join them. To their persuasion, Eve''s attitude softened a bit and she looked at me. Oh dear, well, it''s no use. "I promise, when you all reach the end of your level, I''ll bring you another carrot. Lyota Carrot? With Lyota Carrot Hope for a year. That''s a good one. I mean, a year''s worth of mochi is enough for one year. Oh well, I don''t like the look of happiness on her face when she''s eating carrots. "Okay, I promise. Rabbit, I''ll be patient. Eve nodded and withdrew. She turned herself around and went towards the day after tomorrow. I thought she was going to walk away, but she didn''t, she sat down on the ground in a remote location - a place that wasn''t affected by the haggling. ''''Why is it there?'''' "Downwind. What? If you can''t eat it, can you at least smell it? Oh, yeah. "Live in the arena. No, I don''t know what that means. ...... I plunged in, but Eve didn''t respond. You''re really trying to tell me it''s all about the smell. Well, let''s get started. Alice is a complete blank slate, so it''s Emily, Celeste and Eve. The rabbit''s on a roll. Really? Well, he was a famous adventurer before he became one of us. So that means it''s just Emily and Celeste. I think Emily''s upper limit is 40 and Celeste''s is 54. Yes, sir. I remembered: "I remembered: ...... Emily replied briskly, as if she were a child, and Celeste, whose cheeks blushed for some reason. I moved away from Carrots along with the two of them. After waiting for a while, the carrots hatched into sleeping slimes one after another. I shoot the hatched sleeping slime to defeat it, defeat it and load the normal bullets that dropped into the pouch to defeat the next one. It was the same as yesterday, a perpetual engine with almost the same amount of bullets replenished as the ones I took down. I took down every one of them that hatched and turned them into crystals of experience. ''It''s amazing after all, Yoda-san.'' ''It''s not a lap ...... lap, but the pattern of work is complete. That''s what a top-notch adventurer looks like. Do you think I''ve been adopted by some crazy person? While my friends were chatting away, I was single-mindedly producing experience. The number of carrots is dwindling and their levels are rising. "I''m a canst! I''ll take care of it. At this pace, it might be a little short? It''s definitely a little short. Alice, you''re coming with me. I''m going into town to buy some more. Emily?It''s more expensive for us to buy them, and you should hunt them down in the dungeon. Mr. Yoda wants us to be a cannibal. If we hunt in the dungeon, we won''t be able to make it until the carrots are gone. Yeah, sure. It may cost a little more, but it''s all right for Mr. Yoda. They''re doing something behind me. I guess Emily is trying to make something for them again. She''s practically the mother of the family, and she notices and does a lot of things for me. She''s the mother of the family, and she''s noticed a lot of things, and I''ve been slaying hagrete things to gain experience. For some reason, slimes started appearing instead of sleeping slimes along the way, but it didn''t matter, I made it an experience. The sun was setting and the date was changing. I was able to cannibalize both Emily and Celeste safely. 78. The same Celeste We came to the entrance to Nihonium, the only one of the dungeon''s now-boards that had been set up in this dungeon. ''So, Emily?'' Yes, sir. Emily nodded and manipulated the Nowboard with a familiar hand. The moment the status came up, she marveled, "Oh. ---1/2--- Level: 40/40 HP A MP F Power A Strength A Intelligence F Spirit F Speed E Dexterous E Luck B --------- ... The levels are maxed out. ''Your abilities are ...... in order, your HP and strength have been A''s for a while now, but your strength is also A''s. That''s a status that''s polarizing your ability as an in-fighter. ''Moggy moggy ...... these things ...... moggy moggy ...... strong'' Eve says, biting into an extra carrot. ''It''s not polite to talk with things in your mouth,'' ...... Eve stopped talking. She nibbled on a carrot and swallowed it completely, then picked up the next one. ''You''re going to eat it!I thought this wasn''t the rest of the explanation! I will not allow anyone, not even God, to interfere with my meeting with the carrot. ''Isn''t that a fierce word?Oh well, I''m with you on that one. Strong and tough, with some means of recovery, it''s an ability value that can usually be managed by one person. Not really. Emily blushed. ''Don''t be modest, your HP, strength and stamina are A. That''s awesome. Nah.'' They all nodded in unison, asking their friends to agree. Emily became more and more embarrassed and manipulated the Nowboard as if to cover it up. ---2/2--- Plants D Animals E Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... Drops are up a bit, too. ''Yes, sir. It''s Celeste''s turn to be next. Yeah. Celeste nodded, standing in front of the now board that Emily had moved out of the way, and manipulated it with prayerful eyes. ---1/2--- Level: 54/54 HP D MP A Power E Strength E Intelligence A Spirit A Speed E Dexterous A Luck C --------- ... ''It''s amazing!The MP is on A! ''This will free you from running out of MP. It was about a C before. You can shoot a lot of level 3s. Emily and I are hyped up, while Celeste is silent. ''What''s up?'' Alice asks curiously. Celeste doesn''t answer, but puts her hand on her chest and repeats a deep breath. ''Eei!'' I operated with a lot of momentum. The second page of status, the drop appears. ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic E Characteristic F --------- ... ...... He scowled for a moment, and then tears ragged on his face as he did so. Oh, that''s right. Celeste had a complex about the fact that all her drops were F--F final. It wasn''t a big deal when they were level-maxed, but to her, it wasn''t at all. She lovingly traced the letter "E" on the now board with her finger. Eventually she turns to me, tears still streaming down her face. "Thank you. And he gave me the best smile. Stars Tellurium 8th floor. It''s the same outdoor-like dungeon as the sixth and seventh floors, and unlike the seventh floor, there''s no dungeon snow blowing. To commemorate the fact that Emily and Celeste have passed the level, they decided to come down to the next level. By the way, Eve was at the second basement level. After defeating the sleeping slime along the way and mass producing Lyota Carrots, the rabbit''s eyes took the form of carrots and remained there voluntarily. Then, I, Emily, Celeste and Alice came to the eighth basement floor. Waiting for us there was a metallic colored slime. Celeste explained to me that it was her turn to explain. ''Steel slime, as hard as it looks, it''s extremely hard. I know who you are. You''re the guy I got my license for. The license is a policy of the Cyclo Dungeon Association to keep adventurers who are not strong enough to prepare for the monsters that become more powerful after the sixth floor, and to keep adventurers who are not strong enough to enter the dungeon. It''s an essential item for adventurers whose sole purpose is to earn money by going around the dungeons, and it practically limits access to the dungeons. I fought this steel slime as a test for taking it. Incidentally, Celeste cringed a bit when I said "I know". ...... You wanted to explain it, and you did a bad job. ''Anyway, it''s hard?Do you have any other special abilities? No, it''s just that he''s so hard I hate it. All right. Mr. Yoda, I''ll handle this one. Yeah. Nodding, Emily carried the hammer and jumped out. She struck first, spinning the hammer around above her head, swinging the hammer down with a force that knocked the whole ground off. Emily and Steel Slime, one on one. We watched from the sidelines. It''s amazing that you''re able to physically attack that steel slime. ''It''s basic to level up and hit them with physics. ''That''s true, but you can''t usually do that with a steel slime. The strategy is to find a weakness somewhere on your body and target it. Yeah. That''s not how I beat you. How did Mr. Lyota do it? It was smashed to bits after freezing and flaming rounds caused metal fatigue. Kinesthetic? Celeste nodded her head. It seems that even she, who is an erudite woman, doesn''t know the word. It was going to be settled while she was doing so. Emily stopped and hit the steel slime. Knocking it with enough force to make the dungeon shake. I raise the hammer and the slime tries to jump on it, but I slap it more. Raise the hammer, the slime tried to move, and the hammer came down. I repeated the process. It''s just like a rice cake maker. "Hey, hey, Konkon''s body is starting to crack. So Concon is a steel slime. If she named it that, will it eventually become one of her companions, like the two bodies on her shoulder? As I was thinking this, Steel Slime was knocked over. ''Mr. Yoda!I did it! Emily came back with a smile of accomplishment. Forgetting to pick up the dropped melon, she came back to me and the others with a smile of accomplishment. In the city of Cyclo, we walked into a magnificent building in Yakeh, which resembled a vegetable, and came down to the basement in a straight line. ''It''s very spacious,'' We''re going to fight a monster here. Do you want to play with honeworks and pulls? As soon as they stepped in, their friends looked around the basement with great interest. By the way, I left Eve behind. On the way back, I took out the sleeping slime in the basement and started rubbing my cheek on the carrot, saying something like, "I don''t care if I die now, rabbit," or something like that. I walked over to the counter and spoke to the same middle-aged guy from before, who said, "I''m here to get my license. "I''m here to get my license. ...... from the 11th floor onwards? No, the sixth floor and up. I don''t have any friends yet. ...... three? We''re together. The man leaves the counter with a blank expression on his face and begins to prepare. I go back to my friends. I''ve talked to them. Yes, sir. But why?I think my license will be fine with Mr. Yoda''s. That''s true, but if you keep it, it''ll come in handy when the time comes, won''t it? I think it''s because I''m a modern person who thinks "driver''s license" when he hears the word "license". If there is one person who has a driver''s license, there is no problem, but if more than one person has it, we can deal with it in case of emergency. But if more than one person has it, we can deal with it in a pinch. It''s actually useful. What do you mean? Celeste''s eyes lit up when I asked her about it. "There''s a big difference between that and that time when you couldn''t explain it in a steel slime. That''s because the family looks strong. How many people have drop-A''s, how many licenses, things like that. It''s just things like that. If they are strong and have a lot of drivers'' licenses, they can be asked to do things. ''Come to think of it, when I first heard about Neptune, it was called ''an amazing gathering of five plant drops''. That''s just the way it is. We''re not... Celeste glanced at the man who was getting ready at a distance. ''I''ve decided not to disclose Mr. Lyota''s (s), so we should keep taking these things. The three of us nodded at Celeste''s explanation. Meanwhile, the man came back, ready to go. ...... Who do you want to start with? Emily: ...... Huh? I saw something on the far side of the room that would give back to the haggler. Potatoes. Steel-- that''s a melon? ...... random, except for the seventh floor. Why not the seventh floor? Alice asked a reasonable question. ''Because you can''t usually take down the seventh floor by yourself. ''If you use the slime tears, the difficulty will drop too low this time, so it won''t be worth it. Yeah, ...... passing quota is at least five children. It''s going to be pretty hard. What do you think? I saw Emily and Celeste. Potatoes, the monsters in the Tellurium 6 floors below. They''re called father-son slime, and they have a very specific method of defeating them. I''ll do it. Can you do it? Celeste nods, confident. ''Okay,'' Hang in there! "Go-go-go. Celeste nodded and was sent off by me and the others. We waited for a while, facing the potatoes, and the potatoes, which were placed far apart, hatched into haggles. One large slime and dozens of smaller slimes, so what''s the mother and child slime? Five of them will do, Celeste. Yeah, we''ll take the bicorn horn to the ground, burn the body with the inferno and be done with it. Ore and Emily nodded at each other. Since I know Celeste''s strength, I was able to look at her without worrying about including her quota. A magic circle unfolds at Celeste''s feet, her long, beautiful hair fluttering in the magic. ''''Inferno!'''' "What? My voice and Emily''s were in unison. Unlike what I expected, Celeste unleashed her first move, a wide range magic, Inferno. The dozens of child slimes that existed in the area were collectively burned away. ''Inferno from the start?'' My parents are too strong. There are two characteristics of the parent and child slime. When you kill a child (limb), its drop goes up as much as you kill its parent (main body). And the more children (limbs) you kill, the stronger the parent (main body) becomes. The child was wiped out, and the parent''s theoretically strongest state was created. Celeste was undaunted, she further deployed her magic circle. A different magic circle. ''This is ...... the power that Ryota-san raised me with, a new power. Muttering, Celeste holds out her hand. ''Cut me open, Silent Fury! A thin, cocktail light further narrowed down like a laser shot out from a supple fingertip. It hit the body of the parent slime. Immediately after the laser spot went across the body. The slime - the slime''s body, which had been strengthened to the extreme, was cut in two and disappeared with a snap. ''''It''s done--ah.'''' Celeste wobbles, and I rush over to her and hug her. ''What''s wrong?'' I just used too much magic, a new kind of magic. As Celeste speaks, she has a greasy sweat on her forehead and her face is the color of paper. You look exactly the same ...... as you did when we met. No, he''s changed. It''s changed a lot. Celeste looks straight at me. She looks at me with calm, yet intensely passionate eyes. "Thank you, baby, it''s all thanks to you. That''s the most "thank you" I''ve ever heard. It was the most throbbing thing I''ve ever heard. 79. Triple score The next morning after Celeste and Emily had successfully obtained their licenses. Thanks to Emily''s care, all of my friends gathered in the warm, friendly living room. As we were all savoring the breakfast Emily had prepared, she asked me, "Yoda, what do you have planned for today? ''Yoda, do you have any plans for today?'' Plans?I don''t have anything in particular, so I''m going to go around the dungeon. There''s been a lot going on with the Harvest Festival in between, so I should start earning some money soon. I cocked my head and looked up at the ceiling. There was a lot going on over the Harvest Festival. I''d met Alice, beaten the dungeon master in Nifonium, leveled up Margaret, canned Emily and Celeste, and gone along to get my license. Come to think of it, I may not have done a normal dungeon lap for over a week now. In the meantime, my income has been interrupted, as it should be. I''m not a businessman anymore. Even though I was in a black company, a hundred thousand or so a month would come in handy even if I didn''t tell them. But now it''s gone. In the past week, my income has been equal to almost nothing. Still, it''s perfectly fine with me ...... me now, but I''ve got to start earning money. All right, I''ll get ready to go to the eighth basement floor of the tellurium. It''s been a long time since we''ve hunted together. I''m looking forward to it. It''s my first time. The rabbit needs a bento (carrot). My friends were excited. The breakfast table is lively and happy, and there is an air of comfort just by being there. In the midst of this atmosphere, I thought for a moment and suggested, "Why don''t we split up for the day? Why don''t we split up for the day? Yoda, are you sure you need something? No, it''s not. We''re all stronger now. Of course they''ll still be strong, though. You will?I''m not going to level up anymore, okay? ''''I will, with the magic fruits that Lyota-san has modified, I can learn two of them, and I''ll continue to get a variety of equipment. And I can still hear the monster calling me. As long as there are carrots in the world that we haven''t seen yet Celeste and everyone else gives Emily a reason to be strong - I think it''s just Eve''s. ''Yes, we''ll still be strong. But we''ve all leveled out, right?What can we do once around here and how much money can we make once we get around for a day? That''s what I''m trying to figure out. I see. That''s important. His friends nodded, and there seemed to be no objection. ''Then I''m going to the eighth floor, and Steel Slime can do what Arsenik did. Come to think of it, even though it''s hard, its speed is a bit lower than normal slime. I see. So, Mr. Yoda, I''m here to ask for the drop 1 potion. Are you sure it''s one? ''Yes, sir, one and a ring will be a B. With a B, we can go around and it''s cheaper.'' Okay. I bring two kinds of drop-up potions. One is a +3 potion you can get from the note haggler and the other is a +1 potion you can get from the coin haggler. One bill is 1000piro, but coins are 1piro. The +3 is expensive, but the +1 costs practically nothing. If you can level up and get a B for +1, that''s certainly better for getting around. ''Alright. I''d like to get some +2 equipment sooner or later. That''ll give me an A. Yes, sir. I''m ....... Alice, will you come with me? Me?Good, but ...... Oh, Honestly Purrrrrrrrr. The two SD-sized monsters hid in Alice''s bosom. ''''Gah!Gohon. No, I''m serious. The Guts Slime on the seventh floor of the basement, I need to get those kids'' help for that one. Me and those kids can handle the laps and rare monsters. I see. If Celeste says so, it must be true. Okay, I''ll go. Yeah. Celeste nodded quietly, and I didn''t miss the fact that she was secretly gutted under the table. I guess it''s a personal thing, but I guess it''s okay. ''Where''s Eve?'' "Dust to dust, rabbit to carrot. You can have the +3 portion. Just count for me. I loved you! Eve''s eyes widened and she opened them. A lot of things were decided at the breakfast table, and we were each separated for the day. Stars I decided to go around the levels that my friends didn''t go to. First, I went to the ground floor of the tellurium, where the monster was a slime. I pushed the magic cart and walked around. The slime I encountered attacked, I caught it with one hand and held it in my hand, and then I put the gun on the magic cart-- it was like I was walking down the stairs. No, On second thought, I just squeezed it. I felt a purr, and the slime disappeared, turning into sprouts and going into the magic cart. The slime felt weaker than it did at the beginning, or even before the Harvest Festival. Maybe it was because of the dungeon master in Nifonium. That one was strong, normal attacks didn''t work, and it hurt when they attacked me, so I struggled a lot. After that one, I could take down slimes, no joke, even while snorting at them. I would push the magic cart forward, catch the slime that attacked me and grip it, and the ones that didn''t attack me would walk towards me, pick them up and grip them on the magic cart. ''~?'' It''s humming and moving like you''re shopping at the grocery store. After a while, the magic cart''s ability to burst the selling price told me 40,000 piro. Return to the city with the cart full of sprouts and bring them back to the town to return the favor of the buyer, Yan. Return to the dungeon. I was going to go through...... the second basement floor, but Eve grabbed me, so I gave her one of the S-drop Lyota carrots to replace the toll. Third basement level, cocrosstime. A slime that is Emily''s natural enemy, glowing black and crawling on the ground in a crunchy manner. A while ago, I used to go to the lower level, but at that time I had to cover Emily''s eyes and ears, and we all had to escort her forward. Incidentally, since Alice became my companion, she was able to read exactly where the monsters were, so we took a route that was a bit circuitous but didn''t even hear footsteps, which made it even safer (...). On that third basement floor, Cochros Lime drops a pumpkin. I''m not scared of it, so I pick up the one that''s clattering towards me and squash it in the same way. With a pop, the cocrosstime turned into a pumpkin in the palm of my hand, just like popcorn. The volume grew all at once, and my hand popped. I was a little numb. ''You''re doing no damage to the monster, but you''re going to drop it? It was kind of fun. The cocrosstime itself isn''t that strong. But if I grabbed it, smashed it, or stomped on it, the pumpkin popcorn would get me, so I used my gun and regular ammo to take it down. Four pumpkins dropped and I got 42,000 piro, so I sold them to repay the swallow''s favor. That''s about 80,000 piro. Further back in the dungeon, I paid the carrots to Kanjo Eve for the toll. We came to the fourth basement level, the monster was a bat-slime. It flies around aimlessly and sometimes hangs on the ceiling like a bat without getting close, so I swatted at it with regular bullets as soon as I found it. It would drop at a distance, but I equipped a pouch to suck it up and then put it in the magic cart. I used a triple combo of normal ammo, pouch and magic cart to proceed. It''s four floors below ground, but it''s still weak, I ran through it with no damage and filled up the magic cart. The amount of money the magic cart spits out is 220,000 piro. That''s about 300,000 piro. Thanks to Gourmet, branded Lyota bamboo shoots can be sold for this much money for the same amount. It''s branded, so if we overdo it, we''ll have a crash, but that''s only for today. After getting them bought and paying the toll again, we came to the fifth basement floor. I encountered a hebislime with a number of slimes connected to it. First, I defeated one of them using the Pandora box I had prepared. A drop watermelon was sucked into the box, and my face was printed on the box. It''s the one I''m going to deliver to Ena''s parents'' grocery store. After that was done, I took it down like normal. The hebislime was coming closer, so I either picked it up or grabbed it to dodge the attack and tore it off on the magic cart. Poof, a large ball of watermelon dropped and went into the magic cart. I pushed the cart around, the hebislime was nothing particularly strong, and it went around with ease. The cart full of watermelons turned into 50,000 piro, and the watermelons with faces to deliver turned into 50,000 piro in one because they have a fixed customer. They were the same, but the producer''s markings made a big difference in price. It''s limited to one a day, but it''s good. We made 400,000 piro from circling the tiers that our friends hadn''t turned in. ''Well, here''s the deal. I rolled up my arms as we left the swallow''s debt. We''ve come full circle, now it''s time to get going. In the evening, I waited for everyone to join us in the living room of Emily House, being soothed. When the last Eve came back, we started the debriefing session. ''Rabbit earned, 120,000 worth. Self new. Is it self-reinventing? We''ve had low vegetable drops in the past. ''Well, you dared to come to Cyclo for the high meat drop. What do you mean, considerably? Alice questioned. ''Because I ate them all,'' All 120,000 pirouette carrots! I had to plunge in. Piro and yen are worth about the same, which means Eve ate 120,000 yen worth of carrots in one day at a wholesale price of 120,000 yen. ''I''m 160,000 piro, it''s a new record after all. ''That''s great, Emily. I beat Eve. The reason I lost is because Eve was eating. If I had to hold off eating until the end, I would have lost. Rabbit, that''s twice as good. You took your time. "We are 215,123 Piro. A little over 100,000 apiece. Celeste and Alice reported, and Celeste, perhaps because of her personality, was the only one to report in detail. After they all caught up on their reports, they looked at me. I''m curious about the numbers. I cleared my throat and pulled out the last itemized statement Elsa gave me, truncating it to the nearest whole number. "1.56 million piro. ""Oh," It''s a week''s worth of carrots. ...... The three of them cheered and Eve made a strange calculation. ''It''s amazing, Yoda, you''re better than everyone else combined. Triple score. That''s impressive. Ryota, you''re a millionaire. My friends have been saying good things about it. I''m just happy. ''If the whole family is together, that means we can make two million pirouette per day. I see. If you''re making this kind of money, do you have a problem spending it in a flash? Do you use it? Yeah. I looked around from Emily to Alice and her friends. ''We''ve been putting it off, let''s buy a magic cart for all of them. We took a breath and everyone agreed with the idea. 80. Family features The Magic Cart Shop, Progress. It''s the store where I bought my family''s magic cart. ''Haha ...... Dad ......'' As I walked into the store with my friends, I saw the owner''s son, Chuck, whom I''d met before, rubbing his brow and sighing. ''Come in,'' Welcome ...... Oh, you''re that guy. It''s Ryota Sato. You remembered me. Yes, thank you for your help with that one. How''s the cart? Thank you. ''I see. Thanks to Sato-san, we''ve also had an increase in the number of customers who want to bring in heavy and light locks and modify them in the same way. Heavy Rock and Light Rock, the monsters of the Arsenic Dungeon. The shop here can customize a magic cart with a drop money tally for that characteristic. We often show it to our buyers in return for their kindness, and when asked, they say they can put it on this progress, so that''s how they advertise it. That''s good news. Hey, hey, why did you sigh? Alice asked Chuck from the side. ''Actually, my dad went to the dungeon and hasn''t come back. Again. Really? I nodded to Alice, who looked at me curiously. ''It''s happened to me before. You''re not coming back this time, leaving a note saying you''re going to the dungeon again? Chuck nodded with a troubled look on his face as he confirmed it while explaining. ''Yeah, I''ve been gone for a whole week this time. It''s Arsenic, so I don''t think we''re in any danger.'' Arsenic''s monsters don''t attack, do they? Chuck nods at Celeste''s words. As he does so, he glances at me. Does this mean you should go to ......? Arsenic Dungeon, level 17 underground. ''Duh, I''m bored!'' The moment I descended, I screamed at the sight of a rock - a rock monster with a face on it. From the first floor to the 17th floor, they were all similar rock monsters. Strictly speaking, there were slight differences in the faces and expressions on each level, but it was really a very subtle level of difference. And yet the rocks just look at me, they don''t attack me. It''s good that this is one of the most peaceful dungeons in the world, but it''s completely uninspiring and drives me crazy. Emily, who is an expert rock-breaker, and I came with her, because she''s an Arsenic. ''It''s a fight, it''s the seventeenth floor and Mr. Orton should be here. ''I know. But ...... really hasn''t changed at all. The rock on the 17th floor is a bit of a wreck. Well, that''s good to know. I jerked at the rocks up close. Just as Emily had done, the rock monsters here and there in the dungeon had a shabby look on their faces. They look like tired office workers on the last train after a long day at work. It''s not a very pleasant look. ...... Now, where is Mr. Orton? We''ll go around. I nodded. ''I don''t think there are any adventurers on this floor, even though there were a few upstairs for some reason. ''But wow, this place is amazing, about 90% of the adventurers were using Emily Hammer. Ugh, ...... that name is embarrassing. ''Sounds like you''re being useful as a billboard. I''m going to have to take some additional advertising dollars for this one. I teased Emily. Emily Hammer, when Emily''s beloved hammer broke before, Smith, an arms dealer, offered to replace it. It''s like an athlete: the manufacturer provides the tools, and when the athlete does well, his admirers want to buy the same thing. With that offering, Emily got a new hammer. And now 90% of the adventurers who attend Arsenic are Emily hammers. ''It''s because this hammer is so easy to use, not because it''s me,'' There''s a guy downstairs asking for a sign.You''re already a total celebrity, Emily. Forget it! Emily yelled out with an embarrassed look on her face. By the way, the sign is still a young woman with an Emily hammer, and she wants you to sign the hammer because she admires Emily. She is about 18 years old, and unlike Emily, she is extremely standard-built, but unlike Emily, she can''t hold a hammer properly because it is very heavy. I wondered if that''s why I admired her so much. While I was teasing Emily about it, I found Orton. A stocky, middle-aged man with a boho beard, I thought he looked like a dwarf at a glance, just like the last time I met him. ''Mr. Orton,'' Huh?Oh, it''s you. We were worried about you again, Chuck. He''s a tightwad, he left a note saying he was going to Arsenik. But a week is still too long. I have no choice. I''m not going to drop it. Is it a drop? ''I need the rare monster here, Master Lock. Hey, I need you to help me get Master Lock. If we can get that thing, I can give your magic cart a serious makeover. I understand. Yes, sir. Emily and I responded immediately. Because that''s what we had planned to do in the first place. As well as the fact that we came to check up on Chuck because he''s worried about us, this Orton guy is the kind of guy who puts his life into modifying his magic cart and throwing his real life away to annoy and worry his family. I''m curious to see what the man spawns after a week of being holed up in a dungeon, and what he spawns at the end of it. ''So I guess we''ll just have to find Master Locke then? ''You don''t have to find it. You can just touch the slay blocks around there. Why is that? I can see it in your hand. Orton just said yes. He and Emily looked at each other and nodded at each other. Nearest, I approached the slay block and touched it. The rock, which looked like a company man, didn''t do anything. ''Nothing''s going to happen,'' That means it''s not out yet. We''ll know when it''s out. Yeah. Believing Orton''s words, Emily and I touched a rock every ten seconds or so with our replacement baggy. It was just about the time when I started to feel like I was going to be able to handle a plain dungeon, too much time on my hands. Emily, who was touching the rock, suddenly disappeared! Emily? There you are! Orton raised his voice and touched another rock. Then Orton disappeared, too. I didn''t know what was going on, but I couldn''t just leave him there, so I touched the rock with my hand on my gun. The next thing I knew, I was in a completely different place. "Yoda! Emily, are you okay? Yes. It was more than that. Emily pointed to the other side, where there was a monster with a distinctly different face. If the people around them are tired office workers, this one looks like a rich guy who''s been samuraiing girls in a club or cabaret. Apparently, if you touch the Slaybrooks, they''ll send you to Master Lock''s place. It reminded me of a composition that looks like a slave paying a superior payment. "This is Master Lock. Do you want me to take him down? Yeah, but-- I''m coming, sir. Without waiting for Orton to try to say something, Emily took the red potion, drank it, and pounced on it, twirling the Emily Hammer. I stayed put. Emily, whose home turf Arsenic dungeon is now fanning out, drop A on the red potion. I knew I could handle it. The moment that Emily swung the hammer down - her figure disappeared. ''Emily! I''ll be fine. I just got blown out of the dungeon. Out of the dungeon? Master Lock is a troublesome fellow who must be defeated in a single blow or he will be sent out of the dungeon. You''ll just get bumped off. Oh. Then you don''t have to worry about Emily. A blow. Can you do it? I''ll try. I pulled out my gun and thought a lot about it. I tried to simulate this and that for maximum firepower in one shot. After thinking about it, I put 5 reinforced bullets and a flame round in one side and 5 reinforced bullets but with a frozen round in the other side. And then I shot. The flaming bullets and the frozen bullets collided and fused together. The annihilation bullets of the reinforced bullets were able to gouge out a space of five meters in diameter all together! Naturally, Master Lock disappeared without a trace. Annihilation bullets with reinforced bullets. You ...... don''t think that''s a bit much, do you? It was so powerful that even Orton, who told him to take it down in one hit, was stunned. I returned from the dungeon and returned the dropped flowers to Slaybrook and Master Lock, respectively. Arsenic monsters are special monsters that don''t attack you in the dungeon, so they don''t do you any real harm when they become hagrems, they are special monsters. I carried them in a box that Orton had developed and carried them back to Progress. With Chuck''s concern suitably dismissed, Orton went into his work area. ''Totally ...... that a**h*le dad,'' Despite his swearing, Chuck was clearly relieved. After waiting for a while with his friends, Orton came out with a magic cart and a large box. The cart was the same one I used to use and the box was an ordinary box with an opening at the top. It''s done! What''s going on? Young man, just listen to me. Orton gave Emily an earful. ''Okay. Mr. Yoda, I''m going to go for a while. Emily?Wait-- Faster than I could stop her, Emily pushed her cart and ran out of the store. ''What''s going on?'' Watch it. Orton said and looked at the box that remained. Watch," he said, as he himself looked expectantly at the box. After a while, there was a crackling sound and sprouts popped out of the box. ''Here it is!It''s a huge success! Sprouts?What do you mean? The new feature is that you can send the contents of your cart to a box over here, wherever you are. You can put this box in your city''s hub or warehouse and never have to come back to it. That''s handy! It''s a lot easier to carry around in a magic cart, but I still had to go back and forth between the city and the dungeon every time. With this feature, I only have to go back once a day. It''s almost as if you''ve made it, thanks to you. Can you put this on more than one cart? Of course, it''s designed to be sent to the base, so it can be sent from multiple slay blocks for the family. How many units do you have? There are five of us. It''s nice to have a few people around. Orton holed up in his office again with a happy look on his face, and his son, Chuck, had the look on his face as he did it again. Thus, I got a magic cart with new features for all the people in it. 81. My only Elsa The ground floor of my home, the parking lot of the magic cart. The shutters were down, and there I was with Celeste and Alice in the enclosed space. ''See.'' I told them both that, put one of the normal bullets in my own magic cart and pressed the second button attached to it. After a click, that regular bullet flew out of a box set up at a distance. ''It flew that way.'' ''Wow!Can this thing fly anything? As long as it fits in a magic cart. "Hone-ho-hone-ho. The SD-sized skeleton nodded with a crinkling nod and jumped into the magic cart. Alice excitedly pressed a button and a hone hone popped out of a remote box. ''Wow, that was really awesome,'' ''It''s not a feature that''s meant to be used like that. It''s not inherently-- As I was about to say with a bitter smile, more things popped out of the box. It was a dandelion. They are not here now, they were sent by Emily, who was on her way to Arsenic. A large quantity of them quickly filled the box. That''s enough for a whole magic cart. It''s a feature that allows you to continue the hunt without having to return to town when the magic cart is full in a dungeon like this. That''s very convenient. It''s going to make Lyota even more money. Why do I have to do this? That''s because Mr. Lyota is the only drop S. Celeste said without hesitation that it was a drop S, since she only had her friends at home. It''s easy for us not to have to go back and forth, but it''s a delicate thing to say if we''ll be able to earn more money. Especially since I''m also out of MP. ''Oh ...... I see. It''s the fate of wizards. It''s the same in the game, a wizard who drains MP when doing laps is at a disadvantage no matter what. Even if you don''t use magic, you''re going to wear out your stamina and stamina and all that stuff, but compared to MP, that''s just a margin of error. Celeste in particular is a fuel-efficient wizard who eats a large amount of MP, so she must have an extra thought. ''''But Lyota-san will definitely earn more money. Probably twice as much as you''ve been earning so far. Let''s double it or ...... and see if we can get it right. After you get a new power or tool or whatever, you need a performance check to figure out. The transfer function of the magic cart is an important one, so you''d better make sure you check it thoroughly once. ''Wow, they just keep coming, Lyota. Alice started to fumble. She looked and saw that more drops were being transferred from the box. This time it wasn''t dandelions, it was a bunch of carrots. And... It says ''Rabbit Carrots''. ''I know!I won''t touch these carrots if I''m wrong! The reverse scale of the dragon, Eve''s carrot. I wouldn''t touch that without being appealed to. ''But it''s really useful,'' Yeah. Hey, Lyota, do you have a minute? What? How am I supposed to get this to a buyer? ...... A mountain of carrots, dandelions being transferred to the second set. It was an overlooked pitfall. Stars. So that''s why. A familiar face returned the favor of the buyer, Tsubame. Facing Elsa in the reception area, I explained the situation. ''''Is this Orton-san''s new magic cart, haha ...... ''It''s a handy feature, but I''ve overlooked how to get it here once it''s accumulated. I took it out of the magic cart and once it''s all together, it''s not going to be able to carry it the other way. ''That''s a lot of work. Satou-san''s one day drop alone is an amazing feat. The record so far is up to 16 round trips. You remember it well. I know it''s over ten, but I didn''t count it until it was sixteen. When I pointed it out, Erza''s best friend, Ena, who happened to be passing by, grinned and said. ''It''s because you''re Satou-san, isn''t it?'' Ena! Hahaha, I don''t hide it. You always get so nervous when you find out that Satou-san is coming in consecutive days. It''s not true!Just go back to work, Ena. Okay. Elsa turned her best friend away, but she was completely blushing. ''Yeah, more importantly,'' Elsa did her best to mend her ways and returned to the conversation while maintaining a level head. ''''Satou-san will be doing business with us, right? Yeah, it''s always been good to me. They''re my best customers, they''ve been so good to me, I don''t see the need to replace them. That''s why I asked for advice. Perhaps understanding that, Elsa nodded quietly and stood up. ''''Wait a minute, I''ll go talk to you about it.'''' Please. I waited there for a while as Elsa walked back to the back of the store. Swallow''s Benefit is thriving today, no drop reduction or magic storm, and the adventurers who had spent their money on the harvest festival brought in drop items one after another to earn. ''''Sorry for the wait.'''' Elsa came back. I heard a voice and turned my attention to that side, and another man came along with Elsa. At first glance, he is a middle-aged man in his thirties with no features, but for some reason he has a bird''s nest on top of his head. A bird emerges from the nest, a dark blue bird - a swallow. The man had a swallow''s nest on his head! Let''s not go into it, it could be fashion, it could be a pet. A lot of things came into my head in a flash, like eating that nest or what would happen if a bird went through it, but I resisted the urge to go into it. I resisted, because I knew that I would lose if I got too deeply involved with the blatantly weird person. ''Let me introduce you, the owner and his wife. You''re his wife? I''m sorry, I used to piss my wife off by spying on her secrets, and since then she only shows up once a month on a full moon. Did you try not to look at it?I''m glad you didn''t escape. The owner guy chuckled as he sat down across from me. It should be moving fairly normally, but the nest just shakes a little, and remains in a strange balance on its head. It''s not completely immobilized, but it''s a strange sight. (Don''t poke around ...... and you won''t be able to start, let alone finish the story.) As I was exercising my self-control, a man announced himself. "I''m Will Ducker, owner of this place. Nice to meet you. Yeah, yeah. Nice to meet you. Thanks for all your help. Recently, Mr. Sato, thanks to the products you have brought in, our reputation has been growing and our market share has been increasing. I''m very grateful. After a breath, Will cut to the chase. ''Elsa has spoken to me, I''m aware of the situation. So I have a suggestion for you: ...... dispatch Elsa, what do you think? Yeah! For some reason, Elsa was surprised. Didn''t she just report it and wasn''t told what she was going to do? ''''Oh, ooh-oh-nah-nah, what are you saying all of a sudden?'''' No?If it was, I''d ask Ena for help. Yes, I''m okay. Ena raised her hand from a bit further away, probably listening to the conversation, and smiled at him. ''I didn''t say I wouldn''t go! That''s not a problem. Well, what exactly does dispatch mean? ''I''m sending her to the Lyota family''s luggage warehouse over there, where the rumors are all over the place right now, as a dedicated staff member. She''ll tally up the purchases and we''ll collect them once a day, possibly twice a day. That''s what I''m thinking about. I see. I simulated the proposal in my head. That might be a good idea, if you do that, the hassle of transporting it to the buyout will finally be close to zero, and since I can trust Elsa, there''s no problem leaving it to her. It''s rather too convenient a suggestion for us. ''''But it''s okay?'''' ''I don''t really do this, but it''s special because I want to keep in touch with Satou-san for years to come. Special? Yeah, just Mr. Sato. Will''s been looking straight at it, what do you think?That''s a face. I''m happy with the suggestion, I simulate it again, but I have no particular reason to refuse. ''So I''ll ask.'' Good luck in the future. Will stood up and held out his hand, and I stood up and squeezed it back. Thus, Elsa was sent to me. 82.100 million players On this day, it was normal operation in the morning (,) Nihonium Dungeon, fifth floor underground. In a dungeon in a stalactite cave filled with dungeon snow, I was fighting a red bone, Red Skeleton. Red Skeletons, strengthened by the magic of the dungeon, are extremely fast, and they attack at three times the speed of normal skeletons. Moreover, they attack in more than one group. The three Red Skeletons coming at you, holding their guns and firing a series of normal bullets. Two of them are broken into pieces, and one of them pisses itself. The one that popped out of my mouth instantly grabbed me, kicked me in the gut, and left me in no time. It''s hit and run, a brilliant move for a monster. "Can you get any faster? It kicked me and then retreated - that is, it took off in front of me, but it accelerated further and was behind me in an instant. I felt something approaching and jumped to the side, and Red Skelton''s swinging arm swung down and sliced the air with a sharp blow. Red Skelton senses the human''s approach and takes in dungeon snow, and if you don''t take it down as fast as you can, you''ll get more and more dungeon snow and faster. Pan! I fired a conventional round, but it didn''t hit me anymore, and I ducked with great mobility. It dodged a bullet. As it dodged the bullet, its jawbone shook at high speed. I felt as if he was laughing - laughing at me. "...... Red Skelton is approaching even faster, and I put my gun away. It changes direction on the way and comes around my back again in a flash - but "Aye! I got serious about this, and I got behind him. I''ve been comparing speed with Red Skelton, and I''m not just talking about speed, I''m talking about speed. I compared speed to Red Skelton, and after he made a move, I got to beat him to it. You don''t attack, you move, you give it a nudge, just to make sure it hits you. He moves, catches up with me, and pokes me. Repeat the process for about five minutes. Red Skelton was faster than I was. I couldn''t get around it, and it didn''t hit me. Five minutes, or until Red Skelton outranks my speed. I was curious, so I tested it. It took me five minutes to get faster than me. I''ll keep that in mind. I took out my gun, loaded both guns with reinforced bullets and tracking rounds, and fired. The bullets flew towards Red Skelton. I''m sure you''ll be able to see the after-image of Red Skelton by now, but even if you duck, you were hit in the back by the tracking bullet as it bends and chases you. The two bullets hit him, his bones broke apart and he dropped the seeds. I pick it up and give it MP. Power up, and then the test. In the morning, (...) he ran as usual, and raised his MP from E to D, which had been stopped. The afternoon was fidgety. Terdungeon, first basement floor. Kill the slime and drop the sprouts. Put the gun away, push the magic cart, grab a flying slime and crush it on the cart to get around the dungeon. It''s a supermarket cart style I invented a few days ago. When the sprouts were full, I pressed the transfer button instead of leaving the dungeon. There was a bang, and the cart was empty. I hunted for more slime and dropped the sprouts. After a while, it was full, and I transferred it back to the house - to that place where Elsa was being dispatched. I fidgeted every time I made a transfer. I didn''t count the amount, I didn''t dare count it. Even if it wasn''t full halfway through the transfer, I made the transfer earlier and earlier. Not only did I hunt for sprouts, I also went to the third floor to hunt for pumpkins. I also hunted bamboo shoots on the fourth floor, and watermelons on the fifth floor. That made me lose track of the amount of money I was spending. Fidgety. I wanted to do a summary of the results after everything was over and boom, but I started getting really fidgety in the middle of the hunt. I wondered many times if I should go back and ask how things were going, but I held it together and continued hunting anyway. And so I spent the afternoon fidgeting. I continued to hunt non-stop without leaving the dungeon even once. When I returned to my three-story home in the evening, Emily and Celeste were already back on the ground floor. ''You''re welcome back,'' Welcome back. I''m home. You''re tallying up. The magic cart storage area on the first floor, the hastily attached office desk. There, Elsa is running a pen on a piece of paper. A quick glance at the numbers lined up in various ways, it looks like she''s doing a tally of today''s minutes. ''How did everyone do?'' ''I don''t know yet. I asked Lyota to put it all together and present it when she gets back after the tally is done. This is my first time, and I want to know it all at once. I''m the same way. I was so nervous in the middle of the game that I couldn''t concentrate properly, and I don''t think I was very efficient today. I know. Emily agreed with me. From tomorrow onwards, this fidgeting will disappear, so it should be more efficient, but only today, I thought it would be a bad idea if I earned less money. As I waited for a while while thinking about this, Elsa put down her pen and looked up. ''''Good job. You finished tallying up?'''' Yes. You''re all due for today. Uh, we need to talk to him individually first. ''What?Ah yes. Then Mr. Celeste will have 156,551 piro. You used to be worth about 100,000, Celeste. It''s amazing: ...... It''s 1.5 times better: ...... I can''t believe he''s doing this. And Emily, that''s 273,972 piro. ''Yes!I don''t know, is there that much? Yes, I''m sure. That''s great, Emily. Yo, Yoda, you did it. No, no, I mean, 270,000 is a lot. What do you mean? ''I remember because I did the math a long time ago, and if I make 270,000 every day, that''s 100 million a year. Yeah! A hundred million is a lot of money ...... Emily is surprised, and Celeste is wagging her tongue. Of course, I don''t go to dungeons every day for various reasons, but 270,000 a day is still a symbolic figure, or at least an achievement. "Congratulations Emily, you''re practically a 100 million player! Thanks to such ...... Yoda. Emily''s cheeks dyed and she smiled shyly. She''s properly happy. ''Well, ......, I''m the last one. I was still fidgety. I looked at Elsa and closed the report on the tally. My heart crunched even more as the drum roll started to play in my head. ''Lyota-san is at 2,999,808 piro. ''Oh!Oh?Ah, ...... didn''t reach 3 million. A lot of emotions came and went in an instant. The joy of breaking the record, and then the disappointment and disappointment of not reaching the 3 million mark by a touch. A lot of emotions went back and forth in my heart. But. It''s amazing, I knew it was Lyota. What? It''s a billion players! ...... Oh. A hundred million is a big number, so I reacted immediately, but a billion wasn''t immediately obvious to me, on the contrary. A billion players or ...... Yeah, that could be great. At night, the excitement of getting off my butt kept me from falling asleep. 83. Village-eating dungeon In the evening, the party was held in the living room upstairs. Various dishes were laid out on the table. It''s as lavish as a hotel buffet, all prepared by Emily. The Ryota family surrounds it with me and Elsa. The only outsider, Elsa, is puzzled as her drink is poured into the cup she is holding. "Is it okay for me too? ''It''s more fun when there are more people. We used to have a banquet in the dungeon a long time ago. My mom loved to party and always had a reason for it: ''It''s a party! And I did. You''re a feisty mother. ''I''ve been holed up all year in dungeons where my favourite wine drops. I can already imagine what kind of person Emily''s mother is. You''re like Eve! Alice said and gave Eve a hug. Eve, who had been nibbling on the carrots like a small animal, looked annoyed, but she accepted Alice''s hug as she hugged her and casually took more carrots with her. The "Celebrate Emily''s 100 Million Yen Player" party was getting very exciting as the guest of honor, Emily, was floundering. ''Lyota-san, look at this! Celeste called for me, and when I turned around to see what was going on, I saw her holding out her plate hands to me. In the palm of my hand I see Alice''s friends, Hone Hone and Purupuru. There are also two other stuffed animals that look exactly like Hone Hone and Purupuru. They are deformed the same way as the two, and are made of cloth. The two were so curious about the stuffed animals that they crunched and patted them down. ''I can''t get away from it, it''s in the palm of my hand! Good for you, Celeste. I mean, what''s wrong with that stuffed animal? I made it. Did you make it?Celeste?...... That''s great, it''s a great job of being in a crane game, and it''s not unlike being in a crane game. Cute. ...... Celeste''s eyes were heart-marked and she was looking at the honking and pulling. A few days ago, she''d tried to get close to him and he''d run away from her, which was amazing progress when you think about it. I''m glad my unrequited love is coming to fruition. ''But wow, I knew you liked stuffed animals, but it''s something you can make that quickly. And they''re so cute too. ''Mr. Celeste is amazing!Mr. Yoda''s sock-- Wah-wah-wah! For some reason Celeste suddenly raised her voice and interrupted Emily''s words. I heard my name on something, what''s going on? Ah, ....... Celeste, who raised her voice, was soon to be disappointed. The honking and purring that came from the palm of her hand made her run away in response to the taut voice. I jumped off the palm of my hand and clattered across the table, and in an instant I was under Alice''s clothes. ''Oh, ......'' Celeste is disappointed, her hands outstretched towards the two bodies are full of sorrow. It''s going to be another unrequited love for a while. And so the banquet went on. Great food, great atmosphere, good times passed. As I sat down by the wall to catch my breath, Elsa came over to my side. ''''Thanks for your help.'''' You too. Thanks for coming by. You''ve been a pain in the ass with all that stuff. No, it''s my job. But it''s great. Great? ''Lyota''s family. Everyone is so congenial, even though they''re all amazing people. Especially Eve, it''s amazing to see Killing Rabbit in a normal circle of people. It was Emily. Did you notice when you walked into this living room?Magical, warm and bright, she''s the reason we''re doing this. ...... I think Emily is a normal person. A normal person? I turn my head and look at Elsa, wondering what she means. ''Not saints or gods, just ordinary people. Normal people can''t make a house bright and warm like this for someone they don''t like.'''' I see. ''I think this house is a mirror. A mirror that reflects the person who made Miss Emily do it. And then Elsa looked back at me. The person who made Emily do it is ...... me? That''s why I think Mr. Lyota is great. I don''t know. ''I''m very happy to work with such a Lyota-san. I''m a temp, but I look forward to working with you. Yeah, nice to meet you. A stiff handshake with Elsa. The lively and fun party continued until midnight. Stars The next day, I was on my way to Nihonium for my daily routine when Clint called me in. After finishing my routine, I thought ...... but was told it was urgent, so I interrupted my routine and came to the Dungeon Society. I knocked and walked into the president''s office and saw Clint taking a potion. There was a pile of white powder on the paper that wrapped the potion and he poured it into his mouth and swallowed it without any water. It''s an emergency, so maybe it''s a stomach pill or something.I don''t know how you can drink without water, though. I called out to him with that thought in mind. ''Are you okay?'' ''Yeah, I''m fine. I feel a little better now that it''s done. Energy isn''t a bad medicine, is it? Don''t worry, it''s just white sugar. I thought you were on drugs! This is what makes you feel better. It''s about more than energy! I''m sure he will have diabetes one day. I sat down on the couch with Clint, thinking I had to talk to him anyway. ''Actually, the dungeon was born. Yeah. Here we go again. Since I arrived in this world, there has been a Nifongnium, a Selenium, and two dungeons. It''s not that frequent, but it''s not that rare either. I''m not sure if that''s the case or not. But Clint''s expression was serious. His expression was serious enough to empty a small box on the table, pick up a sugar cube for a drink and throw it straight into his mouth. ''It was a village that had never had a dungeon before, which is fine in itself, but the dungeon that was born swallowed up half of the village. It engulfed the village. ''Sometimes it happens, a dungeon forms right underneath a village or town and swallows up the village and takes it in rather than ....... That sounds like a lot of work ....... It''s hard to imagine the actual scene, but it does convey a sense of seriousness. The villagers were swallowed up because of the suddenness of the event, so they sent out rescuers here and there, but the tricky part is that this is a rogue dungeon. A rogue dungeon? ''I''m talking about dungeons where the structure inside the dungeon changes every time someone enters. That makes it more difficult to rescue them. ''You can play endlessly: ......'' Clint stares at me as I mutter. I''m going to have to send my best men out on a mission. Please, I need you to head to the new dungeon and rescue the people of this village. You''re my only hope! Clint leaned forward with his hands on the table, ready to get down on his knees at any moment. ''Okay,'' ''Really?Thank you!Thank you so much! More desperate than ever, I take the map from Clint, who thanks me over and over again, and leave the Dungeon Society building. A new dungeon that swallowed the village, or ...... a new dungeon that''s been created, I''d better get going soon. 84. Parents who think of the devil and their children I returned with a map and a story and told my friends. The others, gathered in the warm, cheerful and usually relaxing living room, listened with a serious look on their faces. What''s the name of the village? Well, the map says it''s in Indore. Yeah? Alice raised her voice. ''What''s up, Alice?'' That''s my village. Is it really Indore? ''Oh, ...... is this it?'' Slightly confused, he showed Alice the map Clint had given him. She received it in a hurry and instantly responded. ''Yeah!There''s no doubt about it, Indore. I didn''t know this was going to happen: ...... Ta, we''re in big trouble. ...... Lyota!I''m coming with you. Take me. Okay, let''s go. I just need one more person to come with me. Why are you alone?Wouldn''t it be better if we all went together to increase our strength and increase our chances of rescue? Celeste asked the obvious question. ''No, from what I hear, it''s a rogue dungeon that changes its structure every time someone enters. Even if you go in at the drop of a hat, not everyone can get in. Every time the structure changes, you might endanger the village for the amount of people swallowed up. I see. ...... So there''s only one left: ...... I was wondering what to do. ''The rabbit goes.'' And then a hand went up from someone unexpected. A s*xy bunny suit and her own bunny, Eve. It was surprising that she would come forward with a matter that didn''t involve a carrot. ''Are you sure?'' Eve nodded quietly but clearly. And so it was that Eve and Alice and I headed to Indor. Stars. Indor was a small, empty village located between the foot of the mountains and a small river. The buildings are simpler than in Cyclos, and the place has a more rural feel of the countryside. But it''s not a farming village, there are no livestock or farming tools. It''s a place where you wonder how they make their living. But this was not the time to worry about it. As soon as they arrived in the village, they heard a commotion. ''What''s going on?'' It''s coming from over here! With that, Alice is the first to run off. I was late getting out and I and Eve ran after her. After passing several houses, we saw the entrance to the dungeon in an open area. The entrance to the dungeon, which is usually located on the outskirts of town, is somehow in the center of the village. The surroundings were unnaturally empty. Even though it is an empty village, there are traces of human habitation and paths that people have taken, but there is nothing there. It was as if the entrance to the dungeon had been erased with a rubber band. There was a group of villagers gathered around the entrance of the dungeon, who were shouting at each other. Alice ran over to them and asked them. ''''Everyone!What''s going on? Alice. When are you back? ''I came back to hear that the dungeon had consumed the village. What''s going on? ''Yeah, one of the guys who was trapped in the dungeon came back. He escaped from the dungeon to get help. A villager answers Alice. If you look closely, you can see a villager dressed in tatters at a distance. The guy is being treated and talking about the situation of the villagers and the village that was swallowed up in the dungeon. ''''I see. ...... I was able to escape. But, you know, the other guy who ran away with me, Rick, he got lost in the process. You lost? He got separated from her before the entrance. So he''s still in there? The man nodded and Alice was speechless. She had a bad feeling about this. As she was thinking about this, the villagers started to make a commotion. ''Someone''s coming out! It''s Rick!That''s Rick! He''s down in there! I looked at the entrance to the dungeon. I saw a young man, even more battered than the man who had escaped earlier, collapsed in the dungeon, beyond the entrance. His hands were outstretched, waving, severely wounded, but still breathing. ''Rick!'' An elderly man started calling out to the villagers. By all appearances, he was the young man''s father. The man ran desperately to get away. It was a natural reaction to see his son running away from him. Wait!Stop that man! I shouted, but the villagers were stunned. Some of them were staring at me, saying, "What are you talking about? I don''t have time to explain, we have to stop them. So I kicked the ground and dashed off, but the man entered the dungeon before I did. I went in to help my son, who can be seen in the doorway of ....... "Ki, he''s gone. Where are the two of you? As soon as the man stepped in, two figures came out of the doorway. ''Too late. ......'' I let out a sigh. The structure of the rogue dungeon changed every time someone entered. Even if I could see it in front of me, going in and trying to help was the worst thing I could do. I''m going in. With the villagers still buzzing, I say to both Eve and Alice. ''Lyota, are you going in alone?'' Did you see that?It''s no use slipping in and out of the dungeon. In fact, each time you do, you might change the structure of the dungeon and make things worse. Yeah, that''s true. What should we do about the rabbits? Lock off the entrance. The villagers could come in every time something happens like that." "Okay!I''ll convince everyone. "Force. Alice clenched her fists with enthusiasm and Eve flicked her sword with a blank expression. Leaving the spot to the trusty pair, I walked into the dungeon. Instantly, the landscape around me changed dramatically. The dungeon is an underground cobblestone dungeon, and I''m standing on a single street. You can''t see the entrance to the dungeon you just entered, no matter what you look forward or back. It''s a tricky dungeon, not suited for a large number of adventurers to enter and circumnavigate. I''m becoming a part of this world, I thought to myself, as I continued onward, my gun loaded with all kinds of bullets, ready for any situation. A monster appears. It''s a humanoid monster, but it''s small in size. It''s a size smaller than Emily''s 130 cm. It''s not that it''s a child, it''s just that its face is disgustingly adult, with horns and sharp fangs. It had bat wings on its back, which it flapped and flew. It''s a small, demonic monster. I wonder what the name of such a monster is, and as I held my gun up, the other side ran away. I froze with my gun at the ready in an unexpected situation. This is probably the first time I''ve ever been run away by a monster at an encounter. ''Maybe it''s monsters like that--'' Gasp!And then there was a shock from the back of my head. I was caught completely off guard and almost fell down, I stopped dead in my tracks and turned around. The monster from before was there, attacking me from behind as if it had somehow gotten around. I''m not sure if the fake retreat and surprise attack was successful, but he had a more disgusting look on his face than before. The guy escaped further - but... "Ni-Ga-San! I went around with my speed S. I saw that guy''s giggling face as it flew by and pulled the trigger. As a counter, a bullet pierced its wings. One of its wings is hit and it wobbles in the air. It''s a stop--. ''''Gwaaaaah! I heard a man scream. I heard a scream, the scream of the old man who had just come to rescue his son. I threw the monster out and headed in the direction of the scream. I ran through a cobblestone underpass and came to a slightly open area. There was a man there, and his son was there. The monster, too, was there. His son lay on the ground, seemingly out of breath. A demonic monster with sharp claws against the neck of its son. And the other monster was torture the father who couldn''t rebel because his son was taken hostage. ''''Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ......! The father was at the mercy of his father, there was nothing he could do. All he could do was stare at his son, who was lying on the ground with desperate eyes. The two monsters laughed at the sight of his father, "Keke keke". He felt his blood run cold. He felt even angrier than he had been when he was ambushed earlier. I sucked in my breath and kicked the ground and rushed forward. First, I rasped the monster holding my son hostage, that one''s head with my left hand. Then he rushed forward further and grabbed the head of the monster that was torture his father with his right hand while still laughing "keke keke". The two bewildered monsters, holding onto them, slamming them against the wall and pushing them down. Gggg--gush! I felt my head crushed against the wall of the dungeon. I let go of my hand and two small demons that had lost their heads fell to the ground with a thud. ''''Li......k.......'''' The father crawls on the ground towards his son, no longer having the strength to stand up after being tortured so much. The son is also seriously injured, but the father no longer looks more seriously injured than the son. It''s bad for both of them if this is the case ....... He pulled out his gun and reloaded it. Five reinforced rounds and one recovery round. In the best possible recovery configuration, a father and son, and then you shoot into it. A white light enveloped them both. "Rick!Are you okay, Rick?! Dad?Why are you here? A father and a kneejerk reaction from his son. First of all, they were able to help. 85. All rescued ''Thank you ...... so much!How can I thank you? Thank you. The father and son, Alan and his son, Rick, thanked me for saving them. ''More importantly, how''s the drunk village doing? I don''t know. Once I escaped to the exit of the dungeon, I asked him for information on the current situation, but I was met with a frown. ''Don''t you get it?'' ''At first we were all in the dungeon, but the dungeon changed shape a few times, and each time we got separated from everyone else, house by house. What do you mean, "housekeeping"? ''We were sent to different parts of the dungeon, and the third time around, the house next to us was gone. You''re at May''s? Rick nodded to Alan. ''I was trying to figure out what to do, but I was just about to fly at the end when I heard lights and people outside, so I left the house and tried to run away from the dungeon, but there was a monster there, and I managed to get away, but I got hit, and I ran out of power at the entrance.'' I see. Looking at the entrance to the dungeon, there are no less than ten houses that have been swallowed up here. I thought they were all in the same place together, but from what I''m hearing now, it seems that every time a human enters and changes the structure of the dungeon, the houses that were gathered together are being blown apart. Maybe the situation isn''t as good as I thought. I escorted Alan and Rick out of the dungeon. That little demon-like monster appeared three times on the way, but I killed all of them in the blink of an eye and continued onward. It was my first dungeon and the structure was changing so fast that I almost got lost for a bit, but I was able to get them out safely. ''''Mr. Alan!Rick! Are you guys okay? You''re lucky to be alive. The villagers come over to them, forming a circle and congratulating them on their return. Meanwhile, Alice and Eve come to me. "Good job, Lyota. I''m coming in because people are still left behind inside. Listen, I just saved another person. Have you escaped? ''No, when Lyota went in, the structure of the dungeon changed again, and that''s why that person showed up at the entrance. Well, you''re saying that the whole place he was in was sent near the entrance. Closer to the entrance than Rick. I got lucky. Eve gave her impressions in a matter-of-fact manner. It''s certainly lucky that I entered the dungeon, and it''s only lucky that the people who needed rescuing were sent near the entrance to the dungeon. "I''m going in again, how many people are left? Yeah, well, Rick just came out. Thirteen more to go. "That''s a lot ...... I wish you were in one place, but ...... that''s not possible. Thinking back to the situation of the villagers we''ve been able to rescue so far, you''d better believe they''re scattered in the dungeon. ''The rabbit is going too.'' Well, please. The monsters aren''t very strong, Eve can afford it. "Hm. What about me? That''s a tough one for Alice. You''ll have to wait outside. ...... Okay. I will. Leaving Alice there, I entered the dungeon again with Eve. We kicked off the monsters and made our way through the dungeon. I went in first, and Eve came in second. It''s only a step away, but I was the first one in, and as soon as Eve entered, I was thrown into the dungeon. Rogue dungeons, which change their structure every time someone enters, are still tricky. I hurried onward, trying to think of an efficient way to attack or rescue the rogue dungeon. Since the structure keeps changing, I figured I''d have to hit them all together, so I put my right hand against the dungeon wall and proceeded to the right. As I recall, this way I should be able to zap through it at some point - I should be able to step through it. And so I continue on, defeating monsters as I go. ''''--san.'''' I heard a human voice in the distance. I ran out the moment I heard the voices, I turned two corners and saw a girl sitting on the ground crying loudly. The child, who is about elementary school age, is holding her knees and crying her eyes out. ''I''m hungry ...... I''m cold ......'' Hey you! "--Hey!Oh, Uncle who? Uncle-- I was stuck for words for a moment. It''s a little hard to be called an uncle when you''re not prepared for it. I quickly switched my upset mind and ran up to the girl. ''Are you okay?Are you hurt in any way? Yeah, I''m fine. Oh, yeah. What''s your name? "Mel, Mel. Okay, Mel, I''m coming out now. But there are a lot of scary demons out there. Move and you''ll find them. Can you find me if I move? ''Yes!It''s like he can''t see me if I sit still. That''s right! I didn''t notice that. No, there was no way to notice it. When you encounter a monster in a dungeon, you prepare for battle by reflex, even if you don''t go so far as to attack first. Staying put isn''t an option anymore, so I wouldn''t even notice if my opponent had that Daruma''s fallen trait. That''s why I stayed put. Okay. Well done, my friend. Let''s go outside. But the devil: "But the devil: ...... I''ll be fine. I made the girl stand up and walked away, protecting her. I continued on, using my right hand as a wall, and on the way there was a monster, and it went after the weaker one, Mel, but I killed both of them instantly. After about 20 minutes of walking, we finally reached the exit. Once outside, the villagers gathered around Mel, just as Alan and his son did. A young woman hugged Mel. The young woman who hugged her and shed tears was her mother. The exhausted young mother cried and was happy for her daughter''s safety. With that in mind, she called out to Alice. ''How many more?'' Twelve. ''Eve either hasn''t been found or hasn''t come out. d*mn ...... this is taking too long. It hurts that it''s all falling apart. I wish we could use a sea of people. Clint said it would be better to use a small number of elite players because of the dungeon changes, but it would have been better to use a large number of players because they are scattered throughout the dungeon. Do you want the whole village to join us? The monsters here are strong in their own right. How strong is it? I saw Honehone and Pulle on Alice''s shoulder. ''About five times as strong as either Hone Honehone or Pullle. That''s good. ...... ''Honestly, if you go in, you''ll be in secondary distress. You shouldn''t do it: ...... Yeah, if all the villagers were adventurers, we''d be able to catapult ourselves right in. A scene flashed through my mind. The villagers in distress could be sent near the entrance if someone else got in, just as Rick and then the villagers had escaped. ''If we had a large number of adventurers who could defend themselves, we could have thrown them in one by one and reversed the dungeon fluctuation. That would be fast! You can''t ask for something that isn''t there. I''m coming back in. Wait, Lyota, I''m going in. Lyota, it would take too long for you to go in there by yourself. "But, ''Don''t worry, there''s a hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-pull with me. I can at least protect myself. ...... Okay. Then I''ll tell you one thing. Apparently, these monsters can''t see you if you stay put. When the time comes, stay put. All right. Can I have a boner or a pull? Two bodies were crunching and twitching on Alice''s shoulder. They usually do that all the time and it''s a charming movement, but that''s not good right now. But both bodies stopped moving according to Alice''s words, if you can stop it, the problem is--. ''''--What?'''' What''s up, Lyota? ''...... Alice, what happens when you come back from your transformation, Honehonen and Puller?Or when you get knocked down. What''s going to happen? Where are you? They''ll come back to me. Alice said, and made the honehone bigger. Even though it was large, it was a deformed and charming skeleton. It crinkled and walked ten steps away, then swooped away and returned to Alice''s shoulder. ''You did that before, didn''t you?When Honehone fought the pulls. Yes. ...... Hey, Alice. What? Will the hone-hones come in and change the ...... dungeon? Eh .................. oh! After a slight delay, I think Alice caught sight of it. We ran to the entrance of the dungeon, and the villagers gathered around to see what happened. The villagers gathered around to see what was happening. "Alice. Yeah. Please, hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-hone-ho. Hone Hone turned into a skeleton once again. The villagers weren''t frightened even when monsters appeared, probably because of the deformed appearance. Hone Honehone entered the dungeon - and disappeared. ''''You''re with me! ''Yes!Lyota and Eve, and with Alan when he came in. Can you put it back? Hold on a second--Welcome home, honne-ho! The hone hone came back on Alice''s shoulder. ''Go on, Pru.'' This time the slime went into the dungeon, disappeared, and changed the structure of the dungeon. And then it comes back. ''I can do it!Can you do this all the time, Alice! ''Yes!Both of you, please! Alice sent her fellow monsters into the dungeon one after another. Changing the structure of the dungeon once every ten seconds. When it reached the tenth time. ''''It''s Mr. Clough''s house!'''' We''re being attacked by a monster and it''s on fire! I need help! I saw a house on fire at the entrance. That''s not all, those demonic monsters are setting fire to and destroying buildings. Seeing this, though, the villagers start running at once. Don''t go in there!Yeah, go ahead and do it! He quickly shot at the villagers, whose voices could not reach him, with a restraining round. A rope of light bound the villagers. ''''What is this?!'''' Let go! The villagers with blood on their heads were left alone, and now they could load the tracking rounds. It was hard to aim from outside the dungeon, and sometimes they would go into the shadows, so this was the only way to use it. I fired 12 rounds of tracking rounds in a row, and the bullets darted into the dungeon in an irregular trajectory, knocking the little devil off. ''Is anyone in there?'' I call out from outside the dungeon, and when I do, a middle-aged woman comes out of the building that is on fire. Her face is covered in soot and she''s coughing, but she seems to be able to walk on her own. The woman called Crow managed to leave the dungeon, although she was wobbly. ''''Another one in about three minutes ...... and we''re going at this pace. Yeah! Alice changed the dungeon by sending her friends'' monsters one after another. The structure changes seemed to be random and I don''t know the regularity, but I counted them. After about ten or twenty times, the villagers who had been swallowed by the entrance were sent over, and I took down the monsters I was with from the outside, shot the injured ones with recovery rounds, and threw ropes into the ones that still couldn''t move. It was only when they finally understood what I was doing that they regained their composure and let me take care of everything. It took about an hour before the last person was rescued. The villagers surrounded me and Alice, cheering and shouting their thanks. By the way. "I hate low-level haters. Without any explanation, I was smacked on the head with a chop as hard as I could by Eve, who had been hit with a structural change over 100 times in the dungeon. 86. Open gold vein Alice''s house at night. Alice, who was from this village, had a house of her own. It''s almost the same as the other villagers'' houses, simple in construction. I came with Eve to stay at Alice''s house. ''''I''m sorry, I had to do that to get you out of there fast. ...... was very shaky. I''m really sorry. "Low levels are outrageous. I''m sorry. We don''t deserve to live at a lower level. ''You''re going to say that much?I mean, don''t you go back to your old meaning? Well, that means I don''t deserve to live at all. Eve was unusually flustered. It was rare for her to have such a rich expression on something other than a carrot. She must have been in a really bad way for transforming the dungeon she''s still in. Alice and I apologized in earnest. "...... A hundred carrots. I''ll get you an S-grade one when I get back. So I forgive you. I was relieved that Eve had managed to forgive me. ''But I''m glad, we''re all saved. It''s all thanks to Lyota. Lanana would have been a disaster if it wasn''t for Lyota. It''s the most seriously injured woman. The villagers we rescued from the dungeon were injured to a greater or lesser extent. Most of them were able to be fixed with recovery bullets, but there was one woman whose limbs were on a mangled level and who looked like she was about to die. Recovery bullets couldn''t heal her, so I was finally able to heal her with full recovery rounds of reinforced bullets. ''''It''s amazing that you were able to heal that one, Ryota! Whether Ryota was amazing or not, I also thought the enhanced bullet was amazing. If you can heal an injury that severe, it''s as good as having a complete healing spell that can heal any injury as long as you''re not dead in the future. That''s how bad her injuries were, and I was able to completely heal her with the enhanced bullet-masher recovery bullet. Inside Alice''s house, I was chatting with the villagers, relieved to see that they had been completely rescued. We''ve only been out for a day and I''m already starting to miss Emily''s house. I''m a little homesick for the bright and warm Emily House, and I can''t wait to go home. ''Huh?Speaking of which, Lyota, how did the drop go? Drop?...... Come to think of it, I haven''t seen it. I know, I haven''t seen it either. We killed a lot of people at the entrance to the dungeon. I nodded my head. When I put Hone Honehone and Purpur into the dungeon and changed the structure, it wasn''t the villagers that were transferred to the entrance, but sometimes those small demons. The next time I had to shoot those guys out of the dungeon to get the honehones and pulls in, I had to shoot them out of the dungeon to get rid of them, but come to think of it, there were no drops. ''''I guess they don''t drop when you beat them from the outside. ''That can''t be true, the early freezer bullets were dropping in the opposite direction, or rather, they were completely in the dungeon when we rescued Alan and the others. Is this a dungeon that doesn''t drop? Like Nifongnium?But I''d still do the drop if I were you. I''m a drop-something different from the rest of you. I''ve been able to drop things that other people "would never" drop, like everything else. The fact that I didn''t drop is a bit unthinkable. "Did Eve beat the monster inside? There was no drop. What is the meaning of-- "Kyah! As I picked my jaw and tried to think, I suddenly heard a woman screaming from outside. I quickly let go of the door and ran out, running in the direction of where I had heard the screams. I reached the entrance to the cave, where the woman was being attacked by a monster under the moonlight. The monster was that little demon. The little hateful face is still attacking the woman, if you look closely, the woman is already injured. ''''This guy!'''' You fire a series of normal bullets to get the monster away from the woman, and you also anticipate the direction he''s dodging and place a piercing bullet in the direction he''s going. It''s a good thing that he''s a good fit, or else he would have gone for the piercing bullet (). It is a monster with a high intelligence level, and its evasion pattern is different from other monsters. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. When it was shot, it crashed to the ground and began to cramp. I left it there and ran up to the woman and crouched down to check on her condition. ''Are you okay?'' Ouch ...... my arm hurts ...... I''ll be fine. I''ll be there in a minute. He shoots her with a recovery round and a single reinforced round to see how badly she is injured. A magic circle unfolds and a healing light surrounds her. After the light subsided, her injuries were completely healed. ''Huh?My injury is ...... You okay? Now you are ...... thank you. I nodded and stood up. It was good that I judged the degree perfectly. The more reinforced bullets you put in, the more effective you can be when firing other bullets, but the more you put in, the fewer bullets you can put in other bullets, the less versatile it becomes. It''s my recent task to determine the degree of reinforcement needed. "Ryota! I''ll be fine. Good: ...... What''s going on? That. Alice, who came in late, secretly whispered to me. It''s the same place where the monster cramped up earlier, but there were bullets on the ground. I glanced at the woman who looked up at me with grateful eyes and said to Alice, "Take care of that man. ''Take care of that man.'' Yeah! After confirming that Alice had told me to bring the woman, I picked up the spilled bullet. The bullet, which I''ve never seen before, is a drop from that monster, the one that has been haglemonized. With that in mind, I pull out a reinforced bullet and shoot it at the ground. The magic circle spread out to the spot where it landed, and a crackling electricity ran across the ground. An electric bullet, or is it a lightning bullet? That''s ...... fine. This is the one that was dropped by Hagremonos, and by Hagremonos I mean the ones that were left in an unpopular place and turned back into monsters. It''s true that this place is not popular, the buildings have been swallowed up and the villagers have been traumatized in some way or another, the area around the entrance of the dungeon is not very popular. It''s a great location for haggling, but was something dropped? What''s going on? Yves, I just got that little demon haggler. I was wondering what the drop-off was, which would mean it was down around here. I killed a bunch of rabbits, but I didn''t see any drops. Yeah, I didn''t see him. I picked my jaw and thought, I should go into the dungeon one more time and check it out. Just as I thought, the reflection of the moonlight glistened off Eve''s upper tits, visible through her bunny suit. ''This is it!'' He loomed over Eve and saw it. Under the moonlight, a spot of light reflected off of it and shone. "This is ...... and you may have seen it... Boom!And then it hit me in the brain. I stepped back and pressed my head down. Eve stared at me with her gaze. "What? It''s a boob job. ''What?Oh, I''m sorry!An "add-on It''s not my place to struggle for free. I don''t have to pay for it! "200 carrots in a rub. ''I don''t know if it''s expensive or cheap! Eve was Eve. And for that matter, I pointed at her chest. "Isn''t that glowing? ''Glowing ......?Is this possible? Yeah, the money, right? Eve dug her fingers into her chest - her cleavage - and scooped it up. Reflecting the light, it was gold the size of a grain of sand. I enter the dungeon. The little demon I encountered scowled at me and ran away. I chased after it, but there was a pit in the middle of the dungeon, and a sharp blade underneath it greeted the fallen human. I quickly shot freezer bullets into the ice, then kicked the ice and jumped out of the pit. The little devil, who was doing his impersonation, is shot through with a tracking round. And open the pouch you''ve equipped beforehand. It was hard to see in the dungeon, but as expected, there was a grain of gold ...... gold in there. The drop in this dungeon was gold dust. I''m sure it''s gold, but I''m convinced that it''s just the right size to be overlooked when you''re in a hurry. The dungeon was born in a village in the middle of nowhere, and the dungeon drops gold. The story travels through the village that day, and it''s spread to several (...) nearby towns. And then the night dawns--. 87. Benefactor The next day, I was taking a morning walk when I noticed a lot of noise around the dungeon entrance. Something else was going on!When I arrived, the air was unexpectedly bright. A dozen or so villagers had formed a circle, with a man in the middle of the circle. I''ve seen the man''s face before, the father of the father and son I rescued yesterday, a man named Alan. Alan is surrounded by villagers, showing them something in the palm of his hand. ''It''s Mr Sato, you''ve come to the right place. Alan saw me and spoke to me. At the same time, the villagers around me turned to look at me at the same time. I was curious about what had happened, so I approached them. "Thank you for yesterday, Sato-san," I said. You did a great job. He''ll be fine. Thanks. But more importantly, Satou-san, look at this. Alan held out his hand, and when I looked at it, I saw a few grains of gold on the palm of his hand. It''s probably the gold sand that was dropped in this dungeon, the amount is a bit smaller than a BB bullet if you put it together. ''''What''s wrong with this?'''' We''re in a dungeon! You killed a monster and dropped it? ''Yes!Hey Satou-san, how much does this thing cost? ''Money, yes. ......'' The world''s currency, the pillow and the yen, are worth roughly the same, put that together with the value of gold. Pure gold is about 20 grams per cubic centimeter, and one gram is roughly 4,000 yen ...... piro, so that''s roughly 20,000 or so. "''Oh,'' It was a rough calculation, but when the villagers heard it, they shouted in unison. ''''Wow, this alone costs 20,000?'''' f*ckin'' money. I wanna go to the dungeon. Hey, Mr. Alan, how strong are the monsters? How long did it take you to collect that? The assembled villagers surrounded Alan and questioned him. A closer look reveals that they are all men, all of whom are aware of the gold and its value, and their eyes change color in unison. These monsters are very strong, and they are also very cunning. The only people who can do that are probably me, ...... Kane and Carlo. How long did it take you to collect it? We''ve been doing this since last night, we''ve been doing this all night long. The excitement subsided a bit as Alan replied. ''It''s a dangerous place with only a limited number of people who can get in, and after an evening of work, the results are as good as said ''not so sweet. ''I don''t know how strong it is, but we should be able to save some time. Is it true, Mr. Sato! Alan bites back. ''The more you go around a dungeon, the more efficient it becomes. The more you go around a dungeon, the more efficient it becomes, the more efficient it becomes, like how to kill monsters and how to get around the dungeon. The more you dive, the more you naturally optimize those things. That''s why if you have 20,000 on the first day, you should definitely be able to do better than that if you become one. "''Ooooooooooh! There was more admiration from the villagers. I remembered the arena at the harvest festival and said, "The stronger you are, the stronger you become. The more you dive, the stronger you get, and if you''re lacking in strength, you can get some tips from someone who''s been diving for a while, and that should lower the bar a bit. I''m sure Alan would agree. ''If you ask me, ...... that hateful demon had a habit of moving around. I think Jed can do it too, if that one is clear. Me too! The youngest man in the room surrounding Alan, his eyes sparkled. ''All that''s left is, well, we can get a party together and go in. If you go in separately, you will be sent to a different place, but if you go in at exactly the same time, you will only be sent to the same place. If you cooperate with your friends, the threshold will be even lowered, right? ''Oh!There''s plenty of potential for more than one person. There''s potential for all of us here. Alan nodded, and the villagers got even more excited. ''You mean we can do it too?'' There''s a dungeon in the village, so it''s my turn now. I''m gonna make some money and then I''m gonna ask Leah to marry me. The villagers were getting more and more excited as they said to each other - the last one, take it back, that was a bad idea. I gave them all some advice. I told them how to get into dungeons, how to make money, everything I could tell them. And most importantly, don''t overdo it when you go into a dungeon. The goal is to defeat monsters and bring back drops, and keep bringing them back, so you should never overdo it. When I said this with a straight face, the villagers fell silent in unison. They looked at me with the same straight face. Maybe, but that''s what the adventurers of this world have to say. "You''d do well to remember this phrase: ''It''s still possible. And the moment you do, you''ll turn back. If you force yourself to fall, you''ll lose everything. Ugh. Alan grunts. This guy ...... was reckless as soon as he could. ''There''s a saying: "If you go home, you can still come",'' It''s not a dungeon-related saying, but it''s a saying that needs to be promoted in this world where everything is dropped in dungeons and dungeons are meant to be explored. In a world where everything is dropped from dungeons and dungeons are to be walked around, I thought it was a maxim that needed to be promoted. I''m not going to let it go. We got separated from Alan and his friends and wandered around the village. Once we left the dungeon, the village became quiet and empty. I thought it wouldn''t be bad to relax in a place like this, but then I suddenly felt an air of somberness, though quiet is quiet. In front of the village chief''s house, which was introduced yesterday, there were a number of villagers and a group of adventurer-looking men in front of it. The villagers stared at the adventurers with hostile eyes. ''''Lyota!'''' Alice. What''s going on here? I ask Alice, who came running to me from the village. ''The Same-Tyrene people are here. "Same-Therefore? I''m the patron of this village. "Patron? I nodded my head, what''s the point? Well, there are villages without dungeons. It''s like this one. Those villages are usually funded by the help of a large city. ''Aid of what ...... ah! I suddenly remembered Seren. A dungeon that was born in the middle of a cyclo and hetero, in the middle of nowhere. Hence the dungeon where the two cities ended up fighting each other. Unlike those, if a dungeon was born in the middle of a village, within the village''s sphere of influence, it would naturally belong to that village. By extension, it would belong to that patron''s city. In other words, a patron is an upfront investment to secure a dungeon. ''Yeah, that''s what I mean. So when I heard about the creation of the dungeon, the great people of the city of Samethrene came to me. Okay. Well, that''s a given. But if that''s the case, what''s this pensive atmosphere? The adventurers must have been the ones who escorted the big guy from Samethrene, and the villagers are staring at them. What the hell is going on here? Get out! I could hear angry voices coming from inside the village chief''s house. Obviously, it was not a good development. The adventurers frowned, while the villagers, on the other hand, looked like they deserved it, and a few were even gutted. Meanwhile, the door to the chief''s house was roughly opened and a well-dressed middle-aged man came out. Wait, wait, we are-- ''Sure, we got help when we woke up the village, but then they didn''t do anything, and even then there was nothing to talk about with the place that didn''t even give us relief when the dungeon came up! Yeah, yeah, yeah! The villagers concurred with the chief''s anger. ''It''s natural to be angry, Samethyllene is visible from here. Is that so? I look at Alice in surprise. ''Yes, the trees block it, but I can see it through the occasional gap. That''s a lot closer than Cyclo. I''m pretty sure he was going to ask for help. Alice was also uncomfortable talking like that. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to have the same thing happen to you. It''s natural that the villagers would be angry, and that''s what they''re doing now. ''''I want you to calm down and think this through, we can''t realistically run and maintain that dungeon on Indor alone. Ugh. ...... The village chief grunts. That''s right. Just as Alan and the others didn''t know anything about dungeons, the village chief couldn''t possibly know how to run a village with a dungeon. That''s why I''m a troubled village chief ....... I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on with your own personal life. "Don''t worry about it. "Huh? ''Indor will be under a benefactor! The chief looks at me and declares. The great man, the adventurer, and the villagers who were present. They all looked at me. Before long, the villagers cheered. 88. Possibility of dungeon For whom? The big man from Samethyllene scowled. He looks at me like I''m a price taker. A snake, or a reptilian, or something, I suppose, and an unpleasant look in his eyes. "You may look like an adventurer, but who are you? Ryota Sato, as you can see, he''s just an adventurer. What''s a mere adventurer doing here? You''re supposed to come to me for help. Why didn''t you show up? You''re a lot closer to Same-Theresien than you are to a black one. Cyclo? The man''s eyebrows perked up. ''We''ve been considering rescuing them, and if it''s a new dungeon, we''ll have to send a suitable opponent. We need to choose people carefully, including their abilities.'''' The Cyclodungeon Society asked for me right away. I glare at the man. ''You should know what an adventurer is capable of because you go around the dungeon every day. What the hell were you considering? ...... The man''s face grew even more grim. Meanwhile, the other villagers took advantage of my words and said, "Yes, that''s right." "If you had asked the adventurers to come right away, you could have been here in half a day! I yelled at the man. The man glared at me and then turned around to stare at the villagers. The villagers flinched for a moment at the snake-like look, but then immediately recoiled again and shouted loudly. The man turned to the chief and said: "All right, I understand. ''That''s all right, I won''t stop you if you really want to stay with Cyclo. ''Follow your benefactor, not Cyclo. ""Yeah, yeah, yeah." It''s the same thing. The man laughed scornfully. ''Then we''ll get our money back that we invested in building the village. Mmm. ...... The chief flinched, and the villagers quieted down. Then the man added, "You''ll have to pay us back 10 billion. "You shall have your 10 billion dollars back. ''Nonsense!I didn''t get that much. ''There is such a thing as interest in the world. Doesn''t it? The man looked around at the chief and the villagers and laughed coldly at them. I could tell that he was just asking for the impossible. "2,000 tons of sugar. ...... ''It''s hard to tell if that''s a lot or not! In the evening, I showed Clint to the chief''s house when I got the call. When the chief and I got the general idea of what was going on, Clint looked at me with a difficult look on his face. I used a magic cart to communicate with him, by the way. I put the letter in the cart and sent it home using the forwarding function, and Emily, whose face was known to me because of the Seren incident, took the letter to Clint. From there, Clint swooped in and here we are. That Clint is still drinking coffee with sugar cubes floating around like an iceberg, and mumbles with a difficult look on his face. ''I''m pretty sure he''s sprinkling it on us. You''ve hardly helped him except at first. Clint asks the village chief. In terms of age, the village chief is nearly twice Clint''s age, but his position and attitude reverse the age difference. ''Ha, yes. ''That''s right,'' ''I''ve had a quick look at the size of the village, but for this number of people, the state of the village, and the initial funding, I''d say a hundredth of that. You mean 100 million. I don''t know if that''s a lot or not, but if that''s what Clint thinks, then so be it. "Cyclo has a few villages like that. To be honest, it costs more money to maintain them than it does to set them up. A village without a dungeon is a drain on the deficit. I don''t have a decent income. ''Yes, but it''s also an upfront investment. If a dungeon is born this way. Because once a dungeon is born, it never goes away. Really? That''s new to me. ''Well, there are some dungeons that just don''t go away and produce even more deficits, like Nihonium. Nihonium is a great dungeon for me, though. ''If we go with that, this dungeon is at least in the black. Cyclo can take care of it. We owe you... If only it weren''t for the 2,000 tons of sugar. The village chief grunted, "Ugh. ''''We need to investigate the dungeon, but it''s hard to pay out that much money under the current circumstances. Is it hard? Unless there''s some more ...... umami dungeon additions over here. The village chief was troubled by Clint''s line, and looked at me with a cowering look. I don''t want you to look at me like that. It''s all about money, and for 10 billion dollars, it''s not something I can afford. That''s why I contacted Clint, but he can''t give me the money now. I don''t know what I''m going to do. "Where''s Satou-san here?There he is! The door to the village chief''s house was thrown open violently and a man jumped in. ''Who are you?'' It looks familiar, but I don''t know the name. I think it''s ....... ''It''s Carlo!It was before the dungeon in the morning. ...... Yeah, Alan said he could beat the monster. You can beat monsters and dive into dungeons. That''s one of the several names Alan gave me when he decided to include actual experience. That Carlo looked impatient and said. ''You''re in trouble, Sato-san!Alan''s not coming back. What? Carlo and I came to the front of the dungeon. There were several villagers gathered there, their faces lit up by the torchlight, and their anxiety was evident on their faces as I appeared. The faces are anxious as the torchlight illuminates them. ''It''s Satou-san!Mr. Sato is here. It''s going to save Alan. Please, Mr. Sato!Help your father. The villagers cheered. Rick, son of Alan, the man I helped yesterday, came to me for help. You can tell me a story, Rick, what''s going on? ''I was in the dungeon with Alan, but it was getting to be night, so I decided to go back, and Alan said I could still go back in, so I stayed inside. Fool!I told you to cut it out without being so reckless. So, um, ...... Another villager cowered and cut him off. ''There were some very strong monsters, not like the little ones, and Alan won''t be back anytime soon. Different monsters? I quickly come up with a few possibilities and check with the villagers. ''Is there only one of those monsters?Did you see the original little guy after you saw him? ''What?...... eh, I was there. And when I came out of the dungeon, I followed you to the end. Rare? At the same time, the fact that the original monster exists means that at least it''s not a dungeon master. I was a little relieved about that. ''''All right, I''m in! With that, to the relief of the villagers, I cautiously loaded my gun with every bullet I could find and stepped into the dungeon. Equipped with a pouch, I proceeded to defeat the little demons along the way. It''s a tricky monster with tricky movements, and sometimes it pretends to be dead and tries to trick you, but I''ve gotten used to it and I''m starting to understand how to defeat it. I was able to get used to the monsters, but not the dungeons. I looked around for Alan, a rogue dungeon whose structure changes every time a human enters it, searching for him blindly. ''Let''s try ......,'' Load five rounds of reinforced ammunition in one handgun and one tracking round in the other. I aim it forward and depress it into nothingness. The bullet flew straight out of the muzzle and turned a corner. Chasing the bullet, I saw the little devil lying on the ground about 50 meters ahead of me. It wasn''t a fatal wound, so I topped it off with the other gun''s regular bullet. I loaded it with more tracking rounds and hit it, chasing the bullet around the corner. I''m half on target. I don''t know the dungeon structure and I don''t know where the monsters are going to be, so I used the most powerful tracking rounds to find the monsters. The bullets were chasing the monster, and I was chasing them. I chased it for the sixth time. The monster was right where I was chasing it! The head of a goat and the body of a human. It is a large demon monster, with bat-like demon wings and a height of two meters. It''s a rare monster that''s clearly different from the others. "Alan! Alan was lying at his feet. I called out to him, but there was no response. ''''d*mn!'''' Quickly, he fired a series of bullets to chase the demon away, then rushed forward and approached while firing a recovery round into Alan. The demon jumps back, dispelling the bullets, and the recovery bullets hit Alan, deploying a magic circle and releasing a healing light. ''''Umm, hmm ......'''' His body moved with a groan, alive. As it was, I shot a maximum recovery round of reinforced bullets mashed into it, then turned to face the demon. I felt the pressure that chattered and stabbed into my skin. It seems to be an opponent that isn''t gentle just because it''s rare. Still, I have to do it. Preemptively, I fired a series of normal bullets. The demon dispelled all the bullets with its fist. It has a form similar to a human, and its defense is vaguely reminiscent of a martial artist. "Regular bullets won''t do it, then! This time, he loaded the frozen and fire bullets on either side and fired them at the same time. The bullets fused in the middle and turned into an annihilation bullet. The devil dodged!He flew wide and true without paying off with his fist and dodged the bullet. The bullet flew straight up and gouged the wall of the dungeon. I gulped and swallowed. I look at the demon in front of me. You''ll be able to see that the annihilation bullets, which dispelled the regular bullets, are just as good as the first time you saw them. This guy is not just tough, he''s smart. The little devil was also strangely clever, but this one is even more decently clever. It''s tricky. So what should we do? Just as I was thinking, the demon came into the flesh. With a rush that Speed B could afford, he swung his bullet-riddled fist at me. I flew right next to him while guarding him with my arm. Landing, my arm tingles. The force seems to be A. The demon attacked further. I stuck out one hand and spread out a magic circle, and three arrow-like flames came flying in. ''''You can even use magic! I kicked the ground and offset it by hitting a frozen bullet while flying backwards. In a flash, one of the shots missed and a single arrow of flame came flying in. I crossed my arms and guarded, the flames enveloping my entire body. After the flames disappeared, he shot a recovery round at himself like an injection. It was quite a bit of firepower, more than a bicorn horn and less than an inferno. I don''t know much about magic, but I''d roughly estimate it to be a level 2. Fast, strong, and able to use magic. And he''s smart. He''s a tricky all-rounder. But... I put the gun away on one side and take a deep breath. Kakkar''s eyes widen and he rushes forward, kicking the ground. Fast, strong, and able to do magic? Yeah, it''s a problem, but I''m faster and stronger than you. I''m faster and stronger than you. I''m thrusting harder than the devil, instantly closing in on him, grabbing him by the throat with my non-gunner''s hand and pushing him toward the wall on the train tracks. Thud!And with a shock that shook the dungeon, the demon''s body was halfway into the wall. The demon resisted, swinging its powerful arms. I grit my teeth! He has S strength and S HP. If you know it''s coming and want to endure it, there''s nothing you can''t bear. While holding on to the impact of being hit by a giant hurricane with my guts, I put my strength into my hand that grasps my throat and plunged the muzzle into the demon''s open mouth. Pan!Pan!Pan!Pan ....... A series of zero-range shots, the demon''s body jittery and cramped. When I finished shooting, the demon''s body slackened off, half of its head was blown off. Eventually, it disappears with a loud noise. ''Fufu......'' I exhaled. It was my first opponent, a strong, fast, smart guy, so it was a bit tricky. He was orthodox in strength, so he''d be a tricky opponent for the adventurers who would be circling the area in the future, I thought, and held my gun back. Suddenly I felt a strange sensation, a feeling of discomfort around my waist. I looked at the pouch and saw that it was bulging. I opened the pouch and looked inside. In addition to the sand, there was a golden mass of gold. When I took it out, it was solid, it was still gold in terms of mass. It weighed about one kilo?It''s the very gold I''ve seen in pictures. If it''s a kilo, one of these would be a few million piro. Doesn''t this ...... increase the value of the dungeon? A dungeon that drops gold, a rare monster that drops gold nuggets. I remembered Clint''s line with the gold nugget. 89. Hired Association President I left the dungeon with the dropped gold, taking Alan with me. It''s a dungeon that changes its structure every time you enter, and it''s hard to get out. Alan was hit by a demon, his body was healed with a recovery bullet, but his mind was wounded and he couldn''t get back up. Every time a small demon attacks him, he gets scared and shrinks back. I protected it and took it out of the dungeon. ''Satou-san!Alan!You were okay! Carlo was the first to come running and the other villagers came by. I''m sorry, I''m sorry. I''m sorry for worrying you. Tattered clothes, monster got you? ''Oh ...... it would have been a close call if Mr. Sato hadn''t come along. When the villagers heard Alan''s words, they let out an exclamation, "Oh ......". In the night before the dungeon, amidst countless torches, the villagers came looking at me with respect. The villagers came to look at me with respect. Rick, Alan''s son, stepped forward and bowed to me. "Thank you, sir!Get your dad to help you. Don''t worry about it. More importantly, Alan. What the f*ck? You see how dangerous it is to say ''I can still make it''? ''Oh, oh, ...... painfully reminded me.'' Tell people that, and it will be more convincing coming from you. All right, all right. You''ll never see anyone like me again, I promise. Alan nodded strongly, though there was still a little bit of trepidation on his face. I hoped that the lightly traumatized amount of time it took to get through to the villagers. I could see Clint and the village chief outside the circle of respect that surrounded me. I wove my way through the crowd to get closer to them. "Clint, look at this. Is this ...... gold? "Dropped from a rare monster. ...... I see. As expected of the head of the Dungeon Association, that''s all he understood. ''''Normal monsters have sand and gold, and rare monsters have gold nuggets like this. This dungeon is a gold mine of considerable value.'''' Looks like it. What about downstairs? I don''t even know if it exists, because the dungeon structure is constantly changing. ''Well, we''ll check that over here. Either way, if the gold is going to come out like this, we can pay for it. Let''s bring this village under the Cyclo umbrella. I''m a little relieved. The billion-dollar story is moving, and getting Clint moving like this is the least I can do right now. I''m just relieved that he''s working. "Thank you, Mr. Sato, for all your help in getting this done. You will be rewarded accordingly. Don''t get your hopes up. I''ll send you 2,000 tons of sugar for now. ''That''s a guy you really shouldn''t expect to see! ''Don''t be shy, sugar is a good thing. ''I don''t need it, I really don''t!I don''t want to get rid of it if I get that much. I know what it''s worth, but I refused to do my best to imagine two thousand tons of sugar, because I was getting heartburned just thinking about it. "Oh, well. Well, I''ll get back to you later on to thank you, but for now, let''s deal with Samethyne. Please do so. Oh, um! The village chief, who had been silent until then, interrupted the conversation. ''What''s the matter?'' ''Wow, we''re not Cyclo. We''d like to join our benefactor, Mr. Sato. Satou-san''s? Clint frowned. ''I mean, what are you going to say, village chief? ''Wait a minute, village chief. I''m just an adventurer, I don''t have the power or money to negotiate with Samethyllene. And it was Clint who sent me here in the first place. Shh, but ...... The village chief glanced at Clint. Maybe it''s because Clint is frowning at the sudden selfishness of his brow, or maybe it''s because he''s pressured into looking away. ''Well, cities are not to be trusted: ...... The village chief said in a fading voice. The next thing I knew, the villagers in front of the dungeon were all looking at me. They all looked at me with resigned eyes. I don''t trust the city. This village, Indor, has been treated coldly by Samethylen for so long that it has come to that conclusion. An empty, poor village, and if you look closely, you''ll see that the clothing is beyond simple and clingy, and the villagers are uniformly thin. And then there''s Alice, who has left the village. Is Indor the result of years of cold treatment by Samethrene? When I think about it, I want to do something about it, I want to do something about the village of Indor, cold and unhappy, and I want to do something about it. ''What to do,'' I thought. ''Then we should form the Indore Dungeon Association. And the president will be Mr. Sato. What? I was surprised, and the villagers were buzzing about it. We should form an association here in Indore, not under Cyclo. And if Mr. Sato is the president of the society, then everyone will be safe, right? ''Oh!Of course. The village chief was the first to nod, and the villagers followed suit. ''If it''s Satou-san, I ain''t complaining. You''re the one who saved my asses twice over! Clint looked at me in the background as he lifted me up. And that''s what I mean. I hear a mute message saying. "But I''m just an adventurer. I think adventurers should go on. I''ve been leaving Cyclo and ducking into dungeons a lot. Really?! ''We haven''t become adventurers these days, and monsters aren''t something you just have to defeat. Can''t we just take it down? What do you mean?He nodded his head, frowning. ''Love, love, you can only get the best sugar when you beat it with love. ...... Oh, yes. I lost it by taking it seriously. I thought it would be a delusional statement by Clint. I don''t think love can surpass the drop rate in this world. That''s pretty clear when that Eve is begging me for a carrot. Drop Rate > Love. It''s this world. It is, but I didn''t go into it. I understand why you go to the dungeon sometimes to do it. So it''s fine with me, and that''s what Clint says implicitly. Of course it''s Cyclo, he''s paying for it. I''m not just a hired gunner, I''m a hired association manager. "Am I the head of the dungeon society of Indor? Clint nods. They''re all staring at me. They all look at me expectantly. They''ve been treated coldly by the villagers. "...... We need to set some policies. Look at Clint and say with the nuance of policy (condition) as far as it goes. Let me hear it. ''We''re going to greatly reduce the buy-in tax for the villagers we have now. Zero. Clint answered immediately. Even I would be like that. The number of people in the village now, the power. Even if we waive the taxes, there''s still a margin of error. "In the beginning, we''ll tax them and build the infrastructure and stuff. It comes naturally to me. This too was answered immediately. That''s how I felt about it. A gold mine, a dungeon that produces gold and gold nuggets. Adventurers would flock to the mine town, and if they did, they would set up the infrastructure and other things on their own. I''ve made some conditions. You can do it now, because without me in between, Clint--Ciclo won''t be able to get to this dungeon. And I feel like I need to get him out now. Maybe Clint will be okay, but it''s not going to be as bad as the last time the villagers were under Samethyllene. I laid out a possible policy (condition) to Clint. I''m just saying the obvious, because there''s nothing crazy about it. So, Clint took it all in stride. "What else? It''s gone, that''s enough. Sametylene, please. I''ll take care of it. Clint said and turned and walked away. Now all we have to do is wait for him to negotiate with the people on the other side? No, I can''t just leave it to him. There may be times when you still need help, just as you did with Ceren. I''m bracing myself for that to happen. "Thank you, thank you, Sato-san. Then the chief and the villagers barged in. "We owe you a great debt of gratitude. Yeah, it''s awesome to be on equal footing with a big city dungeon master like Cyclo. I work for Mr. Sato!Work hard and be strong! I mean, make me your apprentice, Mr. Sato! I was left in a bit of a bind as the villagers recklessly mauled me. 90. Counter tracking I woke up in the morning at Alice''s house, which I had yet to become. Sure, it was a poor village and Alice''s house was modest, but I missed the warmth of Emily House even more. ''Your body is totally trained, isn''t it? Muttering this to myself, I look inside the house. It''s a shack-like house with no furniture and no walls, and I''m sleeping with Alice and Eve. Alice is on top of her head like a cat with a whine and a pull-pull, and Eve is chewing on the thin quilt. ''No. Konkonkon ...... eh?Doesn''t fire and ice work? Carrot, no fucha. We were both talking in our sleep, and I thought I was dreaming of something fun, but then I woke up and decided to go make some money in the dungeon. While I thought I was having a pleasant dream, I woke up and decided to go to the dungeon to earn some money. First, I checked my equipment. Two handguns, a variety of bullets. I won''t be using my pouch for the first dungeon, but since I already know the drops are gold and gold nuggets, I''ll put it on. And slime tears. I hadn''t checked the additional performance after I redropped them from Hagremonos, but those little devils are going to trick me in many ways, so I''ll put these on as well, just in case. Then, after completing the inspection. Knock. There was a knock on the door. I glance over at Alice and Eve, who are still sleeping peacefully. I have to get out of there, so I decide to leave. Okay, who are you?-- When I opened the door, there were three girls standing there. All of them are village girls, fifteen or sixteen, about the age of a JK in the other world. It''s Satou-sama. I didn''t expect Satou-sama to come out of nowhere. We''ve got to go, Reece. Wow. I can''t do it. You two, please. As soon as the girls saw my face, they hurriedly gave in to each other ...... and began to push each other. I was wondering what in the world was going on when the girl in the middle was pushed back by the two of them and decided to cut loose. ''''Satou-sama!'''' Oh, yeah? "Thank you for helping us the day before yesterday. Oh, the girl who got swallowed up in the dungeon. ''Yes!Master Sato when he saved me...... so cool...I love it! Oh? A voice that I thought was dumb escaped my mouth. Do you mean that favorite thing I love? I mean, I''ve never been told that before, so I''m not sure what to do about it. But I didn''t have time to be impatient. "Um!Me too! Wow. I''m going to ....... Oh, yeah? The remaining two insisted that they did too. Along with the first girl who said "I love you," the three of them look straight at me and tell me they love me. Their eyes were strong and their feelings were sincere. I could see that, but what should I do? Oh, thank you. It was such a goofy line that I squeezed it out. ''Kyah!'' I''m glad! ''Oh ...... I''m getting dizzy ......'' The dumb answer made me feel like a fox had gotten a hold of me. I felt as if I''d been picked up by a fox. Stars. I''m not surprised. Alice and I got up and left the house and were on our way to the dungeon when she heard the story and said simply. By the way, Eve woke up before I knew it and disappeared before I knew it. ''''Of course?'''' He''s young and good-looking and big enough to call the head of the association and he''ll come. ''Is it cool?I mean, Clint asked for me, and he''ll be here to check on mission completion. You were very gallant in a pinch. That''s a big point. Yeah? And it''s a dream come true to be an adventurer fighting in dungeons. That''s why I went to Cyclo, too. I see. ...... Maybe that''s true. A world where everything is dropped from dungeons. The logistics of this world, or to put it bluntly, the very lifeblood of this world, is in the hands of adventurers. It''s understandable that people yearn for adventurers who can fight in dungeons, especially if there are no dungeons in the village. I''m going to be the head of the association, and Lyota is already the star of this village. It''s embarrassing to be called a star, but I get the story. I''m convinced and walk with Alice. On the way from Alice''s house to the dungeon, I look closely and see the villagers watching me from afar. All of them are looking at me fondly, and some have the same expressions as the girls this morning. I felt itchy to be seen like that, so I decided to run away into the dungeon. I walked quickly to the entrance of the dungeon. "All right, let''s go. I''ll go ahead and come back to the entrance. Yeah, I''m here. I entered the dungeon first, leaving Alice nodding at me. The only way to capture this dungeon, which changes its structure every time someone enters, is to join up with them when they enter. There are two ways to join up, and I''ve decided to take the most reliable one. I''d go in first, return to the entrance, and then meet Alice, who''d come in later and send her away with me. The reason I''m going to attack with Alice is because of her special ability. She was born in a dungeon and can somehow figure out the structure of the dungeon and where the monsters are. It''s a dungeon that changes its structure every time you enter, and you need Alice to find out if there''s a floor below. In a strange dungeon, you try to get back to the entrance by going in a direction that looks like that. It was practically my first dungeon and I was a bit lost. Gasp. I heard a noise from the shadows. I wondered if one of the villagers was hiding in the dungeon. a?--! Suddenly, someone attacked. A black shadow attacked like a gale, its dull-colored blade reflecting light in an arc as it attacked. It wasn''t a monster! He quickly grabbed the blade that had grazed the tip of his nose and hit it with a body blow. It''s a human being, or at least something human-shaped. The opponent bends his body in a crouch and stops moving. I let go of the blade in my grip and put my hand in my pocket to do something, so I gave him a hard hook to the face. The black shadow ran into the wall and fell down. If you look closely, it''s still a human being, and the way it looks. An assassin? I couldn''t help but think of those words as they appeared in my head. I grabbed and took away the sharp-bladed ictis, and he attacked me out of the blue, dressed in black. I was dressed in black and came out as an orthodox assassin. Assassination?Me? ...... Why? When the questions kept coming up and I had to catch them and make them throw up. The structure of the dungeon has changed! When I tried to catch the assassin, the dungeon suddenly changed its structure and I got separated from my opponent. ...... The timing of this is not a coincidence. I don''t know what or how, but I know intuitively that I was set up to fail to catch the guy. I don''t know if they sent a signal or if they were watching me, but I don''t think it''s a coincidence that the dungeon structure changed at a time when I could catch the guy. Let''s find him... or Alice, who''s waiting for me at the door. If the structure of the dungeon has changed, then someone has entered it. That would mean that Alice was at the entrance. I ran. I ran through a dungeon with no known structure. I encountered the little devils, but I ignored them, they attacked me, but I ignored them all with my HP and strength S. I ran for about five minutes, and then the dungeon was over. I ran for about five minutes, and then I saw the dungeon entrance. ''''Alice!'''' Lyota! Are you okay? Yeah, I am. Stranger things have run off. Did he run off? Yeah, someone pushed me in, and then two guys came out and ran off in pieces. You missed it. What do you mean? He attacked me... or was it an assassination? Assassination?Oh, but dressed like it: ...... After being surprised, Alice was convinced when she remembered the outfit. Yes, the more the outfit convinced her, the more assassin-like it was. Who''s the problem?What''s the point of doing that? It hurts that we didn''t catch it. "Hey Lyota, your body has some kind of glow to it. What? When Alice pointed out to me, I could see that my body was indeed glowing. To be exact, it was flashing red underneath my clothes. I took it out to see what it was all about. ''Tears of Slime: ......'' That''s the one that counters damage. ''Yeah, the one that dropped the high gut slime, and then had it re-dropped by Hagremonos: ...... Is this light an additional effect?'' I stare at the slime''s tears, observing what the light means. ''...... Alice, which way did the guy who ran away go?'' Well, there and there. Alice pointed in two opposite directions. First she went toward one with her slime tears, the blinking slowed a bit. Now she went in the other direction, and the blinking started to accelerate. What do you mean? Maybe they''re tracking the person who countered ....... I decided to go after the one that was blinking fast. Did you miss it? I''m sorry! Huh, he''s even stronger than I expected. I thought they were just an upstart family, but it looks like they''re doing just fine. What do you want to do? Did they see your face?Can you track it? He didn''t see me and he didn''t follow me. Then lay low for a while and we''ll think of something else to do. Okay-- mm. What''s going on-- what? They were talking in the forest when they noticed something strange about their bodies. Both of them had their bodies bound by something shiny. ''Hey ......, what''s this?'' I can''t move. ...... What''s going on? The two of them desperately tried to untie the rope of light, but they struggled and didn''t falter. ''So that''s how it is,'' Who are you? I walked up to the "what the hell" guy... slowly. I put my gun away and walk slowly. I am certain that the two of them will not be able to shake off the strapped bullets of the reinforced bullet machine. Satou ...... Lyota. The exasperated man is the face I saw, the head of the Samethrene Dungeon Association. The man tied up beside him is the man in black who attacked me earlier. You mean you sent him to me? What are you talking about? f*ck off. That''s okay, I''m not really good at that stuff. "Alice. Yeah! Alice, who had followed me along, came alongside me. ''Go back to the village and get Clint, he''s probably better at this sort of thing than I am. Okay! Alice nodded, instantly turning herself around and running. I, who was left behind, and the two men who were being held. The head of the Samethrene association was going pale, as funny as it was. 92. Welcome to the killing Aurum''s dungeon, the first basement floor. I entered first and wandered through the dungeon, defeating the little demons. When I returned to the dungeon entrance through a completely unfamiliar path, I saw Alice at the front. ''Here you go.'' Do I go in like this? Yeah. I gave her a nod and Alice pushed the magic cart into the dungeon. Like a scene change in an old videotape, the scenery around me changed completely, and I was sent from standing close to the entrance of the dungeon just before to a completely unknown location. ''No matter how many times they do this to me, I''ll never get used to this. Yeah, things freak me out a little bit. Alice tuned in next to me. She walked into the dungeon and was sent with me. Aurum, a rogue type dungeon that changes its structure every time someone enters. The only way to conquer it with a party is to enter the dungeon in pieces and meet up inside, or like now, the first one to enter will return to the entrance and be sent to the same place as the new one. I finally thought it was a cumbersome dungeon. ''So, do you know?'' Yeah, it''s this way. I asked while receiving the magic cart, and Alice pointed to the other side with a confident expression on her face. She didn''t know where she was being sent, looking forward or back only led to the dungeon path. Still, Alice looked at the other side without hesitation. ''So it''s still there. Hey, what does that feel like?'' What''s that about? I was just wondering what it''s like to understand the structure of a dungeon and all that. Alice has special abilities. She can understand the structure of dungeons and know where the monsters are. Such abilities. My guess is that it''s probably because she was born in a dungeon, but I''m not sure at the moment. However, it is clear that she can do it. ''I don''t know, I''m kind of sure,'' Sort of. Yeah, I think-- oh, there''s going to be a monster. Mmm. Alice stopped and stared forward. She hid the magic cart she had pushed in behind her back and drew her gun and held it at the ready. And so we wait, often. ''You can''t be born ......'' We''re almost there. Out of the corner of my eye, the ceiling cracked open and one of the little devils jumped out of it. It looked as if it had been born out of a dungeon. After giving birth to the little devil, the crack in the dungeon returned to the original empty ceiling. It shoots normal bullets, and even though it had just been born, the monster is a monster, and that guy, who can produce full power right away, dodged the bullets. I was expecting to be dodged, so I ran out and packed it in the direction he was going to dodge. And then a counter telephone punch. A punch that slammed into the coming place, blowing the little demon away and cracking the wall and ramming it inside. I can hear the monster groaning, still alive. Pang pang! I fired a series of bullets at the hole in the wall, and shortly after, there was a clunk and the monster disappeared. Instead, a grain of gold sand rolled out of the hole. I picked it up. ''Awesome, Lyota, you''re totally relentless. Really? ''Yes!And that was really cool. He''s going to cave in to the wall and slam, slam, slam, slam into the hole. The trick is to hit them as soon as you can, while you still can, to stay in circles for as long as possible. Yeah, yeah, I''ll remember that. Alice nodded her head repeatedly and agreed with my words. In spite of her, after entering the unit price into the magic cart, I put in the gold sand. Immediately, the figure of 2567 piro came up. ''''Oh, that''s so much for one grain now. Gold--gold, in quantities up to the first knuckle of your pinky, for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Awesome. Can we beat them too? The SD-sized skeleton and slime on her shoulders always responded with something. ''''I see, so we have to increase everyone''s numbers. No? Yeah, he wants some more company. I see. While I was convinced, I took Alice and the others and proceeded further into the dungeon. I didn''t miss the little demons that encountered along the way and defeated them tightly. After all, one gram of the gold we dropped was worth about 3,500 piro. By the time we came to the stairs, we had 58,121 pillows. This alone was more expensive than a full load of sprouts, but when I looked inside the magic cart, I saw that it only contained a little bit of sprouts. ''''That''s really amazing, I wonder how much it would be if we filled the cart with gold. ''Hundreds of millions, maybe billions?It''s more expensive per gram than vegetables and has more mass, so it goes in well. ''Yeah!That much? So much. He nodded clearly. That''s about it when we get together, but, well, I don''t think we''ll get that much. Even I''m at the point where I''d have to hunt to death for a month to fill up a cart at this pace. It''s the act of putting every grain of sand in a big box, so that''s what it would take. Of course, you don''t have to fill up your cart because the purchase price is so great, but there''s no need to fill it up. Well, let''s move on. ''Yes!Oh, there''s a monster right down there. Okay, I''ll go in first. I''ll give you a signal when it''s all over. Okay. I loaded all kinds of bullets, no matter what, and then I grabbed my gun and went downstairs. Aulum''s dungeon, the second basement floor. As soon as I stepped in, the view was blurred again. Even if I went downstairs, the structure would change! The next thing I knew I was in a vast space. The space is like a gymnasium, with a large number of monsters. The little devils look the same as on the basement floor, but the colors are clearly different. It''s the 2P color in the game. They are crawling with them - a quick look around will reveal three orders of magnitude. The moment the word "Monster House" popped into my head. A fist-sized ball of light flew at me. When I quickly guarded against it, a shock to the extent of being hit by a dodge ball hit my body. It wasn''t a single shot, all the monsters were hurling at me at the same time. Inside the gymnasium-like space, balls of light flew at once from all directions. A series of impacts, the light covered my vision. I involuntarily assumed a turtle posture, I couldn''t see and there were too many of them, I knew I had to wait for this rush of light balls to pass. Fortunately, each shot was not much. My body tingles and goes numb from being continuously hit by the balls, but it''s not enough to cause serious injury. I guarded myself and endured the rush of the light balls while shooting recovery rounds at myself like an injection, just in case. After how long, when my sense of time had become paralyzed by the extraordinary scene, the number of light balls had clearly decreased. I looked up and held my gun - a little demon of a different color was right there, and he swung his hand down and hit me with a ball of light. I guarded it, and then fought back - when I tried to do so. The little devil, to my surprise, collapsed as it was. It made a bursting sound as if it had been hit by something in the air and fell to the ground unsteadily. What does that mean? More balls of light flew in from right beside me, and when I pointed my gun at it too, the little devil that seemed to have wooed me fell to the ground in tatters. If you look closely, there were so many of them - a monster house of little devils that was apparently more than a hundred in all likelihood, but it had already been half destroyed. Their numbers had been reduced to less than half. Even the little devils that were still there had their bodies flashing red. Red flashing--ha! I took out a slime tear from my pocket, that guy is flashing red as well. The slime tears dropped by the stragglers of High Guts Slime, have two effects. It tracks the attacker, and it reflects the damage. With that, I stand on a stick. More balls of light fly in, the moment they hit me, one of the little devils runs out of power and falls to the ground. It shoots a ball of light and hits me, knocking itself down. I don''t do anything, I''m just standing there. Then another three minutes or so. "It''s over, huh? I looked inside the gymnasium-like space, every single monster had been wiped out by the reflection. Instead, I could see glowing things all over the ground. ''''So the basement two floors are also made of gold sand?'''' Pick up what you can find. The second basement floor of Aurum seems to drop gold sand just like the first basement floor. I was in a hurry for a moment in the Monster House, but even if I didn''t do anything, I got about 300,000 piro of gold sand by my estimate, so the results were fine. Then I met up with Alice. We surveyed the basement two floors in detail, and by the time we were done, it was time for the sun to set. The gold sand was about a million piro''s worth. 93. The wind blows and the tub shop is profitable In front of the dungeon, the gathered villagers looked on. They left the magic cart with Ena, who had been hastily dispatched from the benefactor, Swallow, to return the favor of the buyer. Ena took out the gold sand from the magic cart and weighed it. ''''Yes, that''s 1,020,134 piro. ""Oh!" After the tally was done, he got a safe from another clerk, counted the money from it and handed it to me. A dungeon drop, and then a purchase. The villagers cheered when they saw the most orthodox scene of production activity in this world. ''This is how you earn your money?'' It''s nice to have a quick buck. I''m going into the dungeon tomorrow. The villagers were impressed and excited. ''Here, take this one too, please.'' When I finished my purchase, Alan, a villager, came in front of Ena. He had also dived into Aulum a few times, and I had him assess the gold sand that I got from defeating the little demon. ''That''s 24932 piro in all,'' Oooh, ....... Alan was touched and shuddered at the cash that was handed to him. Several other people who had entered the dungeon were bought out of the sand and gold. Production activities from the dungeon. Defeating monsters and redeeming dropped goods. To me, this was an everyday scene, but the people in this village who had been waiting for a dungeon to spawn for a long time, cheered every time one of the purchases was completed. Now the villagers of Indor would know the process of redeeming the items dropped from the dungeon. Then it''s time to go to ....... ''''Alice, do you have any alcohol or anything in this village?As much as possible. I asked Alice, who was standing beside me. ''Booze?Hmmm, I think it''s at the village chief''s, Karon''s and Milau''s place. We''re stockpiling it for the annual village festival. For the festivities, then I guess I''ll have enough. You think this will buy it all? I showed Alice the money I made today, about a million piro. ''I think it''s enough: ......?'' What do you mean?I got a strange look on my face. "So let''s have a banquet with this money. It''s not possible. A woman spoke to me from behind. She was an elderly woman of about seventy years old, using a cane. ''And you are?'' My name is Mirau. Oh, Alice said she''s got a supply of booze. ''''That''s right. If your benefactor is throwing a banquet, please use our sake. Thank you, then-- There''s no way I''d accept money from a benefactor. ""Yeah, yeah, yeah." Grandma Milau said, and some villagers joined in. It''s nice to feel, but that doesn''t mean anything (). ''Thank you. But please accept it. No, your benefactor sent me to ....... Otherwise, it won''t open. I said to her spitefully. Granny Millau looked annoyed for a moment, but I didn''t back down a step, so she eventually accepted the money. ''''I understand, I''ll take my benefactor''s word for it.'''' Karon and the village chief got the word, and they came over and said they wouldn''t get the money as well, but I forced them to pay for it. The liquor in the village was easy to drink, and the million piro was left over even after paying for the liquor, so I left the rest to the village chief to use for cooking. The villagers were getting ready for the feast. Alice came next to me and asked me with a strange look on her face. "Hey, Lyota, why did you insist on paying for it? I used to travel overseas for six months on a business trip to a village just like this one. ? Alice wondered with a grandiose tilt of her head. She wouldn''t know right away, but I figured she''d probably figure it out soon enough. The feast in the village square was in full swing, while Ryota was drinking with the villagers. Mirau called up a villager named Play and spoke in the corner of the square. ''What''s up, Old Lady Millau?'' Play, or is your carpentry skills rusty? Sure. Fixing up the house? I don''t care about this old woman''s house. I''d rather build a house in the back of my house. I heard that a dungeon has been built and I got a call that my son is coming back from town. Oh, congratulations. Thanks to our benefactor for buying our booze in bulk, that should be enough, right? Millau handed Play a bill. ''I tell you what, this is just my workload, man. Look, I''ve already paid for the materials. I''ll order it tomorrow. I''ll take care of it. I''ll take care of it, and I''ll build you a nice house for your son. Play pocketed the money and Millau returned to the circle of people with his wand. ''Poulai,'' Wow!What''s up, Leesha, don''t scare me. Yes, sir. The middle-aged woman called Leesha held out her hand, palm up, in front of the play. What the f*ck? Don''t play dumb, you saw what happened. When you get your money in, just pay your rent. You want to take this?If they take it all away, I''m going to-- You''ll pay the bill and you can start again tomorrow. ''Ugh, wow, I get it: ...... and ho ho ho ......'' Play took out the money he had just put away and gave it to Risha. Hinofunonomi ...... Yes, here''s your change. Not even 500 pi?os in change! You said I could put it on again. You can pick up the tab, but when you''ve got the money, you''ll pay it. Am I wrong? You''re not wrong, sir. Okay. Leesha left the shunned play and walked back into the circle of people. She found a young man among them. His name was Ginnis, Risha''s own brother. Risha sat down next to her quiet brother, who was drinking sotto voce. ''Here,'' Sis: "Sis: ...... Huh?What''s the matter with you, such a lot of money? "For the money he collects from the play, for the money he piles up at our house. Well, you''re a good payer. Shouldn''t this be enough? What? About you and Kiki''s marriage, I think that should be enough. Yes, that''s true, but ...... "Don''t keep a girl waiting, and don''t hold back on your brother. You should just get married and make Kiki happy. Yeah, I guess so: ...... Go ahead and propose to him.I''ll take care of the money for now. I''ll pay it off at weddings and other places first. But Kiki''s like, "But Kiki''s like, yeah, ...... You two are burning up the village with your mouths wide open. Okay, all right! Ginnis was kicked out by Risha and went to her childhood friend Kiki, who was a hard worker, pouring drinks and going around and sharing food. And--. Satou-sama! As I was having a drink with the village chiefs and explaining to them the economic activities that have built up around the dungeon in my own way, a couple of men and women came in. One is a girl named Kiki, who has come to pour a few drinks, and the other is a thin boy I''ve never seen before. "And you? My name is Guinis. Uh, Satou-sama! Yes. Please be our matchmaker! A matchmaker?You guys are getting married? Ginnis nodded, and Kiki looked shy and depressed, contrary to how hard she had been working earlier. But she doesn''t seem to mind, in fact she seems happy to say that this is the peak of her life. I see, congratulations. I could raise my glass of liquor and take over the blessing. Then I remembered and asked the village chief. ''Are you sure you want me to be the matchmaker?Is there anything wrong with that from a village perspective? What do you mean? Nothing would make me happier than to have you as my benefactor. That is why Ginnis has done what he has done. Oh, yeah? By the way, I''m single and you''re okay with it? ''That''s okay too, you don''t have to be married around here,'' Okay. He nodded, took two cups that no one had touched, poured the drinks and handed them to Ginis and Kiki. ''I''m going to play matchmaker. Congratulations. Thank you! Thank you. They toasted with two grateful people. They held each other''s hands, and they had bright red faces, I don''t know if it was from the alcohol or happiness. I looked at them and said to Alice, who was sitting next to me. ''That''s what I mean,'' ? Alice still didn''t understand. In a half-stagnant village like this, when you throw a lot of money in at once, it moves dramatically. The same is true of the places I''ve traveled abroad before. The millions of dollars brought in by Japanese companies triggered the economy of the town to temporarily turn around tremendously. And that kind of turnover can lead to several things, one of which is marriage. Ginis and Kiki are full of happiness. I don''t know how that million pounds of silverware worked, but I''m pretty sure it came about in a roundabout way. Most importantly, I was sure that the million pyrro would be used up, and that it would generate more than a million pyrro in economic benefits. 94. Two types of barrage Aurum Dungeon, second basement level. It was a long and narrow path, and a barrage of bullets flew in from beyond it. Glowing magic bullets flew in like a rainstorm. Next to the entrance of that narrow path, Alice and I were covering the wall. The balls of light that didn''t hit the wall of the dungeon caused a series of small explosions. ''Is there a path ahead, leading to the third underground level?'' Yeah, I''m sure. As soon as I get through here. Alice, with her fellow monster on her shoulder, nods clearly. Her face isn''t even, and she''s scowling at the barrage of monsters that started as soon as she saw us. ''''It''s impossible to avoid these, isn''t it?'''' It''s not impossible, but it''s a lot more painful. It''s faster to plow through it than that. You''re going to plow through it? Yeah, we''ll see. I equipped my slime tears and entered the narrow path, exposing myself in front of the barrage of bullets. Magic bullets of light rained down on my body, the pressure as if I was eating water released by the barrage of magic bullets, making it difficult to move forward. I didn''t try to force myself to advance. I stood still and waited for the moment, periodically recovering with recovery bullets. After being hit by a magic bullet for about a minute, I felt something enter my pouch. A pouch that automatically recovers dropped items, and sand gold was inside. It was sparse at first, but the frequency gradually increased. With that, the barrage of bullets gradually became thinner and thinner. The barrage of bullets that seemed to make it impossible to walk properly became normal, and gradually the barrage decreased to the point where it was possible to run. By the time we left the narrow path, the barrage completely ceased to exist and the monster was no longer visible. Instead, the pouch was slightly chunkier than it was at the beginning. I held it in my hand and checked the weight, I guess I earned about 150,000 piro for just going through the narrow path of about 50 meters (). By the way, we used two recovery rounds. I advanced while recovering, and I made 150,000 just by doing so. The second floor of the Aurum basement, maybe I''m a good match for it. "Wow, this place should be like this! ''''If only I had both HP and strength S and was equipped with the Tears of Slime. ...... and only Lyota can do that, right? I think Alice has a chance. With a guts-slime on board. She''s the girl who doesn''t die in one shot. She doesn''t look like she''s going to be one of us. How do you know if it''s not going to happen? Sort of. Alice nodded clearly while saying that. When it comes to dungeons, Alice''s "somehow" is not foolproof. There''s a hundred percent chance of finding a way out of "vaguely", and it''s more than ninety percent accurate whether there are monsters or not. The same is probably true for whether or not they''ll join you. As I followed Alice''s "vague" directions, I saw a path that led to the third underground level. ''We''ll go ahead.'' ''Hey, when Lyota went downstairs, the structure over here that was left didn''t change. Oh, really? Pick your jaw and think about it, which means that every time you enter a dungeon, the structure changes, or more correctly, every time someone enters a new level, the structure of that floor changes. I thought of it as every time I entered the dungeon, but it also meant every time I entered the basement floor from the outside. ''So, let''s get Honehone and Pru-Pru to work. ...... Yeah. He popped his hand. ''That one when you first saved the villagers? Yeah! You''re so smart. Ehehehe ...... So that''s what it''s all about then. Yeah. I went to the third basement floor first. The moment I stepped in, the landscape around me changed and I couldn''t see the path I came down anymore. I waited right there, and after a while the landscape around me changed. Since it was my first time on this level, I waited while removing the porch, the landscape changed one by one. At the top, Alice took her fellow monsters down to the third floor. After dropping them off and changing the structure of the dungeon, I immediately made my fellow monsters SD size and called them back. Then she sent them further up to the third floor to change the structure of the dungeon. It was repeated a dozen times, and I came back to the path that led upward, where I could see Alice. ''Here you go,'' Good night. Alice came down from the second floor with a look of pride on her face. In a moment, the structure of the third basement floor changed again and they were both sent flying together. A monster appeared. ''''Whoa!There''s a lot of stuff! Monster House again. The destination was a large space like a gymnasium. And inside is crawling with little devils that have the same form as the two floors above. One of the little devils swung his hand down and fired a bullet. Unlike the glowing bullets on the two basement floors, this time it was a surprisingly black ball. It''s a black ball like the ''black that doesn''t reflect all kinds of light'' that I saw on the internet before. ''Another long-range attack, convenient. Alice, get behind me. Yeah! Making sure she was properly equipped with the slime tears, she received a black ball in a defensive position to protect her. ''''--gahaha! Instantly, a shock went through my brain. A shock that made my eyes go blank in front of me for a moment, I don''t know what happened. ''Lyota!'' Haha! I''m fine, Lyota! No problem! I notice that the corners of my mouth are wet, and when I wipe them with the back of my hand, they are sticky with bright red blood. ''Damage?And it''s huge. Really? ''Oh ...... it''s been a long time since you''ve done any damage now, ...... more than a dungeon master?No, that''s ridiculous. Look around, the monster house is crawling with little devils. There are more than fifty of them at a glance. The firepower of the monsters varies a bit, but it''s almost the same. Does that mean that all of these guys have more firepower than the Dungeon Master? That''s ridiculous. The same line came out of his mouth again. More black balls flew in, this time three. I deliberately hit one of them while dodging two as if defending Alice. --! Another shock went through my brain, this time I was clenching my teeth, so I got right back on track. ''Lyota!'' I''m fine. ...... He hit himself with a recovery round and regained his strength. ''''Without a doubt, these guys have more firepower than the Dungeon Master. ''It''s not like that ...... huh?No? What do you mean it''s not? I asked Alice back, and I could see her talking to the monster on her shoulder, an SD-sized skeleton and a slime. ''Is it a magical attack?'' What do you mean? Well, physical attacks are physical, but magical attacks are mental. ...... So that''s what it means! It took me a second to understand. I''ve been putting it off because I''ve been at F until now, but I guess that means my strength is physical defense and my spirit is more magical defense. And I''ve raised my physical strength to S, but my spirit is still at F. It''s a good thing I''m not going to be able to get to the bottom of it. Not good. That''s not good. "This is not good. Yeah, let''s get out of here... As soon as I said that, black balls flew in from all directions. It was the same barrage of bullets from all directions as it was on the second basement floor. If you take all of this--even if your HP is S, you''ll die! -Oh! Hi! Gritting my teeth, I put my arms around Alice''s waist and held her close. And then - I dodged. I dodged the black ball that flew at me and dodged the barrage of magic balls. The dodged ball hits the wall and creates a small explosion. The scale of the explosion is on the same level as a ball of light. The firepower is the same, it''s just a difference between my strength (S) and my mind (F). If it hits you, you''ll get out of there, or in fact, you''ll die. But... I''ve got an "F" in my mind, but I''m an "S" in my speed. Lyota. Hold on tight! Swimming through the barrage of bullets with Alice in your arms... You''ll be able to dodge the incoming barrage of bullets one after another, dodging the dense rain-like barrage at full speed. It''s amazing: ...... Alice was stunned, her tongue wagging at my moves to avoid the barrage of bullets with paperwork. Of course I didn''t just avoid them, I found an opening and counterattacked with my other gun. With my concentration heightened in the midst of dodging as hard as I can, I headshot the little devil who''s hitting me with the black ball. His head is blown off and disappears, and golden gold is dropped. Next, my concentration increases to the limit and I enter the zone (,). Everything you see, hear and feel has become an enemy, a monster. Dodge and shoot. Dodge and shoot. I repeated it incessantly. ''It''s like a great ...... dance.'' I started to avoid it, and I annihilated the monster with no damage through the barrage, but instead I was more tired than ever before - or in other words, exhausted. Because of this, I didn''t make much money this day, and I ended up with a third of yesterday''s earnings, 300,000 piro per day. 95. Stronger Auldurm Dungeon, third basement level. I entered the dungeon alone that day and explored the dungeon. As I walked down the narrow and winding path, I saw an open space. It''s an underground dungeon, but it''s an open space like a gymnasium. Inside was crawling with little devils. I loaded up my normal bullets and aimed. The space - I didn''t enter the monster house, I was on the road. That''s why there''s not much to see, but on the contrary, I was able to successfully aim at the little devils that entered my line of fire. One shot at a time. I took good aim and took one headshot after another. The monster that was shot, crashed to the ground, and disappeared, went straight into a sand and gold drop, which was sucked into the porch. One by one, the little devils swarmed towards the road, black ball after black ball was also hurled. This one too, is defeated and fires back. I dodged the black balls like machine guns fired by multiple bodies, and then fired back with normal bullets. It''s a gunfight like in the movies. The spirit is F, so it''s a bad idea to hit them, and I fought with priority on evasion. Avoid and shoot, shoot and avoid. I repeated the process and wiped out the little devils. ''Fifty-seven in all, roughly 200,000 piro? You can check the weight by playing your finger on the thick pouch. That''s about the weight of a monster house. We made 200,000 piro for now, but money was not the goal today. I walked into the open gymnasium-like space, put my gun away and waited patiently. About three minutes later, the little devil showed up again. As usual, it looks like it was born from a dungeon () and is coming. The thing didn''t come close to me, it shot a black ball at me. It''s a long range monster. So I just flicked the black ball away, simple as that. I dodge it and it fires again, which I can easily avoid. It''s just one, it''s not a very fast ball, and it''s easy to dodge. As I continued to dodge without fighting back, the next little devil was born. This time, it was born as if it had been spawned from the ceiling. That one also shot a black ball, and now there are two enemies. Avoiding the doubled-up ball, they continued to avoid it without fighting back. It''s still jostling. The third one, the fourth one, the fifth one...... as you continue to dodge. The little devils are born one by one, and the number of balls shooting at me at the same time is increasing. I kept dodging, not fighting back, but accumulating the monsters and dodging the attacks. The number of little devils continued to increase, gradually becoming a barrage, and my concentration gradually increased. A corner of the village, the planned site of Tsubame''s repayment of kindness. The repayment of the favor of the buyer, Tsubame, who started building early, and a tent for a temporary store until it was completed. Inside that tent, I was being treated by Ena. There was another female shopkeeper from Tsubame''s Ongoing in the tent, and this one was sitting at the counter tending the store. ''I''m surprised, I didn''t know that Satou-san, who came to sell gold sand, was injured. I mean, I''ve never seen Satou-san injured before. ''Well, I think it happened a lot in the beginning. When it was just bean sprouts. Like the really early, early days when I was trying to make 20,000 piro in three days to rent a room to Emily. I remember bringing in sprouts in those days while I was in tatters. We didn''t have guns back then, and even now, I accidentally ran out of recovery rounds, and that''s how I ended up here, injured. ''I didn''t know Satou-san then,'' Okay. ''I mean, is Aulum really that dangerous?I can''t believe Satou-san got hurt like this. ''Not so much on the first floor, you can usually do it solo. The second and third floors are better with a party, it''s a group fight. Really? Yeah, I''m going solo... He stops Ena''s tending to her hands and draws his gun. He picks up a stone lying at his feet and tosses it lightly right in front of him. Then he pulls out two guns! Daddy Daddy Daddy!and a total of twelve bullets on both sides in the misguided direction (). And reload. Quick reload with a familiar hand. Twelve bullets are loaded, and it shoots. More reloads, twelve rounds. Reload after shooting, 12 rounds. Total, 48 rounds. That''s the number of little devils I was able to dodge unharmed. Every bullet I fired was a tracking round. Forty-eight rounds in a misguided direction, they changed course and swarmed around the stone. Stardust. It was the method I had developed when I defeated the dungeon master of Nihonium, the way he slammed the tracking bullets into the stone like a meteor shower all at once. The stones swarmed by the 48 bullets were shot and shattered one by one. Eventually, they disappeared without a trace. ''And well, this is how you get caught in the crossfire. So you''ll need a party. ...... Ena? ''Um, sorry, do you mean they do this to you when you go downstairs to the second and third floors?'' Yeah. Have you been hunting there? ''All of today''s money is sand from the hunt on the third floor. How much did we get? Less than half a million. That''s quite a lot of money. I mean, what did you do with that attack? Averted. Sometimes it''s hard to avoid and that''s what happens. I point at the spot where Ena has patched me up and laugh at the mockery. Avoided? It''s not quite there yet, though; I could have gotten to 48, but beyond that it looks like this. It''s great enough. I mean, you''re kidding me, avoiding that thing. Even if it''s great, the dungeons have to be stable. ...... I chuckled. The reason I practiced avoiding them was for when I would be fighting powerful monsters, even if my spirit turned S. If you are a dungeon master class with S strength, a magic attack will do damage if you are a dungeon master class, there is a high probability that there is a monster that will do more damage than that even if it has S strength. That''s why I thought it was better to learn how to avoid them as well as take them as a lazy thing. ''That training is going to take a break for a while. I''ve used up all the recovery bullets in my hand. Yeah, Ena stands up and goes to the shattered stones and picks up the shattered remains. ''I wish there was someplace like this where it''s the same kind of attack but doesn''t take too much damage. What? What? ...... Huh? Ena gave me a strange look. I walked up to Ena and took her hand and looked her straight in the eye. ''Thank you, Ena!I had a plan. Yeah, yeah? ''Thank you!Thank you so much! We''ll be back, I said goodbye to Ena and dashed towards the dungeon. The remaining Ena looked away from Ryota with a bang, but her expression slowly changed. ''...... Totally, man...'' He gazed at Ryota''s back as he left and wrapped his hand around his clenched hand. He wrapped it carefully around his chest like a nun praying. ''You''re going to act like a child when you talk about the dungeon,'' You sound like a damsel in distress, though. You''re annoying. What does it matter? Ena''s face turns bright red when a co-worker sitting at the counter points out to her. She''s teased her best friend before in the same way, karma. Aurum Dungeon, basement level two. Monster House. I was dancing in a barrage of balls of light. The density and trajectory of the barrage is exactly the same as on the third basement floor, the difference is that this one is a physical attack, and it''s almost ineffective against me, who has S strength. So I dodged, not take it, I dodged it. 45, 46, 47, 48....... The more monsters I didn''t defeat, the more monsters I would have to deal with. Eventually, I crossed the limit of what I could avoid and a ball of light started to hit my body. I was almost unharmed. I took a deep breath, re-partitioned, and started avoiding them again. Ina noticed, the same barrage, but where I didn''t take any damage. I didn''t have the idea to train here, I didn''t have the idea to avoid it here because the idea that I could take a physical attack was ingrained in me. When I realized that, I trained here. The damage was almost non-existent and safe, but I avoided it in the same mood as I did on the third basement floor, "If it hits you, you''ll take a lot of damage". The training lasted well into the night, and I was able to keep avoiding up to 60 of them without getting hit. 96. Because it ’s the third person Aulum Dungeon, fourth floor underground. After meeting up with Alice, she said heavily. ''''This is the last place to be, isn''t it?'''' Is that so? Yeah, I don''t think there''s a way down. All four floors, the shallow end. Most of the dungeons in Cyclo are up to a dozen floors underground, and Seren, who was born after I came to this world, is up to ten floors underground. Compared to that, this Awlum is up to the fourth floor, which is pretty shallow. ''''Now, what kind of monsters are the monsters here?'''' I check my bullets and prepare for battle. Suddenly, I noticed that Alice was staring in the direction of the day after tomorrow. ''What''s up,'' Eve, you were so powerful. Alice spills a sigh of relief. Eve is in the basement level right now. She went into the dungeon with us and stayed in the basement because she was bored. "You''ve been cracking balls of light with your chops. Well, she''s a veteran adventurer who became famous much faster than me. When I was in my last party, he seemed to be going down deep levels of the dungeon. Hey, what''s up with that party? According to Eve, they broke up because of a ''dungeoning disagreement''. Dungeonicity? Alice asks while tilting her head. I don''t want you to ask, I don''t really know what it is either. I have a guess that it''s similar to the way they use it, to their musicianship or something like that, but I don''t know much about it. ''I guess I could go to ...... and be that strong. Alice murmured just a little sadly. Hone Hone and Pru-Pru appealed to her with their shoulders. ''Thank you, that''s right, we should increase the number of friends we have. Alice was almost depressed for a moment, but quickly got back to normal. She''s already canned at the highest level of 2, and her abilities are extremely mediocre. The only way for her to become stronger was to increase the number of her fellow monsters. Right now there''s a skeleton Hone Honehone and a slime Purpur, but since there are still two of them and neither of them are very strong, I can''t count her in the strength of the dungeon, even though she''s here with Alice. After walking for a while, I met a monster. It''s a small demon that looks the same as the three levels above, only slightly different in color. That guy swung his hand down as soon as he encountered it. My hand glows - the ball of light is coming! I prepared myself and was about to duck the ball, but then I heard a pssst and the light in my hand went out. ''''It''s not coming out, what''s going on? Come on. The little devil waved his hand down once more. This time the hand turns black. Black as if there was nothing there, sucking in every light. So the black ball of magic attack is the real deal! I braced myself for it, but I heard another pushy, airless sound and nothing came out. ''No answer,'' He''s getting impatient. It''s kind of cute. I agree with Alice. It''s a monster, and yet that guy sees his hand and waves it in a panic. It''s an oddly charming gesture, like a child in a hurry. ''What do I do now?'' What do I do now? I feel a little guilty about taking down ....... Do I miss it? Yes. ...... The little devil''s movements changed as he picked his chin and thought about it. He waved his hands, but nothing came out, and gradually his eyes became more and more giddy as he blew steam out of his head. Right after he made a gesture of stepping on the ground as he flew through the air, he thrust his hands lightly into the heavens with his fists clenched. When he posed in a fist-clenched banzai pose ...... he began to emit light from his body. No, not from his body, but from deep within his body. His body was cracked and light was leaking out from deep within it. ''''--Not good!'''' Quickly, I stepped forward and covered for Alice. Immediately afterwards, a magic circle spread out at the little demon''s feet - and it just burst. The monster burst! Self-destruction. A powerful blast hits me as I defend Alice. I grit my teeth and bear it. For a time that seemed like no more than an instant or an eternity, I was engulfed in a rush of light and sound. After a few moments, the light and sound stop, and I feel a pang of relief. My body is chirping and my ears are ringing, but it''s not that damaging. ''Fufu......'' Lyota!Are you okay! I''m all right. You''re the one who''s all right? I have Lyota to thank for covering for me at ....... If you''re okay, that''s fine. More importantly, it''s the suicide bombing now. Yeah, it felt like it. "Suicide bombing or ...... let''s brace ourselves. Yeah! She covered for Alice and continued onward, her guide, who could sense where the monsters were, led her to the closest group of monsters. This time there were three of them, little demons that looked exactly the same. They shake their hands down with a glow, unsuccessful. Hand blackened and swung down, a dud. And then - self-destruction. Three times the blast hits us. I realized something as I defended Alice. The scene I saw just before the explosion. Only one of them blew itself up by stepping on the ground, and the other two are still in the process of turning their hands black. And yet, the magic circle had detonated those two animals as well. One of them was triggered and all three exploded. ''''Teteete .......'''' You okay? Yeah, it''s nothing to worry about. But it''s tough, this floor. The monsters that blew themselves up didn''t drop, right? No, you didn''t. ''Do we have to take them down before they self-destruct? Let''s try it. Okay, come on, then. This one''s a loner. Alice guides me to a single little demon and encounters it. Swinging my arm down, glowing and unexploded - a normal round of reinforced bullets mashup at the place. I didn''t want it to explode, so I tried to blow it away with one shot. Headshot, blowing the little devil''s head off exactly. "Well? Dropped. It''s a new level, so I don''t equip the pouch, I go to the spot where the little demon crashed to the ground and disappeared, and see that the sand and gold has fallen. I look for more, this time I let it self-destruct. The third self-destruct, I created a wall of ice with a mashed-up frozen bullet to block the blast. It didn''t drop this time. "I guess it''s no good. ''Yeah, I got the gist of it. The little devils on this floor act in rotation. Shoot a glowing bullet and dud, shake a black ball and dud, then step on the ground, bring out a magic circle and self-destruct. You''ll have your people around you when it happens. ''Yeah, it looks like all the monsters in the magic circle are self-destructing. The power is straight up for the number of people. What would happen in a monster house? Don''t be afraid to say it! I was horrified to imagine it for a moment. A monster house, a large number of small demons in a space like a gymnasium. After any one of them deactivated twice, I imagined the scene of a chain of huge explosions in the magic circle. ''''This is another special floor, isn''t it?'''' ''''Yeah, I''ll need a license for sure. Well, but I don''t think the adventurers would have come in the first place if they couldn''t take it down as fast as they could if they knew about it, since they wouldn''t drop it by self-destruction. That''s a good point. 99% of the reasons to dive into dungeons in this world are dropped goods. If those dropped items are self-destructive and don''t appear in the first place, then there''s almost no point in forcing yourself to go through them. I''ll make it a license, but I figured I''d be fine without it for all practical purposes. ''Ah.'' What''s going on? I''m calling you. You wanted to see me?It''s a little-- Alice ran out, I followed after her. A dungeon on a narrow path, I turned a few corners and saw one of the little devils there. The little devil swung his arm down, glowing and unsuccessful. ''Wait and stop, listen to me.'' Alice, however, tried to speak to him for some reason. The little demon waved her hand down further. The second time in the routine, one before the self-destruction. ''Hone hone, pull. Stop the bong!'' Skeletons and slime have returned to their original size from the size of their shoulders. Original size, but deformed and sculpted. Two of Alice''s friends went at the little demon. The little devil stepped on the ground - not good. Quickly swapping bullets. 5 reinforced bullets, 1 restraint bullet. I shot the striped restraint bullets at the little devil. The rope of light binds the little devil up, the dungeon stops. The magic circle did not appear. ''Thank you Lyota! The little demon, completely bound, and Alice went to it, too. Alice, Hone Hone, and Pull. The three of them attacked the little demon. A level 2 Alice, both a skeleton and a slime that inhabited the basement floor. It took a minute to defeat the little demon, who was completely bound and left beaten. The rope of light disappeared and the little demon crashed to the ground. Just before it disappears, Alice picks up its body. The little demon popped up in her hands and disappeared - taking on a new form. It''s a deformed, deformed, hand-nori-sized little demon, just like Hone Hone and Pru-Pru, with a deformed shape. Her name is probably Bon Bon, as she''s been calling it for a while now. ''Nice to meet you from now on, Bonbon.'' Alice squinted at her new friends. Having completed their roles, Hone Honehone and Purpur returned to SD size and rode on her shoulder. ''I''m Alice, this is Hone Honehone and Purpur, nice to meet you.'' Monsters (stuffed animals) greeting Alice with body language, a bit of a funny sight. But then, for some reason, Hone Hone and Pru-Pru hid behind Alice''s back. I wondered what was going on, and I soon found out why. ''What? Self-destruction involves Hone Honehone and Pullle too?Forced to stay in the magic circle?I see. It was kind of an interesting and horrible story. 97. Bomberman Encounter with the monster on the fourth basement floor. A self-destructive little devil, that''s one of them. ''Please, BonBon.'' As soon as they encircled, Alice sent her friends off in the palm of her hand. The same self-destructing little demon returned to its original size from the plush toy, but this one was the same size, but deformed here and there, with a cuter shape. The other little devil swings his hand down, glowing and unsuccessful. He swings down again, turns black and duds. I did a completely familiar routine action, but Alice''s companion - Bonbon - flew in a straight line and immediately banged away. A magic circle spread out at his feet, and light leaked out from deep inside Bonbon''s body. Immediately after, it explodes. A huge explosion of power that is comparable to the original. After the blast subsided, nothing was left there. ''Wow, that''s great Bonbon!'' It''s not like they''re going to blow themselves up or anything. Before I knew it, I was back on Alice''s shoulder, mumbling at the sight of a plush-sized, frolicking bonbon. Alice casually sent it off, so I had an idea, but it seems that this one''s self-destruct is not going to disappear when it does. It goes from SD to original size, and then back to SD when it self-destructs. That''s how it works. "How many times can this self-destruct be used now? Yeah, that''s what he says. No restrictions? ''I said no. Oh, once you return to your original form, you can''t come back for a while, so the limitation is that you can''t use it immediately in succession? I see. You mean you can''t go on a suicide bombing spree. ''So, I heard earlier that you''re going to involve Honehonen and Pru-Pru, is that what you''re saying? Is that what you''re saying? See, earlier when there were three of them, only one of them sent out a magic circle and the other two exploded with that magic circle, right? Oh, yeah? Alice smiles as if to say, "That looks interesting. I mean, I guess I didn''t see that one. It''s in the middle of a routine, but the sight of the magic circle-induced explosion was only a split second. Probably not even a hundredth of a second in time. Alice didn''t see that. ''But it sounds like that''s what it is. I''ll take a look. I nodded and followed Alice as she walked ahead of me. A few moments later, I encircled the little demon again. ''''Ah, a bit early. Hone hone, pull, stop that girl''s movement first. Following Alice''s command, Honehone reverted back to his original form as a skeleton and Purpuru reverted to his original form as a slime and went at the enemy little demon. The other side swung his hand down, but Honehone stopped him, tsking his arm, and Pull Pull showed his softness and clawed at his face. It''s like a slime head in the body of a little devil. The phrase "threatening slime humans" came to mind. ''Three, two, one...... go and bong! Alice counts down and sends Bonbon out again. Bonbon dives in and bans and sends out a magic circle. Immediately after, a flash of light and an explosion dominates the area. ''''Kyah!'''' Oops. A blast three times as large as I had expected to some extent. I grabbed Alice''s hand as she nearly lost her balance. I pulled back quickly and hid it behind my own back. The blast is only a blast. The hem of my clothes and pants flap around, but it does no damage to me. Eventually, the blast subsided completely. ''Thanks Lyota. Yeah. Good night, guys. On Alice''s shoulder, the three monsters that had come back before she knew it were dancing. Three SD-sized bodies, their joyful appearance was strangely cute. Both Honehone and Pru-Pru, who had been frightened earlier, were expressing their joy with their body language. ''I see, the explosion depends on the monsters inside the magic circle, right? ''What?Yes. ''There were three different explosions now. The bonbon is a normal explosion I''ve seen many times. The pulls were bursts of blue-white light, which looked like ice or water attributes. Hone Hone is a pitch black ...... explosion, or rather it was sucked in and swallowed up. It''s a black hole chick, so is it a dark attribute or something? I pick my jaw and analyze each of the three bodies that were visible in the moment of the explosion. It was only a moment, and it was a mess, so I''m not sure, but maybe I''m not that wrong. ''Wow ...... that''s amazing Ryota. You looked so perfect now ....... Alice marvels as her eyes widen. ''Shall we try again?This time it''s just one or the other, either a honk or a pull. It might be hard to tell with all the bonbons around. Yeah. We''ll take our time and adjust next time. Yeah! Alice and I started walking further. We walked and stopped, buying time for our fellow monsters to return to their original form. I glanced at Alice. This ability is the most amazing thing I''ve ever seen. I didn''t encounter them when I was cattlewalking, the encounter was exactly one of them. Alice, who knows what''s going on in the dungeon, doesn''t see me when she doesn''t want to see me, and when she does, she only meets one of them to make it easier to do so. I think that ability is the most amazing thing. ''Hey Alice, can you go into a dungeon, go to the bottom floor and not meet any monsters at all until you come back? I can do that, but not if they''re blocking the path downstairs. That''s true. She can go on and on in the dungeon if she wants to, but she can also choose not to encounter them at all. On the other hand, she can also head straight for the monsters. Yes, it''s a tremendously powerful ability. But I''m having a bit of a problem with this bonbon, because if it blows itself up, it won''t be able to fight for a while. ''The firepower is perfect, but if you think about going around the dungeons, you''re going to do it, do a break, and then take a break. It''s definitely not efficient. Yeah. Oh, don''t feel bad, Bonbon. Bonbons aren''t so bad. Alice comforted a sullen Bonbon. Hone Hone and Pru-Pru also encouraged Bonbon with their body language beside him. It''s in a dungeon, but it''s a comforting sight to see. While I was doing that, I encountered a monster. The only opponent is one of the little demons that self-destructs. She sent out only the Honehone, and that Honehone went to stop the enemy little demon. Next, she sent out a bonbon as well. ''So, you''ll take care of that then?'' The deformed little devil nodded his head. As I was wondering what that (,) means, the bonebon went past the bonebones. He goes to the opposite side of the room from us, across from the bonebons, and does his banzai there. The magic circle spread out and hooked Honehone at the very edge of it. And then - an explosion. Three self-destructs, me and Alice keeping our distance ahead of time to escape the blast. In the slightly stronger wind, I said to Alice, impressed. ''Well, that makes it easier to see the explosion. ''Yes!Now I know what they are. They were black and round like the ones in Bonehoney''s. It''s just like Ryota''s annihilation bullets.You''re not as powerful, though. It''s definitely like an annihilation bullet. It''s just not as powerful. ''Right!--Oh!Congratulations on your bonbon! What''s going on? Bonbon, I hear you''ve just raised the bar. Oh, so the monsters level up too? Yeah! If you look closely, you''ll see the bonbon back to SD size, dancing even more. He''s flapping his hands and jumping up and down, kind of cute. ''What happens when you level up?'' I''m sorry. Before Alice could answer, Bonbon stopped dancing and waved his hand down at me. ''That gesture, could it be--? ''Yes!He said he could pull the ball of light out. It''s amazing. The SD-sized bonbon, waved his hand, then put his hand on his waist and made a good face. A monster that levels up, you will be able to use the techniques that you couldn''t use. ''If I level up more, I''ll be able to hit black balls too. ''We''ll see!Good luck with that bonbon! Alice encourages the bonbon in the palm of her hand, and the bonbon clenches his fist and gives a small gut pose. A black ball. It reminds me of what it looked like when it was a complete enemy, the routine until it blew itself up, the arms swinging down twice. The monsters on the second and third floors of the basement, looking almost identical, firing a series of bullets. Maybe I''ll be able to do that, I thought. ''If I can do that, then I''ll be able to do both laps and fight strong enemies. Yeah! Along with her three companions, Alice had a big smile on her face. 98. Anomalous drop Four floors below the Aulum Dungeon, I was in spectator mode with my arms folded. Fighting in front of me was Alice, or more specifically, three of her fellow monsters. The skeleton Honehone was hitting enemies with his femur bone club, the slime puller was bouncing around and almost hitting them with his body, and the newly added Bonbon was leveled up and was using his ball of light for cover instead of self-destruction. It wasn''t overwhelming firepower, but it was a three-on-one takeoff and took out the enemy little devil. The drop item was a single grain of gold sand, and Pulle, who had been topped off, came back to Alice with it in his mouth. Alice, who received it, hugs Pull Pull Pull tightly. ''Good job, Purpuru, good job Honehone and Bonbon too. You look like a stable fighter. Yeah! If we can fight in here, so can Cyclo. Yeah?Come to think of it, the rare monster high gut slime counters excess damage, but what happens if the bonbons self-destruct? What''s going on? Alice nods her head, a curious look on her face. ''Let''s give it a try when we get back.'' Yeah! Nodding broadly, Alice returns the three of her companions to SD size and stares at the sand gold that she dropped. Together with the one I just dropped, this is the fifth one I''ve dropped today. Unlike the gold in the world I was in, the gold that the monsters over here dropped was pure gold from the start, hence the high price. The amount she holds in her palm is worth 10,000 piro. ''''I think it''s the first money I''ve ever earned in my life. Come to think of it, when you were at Cyclo, all you did was support. Yeah! Alice alternated between her hands and my face. ''Thank you Lyota!It''s all thanks to Lyota. Compliment those people more than I do. Yeah, right!Thanks guys! Alice said with a big smile, and Hone Hone and the three others expressed their joy with their body language. ''''Hey Lyota, is there anything you want?'''' What do you want? I want to give Lyota something for the first money I''ve earned. ...... I''d rather not talk about that for a minute. Why? I just remember how sad it makes me feel to be old. I''m happy for Alice''s feelings, but my brain has been transformed into "a present for my father with my starting salary". I''m really happy for the feelings, but it makes me sad. "Feelings are fine. The feeling? ...... Alice thought about it for a moment, and then she walked up to me, stood on tiptoe and kissed me on the cheek. ''Alice?'' "Feelings. No, that''s, umm... I love Lyota. Okay. I chuckled a bit. Alice''s feelings as she kissed me on the cheek. Innocent gratitude. I didn''t feel bad about this one. ''Am I bothering you?'' No, I''m just happy to see you. Great, thanks! For some reason, he thanked me again. The warm feeling and refreshing scent left on my cheeks. With a faintly lasting happiness, I take Alice back to the ground. On the way, we have a chat and sum up Aurum. ''''Aurum is all the way up to the fourth floor underground, and the drops are all levels of sand gold, and with this pattern, it''s probably a mining dungeon with rares and all levels of gold bars. Really? The dungeons seem to have a rule for dropping both front and back. I think Aulum is closer to Seren than Tellurium, and the rare drop is a pattern for the product, not the item. Okay. I think we should end the investigation now. I''d better get back to Cyclo. ''Yes!I miss Emily''s food and off-tune too. I haven''t been getting much sleep lately. This is your village, your family home. Emily is amazing, isn''t she? I agree with that. A three-story house, a new two-bedroom property, and a ramshackle apartment for 20,000 piro. All three houses I rent in Ciclo are maintained by Emily, and they''re very bright and warm. I thought I was the only one who hadn''t gotten used to Indor, but Alice, who is from the village, said she hadn''t been able to sleep well in her own house. Next time we go out, I''m going to take Emily with me, okay? Agreed. We went back the way we came, talking to each other about it. A long, narrow dungeon path, a Y-junction that split into two halves. Alice stands in front of it and compares them both. There''s a monster on the right side. It''s not a monster house, just a normal one. I wonder if there are any on the left. Let''s go right, then. Let''s make some money on the way home. Yeah! Saying that, I tried to go with Alice to the right. But the moment I stepped into the fork, my feet stopped. "Lyota?What''s going on? This way: ...... Is this the one on the left?There''s nothing to see over there, okay? ...... No, I''m there. What? There''s something over here. To the left of the Y-junction, I stared at the fork where it immediately curves and I can''t see beyond it. I don''t know why, but I knew something was up ahead. I''m just going to see what''s out there. ''What?Then so am I. Forget it, Alice, just go to the right. Raise everyone''s, especially Bonbon''s, level. You should be able to hit a black ball, too. Yeah, I''ll see you later. Yeah, again. Alice and I parted ways, and I continued down the path to the left. There were no monsters over here, just as Alice, born in the dungeon, felt. A completely peaceful path, I didn''t encounter any monsters, not even in a dungeon. ''Was it my imagination ......?'' I feel like what I felt was a mistake. Still, I went on, and if there''s nothing to see, then I''m going to see with my own eyes that there isn''t (...) and go home. Eventually we got out of the narrow road and came to a slightly open space. It wasn''t very wide, about the size of a garage where you could park a few cars. There was nothing there, it was a dead end. I knew there was nothing there. Me laughing bitterly. I thought I was right about the dungeon, the dungeon-born Alice sense of humor. I return the kibisu and try to turn back. ''--!'' Instantly, a reflex that didn''t pass through his brain moved his body. He kicked the ground and jumped sideways as fast as he could, then the part he was standing on was gouged out by something. He flipped his body around in the air and landed, pulling out his gun and holding it up. But I can''t see anything, just the empty space of the dungeon. ...... No, I''m here. It wasn''t like right after I got here, but I could feel it too. It wasn''t because I could see the marks of the attack where I was standing, but because I could genuinely feel the presence of the "enemy". I pulled all the bullets out of the magazine for now, and then loaded them all with tracking rounds and fired continuously. The bullets that should have gone straight away suddenly flipped 180 degrees and flew towards me! The 12 tracking rounds that were approaching in front of me, I leaned back and ducked with my upper body. "GYAAAAA! Immediately after, a monster screamed from directly behind me. I took a ton of distance behind me while regaining my stance. Twelve bullets were gathered in one place and floating in the air. They were gathered at about the size of a human''s head, and the space around them warped. It was transparent, but it couldn''t be completely transparent, making it appear subtle. It was the head of a demon. It was the rare monster on the first basement floor, the one that looked almost identical to that demon, but it was the one that was transparent. I knew it was there. The tension rose a bit. Of course, if I was right, one gold nugget with this thing, and millions of piro in cash, if I was right, that would be millions of piro. The guy couldn''t be completely invisible anymore. He couldn''t be completely invisible from being hit by a tracking round, and from the fact that it was still in his head. The guy waved his hand down, nothing happened--no! Bonbon - I remembered the little devil on this floor and quickly flew right next to him. Then the ground I was standing on exploded. He swung his hand down once more, and something invisible flew at me, this time gouging the ground. There are at least two kinds of invisible flying objects. And that was--. You mean you could blow yourself up! I can''t take long, I have to get this over with. The invisible demon swings his arms down even more, flying right beside him and dodging-- Ugh! I felt a thud in my stomach, as if I had been struck by a hammer. I could see its mouth, which hadn''t been able to turn invisible, twitch. The invisible flyer wasn''t where I was standing, it was shooting at me, anticipating where I was going to dodge. This guy ....... I was kind of pissed. I was pissed off that I''d been taken advantage of and that the guy looked so good at it. Put the gun away. Dropping back, I grab the ground with my toes and kick as hard as I can. Full speed S. I duck into the guy''s pocket at full speed. I see the guy''s surprised face, and at the same time, he swings his hand down. I grab that hand on the way down, and it surprises me even more. It swings its other hand down, and I grab that one, too. I can''t see clearly, but I''m poised to grab both wrists of the invisible demon. ''Now you can''t shoot anymore. Then it''s my turn now. He yelled and unleashed a front kick. It was responsive, and my head, which couldn''t be transparent, slumped forward. Maybe it was a body contortion. More kicks, more kicks, a relentless series of kicks. I''ll be able to pull both arms, which I grabbed with the last keri. Gugugugugugugugugug ...... snip. There was a sound of something being torn off, and the face of the transparent demon went swiftly away. My hand still grabbed my wrist, and then the area around its shoulder was not fully transparent, so I could see a little bit of it. My arm was torn off my shoulder. The same face that can''t become translucent is tinged with shock and anger. And then I stepped on the ground--. ''You''ll make me do it! He rushes forward and this time grabs the throat whistle. As it was, I pushed him against the wall, pulled the gun out and shoved it into his mouth. He pulled the trigger in succession, lobbing all the bullets he could find at zero distance. The bullet penetrated the back of my throat by the medulla oblongata and blew off half of my head. I let go of my hand, and with a thud, he falls to the ground. I pointed the muzzle at it and looked at it - but it didn''t move again. He doesn''t move again. He disappears with a familiar sound. And then the drop. In front of me, I thought it was another millions of piro. For some reason, it wasn''t a gold nugget, but a staircase leading downward appeared (or was dropped). 99. Unlimited I guess I should go to ...... for this one. I stare at the stairs and mutter to myself. When I beat the monster, instead of dropping something, a staircase that leads down appeared. Moreover, the staircase that appeared on the fourth basement floor when I went through all the steps and decided there was no more down there. Hidden stairs, hidden layers. My heart is racing, I''m excited to see what''s down there. Check your equipment. Two pistols, each loaded with conventional, frozen, flaming, tracking, strapped and reinforced bullets. Instead of the reinforced bullets from a while ago, there were recovery bullets, which can handle most situations, but the Indore trip was prolonged and the recovery bullets ran out. Still, I should be able to handle most situations, trying to avoid the attack, not get hit, and I went down the stairs. The moment I went down, the stairs disappeared. ''Is this a pattern that you can''t get back to without accomplishing something? Or is it ....... Anyway, there was no way it was going to end like this, and I was even more alarmed. The place I got off was a completely different place. The upper floor is a narrow street, but this is a completely white space, a space that is like a different world. The air is somehow different, the air is different even though it''s the same dungeon. I don''t know what I''m going to get. I tighten my grip on my gun and cautiously go ahead. Then I come to a slightly open space. Not as big as a gymnasium, about as big as a park in a residential area. There was a man there. No, a monster. He was dressed like an aristocrat with silver hair and beard, black cape and aristocratic attire. He had bat wings on his back and horns on his head. The word "demon" comes to mind, and he''s a guy who looks like a higher level demon compared to the little demons of the upper levels and the goat-headed, half-naked demons. ''Do you want to talk about it?'' I throw the ball of conversation at him while I put my hand on the gun. The guy raises his hand and points it at me with two fingers together. A chill runs up my spine. A chill runs up my spine, and I quickly dodge it by flying to the side. The place where I was standing a moment ago is gouged out without a sound. ''No questions asked!That''s easy to understand! Landing, shooting regular rounds with two pistols for a small check. Of course, I didn''t just shoot it, I shot it so that it would fuse on the way. The fusion piercing bullets for one reinforced round go flying. Pashin!There was a sound, and the penetrating bullet stopped in the middle and fell to the ground. When I looked closely, I saw that there was a wall of magic that emitted a blue-white light. It''s a barrier or a shield. Then how about this! Instead of normal bullets, he puts another reinforced bullet in it, and shoots freezing and fire bullets from left and right. On the way, the fusion and annihilation bullets. The extinguishing bullet collided with the barrier, gouging out a part of the barrier in the entire space. The moment I shot it, I kicked the ground and rushed forward, hitting the half-destroyed barrier and completely destroying it. Demon in the flesh. I tried to fire annihilation bullets from zero distance, saying that I can fire one more flame round and one freezer round on each side, so I can fire another annihilation round - and I tried to fire annihilation bullets from zero distance. But before he could fire, he closed the distance from the other side in the opposite direction. It dived further inside the muzzle of the gun. The red eyes towing the afterglow from below stared at me - not good. The demon swings his arms like a body blow, not a fist, but a fingertip with a fist, a sharp claw. I''m going to be the one who immediately visited him with a knee kick, swaying while kicking up that guy''s wrist. Claws covered in a black aura-like substance graze the tip of his chin. The front of my clothes were torn off, and something fell to the ground. I jumped backwards and loaded the bullet while keeping my distance, dropping back further while firing. The thing split the barrier between the fusing fire and freezing bullets. The flame and freezing bullets that didn''t fuse are each bounced off the barrier. It spread the barrier and played them before they fused. ''''You''re a quick learner!'''' ...... It is silent and gets even more intimate. I was made to learn the fusion bullets and challenged to close combat, and I returned fire with my gun and body techniques. Gun = Kata. The art of fighting at close range with a gun. I fight demons with my own style. My power and speed aren''t that strong, all of them are probably only A or B. However, he has a strong magic barrier, and he is a good learner and can make quick decisions. It can quickly learn the pattern of an attack, and even if it avoids an attack, it will change the pattern and come back with another one. It''s a nasty one, and it makes you feel like you''re dealing with a human, not a monster. In a way, it''s exactly what it looks like. d*mn, it''s getting sharper and sharper. The demon''s attacks kept evolving. I was in such a hurry that my back was soaked in sweat when I was feinted and an unexpected attack came flying at me. Even if I fired a bullet, it wouldn''t hit, and a single tracking bullet wouldn''t get through the barrier if it was a single shot. Eventually, the flaming bullets ran out, both the restraining and tracking bullets that hadn''t hit me even once ran out. I was gradually cornered against the wall. ''......'' I thought he grinned and laughed. ''''--You''re fast, you''re proud to win! Putin!I heard a sound in my head, and I put the muzzle on it. The demon must have read it, because he tries to dive into his pocket - where he swings down with the gun and hits me with his grip. Palin!A different sound than before. There was a sound like glass breaking and the barrier shattered. As it was, I put the muzzle to my brain and pulled the trigger continuously. Zero-range continuous firing, hitting all the loaded rounds you can get. The right one is a conventional round and the left one is a frozen round. How''s--okk! A counterattack, I dodged it, sharp claws came flying. I keep my distance, blue blood is flowing from its head. It''s not on the right side, it''s bleeding from the left side of your head, emitting cold air from the left side, bleeding from there. ''Odd, I''m a magician myself. I made a light comment, and for the first time I could see a kind of emotion - anger - in that guy''s face. The same number of consecutive shots, the left side of the frozen bullets worked, not the right side where I put the normal bullets into it. If it''s a magic attack, it will work, I thought, and tried to fire only freezer bullets - but. ''''d*mn, I guess I ran out of freezer bullets too! He spat evasively. It had been a long time since I left Cyclo, and I could hardly replenish my ammunition in that time. Even so, I thought I could handle dealing with the normal monsters of Aulum, but they were unexpectedly strong enemies and used up all of that too. Seeing this, the devil, as if he had sensed something, twisted the corners of his mouth. ''''--!Window Cutter! There''s magic without the special bullets!And then he shot the magic he had learned from eating the magic fruit. It hit the demon directly - but did little damage. The demon took it without a barrier and continued to smile thinly, not moving slightly. ''d*mn it ......'' I stepped back. He stepped in. I step back, and he pushes me back. I''m trapped in the wall again. I can''t let it get away from me. And then I saw something. Then I saw something. I saw something beyond the demon. That''s ...... if you can find it. But can you go to ......? No, it could work, it''s possible. But it''s only a momentary possibility. It''s only a momentary possibility. I moved away from it, inch by inch. I got away from it, as if to get away. The demon chased me, chasing me as if it had me trapped against a wall. All the while, I didn''t stop smiling thinly. Eventually, I was cornered at the edge of the space. The demon grinned and twisted his mouth into a ''delta'' shape and swung his claws at me. '''' Now!And I raised my gun. It laughed, like a human being, mockingly. It stopped attacking, as if to say, "Go ahead and shoot me with the rest of your bullets. I shot. The other side of the--the demon. "--! The demon''s obvious surprise for the first time, that guy turned around and surprised him twice. There''s a little demon there, for a second. It''s a haglemono that hatched from the gold that he gouged out of my clothes in his first attack. Hagremonos can only exist for a split second in the same dungeon, as confirmed by Nifonium. I took that moment to shoot the little demon with a conventional round. The demon looked unsure why I did that. I wasn''t going to let him know, because he''d decide in one shot. From inside the pouch, I loaded the lightning bullets dropped by the haggle-headed little devil, and attached five rounds of enhanced bullets to it. He then thrusts them at the demon''s solar plexus. ''You''ll regret it for disrespecting me. I mumble that and pull the trigger. A zero distance thunderbolt, lightning envelops the demon. The demon rears back and grunts as it crisps and discharges. Eventually, that thing is scorched black and collapses from its knees and falls to the ground. And then one bullet is dropped, a rainbow colored bullet. I pick it up with high hopes that since it''s such a strong enemy, a stronger enemy than a dungeon master if it''s bad, the drop should be amazing. --Please choose one of the infinite bullets! As I expected, I could hear the "wow" in the voice that I knew. I thought about it a lot, and I chose the most expensive single shot, the thunderbolt made from gold sand. The rainbow-colored bullets emitted a bright burst of light and then changed their appearance to lightning bullets. It''s just a lightning bullet, but it can''t be just any bullet. Load the gun and shoot. A bolt of lightning lands in the empty space. You shoot again, and the lightning goes back again. You shoot again and again, the lightning comes back, and you never run out of bullets. It was an infinite supply of lightning bullets. It could have been an infinite recovery round. I guess that''s because I''m getting tainted by this world too. I somehow thought that safety first, infinite recovery is better if you''re assuming to go around. Well, this one''s good too. Well, now that we''ve got the rare item, it''s time to replace it. Congratulations. What? I suddenly heard a voice and turned around, startled. Standing there was a girl I''d never seen before. She was about fourteen centimeters tall, dressed in very gothic clothes, and had horns and bat wings just like the demon from earlier. ''''A monster?!'''' I have a gun. No, I''m not a monster. ...... Then what is it? I wonder, and the girl''s reaction certainly doesn''t seem to be a monster. But why are they here?And why does it look like the demon from earlier? All sorts of questions came to mind, but the next thing I knew I had almost half the answers with one word from her. ''My name is Aurum, Aurum. 100. Level 1 but unique skills will grow the dungeon The girl in front of me said her name with an air of arrogance, yet somehow humanity. ''''Is that the same name as Aulum ...... this dungeon?'''' You know what? This is me. This is me. ...... dungeon genie, you mean? That''s what it looks like. Ah Lum smiling at me. His beauty and mysterious air. The spirit of the dungeon, I could easily believe it even if I called myself a dungeon spirit. It''s not painful, it''s like a cheap tweak. I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it. Do you want to go beat it?If you beat me, you''ll get a hell of a lot of gold. Aurum says with a grin, and a prankish smile. If it''s a monster, I''d take it down, but there''s no option but to take down someone who''s cute like this, and most importantly, with whom I can communicate normally. ''I won''t,'' I shrugged and replied with a slightly over-reaction. "Huh. Hey, what''s your name? Ryota Sato. Sato?Ryota?Strange name. Well, it''s a unique name. But it''s been hundreds of years since a human came to my place. You have a 0.000000001 chance of opening this door after conquering the dungeon and defeating the lowest level monster. It can''t be helped. ''Hundreds of years.Isn''t Aulum a newborn dungeon? ''Huh?You don''t know anything about it? Aulum is wide-eyed. ''We''ll always be here, we''ll be in dungeons and not dungeons, just moving from one place to another. ''Really?Us? Yes. Aulum nodded with a straight face. Aulum...... Tellurium...... Nihonium...... us. ''''Could it be that there are 118 people in all?'''' You know what? You know what I mean? I mean, I''m a sailor, Levee. What is that? No, I''m just saying. Hmmm, whatever. I haven''t seen anyone in 300 years, so if you''re free, come and join me for a bit of chitchat. Of course, I don''t want to say that it''s free. I''m happy to oblige. Aulum raised his hand with a swoosh. After snapping his white fingers out of the end of his lace-filled bell sleeve, a mountain of gold appeared in space. Literally, a mountain of them. The gold nuggets were piled up in a flurry like cardboard boxes piled up in a warehouse. The golden color that reflected the light and the roughly trillions of gold bars were dazzling in a double sense. I want gold, and the more gold I have, the happier I am supposed to be - but this is indeed a pullback. ''Okay, that''s fine,'' What?Is that not enough?Well, then-- More importantly, are you okay? What? Aulum, struck by the emptiness of the situation, froze with his eyes wide open. ''''I''m fine?'''' Yeah. What do you mean, it''s going to be okay? What do you mean? I''m supposed to be okay. I''m supposed to be okay. ...... Auld Lang Syne, after all, said with a somewhat arrogant expression. At the same time, he was still very friendly. I''m even more convinced that what I saw and felt in her was not my imagination. I''m convinced that what I saw and felt in her was not my imagination. Emily. Celeste. Alice. Margaret. The villagers of Indor. The expressions on those people''s faces, the air they wore when they met. One after another, they ran through my head like a running lamp. It was the same one I once had. The same as I had been a cattleman in my former world. This is the air given by people who are unfortunate, people who are forced to do something without being blessed. Ahrum wore that air. It''s very difficult to understand, but I was definitely wearing that air. "Wha-what''s that look? What do you want? What? ...... ...... is not quite there yet. I''m sure I''ve missed people for the first time in 300 years. Aulum let out a sigh and looked at me, a thin smile sticking to his mouth. ''I need to look out. "Outside. ''Yeah, outside the dungeon. I don''t even remember it anymore, but it''s like I''ve been in the dungeon since I was born. Always? ''You said this body is like a monster, right?I can''t get out of the dungeon, and I can''t even get out of this room in the first place. ...... I see. I knew clearly, what she wanted. It was a very obvious and straightforward desire. She had never been outside since she was born, so she wanted to go outside just once. It''s not often that a desire is so obvious. Well, it''s a dream that never comes true. ''Well, it''s a dream come true, but I want you to stay here for a few days. You can tell me all about the outside world and I''ll give you all the gold you want. Aulum winked at him as he said this. The pompousness was hidden and more of a humanity came out. At the same time, another one leaked out. Resignation. It''s not a lie to say, "Give me a few days because I''m going to give you a break. I know that I''d rather stay a while because I can''t go outside. That''s a product of giving up though. I can''t get out, so at least let me talk to you. That was sad to see. So I. "Wait, what-- He put the muzzle to her brow and silently pulled the trigger. Infinite lightning bullets, even the masochistic enhanced bullets worked, and with one shot, the gothic girl''s body was charred to black. The body of the girl who collapses while charged, immediately afterwards, poof, it turns into a gold nugget. It''s a regular hexahedron gold nugget with all sides roughly one meter - about one cubic meter. ''''Indeed, this is an amazing gold nugget. As I said this, I picked up the gold nugget (her). It was chunky and heavy. It was even heavier than Emily''s hammer, so heavy that even a force S would feel a bit heavy. With that gold nugget in my arms, I left the hidden room covered in gold nuggets. Aurum dungeon, fourth floor underground. I turn back the way I came - I check the stairs before, the stairs leading to the hidden room are still there, and they don''t seem to disappear for a while. I head out with the gold in my arms in relief. Third basement, second floor, first floor. We went outside without meeting anyone on the way. There were a few people in the village square, but I took advantage of the gap and went outside to avoid detection. Then I took the gold at the top of the mountain, away from the village. I put the gold there, and put a grain of gold sand on it as well, and kept my distance. A distance away from people - a distance to hatch into hagremonts. I waited. I waited for the moment. Eventually, she hatched from the gold. She''s exactly the same as when we met, not only intact, but in her original form without a single loose piece of gothic clothing. ...... Huh? The first voice was a surprise. Aulum looked around and made a face, not knowing what had happened. ''What is this place?'' We''re out of the dungeon. Outside? Yeah, when I heard it was a monster, I thought, "Yeah. I thought if I made him a haggler, I could bring him outside. Of course you can, but that''s not a good idea. Yeah? If he becomes a monster, he can come outside, but it''s the other way around. I''m the only one who stays on that floor. If I try to go back, I''ll disappear in the middle of the floor, and when I''m gone, there will be no more drops. That''s okay too. What? Here. I pointed to her feet. The sand gold I put with the gold nugget (her) hatched into a haglemono in the same way as when I put it down. A little devil much like the gold hagremonos and bonbons. ''''This is--hyun! The little devil shot out instantly as I was quicker to actually show it than to explain it. An infinite number of lightning bullets instantly charred the little devil to black. And then it dropped. It dropped into a thunderbolt instead of sand and gold. ''''Huh?What does this mean? ''We can drop him again like this and bring him back to that room. Can we go back? Yeah. ...... Aulum''s eyes widen, stunned. ''So, you can enjoy the outside in peace. "Outside ......, oh ...... That''s when it finally entered her consciousness that she was out there - that she was out there. She turned around and saw Aulum. The view was wide open. A view from the mountaintop, the vast land, this world. A vast expanse of land where every thing is dropped in the dungeon and therefore there is nothing, on the contrary it is beautiful. ''This is ...... outside ......'' Aurum was overcome with emotion. The gloom that had been there earlier, pushing away underneath the resignation, was gone from his impressed profile. The sight of him made me glad I could take the caged bird out. ''Thank you ......,'' After a while, she said to me, staring at the view. "Thank you for taking me out. If you like it, it''s worth it. But that''s the last of them... well, it''s a shame to go back. Last?Why? Because there''s a 0.000000001% chance of that exit opening up, maybe once every hundred years or so. That''s okay. I drop 100% of everything. Maybe even the stairs to get there can be 100% for the appropriate monster. ...... eeeeeeee! Aulum sounds bareheaded. ''Nah, why?'' It''s that kind of ability. Didn''t you have them drop in from Hagremonos in the first place? Speaking of which: ...... So I''ll come by every now and then and take you out. Yes! Aulum smiled a girlish smile that was appropriate for her age and hugged me. ''Thank you!'' I couldn''t help but thrill at the feel of it, soft and light, the exact opposite of the gold nugget. Stars I tried to turn Aulum into a gold nugget and bring her back to the dungeon. But after shooting her with a lightning bullet, it was twice as much gold as I dropped earlier. If you make it into a haggler and drop it, things change, and most of the time it''s better. Aurum himself was no exception, he became twice as much gold. Carrying it back to the dungeon - but it was indeed too heavy. It was heavy to begin with, but it''s even double that. It''s so heavy that even with strength S, my muscles start to pull and shake. I was grabbed because it was too heavy, so I put the gold down and took a little rest. It''s heavy, Aulum......, and that''s the kind of impression that would make me angry if I told a girl. It''s a good thing that you''re able to make her smile after she was trapped in a dungeon for hundreds of years - or even more than a thousand years if you''re bad at it. More importantly, it''s another dungeon. ''''I knew there were 118 people in there. ...... So that means there are 117 more to go. The tellurium in the cyclo, the nihonium, the silicon and the arsenics. It means that every dungeon in this world has a child like Aulum - a dungeon spirit. Let''s meet them. It was time to get used to the dungeon, and I had a new goal in mind. ''Ah, there they are! Alice, what do you want? You know what, Lyota-- What is that? Alice, running from the village, was surprised to see the gold. ''''Go through this. More importantly, you seem to be in a hurry to find me, what''s going on?'' Oh, yeah. It''s a big deal, Lyota. So what? The dungeon drops, they''ve just doubled in size. What? ''We''ve all doubled in size, what does this mean?I know it''s out of the blue and some people are worried about it, but is it okay? Double the drop: ...... With a gasp, I looked at the gold nugget (Aurum) at my feet. The gold nugget that had doubled in size, and Aurum was impressed with the world outside. I wonder which one it is ....... What? Oh, no, I''m talking to you. I don''t know which one it is, but I''ve decided to think it''s the latter. It''ll be worth it. Alice. Yes. ''It''s okay that the drop is doubled, go tell everyone that it''s doubled from now on. Really?! Yeah. Yeah, okay! Alice nodded widely and ran off to communicate. I looked away from her back and looked at the doubled up Aulum (). I was getting more and more eager to see Telle and the rest of them, I thought. 101. No income The next day at noon in front of the Aurum dungeon. The villagers came out of the dungeon and the sparse sight of adventurers. I watched from a distance as they all had beaming faces. "Amazing, I didn''t expect the amount of dungeon drops to increase. Clint, standing beside me, had a surprised look on his face, just like the line. Clint rushed in from Cyclo again after hearing the story that had spread through the village. He was skeptical at first, but after hearing the story from the villagers who had dived into the dungeon and the benefactor of the buyer, Swallow, he had to believe it. If there are actual numbers, there''s no doubt about it. ''''This kind of thing has never happened before?'''' Not that I''m aware of. ...... What''s that special drop at the bottom of the dungeon called? I don''t know if he knows about Aurum, so I blur it out as best I can and ask Clint. ''The bottom of the dungeon?You mean godless? God forbid. Yeah, it happens once every few years in the world. Different times, different places, different adventurers, and the one thing they all have in common is that they disappear after killing a rare monster at the bottom of a dungeon. God forbid. Some come back sooner or later, but many just disappear and never come back--no way! Clint looks at me with an even more surprised look on his face. ''Oh,'' Oh, really? That''s great, Satou-san, you''re in luck. Luck. I don''t remember Aulum saying that. If you kill a rare monster on the bottom floor of the dungeon, there''s a 0.000000001% chance of that staircase appearing to you, and it''s been 300 years since a human came to you through that chance. Yesterday, I met Aulum again since then. I defeated a rare monster and brought out the stairs. Aulum was surprised to see me go through 0.000000001% again in the same day, but I wasn''t that surprised. Drop S. A unique (and only one) special skill that only I have in this world. It makes me drop 100%, the quality of the things it drops is higher than the others, and it makes me drop special things from people who don''t drop. Even if it''s 0.000000001%, it''s still 100% if you take the drop S. So it''s not like you''re lucky or anything. It''s a natural phenomenon. Clint looks at the villagers, the village suddenly coming to life with the doubling of the drop, and opens his mouth with deep emotion. I guess that''s what they call it when a frame comes out of a gourd. What? I asked Satou-san to help the villagers of Indore just to help them, but I never thought it would come to this. I got lucky (). Well, you''re in luck. We stand in line and watch the villagers. Suddenly, Clint holds something beside me - in front of me. It''s a rolled up piece of paper in the shape of a tube. "What''s this? ''Another thing that''s lucky. I ended up talking to Samethrene yesterday afternoon. He took the paper from Clint and opened it, the complicated wording looked like a contract, with two signatures at the bottom. ''Indor is completely and utterly out of touch with Samethrene. If the drop doubling had gotten through to the other side before this, there would have been another wrinkle. I see. It was a lucky break. I roll the paper back into a tube and return it to Clint. Shoulder to shoulder, I watch the villagers smile and hope for the future. Some of them are adventurers from other places. Little by little, the dungeons and other commercial activities are gaining momentum. Indor is starting to take off as a gold mining village. That''s the moment I realized that my role was over. They found out it was Clint and came to the chief''s house. How do you do, benefactor? The village chief served tea and greeted me with a condescending attitude. "I think it''s time to go home. What do you mean home?Where are we going? The village chief starts to panic. "It''s Cyclo, I''ve been away from home for a long time now. Yes, for a house, here in Indore. We were just discussing the need to build a house for our benefactor. A mansion is ....... I laughed bitterly, that''s what you were discussing. ''Okay, that''s fine,'' But you are a benefactor to our village. Low levels are not tied down. The village chief tries desperately to persuade her, but the door suddenly opens and Eve walks in. She''s wearing her own bunny suit and a s*xy bunny suit. She came stuttering over to my side and looked down at the squatting village chief. ''And what do you mean by not being tied up?'' ''The dungeon is waiting for a low level. Another dungeon. Other dungeons: ...... ''One dungeon and keeping low levels tied up in their own selfishness is a bad idea,'' Mmm. ...... The village chief flinched as Eve stared at him. Eve''s eyes were unusually serious. ''''Well, you''re right, ...... we shouldn''t keep our benefactor in this place because of our selfishness. I understand. Then at least accept our kindness! Once he seemed to back off, the village chief said as if he was going to bite back. ''Feelings?'' We are grateful. The people of the village are very grateful. Gratitude or ....... I didn''t do this or that because I wanted that, but that doesn''t mean I''m going to turn it down. I''ll take the feeling. ''Oh!Thank you!I must let everyone know immediately. I must give you the first portion before your benefactor leaves. The village chief got up and ran outside. Even though it was his house, he ran out, leaving me and Eve behind. ''You''re impatient. I mean, what''s the point of gratitude?You say it''s the first minute or something. I''m a rabbit. Is that so? Eve nodded persistently. ''A rabbit''s ears are hell-ears.'' With a twitch, Eve''s bunny ears moved. Kind of cute. ''The king sounds like a donkey! One percent. One percent? ''They''re going to take a low-level share of one percent of this village''s taxes,'' I felt so heavy! I pouted. ''I mean, how much is one percent going to be?'' I don''t know that much about the rabbit. That''s right. I nodded my head with Eve, wondering how much it would be. ''Tens of millions a year, oh, and over a billion since the drop has doubled. I was astonished when I heard the figures later from Ina, who was setting up a buyer''s shop, and I was told that the amount of unearned income would be in the hundreds of millions a year. 102. Account balance and HP Nifonium, first basement floor. The dungeon is still uninhabited, and you have to defeat the skeletons that appear one after another with lightning bullets. The moment the bullets hit the cave, lightning fell from the ceiling of the cave, and the bone monster was smashed to pieces in a single blow. It''s powerful enough to be the most powerful single special bullet. ''''The cost is so high, the original (...) Lightning bullets, the special bullets that are dropped by hagglers hatched by the gold sand dropped by the monsters in the Aulum Dungeon. Since it''s gold sand, its original cost is about 3,000 Piro per bullet. The cost is much higher than the regular bullets that drop from vegetables and such, or the tracking bullets that drop from garbage. And I shot them without a care in the world. As soon as the skeletons and encounters, they are instantly killed by lightning bullets. As soon as I met them, I''d shoot them appropriately, and even if they didn''t hit me, I''d push them off with a series of shots. I didn''t reload or anything during that time, I just kept firing. Infinite Bullets. An item dropped by a monster that I defeated in a space that shouldn''t exist in the fourth floor underneath Aurum, an item that made one type of bullet infinite. In other words, infinite lightning bullets. I shot it sparingly - without the need to spare it. After circling the first basement level, HP seeds accumulated in the pouch. With that, I walked out of the dungeon. I came to the usual unpopular area and scattered the seeds on the ground to keep my distance. After a while, the seed hatched into a skeleton haglemono. I used the same lightning bullets to kill it instantly, turning it all into frozen bullets. With this, I was able to replenish the frozen bullets that I had used up on my Aurum business trip. And at no cost. The replenishment of bullets was done by defeating Hagremonos, until now, there were two choices: take them down in a meatball battle with no cost for time, or take them down in a costly, time-saving firefight. A good mix of both: ...... He stared at the gun loaded with infinite lightning bullets. This thing made it possible to replenish bullets at no cost and in less time. It became more and more convenient. I retrieved the frozen bullets and this time I dove into the basement level. The monsters were almost as strong as the zombies and skeletons, and we used infinite lightning bullets to collect a pouch full of seeds, and then went outside to turn them into haggles and replace them with flaming bullets. The third basement floor was the same, we used infinite lightning bullets to recover a lot of recovery rounds from the monster mummy. We''ve only been here for a couple of hours. We came here first thing in the morning and it wasn''t even noon yet. I thought that if I had infinite lightning bullets, I could do anything. ...... That''s right, it wasn''t so sweet. Fourth floor of the Nifonium basement, a mummy that drops strength seeds and restraining bullets. The mummy looks the same as the third floor, but with one crucial difference. In order to drop them, you have to shoot a recovery round into the tome in order to completely annihilate it. I shot an infinite number of lightning bullets at the encumbered mummy. The mummy collapsed and its body disappeared, but the bandages remained. I fired a series of infinite lightning bullets at the bandage. I pulled the trigger all over the place, using the fact that it was infinite as a good thing. A barrage of lightning, the ground gouged and the terrain changed. A bandage was left in its wake, a completely intact, pristine bandage. He took out another gun, loaded it with freshly refilled recovery rounds, and fired. The bandage, which hadn''t flinched under a hundred rounds of lightning, was gone in an instant. This is the type of monster that won''t let you top it off unless it''s a specific attack. ''''Let''s use the recovery one for the next infinite rounds. The infinite lightning bullets had increased the efficiency of recovering most of the special bullets and also found their next target. At noon, after a round of replenishing bullets, we left Nihonium and headed home. Our house, which was three stories high, with a magic storm guard. When I walked in, I saw Emily and Elsa doing something. The first floor, which is like a garage, I put a drop transfer function on it, so Elsa was seconded from Tsubame''s gratitude to become the resident here. It''s a place that should be called Tsubame''s gratitude sub-branch, if you will. The two of them, Elsa and Emily, are doing something there. ''''I''m home. Mr. Yoda!You''re home! It''s good to see you, Ryota, and it''s good to see you back. Yeah. It''s been a long time since I''ve seen Elsa, and she smiled at me. I got back from Indor yesterday after a long absence and went out to Nihonium early this morning, so this is the first time I''ve seen Elsa since I got back. ''Thank you, Lyota-san, for being the first to bring the story of that place to our house. Master was very pleased. ''It''s always been good to me. I hope it pays off. ''It''s not a place to be!It''s a very big business. The master said he''d hire a full-time staff and send them over there. Where''s Ina? Ena''s knowledge of plants is specialized in plants, so she still thinks it''s better to send someone who knows about gold or something like that for the future. Yeah, that''s right. I''m a cyclo buyer, so it''s not surprising that minerals are not my specialty, in a way. ''What did you do for more than that?'' ''I was just filling out Miss Emily''s purchase in the passbook. A bank book? I''ve never heard that word before. If it''s as they say over there, it''s a bankbook. ...... I''ve seen Emily, a six-foot-four woman who literally has what looks like a bankbook in her hand. She looks like a schoolboy on his way home from the post office with a piggy bank. Noticing my eyes, Emily explains to me what''s going on. ''''Elsa-san has been seconded to me, but it''s not a good idea to keep the cash here, so I''ve decided to transfer the assessed amount directly to the bank.'''' A bank book and a bank book. As it is, there''s zero room to imagine something else when you hear the explanation. I didn''t know we had a banking system over here. "Yoda-san, Yoda-san, What''s going on? Emily calls out to me, her eyes shining brighter than ever as she looks up from below. ''I''ll look at this,'' You mean the bank book?--Oh, that''s over a million piro. ''Yes, sir, I exceeded it at the drop this morning. It''s amazing. I''ve never seen a savings account with so many numbers in it. Really? Emily looks incredulous. ''I''ve only ever seen my own bank book, and I was on about 120,000 a month in take-home pay until the end. I didn''t have the income to save. I always felt like I was dying back then, and at the end of the month I''d see the account balance on my website. My past self, which makes me sad and angry when I remember it. Every day when I was working overtime in a black company, when I was being exploited and my HP was constantly dying red. ''You couldn''t grab the super necessity when it was blinking red. ? Emily nods her head in a scowl. ''In that case, Yoda, I''ll make you a passbook, too. Make it? Mr. Yoda can go to 10 million--no, 100 million--right away. It will be even more than mine! ...... Right. I nodded, I''m sure I did. I''ve been spending as soon as I''ve earned it, but at Emily''s suggestion, I thought it wouldn''t be a bad idea to have a bit of fun with my savings. 103. Half of usual The living room of the three-story house in the morning. I was eating the breakfast Emily had made for me and looking at the bank book she had made for me. Celeste peeked at it from the side with a curious look on her face. ''What are you looking at?'' The bank book. Celeste, I got mine made yesterday. ''You didn''t have it before, why does ...... only have 12 pillows in it?Isn''t it usually a thousand or ten thousand, or some other amount that''s reasonably easy to hand over? Celeste twists her head curiously. Certainly, when opening an account, if there was no particular reason to do so, a single bill that could be handed over quickly is the norm, or for some other reason, there is a pattern of one yen (piro). It''s impossible to give such a middle amount of money. But I did what I did. I said, "I found this in the account over there. Over there? Celeste nods her head again, not caring, I continue. ''It was the end of the month. I had 912 yen in my account, so I deposited 100 yen and withdrew it as a 1,000 yen bill at the ATM. That was the last money I had. I had about three days until payday, so I had plenty of time to spare. ''Well ...... three days to 1000 ...... yen?It''s a pillow, does that mean you''re going to spend time with it? Yeah. The value of a pillow and a yen over here is about the same. I wonder if that''s something we can afford. I can afford it. I can do it for a month. I can live on a thousand pounds a month. "Don''t be a golden legend. I say to Emily as she comes back from the kitchen with the food. I''m sure she can afford that much cash, considering she was living in a dungeon for survival instead of money. "I got it, Emily! Yes? Go ahead. You''ve got to go to ......? Yeah, it looks good. Emily said, "? I thought of many things, including Celeste. I took another look at my bank book. Twelve piro. The last deposit balance on the other side, the number with the HP gauge flashing red. I dared to match that number, I wanted to make it look like I was starting fresh from here. ''I''m going to make as much money as I can today,'' You''ve been here all morning? I will. Okay. You''re going to make your lunch and take it to school, right? But I''m afraid it might be a bad day. Celeste said that as she looked out the window. ''What do you mean it''s a bad day?'' I''m in the diurnal colony today. Solar eclipse? "Yes, Nikolai. Celeste nods at me and looks out the window again. What does that mean?I got up and opened the window and looked out. Cyclo was reasonably busy in the morning. No, much more lively than usual? The shops that only open around noon are already open, and the open-air bar three doors down is already full of adventurers drinking. I''ve seen this scene ...... ''Magic Storm, it''s similar to how people stop going into dungeons because they can''t earn it and have fun. It''s that thing. Celeste comes right beside me and points up at the sky. I followed it and looked up in the same way and was ...... amazed. My goodness, there were two suns. Terdungeon, first basement floor. Much fewer adventurers than usual, and far fewer monsters than usual. In the midst of it all, I pushed my magic cart around. Monsters are few and far between, and they''re hard to come across. ''''This is the ''Sun Reproduction'', there are a few days a year when the sun increases, which reduces the number and drop rate of monsters.'''' Celeste, who followed me, explained. ''The number of monsters has visibly decreased, but the drop rate too?'' Yeah, they''re all roughly one grade down. Celeste operates the nearby Nowboard. ---2/2--- Plant F (-1) Animals F(-1) Mineral F (-1) Magic F(-1) Characteristic F (-1) --------- ... The status displayed was clearly displayed one rank lower. ''So it goes like this,'' I see. ''It seems that most adventurers don''t enter dungeons on days like this because there are so few monsters and the drop rate is doubly inefficient,'' ''''So the air was similar to the one during the city-wide magic storm? The same way I operated the now board and checked the drop rate. ---2/2--- Plant S (-1) Animals S(-1) Minerals S(-1) Magic S(-1) Characteristic S (-1) --------- ... Celeste''s tongue wags as she looks at the status displayed. ''''As expected, it doesn''t seem to affect Lyota at all. ''That doesn''t mean I can''t, because the drop rate is the same for me, but there''s nothing I can do about the dwindling number of monsters in the first place. Certainly, there''s nothing we can do without a monster to beat. It would have been better if it had been an increase instead of a decrease like this. Yes, that one. ''Moon Reproduction. According to the Eastern spellcasters, during the Sun Reproduction, the Yang Qi is increased and monsters are suppressed, so the overall number is lowered, and during the Moon Reproduction, the Yin Qi is stronger and the numbers and drops are higher. There''s some kind of logic to that. Eastern spellcasters are those kinds of people you''d like to meet ...... once. ''Will there be more moons ......?'' I giggled a little at the thought of it, but at the same time I felt like I''d been outsmarted. I was going to make some money and increase my balance today, but the timing is too bad. If it comes to this, we''ll have to leave it until the end of the day and do something else today. On days like this, everyone runs to consume, which should be a good way to replenish the tracking rounds, since there''s a lot of garbage out there. ...... You''re going to do it. Yeah, it''s a handicap, but I''ll do it. Good luck, Lyota. With Celeste cheering me on, I decided to go around the dungeon with fewer monsters. "d*mn it!Run away well! Twenty minutes into the hunt, I found one more thing - well, two things that were different than usual. First, the monster became weak. The slime on the first floor of the tellurium was weak to begin with, but its speed of movement and strength of attack had all been cut in half. It was so weak that even a child could defeat it now. The other thing was that the monsters were now easier to escape from. Perhaps because they were weaker, they would often run away as soon as they encountered them. Day of Reproduction, it''s not a double whammy, it''s a triple whammy. Fewer monsters, fewer drops, and less efficiency because they would run away as soon as they encountered them. ''I quit, I quit!'' You''re a big boy. You don''t usually drop anything when you''re up to speed, and then you just quit. That triple whammy got me, and the other adventurers who came into the dungeon came out of the dungeon with a series of noises. I stayed on. The existence of the bankbook I had left with Elsa, the number 12 piro, made me stomp on. I tightened my grip on my gun and went around the dungeon. The first floor of Tellurian basement, a dungeon I was familiar with, I went around the monster appearance points. One out of every three times, I would strike out without a monster appearing. For that amount of time, I didn''t miss the monsters I encountered and defeated them exactly. Infinite lightning bullets, I didn''t stint and took down the monsters. My drop rate fortunately didn''t go down, the same as it did with the Defiler of Purity, Bicorn, it didn''t go down from S. Where others were triple-dipping, I was able to get away with double-dipping. ...... You really are one of the few that do. There was also a situation that rarely happened normally, where the next monster didn''t spring up after a round of the dungeon. I sent in 32,109 pillows worth of bean sprouts ...... that didn''t reach the usual 40,000 and hunted for a while. Down from the exhausted basement floor to the second floor. Fewer and fewer adventurers, and fewer monsters. I go around the second basement floor as well, dropping from the sleeping slime and sending a little over 20,000 worth of them. Efficiency is bad, much worse than usual. Still, I kept going around. I''d hunt all the way down to the bottom floor, and when I''d hunted all the way down to the bottom floor, I''d return to the top floor where I''d recovered a bit. Even when I returned, the efficiency was even lower, and the first half ...... sprouts were in the 10,000-pilo range or something like that. Still, I continued to go around. Welcome home, Mr. Lyota. Dusk. The first floor of the three-story building, Tsubame''s grateful sub-branch. After going around the dungeon for a whole day, Erza greeted me when I returned. ''''Thank you for your hard work.'''' ''Day-colonization sucks, and I don''t want to go around the dungeons on a day like this ever again. ''It''s hard to moonbeam, though. The monsters get a little stronger too. I see. ''''A lot of people still think that even if you''re pushing yourself a bit too hard because you''ll still make good money ......, so even in the dungeons you''re used to going to, you''ll still get the occasional death. I see. Phew, I let out a collection of air in my lungs. I''m so tired. ...... I''m so tired. Or rather, I felt like I was halfway through a laborious task. I felt like I was back in the old days, back in those days when there were no magic carts, when I would come back to town every time my bags were full. No, in terms of the minutes I walked, it might be more than that time. ''Yes, I left it with you. Elsa smiled and held out the passbook to me. My passbook, a passbook that only had a balance of 12 piro. I take a deep breath and open it to see how much it is. 1,200,000 piro (1,219,001) The passbook had numbers and digits I''d never seen before. ''Wow. ......'' The sense of drudgery that had previously dominated my body was quickly flipped over to a sense of accomplishment. 104. Increases even if used In the morning, I was about to head out for my daily routine of Nihonium, when the moment I left the house, a hole suddenly appeared in the ground and Eve came out of it. ''Thud!Bi, surprised: ...... What are you doing, Eve? A normal rabbit digs a hole, that''s common sense. I don''t know if I''m aware of that. "Cunning bunnies dig three holes, here''s some trivia. You''ll never get the chance to use that kind of trivia. As I was tweaking down, Eve crawled out of the hole completely and filled it neatly. Eve Carus Leader. A rare girl in the world, a girl with her own bunny ears and tail and a love of bunny suits. Cute and s*xy. The two elements live together at a high level, but contrary to her appearance, she is a power fighter and a talented adventurer. Combined with the mysterious element, it''s hard to tell what she''s thinking when she suddenly appears like she does now. Since I don''t know, I decided to ask him directly. "What''s going on here? Low level, potion. Yeah? I''ve run out of potions. ...... Yeah. Pong, I clap my hands. A potion is a special item that only I can make drop. The effect is an excellent one that temporarily increases the item drop rate. I had produced a large quantity of it and let my friends use it. ''You''ve used it all up?'' Yes. Okay, just a minute. I made a U-turn into the house and went into my room to look for items. There are several potions, and I looked for the plant drop-up''s that are powerful in Cyclo. There are tons of potions, though. ''There''s ...... no more.'' No? Eve said as she followed me to my room. The tone wasn''t so different from the usual, but she sounded a little depressed, if not mindful. ''I didn''t make anything while I was in Indore. Hold on, I''ll make it now. Okay. I took my passbook and left the room. Drop-up potions, that''s what is dropped from "money". So I take my bankbook, drop off the money, turn it into a haggle, turn it into a potion and give it to Eve. Turning it into a potion doesn''t fail, and it''s something I''ve done quite a bit in the past. ''Ninety-nine thousand ......'' I was a bit damaged by the fact that my account balance, which reached 1.2 million yesterday, had been reduced by an unexpected expense. I left Eve and gave my MP, who had stopped at Nifonium in the morning, a D to a C. I came to Tellurium in the afternoon. If my deposit was down a digit, I could earn it again. That''s what I thought, and I tried my best to earn it. By the way, I produced more potions after that. Potions that also serve to increase the earnings of my companions, but for Eve, they''re a necessity for dropping ''delicious carrots''. I know the look of bliss on her face as she jiggles her carrots, so I can''t let that go out of my sight, no matter how much money it costs or how much my balance is reduced. To make a potion for it, my bank balance has been gorged down. When it decreases - I''ll earn it. Tellurian dungeon, first basement floor. In a dungeon that was running normally after the day''s breeding was over, I stuck it out and became a warrior. I shot down slimes as soon as I met them and dropped a gun of sprouts. The magic cart was full after just half a round, I hit the switch and sent the drops home. There are two reasons why it''s so efficient. One, of course, is that the number of monsters has returned after the day-colonization is over, but the other is that there are fewer adventurers. It''s the same with the magic storm and the dungeon master. Is it just this world, or this city? When these dungeons aren''t tasty, adventurers spend all their money on the streets as a way to get rid of their gloom. And maybe it''s because we are adventurers, but most of us drink and eat in bars. And what happens then? The magic storm passes, the dungeon master is defeated, and the daily reproduction is over. The dungeon earning is back to normal, but many of the adventurers are down with a hangover or too much food, and the dungeon is so rattled that the day isn''t so different from the previous day. Some of them are hungover, so it''s a welcome drink!There are some badass adventurers who get pulled into a negative spiral, but that''s beside the point. It''s the day after my first breeding day, but just like during the magic storm, there aren''t many adventurers, so I was able to rampage through a dungeon with few people in it. After another half-circle of the basement floor, the magic cart was full again, and I sent it home with the transfer function. That''s 40,000 pillows twice, for a total of 80,000. I entered the second basement floor, Eve was gobbling up a dropped carrot. The small animal - reminiscent of a squirrel, its appearance is quite adorable. ...... No, rabbits are small animals in the first place. ''Oh, you''re doing it,'' I won''t give you a low-level ...... carrot, okay? I won''t take it. Rather - I didn''t say - I blinked away the sleeping slime that had just sprung up with an infinite lightning bullet. He offered the dropped S-ranked Lyota carrot to Eve. ''''Do you want to eat this too?'''' ''I love low levels, I love you, whatever.'' Cash. After giggling and handing the carrots to Eve, I took a round of the basement second floor, which was still sparsely populated. The magic cart would be full about two-thirds of the way around, probably because Eve had overfished it. I sent that too, for a total of 120,000. Upstairs I went down to the third floor because if I overdo it, Eve''s share of it will be reduced. I took down the cocrosse limes like G, turned them into pumpkins, and sent them one by one. Thus I continued to hunt without a break. I continued to run around the dungeon with all my might, trying to get my account balance into the seven figures again. ''Thank you, then I''ll have to take a debit from this month. ...... Yeah, nice to meet you. In the evening, I left Terdungeon and returned to the city of Ciclo - where I was grabbed by Antonio, a real estate agent. He came to collect the rent that was overdue while I was in Indore. He saw that I had my bankbook with me and asked me if I wanted to take a direct debit, which I said I would. I know that a direct debit is very convenient, so I agreed to it. You should have come to get it, though. You should have come to get it, but Emily and Celeste are there. ''No, no, I knew you were out at the Dungeon Association''s request, and besides, I trust Satou-san. Thank you. Well, if you hear anything else. Yeah. I nodded and looked away at Antonio, who bobbed his head. I was a bit out of line. I was supposed to get out of the dungeon and have Elsa, who was on secondment back home, write down the day''s earnings, but Antonio grabbed me and forced me to spend. Oh well, it can''t be helped. I have to pay the rent well. I push the magic cart and head home. When I came back home, I found only Elsa still on the ground floor. Emily and Celeste haven''t come back, and Eve and Alice aren''t there either. It''s just Elsa. ''Welcome home, Lyota,'' I''m home. I need this. I give Elsa the bankbook, she takes it, opens it, and writes down my earnings for the day. ''Huh?I''m really drawn to it, though. ''I spent quite a bit, today, on supplies to get to the dungeon and rent. I see, but it''s amazing. What? I''ve spent so much: ...... See? A smiling Elsa gives me the bankbook and I look at it. 2,006,100 I couldn''t believe my eyes lightly. The balance was about two million piro, which was decreasing after spending so much, or even more than the one million that was there as of this morning, and had increased to two million. He was a little less excited because the balance might be reduced, but the fact that it had gone up made him happier as the tension recovered to the V shape. 105. Increasing and decreasing taxes Nifonium dungeon, fifth floor underground. I was hunting Red Skeletons, which are three times faster than normal in the midst of the dungeon''s snowfall. The Red Skeleton''s speed is three times faster than a normal skeleton. The hit rate of the bullets is clearly poor. It''s something that can shoot at other monsters and hit almost 100% of the time, but with this guy, it''s about 90% or not. Clearly, it misses so often that you can feel it. ''d*mn! It''s not just fast, Red Skeleton has a characteristic that accelerates even more if you fail to defeat it. If you miss the first shot, it becomes even more untouchable, and the hit rate after the second shot drops to a whopping 70%. That''s one in three misses. However, even at 70%, it''s still high. And since it''s an infinite number of thunderbolts, it doesn''t matter how many misses are used-- No, no, that would be arrogance. I hurriedly changed my thinking from thinking that if I was firing wildly, I could eventually hit and defeat them - I changed my thinking in a hurry. Just like when my HP and stamina became S and most of my attacks were ineffective, when I got S or infinite or some other new and powerful power, I''d start coasting and become proud of myself. That''s not a good idea, I steeled myself. I counted in my mind, starting with 90% of the experience for now, 10 shots and 9 hits. I get a surprise attack from the wall, unique to Nihonium, a Red Skeleton appears out of the wall and attacks me out of nowhere. I calmly avoid it and shoot it out with one shot. That''s 10 of 11, 90.9%. That''s an increase of about 1%. Pick up the seeds and raise 1 MP to find the next target. This time it''s a surprise attack from the ceiling, which I aim calmly and shoot out with a single shot. I''m at 11 of 12, 91.6%. As I was about to pick up the seeds, a new red skeleton targeted me there. I avoided the attack and rushed back - and when I did, the bullet missed. The bullets were 11/13, and the hit rate dropped to 84.6% at once. ''''Muu...... phew.'''' My hit rate dropped quickly, but if I panicked here, it would drop further and spiral negative. I stop, take a deep breath to calm myself down, and focus even more. I take down the one that comes out, I aim and shoot down until the last minute. I always calculated the hit rate and tried to give it a shot. Strangely enough, when I was conscious of the numbers, my ability to concentrate clearly increased. Not only that, I was more motivated than usual. Concentration and motivation. With those two things riding on my high status, I was a warrior on the fifth basement floor of Nifongnium. By the time it was noon, my MP had risen from C to B, and my hit rate was over 98%. He left Nifonium and returned to the house once more. ''Thanks for your help,'' You are welcome home. Elsa and Emily were in the garage on the first floor. They were sitting across the table, drinking tea. There were sandwiches and bite-sized sweets on the table. The time is noon, but the atmosphere and the menu are just like tea time. The menu and the atmosphere are just like tea time. I''ll go make a cup of tea. Emily said and ran upstairs in a flurry. The rest of me stood next to Elsa, bent down and picked up one of the sandwiches. It''s a strawberry jam sandwich. It was moderately sweet and provided a nice boost of energy to my over-focused and depleted body. ''Do you like it?'' Yeah, what? That ...... sandwich tastes like. It''s really good, I''m pretty tired after just this morning, so it''s perfect. ...... yada. For some reason, Elsa gave a modest gut-punch at her chest. ''Why are you gutted?'' ''What?No, that''s not-- That sandwich was made by Elsa. Emily answered for me. She comes down from upstairs with a cup of tea for me, smiling more than usual. ''Emily didn''t make this,'' ''Yes, me and Elsa-san made it together. What you are eating now, Yoda, is 100% made by Elsa. Yeah. I took another sandwich of strawberry jam and threw it in my mouth. ''Yeah, I knew it was good. I''m usually convinced that Emily made it, but Elsa is a very good cook too. Oh, thank you. Elsa''s cheeks stained and depressed. ''Um ...... can I make another ......?'' ''You''ll make it for me?That''s nice to hear. I''ll make it!I''m going to make a lot of good food. Erza is enthusiastic. Her motivation suddenly makes me look forward to what she''s going to make this time. I drank the tea Emily had brewed for me and picked up some more sandwiches to replenish my energy. ''''Yeah, just in case you want to do some bookkeeping. And then he held out the bankbook to Elsa. ''Bookkeeping?'' ''Yeah, I''d like to hunt this afternoon with the numbers in hand. In the morning, we hunted while calculating the hit ratio. Every time I killed one of them, I felt a small sense of accomplishment, and it felt good to increase my hit rate. The good feeling was reflected in my ability to concentrate, and I worked hard to increase it even more, and as a result, I was able to increase my hit rate to 98% without missing a single shot since then. I wanted to do that same thing in the afternoon. I wanted to keep track of the numbers and see what would happen with the small increments of accomplishment. Yesterday''s was a huge accomplishment with a bang, and it felt good to write it down afterwards and see the numbers increase all at once. It was good, but it''s true that I was a bit bored by the end. I figured that if I could build on that small sense of accomplishment, I could keep my focus all the way through, and I''d make more money as a result. ''Okay, just give me a minute.'' Elsa took my bankbook and made a note of it. ''Sorry for the wait. Your balance has increased.'' More?It''s not less. It''s growing. About 500,000. "Huh? For a moment, "Why? I thought. I haven''t earned anything since last night. The only reason I dared to make a note of it was because I filed a report here and there as much as I could think of, so there''s a possibility that something might have been withdrawn this morning. There is a possibility that it will decrease, but not increase, as it should be: ....... It''s true, there''s almost half a million more, nominally ...... indole? It''s the name of a city. ...... Oh, taxes. Haha. I remember it was said that Indor was going to give me some of the tax money. So that''s what came in as soon as it came in. "Taxes? Elsa nods her head. I explained to her what happened to Indor and how it ended up. ''I see, so that''s why it''s a tax. But that''s great, isn''t this unearned income? Well, now that you mention it, I suppose. Unearned income, sounds good to me. I''m the one who conquered Indor''s dungeon and doubled the dungeon drop even more, so it''s a fair reward, but it''s still unearned income, I''m sure. The money will continue to come in from Indor even if I don''t tell anyone. Winning lottery tickets and living on interest, building a condo and earning rent, or holding lots of stocks and living on gift certificates. That''s the kind of unearned income you dream of. It''s exciting to see this clearly expressed in numbers. I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any more of these things. It''s just that Yoda-san is a taxpayer, and he''s a left-handed fan. ''I''ll go to the dungeon, though, even if this one keeps going in. It''s even more awesome! I-- Suddenly, Elsa clapped her hands as if she remembered something. ''What''s going on?'' ''We''ve received another deposit: ...... Wow, this is amazing.'' What the hell is wrong with you? ''It''s a refund. Mr. Lyota, my taxes will drop a little bit because the purchase price this year exceeded 30 million. It''s effective from yesterday, so we got the difference back. Back?Aren''t they going to go up? I handed Elsa a bankbook for a deposit, and she quickly wrote it down in her familiar hand. The deposit itself was 20,000 piro, which wasn''t a large amount of money. ''Yes, I''ll drop it. Is the city Lyota-san was in before going up? It''s more like a city: ...... sort of. Often times, with progressive tax rates, if you make some money, it''s the other way around and you lose money by raising your taxes. It was the same when I was a student. I didn''t get taxed up to 1,000,000 yen a year as a part-time job, but if it is over 1,000,000 yen, the tax will be taken away and I will lose money. That''s why I adjusted it appropriately and made sure I didn''t make any money. Cyclo''s tax rate goes down as the purchase price goes up. That way, adventurers will be more eager to dive the dungeons. I see. That''s a more humanistic story. I don''t know what the side effects will be. The 20,000 piro entered in my passbook, though it''s a pretty small amount. The 20,000 pirouette was the result of my hard work, and it gave me a great sense of accomplishment. 106. Recommendation for changing jobs Today, I continued to hunt the Red Skeleton by continuing to hide in the basement five floors of Nifonium throughout the morning. I went into the hunt with full concentration from the beginning, and as a result, my hit rate remained at 100% until the end. That was tiring, but I also felt a sense of accomplishment. By the way, my MP went from a solid B to an A. I returned to the city with a sense of accomplishment: a 100% hit rate and increased ability. The city of Cyclo was busy again today. There were no magic storms, and no daily and monthly calamities. The dungeon master hadn''t shown up either, the adventurers were earning money as usual, and the city was turning and enriching itself. My feet naturally headed for home, but I stopped when I suddenly remembered. This morning, before I left, Emily said. ''I''m going to go maintain the hammer today,'' Emily Hammer. It''s being offered by Smith, a weapons store, customized to her. Just like athletes, they sponsor a famous adventurer and the more successful that adventurer is, the more they sell the same thing. It''s a billboard, so to speak. That Emily has been active lately. She''s leveled up and has been very active in the Cyclo dungeons - especially Arsenic, which has only rock monsters. I heard that nearly 70% of the adventurers who go to Arsenic have started using Emily''s model hammer because of her success. ''It''s like Air Jordan,'' It reminds me of a pair of basketball shoes that were very popular in my school days. Anyway, Emily is out for maintenance today, so there''s no food at home for lunch. We''ll just have to go out for dinner. Parade through the city, and look for a place that serves food. Then there was a shop serving ramen-like food. Judging from the smell, it was probably Tonkotsu or Kekkei, or ramen with a nice fatty umami taste. Suddenly, I missed the junk taste, so I went to enter the restaurant. Don! Just before I walked into the store, I was bumped from the side. ''I''m sorry--that?'' ''Uh ...... uh ...... sorry ......'' The guy who bumped into me was a couple of men and women who I saw some time ago, a couple of men and a couple of women who were following an older man. They called out words like "dreams and inspiration" and their method of brainwashing people to work like a religion or a black company. I''m a victim of that. The guy ...... looked even more haggard than the last time I saw him. "Sorry, I''m just spaced out. That''s great, but can you go to ...... and tell me if you''re okay? ...... Hey. ...... Huh?Sorry, I didn''t hear you. A man in the sky above, stupefied. It''s not like he''s not at home ....... He''s obviously exhausted and entering into a dangerous territory. He looks like that. "Then go to ...... "Wait, wait, wait, wait. I couldn''t help but stop the man from leaving. It''s not good if I don''t do this, and I put my former self on him. Inside the ramen shop, the man was surprisingly disappointed. He''s already on his third bowl of ramen, and he''s also gobbled up a bowl of grilled rice from the side menu. I''m sorry, I''m sorry. Sure, I said I''d buy you a drink, don''t worry about it. Excuse me, I''d like another drink. I knew he would refrain from doing this, so I ordered more from my mouth. I pulled him into the restaurant to buy him a drink as he was about to fall over. He refrained from it at first, but fell easily in front of the aroma of the food that was brought to him. I''m sure you''ll be able to get a good bite of this ....... By the way, I couldn''t eat it. The taste of the seasoning was too harsh and didn''t suit my taste buds. The taste itself is not that bad, the restaurant is quite busy and all the customers around it are enjoying the food. So I wondered why ...... was doing that, but I soon found out why. Maybe it''s Emily''s fault - but it''s thanks to her. I thought that Emily''s food was so transcendentally delicious that my taste buds must have been disciplined. As I was thinking about this, the man flattened his fourth bowl. ''Thank you for the feast ....... Never mind. Let''s see, ...... Yeah, I''m Ryota Sato, Satou or Ryota, whichever you prefer. Come to think of it, we didn''t even know each other''s names, so I introduced myself to him. "I''m Cliff, thanks Lyota. Is that enough?If you don''t have enough, I''ll order more. I''m fine now, thank you so much. ''Well, ...... what''s more important than that?You haven''t eaten? I have an idea why, but I dare to ask ...... to shrug it off and ask. "I''m a little short on cash. I''m out of food for three days. ''Three days?Cliff''s been hiding in dungeons too, and he''s made a lot of money, hasn''t he? ''We''re ...... Oh, we have another buddy who''s our captain, but he''s our captain, and he''s in control of the money. We do this on a salary basis from our captain. So what''s your salary? ...... a little short. Not enough? How much do they give you? Last month, I believe it was 30,000 piro at ...... last month. Kid''s pocket money? What? Oh no. I pouted, and Cliff gave me a dubious look. No, no, no, that amount is strange. A "pillow" is the currency of this world, and it''s worth about the same as a "yen". The ramen I''m eating right now costs 700 piro for a bowl, and a large bowl costs 100 piro extra. A big bowl of ramen costs 100 more piro for a 700-piro cup. I don''t know how you can live on that kind of salary. When I saw Cliff''s subtle look, I apologized to him. ''You''re doing this because you can''t make a living. ''It can''t be helped, partly because we didn''t make enough money. Is it really that bad? Also, we get hurt a lot, and our weapons and armor get torn apart, so they take that away from us. Mmm. ...... Will consumables and equipment be deducted? It is still strange though it seems to make sense at a glance. Because it is 30,000 in a month, the net income. It''s not possible. Cliff was slightly depressed, and became despondent. "Sometimes I wonder if this job isn''t right for me. Is that so? ''I''m thinking there are more places I could use my strength, though if you ask the captain, that would be naive. ''No, you don''t, and it''s not naive to think so. But it''s true. Yeah? ''When the captain picked me up, my status was terrible. My abilities were low, and the only plants I dropped were E''s and the others were F''s. Yeah? It''s like Emily when we met. If that''s the case, then maybe ...... many things can''t be helped. ''Didn''t the drop grow?'' What? What? Surprised Cliff, I''m surprised too. What?Now "What? Ha. What does that ...... mean? What does that mean? It means what it says. ''Does the drop ever grow?'' ''No, there''s usually ....... As you move up a level. ...... I guess that''s what it means to be astonished, I thought to myself. I was blindingly aware of the fact that I was in a dungeon, and my mouth was open, and I forgot to blink and went still. I remembered the last time I''d seen him in a dungeon, that fishy, old man Cliff called the captain, calling him an impression and a dream. ''Maybe they told you that the ...... drop wouldn''t go up?'' Cliff nodded timidly. ''You''re going up ......?'' Some people don''t go up, but that doesn''t mean they never do. At least my guys had grown some by the time they were level-canned. Cliff was aghast. We paid the bill and left the shop with him. We went around the busy city together. ''Why didn''t you check yourself?'' ''Because the captain told me to stop. If you look at your abilities, you will define your own limits. He said that status isn''t the only strength, a man can''t go beyond it. "Quibble! The swearing naturally came out of my mouth. He had a point, but that didn''t mean he shouldn''t see it. Maybe the guy was managing the inferiority complex Cliff, who only had Plant E, well by not letting him see it. It makes me so angry. I took Cliff to a tool shop in town. I bought a consumption item to check his status, a portable now board, and gave it to him. As the name implies, it''s a portable now-board, and it works exactly the same. Try it. Oh, yeah. Cliff used it as he was told and displayed the status. ---1/2--- Level: 66/66 HP C MP C Power D Strength D Intelligence B Spirit B Speed F Dexterous C Luck F --------- ... ''You''re on top of the level!How much of a drag was that? This is ...... my ....... And he''s pretty strong. He''s more of a wizard, but he''s also pretty strong. Oh, really? Cliff is confused. More than that. "Next time, next time, that''s the real deal. Oh, yeah. I heard a gulp, and the sound of spitting. Then Cliff, with the intention of displaying the drop status. ---2/2--- Plants E Animals F Minerals C Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... ...... Huh? Let''s get this straight. I said to him, remembering both my gasps at Cliff and my anger at the man. ''The numbers don''t lie, it''s not here (Cyclo) that your skills are on display, it''s in a place like Indor. Oh, no. ...... "And there you can be sure to make over a million piro a month at ....... Cliff was even more stunned. 107. Still part-time job What''s Indor? It''s a city that recently spawned a dungeon, a drop of gold sand ...... ore drop that suits you just fine. What? What? Cliff is surprised. What is it?The way this surprises me. ''Dungeons are born ......?'' ...... what? Yeah, I''ve never heard of that. ''...... Even recently, there''s been some nihonium born in Cyclo?And then there''s the selenium that would be Cyclo''s. Oh, really? Cliff looked half surprised, half confused. He didn''t even know that. The common knowledge that dungeons were born, or the information that Nihonium and Selenium were born. Neither of them had been informed, and that man had been exploiting me one way or the other. I''m angry, and I feel like I''m going to snap, to say the least. "Again and again. You''re better off in Indore. ''Duh, but ......'' Yeah. It was going to take some time to convince him, so he quickly pulled out his gun and shot a fusion of recovery bullets without question - a sleeping bullet - into Cliff. Cliff, who was shot by the special bullet, turned white and was instantly drawn into the dream world. Stars. While Cliff was asleep, they brought him to Indor. After only a few days away, Indor is full of life, with more people and things, and renovations and new construction beginning here and there. The mood of the villagers is upbeat and it''s clear that this is a blessing from the gold of Aurum. ''This, this is ......'' That dungeon Indor is the one I mentioned earlier. A picture is worth a thousand words, so let''s get into the dungeon. ''What?But, Come on. Let''s go. I pulled a flabbergasted Cliff and headed for the Auldurm dungeon. ''Ah, benefactor-sama.'' If you''re coming, you should have told me ahead of time. "You go home first and let your mother know that her benefactor is here again and to prepare a banquet. Just as I was heading towards the dungeon, villagers gathered one by one and spoke to me in a friendly manner. The villagers looked disappointed when I told them that I couldn''t go to the banquet this time due to other business. Seeing this, Cliff opened his mouth with a pop and let it go. ''''............'''' What''s going on? No, could Lyota be an amazing person? I''m just an adventurer, and in this village, I''m the head of the Association for hire, but that''s about it. "Association president? Oh, God! You don''t even know that. I''m getting more and more angry at that man. In the meantime, we came to Aulum. A group of adventurers and villagers had gathered outside the dungeon. I found Alan there and approached him and spoke to him. ''Alan,'' Benefactor. What''s this? This one?Everyone waits until the next dungeon entry. It''s a system that allows you to enter at a decent amount of time and not change the structure of the dungeon at any other time. I see. Aurum is a rogue dungeon, the structure changes every time a human enters. So you''re going to make these rules so they don''t change in the middle of the game. So that means I''m out of time. I decided to put Cliff aside for the moment until we entered the dungeon and talk to Alan. ''How''s the village doing?'' ''We''re doing great, thanks to our benefactor. Most of the old guys from the past have added to their houses, and most of the young guys who put off getting married are already married. That''s all thanks to our benefactor. I hope it''s working. ''''Yes benefactor-sama, my son has leveled up, but the plant drops are higher now. Just as that guy is starting to wake up to the joys of dungeons, I don''t know what to do. Then you should come to Cyclo. We can take care of you for a while. ''No!We can''t afford to bother our benefactor. Don''t worry about it, you need to be where you can make a difference. Thank you, benefactor! After Alan, the villagers continued to talk to him one by one. From their expressions and tone of voice, I could tell how vibrant and hopeful this village was. After they finished talking to each other, they came back to Cliff. For some reason, Cliff was piqued again. ''What''s the matter,'' Why are they so close to each other ......? What? "Adventurers are rivals, always looking at each other with an eye to steal the prize. Don''t open your mind to anyone but your friends, and be wary of anyone who comes near you. ...... You heard the captain. Cliff nodded quietly. Totally, that''s what he was blowing up. I''ve heard that it''s better to cut off interaction with the rest of the world in order to brainwash them, but that''s still terrible. It means they really only think of you as a slave. The story of the captain and whatnot and the circumstances that Cliff had been forced to go through. It was those stories from a while ago, and he was so angry that he could not manage it. Aurum dungeon, first basement level. When it was time to enter the dungeon, I entered the dungeon with Cliff at last. ''Whoa!The landscape has changed. It''s called a rogue dungeon, and the structure of the dungeon changes as people enter. Yeah? But here''s a monster. You''re going to have to take it down. Okay, okay. "Be careful. That guy is very good at pulling a fast one. No matter what he does to you, don''t let your guard down until he''s gone. Cliff nodded further and took a step toward the little demon. Let the battle begin. As expected of a level 66 and canned, Cliff was used to fighting. The battle progressed with the pace against the little devil from start to finish, and the rest came to a point where it was just a toddler. ''''Lyota. What? ''What?Etohito''s ...... ...... Why did you call me before you dropped the bomb?I cocked my head, but after a few seconds I remembered. That''s always the case when Cliff was with that man. Cliff and the other girl''s companion would work together to weaken the monster, and then the older man, the one we called "Captain," would finish him off. That''s just the way it works. "You''re going to kill it, not me. Me? Well, you''re going to have to finish him off. ...... Cliff was visibly troubled. As if it was a lie that the battle had been going smoothly and even overwhelming, the little devil started to fight back. ''What''s wrong?'' Oh, I''m the one who beat you up. ....... Just do it. I can''t ......!I could go easy on you to the death. Cliff is in trouble. He can''t seem to move because of the way in which he is able to cut the monster down to the last minute. You can see the first monster clearly and cut it down to the last minute, but you can''t unleash the final blow to strike a blow to end it. Spell. That''s the word that came into my head. "...... I think about it for a moment, and I fire a recovery round at the little demon. The bullet hits it and the little demon recovers. Then Cliff can move, and he attacks the little demon, which has recovered and is able to move better, with more attacks. And then he or she stopped, and then he or she was able to kill it with one more blow. Kaku ...... what should I do? Cliff was in trouble, too. I still wouldn''t let him toddle, but he can attack smoothly until toddle. If it''s ............! Once again, he fired a recovery round at the little demon. A monster that recovers, a cliff that can move even more. As I recall, after recovering earlier, he put three attacks in and went easy on it. Focusing, I count Cliff''s attacks. One shot, two shots - and then a third. He interrupts, firing a mere conventional round between the second and third. This one''s bullet hit me first, and the little devil''s strength was reduced. Cliff noticed that, but he couldn''t stop his hand in a hurry. The third shot - an overkill - knocked the little devil down. ''Tao......ed.'' Here''s more than that. Cliff stared at his hands, stunned, and I picked up the dropped, dropped gold sand, which had fallen and handed it to him. ''Hey, what''s this?'' You beat him to death. You''ve earned it. Me? Cliff looked like he didn''t know what it meant and compared me and the gold dust in turn. Stars. Indore''s village of Indore, a grateful branch of Swallow. The building of the store was finished and the new one was built, and he came there with Cliff. He called the clerk and let him do the buying. After that, I supported Cliff as if it was a rehab job and made him beat it and drop some sand gold. It wasn''t that efficient since it was a drop C, but I still made some money. And I''ll let them buy it. ''Here you go.'' A familiar clerk, Ena, came back to finish her assessment. She placed some bills and coins on a tray and held them out in front of Cliff. ''After taxes, that''s 7,320 piro,'' ...... 7000 piro, this, me? Yeah, you did. ...... Various expressions came and went on Cliff''s face. Surprise, confusion, and excitement. ''I''m ...... so much ...... in just one day.'' It was also sad to hear that it was so much. 7,000 piro, still about a part-time day''s pay. It''s not the amount of money that a grown man, a can-stopper, and a competent drop C player would normally be impressed by. Still, it must be a ridiculous amount of money from Cliff, who was getting 30,000 take-home pay a month under that man. Next, my heart catches up with me. Cliff took the money with emotion and joy on his face. ''Thank you, Lyota,'' He smiled happily. 108. Family and family The next day, the first floor of the Aulum Dungeon basement. I accompanied Cliff on this day as well, and watched him hunt. He''s still a bit awkward, but he''s getting used to it nonetheless. The rest of the time, he''ll get used to hunting for himself with time. I''m relieved and pleased to have rescued a man who looked like he was grabbed by a black company. This is all over with Cliff, let''s get out of the dungeon and go back to Cyclo. With that in mind, it was time to go. A bell rang in the dungeon. A clear tone, the unique sound of the bell made of gold. The bell is made of gold from the golden dungeon Aulum. Ringing the bell at a certain time alerts the adventurer to the time it is time to enter the dungeon. Hearing this, Cliff defeated the monster, picked up the gold sand and came back to me. ''Good night, how are you doing?'' Maybe more so than yesterday. ...... Cliff held the dropped sand gold in his palm as he said that and showed it to me. As I self-declared, the amount I''ve dropped so far has already exceeded yesterday''s earnings. It''s a level-canned drop C. And since this awlum is after I''ve attacked it, the drop itself has doubled. I can say that earning this much is normal in a way. ''Good for you,'' It''s really Lyota''s fault. Don''t worry about it. It''s just that I''ve been in a black company too, so I can''t overlook that kind of thing. As we talk about it, the landscape around us keeps changing. Cliff freaks out every time he does. ''This is what makes rogue dungeons so tricky, every time a new adventurer comes in, their place changes. Yeah, that''s the way it works. It''ll come in handy when you get used to it. Here. As I said it, I was sent to the dungeon''s exit, with a line of adventurers trying to enter the dungeon on the other side. ''''It means that if the timing is right, we can leave like this. That''s handy. Lyota! My name was suddenly called out, and at the same time, someone hugged me. Furthermore, the scenery around me changed and I was sent somewhere in the dungeon. I looked at the person who hugged me while calmly assessing the situation, "Someone came in and hugged me, right? ''Margaret,'' It''s been a long time. It was the princess of the air, that Margaret, who hugged me. She was still fluffy, elegant and beautifully dressed as a princess. ''Long time no see, what''s going on?'' I heard a rumor about a new dungeon. I''m glad to see it. It''s a good thing I''m here, because I wanted to show Lyota something. What do you want to show me? Margaret scurried around and found the Now Board set up in the dungeon and went away from me to the board. I walked up to her, watching her operate it. While displaying her status, she gave me a fluffy, elegant smile. ''Lyota made this happen! ---1/2--- Level: 99/99 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant A Animal A Minerals A Magic A Characteristic A --------- ... Oh! What was displayed was the same status as I expected, a status that was canned at 99 and dropped A. It''s the exact same type of status I had right after I transitioned to this world. The basement floor of the Auldurm Dungeon. I was with Cliff, watching Margaret and her friends in action. I say "stand" because she was partying with four men. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for. The four of them attacked the little devil, lashing out with an outstanding combination, weakening and cornering him. ''''Princess.'''' One of the four men turned and approached Margaret. Margaret nodded and went towards the little demon, dragging her sword exactly as heavily as she had met it, and the men weakened and tossed the little demon in restraint. The gold was dropped, dropping easily on drop A. Margaret Family. That''s the word that popped into my head. The battle strategy of following Margaret, who is all F in combat ability but drop all A, and anyway, the people around her scrape off and give her only the toddler. That''s the status of Margaret that makes it work, and the look and feel of her. She''s a different type of Neptune family than the Neptune family I know and my Ryota family, but I''m convinced from just a quick look that it will work out. Such is the case with Margaret and her family as they head to the next monster. ''......'' Suddenly, a subtle air flowed from my side. Cliff, who had been watching with me, was staring at Margaret and the others with a very subtle look on his face. ''What''s the matter with you, you look very pale. Is that ...... okay? Yeah? That looks just like me before: ...... ...... Yeah. So that''s what it''s all about. The people around you weaken them, and then Maine takes the fall. Maybe that''s exactly what Cliff and that guy did. "...... Cliff''s complexion wasn''t excellent, and I guess that reminded me of the past I''d just shaken off. I had to say something, I thought. The next little demon was defeated, and Margaret picked up the dropped gold sand and faced the knighted men. ''Yes, Lat, socha, play, builder.'' I called his name and offered him a quart of sand and gold in the palm of my hand. thankfully happy I wonder if the knights were real knights, as all four of them got down on one knee at once and gave Margaret the gold sand (...). It''s a spectacle that I can''t complain about, a princess and her subjects. ''Eh ......'' Cliff is confused by that. ''You''re passing ......?'' That''s what makes Margaret different from your captain. ''Yeah, right. But why: ...... Lyota! Cliff is puzzled, and Margaret, who had given the gold sand to the knights, hugs me again. She hugs me around the waist as if to tackle me and then looks up from her bosom. ''''Did you see my fight? Yeah, you''re good. It''s all thanks to Lyota. Who are they? This is my family, and when I told him about my status, he asked me to fight with him. You came from over there? Yeah. Who gave you the drop? ''So that''s a Lyota imitation? Yeah? What? I nodded my head and at the same time I heard Cliff yell out in surprise. It is because of Lyota that I have been able to come this far. You have been generous in giving me what you have. I''m just trying to imitate that, I didn''t do much but ...... No, it''s not! He stopped hugging her and looked up at her from a distance of a step back and gave her a forceful speech. His graceful, brilliant face was full of aura and - even spirit. ''It''s because of Lyota, no matter what anyone says - even if Lyota says so, I''ll keep saying it''s because of Lyota. ...... Okay, thanks. "So, ......, um... ...... Yeah? I''d like to join my family, Lyota''s family. Me? Yes, sir. Margaret looks at me with a broad grin. "You mean family, my family? Margaret nodded clearly. A subsidiary, a secondary organization. Those words came into my head. ''Unfortunately, I can''t fight this battle alone. Without those people, there is nothing. That''s why I''d like to have this entire family join Lyota''s family. Oh, I see. Well, in that case, you''re welcome. ''Thank you!I look forward to continuing to work with the Ryota family and the Margaret family. Margaret was overjoyed and hugged me even more. ''......'' In the afternoon, the square where we left the dungeon. This plaza has also undergone a lot of work. The Aulum Dungeon, which originally appeared in the middle of a house, has been demolished, a fountain has been created, and shops related to the dungeon are being built around it. Weapons shops, tool shops, and even a buyer''s shop are in progress. Indor is also developing around dungeons, a change that makes me believe that. That''s where I''m facing Cliff. ''Well, goodbye then, I''m going back to Cyclo. You can always call me if you need anything. Cliff''s case was taken care of. I also heard the misunderstanding with Margaret from right beside me when she confessed to me, so I knew I wasn''t like my former captain - that guy. So I decided to go back to Cyclo, having decided that everything was settled. ''Lyota ...... No, Mr. Lyota,'' Mr.?What''s the matter with you all of a sudden? ''Please add me too ...... to Lyota''s umbrella one of these days!A few, maybe two (...) people, but please go to ....... Two. Cliff has a friend, another person who''s endured with him in that black man''s place. He''s going to get that person out of there. "Okay, good luck. ''Yes!Thank you! Cliff, who has totally come to respect me. What I had done, what Margaret had shown me was possible. I had a feeling of confidence that Cliff would be able to help his friends. 109. Princesss "like" On the road from Indor back to Cyclo. An empty wilderness, an apologetic city street. In this world where dungeons drop (produce) everything, if you leave the dungeon for even a short while, the city and its people are almost gone, giving it a lonely, fin-de-sicle atmosphere. I was walking along such an empty road with Margaret. Unlike my adventurer-like outfit, Margaret is conversely dressed as the princess. She is neat and elegant, full of grace. It''s a mismatch with this wilderness. "So you''re the chief of that Indore? I''m not the village chief, I''m the head of the dungeon society, and I''m a hired gun. ''''The head of the association is in a much higher position than the head of the village and so on. No town or village can do without dungeons. ...... Yeah, that''s right. Unlike Cliff, Margaret, who knows the common sense of this world very well, has a point. No town or village can do without dungeons, hence the head of the dungeon association has a far higher position than the head of a village and so on. I understand that, but I''m not used to the position of "chief" myself. I''ve never been in a company in my former world, I was a flat person who didn''t have a job title, and I haven''t even had a junior colleague in the company for years because the company was too black to retain new employees. I was not familiar with the position of a chief, a position above others. ''''So those people are also the ones who were saved by Lyota, aren''t they? ''That''s what it comes down to. I did the rescue and the first of the dungeons for you. That and the doubling of dungeon drops - I''m not going to tell you this. I don''t know if it''s a dungeon spirit or a god, but I decided to keep quiet about Aulum''s presence. ''''It''s as good as Lyota,'''' I''d rather not. I looked around to make sure no one was around before I asked her. ''Those four didn''t follow you?'' Are you talking about Lat, Socha, Play, and Builder? Yeah. That''s what his name was. He''s here. ''What?Where? Lat. Ha! Wow! Margaret called out, and one of the knights suddenly appeared diagonally to the side. He appeared like a ghost without a sound and dexterously followed in the position of a ''squire following the princess'' in a step back position. ''Dude, where were you?'' ...... Rut did not answer my question. ''Well, where is it?'' Margaret tilted her head slightly, she didn''t seem to understand. Lat, who showed no sign of answering my question, did answer Margaret''s soliloquy. ''We will be at all times at the place where we can do what Lady Margaret tells us to do, and when we are not needed, we will be out of the way. So that''s what I''m saying. Hey, that''s not a good explanation at all. Good night, Lat, that''s all. Ha! Rato bowed his head lightly and then he just disappeared. I''d been watching him for a long time, and then he blinked and was gone. It was as if he had never been there in the first place. "...... Hey, hey, you''ve covered your tracks too. The only footprints left in the wilderness were mine and Margaret''s, and I couldn''t see Lat''s footprints anywhere, even though we must have walked side by side for a few dozen meters. ''It''s like a summoning technique or something like that, or worse. Really? "And that attitude. I haven''t seen anything like that since the last time I saw you work for Senpai. What does it mean to be an errand boy? Don''t you get it, Pacifica? You''re a princess. I mean the little guy who gets ordered to get a loaf of bread and juice and all that stuff. Then you must all be his errand boys. "Huh? Sosha, can I get you some cold tea? Here. Oh! I was startled to the point of slumping. A different man now appeared diagonally behind Margaret. The man held out a glass of ice to Margaret from where he had brought it from. It looked delicious, knowing that it was cool with the water droplets condensing on the glass. ''Thank you, sir.'' "Fearful. The moment Margaret received it, Socha disappeared again without a sound. The outfit is knightly, but ...... aren''t these people ninjas inside? ''That''s really great. I''m curious to see where you''re going with this. Hello? Yeah, yeah. If Lyota says so. Margaret paused. ''Lat, socha, play, builder.'' When he called the four names, he stopped, perhaps because he had stopped, but this time all four of them appeared in front of Margaret, not diagonally behind her, but all four of them were down on one knee and hanging their heads. The appearance was ninja and the gesture was knightly. The imbalance was a bit odd. ''How far are you willing to go with me? When Margaret asked the question, the four of them hardly paused, let alone rushed. He said in a tone of voice that was not at all lost. ''I''ll live for Lady Margaret. I would die for Lady Margaret. "Lady Margaret''s pleasure is everything. It''s all for Lady Margaret. Believers!I''m a total believer now! Thank you. Margaret said, and the four of them disappeared again without a sound. ''So that''s why. ''I''m sure you''re convinced?'' I mean, I was just amazed. ''Huh?But you did accept the gold from Margaret earlier. I thought you''d be too afraid to accept such a move. "It would be punishable by death to refuse the gift of Lady Margaret. Wow! How are you doing? I was startled to the point of jumping out of my skin, but Margaret was awake. I''m sure someone whispered in my ear right now, but I looked around and there was no one there. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the right one for you. It''s kind of amazing, just amazing. The surprise subsided and I calmed down, but I also understood. ''You''re a real believer, aren''t you? Well, Margaret was like an idol to me from the moment I met her. She sold air boxes and stuff. What''s an idol? Yeah?Oh, ...... the race that everyone likes. I answered her with my own interpretation. ''Is this ...... from everyone?'' Yeah. ...... Lyota too? What? Does Lyota like you as well ......? Boom. Margaret turns to me and asks me, looking straight up. Moist eyes, flushed cheeks. This is like - wait, wait, wait. Idols aren''t allowed to fall in love or get married--. "I like Ryota, I like ...... Ryota likes you ......? A stiff ball was thrown into the air with no tricks. Critically, it hit me directly in the chest. Pounding, my heart rate jumped all at once. ''......'' Margaret stares at me with her wet eyes. As I''m thrilled and fumbling, she gets progressively more and more troubled, saddened, and on the verge of bursting into tears. ''I knew it was a bad idea ......?'' No, it''s not! Are you sure? ''Oh!I think I like it, but-- It''s the Elsa thing, and I''ve hardly ever experienced anything like that before to begin with. I don''t know what to do. And I''m lost. My vision darkens unexpectedly, and I feel a soft touch on my lips. A 0.1 second contact, just a small, birdlike peck. A kiss. My mind went even more blank. ''''--!I, I don''t know what I''m doing! Margaret, on the other hand, turned even redder. She turned bright red like this boiled one. ''Lat, socha, play, builder!Hide my face. ha! Four ninja knights appeared without a sound and surrounded Margaret from all sides. ''Ugh, ...... I''m sorry! Still embarrassed, Margaret was escorted away by the four of us and ran away, covering her face with her hands. The rest of me, though, was puzzled, too. ''Lord Satou,'' Wow! One of the knights who escorted Margaret away was right next to her. I think it was ...... Lat? No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Why are you with me? I panicked, such as I was, but Lat was completely unconcerned. He looked straight at me and said quietly, with a face that was as serious and ...... rigid and honest itself. ''I have never seen Lady Margaret look so happy before, sir. ''What?Oh, ....... I thought it was, "What are you doing to the princess, you insolent little tramp! But what was said was the opposite. ''Keep up the good work,'' With that, Lat bowed and disappeared again. ''By all means: ......'' Rut told me, and I remembered the feel of a kiss. My heart rate jumped more and more as I imagined "a lot" of things to come with Margaret. 110. Self-new record I missed another (...) infinite lightning bullet. Nihonium Dungeon, fifth floor underground. As the dungeon snow danced, the strike to the Red Skeleton missed again, and the thunderbolt exploded against the dungeon wall. ''''d*mn ...... I''ve cut off 50% ....... This morning was a bad morning. The hit rate I''m tallying up against Red Skelton also started at 0% after the first time off, and it''s still just below 50%. I know why: ...... I''m still nervous and mongering now. The Red Skeleton came around behind me and hit me with a bone to the gut. It''s a clean hit to the back of my head and I laughed as the red bone clattered. "Nah ...... it''s a good idea! Grabbing the ground gingerly with the soles of his shoes, he gagged all the muscles in his body and gathered strength to turn around and back fist. Red Skelton takes off at super speed, but he doesn''t care, he steps in and hits the back fist. His skull blows off and he shatters before he hits the dungeon wall. I raise my MP by 1 with the seed I dropped, and phew, I let out a collective burst of air in my lungs. I scrunch my head up in the pouring dungeon snow. The reason I''m in a slump, of course, is because of Margaret. The kiss she gave me yesterday, a surprise one, still makes me writhe in agony. Thus, in the midst of a critical slump, I take much longer than usual - eventually, the hit rate breaks 40%. It became an extended game that shifted until lunchtime, and in the end I was unable to raise my MP to the next rank, and I shrugged and retreated from the dungeon. I came to Tellurian in the afternoon, alone, and encountered Margaret at the entrance to the dungeon. ''Lyota!'' Margaret spotted me and ran up to me, looking happy to see me. My throbbing doubled and I moaned, "Ugh. ''I''ve been waiting for you,'' Were you waiting for me? Yes, I went to Lyota''s house, but Lyota''s housekeeper told me that he would be in Tellurium in the afternoon. Yeah. ...... Yeah. I nodded and looked away from it. The base of my ears were too hot to look at Margaret''s face properly. Because looking at her face almost reminded me of yesterday''s kiss. ''Well, more importantly, what can I do for you?'' Yes, I thought I''d like to watch Lyota hunt. My hunt? ''''Yes. It''s a good idea to observe Lyota, the most powerful adventurer in the Cyclo, in action. I thought I had to learn a little bit about how to fight. Standing. The more I can move, the easier it will be for Lat and the others. Well, there will be more variations. Even if you just follow up with a bite and let them topple you, what you do depends on the strength of the person you''re topping off. If the attack power is high, you can reduce the amount you have to cut down, and if the hit rate is high, you don''t have to hold them up every time. The stronger Margaret gets, the more she can do, that''s for sure. ...... Your ambition is amazing. Yes?What did you say? It''s nothing. All right, follow me. Yes! Margaret put on a big smile and entered the dungeon with me. Telldungeon, first basement level. ''It''s very impressive,'' What? ''No, I had almost the same status as Margaret when I came here. My drops were all high, but my abilities were all F''s. Really? Yeah. Then maybe I could be like Lyota. I wondered for a moment what it was like to be like me: ......, but that''s not the place to obsess about it. ''Yeah, I''m sure.'' That answer made Margaret''s eyes sparkle with anticipation for the future. That''s all I needed, I thought. In the meantime, I begin my usual hunt. I push the magic cart and make my way through the dungeon. A slime appeared and flew at me. I catch the slime in the palm of my hand and shoot it right above the magic cart. Normal bullets penetrate and instantly kill the slime. The dropped sprouts went straight into the magic cart. ''''It''s amazing, a single hit of that one. ''And you defeated it on the magic cart, that one dropped straight into the cart and you didn''t have to pick it up. The slime is weak and roomy, so we can be more efficient this way. ''I see!I''m learning a lot! And I used regular bullets instead of infinite lightning bullets for efficiency. I''ve come to understand lately, but with lightning bullets, it often takes a long time to burn up the monster with electricity and drop it. With regular bullets, if they become fatal, they drop the next moment after they penetrate, but with lightning bullets, they don''t drop unless they are burned to blackness. That amount of time - a difference of a few seconds per body, but there are times when lightning bullets are more of a time loss. It''s infinite and easy to use, and it''s also very powerful. However, lightning bullets are not suitable for doing time attacks in the extreme pursuit of efficiency. With Margaret in tow, you''re going to defeat all the slimes. I take them down, put the sprouts in my magic cart, and look for the next one again. Suddenly, I stop in my tracks. ''What''s going on?'' We were almost there. Margaret twitches her head. I waited a little while with my gun at the ready. Thirty seconds of waiting, and there was a new slime born there. I took it down instantly and put the sprouts in the magic cart. What was that? We have a certain number of monster gushing points. A slime in this area sprouts every five minutes. I went around in a circle and thought, ''This is about time too.'' I don''t remember any of that stuff!It''s amazing! I''m used to it. It''s just. Is there anything else I can do for you? Margaret is impressed again. She asks me with a childlike excitement in her eyes. I want to respond to that look. I tell her everything I remember, everything I''ve learned from experience. With practice, I showed her how to hunt Tellurium John efficiently. Each time I did, Margaret got very excited and said it was amazing. Her expression was beautiful and lovely. It was a look of those two things living together at a high level. I wanted to see more of that, so I showed her this and that. It was amazing. In the evening, I left Telldungeon and walked around the city with Margaret. From the first floor to the seventh floor, I demonstrated how to defeat the monsters in turn, how to do it efficiently and how to attack the dungeon. Margaret was overjoyed from start to finish and I thought it was worth it. ''''As expected of Lyota, he''s my prince. "King-- Margaret''s straightforward manner reminded me of my pounding. The pounding I''d forgotten all about when I was hunting monsters to show her the good side of me was coming back now. Her cherry-red lips were in my eyes. Oh no, what should I do? Once I became aware of it, my heart pounded even more because he was right in front of me. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it. Oi Lyota. What? When I turned around when I was called, I saw Alice. She waved her hand and ran towards me with three SD monsters on her shoulders. ''''What''s wrong?'''' In a way, a savior appeared. I turned to face Alice who came over, cheating the pounding that had subsided a bit with the flow. ''Breaking news, Elsa asked me to go ahead and tell her because she probably wants to know. "Breaking news? Yeah! Alice nodded widely and smiled her usual innocent smile. ''''Congratulations, I made over three million today. ...... Oh? Lyota''s got a new identity. Oh, so it''s a personal best. That''s great, three million pirouettes a day. What''s going on? What? It''s a thud, a little different thud, now. I turn from Alice to Margaret, she''s scowling. You don''t understand, thank God. If she - if she - found out in person, I thought I might die of embarrassment. I was less than half as efficient as I normally am in the morning, but I was able to beat a new record in the afternoon just to show Margaret that I was good. ''I don''t know what it is, but congratulations!'' Congratulations, Lyota, you''re really something. It was a bit embarrassing, including the fact that he could say that to me. 111. Orbital magic Five floors below Nifonium, I defeated the last Red Skeleton and picked up the seed. ''So that''s ......s.'' The increase in status that I''ve been able to feel for a long time now, this morning I started off with an A, and if I calculate the number I''ve killed, it should be an S. I blinked away the newly appearing Red Skeleton and turned back the way I came. Go to the front of the dungeon and stand in front of the Now Board. There''s no Nowboard inside the dungeon in Nihonium, because they think it''s a scrap dungeon that doesn''t drop. Still, there''s at least one, at the entrance of the dungeon. Standing in front of that Now Board, I operated it in the procedure I was used to. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP S Power S Strength S Intelligence F Spirit F Speed S Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... On the fifth basement floor, the MP seeds that Red Skelton drops made MP an S as well. The fifth S. It was all F at first, but finally the fifth one was S as well. It seemed to be a long time, not so long. My other abilities had gone up, and with the normal items I''ve collected so far, as well as some cheat items, I was able to give it up rather easily. I was able to ...... it, though. ''I don''t really feel like I''ve benefited from the MP. I didn''t feel like I was feeling the benefits of increased MP as much as I was mumbling about it. I felt my HP and strength rather early on, my damage was reduced and I felt confident that I wouldn''t die even if I was attacked by a normal monster. Strength and speed were also very much felt in meat battles that didn''t involve guns. On the other hand, I didn''t realize how much MP I had. The two spells I remember now are Windcutter and Resurrection. The wind cutter is a level 1 wind magic, a rudimentary rudiment. Resurrection is a spell that applies my Drop S to any monster that is cast on it, no matter who kills it. The former because it''s weak, and the latter because I only use it on strong enemies when I''m in a party. They''re both spells I don''t use often for different reasons. I''m not sure I''ll ever be able to get my hands on it. Anyway, I use very little magic now, and my MP doesn''t benefit from the S at all. ''Do you want to buy the magic fruit ......?'' Inside a magical tool shop in the city of Cyclo. I stared at the three rows of magic fruits. ''''It''s not like I''m going to say this,'''' Isaac, the owner of the magic tool shop, said with a wry smile. ''''No matter how much you look at it, you won''t know. I know what you''re thinking, but no one knows what kind of magic the fruit will give you until you eat it. ...... Maybe so. Still, I can''t help but look at it to see if there is any difference. After all, it''s not a cheap purchase. This magic fruit, which you can learn a spell by eating it, costs 3 million pirouette in store. It''s not something I can''t afford right now, but that doesn''t mean I can''t buy it without hesitation. It''s at the level where I''m sure I''ll buy it, and I''m not sure which one I should buy. Three million piro. Well, you can just stare at it until you feel better. Isaac said with a shrug, palm up. There are probably other customers like me, how I''m used to dealing with them. ''...... mmm,'' I stared at the magic fruit and stared at it until it was pierced. From the front, from the back. From side to side, top to bottom. I stared at it from every angle. "--! I suddenly saw something behind the leftmost magic fruit as I stared at all three together from where I had drawn it. I scrubbed my eyes. ''What''s up, sir?'' That: "That: ...... Huh? Isaac looked at the magic fruit I was pointing at. ''What''s wrong with the magic fruit over here? ...... I swallowed the words, "Can''t you see? Maybe I can''t see it, maybe only I can see it because of the circumstances. Behind the leftmost magic fruit was a woman standing behind the leftmost magic fruit. She was translucent and shaped like a human being, slightly larger than the magic fruit. I''m not going to be the only one who can do that. ...... Give me this. It''s a matter of time. I gulped down a lot of things I wanted to say, and I bought the magic fruit, the one with the smiling kimono woman smiling at me. The suburbs of Cyclo, a place where people don''t always come to use it. I came to the place I use to hatch hagremonos and put the magic fruit on the ground. After I left the store, the woman in the kimono was nowhere to be seen. A while ago, I would have thought a lot of things when the woman in a kimono came out, but not now. I, who had been with the Aulum of Aulum, the spirit of the dungeon, somehow made one association. Nihonium, a woman in a kimono. I wonder if that''s too cheap: ...... With that in mind, I waited for the magic fruit to hatch(,) in a remote location. If you eat a normal magic fruit, it only learns one magic, but if you make it into a haglemono and re-drop it with my drop S, it will change into a magic fruit that learns two. As I waited for it, I felt like a chef cooking a high grade ingredient. After a while, the magic fruit hatched into a haglemono. It''s the same liquid metal-like monster as before, and it transformed into me right after it hatched. It''s a monster whose abilities are 80 percent of the strength of the person it replaced. There he is again. And then, for a moment, that woman in the kimono appeared on that guy''s shoulder. She stood on his shoulder, just like Alice''s monster. She smiled, and then she was gone. Then the monster attacked. Just like before, I ducked the attack and fired a series of infinite thunderbolts to take it down by shooting a series of reinforced strapped bullets while dodging the attack. Good thing I had infinite thunderbolts, otherwise I would have taken quite a few bullets to defeat this guy. Like this guy, there are inevitably rare monsters, dungeon masters, and other monsters that aren''t suitable for going around. It''s not that you can''t beat them, but there are monsters that are just too cumbersome and unsuitable for lurking. In order to fight those monsters, I wanted to become a little stronger. While I was thinking this, the fallen Hagremonog became a magic fruit. The magic seed that was originally a single hexagram became two hexagrams. I ate it. Instantly, two magics appeared in my mind. The first was Magic to Force. It''s a spell that, when used, consumes MP each time you attack, but increases your physical attack power. The other is--. ''Satou-dono. Wow! I was so startled that I jumped up when I was suddenly approached. The one who showed up was Lat, one of the ninja-knights who was curious about Margaret. ''''What the hell?'''' I''ll need your help. ''Your help ......?Wait, are you hurt? I was surprised when he suddenly called out to me, but upon closer inspection, I saw that Lat was in tatters. The knight''s armor was crumpled in places and bleeding from all over the place. ''''What''s going on?'''' "Lady Margaret is in danger. What? Nifonium dungeon, basement level. Satou! When I walked in, the old man selling air called out my name. ''Where''s Margaret?'' There it is! Saying that, I pointed, and when I looked in the direction pointed at, I saw Margaret and the three knights guarding her. Margaret is limp and motionless, the other three have their hands full fending off attacks from the monsters and cannot afford to run away with her. That''s how much the monster hunts them down, and that''s as it should be. At about 160cm, her hair was far longer than her height. Her translucent body looks like a ghost. It''s a dungeon master in Nifonium. ''You''ve run into one. ''I didn''t expect it to come out: ...... Satou, do something about it.'' Okay. I stepped forward. Next to me, Lat, who had called me, came alongside me. ''I''ll do anything you want, just tell me.'' I glanced at him. His armor hides him, but it''s not a minor wound. The pounding blood told me that. Still, he doesn''t seem to be flinching or frightened. It''s just a face that says, "I''m just doing this for Margaret. I''m impressed ...... or even respectful. "Don''t worry, I''ll take care of it myself. Can you do ......? Yeah. I nodded, and I wondered if she sensed something from it, but Lat didn''t say anything, she let me handle it. I took a step forward - I saw her. It''s not Margaret, it''s not the dungeon master. It was that woman in a classless dress. She smiled at me. In a moment, a word appeared in my head. I ruminate over it. I''m sure that the woman in the clasped sleeve appeared to teach me that. ''Thank you.'' I whispered to her, and she smiled even more contentedly, and then disappeared. I chanted the word that came into my head - a spell. ''Repetition.'' The moment I used it, my body felt a tremendous sense of weakness. It''s a sensation that my magic power - my MP has been taken away. That''s how it should be, if you''re dealing with a dungeon master, that''s what it would be. Repetition. It''s the magic that instantly kills monsters that have been defeated once in exchange for MP. The second magic of the magic fruit chosen by the woman with the loincloth The dungeon master of Nihonium, who had once burned his hands in the past, could be defeated in one hit in exchange for S''s MP. 112. Odai Terdungeon, basement level. He held his hand over the slime that had appeared. Not a gun, a hand. "Repetition. Newly learned magic, magic that forces a monster to be defeated once it has been defeated. The slime disappeared and a sprout dropped. I picked it up and put it in the magic cart. It was the easiest thing I''ve ever done. Guns no longer missed at the level of slime, but I still had to focus on it in a certain way when aiming. In contrast, Repetition''s magic doesn''t require that, it just reminds you of the person you''re casting it on. And-- The MP consumption is low. I only shot this one time yesterday, to help Margaret out, and I shot at the Dungeon Master in Nihonium. At the time, I felt weak, like I had used up all my MP. It was just one shot. But today it was fine, it didn''t happen when I used it on the slime. Another slime appeared, and I used the repetition in the same way. The slime was killed instantly and the sprouts were dropped. I still don''t feel like I''ve consumed MP. Repetition, a spell that instantly kills a monster once it has been defeated, and the MP consumed depends on the strength of the monster. It seems that a slime or so consumes very little. ''In a way ...... no, it''s different. It''s usually the strongest magic in this world. It''s a magic that instantly kills monsters once they''ve been defeated, I suppose it''s only useful in games, but I think it''s the strongest in this world. In a world where everything is dropped from monsters, dungeon circling is "production". Production is a repeatable process, and the ability to run around monsters consistently is more valuable than anything else. It''s not an exaggeration to say that the strongest monster you''ve defeated is the one that dies for sure, just by using magic. The question is, how many times can this ...... strongest one be used? The consumption is low, but not zero, against a slime, it''s a feeling, but it definitely feels a little bit MP consumed. How many times can it be used ...... I used Repetition against the weakest slime. I used magic to defeat them and drop sprouts into the magic cart. When the cart was full, I''d hit the switch to collect the drops and send them home. I repeated the process. I kept repeating the process single-mindedly. ''...... style,'' Eventually, my MP ran out, and after repeatedly killing enemies immediately, my MP ran out in half the usual time - around 3:00 in the afternoon laps. Even though my MP is S, as expected, it would run out after using magic non-stop for nearly three hours. Well, what''s the result? Back home. I''ve never been back at such a high hour of daylight on a day when I''m entering the tellurian. ''I''m home.'' Welcome home, Mr. Lyota. A three-story house, an open part of the first floor. There was only Erza there, which was now completely like a store. She was being dispatched from the buyer, Tsubame''s gratitude, and greeted me with a smile. ''''What''s going on, you''re early today.'''' I just wanted to know how much we made today. Oh, yeah. What do you mean "still"? He tilted his head at Elsa, who smiled at him and asked back. ''Lyota-san, you''ve started something new. Do you understand? ''I understand. There''s a difference in the way you send it around as usual and the way you send it when you''re doing something different from what you normally do. I see. Maybe even a third party would be surprised by what they see. So, here''s the bank book. I''ll give you a minute. Elsa takes the passbook and writes down my earnings for the day. I was nervous and excited while I waited. After a while, Elsa finished her bookkeeping and handed me the account book with a smile on her face. Here you go. Let''s see: "Let''s see: ...... 3 million piro! The number on the bankbook was three million if you round down the fractions. I believe this amount is ....... ''''That''s almost exactly the same as the previous day''s record high. It''s the same as when I pushed the envelope by sticking it out to show Margaret a good point. The same amount of money I spent when I pushed myself to the limit, and half the time I spent this time. ''''That''s great, Lyota-san, you''ve done your personal best in half the time, that''s practically your personal be-'''' It''s a new kind of magic. You learned?The New Magic. With a magic fruit. Oh yeah, ...... awesome. I looked at the bank book while receiving Elsa''s respectful gaze. The money that went out yesterday, the money that came in today. New magical abilities, and the time left until I earn my usual amount of money. ''''I''m going to go to the dungeon one more time.'''' Are you still going? Yeah. He nodded, opened the bank book and showed it to Elsa. ''With just under two million to go, we''ll be on the ten million mark in total. Ah!You''ll arrive on time!At today''s pace. Elsa, who huffed, smiled at her and smiled at her. ''That''s what I mean. I''m off. ''Good luck!I''ll do my best too! Encouraged by a small, gutted and enthusiastic Elsa, I headed back to Telldungeon. I ran out of MP, but no problem. I loaded my gun with recovery bullets and shot myself like a syringe to recover all my MP. The result of entering the dungeon again with a full tank of MP at S and going around the dungeon. On this day, I never saw one in the original world. He had created an account balance of 10 million. 113. Im not alone The city of Ciclo at night. The tavern Villadiche. It''s my favorite place in Ciclo, where they stock a variety of beers from dungeons around the world, changing daily. Emily and I had come here for a drink after finishing our day''s work. ''It''s been a long time since I''ve been alone with Yoda-san. ''Come to think of it, it''s been a while. I''ve had more friends lately, and it''s not often we''re alone together like this. I take a gulp of the beer and order more from the waiter. There are ten different beers alone, so I prefer to drink them in order, as I''m a taster. ''Eve still only needs carrots, Alice can''t drink much so I didn''t invite her, but what''s up with Celeste?'' ''Mr. Celeste is home for the night. She said her head is throbbing a bit. Headache?Are you okay? He didn''t have a fever, so I''m sure he''ll be fine, but I told him to call me right away if he has any problems. Okay. A 5''3" girl sitting across from me, sipping on the same beer. She looks like a grown-up, with a good sense of humor at home. She''s the mother of the family, and if she''s okay with it, then she must be okay with it. ''Ufufu ......'' What''s going on? Mr. Yoda, are you aware of this? What? Everyone''s been watching Mr. Yoda for a while now. Me? I set down my glass of beer and circled the bar with my gaze around the bar. If you ask me, I feel like I''m attracting a lot of attention. Both men and women - for some reason, women avert their eyes as soon as they see each other, but Emily was right, most of the customers are glancing at me. ''Mr. Yoda is already a household name,'' You''re a celebrity. ''Yes, sir. I''m very proud to be with Yoda like that. ''Maybe you''re looking at Emily instead of me. More and more of these days, Emily Hammer. If you take a peek at Arsenic every once in a while, he''s carrying nearly 90% of the same thing. Well, that''s because I like the hammer. Emily was grandly embarrassed, and she blushed and slumped. I''m not that used to it either, but Emily is no more immune to being famous than I am to being famous. It was cute to see Emily embarrassed like that, so I decided to be a little mean to her. ''Don''t be modest, after all, you''re the number two in the Lyota family. He said such lines deliberately and loudly so that the people in the bar could hear them. Instantly, the buzz increased. All eyes were clearly on Emily. ''She''s number two?It doesn''t look like it. "Fool, not her, her!Emily Brown, the one who''s been called ''The Little Giant,'' ''Our Lady of the Strong Arm,'' and ''The Rock Shattered in One Swing, Seriously.'' It''s not that great. People are not always what they seem. ...... That''s the way Lyota Sato sees it, or maybe it''s her sense of taste, that sets her up as number two. ...... Some of it still lingered on me, but I''m pretty sure most of my eyes were still focused on Emily. That made Emily more and more embarrassed, and she turned red, not just on her face, but on her arms and toes. And I thought that was incredibly cute. And I wanted to show you more and more of what I know about "how great Emily is. I flaunted her greatness as loudly as I could. After complimenting Emily at the tavern, they headed home together. The city of Cyclo at night, a dungeon with monsters appearing 24 hours a day, makes both the adventurers who deal with it and the downtown area that deals with those adventurers a bit of a nightmare. Even though it''s nighttime, the area you''re passing through is as bright and lively as modern Japan. A world where everything is dropped from dungeons is bustling enough to make me believe that as long as there are dungeons, they will continue to thrive. ''Hmm?'' What''s going on? Emily looks up beside me as I stop and looks up at me with a strange look on her face. My gaze was glued to a certain stall. To be precise, it''s the merchandise lined up in the store, the ornate mirrors. ''What''s wrong with that mirror?'' Emily doesn''t see it, I knew it. Can you see anything? Yeah. Me nodding, I come to the front of the stall and crouch down. I stare into the mirror, I''m sure of it. I rub my eyes, it''s not like I''m seeing something weird with the alcohol. There was a person sitting upright in front of the mirror. A little woman in a kimono. That clasped sleeve woman who led me to the magic fruit, the repetition. She was sitting upright in front of the mirror. It was silent, but it looked like she was saying, "Here. I think of her as a "nihonium". Then this mirror is definitely a material related to Nifonium. And she has a troubled look on her face. She''s sitting upright in front of the mirror, and she''s making a very troubled face. ''Sir, is that what you want?'' ...... Yeah. I don''t know why, but I knew I had to get the mirror either way. ''How much,'' Fifteen million piro. What about ......? I couldn''t believe my ears for a moment. ''Fifteen million piro?'' Yes, this is from the old nobleman''s house, that''s why it''s so important. Antiques, you mean. That''s what I''m talking about. Even so, it''s still 15 million piro. Well, if it''s an antique in a nobleman''s house, it''s probably something like that. I think rich people would buy it or give it away as an introduction to the world of antiques. Okay, I''ll buy it. Always. ''But give me one day to bring you the money this time tomorrow. My account was around the 10 million mark, and now I can make 5 million in half a day if I use repetition to its fullest potential. I don''t have it now, but I can make money until this time tomorrow. Okay. But I''m leaving town tomorrow, so I can only wait until then. Okay, it''s all good. See you tomorrow. Yeah. I said and looked at the woman in the clasp sleeve again. She looked a little relieved and waved me over. With that reaction, I knew I had to get it more and more. The next morning, I woke up and stretched. It''s another nice day this morning, and the house is as comfortable as ever, with Emily maintaining it. In this physical condition, I could shoot two sets of Repetition with MP''s S and reach five million. With that thought, I left the room and came downstairs to the living room. ''Huh?'' I saw Celeste slumped at the dining table. ''Good morning. What''s going on, Celeste? ''Oh ...... good morning Lyota.'' Are you sure you''re okay?You''re looking a bit pale, though. I''ll be fine. I always am. Yeah?No, if you''re not feeling well, you don''t want to be reckless.You''re one of us, and I''ll follow you if anything happens. Thank you ...... I knew Lyota was kind ...... but it''s okay, it''s just a magic storm. Oh, so that''s what''s giving you headaches and problems? Yeah, I''m fine. Okay. I was relieved to hear that. A magical storm, a natural phenomenon that would make Celeste, a wizard, unable to use magic or make her physically ill. In modern times, it would be like a low pressure system. If that''s the case, there''s nothing we can do about it, and Celeste''s words about resting and being okay make sense. ....... ............. ................... ''Ahhhh!'' What is it, Mr. Lyota? Why are you shouting so loud? The Magic Storm: ...... A magic storm? On the first floor, in the place that has been turned into Tsubame''s grateful sub-branch, I face Elsa. ''''I hear the magic storm will continue all day today. She''s a clerk at the buyer''s shop, so she knows the weather - the size and length of the magic storm - because it directly affects the amount of adventurers'' purchases. So I asked her, and she gave me a hopeless answer. ''Oh my God. ......'' What''s up, Mr. Lyota? Actually, I need to make five million by tonight. ''That''s a piece of cake for you now, Lyota-san! ...... If it weren''t for the magic storm. ...... Elsa, who is huffy, seems to have realized that she too has noticed. That''s right, the calculation that I can earn 5 million piro in half a day is only based on using Repetition - that final magic that defeats a monster once defeated without question. Normally I''d be able to make 2 million if it''s a gun or body art, and 3 million if I fevered up to show someone a good point. During a magic storm, I wouldn''t be able to reach five million. ''''Well, that''s not good, is it? I''ll try to do as much as I can anyway: ...... I''m going to pass on the Nifonium in the morning and come into the tellurium like this. ''I understand. I''ll do my best to support you! Please! I entered the tellurium and hunted monsters at random. Because of the magic storm, the number of adventurers was a bit smaller than usual, so there were many monsters to hunt. So I went all out, focusing on infinite lightning bullets, but I also used tracking bullets that were easy to hit anyway. We also used a pouch that sucked the drop in and set it right above the drop so that it would immediately go to the magic cart. I also remembered where the monsters appeared and when they appeared. With these in mind, I built the most efficient route to hunt the monsters. I went down from the first basement floor to the second and third floors, and then from the seventh floor to the first floor still. Anyway, I continued to hunt. And then - noon. It was two million and three thousand piro in the morning: ...... Carefully, Elsa, who came to the dungeon to report on the way, said apologetically. Two million ...... that means it''s not enough. I ran around the dungeon as fast as I could in the morning, but 2 million. That''s my limit. Without magic, 2 million in half a day. With my current equipment, knowledge, and abilities. That''s 2 million for half a day, with all that at my disposal. Normally I wouldn''t have a problem at all, in fact, I''d be going, "Wow, 4 million dollars a day is a lot of money". Now it''s not enough, I have to make 5 million by night, today I''m ...... short. Plus ....... Phew ....... Are you okay, Mr. Ryota? Yeah, I''m fine, I''m just a little tired. ''Good to know ...... but then you can go to ...... this afternoon. ...... I couldn''t answer that question. The usual thinking is that if you''re battling in the morning, you''ll make less money in the afternoon. ...... What should I do? ''Um, ...... if you''d like--'' Elsa was about to say something when two women appeared behind her, from the entrance of the dungeon. They were the two members of Lyota''s family, Emily and Alice. ''Emily, and Alice. What''s going on? I''m here to help Mr. Yoda. Now that we''re here, it''s all right. You two are ......? As I was wondering what this meant, Emily lowered the backpack she had been carrying, that huge backpack she had been carrying when we met, to the ground. She deftly took out various things from it and began to set it up in the dungeon. Tables, sofas, and a variety of food. In no time at all, a resting place was created in one corner of the dungeon. And it even had the unique warmth of Emily House. ''''We''re waiting. We''re going to take a short break here.'''' "Rest. We need to take a break and save our strength to run as fast as we can to the end. ...... Emily. That was a nice touch. I''ll take care of it. Alice? ''Yes!If I''m here, I''ll be able to locate the monsters that aren''t in combat right now. Well, a dungeon born skill. ''Yes!You can''t be completely sure with Lyota. Yeah. I can read where the monsters appear, but mine is based on memory and experience. Alice''s special skills are something I can feel like a radar. With her support, it would certainly make me more efficient. ''Emily, Alice: ......'' I don''t need to be impressed, I''m resting now. And we hunt monsters. ...... Oh! Yes, now is not the time to be impressed. I need to recover as best as I can first, so that I can get my guns up this afternoon. I sit down on the couch and look at Emily and Alice while I rest my body. ''Thank you,'' I said. They smiled at each other. ''You''re welcome,'' That''s my boy. He said. Thus, with the support of Emily and Alice. We picked up the pace exactly in the afternoon and made 3 million piro. We were safely in time to buy that mirror for 15 million piro. 114. Boundary breakthrough! With the mirror that I had successfully purchased, I headed to Nihonium with both Emily and Alice. ''Thank you both so much,'' You''re welcome, sir. I think I''ve just helped Lyota for the first time. Emily smiled serenely. Alice jumped up and down, delighted with the three SD-sized monsters perched on her shoulders. ''Yoda, you look so happy, you really wanted it,'' Yeah, this is how I know I have it: ...... As I walked, I held the mirror up to the heavens and showed it to him. Emotions that couldn''t be explained by logic welled up deep in my chest. I''m glad I got this, I''m glad I got it, even if it was reckless. It''s fate, if we crossed paths with this, our fate would be very different. I can''t explain it in theory, but I''m sure of it. ''Hey, what''s that?'' I don''t know, but I know it has something to do with nihonium. How do you know that? ''I''m sure Alice would understand, but Aulum doubled his drops after I conquered the dungeon, right? Yeah, you did. That was because I met a spirit in the dungeon of Aulum, called Aulum. Likewise, the first time I looked in this mirror, I saw Nifonium. Alice''s eyes widened. ''Is that true?'' Yeah. ''I see. ...... You had to get that one from Zettai. So thank you so much ...... for that. He thanked them both again, holding the mirror. ''I heard that earlier. He said you''re one of us, you don''t have to say it so many times.'' As she said this, Alice put her hand on her cheek and seemed happy to the extent that her face flushed slightly. ''Yes, that''s right, we were happy to be able to help Yoda-san too. Emily says the same, but her endings are mindlessly more upbeat than usual. Anyway, thanks to the two of them. I came to Nihonium with the mirror that was the result of that work. It''s a dungeon that adventurers don''t go near from the start, but it looks even more deserted at night. ''''Hey, what''s up with this ......?'''' Alice put her hands around her own two arms, brule, and trembled lightly. ''I think it''s going to come out something.'' I''m out? You know, the ghosts and stuff. Ghosts, that''s the vibe I get. It''s all right then. What? What''s going on?And Alice looked at Emily, but Emily shuffled closer, stood a little taller at 6''3" and moved the SD skeleton back from Alice''s shoulder to her hand and showed it to Alice. ''Alice, you have a hone-hone-hone-chan attached to you. ...... Oh. You''re right, there are some undead monsters in there. Yeah, or if you do, it''s like a bone-headed person. Alice was good, and Honehone in Emily''s hand made a gut-punching gesture with her little body and showed her how to be taut and all that. That didn''t seem quite right, but since Alice seemed to agree with me, I decided to let it be that way. I did so for a while, and then we walked into the dungeon. ''Well, it''s the same as it always is in the dungeon, isn''t it? That''s what makes me feel at home. I didn''t say it, though I thought it was much safer to be around Emily, much more like my parents'' house, but I didn''t say it. ''Now, this mirror--'' The next second I wondered what to do, the mirror started to glow. It emerged from my hand, glowing so brightly that it illuminated the dungeon, blindingly illuminating the inside of the dungeon. ''Lyota?'' ...... Now, will there be demons or snakes? I gently put my hand on my two guns, because if it''s the same as Aulum''s, I might have to fight something once. Emily and Alice were both ready. Emily readied her hammer, which was bigger than her body, and Alice put all three of the monsters in a combat position. Then the three of them braced themselves, but the enemy didn''t get out. Two insubstantial items faintly appeared next to the mirror that floated in the air. ''''They are swords,'''' This is ...... and it''s a weird shape. ...... It''s a grenade. The gem? Alice tilts her head, and I nod back. A mirror with substance I brought with me, and a sword and grenade like a holographic image with no substance. The words "three sacred artifacts" pop up in my head. I guess the reason it comes to mind is because I''m in Nihonium, after all. The Sword of Kusanagi. The Yata no Kagami. The Yatsuhaku no Magatama. It is a super-major item that intermediate game players have seen at least once somewhere and know its name. This is a very good way to get a good idea of what is going on. Nifongnium. I was becoming more and more convinced it was me. Nifongnium didn''t say anything, just smiled and smiled like an adult. And then the sword and gravestone, as well as the mirror I had brought with me, disappeared. ''''Ki, it''s gone?'''' He took the mirror with him. ''No, that''s it. The stuff is back where it belongs, it''s just that they''re holding it until I can get the other two. Okay. ''But it''s a pity, it''s a pity that nothing happens until you collect three. Not really. "What? Emily and Alice stared blankly at my words. ''Alice, do you have any idea where the skeleton on this floor is? Yeah, I understand that, but why ......? Show me where we''re going and I''ll give you a quick shot. Okay. Follow me. Alice said, putting the monster back to SD size back on her shoulders and walking off to lead the way. ''Yoda-san, what happened?'' We''ll find out soon enough. I smiled at Emily, loaded my gun with infinite lightning rounds, and followed Alice. Star. Outside the Nifonium dungeon, in the open air at night. The three of us were standing in front of the Now Board. ''Let''s go then.'' Yes. Yes, sir. After they both nodded, I reached for the Nowboard and operated it in the familiar procedure. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP S Power S Strength S Intelligence F Spirit F Speed S Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... The stats that emerged were one step more advanced than the ones I saw before. HP, was now SS. ''What is this, what does this mean? ''My HP is up to SS and two S''s ...... now in skeletons?'' Yeah. Oh, so that''s what the mirror does. Not exactly. ''What?What do you mean? There are nine statuses, right?So, the three items that Nifornium has asked me to-- well, begged me for. I mean-- There are three ways to become an SS? Emily, who''s known me the longest, figured out what I meant faster than Alice did. Me nodding. Yes, three. Three times three equals nine, so the result of handing the mirror to Nihonium. HP, strength, and speed. The upper limit of the three statuses that go up from the first to the third floor of the Nihonium basement became SS. 115. Mandarin orange split In the morning, the basement level of the Nihonium dungeon. I used Repetition to kill every zombie I encountered. I used my last lap spell (Repetition) to instantly kill the zombies I''d defeated so far, and collected the seeds I''d dropped in the pouch immediately. I was able to boost my abilities in about half the time it took me before. Just to be sure, I went out and checked on the Now Board. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP S Power SS Strength S Intelligence F Spirit F Speed S Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... The power was also up to SS properly. Arsenic Dungeon, first basement floor. As soon as I entered, I ran into Emily. When Emily found me, she looked surprised and came running in a hurry, carrying a hammer. What is it?It''s rare for Yoda-san to come to a dungeon other than Nihonium before noon. I''m getting stronger-- I glanced around and answered without using the word SS. It''s a secret among my friends that I can be an A or better, an S. The highest human ability in this world is an A. A is the best for both combat status and drop rate. I heard about it from Emily at first, and afterwards I confirmed it with various people, but it''s a common sense that''s too obvious to be wrong. I thought it was best not to tell anyone that I''m going up to S - now SS, so I decided to blur the subject in this normally adventurous Arsenic dungeon with adventurers. Most of the adventurers around me are using Emily''s hammer, and I''m glancing at them as Emily runs towards me now that I''ve shown up. Most of them are fans of Emily and other adventurers like that. I can''t say anything more careless than usual. ''You''re up?It''s early, it usually takes me the whole morning. The repetition and the porch helped me get up there faster than usual. I''m up there faster than usual. So I''m here to test the waters. I see! Emily nodded widely and agreed. Arsenic Dungeon, a special dungeon in a way. The monsters in this dungeon are all rock-type monsters. They are extremely hard and the means of defeating them are limited, but because of that, they don''t attack you from the other side at all. This is a hammer user''s paradise, just like Emily''s. Not only Emily, but other adventurers - men and women, young and old - are all power-hungry types, and they keep on splitting rocks here. It''s the perfect place to test your strength. ''''Can I follow Yoda-san in his test of strength? Yeah, sure. Thank you! Emily was as happy as a child who had been bought a toy. Although she is a child at 130 centimeters in height, the sight of her jumping around carrying a giant hammer would make even a grown man look very pale. I stood with Emily in front of a monster. A huge rock. It has a face in the middle, consisting of an eye and a mouth. It''s the monster in Dantelok, Arsenic''s underground level. Even though I stood right in front of it, it didn''t attack me, so I picked my jaw and thought slowly. ''Well, what should I do?'' What do you want me to do? I could do that before. After confirming that there were still danteloks around, he threw a random punch. The trajectory was like hitting a child with a genkotsu, but rather seriously. Crack. Dantelok cracked and dropped the dandelion. ''I can do it like this, so I''ll have to change my methods a bit to see how much power I''ve gained. I see. Can it be shattered? Shattered? Yes, sir! ...... Hmmm, let''s give it a try. I picked my chin and thought for a moment, then headed to the next Dantelok with Emily. I still stood in front of Dantelok, who didn''t move or attack, but only looked at me with a guillotine. I took one deep breath and then released a rush of punches. It''s like something you''ve seen in a comic book, a star or a world, as I showered Dantelok with a rush of punches. There was a lot of waste and loss in the unfamiliar way, but the result was still twenty seconds of punching. ''It''s amazing!The rock is shattered. It''s as if it''s turned to sand. Emily is jumping up and down again. Just before Dante Rock turned into a drop item, it literally shattered in my rush. ''Hmmm, I don''t really get it. It could have been done a long time ago if I''d said I could have done this too. I''ll ask. I''m looking for something. "So, yes, it''s true. ...... Emily crossed her arms and twisted her neck, too. I came here, but I couldn''t figure it out now. I''ve always been an S and higher than any adventurer in this world, this time I''m an SS even higher than that. I guess it''s hard to verify ...... I don''t have a choice. I stood in front of the next Dante Rock with Emily, and I thought about it, sticking my cheek to it. It pettishly and twang. Good thing it''s a monster that doesn''t attack at all, I think as I tease it appropriately. ''What a squishy tomato!How about crushing it? It was onomatopoeic, too, and it ended up being a big deal-- tomatoes? Yes? ...... Okay, that sounds good. Are they tomatoes? ''No, not the tomatoes, but look at .......'' I faced Dante Rock again. I put out my hands and grab both sides of Dante Rock. And then - I put some effort into it. While holding the sides, I put my two thumbs into the air in a way that pushes them in from directly above. Then - pekki. With a slight sound, the rock cracked in half. ''''Wow!They''re like oranges now. Yeah. As an excited Emily said, that was exactly what I did now, like peeling an orange. I put my thumb in the butt of the oranges and split one of the oranges, connected by a tuft and a cluster, into two hemispheres. That''s what he did with the rock. ''That''s the way I see it, Yoda, I hadn''t thought of it. I got the idea from Emily''s tomatoes. Yeah, I don''t know if I could do this before. I picked up the dropped dandelion and threw it into Emily''s magic cart and stood in front of the next Dante Rock. In the same way, he cracked the dantelock in the same way he cracked the oranges. ''''I cracked it again.'''' ''Yeah, I can feel the power lifted a little bit now. Thanks Emily. ''I didn''t do anything, Mr. Yoda came up with something amazing on his own. Emily smiling. Suddenly, she clapped her hands with a look on her face as she thought of something. ''What''s up?'' What about that one? Huh? Yes, sir, it''s a steel slime. ...... Oh. Terdungeon, 8th floor underground. The place I came to with Emily was crawling with metallic-bodied slime. This is ...... worth a try. The first time I defeated this guy, I finally managed to defeat him using metal fatigue, which was followed by freezing and flaming bullets. If we''re going to test our strength, I''d say this is more than just a rock. Then let''s do it. Fight!It is! Emily''s cheering sent me out to face a steel slime. It targeted me and flew at me. That''s a lot of momentum, and a metal body. It''s a pretty formidable monster that could do about as much damage as an iron ball if it was hit properly. I caught it, stopped it with my outstretched hand, and grabbed it tightly. I grabbed it back with both hands, grabbed the rampaging steel slime tightly, and pressed both thumbs against its head. --Pekin. With a light metallic sound, the steel slime is similarly split into oranges. ''That''s great!Yoda is amazing! As Emily cheered, I grabbed more steel slime that flew by and cracked it into a mandarin orange. Seeing the cracked metal body of the slime, I finally felt that my power had become SS. 116. A man who is ahead of speed SS Nihonium Dungeon, third underground level. I was hunting a mummy wrapped in bandages in a cave like dungeon. In the beginning, I struggled with its toughness. I miss the days when normal bullets weren''t very effective, and I''d take them out by exploiting their weaknesses with flaming bullets. Repetition. It''s easy now, it''s a monster I''ve defeated once, so I''ll kill it instantly with my strongest perimeter magic. Repetition is easy, just target it, cast it, and that''s all you have to do to defeat it. If the previous games were action RPGs, Repetition is a command RPG. It''s that easy, and it''s easy to hunt. ...... The new mummy took me by surprise from the wall, I stepped into the pocket in the opposite direction while keeping my gun up and blew it away with a combo of knee-to-turn kicks, followed by a series of regular rounds in a follow-up attack. The rush, the body technique, and the subsequent combo were all well-defined. I was scared for a moment that my body might have been tamed by the overuse of the repetition, but that doesn''t seem to be the case. Yes, you shouldn''t be proud. It''s not a good idea to be a good sport. It''s more useless than Windcutter when you''re dealing with a monster you''ve never defeated, and you''ll still be fighting monsters you''ve never met before. Rares by tier, dungeon masters by dungeon, and pre-spirit bosses. There are still opportunities to fight those monsters. Relying too much on repetitions to dull your combat instincts is a fool''s errand. Don''t be lazy. Seal off the Repetition lightly and use the two-gun Gun-Katas to take out the rest of the planned Mummy. Not even using infinite lightning bullets, but taking them down like a training exercise. Over the course of the entire morning, I raised my seed and speed from S to SS on the third basement floor. I walk side by side with Emily on the streets of Cyclo. He holds the gun in front of him and pulls the trigger with the muzzle pointed directly to the side. Turn--Shuuuuuu....... The normal bullets that were launched were immediately grabbed by my free hand. With two of my thumb and forefinger, I literally grabbed the bullet like I was grabbing a bean (,). I grabbed the bullet in the air as I launched it out. ''Great!How did you grab that one? ''No, I just moved fast. I just moved my hand and grabbed it faster than a bullet as soon as I shot it. ''There''s no such thing as too fast. I mean, grabbing something that fast with my hands - I hadn''t thought of that. Maybe it''s because I saw something like it in a movie once. Yeah? No, I''m just saying. I don''t think there are any movies in this world. I pull the trigger again and pick at the bullets that are launched (,,). The bullets are very fast, but this one is even faster with the speed SS. Since I''m the one shooting it, I know the timing, so it wasn''t that difficult to pick it up. Yoda-san is getting stronger and stronger, it''s amazing! ''I''m not there yet, though: intelligence, spirit, luck, and dexterity. I haven''t been able to give you these four things yet. Besides, I need to find a sword and grenade, too. It''s all right, Mr. Yoda will take care of everything. Thank you. I don''t know if I can or can''t do it, but if I say I''m going to do it or not, I''m going to do it. I''m not relying on Repetition for that, and I''m also hunting miscellaneous monsters normally to maintain my combat instincts. There are countless battles ahead of you to solve something in order to raise the rest of your abilities. Increase your abilities, get items. That''s important, but you also need to develop an instinct for combat that isn''t dependent on status on a daily basis. I''m going to do my best, too. I''ll do it with Yoda-san. Emily looks up at me with a smile on her face, smiling at me. I almost look at her and I look away to cover it up. ''You never know when it''s going to happen, you know. Keep up the good work. Yes, sir! We walked together, shoulder to shoulder, secretly soothed by Emily, who was still smiling at me. Suddenly, I stopped in my tracks. ''Yoda-san?What''s going on? ...... that. He raised his hand and pointed a little further away. There was Clint. Clint was sitting on the terrace of the caf, piling sugar cubes on the table and chewing on them. Gazillion, gazillion, gazillion. ''Huh ...... I wish someone would do something about it. Clint sighed and fell to himself. I exchange glances with Emily. It''s too deliberate, too deliberate. "Shall we go that way today? I think it''s a good idea. Emily nodded and we headed back the way we''d come. I didn''t know when or what was going to happen, so I prepared for it. Clint and I have a holding relationship, and I''m willing to help out if there''s anything I can do to help. But that''s when it comes to the front. ''An invitation like that,'' Yes, sir, it''s absolutely critical. Emily nodded, and we were both in the same boat. We slinked back, though. There was Clint at the end of the road! He sat on the ground on the step in front of the door of the folk house, piled up sugar cubes in his hand and nibbled on them. The sugar cubes were growing. Earlier, they had been stacked in a pyramid of five steps, but now there were ten. ''Huh ...... is there a strong adventurer somewhere ...... ...... Emily, let''s go home for the day. ...... Yes, sir, I think it''s important to go home early and take a bone rest once in a while. Me and Emily turned back further. This time we walked faster and headed toward the house. Bad, obviously bad. The deliberate mannerisms, the anticipation, and the increase in sugar cubes that Clint loves. Everything seems to be a complementary ingredient to the badness. We hurried, and at some point we went from walking fast to running short. ''Around this corner is home,'' Yes, sir. We both turn around behind us, Clint is not coming. ''Shaken off--?'' Wait, Emily, that''s not a very nice thing to say... That line in these situations was bad. It''s as bad as muttering "You got it" after you''ve given your best shot to a powerful enemy. In other words, a flag. And the flag was collected at super speed. Around the corner, there was Clint! Clint was sitting in front of our house. The pyramid of sugar cubes had grown to twenty tiers at once. ''I wonder if there''s anyone out there somewhere who''s strong and has a great drop and whose name is Sato. You''re already name calling! I rushed into it, my tone was strange to me. I then covered my mouth with my hand, saying, "Oh no," but I soon gave up, thinking that I couldn''t have escaped anyway. They''re chasing me like this, even if I escaped today, tomorrow - or even if I escaped inside the house, I would have gotten to the house first. If I couldn''t get away anyway, I gave up and spoke to Clint. ''What happened?'' Oh, good point, Sat-- ''Enough of the deliberate small talk. What happened? I decided to interrupt him on the way out and get involved, so I thought I''d save myself the unnecessary interaction. ''Thank you ...... first of all. This is so important, I could only rely on Satou. Clint gave me a look at the face I''d seen before, the one I knew so well, the head of the Dungeon Association, and thanked me. Then, this time, he looked serious. He put on the most serious face I''ve seen since I''ve known him and said. ''Arsenic seems to have a ...... lifespan. 117. The ultimate wall Dungeon Society, reception room. Clint, facing me there, was nervously chewing on a sugar cube, skinny as can be. He was skinny when he came into the room, skinny even after he told his secretary something, and skinny even when he sat down on the sofa. He continued to chew on a lot of sugar cubes like a rodent. The amount of sugar cubes was enough to make me feel like I was going to die of heartburn watching them. That''s a lot of food. "I''m sorry to show you how unseemly I am. Does this have something to do with Arsenic''s death? Clint nodded clearly, all the while scouring the sugar cubes. ''Tell me a story. How did you know the dungeon was going to die? ...... I guess I was right to approach Satou after all. Clint stared at me for a moment, then sighed and swallowed the entire sugar cube in his mouth and said ''Why?'' ''Now that''s a question. I know for sure that the dungeon is going to die, and I''m not even questioning it. ...... because that''s the rule of this world, right? I blurted it out. It was stupid in a way. I didn''t wonder about that - I know Aulum and Nihonium, which is why I don''t wonder about the expression "the dungeon dies". So I accepted "the dungeon dies" as a matter of course. But. ''Then you know about Bloody Rain. No one knows that the dungeon dies without knowing that. Bloody Rain: "Bloody Rain ...... blood rain? ''Yes. That''s what happens in dungeons when a dungeon is on the verge of death. It rains like blood, but it''s an untouchable, visual-only rain. It''s like dungeon snow. Clint nodded. ''Bloody Rain and Death in the Dungeon are two sets of things, there''s no way you can say you know one or the other. Okay. That''s what makes Satou a mystery to me. If there''s anyone right now who can stop Arsenic''s death, Satou, you''re the only one. I didn''t need to ask why Arsenic''s death had to be stopped. In this world where everything is dropped from dungeons, dungeons are a big part of the city''s tax revenue. It was only natural that Clint, the head of the Dungeon Association, would try to prolong Arsenic''s life. On the other hand. . can''t he usually do that? ...... Yeah, never, ever. Okay. I got up and headed for the door. ''Will you do it?'' I''ll see what I can do. ''Thank you!Thank you so much! Clint got up and followed me, taking my hand and repeating the same words over and over again. Arsenic, basement level. As I stepped in, I was surprised by the sight. Bloody Rain, it''s literally raining blood. Despite the fact that Dungeone Snow was shimmering down and creating some sort of fantastic view, the rain - red, shaking like water, it was a frightening atmosphere. The only saving grace was that it didn''t have the same physical effect on us as Danjon Snow. ''We''ll have to see Arsenic first,'' Then I turned around. I turned around and saw four girls. Emily, Celeste, Eve and Alice. The Ryota family''s faces were gathered here. ''How can we meet them?'' ''I don''t know for sure, but given what happened to Aulum and Nihonium, we should be able to clear a path by attacking all the dungeons and defeating the rare monsters at the lowest level. The rare monster at the lowest level: ...... You mean Absolute Rock on the 30th floor of the basement. "You know, Celeste? Yeah, it''s a pretty nasty one. The fact that they don''t attack is just like the Arsenic monsters, but they''re just so hard that no adventurer has ever been able to defeat them properly. So the name says it all. Can I beat this guy?...... No. Now we just need to dive anyway. What are the rabbits supposed to do? I need your help with the attack. Worst-case scenario, I might have to go through all the levels on my own, but maybe we can split up. It''s just like in Auldurm! So that''s it, Alice. So that''s it. I stared at the four of them. The petite Emily carrying the hammer. Celeste with her long hair and model style, looking strangely presentable even in the rain of blood. Eve in a bunny suit with her own bunny ears. Alice with three fellow monsters on her shoulders. I stared at the four of them and lowered my head. ''''Help me with this.'''' You will be responsible for it. I''d do anything for you, Ryota. Carrots, a heap and a boatload. Throw in some groundhog and a steak. ''It''s a total family effort!Hmmm, exciting. The four of them responded with their own words. The friends I''ve made since I came to this world. That was reassuring and made me happy. Arsenic, 15th basement floor. In the dungeon with a total of thirty floors, Emily, Celeste, and Eve decided that Emily, Celeste, and Eve would take the upper fifteen floors, and me and Alice would be in charge of the lower fifteen floors. We went down, and the moment we encountered the monster, we defeated the monster with a fusion of fire and freezing bullets and annihilation bullets. Arsenic''s rock monster was more effective with the annihilation bullets than the infinite lightning bullets. I took it down in one shot and threw the dropped flower into the magic cart and sent it immediately to Elsa at home. I don''t know what kind of conditional decision the strategy, is, but I beat it, drop it, assess it and sell it. I did that with one set of these hypotheticals. ''Alice!'' ''Yes!Downstairs is this way! I asked Alice to come with me because I hadn''t conquered Arsenic and didn''t know anything about the hierarchy. There''s no point in killing a monster in the blink of an eye if I have to spend a lot of time going down, so I asked Alice to come with me. The dungeon born Alice led me forward and soon we were down to the 16th floor. I blinked away again with an annihilation bullet at a rock that didn''t move in the rain of blood, sent the dropped flowers in a magic cart, and proceeded further. Arsenic is, in a way, a dungeon that is far from "attack". Big rocks, small rocks. Flying rocks, buried rocks, transparent rocks, shattered rocks--. There are various rocks, but they all have one thing in common: they''re all "stuck" rocks. As soon as we saw them, we defeated them with an annihilation bullet and ran down the stairs at once. With Alice''s help, I didn''t have to wait long before I reached the 30th floor below ground. There, I make the rocks lying around disappear. ''Lyota!Over there! Alice, who was the first to notice the signs, pointed to the other side. In the rain of blood, a rock stood alone. It was an unremarkable rock, slightly smaller than the surrounding rock. But it''s clear that it''s different. And the fact that it''s different in the dungeon means there are two possibilities, and the fact that there are still people around narrows it down to one. Arsenic Basement Level 30, Rare Monster Absolute Rock. ''''Hang in there, Lyota!If we beat that one, we''ll make it. Are you ready? Yeah, it works! Alice''s reply without hesitation. It''s not just encouragement either, she was born in a dungeon and can sense everything about the dungeon, she must have sensed something. That''s why she is able to say this without hesitation. She gave me reassurance. I take a step forward and hold my gun up. I fire a reinforced bullet-massive fireball and a frozen bullet, the bullets fusing in the process into an all-consuming annihilation bullet. The vanishing bullet landed and became a black sphere that swallowed the space around it - but. ''Doesn''t it work, does it work?'' I guess so. I furrowed my brow. The black sphere that had swallowed everything up until now had been swallowed up by me in reverse and turned into a lunar eclipse. After the bullets disappeared, Absolute Rock was there, looking the same. ''''Lyota, are you okay?'''' I''m going to try a lot of things at ....... I took a lot of shots at the absolute lock. Reinforced lightning bullets, piercing bullets, tracking bullets, single flame bullets, and freezing bullets. I didn''t think it was possible, but I also shot a straitjacket, a straitjacket, and a sleeping bullet that fused into a variable ball. Considering the possibility that my firepower was too high to be effective, I also shot just ordinary bullets. All of them were no good. Even after firing all kinds of bullets, Absolute Rock didn''t freak out. ''Mr. Yoda!'' I turned at the voice, Emily, who had been left in charge of attacking the upper floor, and Celeste and Eve came running in. ''We''re done upstairs,'' That''s absolute rock. Move aside, the rabbit will take care of it. Eve said, and proceeded slowly to Absolute Rock. She raised her right hand, the slowest it had ever been - too fast, and she hit a chop that seemed to be the opposite of slow. ''...... ouch,'' Absolute Rock didn''t freak out, on the contrary, Eve''s hands were squirming!I made a sound and was covered in blood. Eve didn''t move a single eyebrow and didn''t show any pain, but on the contrary, I could see the disappointment in her. I shot her a recovery round and healed her hand. ''I''ll try, sir.'' Emily drew her hammer and moved away from Absolute Rock. She turned herself around when she was well away and dashed toward the rock. After getting her eyes full of help, she jumped in and swung the giant hammer down. A powerful blow, the opposite of Eve''s, a powerful blow. The cave shook, a tremor so great that it was impossible to stand still. But... I''m not even scared. Absolute Rock still doesn''t have a scratch on it. ...... Hey Lyota, what was that metal fatigue you mentioned before? Heat it up and then cool it down. Yeah, I don''t know about that. Celeste pointed out with a wizardly point of view. He reloaded the gun. I reloaded the gun with reinforced bullets, and then loaded it with flaming bullets and frozen bullets. It''s the same way to load the bullets as the extinction bullets, but I didn''t load them at the same time, but in order. The flames envelop the rock, and immediately after that, the freezer bullets are used to cool it down. With that, Eve dives in further and unleashes a super slow chop. That didn''t work either, the rock didn''t freak out. ''She''s amazing ...... not freaked out at all. ''I knew it was ''hard'' in the knowledge, but I didn''t know it was this hard,'' We can''t go on like this, sir. We need to kill this monster before we can move on. ...... If it were a carrot, I could bite it. My friends were in trouble. It was a monster that didn''t move at all and could escape with ease if it wanted to, but its hardness was the strongest of all the opponents so far. Even if you try everything you can, it won''t crack, is there nothing you can do about it anymore? ''''--! Suddenly, it looked like the rock was crying. In the midst of the Bloody Rain, which should not physically interfere in any way, it looked as if it was flowing into the rock''s body and its face was crying tears of blood. It was like Arsenic''s face, his heart. That''s what it felt like to me. ''Mr. Yoda?'' Emily is surprised to see me going to the rocks. I put my gun away. I can''t do that. I stand in front of the rock, close my eyes and take one deep breath. I clenched my fist - and punched it as hard as I could. The punch didn''t work, not even a crack, not even a piece. Still, I hit him. I kept hitting and hitting and hitting. The response was as if I was punching something tremendous - as if I was punching the mountain itself. But I still hit it as hard as I could, and I kept hitting it. My greatest weapon - or trump card - was this. One level as a transmigrant, two levels by dedicating a mirror to Nihonium. Two levels higher than a normal human, two levels beyond the limit, the power SS is my last trump card. I kept hitting it with a single mind. ''''Do your best! Come on, Mr. Lyota! Furee, Furee, teale veru. We''ll be right behind you. With my friends cheering me on, I just kept hitting them. I don''t know how long I hit him, but I kept hitting him. Because in the middle, the rock stopped crying. The rock that always just looks at me with a blank expression, the Arsenic monster. Because its face looked like it was smiling slightly. So I kept hitting it. Eventually. --Bish! Absolute Rock cracked and his fist was impaled on the rock. 118. Infinite recovery bullet After Absolute Rock disappeared, a staircase appeared in its place. The same stairs to the bottom that appeared after defeating a rare monster, although it was the lowest level as in Aurum. ''''Did you get out properly?'''' What did you get? Can''t you see Emily? Yes, sir. Where is everyone? I asked Celeste, Eve and Alice. The three of them shake their heads in the same way. The staircase visible in front of them, a staircase that is unmistakably there. Still, the four of them can''t see it. I''m the only one who can see them. That means I''m the only one who can get down there. I''ll meet the owner of the dungeon, I think it was once every hundred years or so. Yes, that''s what I heard. Celeste, who knew things, cried out. I divided the drop-related things in this world into two categories, "just me" and "anyone". I''m the only one who drops outside the dungeon and from Hagremonos. Drops in the dungeon, anyone. This staircase would also be "Anyone" if there was an example in the past. The only reason I can get it out easily is because the drop is an S. And the reason everyone can''t see it is because I''ve thwarted it. When I thought about it, it made sense. I turn around and smile at my four friends. ''Thanks guys. I''ll be off for a bit. It''s a fight. Emily said, and the other three nodded. Encouraged, I load the bullets this way and that just to be sure, and then go down the stairs as if sent out by everyone''s smiling faces. The destination of the descent is the same pure white space as in Aurum, and the stairs are the same until the moment I descended, the stairs disappeared. And there was a rock lying in the middle of the space. The rock looked exactly like the absolute rock that had just been knocked down. ''No way--Repetition! I cast a spell and cast a spell. A spell that defeated a monster once and killed it again unconditionally. The magic hit the rock, but nothing changed. ''I knew it was a different monster.'' Muttering this, I put my hand on the gun and slowly approach it, bracing myself to shoot at any moment. Gradually approaching from twenty meters away. 15............... ...6....... When they got close to about five meters, the opponent moved. The rock deformed. The stone, which until then had not moved at all like an ornamental stone, deformed like what the hell is going on with its mass? Its volume swelled up, and it grew from the inside to the outside. The stone remained a stone and became a human shape of about two meters long. ''A golem?'' The word popped up in my head. A rock material, humanoid monster, burly, a form that I could tell at first glance was a power type. I didn''t know what to call it except that it was called a golem. That thing didn''t just change shape. Unlike the Arsenic monsters that never moved before, it moved and attacked me. It growled and attacked me with a powerful arm, kicking the ground and ducking right beside me. The punches stabbed into the ground and shook the space. If it hits you, you won''t get away with it. ''''How about this! I point the muzzle of the gun while avoiding it and pull the trigger. First, an infinite number of thunderbolts of reinforced bullets mashashimashi. The bullets flew to the golem with electric light in tow. The golem stuck out its hand, palm open to catch the lightning bullet. Lightning raged, crackling roars in the golem''s hand. After the electric lightning subsided, the golem was unharmed. ''No?!'' I shot this and that, dodging the punches that came flying in the counterattack. I fired a full set, from extinguishing bullets to restraining bullets, one at a time. The golem was unharmed. "You mean it''s the same hardness as an absolute lock? The image before the transformation comes to mind, exactly the same as the rare monster that I had struggled with upstairs for so long. I guess its nature is also the same. In other words, this guy is an absolute rock that can move. It''s tricky - tricky. But it''s not that tricky. When we ducked this and that attack, I was able to get a good idea of the golem''s abilities. If this guy''s hardness is S or SS level, his strength is about B, and his speed is not even E. It''s just a monster that''s messed up and hard. Strength B class is a threat in its own right, but compared to the Absolute Rock class, it''s extremely inferior. It''s only an ability that can be ignored. I stifled my gun, stopping right there. The golem waved its arms and threw a punch at me, I punched back with all my strength. There was a roar, and space screamed. Punches and punches met, and the golem staggered back. No damage, just a stagger. I''m more and more convinced that this guy isn''t a threat. It''s power is less than Emily''s, it''s just that it''s able to move hard. So I took the same tactics as I did upstairs. He stops and punches as hard as he can. He continues to punch and punch and punch and punch. I continue to counter-punch the attacking golem''s fists. Perhaps because of the added power of the counter, the golem began to crack his body with fewer punches than the absolute lock. The golem became unstoppable, naturally not letting him get away, and he just folded up. Again and again, I hit the cracked spot with my full force - force SS punches. The crack grows and spreads throughout the body. And then - the final counter. As a result of being staggered by a blow that made space tremble, the golem collapsed from arm to body, in turn. The ragged and crumbling mass of rock disappeared with a swoosh ...... and a sound. I watched it in silence and stared at it. After the golem disappeared completely, a rainbow-colored bullet appeared there. I approached and picked it up. --Please choose one of the infinite bullets. It was the same infinite bullet as in Aulum. I answered immediately. I chose the recovery bullets, which had become much more necessary in recent years. The rainbow-colored bullets fused with the recovery bullets to become infinite recovery bullets. I loaded the gun and depressed it. I pulled the trigger and fired continuously. The recovery bullets are shot out indefinitely. ''This way we won''t have to worry about running out of gas from the repetition. Satisfied with the side rewards, I put the gun away. And-- ''Welcome, young man.'' The appearance of the real mission - the emergence of a wrinkled voice - made me brace myself for the real work from here on out. 119. First time in 1000 years It was an old man who showed up. He was an old man who was even smaller than Emily, who was 130 centimeters tall. The image I saw looked like an old man of a dwarf tribe or some such tribe. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one. ''It''s been hundreds of years since a human has been here. Are you Arsenic? How true. If you can call it that so soon, will there still be memories of us on earth? I knew right away that the old man = Arsenic, lord of the dungeon, because of the Aulum thing before, but I decided to keep that under wraps. Now I have more important things to worry about than that. You''re going to die? That''s right. On a human scale, I''d say ...... is a month away. What can I do to stop it? Humans can''t do that. Just tell me how to stop it. When I pressed hard, Arsenic looked up at me with a surprised look on his face. It''s the eyes that stare at me, as if they''re searching for my true intentions. He stared at me like that for a while, and then said in a calm tone of voice: "Well, you''re right, I said it. Well, it doesn''t hurt me to say it. I''m not going to lose anything by saying that. We need the fruit of life to prolong the life of the spirits in our dungeon. Fruit of life? You don''t know, do you?It''s supposed to be a phantom fruit that humans will never be able to touch. This is a legendary white substance that increases the sparkle of the soul and life force of ordinary people just by touching it. Just by touching it, ...... life force is increased ......? Well, you know, to a man... I''ll be there in a minute. I headed back the way I''d come and got out. In one fell swoop, I ran up the stairs and returned to my friends waiting on the 30th floor of Arsenic, where blood was raining down. ''Mr. Yoda!'' How''s it going, Lyota? I don''t have time for bad explanations. Alice, find the next Absolute Rock, we need to go down again. Okay, I''m on it! Alice nodded instantly, her fists clenched and motivated. I turned myself around and started running. Leaving my friends behind, I ran up the dungeon. I jumped out of Arsenic and ran across the city of Cyclo and into Nihonium. Nihonium, the first basement floor. As usual, it was a skeleton paradise with no adventurers there. ''Put on the porch--Repetition! I put on the items and ran through the dungeon using my strongest roundabout magic. As I ran through the familiar basement floor, the porch was filled with HP seeds. A substitute that increases life force just by touching it, something humans can''t possibly get their hands on. Maybe it should be ...... this. I left the dungeon with the pouch and returned to Arsenic in a straight line. Thirty floors below ground, Celeste was waiting for me there. ''Lyota-san, over here! Celeste, who was waiting for me, led me on. A few twists and turns led to Absolute Rock, where Emily and three others were surrounding me. ''Thanks guys,'' Then my friends smiled and moved away from their keeper, Absolute Rock. I held up my hand and used the repetition - but I was floored. It''s the phenomenon of not having enough MP. I pull out my gun and fire a series of infinite recovery rounds at myself like a syringe. After recovering all the MPs, I shot Repetition. As expected of a rare monster at the lowest level, the one shot of the Repetition made me dizzy again, and I was out of MP. But I was able to clear the way. The first time, I struggled with it, but I defeated it once, so I was able to kill it instantly by Repetition. ''Yoda-san is amazing. You''re the only person in the world who can do this, aren''t you, Lyota? Low level, cocky. Eve should be able to say that line without blushing. ''What?Eve, you''re not saying-- My distant friends were yapping at me, but I went through with it for now. I made sure the porch was there and went down the stairs. There was an Absolute Rock golem. This one was also tricky, but I killed it instantly with a Repetition from Infinite Recovery Bullet as well. And then, I come back to Arsenic again. ''''Nah--'''' Arsenic is astonished, wide-eyed and astonished. ''You''re here again ......?The chances of a human being being being able to get here in a row is not in a million million million. Whoever you are, young man-- I don''t care about that. I''ll tell you what the fruit of life is. What? Arsenic looks at the pouch presented to him and its contents. At first, he is stunned, but then his expression changes in a flash. It''s the fruit of life!And in such large quantities! So that''s what I''m thinking. "Who the hell are you ......? ''That''s fine too, just eat this anyway. Come to think of it, I didn''t ask you about the quantity, is that enough?I''ll bring you more if there aren''t enough. Oh, oh, ...... is enough. ...... Arsenic looks as if he''s been pinched by a fox. He still looks like he doesn''t quite understand what happened, but gradually his interest is absorbed by the HP seed - the fruit of life. I took a seed from the pouch - a seed that only I could get my hands on until now - and put it in my mouth. I munch it and swallow it. The old man''s body lit up. ''...... i.'' Huh? I''m alive again. ........................ The last exhale was incredibly long. It seemed like a gas (,) that had accumulated from all the things I''ve been forced to endure and forced to do. You''ve changed your character, old man. You don''t have a choice!I haven''t eaten in a thousand years, yum! Not that much, I mean, how did you live for a thousand years without drinking or eating, did you eat haze like a hermit? ...... No, you''re dying now because you didn''t eat it. Arsenic munched on the seeds. Each time he ate, his body lit up and his life force increased so much that even I could see it. ....... "Grandpa, just wait a little longer. I said and went up again, leaving the old man devouring the seeds like a rodent. He returned to Arsenic''s space again with his basket. After sweeping the seeds away, the old man burped with a gleeful look on his face. ''Oh young man, you''re here again.'' The old man greeted me with a big smile. "You are saved, young man. Now I can live with myself. Yeah, I guess so. The blood stopped raining. Hmm. It''ll keep you alive for another 200 years. That much? Now that wasn''t much. I just did a quick round of Nifonium. It''s only a tenth of the amount needed to gain one rank in status. That''s 200 years. Thank you. No need to thank me, but what about this one? What about this one? Here. I thrust the basket in front of the old man. He opens the lid to reveal the contents. Inside were all the dishes Emily had put so much effort into making. I left my grandfather outside and let Emily prepare the food. As soon as I open the basket, a warmth spreads through the space. Emily''s food, an amazing dish that sprinkles kindness and warmth all around us just by being there. It reached my grandfather, who was not a human being. Onigiri, sandwiches and side dishes such as hamburgers, which were easy to eat. Emily''s thoughtfulness was evident. At first the old man was scornful, but as soon as he put it in his mouth. The reaction was a bit too exaggerated for me to react, but I''m glad to see that they were pleased. An old man trapped in this place and unable to eat properly, a spirit forced to live like that. I thought I would continue to bring him food from time to time. And. The unprecedented news that Arsenic''s death was prevented by the Ryota Family''s efforts. The news, along with the addition of the option of a permanent moon breeding (monster doubling) state, quickly spread among adventurers. 120. Absolute defense Inside the dungeon society in the city of Cyclo. I was ushered into the parlor, and Clint thanked me profusely. ''Thank you!Thank you, Sato!I didn''t think he could really pull it off. You didn''t trust me. ''Don''t be offended. I was grasping at straws, after all, the death of the dungeon had never been avoided before. It has always been common knowledge that once the blood starts raining down, it''s all over. Okay. ''Not only that, I''ve not only stopped the rain of blood, but I''ve also increased the number of monsters in the dungeon. This will increase the amount of production from Arsenic. It will also increase tax revenue. All thanks to Satou. I''m just doing what they asked me to do. ''Still, thank you. Yes, it will be a modest percentage, but I''ve decided that the next time I see a portion of Arsenic''s tax revenue, it will be for Sato''s share. Are you sure? ''Of course, if it weren''t for Satou, Arsenic itself would be gone. Let me at least do this. Then I''ll take that as a compliment. Now, after Aulum, Arsenic will get a share of the tax money from Arsenic as well. I''m glad to see the unearned income. "And a small amount of sugar for a year... I respectfully decline to do so. I immediately refused a year''s worth of sugar, which I was not happy to receive, because I felt like eating it. Night, Villa Diechee. I was having a launch party with four of my friends. We ordered a different beer of the day and made a toast. The beer was so good that it was so good that it was absorbed into all of our organs. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. ''The rare monster drop was a blind spot. ''Hey, Lyota, what kind of person is a spirit?Pretty like everyone else? Alice said, and placed three of her fellow monsters on the table from her shoulders. A slime, a skeleton, and a little demon. The three bodies ran adorably around the table. ''No, not at all. They were little old men, not so cute.'' That''s right: ...... ''You don''t have to be pretty to be pretty, but you can be pretty in low-level #2.'' I''m number two! ''I know, Alice''s companionship makes her so much prettier than her original form. The drinks are in, and my friends have smoothed out their mouths. Eve, who usually seemed quiet, was smiling good-naturedly as she ate only carrots from the vegetable sticks she was snacking on. But that solves one mystery. I''ve always wondered why Absolute Rock never dropped any items. ''Come to think of it, you haven''t dropped it in terms of items. Celeste''s words remind me. After defeating Absolute Rock, the stairs appeared. As for the treatment, that staircase is a drop item. It''s a drop item that only I, as a drop S, can make drop 100% of the time. ''Does Absolute Rock have an original drop? I have it. It''s not much use, but it''s a nice little item. What''s it all about? Rabbit, why do you have it? Eve, who was nibbling on a carrot stick, pulled a small rock from the valley of the bunny suit. The pebble on the table looked nondescript, like a stone picked up on the side of the road. ''What''s this?'' Emily. Yes? Celeste overhears Emily wondering. ''Yes, sir,'' Then go to ...... After Emily nodded, Celeste took the stone in her hand and kissed it, chuffed it as it was. In the next moment, Celeste''s body gradually turned to stone. In less than three seconds, she became like a stone statue - or rather the stone statue itself. ''What do you mean--'' Boom! Faster than I could hear, Emily slammed the hammer on the side to Celeste. Emily''s real, force A Emily hammer. A blow so shocking that the cups and plates on the table were collectively lifted into the air. But Celeste was unharmed. Even after taking a decent hit from Emily''s blow, which shattered Arsenic''s rock with almost a single blow, Celeste was still completely unharmed. ''What do you mean?'' "The stuff that makes you as tough as that rock. That rock is ...... absolute rock? Yes. Awesome, that''s just invincible. Not really. I can''t move while I''m a rock. You can''t do anything. What''s that? That doesn''t really do much good, does it? Yeah. So it''s an absolute defense and these are only 98,000 piro each. Hey! Cheap: ...... I''m well aware of the hardness of Absolute Rock, it''s an absolute classic. 100,000 piro for the same hardness is not even close to cheap. Well, what can you do if you can''t do anything but get hard? After a while, Celeste returned to normal and the stone was placed on the table again. ''So that''s why.'' I see. This is not going to work. I chuckle and take a swig of my beer and order a new one. The alcohol is spinning and my head is spinning. There''s something, a vision that seems to come to me, but it''s hard to get it out. Well, I guess it''s not a big deal: ....... ''At least I could use it to run away if only I could move. While I''m getting tough, I''m getting light-headed. Would it be crunchier if I made the carrots tougher? I want to make my hammer harder, maybe even better. ...... Stay stiff and move? Stay hard, stay hard ....... ''Ahhhh!'' Pan!He stands up, putting his hand on the table to tap it. ''Yo, Yoda?What''s going on? I might be able to move! What? The outskirts of the city of Cyclo, the usual place. I put down the stone and then distanced myself from it. My friends greeted me when I returned, no words, but there was a certain anticipation in all of their eyes. We all know what I''m trying to do, we all know what I''m trying to do, we all know it from what we''ve been through. And they know what I''m trying to do. So there''s a glint of anticipation in my eyes. Wait, wait, wait, wait. The stone has hatched into a haggler. The rare monster that resides on Arsenic''s 30th floor, Absolute Rock. Repetition. A monster that has been defeated, blasting the strongest roundabout magic from a full MP. The Absolute Rock with the strongest defense was defeated and dropped another stone piece. The same stone as before, the same as it looks. I picked it up and used it. My body becomes harder and harder as I look at it, turning into stone. What do you think, Yoda? Emily listens, and the other three stare at me with bated breath. I was moving, jumping, twirling around. Finally, I struck a heroic pose. I think I can move. oh my! Emily, I want you to beat the shit out of me. Yes, sir! Emily swung the hammer around and pounced on me. The hammer swung down, right before I moved and dared to stick my ass out. Emily''s hammer smacked my ass. The shockwave diffuses around us even more than it did in the store. It seems that Emily in the store was holding back. It''s a tame blow, but it didn''t work at all for me, who turned to stone. There''s just enough room for me to be scared and shake my ass in a plump manner. ''It''s amazing,'' ''I knew this was going to happen, when Lyota-san re-drops it. ''These are great. It''s cheap and everyone should have one. Agreed. We''ll make it standard equipment for the family. My friends in a big hurry. We had a new, powerful piece of equipment. 121. Poison Morning, the usual outdoors. After getting enough Absolute Rock stones for a few people, the whole family was there to check the performance. I''ll be going then. Yeah, come on. Emily nodded, used the item and replaced her body with a stone. Then she spun the hammer around above her head and tried to jump on me - but. Thud! After a slight flight, Emily immediately crashed (...) and went head first into the ground. She was slipping like a doofus, a great headslide. "Are you okay Emily! Celeste, who was in spectator mode for now, was worried about Emily. She stood up swiftly and looked very pale. ''It''s okay, it doesn''t hurt at all. You''re a rock, Emily. But it''s not working. As Eve pointed out, Emily''s movements were definitely odd. She''s a genuine power fighter and in-fighter, but that doesn''t mean her movements are slow or slow. Emily is more of a fighting style where she can lightly jump with her hammer and deliver a powerful blow with it. That''s why I slipped up because I couldn''t even jump up. ''Emily, try again. ...... Yes, sir. Emily looked back at me with a straight face and nodded clearly. He noticed and ...... or maybe he''s the one who feels it the most. Stoned and distant, Emily twirled the hammer again and tried to jump on me. Thud! The result was the same, or even better than before. Emily went face first into the ground, running a crack in the ground and creating a huge crater. ''You''ve slipped again,'' You were right? Yes, sir. Emily nodded clearly. ''Yes to what?'' When you''re in stone, it''s perfectly fine to move as you normally would. Emily said, and out of nowhere, she took out a knife and a carrot and peeled them with excellent hands. The carrots, peeled with a single connected skin, looked smooth and delicious. After giving it to Eve, Emily brought the hammer back up and shook it. ''It''s only when I make an attack that my body suddenly slows down. I didn''t know there was a pitfall like that. Will you try Celeste too? Okay. Emily returns from stone to a flesh and blood body, and Celeste becomes stone in her replacement. She casts magic as a stone. ''Inferno!'' Celeste''s specialty, a level 3 wide range magic, Inferno. It''s a spell that summons the kinetic flames of hell that will burn even Frankenstein. It''s so sad! You look like charcoal. This is the inferno: ...... They were speechless at the sight of so much. Celeste''s inferno was not a flame or even a fire, but only red hot coals. Celeste was hit by a hammer. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on it. ''It''s so hard, my hands are tingling,'' Instead, we can''t attack them... ...... The friends nodded at each other. Now we have a general idea of the performance. Stars. After a quick test, it was noon, so we went into the lunch hour Emily had prepared for us. The sheets were laid out on the ground and a variety of dishes were laid out. It was just a plastic sheet, but it felt like a nice, luxurious carpet, and the food was steamy and fragrant, tickling our noses. Despite being outdoors, Emily''s space was warmer and gentler than ever. ''It seems that while you''re turned to stone, your own attacks will be much weaker. It almost drops to the lowest level.'' While picking up her sandwich, Celeste looks at the note in her hand and speaks. The results of the many things she''s tried since then are written down in that note. It''s a good thing that even Lyota''s strength has been weakened. She even lost to me in an arm-wrestling match. The rabbit''s greatest weapon remains ...... With that, Eve turned to stone again and struck a sensational pose. Her own rabbit ears and s*xy bunny suit. It was still as s*xy as ever, even though she turned to stone. I can see why it''s the biggest weapon of all. ...... joke, you know? You''re kidding me. ''But Yoda-san''s gun worked just fine, and Alice''s friends were able to fight just fine. ''Alice''s monsters are a separate entity. As for Lyota''s gun-- ''''Is it because it''s a Hagremon drop item, or is it because I''ve captured the power of a dungeon spirit? I don''t know which one it is, but I''m guessing it''s one or the other. I said, and Celeste nodded. She has a bicorn horn, too, because she tried to use it while it was turned to stone, but it was unsuccessful. I put it together as we ate, which gave me a general idea of what the stone was capable of. They become invincible, they can move, and their attacks are weaker. Here''s a quick summary. It''s hard to become weak, but becoming invincible and being able to move is still strong. It seems to have many uses. Help me, low level! What''s up, Eve? When I responded to the call for help, Eve, still in stone, looked sad. She was holding a bowl, and in it was the carrot soup Emily had made. ''Carrots, I don''t know what they smell like,'' That''s poignant. I see that you can''t even smell it. Do you not breathe while you are a stone? Well, it''s just a stone. In the afternoon, we split up with everyone and came to Nifonium. We''ve already conquered Arsenic, and the next step is Nifonium. I''m going to prepare the three sacred weapons and meet Nifonium. That''s my next goal. I''m going to go down the dungeon after dungeon and step into my first level. Nifonium dungeon, 6th floor underground. I went down through the dungeon snow, but I couldn''t see much of anything because of the fog. ''''After the snow, it''s fog. ...... The moment I mumbled, my vision suddenly became distorted. My head felt dizzy and I dropped to my knees with a start. What was that?What happened? Are we under attack?Or-- "--! He quickly stood up and turned himself around and ran. My footing wobbled, but I still ran frantically - holding my breath as I ran. I turned back the way I came and returned to the fifth floor. ''''Puh-hah ...... hahah ...... hahah ......'''' I put my hands and knees on the ground and struggled to breathe. I breathe in the air of the fifth floor and my head is a little clearer. After firing a recovery round at myself to regain my strength, I look down again. The sixth floor of the Nifonium, a place filled with poisonous gills that would rob you of your strength. ''''That''s dangerous, it would have been a disaster if I hadn''t run away so quickly. A dungeon filled with poison. That happens a lot in games. I don''t know if it''s a poison or a miasma. I''m not sure if it''s a miasma or some other kind of miasma, but it seems to take away your stamina as you rub it in. ...... Well, it''s still possible. It''s a good idea to have infinite recovery bullets now. I checked the status of my body. I was dizzy after inhaling the poisonous fog on the sixth floor, but when I came back and shot a recovery round, I felt better. Even with my slowly dwindling HP, it wouldn''t be a problem if I could recover infinitely. I was about to go down the dungeon to try again - when I remembered something. I remembered something. I remembered the figure of Eve, and the rabbit boy who sadly said he couldn''t smell the carrot soup after being turned to stone. I took out the Absolute Rock stone, turning my body to stone, and this time I went down to the sixth floor. The sixth floor was filled with fog. I stood there and waited for a while. My head wasn''t dizzy, I was totally fine. The poison cutter didn''t seem to work at all on Stone''s body. Lucky me, I thought as I wandered through the dungeon. Then I came across a monster. It was a red zombie. Compared to the zombie in the second basement, its body seemed to be decomposing even more, and it was emitting a poisonous colored fog from its body. ''I see, this fog was released by a monster. That''s right, it''s a Poison Zombie. The Poison Zombie attacked me, hugging me and trying to bite me. Of course, that didn''t work, I''m a stone now, a stone of invincible defense. I punched him as hard as I could - it didn''t work either. I couldn''t even push away a Poison Zombie when it wasn''t working. You can''t even get into a melee with a stone. But I''ve already done a performance test. I pulled out my gun and shot the zombie''s head at point-blank range, desperately trying to bite down on the toothless zombie''s head. Zero-range headshot, the Poison Zombie''s head bursts off. It falls backwards and eventually disappears. A seed drops in the ground where it disappears, you pick it up. -Intelligence raised by one. He heard the usual announcement. 122. Pandemic Six floors below the Nihonium Dungeon. A poisonous fog filled the cavern that looked like a limestone cave. I''m a stone, so the poison doesn''t work on me, but I wonder how powerful this poison is. ...... Let''s give it a try. I placed one normal bullet on the ground and kept my distance. Monsters won''t haggle in another floor of the same dungeon, but they will in a different dungeon. We found that out when Emily came to Silicon''s rescue on the day of the magic storm. I hagglomerated a mere regular bullet that wasn''t made of nihonium. I waited for a while, and then the bullets hatched into slime. The slime that lives on the ground floor in Tellurideanjon. As soon as it hatched - it melted. It was hit by a poisonous fog and turned into mush and melted. It''s poisonous, this is dangerous! Come to think of it, I was pretty bad too. Even though I had SS HP and S strength, I was still in trouble, and it was understandable, even though it was heartbreaking, that the slime level was an almost instant death. I knew I should attack this floor, the sixth floor of Nifonium, with my body turned to stone. If this is the case, what we can do is limited. We''ll need guns and repetition. Repetition! I hit the Poison Zombie that showed up with a circular spell. The magic defeated the zombie with no problem and dropped a seed of intelligence. Next, I set up my gun. From normal bullets to flame bullets, frozen bullets, infinite lightning bullets, and tracking bullets. I loaded a round of attack bullets and proceeded through the dungeon. Every time a poison zombie appears, I shoot it with the gun, the regular bullets are headshots, and the special bullets hit the body at random. After trying everything, I found out that Poison Zombie is just a zombie that produces poison. They produce a poisonous fog, but their durability and speed are almost the same as the zombies on the second floor. You can take them down with the same shot, and they attack with the same speed. You can''t test their attack power, they''re rocks. We couldn''t just shove a stone at them and let them attack. That poison was too scary. Well, we got a pretty good idea. I found out a lot of details about the monsters on the sixth floor of Nifongnium. I slowly circled the area, alternating between repetition and regular bullet headshots, hunting for seeds and raising my intelligence from F to E. I finished my routine and returned to the ground. ''''Hmm, poison can''t come upstairs either?'''' The moment they got to the fifth basement floor, the fog had completely cleared. If you look closely, as if there was a transparent lid at the border of the floors, the poisonous fog could not come up to the upper floors. Probably not even on the lower floors. It''s the same as the monster''s characteristics around here, this poison fog probably can''t exist on another floor of Nifonium, just like the Poison Zombie. With that in mind, I went outside, and checked my status on the front now board as well. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP S Power SS Strength S Intelligence E Spirit F Speed SS Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... My intelligence is up properly and this is the end of my routine. I left the dungeon and headed to my usual () place. An open, unpopular place, a place I use over and over again to hatch hagrems. I opened the pouch there and dropped one of the intelligence seeds on the ground. What kind of special bullets would the hagremonos and poison zombies that hatch from the intelligence seeds drop? I decided to find out. After waiting for a while, the Poison Zombie hatched from the seed. ''Lyota, there you are. Alice. I turn around and see my companion, Alice, coming. She approached with her usual three monsters on her shoulders and her usual friendly expression on her face. ''What''s wrong?'' ''I just wanted to talk to Lyota about something. I wasn''t in the dungeon, so I thought this might be the place. Okay. What''s a consultation? Yeah, actually, I mean... oh. Huh? Ryota, that. Alice paled and pointed behind me. I turned around, and there was a Poison Zombie. It was a newly hatched poison zombie that had just hatched. It wasn''t just a zombie, the fog that that thing was releasing from its body was spreading! ''d*mn!Repetition! Quickly using magic, the Poison Zombie was defeated in an instant. He was defeated, but the poisonous fog already emanating from his body did not disappear. The fog spread on the wind - towards the city of Ciclo. ''''What is that?'''' ''It''s a poisonous fog, it''s bad enough to inhale, and it will melt your skin just by touching it. That''s a bad idea! ''Ugh!Repetition! I used my magic again. But it didn''t work. The poisonous fog is not a monster, and once defeated, even if the monster is a dungeon master, the Repetition to kill it instantly had no effect at all. ''''Oh no, it''s spread further! Huh. Draw a gun, see the bullets. I see a bullet that''s about to work. "Fireball! I loaded one of the special bullets, a fireball, and fired. However, the bullet penetrated the fog and no flames were created and disappeared far into the air. ''Lyota!The tree has melted! I know!Another bullet that might work: ...... that might work: ...... annihilation bullet! He pulled out all of the reinforced bullets and loaded each of the two pistols with a flame round and a frozen round. Then fired in rapid succession, firing a series of bullets toward the outside of the spreading poisonous fog. The flame and freezer bullets hit and fused together in the middle of the shot and became an annihilation bullet. A small black hole that seemed to engulf the entire space, the annihilation bullets also engulfed the poisonous fog. ''Yes!That would work, Lyota! ''Oh!Now we''re good to go! He also loaded the flaming and freezing bullets and fired them in rapid succession, causing the poisonous fog to be swallowed up by the annihilation bullets from one end to the other. Because too much time had passed and it had spread too much, it took four sets of annihilation bullets, a total of 24 annihilation bullets, to eliminate the entire poisonous fog. ''''Fufu ...... that was bad. ...... Soberly, that might have been the worst thing that happened to me when I got here. I shuddered at the thought of it spreading like that to the city of Cyclo. ''I''m sorry Lyota, it was my fault. No, it wasn''t Alice''s fault. I head over to where the Poison Zombie was and pick up the dropped bullet. ''It''s a trait of this Poison Zombie, turning this thing into a haggler in the open is dangerous to begin with. Yes. ...... And... Now that was Alice, I mean it was a companion, so it wasn''t a problem, but it wouldn''t be so good if other people inherently showed that hagreymen could drop. The power of the drop s, it''s a secret among your friends. It''s wrong to do it in such an open area in the first place. I''ve thought about it a bit before, but getting the pouch has put me off. ''I''d like a place where no one can get in the way for haggling. Land, or a big building. I still didn''t know which was better, but I knew I was going to need something like that. 123. 5 centimeters per second I decided to check out the effects of my new special bullets first before looking for a new home. Pull all the bullets out of the gun. I wanted to know the effect on the plane as much as possible, so I pulled out all of the enhanced bullets and only loaded one of the new special bullets. And then I shoot. I shoot in the direction of no one else. ...... Huh? I winced. The bullet flew out of the muzzle - it flew out of the thing, but it was very slow. It flew through the air at a sluggish, sluggish speed, like it was fighting head-on with the laws of physics, only going about five inches per second. ''How funny!'' It was a big hit with Alice. She went over to the side of the crawling bullets and peered at them from up close. ''You''re so slow!Honestly, Honestly, take a little ride. The SD Skeleton jumped onto the bullet from Alice''s shoulder with a crunching bone. The bullet didn''t freak out when he got on top of her, like a gunny old man, "I fly like this! It flies away as if to say. Five centimeters a second, that''s-- "Ha-ha-ha, I can hang, too. This is fun. It didn''t change even though the person on board went from Honehone to Alice. The bullet dangling from Alice is going to go slower. ''What is this?'' I don''t know. But it''s fun. ''Interesting ...... is interesting though. There''s nothing offensive about this stuff. He''s got a lot of energy. Come on, he''s pushing me. When Alice stopped hanging on, she stood in front of the bullet and pushed it with both hands. Ignoring the push, he held Alice back and went forward at a speed of five centimeters per second. It sounds powerful, but it can''t be used for an attack. Such a bullet disappeared about 5 meters away. Oh, it''s gone. That''s an outlier. Let''s call it a kudzu bullet. Yeah. Alice agreed with me. As expected, we thought, this is not going to be useful for hunting. Alice and I came back into town with Alice and we came to the real estate office. When we walked in, we saw a familiar face, Antonio, and as soon as he saw us, he put down the job at hand, got up and came over to us. ''Hey, Satou-san, it''s been a while. I could hear your great work over here, Satou-san. Active? The robbery of Seren, the modification of Aurum, the rebirth of Arsenic. All of the major events that have happened lately have involved Satou-san''s Lyota family, so everyone''s wondering what he''s going to do next. I don''t want to get your hopes up too high. I walked into the reception area with him, talking with Antonio. Me and Alice sat down first and then Antonio sat across from us. ''So, what kind of property are you looking for today?'' Yes. ...... I tell him the requirements I''ve been putting together in my head. ''First of all, we need at least five rooms.'' Five? Alice nodded her head. ''There''s five of us in total, right?Why don''t you have a drink with me, Alice? "--Yes!But what about Eve? We''ll get you a room and let her do her thing. Yeah. I talked to Alice and turned to Antonio again. ''''That''s why we have five rooms for the entire family to fit in, and the more rooms the better since there''s a possibility of more to come. And also the magic storm protection. That''s about right, mansion class. The mansion or ....... The word contained an exciting sound. We''ve been gradually moving into larger houses. A ramshackle 20,000-pilos-a-month apartment, a new two-bedroom, three-story house. And a mansion. My heart leapt at the sound of the ever-evolving dwelling place. Oops, oops, oops, the most important condition is not yet. The most important condition is that we need a large space. I need more space. A lot of space? Yes, a space where they won''t bother you. A space-- so big that things get f*cked up from one end to the other. I see. ...... Antonio groans, writing that down too, and snarls. ''That''s a bit tricky,'' Don''t you? ''Cyclo doesn''t have many mansions that take up that much space. There aren''t many mansions that take up that much space. If you''re an adventurer who can live there, there''s not much decline. It''s somewhat understandable. All adventurers who can earn money have one characteristic in common: they have the ability, the knowledge and the companionship to get around the dungeon consistently. Adventurers who have the ability to get around steadily are often cautious. It is unlikely that they will be able to fall down after they have reached the top of their game. Hmmm ...... Antonio groans. I''m sure Antonio must be competent, because I''ve asked him a few times now and he''s been able to get all the properties out as ordered right away. So the conditions were so difficult that Antonio is snarling like this. It can''t be helped, let''s reduce some of the requirements. The one thing that might be a neck and neck is ....... ''There''s one thing that''s there ......, but...'' Antonio said, but his expression did not clear. What do you mean, there is? Antonio brought me to a mansion near the center of Ciclo. A decent yard and a wall surrounding the grounds. There is a fountain between the main gate and the entrance of the building, it''s a mansion that looks like a mansion. It''s a great mansion!Shiny and huge!I think we could live with ten people or something light! As you said, it will be a 10LLSDK floor plan. Eruesu ...... is full of stuff. That''s a lot of space. Is it because it looks like a two-story building with two living rooms?DK is fine, but what''s the S? That''s what I''m thinking about. ''No one has ever wanted to rent this property before, so it''s brand new inside. No one wanted to borrow it, why? Could it be ...... an accidental property? An unpleasant thought crossed my mind. ''No, no, it''s not like that. Well, as close as it is, it''s close enough. ? ? Me and Alice looked at each other and nodded our heads. We were at the front door before we wondered what the hell was going on. Antonio used the key he had brought with him to open the heavy door of the front door and shifted to the side. ''Go ahead, ......, if you can let me in,'' Why don''t you let me in? ''Come on in, you''ll find out soon enough. By the way, don''t worry, it won''t harm you physically or mentally. Antonio''s addition made me more and more confused. Anyway, if you can get in, let''s go in. I stepped through the door and went in. Instant!I couldn''t move forward. As soon as I walked through the door, something enveloped me and I was afraid to even move a finger. It''s not that I can''t move it at all, but the resistance is incredibly strong. It''s not that you can''t move it, but the resistance is so strong that it''s several hundred times stronger than that in the water. What''s wrong with you, Ryota? Alice will know it when she sees it. Let''s see. It was the same for Alice. You were almost immobile when you went in. I get out, and the weird thing is, I can move backwards. What''s the meaning of this? You see that crystal over there? That thing in the middle of the front hall? Antonio pointed to an unremarkable crystal. ''''That''s a monster. Or rather, it''s a haggle of things.'' "Monster? It''s a reject crystal, a monster that rejects and eliminates everything from its territory. By the way, they don''t attack, just like Arsenic''s rock. That''s why I said it was safe. I see. It was put in place because the first owner didn''t want anyone else in the mansion but himself, but it made it impossible for him to live there. You''re losing your mind. It''s a property that no one has been able to rent since. By the way, the space Satou-san wants is in the basement, with a basement the same size as this mansion. I like that. And I like the basement. You can usually hatch haggler things as well as this house, and in the basement you don''t have to worry about anyone but your friends seeing you. The rest can be found at ....... "So all we have to do is destroy the crystal. Yes, but no attack will reach us. Antonio makes a bitter face. Attack. He draws two pistols. I thought about which bullet would work best to penetrate that invisible wall. One normal bullet on each side, and filled the rest with reinforced bullets. I shot a regular bullet with a reinforced bullet mashup and fused them together in the middle to make a penetrating bullet. The penetrating bullets flew away ...... and stopped at the border of the doorway. It went in just a fraction of a second and lost its power and fell to the ground. ''Looks like it''s no good.'' Couldn''t you get away with a striped bullet? ''Couldn''t you, Sato-san, ...... I thought you would be the one to do the rumours, or maybe...'' Antonio is disappointed. That''s a bit frustrating. "Oh, What''s up, Alice? Hey, look what I found. Huh? It''s a junk shell. ...... Oh. In a big hurry, I went to the sixth floor of the Nihonium basement and used the Absolute Rock to turn into a stone and kill some Poison Zombies and procure some scrap bullets. Then I came back to the mansion and loaded the scrap bullets. ''Alright, let''s give it a go.'' Hang in there, Lyota! Alice cheered me on, and I took the first shot. The scrap bullets that were launched were going nope, going at five centimeters per second. Even through the borders of the front door, that is. ''Oh, it''s going on,'' And it''s the same speed. That''s great, Sato-san. I''m still making progress. It''s amazing. I''ve never seen anything go that far in this house before. I''m sure they tried to mediate with a number of people, Antonio. The scrap bullets went at the same speed as they entered the mansion, but they disappeared after five meters. It disappeared when it left about two meters to the crystal. ''''Ugh, too bad. Hey, try using reinforced bullets this time. I will. He said to Alice, reloaded the scrap metal and filled the rest with reinforced bullets. And then I shoot. The bullets that were shot out - even slower! It went from about five centimeters per second to about a tenth of that speed. It''s so slow that it''s almost as if it''s too slow to stop. ''Do enhanced bullets slow you down?'' ''No, maybe instead of slowing down, you''ll be pushing harder. Really? That''s my guess. I watched as the scrap bullets continued to advance. It went crawling along in the same way, entering the mansion and disappearing five meters away. ''It looks like the distance is the same. Yeah. I''ll just have to close it in for a couple of meters. I thought long and hard and kept my distance from the doorway. "Lyota? Despite Alice''s doubts, I made a mad dash for the mansion. I made a mad dash for the front door and ran straight into the mansion. I jumped inside with the momentum of an auxiliary run, but I felt tremendous resistance and stopped before I had advanced even a meter. The full speed aide could only make it a meter. I reached out as best I could and shot the scrap bullets. The scrap bullets that were inside from the beginning were going at five centimeters per second. It disappeared around 50 centimeters in front of the crystal. Oshii!We''re almost there. Yeah, I''m almost there. Hang in there, Lyota. Oh. Alice encouraged me to try again a few times. I put on a runner, jumped in, and shot a scrap shell. But the crystal''s exclusionary force was so strong that I couldn''t get more than a meter in front of it. No matter how many times I tried again, I couldn''t get past the last 50 centimeters. "Ha...... ha...... d*mn it, I''m almost there! What do you have to do to earn the other 50 centimeters? Me and Alice crossed our arms and cooed at each other. But nothing came of it. I was already giving it my all and gaining distance was a double hurdle to overcome because I hadn''t even thought about it since I came into this world, so I didn''t get any ideas. Then Emily showed up. Carrying a hammer and pushing a magic cart. She''s dressed like she''s back from a dungeon. ''What are you doing here, Yoda?'' No, hey ...... Emily? Hi, this is Emily. No, that''s a weird answer. I mean, what''s the matter with you, Ryota? You look so weird. Emily! Yes, sir! I squatted down in front of Emily and took her hand and looked straight into her eyes. ''Emily''s the only one I care about,'' What do you mean by that? ...... After I finished explaining, Emily stood next to the front door. I stepped away from the doorway, as I had done so many times before. ''Let''s go,'' Yes, sir! I signaled Emily and dashed at full speed. I jumped furiously toward the front door. The moment I walked through the front door, Emily swung her hammer. She gained momentum and took a grand full swing right beside me. The hammer hit me. The moment it hit me, I replaced my body with a stone of absolute rock. Emily''s hammer hit my body in absolute defense with a home run-level just-meet! Emily''s power was added on top of the momentum gained from the assisted run. I felt resistance as I entered the mansion. Still, the body goes on. Even after a meter, it went on. The pace of progress slows down, and even with Emily''s power on top of it, I can''t reach the crystal. But - it''s enough. My all-out dash, Emily''s all-out home run. That gave me nearly two meters. I stick my gun out and shoot. The scrap metal goes off, crawling along at six inches per second. I''m shoved out of the house, I''m joined by my friends, and we watch for bullets. Roll roll, roll, roll. The bullet lurched forward and hit the crystal! Oh! What do you think? The scrap bullets that hit the crystal advanced at the same speed mom. It dipped into the crystal and proceeded at the same speed. Then it penetrated. The motionless crystal was penetrated by the scrap bullets that pushed everything away and disappeared just like that. The wind blew, a gust of wind blew outward from inside the mansion. A gust of wind that made it hard for my friends to stand. After it stopped. "Whoa, I can get in normally. Alice jumped into the mansion headfirst and danced with her fellow monsters inside the doorway. ''Wow ...... I can''t believe you really solved it ......'' Antonio marvels at the distance. With the crystal gone, I had a new mansion. 124. Door that does not open The basement of the mansion. There is nothing in there, just a large space. Combined with the location of the basement of the mansion, there''s an air of mystery, as if a secret society is about to open its doors at any moment. I was standing there alone. While I''m waiting (), I check the size of the basement. The rectangular structure of this room is roughly the size of two tennis courts. Since it''s so spacious, it seems to have many uses. A haggler hatched on the other side of the cellar. Slime hatched one by one from the sprouts I''d left behind, and they were coming at me. I pull out my gun, aim and shoot. One shot at a time, the bullets went through all the slimes and took them down, causing them to drop their regular bullets. I turn around and look at the entrance leading up. I have my friends waiting up there. I asked them to come in if they heard any noise. If they don''t come in, it seems to be soundproofed enough to keep the shots from leaking out. I fired another conventional round, right after I fired it, I went around at full speed and grabbed the bullet. Speed SS, at too long a distance, you''ll be out of breath, but at this short distance, you can go faster than a normal bullet. Next I fired the scrap bullets. It went out of the way and flew at 5 cm per second. This one went around slowly, and I hit the occasional punch with all my strength after I swung at it. The shockwave spreads, the sound of explosions ringing out. Even though I hit him with that much power, the bullets kept going at their own pace, 5 centimeters per second. It''s an amazing bullet, in a way, though I don''t have much use for it. And I''m sure of it. He was sure that no matter what he did in this basement, it wouldn''t leak out or get in the way. 10LLSDK''s mansion, the entire Lyota family has moved in. The mansion that was erected in the city''s prime location was quite expensive. Two million piro a month. The currency of this world, Piro, is worth about the same as Yen, so it''s the same as living in a house that costs 2 million yen a month. Two million ...... is about the same amount of money as I made when I graduated. I can''t believe I can live in a mansion worth that much ....... Once again, I was sincerely impressed with myself. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Emily. Emily is hugging a mountain of fabric. It was interior decorations like sheets and curtains. I''m going to be able to hold them in my arms and walk into the room one by one. She looks busy ...... but she looks happy. Emily has a troubled look on her face with a furrowed brow, but the corners of her mouth are fixed in the shape of a smile. As a housekeeping enthusiast, she''s probably screaming with joy to be able to do this and that in her new home. Thanks to Emily Takumi, I''m excited to think that tomorrow this mansion will be transformed into a bright, warm, and, what a surprise, warm mansion. Without disturbing Emily, I decided to go around to my friends'' rooms. The nearest room was decorated with Eve''s nameplate. I knocked and got an answer, so I opened the door and walked in. ''The low level is here,'' Eve inside was wearing a pair of stuffed pajamas. It was bright white and fluffy and it was a rabbit. Eve wasn''t wearing her usual bunny suit, she was wearing a stuffed rabbit. ''You had clothes like that too? I don''t know if I''ve ever seen Eve in anything other than a bunny suit before.'' The rabbit wears a rabbit. I''m lost. "Rabbit in Rabbit. It''s a Matryoshka. Eve is a beastie who grows her own rabbit ears. She may be dusty about being a rabbit, or she just loves being a rabbit, but she always appeals to people that she is a rabbit. In the first person, he''s a "rabbit". Low level, what can I do for you? I was wondering if you''d fit in nicely in your new room. No problem. They''re bringing in the carrots. Yeah, just a normal room except for the carrots. I looked around and saw that the room was rather normal. There''s a shelf, a chest of drawers, a desk by the window, and a single bed. It''s a bit tasteless, but it''s a rather normal room. Half of such a normal room was occupied by carrots. Thanks to that, the ''normal room'' has been transformed into a ''carrot warehouse''. ''''It''s very Eve-like in a way,'''' You can''t give them carrots. Don''t eat too much and be hungry. If a carrot is the way to die, then so be it. He says in his usual undulating tone, but with a slight flush on his face. It''s horrible that he really thinks that. I resign from Eve''s room and knock on the next one. Alice''s name plate is displayed. ''Whoa,'' It''s me. ''Lyota?Come in, come in. Invited by the friendly and amiable Alice, I opened the door and walked in. To my surprise, the room had been given a major makeover that even Takumi was blue. The concept was a dungeon. Alice''s room was like a miniature sized dungeon. The dungeon is littered here and there with honked, pulled, and bonbons. My first impressions were surprised, but when my fellow monsters are there, they instantly look like it. Suddenly, I remembered my friend who filled his house with plastic rails. Welcome, Lyota. ''My God, did you do this to yourself?'' ''Yes!I brought it in from my last room. ''I see. I guess the hone-hawks will be more comfortable this way. Actually, I''m more comfortable with it. Alice laughed at that, and laughed kerfuffleily. ''There''s something about a dungeon-like room that makes me feel more at home than a normal room! Maybe it''s because I was born in a dungeon. Maybe! After a quick look around, we left Alice''s room and headed to the next room. Celeste''s room was next. I knock and call Celeste. ''Ryota-san?What''s the matter with you, all of a sudden? I was just wondering what''s going on in Celeste''s room. My room?Wait, wait, wait. I stood there and waited a bit as Celeste stopped me. I could hear quite a few noises coming from inside. I know this sound, I know the thing very well. It''s the sound you make when the opposite s*x suddenly comes in and you''re in a hurry to clear the room. It''s not like he''s hiding an erotic book ...... and I waited for it to happen. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. "Do come in. Sorry to disturb you, sir. Enter the room, it was a beautiful room. Or rather, it was just a normal, beautiful room. It wasn''t like Eve piling up carrots like a mountain, or Alice converting her room into a miniature dungeon. Celeste''s room was supremely decent and clean. If I had to say so, it smelled nice and girly, which made me a little uncomfortable, but it was a nice room in general. ''It''s clean,'' ''What?Oh, huh, the room. Celeste panicked for a moment, then replied calmly. ''I just brought my old room in as it was. It''s a little bigger now, and I''m trying to figure out what to do with it.'' Yeah. It''s good that it''s spacious. I''m glad you like it. ''Of course!I''m not complaining about the room Mr. Lyota lent me! Thank you. ...... Yeah?What''s this piece of cloth? I could see some fabric in the closet. Had he shoved it in there with the current cleanup? For a moment I thought it was some kind of underwear, but from the material it doesn''t seem to be anything like that. It''s a thicker cloth, not appropriate for clothing. When you pick it up somehow, you can see ...... poof!And the closet opened. Instantly, there was an avalanche. Something came crashing down. I was buried in it, apparently crammed to the limit, but I touched it a bit and it collapsed. I''m buried under something and can''t see anything. ''Kyah!'' Celeste screamed. He pulled me out of the scream and pushed me out of the room with his momentum. Slamming the door shut. After shirking it, I hide it behind my back. ''Hah ...... hah ......'' And then, out of breath, what the hell was that? Did you see it? ''No, nothing. ...... What was in it?'' ''Yeah, that ...... so!Underwear. It''s underwear!I''ve shoved all my undressed underwear together and Ryota, you''re falling apart. ...... I''m not sure that''s enough, Celeste. I know you''re trying to hide something, but what''s the point of being a woman if your excuse is underwear? And I''m very happy with the room anyway, thank you. Bye! Celeste swooped back into the room at once. Suddenly, he noticed that something had landed on the ground. Picking it up, it was a stuffed animal. It was a palm-sized plush toy, just like the ones you get at Price''s. It was my plush toy. It''s my stuffed animal. ....... It reminds me of Celeste''s panic, the look on her face earlier when she used her underwear as an excuse. I''ll pretend I didn''t see it. With that in mind, I put the stuffed animal in its place and quietly walked away. Mr. Yoda! What''s up, Emily? I was wandering aimlessly through the mansion when Emily came to me. ''There''s a room that''s a bit weird.'' Weird room? This way. Emily turns herself around and walks away. What kind of room is this, I say, following her. We came to a room at the back of the mansion. It''s a room with a door that opens out onto a carabiner. ''This is it.'' What''s going on in this room? It doesn''t work. Bad?Let''s see: ...... I''m about to open the door, but I immediately notice something wrong. I sticky touch the door and look at it from top to bottom. ''Yes, sir, there''s nothing on the doorknob or the keyhole or anything else. A door that''s so flat, you don''t even know it''s there.It''s like a painting of a door on a wall. There was nothing there, so I pushed it to test it, and the door didn''t freak out. ''Isn''t this just a wall?'' That''s what I thought, too: ...... Emily stood in front of the door and banged on it hard. She''d dived into the dungeon a lot, so she knew it in one shot. The tapping was light, and it was the sound of a hollow - a space - on the other side. ''There''s a proper room, sir.'' Looks like it: ...... I pushed it just to be sure, it didn''t move. I tried pushing with my shoulder, it still didn''t move. It''s still a wall, isn''t it?And that''s when I thought. ''Ah.'' What''s going on? When Mr. Yoda just pushed with his body, it opened up a bit of a gap. What? I look at the door in amazement, of course there''s no openings now. I pressed my shoulder against it again and tried to open it with all my strength. Then Emily was right, the gap opened up a little bit. As soon as I moved away from the door, that gap was gone. ''It really did open up a bit,'' Are you sure it''s just a very heavy door? Looks like it. I''ll try to push harder. I sat down and pushed as hard as I could. There was a little more space than before, about a coin''s worth of space. That was the limit. Even if I pushed as hard as I could for ten seconds, so hard that I felt as if the veins in my head were going to break, I could only open a gap of a single coin. ''It''s too heavy, it''s wrong that even Yoda-san''s power SS can''t push it open. It''s not like I''m going to have to push and pull. It''s a door that doesn''t have a handle or anything like that at all to begin with, you can only push it. Emily and I tried pushing it together. Even if we both pushed with all our might, Force A and Force SS, one at a time, the door only opened for one more coin. The door that can be opened by a forceful push, but we can''t open it with our own strength. ''I''m in trouble ...... It''s not good to have a room that you can''t use ......'' Emily is depressed. She loves housework, and the fact that there is an unopened room in the house seems to cause her quite a bit of stress. She''s wondering what''s going on. ''Yes, there it is.'' Yes? He pulled out his gun and showed it to Emily, who tilted her head back. I loaded the two pistols with scrap bullets and pulled the trigger with them pressed against the door. The bullets shot out, moving forward at five centimeters per second. The bullet that pushed everything away and traveled at five centimeters per second was no exception at this door. The door gradually and gradually opened, and eventually it opened enough for a person to pass through. ''''It''s amazing!It''s open, Mr. Yoda. Got it open somehow. Now let''s see what''s going on inside. I entered the game with high expectations for my hard work. "Please specify a dungeon and hierarchy. And then I heard a voice from somewhere in the room. ''Who is it?Where are you? "Please specify a dungeon and hierarchy. If you listen to it, you''ll just hear the same lines. What does that mean?He wants to set up a dungeon. Let''s give it a try. I''ll load the gun with a round of special ammunition, no matter what, and then I''ll answer. "Nihonium, Basement Level One. Instantly, the scene in front of me changed completely. I was in a room, and in an instant, I was in a dungeon. A dungeon that looked like a limestone cave, and a skeleton coming from the other side. It was like I was warped to the basement level of Nihonium, just as I had specified! 125. Eves memory The skeleton doesn''t surprise me when I suddenly appear, and mechanically attacks me. I kill it instantly with a repetition and get the seeds on the porch. I look around again. I''m sure I''m in the ground floor of Nifonium. The stalactite-like cave looks familiar, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the voices of Margaret and her companions in the distance. They''re probably air-hunting, the rare human who regularly frequents Nihonium besides me. That voice convinces me that this is Nifonium. Looking around further, I saw a light spot about my waist height. It was about the size of a marble, emitting a light about the size of a miniature light bulb. I''ve never seen anything like it before. When I touched it with caution, the light flooded in and enveloped me. I close my eyelids and hold my hand in front of my eyes. When the light subsides, I return to my room in the mansion. ''Yoda-san!'' Emily called my name from outside the room. She looks a little worried. ''It''s good, Mr. Yoda is back. A relieved Emily, I left the room and stood in front of her, making sure that I had HP seeds in my pouch - I wasn''t hallucinating or anything like that earlier. The scrap bullets have long since disappeared, but the door that was left open slammed shut the moment I left. I ask Emily, wondering if it''s left open when someone is inside. ''Did I disappear just now?'' Yes, sir. Where have you been? ''Hmmm, maybe it''s faster to get them to actually do it than to explain it. So good, I fired another scrap round and opened the door. ''Emily, come on in,'' "?You''ll see it in action, won''t you? Yeah. Okay. Emily stepped through the open door. ''Huh?What? Who is this? I see why it looks like this. The voices in the room couldn''t be heard by me outside. From the side, Emily seemed to be alone, flustered and confused. After a while, Emily disappeared. She must have flown to a dungeon somewhere. I waited patiently, the door didn''t close even after the scrap bullets disappeared. Maybe it wouldn''t close while I was using it, after all. After some more time, Emily came back. She came back with a carrot in her hand. ''''Ta, I''m home!'''' Do you get the gist? Yes. This room is amazing. He left the room with the carrots and came back to me. The door slammed shut. ''Looks like you''re free to come and go in the dungeon. Emily went to the tellurian basement level, didn''t she? "Yes, sir. I''ll make some delicious carrot soup for Eve later. "Hmmm. ...... Let''s try some more. I shoot a scrap round and open the door, go inside, this time designating it as the first floor below Aulum. In an instant, I was sent to Aulum. I walked out of the dungeon while there were gold-seeking adventurers here and there. It''s a dungeon where the inside changes all the time, so it''s a bit of a struggle, but I got out safely. It was Indor''s village. Indor was even more developed than the last time I was here. New buildings have been built one after another, shops are full of goods and people are lively. It''s all Aulum - the power of gold (gold). I wanted to look around some more, but the person who manages the dungeon said at the entrance of the dungeon that it was time for the next entry, so I went back first. Aurum is a rogue dungeon, and the inside of the dungeon changes every time a human enters, so the time to enter is set so that the humans inside don''t have too much trouble. If you miss this, you won''t be able to return for a while. I decided to take a closer look at Aulum next time, so I joined the other adventurers and entered the first floor, wandered this way and that, found a light spot, and returned to the mansion. It wasn''t just Emily, but Celeste and Alice were in sight as well. ''Welcome home, Lyota. Emily told me the story. That''s awesome!It''s an amazing house with rooms like this! Where have you been, Mr. Yoda? ''It''s Aulum, and while I''m at it, I''ve been outside - in the village of Indor and then back. ''Indore!Did you get over there in a second? It was Alice who was surprised. Being from Indore, she was also surprised because she knew the distance. ''Hey, hey, I want to go to Indore too.'' Okay, I''ll get the door. Do you mind if I use it? ''Good. I''d rather you work with me to check if we can use it at the same time. I opened the gate again with the scrap bullets. I used Repetition to open the gate, but it didn''t work. It''s not the same as opening the gate by defeating it. Alice and Celeste excitedly entered the room. First, Alice disappeared, then Celeste--. Ah. What''s going on? They told me I couldn''t go to that level because I hadn''t been there. What''s wrong with that hierarchy? ''Yes, there''s a dungeon called Uranium that I''ve heard of and always wanted to go to, but I''ve never been there, so it''s no good. What about Aulum? Uh, ......, I guess I''m wrong. What about the basement level of Nifongnium? Not even that one. What''s the basement level five of the tellurium? It''s a-- Celeste disappeared. The same way she disappeared as Emily and Alice earlier, she was sent to her room. ''What does this mean?'' ''It''s not like the room has been flown or not, it''s like the flying people have been there or not. ''I see, so that''s why Nihonium was no good and Tellurium could fly. That''s what I thought. Okay, we''ve got it all figured out, and we''ve confirmed that once the door is open, multiple people can use it. Next. "I need your help, Emily. Yes, sir. We enter the room together, I hear a voice say, ''Please specify the dungeon and tiers. Emily looks up at me, a look on her face, wondering what to do. I pluck my chin and figure out how to do it, then I gently squeeze Emily''s hand. ''Miss Yoda?'' Stand still. ...... Yes, sir. Emily did as she was told and stayed still. Feeling depressed, she squeezed my hand back. Holding her hand, I pointed to the basement floor of the Aulum. I''ve been there, and Emily has never been there. And now we''re holding hands. What do you think? The next moment I flew to Aulum again. And. ''Where am I?'' Hand in hand, Emily was sent flying in with me. It was a success. ''It''s in the basement level of Aulum. Apparently, if one of us has been there before, we can fly. ''I see!It just gets more and more amazing. He touched the light spot and returned to the mansion. The return was the same and there was no problem. ''Now we just need to see if there are any disadvantages and if we can carry the ...... stuff with us. It''s all right, sir. I brought the carrots home with me earlier. That reminds me, I have a general idea of how the room functions and the rules. Then I decided on my next goal. ''Let''s split up and bookmark all the levels of Cyclo for now. It would be useful to be able to do that. Yes, sir. I''ve heard. Eve appeared in a quiet voice. Her own and stuffed double rabbit ears are adorable. And unlike any time before, she looks a bit smug. ''Bunny, I''ve conquered five dungeons in Cyclo. --! There was one veteran adventurer in my group! 126. Bookmark "Is it true, Eve? Rabbit, don''t lie. Eve puffed out her chest and humph!I snorted. ''I went through the whole thing with the guy I was working with before. Those guys: ...... I remember when I first met Eve. Eve''s former companions, some of them must have been rather garrulous and some of them polite. I heard that the team was dissolved after that, due to a "dungeon-ness disagreement", but yeah, they were trudging through a cyclo dungeon at that time. ''But which five are the five?Cyclo has six dungeons now. What? ''Tellurium, silicon, Arsenic, bismuth, borane, and nihonium. Those six. ''Come to think of it!'' I''ve never been to Bismuth and Bolan, just to hear their names. But I often hear their names in my daily life, or in the conversation around me at a buyer''s or tavern. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it. It''s also under Cyclo''s jurisdiction now. ''I totally forgot about it!Yes, that''s right, Seren also has a total of seven in the Cyclo dungeon. Me and Emily looked at Eve in unison. Eve answered again with her usual scant expression. ''Five other than Selenium and Nifonium. Selenium is new and far away, and Nifonium doesn''t drop anything. I see. ''But I''m surprised. I thought Eve had only gone to the carrot level. Not really. Eve said and walked into the room. As it was, she used the function of the room and flew somewhere else. ''''Dude, where did you go?'''' Come on, ......? I waited for a quizzical Emily and Eve. After about three minutes, Eve came back. ''Eve!'' Almost there. Eve said and disappeared again. ''What''s going on?'' I just had a yellow one in my right hand. The yellow stuff? Do you have one of those? I nod my head, I don''t remember it well because it was just a moment. After a few moments, Eve came back again - and immediately flew away again. ''She''s gone again, sir.'' ''I could see it this time. You had a yellow one in your right hand and a green one in your left. Yes, sir. It was only a moment, so I couldn''t discern what I had, but I guess the yellow one is the one that dropped the first time I flew to it, and the green one is the one that dropped the second time I flew to it. ''Is the yellow one and the green one or ...... the red one or something else coming next?'' What do you mean by that? ''You don''t know what a traffic light ...... is, do you?'' Emily nods her head. Come to think of it, I wonder why traffic lights are generally called blue when they''re green for all intents and purposes. After waiting some more, Eve came back. It wasn''t red that she had more possessions, it was yellow again. ''I''m back.'' Is this a banana ......? Emily tilts her head and Eve nods her head in a small way. ''Rabbits don''t just get carrots, they can get bananas too. Why did you choose bananas?Do you like bananas? Normal. But bananas are all the rage right now. Boom? ''Bananas make people into a**h*les. Only when you count bananas do people become a**h*les. What is this? I wasn''t sure what he meant. Such Eve took out a carrot from inside the stuffed animal. It''s the same gesture as a beautiful woman in a rider''s suit taking something out of her chest, but in reality she took a carrot out of a stuffed rabbit. There''s nothing s*xy about it - or rather, it''s a good thing. If you take the carrot out of the bunny suit, it''s not only not s*xy, it''s vulgarly shaking out the meter. After taking out the carrots, Eve opens her mouth as if she''s counting them. ''Carrots, carrots, bannuah! I went from counting normally one carrot and two carrots ...... to counting normally, only to get a funny look on my face and turn my voice inside out when it comes to bananas. ''Carrots, carrots, bannuah!Carrots, carrots, bannuah! Like Eve said, I only turned into an idiot when I counted the bananas. Me and Emily were pouting. Is this the kind of character Eve is? ...... joke. Yeah? But bananas have the power to make people into a**h*les. Just have a banana for dinner and, wow, everyone will be an a**h*le. It sounds like a badly done diet ad. Eve, please give me that banana. I''m going to make a cake and we''re going to eat it together. "Mmm. ...... and carrots. Yes, and I''ll make a carrot cake for Eve. At ...... half and half. It''s a rajah. ...... Maybe you like bananas a lot as well as carrots ......? I''ll get you some eggs, flour and sugar. I''m going to use fresh ingredients to make a delicious cake. That''s your choice. Eve went into the room again and flew to the dungeon. The dungeon and the room of the transporter. She went back and forth between them a few times. Then they had a set of ingredients for Emily''s cake baking: flour, eggs, and sugar, and Emily''s presence. ''Flour and sugar are good, but you had eggs too?'' That''s a drop from the Big Frog, upstairs at a manganese I used to go to. Big Frog ...... frog? I took the eggs and stared at them. ....... No matter how you look at it, it''s a chicken egg, not a frog egg. Emily took the egg from me and ran to the kitchen with a pat on the back. Looks like we''ll have some good cake later. Eve with fresh ingredients in a flash, and the transporter room. We had the power to get to all the levels of Cyclo in an instant. 127. For a body that cannot live without you In the morning we all had breakfast together. There was a large dining room, like a nobleman''s house, with a long table in it. I was seated by all of us at the master''s table by the violence of numbers called democracy. It was an extremely long rectangular table, the short side of which I was seated at. I was told that this was my permanent position. A bit embarrassing. Then everyone sat down on the long side, two on each side. It really is like a nobleman''s dinner scene from a story. I said we should stop doing this and replace it with a round table, but the violence of numbers still pushed us away. It can''t be helped. After breakfast, I didn''t go outside, but flew to the sixth floor below Nifonium in the transition room. I used the Absolute Rock stone to set up invincibility mode, and then used Repetition to defeat the Poison Zombies from one side to the other. I decided to defeat them all with Repetition today. Defeat them, get the intelligence seeds, and increase their abilities. I did my usual ability-raising laps, which I did with maximum efficiency. I''ll be able to go around and move(...) I circled around with all my might, and after raising my intelligence from E to D, I used the light point that had been transferred to me to return to the mansion. Then check the time. Just like the relationship between Piro and the circle, the time in this world is similar to the previous one. However, there''s no concept of time being divided into morning and afternoon, and it''s unified from 0 to 23. I left at eight o''clock in the transition and returned a little after ten. Normally it takes until about twelve o''clock to raise the capacity in the morning. With the highest efficiency of the transition gate and repetition-only, I found that it would take about half the time as usual. Stars. I didn''t go to earn money this afternoon, but came to the transition room. Thanks to Eve, I was able to get to all the cyclo levels, and I checked that all over. Convenient transition room, there was one last thing I wanted to check. With that in mind, I entered the room and reminded myself of where I was moving to. Aurum, Aurum''s room. ''Well, let''s see if we can make it.'' After tweeting, the scene in front of me changed. I flew to Aulum''s room as specified. Yeah, it looks like I got here properly. It looks like she can fly to the Lord''s room as well, not just the normal level of the dungeon. She had a lot of time on her hands in the empty space. She was slightly taller than Emily at 140cm. Dressed in gothic clothes, with demonic horns and bat wings. The Lord of the Aulum Dungeon, his name is Aulum as it is. ''I''m here to play, Aulum. ''What?Ryota?Why are you here?How did you get here? Oh, you know. Aulum is puzzled, and from the way he talks, he can tell I''ve come in an unorthodox way. ''I understand. Since I''m the one in this dungeon, I know where all the monsters were killed and how much gold was dropped, ''You also know if you''ve beaten the rares to get here. Yes. So why?He gave me a look. ''More importantly, why don''t we go outside?We''re taking you somewhere different today. Let''s go! Aulum came on board with a bite. It seemed to be more important to her that we could get out there than why we were here. I shot her excitedly and replaced her with a gold bar. Then I took the heavy gold and returned to the mansion and slipped it back into the haglemono in the basement. "Where am I?It''s your first time at ...... but it''s nothing. A slight disappointment crossed Aulum''s face. Is it because the empty place is going to be like that place where she''s always been? ''It''s my home. The reason there''s nothing in there is because that''s what the room is for. Yeah, Lyota''s house. It''s different up there. With that, I went up first. Aulum comes out after that. ''Wow. ......'' The moment they came up to the ground, Aulum was melted in body and soul. Even though it hadn''t been days since they moved in, the mansion was completely dyed in Emily''s colors. A warm, bright, and gentle mansion. The house Emily lived in would always be like that, and the first person to visit it would be struck by its kindness without exception. Apparently, Aulum was no exception. ''Wow, this place is amazing, this place is amazing, this house is amazing.'' I repeated the same lines three times. It''s like the content wasn''t there, it''s like my brain threw away my vocabulary with so much warmth and tenderness. ''Haha. ......'' I''m glad you liked it. It''s good to have you with us. ''Yes!Thank you!Oh, ...... what to do. What? I can''t believe they''re taking me to such an amazing place. I think I''m in a body that can''t survive without Lyota. You''re exaggerating. But I don''t feel bad about it. It''s just that they''re that happy. "I''ve got to thank you for something: ...... Lyota!Take this! Saying that, the one that Aulum held out to me was a gold nugget. It weighs roughly about a kilo when I receive it. It''s a gold nugget, so one of these would be about 3 million piro. My feelings! That''s just plain awesome. That''s the limit outside the dungeon, and I''ll give you back a hundred times as much when I get back. I don''t need that much! A hundred kilos of gold is too scary. I don''t want to receive it. I took Aurum with me and we went into town. Dressing in gothic loli, horns and feathers is not normal, but some of the adventurers were dressed more unusual, so I was okay with that. It was rather difficult for me. ''Ryota, it''s about time for a festival, so I''d like to order a bunch of Ryota pumpkins. ''I moved from Benzene to Cyclo because I admire Mr. Lyota!I look forward to working with you!And please sign it! ''''Hey Lyota. There''s a long magic storm coming next week for three days in a row, so I''m hoping you''ll be in the dungeon then. Various people came to talk to me when I went out on the streets. I''ve been talked to when I''m walking before, but since the incident with Arsenic, it''s increased. It seems that I became a celebrity, and I''m happy and mixed feelings. After dealing with the people that surround me, I come back to Ahrum, who is walking around the city. "What do you think, Aulum, the city of Cyclo? ''It''s amazing, there''s so many different things, all of which I''ve never seen before. Really? ''Yes!Hey, what''s this? This is a bamboo dragonfly. A bamboo dragonfly? It was a bamboo dragonfly for sale at the grocery store. I didn''t know we had them in this world. I paid the shopkeeper, scraped the shaft and sent the bamboo dragonfly flying. The well-made bamboo dragonfly flew straight up and fell straight down with a slow rotation. ''It''s a toy that works like this. ''Wow!I''ve never done anything like this before. First time. ''Yes!It''s all new to me!It''s an amazing town. Ah! What''s going on? See that guy over there and that couple on the other side? They were in my dungeon before, so I''ve seen them. Oh, and that guy over there, too. Every one of them was an adventurer as Aulum pointed one after the other. It''s a magic cart. I didn''t know they were lined up like this. I stopped in front of the magic cart shop. Apparently, he knows about magic carts too. My knowledge is completely skewed, I only know what comes in the dungeon. For seeing it, and for getting a transporter room at the mansion. I thought again that I should bring more Aulum with me. ''Hey Lyota. Yeah? Why do you keep staring at me like that? Stare? I was told by Ahrum, who had a troubled look on his face, and I looked around. I realized that most people in the city are looking at Ahrum. It doesn''t matter if you are young or old, male or female, regardless of occupation or status. Most people - ninety-nine percent of the people in the city were looking at Ahrum. Why? I observed for a while, but I wasn''t sure. They didn''t have anything to say, they were all looking at Aulum. It''s an awfully glazed look. Why, really? Hey, Lyota, what''s this? Yeah?Yeah, that''s a marble. Marbles?It''s beautiful. I''ll give it to you. I reached into my pocket and tried to steal a marble from the sparkling-eyed Ahrum. A gold nugget fell out of my pocket. It was the kilo of gold that Ahrum had given me earlier. ""--!" It was as if they heard a sound, such a reaction. The people in the city who had been staring at Aurum at the fallen gold nugget all stared at it at the same time. The same exact gleam in their eyes as when they looked at Aulum. ...... Ah, so that''s what it is. ''I get it, Aulum, why everyone is staring at Aulum. Really?What''s going on? Because everyone loves Aulum (gold). "Huh? Everyone likes you. On the other hand, who doesn''t like Aulum (Kim)? I don''t think he''s there. Aulum tilted his head in a chimpy way after being told that. She picked up a gold nugget and bought the marbles for pennies. As she was about to give it to Aulum, she saw a young man stop in front of her. The young man is looking straight at Aulum, a drastic look on his face. ''I''ve loved you from the first time I saw you!Please go out with me. I suddenly confessed. ''Yeah?What''s going on? What''s going on, Lyota? A confession, usually. "Confession? You don''t understand that either. Despite Aulum''s confusion, the young man says further. ''Please be mine! I see. Aurum came back from his confusion, understanding. ''I''m sorry. I was made to live in a body that can''t live without Lyota, so I can''t be yours. ''We''re going to talk about it here and now!And the way you say it, it''s getting worse! "Oh, God, oh, God, oh, God, oh, God! When he was refused, the young man ran away, half in tears. He cried. ...... I''m sure I''ll cry. You shouldn''t have to talk to me like that. ''Really?Hmmm, people are so hard to deal with. But it''s funny too! Aulum says it''s her first time and it''s still fresh. Now, what will I show her next? Since this should be her first time doing anything other than dungeons, let''s show her something normal without being eccentric--. ''''Kyaaaah!'''' Suddenly, Aulum screamed. When he turned around, he saw that Aulum had been kidnapped. A man wearing a hat and a mask was running away, carrying Aulum. He looks like a bank robber. ''Wait!'' He shouted and the man glanced back for a moment. Lust - eyes riddled with money lust. The gold in his pocket made its presence felt. It''s like he was kidnapped because Aulum is Aulum (gold). ''Rita ......'' And I don''t have time for that kind of analysis. I have to help. Gugu, I stepped in. I kicked the ground and dashed as hard as I could. With my speed SS, I caught up to the man in an instant and went around in front of him. "--NAH! Give me Auldurm. He pulls out his right hand and thrusts a body blow into his belly, holding Aulum, who is being carried in a fluid motion. The man''s legs float for a moment and his body folds into a crooked shape, then he falls to the ground, spewing hesitation. ''Don''t do it brother. I''ve seen some really cool stuff. I wish I could help like that. When he regained Ahrum from the kidnappers, he was praised by everyone for being a great daytime spectator. It''s not about that, it''s about Aulum. I set her down and looked straight into her face. ''Are you alright, Aulum?'' ...... Auldurm? What do I do? ...... I don''t know if I could survive without you anymore. ''No, that''s not the point. It''s really okay. ''Not for fun!Ugh, it''s ......, it''s fine. Okay, fine. Ugh. ...... Aurum moans in frustration for some reason. I don''t know why, but my body seems to be okay, so that''s good for now. But what should I do? Even at this moment, Aulum is attracting gazes, gazes covered in greed. It''s time to pull out of here. "Let''s go home, Aurum. Let''s go home today, Aurum. Are you leaving already? Yeah. I nodded. It''s a bit distressing to leave so early, but I''ll bring you back when you''re ready for eye contact. ...... Yeah, okay. Then do this. You can go to ...... Aulum jumped on me. He jumped on my back with his petite body and positioned himself as if he were a piggyback. Aulum''s body was soft and, most importantly, light despite being gold. ''I wouldn''t want you to get kidnapped again! Yeah. Well, if that''s the case. I carried her home in my arms to protect her. By the time we got to the house, Ahrum was squeezing me and my body felt hot. 128. Gold dust spitting girl On the way to the mansion, Aulum squeezed me tightly. She''s a small girl, but every inch of Aulum''s body was soft, and I was strangely nervous, even though I was just carrying her on my back. I was lucky that Aulum was quiet on the way home. If he''d been talking to me, he might have found out that I was thrilled. I managed to make it back to the mansion without being found out, and then I entered the grounds and came to the front door. ''We''re here,'' Yes. ...... Aurum got off my back like he was reluctant to do so. I wonder if it would have been better to just beat him to the transition room. With that thought in mind. ''Lyota-san, welcome back. Elsa came out from the back of the mansion. ''Hey Elsa, you''re here. ''Yes!I was bringing in Master Lock. I''ll be using this side of the building as a sub-branch from today. Good luck in the future. ''Yes!And ...... that ....... Yeah? I''ll be moving soon. Moving?You''re going to some other city? ''Oh!No, it''s not! Elsa hurriedly waved her hands in the air. ''''It''s not that, the place I live now is a bit far from this mansion. I''m afraid it''s going to take me a long time to get sent to Lyota-san''s place, so I thought I''d take the plunge and move closer to here.'''' Elsa explains as if she were speaking up all at once. I see. I''m sure you''re aware of the fact that she''s currently on loan to me. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one who''s been in this situation. She wanted to move because she was being transferred and her work location was too far away. And ...... near Lyota-san. Hmm? It''s nothing! Elsa waved her hand in a hurry again. I didn''t quite hear what he said, but ...... I thought about it. If that''s the reason you''re moving in, I''d rather not. ''''Elsa, would you like to live in this mansion if you wanted to?'''' What? As you can see, there''s still room to spare. It''s not gonna be occupied for a while. So, if you''re sure it''s all right with Elsa... Are you sure about this? Elsa''s face lit up with a bite. ''Of course. I don''t care if it''s anyone else, Elsa is special. Well, what''s so special about it? I''m not a stranger to them and I''m friendly with Emily and her friends. They told me it was special ...... special. Elsa took my hand in hers and looked up at me with glazed eyes. ''I don''t know,'' It''s my pleasure! ''Yeah, so what do we do about the ...... room then, maybe I should ask Emily. Maybe Emily should be in complete control of this mansion by now. ''I''ll go ask Miss Emily, and while I''m at it, I''ll bring my things in! I said, "Hey, you don''t have to work so hard. Elsa turned herself around and ran off like the wind, with an adventurer''s face. It was good for now because she was happy to see me. ''I like ...... envy you,'' Hmm? I heard Aulum mumble something. ''What''s the matter, Aulum - I mean, hey! The moment I turned around, I was surprised. The Ahrum, who is staring at me, has somehow spit out a mouthful of gold. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. "What''s up with that, Aulum? ''What?What? It''s not a what, it''s a money thing. What am I talking about?" is the line, but it''s a sight to behold, so it can''t be helped. ''What--oh, it''s true.'' You didn''t know it was true. Aurum scrubbed the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand. The gold seems to have stopped for a moment, but what''s really going on? You okay?Could it be that you''re not feeling well? It''s a dungeon spirit, maybe it''s not a good idea to take it out for too long. I was wondering if I could take him home for the time being today. ''''Hey Lyota, who was that guy who was there?'''' That man?You mean Elsa. That''s what he called it. Ummm, I don''t know who you''re calling me, but I''m working with someone, so... I suddenly remembered the time Elsa had kissed me. It was like a surprise, a one-time kiss. I remembered that, and my face became hot all at once, even to the base of my ears. ...... So? Hey, it''s a lot to deal with. ''Hmm. I see. ...... Aurum put a hand to his cheek and figured something out. Are you feeling well?Shouldn''t you go back to the dungeon? What a thought. "Mr. Lyota. Celeste. This time Celeste appeared. He came back from outside the mansion, holding books and papers in his hand. Welcome home. What''s up with that? ''I''ve been in the library. I''ve been compiling the features and information on all the dungeons here at Cyclo. All of them? Yes. Eve''s helped you get to all the levels. I want to talk to you about the strategy. So you''ll be taking it home to study. Thanks, as always. ''No, this is different. I''ve memorized all the information. This is a reference book to help you put that information together. To put together? ''Yes!You know, the Lyota family does a lot of individual activities. So the booklet?Or maybe I''ll put them together in something smaller and let everyone else have them. I couldn''t keep my open mouth shut. ''You''ve been thinking about that? ''Thank you, Celeste. I don''t know how to thank you. I don''t need to thank you for ....... It''s something I love doing. No, but-- Mm-hmm. He put his finger to my lips. Celeste pressed her index finger to my lips and smiled mischievously. ''It''s okay, it''s what I like to do,'' Celeste smiled even more as she said that. She''s usually a beautiful woman and she looks more and more beautiful and I''m thrilled. ''Is this guy ...... too?'' ''Speaking of which, Lyota, this girl is ...... ugh!Something''s coming out of my mouth! Celeste shouted out and looked at Aulum with a startled look on her face. I looked at Aulum, too, and then I saw her spitting out money again. ''Aulum!He''s throwing up money again. ''What?Oh-- Aulum pointed out to me and scrubbed the corners of his mouth again. Gradually the sand and gold stops, while I explain to Celeste. ''She''s Aulum, the spirit of the Aulum dungeon. It''s like the Arsenic spirits. ''Yeah. The last time I saw you, you said you wanted to get out, and now that you can make the transition, I took you out of Aulum and showed you the city of Cyclo. That''s why you''re spitting money: ...... That surprises me too. This hasn''t happened before. What the hell is wrong with Aulum? I''m sorry. I heard the voice again, this time it seemed to be a visitor. He opened the front door and found Margaret and her knightly men there. I opened the door and Margaret stepped inside, and the knights remained reverently outside the mansion, closing the door softly. As she walked in, Margaret stood in front of me and smiled gracefully at me. ''Congratulations on moving in!'' You heard already? I was just going to let you know when we were stable. Now that the Lyota family is the focus of all the attention in Cyclo, there''s a lot of talk about it. Really? I couldn''t help but laugh bitterly. It was a bit ridiculous that one move would cause a rumor. ''It''s a nice house. It''s warm and gentle. You can see the personality of the owner. ''It''s nice to hear you say that, but it''s not me that''s warm and friendly, it''s Emily. Lyota is always so humble in that way, isn''t she? Margaret says and gently leans in closer to me. I didn''t go so far as to hug her, I jumped into her bosom and pulled myself closer. Her body is small and soft, and she smells so good. It smells so good it makes my head dizzy. ''I love that about you too,'' Yeah? By the way, I don''t think you''ve met the one spitting sand over here. ''Come to think of it, this is the first time I''ve ever seen Aulum--and sand! I look at Aulum three times, and for some reason, he''s looking at me with a look of envy, and Aulum is spitting sandpaper again. No, why?What''s causing it? Are you sure you''re okay, Auldurm? Ugh. ...... You don''t look so good. Let''s go home for the day. Celeste, I''ll drop her off, and you can take Margaret into the parlor for a while and have Emily serve her something. Yeah, I get it. Celeste smiled serenely and nodded, taking Margaret with her. I took the still bushy Aulum to the basement. Let''s put him back in the gold and then we''ll grab him back to the Aulum dungeon. That''s what I brought him to, but Ahrum was staring at me. I couldn''t move, the look in his eyes was so frightening. "But what''s the matter with you, Aurum? Hey, those girls. What? Did you talk to Lyota? "Because ...... what? I know what it''s like. Couples would come into the dungeon and give off that vibe sometimes. And then they''d kiss and hug each other naked and stuff. Boom! Aulum, who has been in the dungeon all his life and has little knowledge, isn''t stupid, in fact, he just doesn''t know. What he does know, on the contrary, he remembers well. Aside from Celeste, he certainly kissed Elsa and Margaret. ''I knew I did,'' It''s ...... well ...... Chuff. ...... huh? Faster than I could say anything else, Aulum was on his toes in front of me and kissed me. ''Hey, why?'' ...... Aulum didn''t answer. Instead, she stared at me with a red face, embarrassed and yet angry. After a look of embarrassment, she said. ''Bye!'' And then he went back to the gold himself. ...... I, who was left behind, was alone in the basement for a while. After returning Aurum to the dungeon, I used the transporter room to come to the third floor of the tellurium. Emily asked me to get a pumpkin for Margaret, as she wanted to treat her to a cake. Still confused about Aulum, I immediately accepted and came to the third basement level of the tellurium. I''m still confused when I get here. All I could think about was that kiss from Aulum. To be honest, I don''t feel bad, Aulum is cute to begin with, and he''s getting cuter and cuter since he''s been able to go out and laugh. It''s hard not to be happy to get a kiss from Aulum like that. Next time, I''ll listen to her a little more carefully. With that in mind, I changed my mind and decided to hunt for monsters. A pumpkin-dropping monster called a cocrosstime. It reminds me of a G-like creature, crawling on the ground with its slime body. I didn''t hate it that much, but I didn''t feel good about it, so I defeated it with a repetition to avoid touching it. The defeated cocrosstime dropped an item. A pumpkin ordered by Emily, and another one. Gold, dropped together. ...... eh? Why is there gold in the sand?This is a drop from the Aurum dungeon, right? Could it be that whatever was in Aulum''s vomit was on his body and now it''s fallen out? So I thought and released a repetition on another cocrosse lime. Then the pumpkin and the sandstone were still dropped together. ''What do you mean ...... oh.'' I remembered Aulum''s kiss. The word "blessing of the spirits," came to my mind. 129. Double record Morning. Tellurian dungeon, first basement floor. For a reason, I came to Tellurium first, not Nihonium. Defeat the encountered slime with normal bullets. The shot out slime will explode and scatter into four pieces, and drop immediately afterwards. Sprouts, and then gold sand. Pick up both and compare them alternately. The bean sprouts in my left hand, and the gold dust in my right. Both dropped from the slime, both dropped at the same time. Go around the basement level and kill some additional slimes. All of the drops were sprouts with a bonus of sand gold. Send the drops to Elsa with the magic cart, then go down to the second basement floor. A basement bunker that is inhabited by sleeping slimes that look almost identical to each other. The tellurian basement floor drops carrots, and the sleeping slime that the adventurers around me defeated definitely dropped carrots "only" from the sleeping slime. When I shot through the sleeping slime I encountered with a normal bullet, the guy dropped a carrot and a gold sandwich. I knew there was gold sand. The gold sand was a bonus in addition to the original drop. ''''It''s still a blessing from the spirits after all: ...... I can''t help but mumble aloud. Speaking of sand, Aulum, and Aulum is yesterday''s kiss. And speaking of kisses - and that''s not a straightforward connection. It''s not a straightforward connection, but what''s happening right now is definitely what you would call a "blessing". After Arum kissed me, when I defeated a monster, I got a gold drop as a bonus. At noon, I caught Celeste in the dungeon and went outside once I got there. When we had to talk, we moved to a less popular place and told him about Aulum. He was surprised at first, but quietly listened to the end of the story. ''Has everything started to come with a bonus of sand and gold? ''It''s not because of anything, just the monsters in the dungeon. Tellurium, Arsenic, or Nifonium was a bonus. Nifonium''s was a bit of a surprise. If you say ...... for the dungeon, does that mean ......? I nodded. ''I didn''t get to the Hagremonos. When I answered, Celeste gave me a look that said, I knew it. She''s a smart girl and seemed to be able to guess right away from what I said. ''So that''s Aulum, the power that came from that spirit. I think so. That''s why I''d like to come to Celeste... have we ever seen anything like this before?It seems the existence of spirits was known at the level of urban legend. Yes, she had told me about such things when I first met Aulum. A very low probability, but it was possible for an ordinary adventurer to get to the place where the spirits were, and that was a real thing. I heard similar stories from adventurers and dungeon associations. Genies in dungeons are known on an urban legend level. If there are humans who have had to deal with spirits in the past as well, what about the blessings of spirits? When asked, Celeste crossed her arms, twisted her head and thought about it. ''I don''t know, I know some of the lore that spirits are very fickle, but I don''t hear of people getting blessings just because they were with a spirit. Yeah, I can kind of see how it''s fickle. In fact, so did Aulum. ''I''m sorry I couldn''t be of any help to you, Lyota: ...... ''No, no, no, Celeste will not apologize. It''s just that we don''t have a lot of information. Thanks ....... It''s great though. If you''re dropping extra sand and gold no matter what you defeat, then that means Lyota-san can earn more money than ever before. ''When I say sand and gold, the amount isn''t much. It''s a much smaller amount than you can defeat in the dungeons of Aurum directly. It''s a bonus. Yes. ...... I''m talking about doing a full day''s work and making about twice as much money. That''s great! Celeste lets out a loud, plunging yell. ''The record for a day so far is, I believe, three million piro. Yeah. Double that? ''Yeah, I tried the same conditions this morning and I made six million piro in various vegetables plus sand and gold. Isn''t that great: ...... Celeste made a face that was half-amused and half-impressed. ''''Mr. Lyota, one of these days it''s going to be over ten million a day. I hope so. Ten million is a big number, after all. I was happy when my bankbook balance exceeded 10 million, so if I can make more than 10 million a day, I''d like to do it. Maybe not now, but sooner or later. I guess you''ll have to ask me. ...... Right. Celeste is right, it''s quicker to ask the person in question than to speculate here about whether it''s a blessing from Aulum. In fact, Aurum and Arsenic have a kind of spirit blessing at the dungeon level. Aurum has more drops and Arsenic has more monsters at all times. Both of these two things have been confirmed by the spirits themselves, and Celeste knows what she''s heard. It''s no wonder she thinks it''s quicker to talk to the humans in person to see if they are also blessed. I can''t help it, though. I''m complicated. If Aulum''s blessing is real, it''s probably because of the kiss he gave me. It''s indeed embarrassing to go and ask her about it, and I feel something different. Celeste and I head back home, wondering if there''s some other way to go about it. When we returned to the mansion, it was very noisy. ''What''s going on?'' It''s Emily''s voice, and it''s coming from Elsa''s office. Let''s go. It was a suggestion to shelve Aulum, but Celeste agreed without question. We made our way to the sub-branch I''d assigned to Elsa, which was to return the favor of the swallow. There, as our voices revealed, were both Emily and Elsa. Oh, welcome back, Mr. Lyota. You''re going home! They noticed us at the same time and said welcome home, but Emily''s tension was higher than ever. ''What''s up Emily, what''s the matter, what''s the good news? ''Yes, sir!I set a new personal record. A personal record? That''s a new personal record for a day''s earnings. Elsa calmly, but still happily, adds a supplementary explanation. ''''A whopping 500,000 piro. ''That''s great, Emily!'' Congratulations, Emily! Me and Celeste congratulated Emily, and Emily smiled shyly, ehehehe. ''But half a million, that''s a lot of growth all at once. What''s going on? It''s because of Grandpa. Grandpa? ''Yes, sir. Yoda told me about it and I delivered food to my grandpa in the transporter room, and he gave me an amazing power in return. Emily is excitedly talking, and her excitement makes it a little difficult to understand what she''s saying. But now I could immediately associate it with something. ''Does Emily also have the blessing of the ...... spirit (Arsenic)?'' Emily''s face was smiling more and more, and she silently responded to my associations with the correct answer. 130. True Mine Story Arsenic basement floor. The entire Lyota Family came here. We all came to Arsenic to show Emily the spirit blessing, to show her what it was really like. Emily headed towards the rock monster there, Dante Rock, who flew in a transfer to the dungeon, with a hammer in his hand. For some reason, Alice followed beside her, pushing a magic cart. ''Then begin.'' I''m ready. Alice made a circle with her thumb and forefinger and replied with her usual cheerfulness. Emily took a deep breath and swung her hammer down to shatter Dante Rock. The monster disappeared and an item from the first floor of Arsenic''s basement, a dandelion, was dropped. Alice, who was squatting right next to Emily lifted the hammer, picked up the dandelion quickly at about the same time. Up to this point, it was the usual scene, a commonplace scene in this world''s dungeons, defeating monsters and producing resources. However, as soon as Alice picked up the dandelion, an unusual scene unfolded. To my surprise, Dante Rock appeared again where he had just disappeared. ''''You timed your resurrection?'''' It''s not like that. What do you mean? You''ll know it when you see it. Celeste told me, and I looked at Emily''s actions further. Emily swung the hammer down again and crushed the rock. Alice picked up the dropped dandelion - and soon after, Dante Rock appeared again. He revived immediately after picking up the dandelion. ''Quick!'' I am astonished, while Emily and the others continue to move. A rock appears, Emily hits it, Alice picks it up, the rock reappears, Emily hits it--. Emily hits it, and the next rock appears just as Alice picks up the dropped item. It''s back in no time. Emily hits it further, and continues to hit it. Each time she hits it, Alice snatches the dropped dandelion and puts it in her magic cart. The pace of the game picks up gradually, and the moment Emily strikes and raises the hammer, Alice''s hand already reaches out and grabs the dandelion as it drops. The moment Alice grabbed it, Emily was already swinging the hammer down. Right after Alice snatched the dandelion, Dante Rock revived and Emily''s hammer, which she swung down before that, crushed the rock. It''s a super fast pace I hadn''t thought possible before. As I watched, I crushed another Dante Rock nearby with my fist to test it out. A dandelion was dropped, but the dantelock did not revive. I see, this is the Arsenic blessing given to Emily. The key to earning more money in going around the dungeon is how efficiently you find the next monster once you become strong enough to a certain extent. I''ve learned the structure of dungeons and the timing of monsters'' resurrection from my time in the dungeon, and dungeon-born Alice has a special ability to sense where monsters are. Celeste has gathered up her knowledge and Eve is ...... Speaking of which, I wonder how Eve is doing. Be that as it may, we''ve all been efficient in our own ways. But none of them are beyond the realm of "searching". As long as we''re doing what we call "looking for", there will inevitably be a loss of movement. This blessing that Arsenic gave to Emily is amazing, the same monster resurrects in the same place right after you defeat it. Moreover, the drop is still there. It''s the best blessing given to Emily, and it''s the best blessing to go around. Emily beats the rocks rhythmically, pounding them like a fish in water. She has a hammer, but it''s just like the way she taps on a chopping board with a knife you see every morning in the kitchen. The sight soothes my heart, and after watching it for a while, I remember something. Emily tapped it, and then Alice reached over the side and picked it up. Tapping and picking it up. Tapping and picking it up. I know a scene similar to this one. ''It''s like pounding rice cakes,'' Are you making rice cakes? Japan - where I''m from, we have something very similar to this. One pestle pounds the rice and the other one kneads the rice just as it rises. That''s very similar. So that''s what happened. I love that sound. Beside a convinced Celeste, Eve in a stuffed rabbit costume was chewing on a gazillion carrots. Eve was nibbling the carrots with relish, as usual, but unusually, she was interested in something else - Emily''s rock splitting. ''I know. The timing is so constant, it''s like a metronome. The sound I want to hear forever: ...... You fell asleep? Eve''s head, holding the carrot in both hands, suddenly snapped up. The eyes that had been looking at Emily were half-closed, and drool dripped onto the eating carrot she was holding. Maybe it was because she was wearing a my-boom costume instead of a bunny suit, but she looked so cute. ''''--Ha!Rabbits don''t sleep. Hah, Eve realized, she said feeling fast and guzzled the carrot again. It''s obviously a move to cover up the fact that he just slept. ''No, no, I was just sleeping like normal,'' ''Not true. Rabbits don''t do sleep magic. It''s not magic, it''s just sound. ''But it won''t work. As long as there''s a carrot in here, it won''t work. That said, Eve is giddy, but she soon falls asleep again. Emily''s rock splitting is very hypnotic. I thought if I made a video of this and called it "BGM for sleep" it would definitely get a million views. Night, inside the mansion. I was relaxing in my room when there was a knock on the door of my room. As I complied, Emily came in. She came back from outside and changed into her loungewear, and walked into the room, her face slightly stained. ''What''s up Emily?'' I came to thank Mr. Yoda for his help. "Thank you? As I wondered what she was talking about, Emily came in front of me and stared at me, her cheeks growing more and more tinted as she looked straight into my eyes. Yoda has made it possible for me to earn a lot of money. That''s Emily''s power. I crushed rocks in succession, I took my meal to Grandpa Arsenic and got his blessing because he liked me. It was all because it was Emily. That''s what I thought. ''No. If it wasn''t for Yoda, I''d still be on the ground floor of Tellurium fighting slime. My level was maxed out, I got an amazing hammer, and I got to meet a genie. It''s all thanks to Yoda-san. And-- And? Emily held something out to me. When I checked to see what it was, it was her bank book. ''What''s this?'' I''m going to take a look inside. It''s not good manners to look at someone else''s bank book, but Emily wanted me to look at it, so I took it. I opened it and looked inside. It was a typical Emily family-style passbook, with only deposits and few withdrawals. The balance rose slowly compared to mine, but the amount certainly grew. And today. The balance had reached ten million piro. ''Congratulations Emily! It''s all because of Yoda. Thank you. He thanked me again. Okay, so that''s why you came to my room. That Emily is ten million or ....... Ten million for Emily, who was forced to live that day in the dungeon, camping out in the dungeon and living in a disadvantageous situation. I was a bit annoyed. I hand back the bankbook and look straight at Emily. There are 118 dungeons in all, and 116 spirits left that we haven''t seen yet. We can be ...... still be strong. "Emily. Yes? Let''s go for the millionth time. Yes, sir! Emily nodded with a full face, holding her passbook. Her smile was the happiest it had looked since they had met. 131. Dumpster diving criminal (?) Six floors below Nifonium, take on the form of a stone and go around the dungeon. With the poisonous fog filling the air, I took my gun and took my time aiming for a headshot. Nihonium doesn''t require you to make a time attack, so I did it carefully over here. One shot at a time, maintaining a 100% headshot and hunting it down. And while I''m at it, I also remember to dodge attacks. The Absolute Rock stone makes me invincible, but that''s just a countermeasure against the poison fog. I decided to dodge the monster attacks properly and not be sidelined. It often happens when you''re playing a game, but when you''re strong enough to hunt a lower-ranked monster, you sometimes let your ability get the better of you and make a big move. I''ll be careful not to do that and keep hunting the Poison Zombies. Dodge all attacks, and maintain a 100% hit rate on headshots. The later in the day, the more focused you get and the more they grab you, but I kept doing it in case of an emergency. I spent the entire morning raising my intelligence from a D to a C. Of course, I kept my evasion and hit at 100%. I came to the city once at noon, before I went out to earn my afternoon. After I offered the mirror to Nifonium, I spent more time wandering around the city looking for the leftover swords and gravestones. The dungeons are now transferable, and the increased free time that I had to go to the dungeons became the time to wander the city. I''m going to have a cigarette, brother. I have all the cigarettes from the 30th to 60th floor of Hudralgurum. There are newts, sponges and pit vipers from Zinkum. We have Jinkum''s rare items! ''Only one box of Krypton leeks in stock today!Eat and shake it up!It''s the freshest and tastiest onion of any dungeon in the Cyclo! The city of Cyclo was busy again today. The market is crowded with goods gathered from dungeons all over the world. It''s a little emotional to think that my vegetables are flowing into cities around the world like this. I wandered aimlessly through the marketplace. Sometimes the names of the dungeons I''ve been hearing make me think, "Hey, hey, hey! I thought the gods of this world really don''t like cigarettes, like the specialties of Hudralgurum. Zinkum''s energizer is ...... well, I don''t have to say anything. Compared to those, Aulum''s gold is straightforward and even likeable. I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to get the best out of it. Suddenly, I noticed that a corner of the market was in an uproar. I wondered what was going on as I headed towards it. ''''A monster!There''s a haggler out there! Go get someone!Pierre''s husband is being attacked! --GH! As soon as the commotion got close enough to become a discernible word from the noise, I kicked the ground and dashed further. At the source of the commotion, with onlookers surrounding us in the distance, a middle-aged man was being attacked by a monster. The monster was Frankenstein, a haggler born of trash. ''Repetition!'' The man was about to be hit at any moment, so I hit the repetition as fast as I could because it was urgent. Frankenstein is silenced and the man is saved. Immediately afterwards, a cheer broke out. They were thanking and praising me for saving him. Stars. ''Thank you, you saved me.'' Are you okay? Yeah, it''s just a little scratch. The man I saved - Pierre laughed, showing his elbow. It''s definitely a bit of a scratch, probably just a scratch that he scraped against the wall when he was running away. I''m glad it''s nothing serious. ''But there''s been an increase in them lately. More, Frankenstein? Don''t you know?I''ve been going around town a lot lately. I didn''t know that was possible. ''Why?Cyclo has a proper garbage disposal company, right? It reminds me of the previous job of one of my friends, Celeste. In this world, the so-called trash after humans finish using it will also be turned into haggles. The things that are turned into trash are not the monsters of the original material, but are uniformly turned into monsters called Frankenstein. This is why garbage disposal is much more important in this world than it is in modern Japan, and it has led to a high quality living environment. There are multiple dungeons and many adventurers in Cyclo, and since the dungeon tax is making money, the garbage disposal should have been done properly. ''''That''s the thing,'''' Pierre said with a raised eyebrow. ''There are people raiding the trash these days. I don''t know what it''s all about, but they''re going to raid the garbage.'' "Raiding the garbage. Yeah. That''s why the trash that gets scattered around turns into something awful like that sometimes. That''s right: ....... Trash trolling, who is doing this for what? Pierre and I parted ways and I walked around the city, aware of it all. I could definitely see the trash falling from time to time. Garbage can be a monster, so it''s been ''zero'' until now. It''s out of necessity, but in this world, there''s no trash at all, it''s a kind of peachy world. But now it''s a little bit of it. The garbage on the main street is not a problem for now. Because there are people in the daytime, it does not become a haggler. However. Hoooooo ............. The wind blew, and the trash flew up and was carried into the back alley. I just saw it, so I quickly set it ablaze with a fireball. The garbage carried to an unpopular place like this will eventually become something haggard, and cause a commotion like the one just now. Anyway, why do you scavenge the garbage? I went back to the mansion and called out to Alice. I explain to her what''s happening in the city and ask her. "Can Alice detect the location of a monster in the city? Yes, you can, because when you play hide and seek with the hone-hawks, that''s how you win it all. Alice speaks proudly. The monsters on her shoulders protested, flying and jumping and hitting her pokey. They''re good friends, as always. ''Then that''s just fine, I''ll let you patrol the city for a while. With Alice''s powers, I''m sure we can find the newborn Frankenstein and take him out before he attacks people. Yeah, okay. I''m sorry to be the one to ask you to do this. ''It''s okay, it''s cool to keep everyone in town safe,'' Alice laughed indifferently. ''Oh, I found it early.'' What? Hey. There''s a monster just down the road. Alice pointed to the wall of the mansion. It''s a wall, but beyond that is a garbage dump that collects all the trash around here. I''ll be back in a minute. No, no, no. I''ll be right there. Thank you, Alice. I thanked him and ran out of the mansion. I head in the direction Alice pointed. When I came to the dumpster, I found a wriggling shadow. The shadow is small and not human. It''s a haggler. There''s a house nearby, if we leave it unattended, it will attack the house. I used Repetition to put an end to it as soon as possible. The strongest round-the-clock magic, Repetition, kills monsters once defeated without mercy. I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them, but I''m going to be able to use them. The monster was skulking around the garbage and eventually ran away. "...... Ha!Wait! I stopped moving for a moment, confused by the fact that the repetition didn''t work, and in the meantime, my opponent ran away. Another repetition while chasing after it, and it still didn''t work. Why?So I looked at him. It''s hard to tell who he is because he''s wearing a cloth. But I don''t think he''s Frankenstein. "Oh, yeah, trash-trolling! I remember earlier, this guy was doing something sneaky around the garbage. And it''s not Frankenstein. So he could be the trash thief. So I decided to catch him instead of knocking him down. I kicked the ground and dashed with my speed SS. I beat the fleeing man to it and put a muzzle to his head ....... Don''t move. The other guy has stopped moving, he''s pulling and shaking. I hold him at gunpoint and remove the cloth he''s wearing. "Don''t attack me, I''m not a bad monster. I was surprised, meh, surprised. What emerged from under the cloth was a shabby looking thing, its fur dirty and shabby looking all over the place. It was a dog, a dog-like monster. 132. Harmful and harmless I took a closer look at the guy while holding the muzzle up to it. The form was a dog, but it was large in size, even larger than a large dog like a St. Bernard. It''s roughly the size of a pony. The fur was so dirty that it was hard to tell for sure, but the multi-divisional area was probably gray or something. The face is designed to be crisp and brave or fierce, but with its angular eyebrows and annoying eyes, it looks like a troubled human being. Is it really a monster? Don''t kill me. Yeah, I''ve got something for you. The dog said, and rustled out the cloth I''d stripped off. I take a piece of dirty paper out of it. ''I''ll give you this if you miss it. It''s worth so much to you, human. Is that a ...... thousand-pillow bill? The dog took out a battered, tattered, dirty thousand-piro note here and there. ''Yes!You picked this up a long time ago?Humans can eat their food with this, right? That''s right, I could eat ......, but ...... Then you can have it!And miss me instead. I''m in trouble, I''m in trouble. In fact, I was in trouble. I was surprised that the monster-like dog in front of me could talk, but on top of that, it didn''t have any of the aggression that monsters tend to have, and it even begged for its life. The way it begged for its life was also troubling. It''s a tattered thousand-piro bill that I picked up a long time ago and have been holding on to for years. This ...... what the hell is going on here? Gyururu. The sound was loud enough for everyone around me to hear. It was the sound of hunger coming from a dog''s belly. ''Ugh. ......'' ...... is down. ''Yes, ...... will work!I won''t scavenge the garbage anymore. I''ll be out of this town as soon as you miss it!It''s true, believe me! A dog that appealed to me even more desperately. I lowered my gun. I couldn''t bring myself to shoot at all. Me and my dog moved into a back alley. ''Ho, are you sure you want to do this?'' The dog looked up at me with a look of trepidation. There is meat on the ground. I made the dog wait there and bought some raw meat from a nearby store. It was a lump of meat I had bought three kilos of, partly because of the size of the dog. The price was 10,000 piro. It was 350 piro for a gram, but we got a little extra for the price. Don''t you like meat?Or maybe you can''t eat them raw? No, it''s not!You can eat anything you want to eat. I remembered the Kryptonian leeks I''d seen in town earlier, but I couldn''t bring myself to fiddle with them because I felt sorry for the poor dog in front of me. ''Then eat them, don''t be shy. ...... Really? It''s true. Okay, then: ...... The dog was still afraid and bit into the meat, glancing at me. I watched him eat as normal, since I had originally brought it for him to eat. The dog ate the entire meat, while keeping an eye on me the whole time. Thank you, it was delicious. Did you get enough?If you want, I''ll get you some more. I''m fine!I''ve already eaten a month''s worth. A month''s worth? ''Yeah, I usually scavenge Mr. Human''s trash, because there''s never been so much meat. I knew you were going through the garbage. Oh, I''m sorry. I''m sorry. Why were you rifling through the garbage on ......? Yes, I can see it. It may be a monster, a giant dog that can talk, but its essence lies in something much different. Dressed in tattered cloths, he quietly scrounges through the garbage to hide from people''s eyes, and keeps a single piece of paper money he''s found as a keepsake for the rest of his life. The word "homeless" popped into my head. ''Who the hell are you anyway?Are you a monster? Maybe. Maybe? ''I don''t know, it was a long time ago, but the next thing I know I was in a different city than here. So it might not be a monster. ''But I think it is. Sometimes they find me, and then the human always says to me, ''There''s a Cerberus Haguremonos''. Haglemono is a monster that appears in the city. Well, not exactly, but yes. Apparently, this dog is a monster haggle called Cerberus. I''m sure that''s the case, because that''s how several people found it. Hagremonos are killed when humans find them, so they''ve been hiding for a long time. That''s why I moved from one town to another. There are a lot of humans in this city and food is easy to find, so I was happy to rummage through the garbage here and there. ...... Is that why you''ve been getting a lot of Frankenstein lately? "So I thought about following a human and working in a dungeon, but I heard that hagglers disappear when they enter a dungeon, so I''m afraid to go. Ah, ....... That''s right. If Cerberus is really a haggler, he can''t go into a dungeon and earn money. You can''t get into the most popular and obvious profession in this world, you know. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''ll be out of town soon. Don''t kill me. I was begging for my life again. Even if they didn''t tell me, I wasn''t at all ready to exterminate them anymore. I didn''t even know what I was, and there was no way I was going to be able to deal with Cerberus, who was forced to live in exile. ''Thank you, human. Thank you for the meal. This is for you, human. Cerberus placed the thousand-piro bill that he had shown me earlier in front of me, flipped it off and walked away. With a rag in his mouth to hide his true identity, he proceeded toward the back alley. Can I let him go like this?But can you stop him and deal with it? What a mess I''m in. "Wah! Geez, you''re a haggler! An adventurer emerged from across the alley. A male adventurer carrying an Emily model hammer and pushing a magic cart. An adventurer who was returning from a dungeon and was on his way to a buyer''s shop from now on, that kind of adventurer. One of the encounters and one of the heads stopped both. It was the adventurer who moved first. The man swung his hammer to the side. The hammer struck Cerberus, blowing his pony-sized body right off to the side, sending his head into the wall and his body crumbling to the ground. ''What a wimp. Don''t scare me at all. The man mumbled and complained, pushing the magic cart as he stuttered away. There are so many adventurers who meet Hagremonos and don''t defeat them because they don''t drop any items. This is because Hagremonos do not drop any items. If a dungeon association offers a reward or requests it, I''ll do it, but otherwise, if I see one, I often don''t defeat it. The majority of adventurers in this world are like that, and the man also gave Cerberus a blow for now and then slipped away from the place. On the other hand, Cerberus, who was hit by a hammer and rammed into the wall, didn''t freak out. He''s not dead, a monster ...... haglemono would disappear as soon as he died. So I decided that it wasn''t dead. That decision was correct. After a while, Cerberus wavered and stood up. ''''Hey, are you okay?'''' I was about to run up to him, and the moment I took a step, I stopped. I wasn''t thinking at the time, not that I had any warning. But I did, and I crossed my arms in front of my face. It was a hunch that I did so. A gut feeling is an instantaneous total judgment that comes from accumulated life experience. That instinct made me take a defensive stance. In the next moment, Cerberus charged forward with furious force. It blew up my entire body, which I guarded with a cross. I scooted directly behind it, and was flung out of the back alley and crashed into a building. "YEAH! What''s happening? Residents of the city scream, tensions rise in passersby. A Cerberus jumps out of a back alley, this time opening its mouth to bite me. I stick out my hands, catching the rise and fall of the biting mouth firmly in place. Sharp fangs dig into my palms for a bit, and it hurts. "Grrrrrr. Cerberus let out a low growl and put more pressure on his jaw. ''It''s Cerberus!There''s a demon dog haggle! Hey, go get some adventurers, or the Dungeon Society. Wait. That''s Lyota Sato. You''re the Lyota family boss. Rumor has it that he''s going to kill the haggard things that adventurers don''t like to do? I heard all kinds of voices from around me. Some were cheering me up and lifting me up, but out of the corner of my eye, I spotted what looked like a guy going to call for adventurers. Oh no, I have to get this over with. Normal adventurers would overlook the haggling, but at times like this, the adventurer who was called to the scene was determined to defeat the adventurer to the end. I felt sorry for Cerberus, who was forced to live in unhappy exile, and I didn''t want to see him get killed. We have to do something before the adventurers arrive. Gullu... Cerberus had bloodshot eyes. He seemed to have lost his mind, perhaps from slamming his head against the wall. -- then! He took his hand away from his mouth and jumped back for a moment. He draws his gun, loads and holds it ready. Cerberus jumps in further, faster!The speed is about A. It''s normal. In a furious dive, I remain calm and shoot the gun. A marsupial recovery round from the two guns - a sleeping bullet that collided and fused in the air. The sleeping bullets hit Cerberus, who dives straight into the air. The bloodshot eyes instantly turned white. He held Cerberus as he jumped into the air with the momentum he had gained. The effect of the sleeping bullets is excellent, and Cerberus, who was grunting with bloodshot eyes earlier, has begun to breathe in his sleep with his nose lantern puffed up in my arms. ''What, you were here?'' It was Neptune who appeared with a familiar voice. The leader of the Neptune family, an adventurer with both ability and fame. Behind him, a woman named Ran and Lil came with him. The last time I saw them, Neptune was powered up by their singing voice. In other words, I''m serious. If it was any slower, this guy Cerberus would have gotten to him. "If you were here, I wouldn''t have had to hurry. How long are you gonna hold onto that, by the way? ''What?Oh ...... yes, ....... I don''t know what to do: ...... It''s just easier and more fun to hold me in my arms than it is to hold you in mine. You''re a f*cking faggot! Neptune laughed indulgently as he gave a grand plunge. That''s not true. It''s just that I really like girls. Hey, Ran, Lil. Neptune asks two of his friends to agree. ''But what''s really going on?You''re a haggler, so get on with it and take it down. Otherwise, the gallery won''t be happy, will they? ...... We''re not taking this guy down. Why? ...... Oh, you can''t handle it. So you''ll keep it. Can we keep it? I was surprised to hear Neptune say it as a matter of course. "You''re a haggler. It''s just a matter of letting them get used to it. Just because it''s a haggler doesn''t mean you have to get rid of it. You''ve worked on a lot of new magic carts, so you should know better. It was. The calculation function and transfer function on the magic cart, that''s using Arsenic rock monsters. They never attack, hence the normal use of harmless rocks even if they become haglemono. It''s dangerous to kill hagremonos because they''re rampaging and dangerous. ''If you can admit there''s no danger, or more importantly, if you can admit that you can hold it down properly even if it''s dangerous,'' Neptune lifted the corner of his mouth to one side with a grin. ''''Who would bother hunting for a haggle of things that don''t drop anything? It was obvious, but it felt like an eye opener. 133. Dog instinct, digging here I split up with the alleged faggot Neptune and took Cerberus back to the mansion for a while. ''''Ko, is this your home, human?'''' Yeah. ''Could it be that you''re an amazing ...... human being, an amazing great human being?'' I don''t know. I don''t think he''s great, he has a one-of-a-kind skill (a unique skill) that the inhabitants of the other world don''t have, and he''s just a bit famous these days. ''Let''s go inside for that. I hope there''s someone there. I walked into the mansion with Cerberus, thinking that everyone might be in the dungeon at this time. ''Huh?Mr. Yoda, why are you coming back from here? When I walked in the door, I encountered Emily. Emily was carrying a broomstick, not a hammer. ''I wasn''t in a dungeon, I was wandering the streets of Cyclo. What''s wrong with you Emily? ''The transition room has allowed me to come home sooner, so I''m cleaning up in the extra time I have. Okay. Thanks, Emily. Emily makes me so happy to have a warm home whenever I come home. I love doing this. But thank you. Emily slumped in embarrassment. It''s like she''s embarrassed to be praised when she''s just doing what she likes to do as she self-identifies. I wanted to praise her more because she was cute in that way, but when I felt the presence of Cerberus sneaking around behind me again, I decided to do something about this one first. ''If Emily is here, that''s just fine, I''ve got someplace to go, can you keep this girl for me until then?'' Do you want to keep it?I''m at your service, Yoda. Thank you. Come here, doggie. It''s a doggy... and it''s huge! That''s a big one that needs no explanation. Cerberus appeared on the doorstep when I called him, looking small and unaccountable, but Emily''s words made him shrink even more. ''He''s a big doggie,'' Ha, nice to meet you. ...... And do you speak? Yeah. She''s a monster, and she''s a stray. So watch over him and make sure no one else gets him. I see, sir. I''ll take care of it. Emily gave a small gut-punch with the broomstick in her hand. Emily had been homely and pretty until then, but as soon as she posed with her gut, the broomstick blanked out on the hammer and she instantly became more reliable. ''Boh, aren''t you afraid of me?It''s a haggler. There are other monsters in our house. Alice''s people, that''s a different story. It''s all yours. I''ll be back as soon as I can. Yes, sir. Leaving Cerberus in charge of Emily, I left the mansion and headed for the Dungeon Society. Star. The various procedures took about an hour. I explained the situation to Clint and offered him the story Neptune had told me. I went through the formalities to keep Hagremono (,) and got a collar to prove it, and returned to the mansion again. I went into the mansion and looked around for it. Then I saw Emily and Cerberus in the kitchen. Cerberus was sitting by Emily''s side, wagging his tail as hard as he could. Because of his large size, the momentum of his tail descending is considerable. Even an adult could break his or her bones if hit. I''m home. You''re home, Yoda. Welcome home, human. Emily and Cerberus came by me. Emily is smiling as usual, but Cerberus stopped wagging his tail as soon as he came to me. It''s not that he''s curled up and wary or anything, but unlike Emily, he doesn''t wag his tail at all. I wondered why. ''Listen, human, your food tasted really good.'' Rice? He nodded his head slightly while looking at Emily. ''Yes, sir. After Yoda-san went out, the doggie''s tummy was growling, so I made him some food. It tasted like a dream. Oh, I see. The mystery is all solved. Because when Cerberus saw Emily saying that, he wagged his tail again. And the momentum increased even more, this time with an enraptured look on his face. He wagged his tail and nuzzled Emily because he was baited. It can''t be helped, Emily''s rice is so good it''s drug-grade. It''s just good, just warm and tasty. And yet I want to eat it forever and ever and ever. If I were to use a metaphor, it would be like taking the basics to the next level. That''s what Emily''s rice is. It''s no wonder Cerberus is wagging his tail with such force that he could tear it off. ''Anyway, where have you been, Yoda? I''ve applied to the Dungeon Association for a permit. I applied to the Dungeon Society for a permit to keep this dog. It''s a badge of honor, so they''re under the jurisdiction of the Dungeon Association. Oh, really? ''So, I''m going to put this collar on ......, but first I have to decide on a name. When you name it, the name magically appears here. I took out the collar and pointed to the white part in the middle. ''You don''t have a name, do you?'' Yes. Are you following me, human? Yeah. But first, I want to check something. Confirmation? I have two names to choose from, and I''m going to make sure you get the right one. What are you going to do? Follow me. Then he turned himself around and walked away. He took Emily and Cerberus, who were following him, out of the mansion and into the garden. Then he turned to the two stunned men and took out a ball he''d purchased in town beforehand. The ball is about the same size as a baseball. ''What are you going to do with it, Yoda? Just throw it. Voila. I threw the ball haphazardly. I didn''t have any technique or speed, I just threw it in a mountainous fashion. Then Cerberus'' eyes lit up for a moment, and he went after the ball. ''It''s a doggie,'' Yeah, it looks like a dog. What do you mean by that? ''I just wanted to make sure I knew if the root was a dog or a wolf. That would change the name I''d give you. ''I see, you''re a doggie because you went for the ball on instinct. That''s what I''m talking about. I explained to Emily and when she agreed, Cerberus came back with the ball in his mouth. He came in front of me and looked up with the ball in his mouth. He was wagging his tail, by the way, happily. Except, not as much as he did with Emily. I secretly wag my tongue at the thought that Emily''s food, which transcends doggy instincts, is still amazing. ''Well done. Great job. I took the ball and patted Cerberus on the head. He looked pleased, and his tail wagging became a little faster. "So, your name is Cerberus. I said, and held up the collar. Instantly, the collar glowed and the word Cerberus appeared. ''Is it Cerberus?'' It means Hell''s Watchdog. Cerberus has a ''s'' on it too, and it''s close in sound. Thank you! I put a collar on the happy Cerberus. ''By the way, Yoda, if you were a wolf, what would your name be?'' It''s either Loki or Holo. They''re both names of legendary wolves. I see. Dogs and wolves have a lot of "Ro" in them. I don''t mean to say that, but as long as Emily is okay with it, so be it. I turned to Cerberus and said, "Cerberus, I''ve been wearing that collar for a while. I''m wearing the collar all the time," he said. As long as you wear it, no one else will attack you. Yes, sir. Is that such a great collar? It means I have it. It''s my responsibility if Cerberus gets out of control while wearing this, and if he''s wearing it and another adventurer knocks him down, it''s a hostile act. ''Then it''s a relief. There are no adventurers in Cyclo today who would declare war on Mr. Yoda. I hope so. ''Heh ...... human being was an amazing person.'' ''Mr. Yoda is amazing, he''s the strongest cyclo, he''s the most profitable, and he''s the triple crown winner with the most cases solved. "Oh, ...... Cerberus looks up at me. His eyes are completely tinted with respect. ''You were picked up by a human like that, weren''t I? We''re going to change the name of the dog. Yoda will keep the dog, so it won''t stay human forever. Yeah, right. Let''s see, ...... what do I do, how do I do it? ''Whatever, my name is Ryota Sato, whether it''s Sato or Ryota. They call him master. Emily said with a bite. ''Master?'' ''You''re an amazing person''s doggie and you should call him master. No, no, no, Master. ''Master ...... master ......'' Cerberus repeats it over and over, as if it were rolling on his tongue. You don''t have to take it seriously, I realize, though I was about to think about it. But then I realize that Cerberus''s tail is wagging with great force. Bumping left and right, bumping left and right, bumping left and right, making more noise than a home run batter''s full swing. ''''Master!'''' I called out to him with an innocent look on my face as he turned to me and his tail slammed to the ground as his momentum swept over the meter. Boom!And then he roared, and the ground slumped a bit. Are you that happy, master? Dogs have a strong alpha philosophy, so they are happy to be owned by someone in a high position. Well, it doesn''t matter. In fact, it might be more convenient for you to be called master. Since I''m a talking monster, calling me "master" outside will show off my many things and prevent other adventurers from taking me down. If this was a dog-eared beastman or something, and he also looked like a young girl, calling him "master" would be a problem, but if he looked like a monster, there would be no problem. ''''Master!'''' Oh. Go get another one. With that, Cerberus threw the ball, and Cerberus went after it as fast as the wind. ''He looks even happier than when I gave him food. That''s what I''m talking about, Yoda. I''ll have to introduce you all later. I think everyone will be happy to have an extra family. Yeah. I watched Cerberus chase after the ball, anticipating the reactions of his friends. When he reached the edge of the garden, Cerberus took a bite of the ball, but then he put it down and began sniffing the ground, wondering what he was thinking. What is it, sir? Let''s go to: ...... Hey Cerberus, what''s up? ''Master. Please dig in here. Here? Yes, sir. Cerberus nodded widely. I dug into the ground, thinking that there was an old story about that. It''s not possible for something to be here. If there was, it would be a monster. ''It''s okay. We send people to maintain the houses that aren''t inhabited but are registered in the store so they don''t get haggled over. I see. I dug further, convinced by the common sense of real estate in this world. When I dug down about fifty centimeters, I found it. It''s the distinctive form that you sometimes see in games and such, a magatama. ''''-- is that a magatama! What I dug up was an item I''ve been looking for all along, an item that might be related to Nihonium. 134. Bones and arms He brought Emily and Cerberus into an empty room that belonged to no one in the mansion. ''What room is this, Master?'' The storage room. All the stuff you don''t use is thrown in here. I know you keep them in here, Emily. Hi, I''m just getting it all together. Okay. Let''s check it out first. I offer something to Cerberus, who looks at me like he has no idea what it is. It''s a portable now boat, a palm-sized consumable that checks your status. If you go to a dungeon, you can check it for free as much as you want, but otherwise, you''ll have to buy consumables like this. It''s not very expensive, though, so I always keep a few things on hand so that I can use them if something happens. I offer it to Cerberus. Try this. Okay. Okay. Okay, here we go. Cerberus using a portable now boat to check the status. ---1/2--- Level: 1/50 HP D MP F Power E Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed E Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... Cerberus'' status was quite low. His level is also at the upper limit there, but right now it''s only 1, and his status is suitably low. To be honest, it''s a weakness that could be defeated with a single bullet. The level hasn''t gone up? Haven''t you ever beaten anything before? Defeating a human?If you do that, you''ll get turned back by a human. Well, you said you''ve been living in hiding your whole life. While we were talking, Emily opened the door and walked in. The storage room holds all sorts of things, but they''re neat and tidy, and there''s no dust at all. No matter how mean my mother-in-law or my little mother-in-law comes to visit, it''s so neat and tidy that I can''t complain about it. It''s amazing. Hi? No, I just thought, "That''s Emily. Really? Emily looked at me like she didn''t understand. I ran my finger along the wall. Instead of dust sticking to my fingers, my fingers scratched the wall. That''s Emily. Emily brought a box of crystals from the back of the room with a lot of them. It''s a lot of accumulation. ''This is what happened because Mr. Yoda sends me a tremendous amount every day. What is this, my master? ''It''s faster to try it than to explain it. Hold it. Cerberus did as he was told and lifted the crystal from the box with his mouth. The moment he lifted it up, the crystal disappeared as if it had melted. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. I touched it and it disappeared. Don''t panic, that''s how it works. Let''s get going. Emily, bring everything you can find. Hi! Cerberus, who looks at me blankly, and Emily, who brings more crystals from the back of the room. You look like you have no idea what it is, but Cerberus still obeys my orders and touches the crystals one after the other and kills them - taking them into his body. I''ve been doing this for a while now, and I''ve just reached the 20 boxes. "Master, it has become very hard to disappear. Is it a cannonball?Then use this again. I hand Cerberus the consumable portable now boat I used earlier. He uses it with a look of being pinched by a fox. Then. ---1/2--- Level: 50/50 HP B MP F Power D Strength C Intelligence F Spirit F Speed B Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... ''Haha!Master, the level has gone through the roof. Did you do it right? Yes, what I gave Cerberus was a crystal that crystallized experience. The effect of the ring that was dropped by the Dungeon Master of Nifonium, it allows you to crystallize and store experience values like this after you''ve completed a canstroke. I hadn''t been able to utilize it that much in the past, but it was useful for the first time. My new companion, my dog Cerberus, went from level 1 to full strength in an instant. This is how the people who have joined me can reach level 1 in an instant. This will be the standard for the Lyota family from now on, I thought. ''''Hawa ...... master is amazing ......'''' Because it''s Yoda, and he''s supposed to be great. I''m glad master found me. Cerberus is impressed, and despite his huge body, he says cute things to me. You can''t go to the dungeon, but you''re going to have to protect this house for that. I want you to live up to your name and be the strongest guard dog in the family. You can attack any foreign enemy. Master''s orders. ''Yes!I''ll bite off all of my master''s enemies! Cerberus, who is enthusiastic, actually has not low ability. It''s not a bad idea, but it''s not a bad idea. The next time you go to ......, you''re going to be able to blow me away. I said, flipping up my sleeve and holding out my arm. ''What?Your master? Yeah, give it your best shot. But ....... I don''t care. Saying that, Cerberus closed in on Cerberus, Cerberus looked at me and Emily with a troubled face, and then he cautiously sucked my arm into his mouth. The bite - it''s good, but it''s not strong at all. It''s just a sweet bite. ''More effort,'' You can''t bite your master. ''It''s necessary. I could ask Emily to do it for me, but Emily''s a little too strong for that. ''Kel. If Yoda says so, I''ll do it. I have a good reason. But ....... Emily said if I chewed with all my might, she''d cook me a meal that would kill me. --Gab! A little pain shot up my arm. The moment I dangled the carrot from my nose, Cerberus bit me. "Haha!I''m sorry. Gourmand. I hurriedly patted the Cerberus on the head as he apologized for pulling his mouth away. I continue to look at my arm, the skin where Cerberus had bitten me was dented and turned white and did not come back easily. The skin is not torn, but it is dented. That''s about it. Okay, I''ll be back in a minute. Emily, feeding Cerberus a delicious meal. Hi. Kel, what would you like to eat? ''What?Well, um, you know, ...... Leaving a still bewildered Cerberus and a smiling Emily, I left the warehouse and headed for the transporter room. Star. After a round (,,) we return to the mansion. After a quick search around, I find Emily and Cerberus in the yard. Cerberus is standing by Emily''s side, twirling his tail and chewing on a massive bone. The bones were slightly charred, perhaps from cooking, and gave off a very appetizing aroma, like grilled meat. Welcome home, Yoda-san. Welcome home, master. I''m home. You''re on a good diet. Kellie is a big fan of meat and bones. It''s a doggy. You burned the bones off. It''s a way of cooking with the ingredients. Seasonings are not good for dogs. That''s why you grilled it. I would have given him a raw bone as it was, and that''s what Emily is all about with that bit of ingenuity. "Just in time for the bones to be gnawed on. With that, he stands in front of Cerberus and holds out his arm as he did before. ''Bite me again.'' Yes, master. You can still see a bit of hesitation, but Cerberus is still much more used to it than before. He bit into the arm I held out to him with a gulp. Huh? What do you think? I don''t bite at all. Master''s arm is much firmer than before. I know. Did you give it to her while you were gone? It would just be a waste of money. I see. Cerberus is pompous, Emily is convinced. Emily knows. I''ve been to Nifongnium with the gravatarama, and I''ve raised the upper limit of my abilities. The last time I took the mirror with me, my HP, strength and speed limits went from S to SS. And this time, as expected, the upper limits of strength, MP, and intelligence were SS for the grenade. After raising the upper limits, I hunted the mammy on the fourth basement floor and raised my strength from S to SS. With S, Cerberus''s all-out bite was buried in my skin, but with SS, it wasn''t even there anymore. ''Yoda-san is stronger again. Emily was as happy as she was. 135.MP full consumption magic Five floors below Nifonium, where the dungeon snow was falling. He was hunting a Red Skeleton that was evolving under the snow of magic power. He put his muzzle to the Red Skeleton that was born from the ground directly in front of him. That guy didn''t attack right away, he flew right next to me and tried to go around behind me in a circle. It''s an unusual move for a monster, a speedy distraction strategy that is common for opponents who are confident in their speed. The guy was fast, but I was even faster. His shoulder and muzzle rotated 90 degrees like a compass as he pulled the trigger. It was just a normal bullet, the bullets I released were in the form of the Red Skeleton ramming into it ahead of me. The red bone, which was only fast but not tougher, was hit by one of the regular bullets and dropped the MP seeds. I went around the fifth basement floor at this rate. There is a repetition magic, but I try not to use it in dungeons like this, especially those that require movement. It''s not just my status, I''m always trying to train and maintain my movement as well. Once I''ve come around, I go outside once I''ve accumulated the required number of MP seeds. Outside the dungeon, the only now board attached to the devastated Nihonium. Manipulate it and check the status. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence C Spirit F Speed SS Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... The MP was now properly SS, and the status column that had been steadily filling up was finally SS. Stars A familiar magic tool shop in the city of Cyclo. When I entered, the owner, Isaac, approached me with a sales smile and a rubbing hand. ''Welcome, Satou-sama. What can I do for you today? I need a magic fruit. ''''Again. Eating more than one magic fruit has side effects: ...... I know, it''s all right. I know you''re going out of kindness, but that''s not a problem. To begin with, a magic fruit is an item that allows you to learn one magic at random if you eat it. If you eat one, your level won''t go any higher, and after the second, the disadvantage is that your current level will drop by one more. Therefore, it is common for a level-canned person to eat only one item for the rest of their life to increase their magic. The magic you learn is random, so it''s too risky to eat until you don''t move up and have the disadvantage of losing your level in the future. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. It''s a level that can''t go up or down from the start. It''s a good thing that you''re not the only one in the world who can crunch down on a magic fruit without a care in the world. If you say that much ...... and the production has been decreasing lately, the value is 5 million piro for one ...... If the supply is low, so be it. That''s the market economy. I don''t care if it''s an everyday product, but the price of these high quality products with little demand is fully reflected in the production volume. It is inevitable that the price will go up. Five million piro per item is still within the acceptable range. 5 million is the price of a nice luxury car, but it''s also about my daily allowance. I''m going to have to say ...... that in this case, even if it was 50 million, I would somehow make the money to buy it. Because I''ve been catching glimpses of it for a while now. The figure of a woman in a kimono that I saw on the counter of the store. The woman, doll-sized and translucent, is holding a mirror and a magatama - a magatama that Cerberus dug up and brought to Nihonium - and she bows to me repeatedly. The fact that that guy is here-- "Show me the magic fruit you have. Okay, sir. Please hold. Isaac pulled back into the store and in turn took the three magic fruits and laid them out on the counter. ''These are all the magic fruits in the main store,'' Which one do you want?Isaac asks. Meanwhile, the woman moved. The woman, who only I can see, stopped in front of the magic fruit in the middle, holding a mirror and a grenade. With a smile on her face, she gestures, "Here. I''ll take this. Thank you. Just like when I learned the repetition, I got the magic fruit the woman showed me in a lump sum of cash. The basement of the mansion, I came back and came here with Emily and Cerberus. ''What are you doing, master?'' Prep for the magic fruit. Is there anything I can do to help? I''ll just sit there. I said and put the magic fruit at the far end of the cellar, then returned to Emily and Cerberus. As it was, I waited for them to hatch into hagremonos. ''It''s a good thing we have a cellar, we don''t have to worry about anyone seeing us here. ''When we were outdoors, we were very careful, and if we didn''t go out and take them down as fast as we could right after they hatched, we wouldn''t know where they were going. I''m sure you''ll be fine here. Emily speaks with a smile. We''ve known each other for a long time, so I know exactly what to do when I''m haglemono. The fact that I can be made to drop from a haglemono needs to be kept secret and hidden from everyone except my friends. If you hatch them in the open air, they''ll keep their distance, so you''ll need to attack them immediately after they hatch or else they''ll find another target and go off at a moment''s notice. That was all solved by this basement. Inside the basement of the private property, a magic fruit hatched into a hagrete. It''s a metallic colored monster just like me. It came straight at me. Me and the monster at one end of the cellar and at the other. It had to come to me in a straight line. "Wow, you look just like your master. What do we do about it, master? It''s okay--Repetition. I used my magic on Hagremonos to defeat them in one blow. Unlike in the cave, a fierce battle in the basement might destroy the mansion. When I hatched Hagremono here, I would use Repetition to defeat it as soon as possible. Hagremono fell and a magic fruit was dropped. The first magic fruit has one star pattern on its skin and the newly dropped magic fruit has two stars. I took it and ate it just like before. ''''Hmm.'''' Do you remember? ''Oh, one is a heel. That''s recovery magic. Mr. Yoda already has some recovery bullets. It''s unlimited times and restores MP. I took out my gun and shot myself in succession as if injecting myself with infinite recovery rounds. It''s a recovery for the MP used in Repetition and Heal. The other magic I''m going to use, the real magic, is because it uses a lot of MP. Emily, I''m sorry, but can you go get me three portable nowboats? Yes, sir-- I''ll get it! Cerberus ran out of the basement with his tail wagging. He quickly returned with a portable nowboard in his mouth as he was told. ''Yes, please, Master.'' Well done. Ehehe. ...... He stroked his head and stroked the bottom of his chin to praise him. Cerberus narrowed his eyes in delight. ''Go ahead and try one first. I understand. Cerberus used a portable now boat. ---1/2--- Level: 50/50 HP B MP F Power D Strength C Intelligence F Spirit F Speed B Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... I did. This time, I''ll use my magic--Quiksilver. The moment I used my magic towards Cerberus, I felt a bit dizzy and weak. ''Yoda?Are you okay? It''s okay, it just consumed all my magic. Is it really that great of a spell? ''As great as it sounds, it might be great. Cerberus, try the portable nowboat again. Yes! Honestly, Cerberus reiterates the status as he was told. Then. ---1/2--- Level: 50/50 HP B MP F Power D Strength C Intelligence F Spirit F Speed B Dexterous F Luck E (+1) --------- ... ''Huh?We''re up one. My luck went from F to E, sir. That''s the power of this magic. It''s a spell that will give one person''s ability a random one for a whole day in exchange for all my MP. A whole day, that''s great. But randomness is an inconvenience. I don''t think I''ll be able to spend all my MPs on randomness. Not really. I used the gun to shoot myself up. I shot myself with infinite recovery rounds, the same as I did right before I hit Quicksilver. Recovery bullets also had the effect of recovering MP, so I used Quicksilver again with the MP recovered to its maximum value. ''''Use it like this,'''' I see. And ...... ultimately, It''s a bit of a process from here on out. Restore MP with an infinite number of recovery bullets, Quicksilver when it''s full, and then restore MP with another recovery bullet - and so on. Repeating that, about twenty times. ---1/2--- Level: 50/50 HP A (+1) MP E (+1) Force C (+1) Strength B (+1) Intelligence E (+1) Spirit E (+1) Speed A (+1) Dexterous E (+1) Luck E (+1) --------- ... There''s a rash and it needs to happen more times than not: ...... Well, that''s about it. Cerberus'' full capacity had been raised a notch. ''''Amazing, amazing master! Mr. Yoda is the only one who can use it this way. Cerberus and Emily were both extremely impressed & impressed by things. Quicksilver, which consumes all MP, and infinite recovery bullets. It was practically no cost, and they had learned a magic that increased the abilities of their friends by one level. 136. Guard dog (frightened) I told Cerberus to go play in the mansion and this time I used Quicksilver to increase Emily''s abilities as well. After doing the same twenty times as Cerberus did, I checked with the portable now boat. ---1/2--- Level: 40/40 HP A MP E (+1) Power A Strength A Intelligence E (+1) Spirit E (+1) Speed D (+1) Dexterity D (+1) Luck A (+1) --------- ... Oh, I see. It''s happening. Looking at the abilities, Emily and I had the same convinced feeling. Emily, who had HP, strength and stamina at A in her original ability at Kando. Those three were neatly out of the ups. The rest of them had gone up by 1 properly. ''It''s not a coincidence, it''s a quirk. Yes, S is only Yoda, after all. ''And I''m sure Quicksilver was the magic that existed in this world in the first place. The magic I''ve learned so far is also powerful, Resurrection, which grants the user''s drop rate to a single monster, and Repetition, which defeats a monster once defeated unconditionally (but MP consumption is dependent on strength). Those are powerful, but they are all magic that existed originally in this world. This Quicksilver will be the same, so it won''t deviate from the reason that originally existed -- the highest A. But it''s enough. ''Well, if it''s no cost and a step up in all but A, there''s not much to say. We checked out the new magic and were very happy with the results. Suddenly, it started to rain outside the window, drizzling and drizzling. It was a passing shower, or maybe it was just an instant dullness outside, and then a downpour so heavy that it caused a waterfall to run down the window. It''s raining ...... and Yoda is still amazing. Hm?I don''t know what the hell that was, ''Even in this rain, I can get home from the dungeon without getting wet. It''s all thanks to Yoda. Yeah. I thought to myself, "I see. Until a while ago, I would get drenched as hard as I could when coming back from a dungeon at a time like this, and it would take me a long time to wait for it, but that''s not the case now. On the contrary. I''m home! I''m home!It''s raining. I heard Alice''s voice from outside the room. ''You didn''t recognize it in the dungeon, and you didn''t realize it was raining until you got back? Yes! That''s certainly handy. Besides, And? ''If we''re as far away as Aulum, there''s a chance it''s not raining. Yeah, if we spread it out more from now on, we can go wherever we want, whenever we want, in whatever weather we want. It''s a wonderful thing! Emily''s eyes light up as she clasps her hands together. Suddenly, it''s us who discover the new possibilities of the transporter room in the street rain. ''What!'' Mwah! For a moment, we are horrified. A terrible chill runs up our spine. The murderous atmosphere. In an instant, our faces change and we run out of the room and head towards the murderous atmosphere. We arrived in front of the transporter room, where Eve and Cerberus were facing each other. As usual, Eve''s face was expressionless, while Cerberus was down (and still large) in a threatening pose. It was Cerberus who was sending a chill down my spine. ''Doggie, what the hell?'' "I am my master''s watchdog. I will defeat all of my master''s enemies. ''The rabbit is the rabbit of the house. He eats all the carrots in the house. Eve''s dialogue was distracting, but despite that, the tension between them grew. It''s a touchy feely, and if they don''t, I''ll see blood. Well, we can stop it. Cerberus is only trying to eliminate an unknown foreign enemy as a guard dog, so I can stop him. I tried to stop Cerberus, remembering the strength of the killing intent, and that''s when``then I tried to stop Cerberus. Click!Rumblings. ....... There was a glow outside the window and a moment''s delay, followed by a roar of thunder. The lightning struck, the time difference between the sounds was less than a second, so it was pretty close. That''s fine, but it''s more than that. The moment the lightning struck, Cerberus threw the enemy (Eve) out of the way and ran in reverse. Then, as if to get under the desk, he rammed into Emily. Little Emily, Cerberus'' huge body. Our guard dog curled up his body and tail and plunged under Emily, but from the side, he looked like he had Emily on his back. Cerberus: "Cerberus: ...... "--Ha!I''m not afraid of you. I''m my master''s guard dog and I''m not afraid of thunder! I haven''t told you anything. Haha! Cerberus digs a grave without permission and blushes grandly when it is pointed out to him. "More than that, insolent intruder, prepare-- The killing spirit of the enemy (Eve) glaring at it again was still spine-chilling and reliable, though. Click!Rumble rumble ....... Kyanin! I start screaming and rattling and shaking when lightning strikes. Dependable and not so dependable. ''Alright, I''m not afraid,'' Plunged in and consequently placed on her back, Emily gently stroked Cerberus. With the tenderness of a compassionate mother, Cerberus'' trembling gradually subsided. ''What was that?'' Eve asked. ''This is Cerberus, who will be our guard dog from today. ...... dog? It''s a dog. Then it''s okay. Dogs eat bones. They''re not enemies of rabbits. Dogs are omnivores and should be able to eat carrots if they wanted to, I thought, but I didn''t tell them. Three times, lightning strikes. Cerberus is pathetically frightened and Emily pets him gently. ''I wonder what would happen if I threw a cocrosse lime (cockroach) in there. ''Stop kidding me, it''s going to be a hell of a ride. While nailing Eve, I look at Emily and Cerberus, who has missed her. Celeste and Alice return afterwards, and Elsa, who heard the commotion and came over. He brings Cerberus and his friends together and declares that Cerberus has learned everyone''s scent. And so, a reliable guard dog was added to our house. 137. Cerberus, the faithful dog The city of Ciclo at night after the rain stops. Villadiche, a good beer bar. The whole Lyota family came here. We were seated at the far end of the large tavern, and me, Emily, Celeste, Eve and Alice were sitting in chairs. Cerberus was sitting right next to us with his upper body upright, glaring at the entire tavern with a fierce look on his face. While we were drinking and eating, Cerberus was acting as a guard dog itself. ''Hey, that''s Cerberus, right?'' Hellhounds. You know, I ate something from a little guy. Tiny, you don''t know Miss Emily, or are you a mole? The entire bar is looking at us and arguing about this and that. The food and beer we ordered are brought to us, and as soon as the sign girl in the apron and hood approaches, Cerberus stands up. The dog, larger than a human, bared its fangs and looks down at him. The signboard girl shuddered. ''Cerberus, that person is a clerk here, it''s okay. I said, and Cerberus sat down again. The relieved signboard girl puts the food on the table. ''I''m sorry for scaring you. It''s all right now.'' Oh, really? Yeah, here. I point to the side to the signboard girl who is still a little scared. The food that Alice had just brought was placed in front of Cerberus. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this as well. ''My dog is a good listener. That''s why he''s merciless to his enemies, but if you tell him he''s not an enemy, he''ll understand.'''' Yeah, I guess so. You''re a big girl, but you''re a dog. Would you like to touch it? What? The signboard girl is surprised by Emily''s suggestion. ''Offer the rabbit a carrot dish as a freebie and I''ll let you touch it. Are you sure you''re okay? Kel, come here. Celeste said, and Cerberus came next to her as he was told. As it was, he made him get down with a flowing motion while stroking his head. ''''Go ahead,'''' Okay, then. The signboard girl stroking Cerberus in a fearful manner. Cerberus let it stay that way, he let the sign girl stroke it according to his master''s - Lyota family''s orders. That made the surroundings buzz again. ''Awesome obedience.'' "It''s scary how they''ve managed to tame the hellhounds so well, Lyota family. Hmph. It''s not a big deal. That''s the first form of Cerberus. You have a tremor in your voice. And obedient guard dogs are the most terrifying thing of all. They''re relentless because they don''t listen to anything except their owner''s commands. Satisfied with the whispering I could hear, I made eye contact with my friends and nodded to each other. The whole family came here to show off Cerberus. Cerberus is a monster haggle called Cerberus, and even though he''s wearing a collar, there''s no guarantee that he won''t be defeated by some mistake. This is how I brought him to the tavern today, to show him that he''s a perfect "tame dog". And then something else happened to our advantage. I ain''t shaking, my voice! You were shaking. I said, "Hey, man! What? A fight broke out at a distance. I thought one of the men had flipped the table over, but the other man kicked the table away. The table that was kicked flew toward us. The table flew straight at me, and Cerberus chewed on it. He barged in front of the table that flew at me and crushed it with his big mouth. The table of eight people was shattered in an instant. ''Guruuruuru ......'' Cerberus let out a low growl, "Where is the enemy of the Lord?" and once again he returned to his fierce face. An unplanned happening, but nice. The world around us is quiet, the hell reformed Lyota family''s guard dogs are overwhelmed. ''It''s okay Cerberus, that was an accident. We have no enemies. I said quietly, and Cerberus stopped growling and got down again to strike a pose that was easy for the sign girl to pet. ''That''s great ...... really taming them and making them listen to my commands. I''ll tell you what, look at that dog, you''re not even eating. Really. What does it matter? ''Dogs are creatures that grade the house, and they don''t eat themselves before the patriarch eats them. The patriarch of the family... ...... With a whisper, his eyes focused on me. Conveniently, I took a bite of the food that had been brought to me. After I ate, Cerberus began to eat as if he''d been forgiven. That brought more cheers. ''Awesome Lyota family!'' I''ll surprise you every time, Ryota Sato. He''s a horrible man. ...... Let''s not do anything but antagonize that family. Yeah, I''ll keep reminding everyone I know. Listening to the whispering around me, I was satisfied that Cerberus was now completely recognized as my dog, and that the rumors were likely to spread afterwards, and that my purpose for coming here today was completely fulfilled. I go home and relax in my room. I was just about to go to bed when I heard a knock on my door. I was about to go to bed when I heard a knock on my door. It''s a strange, awkward tapping. Who are you? It''s me, master. Cerberus. I got up and opened the door. Cerberus was sitting in the hallway. He was sitting entirely like a bee statue, a loyal dog, but he was still intimidating because of his large figure. ''What''s the matter, didn''t you like your room?'' ''No!No, it''s not!Thank you master. I didn''t expect you to give me a room too. "Right. ...... Hmm. You can''t even get in and out of a human room well. I gave Cerberus an open room in the mansion, like the knock earlier, but I don''t think it''s easy to use. I''ll call a contractor tomorrow and remodel it to make it more livable. ''No!It''s okay, I''m just happy to die in a room with a ceiling. ''I''ll hear that line again in a week. I''ve got Emily, there''s still more happiness left in you than there is now. ...... Thank you, Master. Cerberus got down low and turned to look up at me from below. ''I''m happy to be picked up by my master, I never dreamed I''d be able to sleep in a warm meal and a warm room.'' Okay. So, thank you so much, master! Cerberus'' face as he talked about it looked happy. I was satisfied with the fact that the haggler, who had been forced to scavenge for garbage and leftovers, was able to make such a face. 138. Aiming After breakfast, in front of the relocation room. I was casting a new magic, Quicksilver, on my friends. Quicksilver, a spell that consumes all of your magic power and raises the ability of any one of your friends by one level for 24 hours. Use it once, recover all of your MP with the Infinite Recovery Bullet, and then use it again. Then you can send your friends out to the dungeon after raising their abilities. Emily and Celeste didn''t have as many times as they needed. They both have several A abilities - A that Quicksilver doesn''t raise, so the number of times they needed was low. Well, whether it''s more or less, the cost for both of them is the same; it''s a total MP consumption, but they can recover with infinite recovery bullets, so it''s just a little more or less time to work on it. With that, I sent Emily, Celeste and Alice off, and finally it was Eve''s turn. ''You''re still in costume today?'' The rabbit became a rabbit. ''I feel like Eve has been a bunny from the moment we met until now. She used to be a bunny suit. They call me the four-eared rabbit these days. Four?Oh, your own and four of your stuffed animals. Yeah, I''m glad you did, bunny. I''m happy. Eve''s cheeks are slightly stained. She''s not joking around or anything, she''s really happy. Eve Kalsleader, the most mysterious girl in the group. There''s still a part of me that doesn''t fully grasp her character. Well, it''s not a matter of urgency. Then I''ll cast a spell. Good. Okay? "If you''re going to buff me, give me a carrot. It''s a weird comparison. "If you''re going to buff me, give me a carrot. He called out a series of lines like a certain child actor. ''Don''t you need it, Buff (auxiliary magic)?'' Eve nodded quietly. ''I''d like a carrot.'' I''ll go hunting later. Carrot sashimi tonight. Another slight stain on her cheeks, and Eve went straight to the dungeon using the transporter room. I wonder what carrot sashimi is. If I told ...... Emily, I could make a dish like that. Well, now that we''ve sent everyone off, I''m going to go to the dungeon. Oh, good morning, Lyota. This time, Elsa showed up. Technically, she''s not one of us, but she''s the girl who lives in this mansion by being seconded to our house from the buyer, Tsubame''s Grace. ''''Good morning. Everyone has gone out, so I''ll need you again today.'''' Yes, sir. Also, can you do me one favor? I''d like to put a now-board in here. Oh, come to think of it, this is a dungeon doorway of sorts. I''ll see what I can do. As for the dungeon entrances and exits, it''s more helpful to have them here now that I can use Quicksilver. It''s not efficient to hang up Quicksilver and check it on a portable now boat like I did this morning. ''We should be able to use it by tomorrow. It''s that fast. Mr. Lyota is a very good friend of mine. Okay. Me and Elsa, facing each other, smiling at each other. ''Master,'' Now Cerberus has arrived. Our guard dog is coming down the hallway with his huge body shaking and zunting. ''Are you going out, master? ''Yeah, I''m going to go work in the dungeon. This room leads directly to the dungeon, so don''t make the mistake of going in yours. Yes, sir. ''And please guard Elsa, too. She''s very important to me. What? Elsa is surprised, and her face goes red at once. ''Oh, uh, well, I mean, I''m an important customer. I''ll add to that because the words didn''t get through and were likely to be misinterpreted. ...... It''s not a mistake, even for important people, but for now. I''ll do my best to protect you. I''ll do my best to look after you. I''ll do my best to protect you and be your master''s watchdog. Yeah. Elsa can count on Cerberus. If the weather ever gets bad, she can run away and hide behind Cerberus. ''What?Sir, master, that''s terrible. You know what I''m talking about. I''m the go-to guy for all kinds of things. Cerberus lets out a low growl. A monster named Cerberus, a giant guard dog. It''s a big figure and a great kill. ...... I opened the window and shot an infinite number of thunderbolts outward. It landed on the ground, and a thunderbolt and explosion roared out. ''Kyin!'' Cerberus curled his tail and started to get scared. He''s a fierce guard dog, but he''s vulnerable to lightning. He smiles bitterly at the frightened Cerberus and says to Elsa. ''And well, this only happens when the weather breaks, so then you can run away and use it as a shield now. I said it jokingly, of course, and Elsa smiled at me. ⤦˘ҤɤǤ ޤߤޤҕͶĤƤ륱٥֤äơܞͲݤǥ󥸥򤫤ä ˥ۥ˥󥸥󡢵A ֥`ȥåʯǟoĤġŤĥݥ󥾥ӤͨǥإåɥåȤƤ Ӥ֪ԤηNɥåפ롢ʰä֪ԤϤƤ gϥ٥ϤϤ뤱ɡΥ٥ߤǣ˹̶Ƥ롣 Υ󥸥ǷNɥåפƵصˤ뤷ʤΤ Ӥȿg餻ʤˡդڱĤä 󥹥`ȳäơ򤳤ä˚ݤŤƤмݤŤƤʤϤϵΤȤäơݤŤʤޤߤ礯ŤơxΰѤ ֤ФʤäεڤȤΤҤ᷽Ȥؤz߷Ȥ֤褦ˤʤä Υ󥸥ȤäơϤޤꄿʤϤҪΤʤ ΈǤ⤢뤫顢ˤȤäƤФΈ ӤȤƩ`ˬFʤƥ˥åĤġ դϡݥ󥾥Ӥäơ DDDDDD ٥룺 ȣСӣ ͣСӣ ӣ ӣ ֪ԡ 񡡣 ٤ӣ á \ DDDDDDDDD ֪Ԥä¤ˤΤä 139. Breaking the monopoly After finishing the day''s work, I returned to the mansion with a transfer from the dungeon and came across Elsa waiting for me in front of the transporter room. ''Welcome home, Lyota-san.'' Elsa. What''s going on here? Mr. Lyota has a visitor. Customer? The association president is here. My brow creased with a cooing between my eyebrows, as much as I could see myself. It''s Clint, the head of the Cyclodungeon Association, who doesn''t come to me without business. He''s brought it to me every time something has happened in the past. I''m sure he''s doing the same today. Are you at the mansion now? Yes, in the parlor. And, And? There are so many sugar cubes in the garden. What? Elsa told me to look out the window. As Elsa had said, there was a large quantity of sugar cubes piled up in the garden at dusk. I estimated that it was two or three truckloads, or maybe a year''s worth of sugar cubes, as Clint often said. That''s too much. The only thing that would make me happy to receive a year''s worth of sugar cubes is a New Year''s gift. "How much do you mean, you got to pay in advance? I''m in serious trouble, right? Yes, it''s been quite a problem. Does Elsa know? We''ve heard from the store (Tsubame''s repayment of the favor). We''re at the end of the line, so we haven''t heard that much about it. Hmmm: ...... Elsa says so, but it''s also possible that it''s more of a case that has come down to the end. Let''s brace ourselves, I thought, and I headed for the parlor. I walked into the parlor and saw Clint sitting on the couch, skinny, skinny, and devouring sugar cubes like a rodent. Clint threw the nibbling sugar cube and the still-unbibbled sugar cube together in his mouth and swallowed it down in one go. ...... throat, tough. Clint stood up and came towards me with his arms outstretched. ''Oh, you''re back at last, Satou. I''ve been waiting for you, Cyclo''s benefactor. I decline for now. Terrible! Clint, who makes a face like, "Gunn. No, because you will. When you meet someone you''ve never met before, what you''re going to be asked to do is so important that you want to run away, right? ''I believed Satou was the only one who wasn''t like that! What more do you want?Until you brought all those sugar cubes. I sit down on the couch and talk to Clint as he sits back down. ''What do you know about the Clifford family, Satou? ''Clifford?No, I don''t know. ''I''m talking about a family that has a virtual monopoly on the sixth to tenth floors of Bismuth''s basement. "Bismuth. There are seven dungeons in Cyclo. Tellurium, Silicon, Arsenic, Bismuth, and Boran. And then add two more, Nihonium, which has an exceptional drop, and Selenium, which has an exceptional location, and that''s seven. One of them is bismuth. It''s a dungeon I''ve never had to go near because I''ve never had to. ''What''s wrong with that Clifford and Bismuth? Do you know that the sixth through tenth floors of Bismuth drop wheat? So? That''s the only place to drop wheat in Cyclo. ...... Is the dungeon on lockdown again? Not exactly. "?What does that mean? ''The method of defeating the monsters on the sixth to tenth floors of Bismuth is extremely specific and not everyone can do it. There are other sporadic adventurers spawning, but the Clifford family alone is making us calculate 97% of the amount. That Clifford family has asked us to raise the purchase price of the wheat. I see. If it''s 97%, it''s a real monopoly. ''Frankly, I''m in trouble. Clifford hasn''t taken any radical steps. He''s simply saying, ''I''m not willing to work for less than this.'' ''It''s not like the last strike, is it? Clint nodded. It''s a different story than the guys who sealed off the rice hierarchy before to keep the rest of us out. They''re raising the price for the good of what only they can do. In a way, it''s also market driven. But that''s not good enough. When the wheat is gone, the inhabitants are no longer in trouble. That''s certainly true. Rice, wheat and potatoes. I think these are the top three crops that need to disappear. Rice and wheat are, of course, the staple foods, and potatoes, although they are only a part of the earth, are by far the top producer of calories per acre of field, far more than rice. However, if they stop producing wheat, we''re in more than trouble. How about raising the purchase price?Also. ''I want to do what I can before that. If it''s anything else, I want to keep the market as stable as possible for the essentials. I see. ''And once you let a story like that through, they do the same thing every time, and it''s confusing every time. She has a point. If it''s a complete indulgence, you can do what you want, but if it''s something like wheat, stabilize it as much as possible. It''s an understandable story. "So, Clint looked at me. Do something about it. He asked for the impossible. ''So I''m here to talk. In the living room at night, I gathered my friends together and told everyone the story that Clint had brought with him. Emily, Celeste, Alice, Eve''s friends, Elsa, who is on loan, and the new addition, Cerberus. I gathered them all together and explained the situation. ''The sixth to tenth floors of Bismuth, right?'' What do you know about it, Celeste? Yes. I mean, it''s a famous place. There''s all kinds of information out there, but you can''t do anything about it. Nothing? ''Oh ...... that''s a bit different. A place where you can get away with it if you want to, but the effort is too much for it to be worth it. I see. I know what you''re talking about. The most important thing for adventurers in this world is "efficiency". We live in a world where everything is dropped (produced) in dungeons, which means we have to go around every day to get the same amount of stuff to drop. To "go around" also means to get rid of "danger". The adventurers of this world don''t do things that aren''t worth the effort or are not worth the effort as much as possible. In game terms, the adventurers of this world are the ones who go around endlessly when they are playing an RPG, even 10 levels below the proper level. Can you manage that? You can do it. Celeste assured her. She was the most knowledgeable of her peers and answered immediately without hesitation. ''What do you want me to do?'' ''The strategy is simple, we all support each other and let Mr Lyota beat us once. Celeste paused her words there, so I knew what she meant. ''So you''re saying that we can just fire a series of repetitions afterwards? ''''Yes. It''s only because Lyota-san has the Ultimate Circumference Magic Repetition and the Infinite Recovery Bullet that she can do this. I see. ''I knew you were great, Yoda. I''m already certain that what I''ve been asked to do will work. Emily lifting up. It''s true that with a combo of Repetition and Infinite Recovery Bullets, it''s possible to mass produce. ''It''s hard to do that all the time. Yves points out. It''s nice to be able to shoot Repetition with infinite recovery rounds with a perpetual engine, but this time you have to fill the 97% hole that the Clifford family left out. That''s 97% of what the flourishing Cyclo city consumes. Although it''s a task, it''s a huge amount of work. But. ''I''m sure it will be fine,'' Now Elsa said. ''In this kind of ''we''re the only ones who can do it, so raise the price,'' if someone else can do it, I''ll pull back in an instant. That''s because the premise would collapse. I know. ''The problem is, if anything, you can attack the outside world when you''re doing it,'' "The outfield? You know, holding his family hostage or something. Yeah, I mean. You''ll take care of it. I''m the guardian of the house for my master. Oh, come on, Cerberus. Yes! Our guard dog said that and let out a round, growling sound. That would be pretty reliable if it weren''t for the thunder. Then we''d better get moving. I said, and my friends all nodded. Bismuth Dungeon, 6th floor underground. Me and Alice came in the transporter room. I was surprised the moment we entered the dungeon. ''This is ...... amazing.'' Yeah, it''s beautiful! It was a beautiful dungeon, just as Alice thought it was. There''s something called Bismuth crystals. In the same way, the Bismuth dungeon is angular in structure and shines with rainbow colors throughout. It''s so beautiful that even the stones that broke the walls of the dungeon could be a product of the dungeon. Me and Alice came there, and we''re enough for the first shot. ''Rather,'' said Celeste, ''Alice is the most important thing. ''But there''s really no one here,'' I''m afraid it''s not going to be easy. I don''t see any monsters at all, let alone adventurers in the first place. I looked around the dungeon. Yes, there were no monsters. It was just me and Alice standing alone in the vast, rainbow-colored dungeon. ''''No, it''s not, er, .......'''' Alice said and looked around. ''Ah, there you are. Five seconds to go, four, three, two, one, ....... Alice turned her head straight to the side and counted down. As soon as it reached zero, a single monster appeared as if it was oozing out of space. It was a chameleon, about the size of a small dog. ''''So this is the monster here?'''' Yeah, they say they only show up every ten minutes for five seconds. ''True, it''s gone now: ...... I see, this is inefficient.'' I think I''ve figured it out somehow. This is a very difficult one to mass produce unless you can devise a very specific method. I looked at Alice. The fact that they''re counting down now means they''ll know when to show themselves. Yeah, I know. I know. There''s another one coming out of there in about 15 seconds. Alice looked in the direction she pointed, and as she declared, another individual appeared. It appeared and then disappeared again in exactly five seconds. You can''t attack when it''s gone, and it''s pretty hard for that look, so if you miss a quick attack, it will escape. I see. This is not worth it. I was convinced. At the same time, I was relieved. I didn''t need a second to trigger the Repetition, and if Alice could get to the appearance point, the second one(...) and beyond would be easy. As long as I could defeat the first one, the rest was no problem. I could already see the formula for victory. I was trying to think of an attack method that would give me the maximum firepower I needed for the first shot. "Where''s the next one to come up? I was ready to go, asking Alice about it. 140. natal vs natal Six floors below Bismuth''s dungeon, Alice guides you to defeat the chameleon with Repetition. ''Repetition!'' Once I tried it out, the chameleon turned transparent again, and I hit the repetition right after it disappeared from sight. The chameleon itself is slow, the moment it disappears, it should still be there (,). So I tried to shoot it. It didn''t work. ''It doesn''t seem to be working. This way, when you can''t see it, you''d better think you''re invincible, not invisible. Repetition is a magic that defeats a monster once defeated, but you can''t defeat a recognized chameleon. I can only assume that I can''t defeat it no matter what while it''s invisible. Even the strongest class of magic can''t defeat a chameleon''s invisibility state, so I can only assume it''s invincible. It''s true that there won''t be many adventurers left to do this. Yes. But you''ll know the moment you leave. Of course! Alice gave a confident thumbs up. ''Then let''s do the guns, we''ll produce them from one end to the other and send them in a magic cart. Yeah! I walked with Alice around the six underground floors of Bismuth. We walked through the multi-layered, rainbow-colored ground of the Bismuth crystal itself, defeating every single chameleon we found with repetition, turning them into wheat and sending them in a magic cart. As I did so for a while, a transition phenomenon occurred in front of me. Is someone coming from the mansion?But then all my friends came. Emily, Celeste, and Eve. All of them except for Cerberus, who can''t come because he''s a haggler, and Elsa, who can''t leave because she has to receive the barley. ''Goodnight,'' It''s going really well. What''s going on, guys? When I stopped to listen, Emily and Celeste looked at Eve at the same time. The girl with bunny ears wearing a stuffed bunny rabbit said with her usual taciturn face. I don''t care. As long as nothing happens, it''s fine. What do you mean? We don''t know. All I was told was, "You should go, you''ll know it when you get there. Emily and Celeste with confused faces, apparently they were out of the mosquito net too. I looked at Eve. Eve Carus Leader. Also known as the Killing Rabbit, a veteran adventurer. She must have an agenda. "All right, suit yourself. Is that what you want? Celeste raised an eyebrow. ''I''m a hostage taker, you know, for Eve. He''s a hostage? I''m the only one who can take a carrot from drop S. ''Frustrating ...... but gazillionaire'' Eve said jokingly, and took a carrot out of her stuffed suit and started biting into it raw. She really loves carrots, doesn''t she? Emily and Celeste, on the other hand, agreed. My carrots that I produce from drop S seem to taste exceptionally different from the others, and it''s almost like Eve is joining me for that. I''m sure I''ll be able to understand and understand the logic behind not doing anything that would be detrimental to me - that would be gone. Meanwhile, Alice, with a smirk on her face, poked me in the side with her elbow, and said, "I''m not going to be able to do anything about it," so that only I could hear. ''You''re not being honest, Ryota. You could just say that you trust Eve-chan in a normal way. You can''t say that if you trust him, even less, because it''s ''trust''. Hmmm?I see that too. ''And Eve''s more than happy to oblige. If you say you''re a girl who only loves carrots, she''ll look at you like she''s never seen you before. "Huh? Alice gave her an amused look and went over to Eve. To Eve, who was still chewing on the carrot. ''Eve is the kind of woman who only loves carrots, isn''t she? I repeated my words. Then the rainbow cave seemed to shine even brighter. ''My soul mate!'' Eve gave a tremendous, still more radiant smile than ever before. It''s the kind of smile that makes the quiet Eve have a character breakdown. ''Oh, wow,'' Alice is impressed. I wish I didn''t have to try anything now, but Eve is happy, so it''s okay. Alice comes back to me. ''Awesome, Lyota was right. I don''t know. ''Yes!It''s amazing how much you understand your fellow man, Lyota. It''s not something that can be praised that much, though. I was embarrassed by Alice''s praise, and I resumed my chameleon hunt. Alice is on the radar, killing them instantly with repetition, and Emily and Celeste, who have free hands, pick up the wheat and send it in a magic cart, just like picking strawberries. It was a leisurely affair, but it was broken in an instant. I''m rounding the sixth basement floor when I pass the stairs when a group of strange men come down from the floor above me. Some grinned at me, some glared at me with straight faces. There are ten of them, and the one thing they have in common is a definite hostility towards us. "Ooh, they''re having a field day. I''m sorry, but we have to stop here. ''If you''re going to hold a grudge, you should envy yourself, brother. When your brother does this kind of thing, there''s going to be a lot of man-eaters out there. The men who said that to each other and became even more hostile. We - especially Emily and Celeste who came later - looked at Eve at the same time. ''''This is it?'''' ''I see. I see you''ve read that Mr. Lyota will have people in trouble if you continue with this. That''s a lot of stories. Eve nodded quietly and said. Okay, so that''s why you invited everyone to come, Eve said. The men attacked all at once. Emily, Celeste and Eve, who understood the situation and circumstances, intercepted them. Emily was the first to swing her hammer and pounce on them, and Eve unleashed a desperate chop as she trotted up to them in a small run. Celeste had gotten much more comfortable with combat in her transition from trash disposal to adventurer, and she used her inferno with her right hand while barraging them with her bicorn horn in her left hand. Against the ten men, the three of his friends didn''t take a step back, in fact, they even overwhelmed him. ''''Huh.'''' What''s so funny? Emily wondered at one of the men who suddenly laughed cynically. ''It took. We don''t want to wipe out anyone, we want to stop someone who can do something about it. What in the world was this - and I soon found out. A murderous atmosphere came from directly above. It is a sharp, inorganic killing air that is incomparably sharper than the men. It''s a straightforward killing atmosphere with nothing in mind except to kill. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. That was stupid. I knew it was coming. Eve said quietly, and the man said, "What?! I was surprised. It wasn''t just Eve, neither Emily nor Celeste moved, nor were they surprised. Rather, they were even smiling wistfully. In the meantime, the killing spirit was approaching and I dropped back, kicking the ground lightly with a ton. I rushed forward immediately after. I dropped back for a moment with my speed SS and then rushed again, diving into the pocket of the guy who had taken me by surprise. Then I did a body blow. I hit him as hard as I could with a force SS. My body bent into a "ku" shape so that the attacker''s head and legs almost came together. The blow he struck blew the opponent away and sent him crashing into the rainbow colored walls of Bismuth. ''I know the low levels are going to be targeted,'' Yes, sir, I''d rather leave my strongest opponent to Mr. Yoda. ''You''re so much stronger than us, Lyota-san. My companions said such things to each other in a matter-of-fact manner, taking down the diversionary guys. 141. Sato is the best The next day, I spend the morning in the Bismuth dungeon, six floors underground. Alice finds the appearance and I blink away with a repetition. In the meantime, I ship it out with my magic cart. As soon as I hit the Repetition, I''ll use the Infinite Recovery Bullet to heal myself, setting my MP to maximum. I set my MP (and HP) to maximum just in case I''m attacked like yesterday. ''This cake is delicious.'' It''s a pumpkin cake, and of course it''s Yoda''s pumpkin. Low levels are the best carrots. My friends were relaxing in the same dungeon. They covered the ground like a bismuth crystal with a sheet and made a picnic on it. At first glance, though, they are completely relaxed, like a picnic. ''Well, we''ll do our best today--whoa! The moment another adventurer shows up, they all turn their heads in unison and surprise you. Emily has a hammer, Celeste has a bicorn horn, and Eve has her fingers together in the form of a chop. They''re just irrelevant adventurers going through the sixth floor to get to the floor below, so they all immediately let their guard down. ''Thank goodness everyone is escorting us like this,'' Well, that lets me concentrate on the hunt. I was really grateful and hunted the chameleon. As I did so, yet another adventurer arrived. Three people are on alert in the same instant as before, and an adventurer-looking man who is neither frightened nor surprised by the three of them, staring at them. He looks at them all, and then at me. He looks at everyone, looks at me, and walks away without saying a word. He doesn''t do anything, which in turn makes everyone more cautious. "That guy was just watching us. Well, he''s definitely a Cliffordite. Pretty high level. But he didn''t attack me. It''s weird that you''re just watching. ''I don''t care how much you come. The rabbit has a carrot dangling in front of him. ''Yes, sir!I won''t let you interfere with Mr. Yoda. ''Yes. No matter how many times they come in, they''re going to pay back. How dependable my friends were. I mean, Eve, you''re okay with that. He said he could dangle the carrot himself. I hunted the chameleon with all my might, with the peace of mind of being protected by those three. I hunted with all my might and dropped the wheat (). It''s late at night and I''ve somehow managed to knock out enough money to cover the consumption of one city, enough for one day. Clint''s request was accomplished again today. And as a by-product. I earned fifteen million piro for the day. Next morning. I got out of bed and left the room to go to Bismuth for the day. "Mr. Yoda, it was nice to meet you. What''s up, Emily? The association president is here. Clint? And, sir, you''re on your way home. Emily said, heading behind me. I turned around and saw Eve there. Eve walked in from across the hallway, her face lacking in expression as usual. ''How was it?'' There he is. Maybe it''s normal. ''Oh, that''s good to hear,'' What do you mean?Don''t you two need to communicate with each other, just tell me properly. Don''t worry, you''ll find out when you see Mr. Clint. ...... Hmm. That line from Emily gave me some idea of what to expect. I got dressed, washed my face, and got ready for the morning before heading to the parlor. The Cyclo Ace! I got up from the couch and dodged Clint, who was trying to hug me. He jumped on me pretty hard, and Clint ran face first into the wall. There it is, there it is. That''s terrible, Satou, you dodged it. No, I wouldn''t, not if some old man with a sticky sugar coating around his mouth jumped on me. There''s sugar on the wall that Clint ran into. If I hadn''t dodged it, that thing would have been on my clothes. I sat down on the couch and motioned for Clint to sit down as well. ''So, what are you here for today?'' The Clifford family is back in the dungeon. Okay. I knew it. I''m not surprised. You''re a little surprised. ''Yeah, Eve said it''s normal. I''m sure she wants to get back to normal this time around. Clint nodded clearly. This time, in a nutshell, we''re negotiating a price increase. We''re in an oligopoly, so we''re negotiating a price increase, and I went out and showed them that we can stop the oligopoly if we want to. In fact, the entire Lyota family was able to supply the required amount of cyclo with the entire Lyota family. And I''m not doing anything reckless. We''ve stopped all the other jobs in the quicksand, but the wheat production itself isn''t reckless. Then the other side would only lose money one way or the other. So if you don''t earn money from going around the dungeon, you don''t have any income. If that raises the value, it''s worth doing, but if it doesn''t, it''s just a one-sided loss. That''s why you went back, to your normal laps. How do you know it''s business as usual? They saw us yesterday. It''s probably a Clifford family member. I think they reported what I was doing and today it happened. Well, the signs are there. Yeah, so I get it. Clint nodded his head in agreement. Then he looked straight at me. "Thank you, Satou, for saving my life. The thanks for this-- I don''t want a year''s worth of sugar cubes. Clint''s eyes swam as he refused to make the first move, Clint''s eyes swam. ''Are you really going to tell me - or were you going to do it? "Sugar''s not bad!Satou is the best! Okay. It''s a strong argument, but I felt like I was going to get diabetes just from hearing it, so I just let it slide. Oh well, whatever. This means I can get back to normal life. I might get hated and targeted in the future, but... "Suspicious person!You''re your master''s enemy!'''' "Aaaaah! We have a dependable guard dog, and all of our friends are strong and will be fine. ''Thank you, Sato. Thank you so much. A change from sugar freak, Clint looks straight at me and thanks me. ''As a check on the other side, I''m going to pay you the same amount of money for the wheat you bought for me. Okay. Double what I''ve earned the past two days. If you take into account what I normally earned, it''s 50 million piro in total. I was a little excited by that amount. 142. If Sato moves, the bakery will make a profit I solved the wheat thing, the request, and today is a free day. So I spent the morning hiding in the sixth floor of the Nifonium and killing all the Poison Zombies. I didn''t neglect to practice how to take them down so that I could take care of them no matter what happens at any time. Today, we practiced with the task of sniping. I loaded my gun with normal ammunition and searched for the distance that would allow me to take it down with a single shot. Then he found out that he could only blow it away with a single head shot, which is about 30 meters. If the distance is longer than that, even if you hit it, it may not be able to penetrate, and you may not be able to defeat it. Now that I knew the approximate distance, I retreated to take that distance first when I encountered the Poison Zombie. I''d retreat to a pre-measured distance, stick out my gun and aim with one eye closed. Poison zombies approaching with a grunt, releasing poison. Take a firm aim--shoot! The first shot, the bullet grazed the zombie''s cheek. It only gouged my ear and practically missed. I take a deep breath, re-position myself, and keep my distance. Then I aim and shoot again. This time I blew my head off firmly. Sniping with a handgun, not a sniper rifle. I kept practicing that. Even at this distance, if you use a tracking round, it''s one shot, but it will be no different than a repetition. It''s only a regular bullet, sniping at a distance. I don''t know when I''ll need it, but I practiced to be able to do that for now. At first, my hit rate was less than 30 percent. That gradually went up, and on this day''s rise - when my intelligence went from B to A, it went up to about 50 percent. It seemed that there was still room for improvement in sniping. Once I returned to the mansion to head to Tellurium in the afternoon. ''Lyota-san, we have a visitor. Elsa, who was practically taking care of the mansion''s absence, was waiting in front of the transporter room to greet me. ''''You have a visitor?'''' Yes, I''m new here. His name is Leon Baker. "Leon Baker. I recited the name I was told, I''d never heard it before. At least it sounds like a man. What do you want to do? Are you still here? In the parlor, at least. I''ll see you. There could be something else going on. Someone could be in trouble. I decided to see them. I thanked Elsa for going back to the purchase assessment, and I headed into the parlor alone. I knocked and walked in. A man sitting on the couch saw me and stood up. He was a gentle man in his late twenties, maybe, with a well-groomed beard. ''Nice to meet you, my name is Leon Baker,'' It''s Ryota Sato. We introduced ourselves to each other and I sat down on the couch across from Leon. Now, what do you want - I was about to say, "Well," when I realized Leon hadn''t sat back and was looking straight at me. He stood, turned to me and bowed deeply. "Thank you. What do you mean?This is the first time you''ve met Leon, isn''t it? I don''t remember doing anything to thank you for it. It''s my first time. But thank you. He thanked me again, and I was chipper and totally confused. Star. There is a bakery in the south of the Cyclo Street. Leon brought me there. "This is my shop. Smells good. Leon showed us to the restaurant, which is not a very flattering place to be, but it''s kept clean and smells great, even outside. It''s the kind of place you can''t help but fall in love with when you pass by. As you can see, I''m running a bakery. "As you can see, we''ve been running a bakery, and we''re very grateful to Satou-san for the wheat he''s been producing these past few days. Haha. ...... I kind of get the connection. I get it, but ...... is that so gratuitous? ''Is it really that much of a thank you?You have a look on your face, don''t you? ''Quite simply, yes. It''s true that you can''t make bread without the right ingredients, and you wouldn''t want to raise the price, but I don''t think this is something that you should come all the way to my house. But I don''t think it''s something that should come all the way to my house. Why don''t you come on inside and find out? ...... Right. There must be something in it for me to say that. Leon told me to go inside. The inside of the bakery was well-lit and beautiful as I imagined it from the outside, but the bread lineup was unassuming. Bread, French bread and table rolls. There is nothing that looks like delicatessen bread, and for that matter, there is no bread with sweetened bean paste or anything like that. Anyway, they were simple and unrefined. What''s the point?I turned to Leon and he moved further back. ''Come in.'' As soon as I was led into the kitchen - the bakery - I was surprised by the sight. Three little pigs. That was the first word that popped into my head. There were three humanoid pigs, about the size of lower elementary school students, and they were kneading bread dough. They were charming, but by all accounts, they were monsters, not humans. ''''What is this?'''' ''It''s a mini-orc. Demons that used to live in the dungeon, and now they''re hagglers. I''m sure Satou-san would understand. Yeah, we have a Cerberus. So that''s what it''s all about. ''I met them outdoors a few years ago. At first I thought these kids were going to attack me, but somehow they missed me. So we decided to move in together. The collar-- it''s on your wrist. I couldn''t bear to wear it around my neck, so I got permission to wear it on my wrist. While Leon and I were talking, the three little pigs - and the mini-orc - continued to knead the dough. Single-mindedly. Eventually, one of them came to show Leon the dough they were kneading. ''Ogo.'' Let''s see. ...... Yeah, good job. Good job. Ogo. After checking the dough, Leon patted the mini-orc on the head. The mini-orc was delighted and started to make another batch of dough. It took a lot of trial and error to get us to live together. A lot of things. ...... I see. It''s hard to imagine that "many things" must have been really many things. I''ve arrived at this bakery. I''m not saying that this is the only ...... thing I can do, but it''s the best fit, for these kids. As you can see from what you just saw, these kids knead the dough well and are happy to be complimented by me. It''s a good relationship, I''m a little jealous of it. ''There are days when I can''t make bread, and that makes me sad, these kids. Like the day I got sick and couldn''t check the dough. I see. This is where I finally understood the story. Leon understood what I understood, too. If Clifford stopped producing wheat, Leon and the three mini-orcs would be in trouble. He came to thank me for connecting them and stepping up to get them back on track even more. "Mr. Sato. Leon turns to me and bows his head again. ''Thank you, thank you very, very much. What I did seems to have produced surprising results in a surprising way. 143. Light and dark, carrots and wheat In the morning, I went to the sixth floor of the Nihonium basement to get my intellect from B to A. In the afternoon, I produced a variety of vegetables in the tellurium. After such a normal day, I returned to the mansion in the evening. As soon as I returned, I was to have a bookkeeping entry made in the passbook, which is also part of my daily routine. I came to the sub-branch of the buyout shop "Tsubame no Oniwari" in a room of the mansion. ''Welcome home, Ryota-san.'' Elsa, who had been seconded to me, stood up and ran over to me at a trot. ''I''m back, take care of me today.'' Yes, I''ll take your bank book. Speaking of which, we''ve decided to raise the purchase price for carrots. ''The purchase price of a carrot?Why? ''Lyota-san''s drops all have a reputation for being of good quality, and lately we''ve been getting more and more orders for Lyota-san''s stuff, even if it''s a little expensive. Among them, Yves-san--Killing Rabbit''s critically acclaimed carrots are the most popular, so we''ve decided to raise the purchase price. I nodded my head in agreement. The higher the ability of the drop, the more it affects both quantity and quality. I''m the only one in this world with drop S. The ones I produce (drop) are of higher quality than the others. Of those, it was a bit interesting that only the carrots Eve is pushing are up in purchase price. ''Eve is that one, she''s a carrot lover S.'' That may be so-- Yes, I finished the bookkeeping. Today, the total is 1,543,298 piro. Thank you. 1.5 million piro. I did some good work today. I know. Elsa, you need to get to work today? I don''t have one. What''s going on? I''ll take you out for a drink to celebrate the buy-in. I''m coming! I lightly invited her to join me, and Elsa took a bite out of her heart. Tavern, Villadiche. I came to this familiar place that serves the daily beer. I''ve become a bit of a celebrity lately, so when I come here, they show me to a quiet seat in the back. We were seated at a more familiar place. Elsa and I made a toast with beer. I ordered a coffee beer. It''s the kind that only drops at the bottom of some dungeon, not every day. It''s one of my favorite beers, with a nice bitterness of both coffee and hops. ''Thanks for all your hard work, Lyota, and thanks for everything. Yeah?Thank you? Thanks to you, Ryota-san, our business has been improving quite a bit. ''Really?No, but even I don''t make that much money for one person. ''Lyota-san''s drop quality is very consistent. I''m very grateful for someone who can produce consistent quality and quantity. Master told me a long time ago that when you go out on your own, it''s all about how many A''s you can pull. I see. It''s a matter of consistent quantity and quality, and how many drop A regulars you can get to cover both of those. Strictly speaking, quantity depends on the personality of the person. If a person is a slacker or sickly person, the number of times he or she hides in dungeons will naturally decrease. But A is still able to produce high quality drops as long as he or she can sneak into the dungeon, so it''s probably useful. I got a lot of bonuses, thanks to which I got a lot of bonuses. It''s about double what I got last time. Oh, that''s a good thing, With that said, I toast Elsa again. I''m a little longing for a bonus, since I didn''t get nearly as much as I did in my former world and in my previous company. ''Congratulations Elsa,'' Thank you, Mr. Lyota. We got to hear some good stories, which made the beer even better. We drank beer, grabbed some snacks, and made small talk with Elsa. It was a good end to a day of work. "Whew, d*mn it, d*mn it. While I was drinking, a couple of guys came to sit next to me. They were both dressed like adventurers, both looking like they''d done their job. "I''m freaking out. Wheat is getting cheaper. Hmm? Lyoto: "Lyoto: ...... Shh. The word "wheat" entered my ears and Elsa tried to say something. I put my index finger to my lips in a gesture to silence her, while I listened attentively and eavesdropped. I''ve lost roughly ten percent of my income," he said. I don''t know what that means, Clifford, but I''m glad you had to do it. What, you got a reason to be here?I''m being duped. I''m informed. Didn''t those guys go on strike against the wheat crop? Yeah. So, at Clint''s suggestion, the Lyota family helped to solve the problem. However, the reopened Clifford family''s wheat was noticeably poorer than the Lyota family''s. I wondered if the Lyota family''s wheat was better. Or maybe the Lyota family was better. ...... So you''re saying that the original guy was taken down because of the quality wheat that came out. That''s what I''m talking about. The man popped his beer in one go and don!And slams the glass down on the table. ''It''s like that before, every time there''s something going on, the Lyota family, or rather Lyota Sato, comes out. That''s the guy that comes out. "That was superfluous, Clifford, because if you hadn''t done that, the price wouldn''t have come down. It''s true. It''s bullshit, Clifford. You shouldn''t have done that. It''s like it''s already spreading all over the place. Don''t make me have to do anything to keep the Lyota family out. The guys are whining and stoking their beer. Well, ...... that''s what happened. Carrots go up and wheat goes down. Two of the products I''ve been involved with have had contrasting results. You''re good. Elsa, who was listening to the conversation with me, had said something like that to me. 144. Aim Six floors below Nifonium, I was hunting poison zombies in the poisonous space today as well. I continued to practice sniping with my pistol that I tried last time, today. This time I tried not to take them down in a single blow. Aim from a distance far enough away to snipe. First the arm, then the knee, then the ear....... Sniping to weaken it so that it doesn''t fall even if it hits you. To be honest, this one is harder, it''s much harder to hit and not knock them down than to hit and knock them down. But I still do it. If you just want to take them down with snipers, you can use tracking rounds. When you shoot them, they aim at the vital point of the monster and fly in a straight line, never missing their target. It was only this morning that I realized that practicing sniping at vital points with normal bullets was inefficient. That''s why I''m aiming at it now so that I don''t take it down. If you''re asking me if there''s any point to this, it''s probably not that much. There''s no point in doing this in the first place. You''re not going to be able to get rid of all the monsters that you''ve defeated once, you can just repetition them all. But I still do it to learn techniques so that I won''t be in trouble if something happens to me in the future. So I do it, I dare to do sniping that I don''t take down. I shoot through the limbs, and then the headshot at the end. Repeat the process. It was a little over time, but I was able to raise my intelligence from A to S today. We returned to the mansion once via the transporter room. Nihonium didn''t need a magic cart, so he came to get one for the afternoon''s trip to Tellurium. Life had become completely patterned lately, but something outside the pattern happened. ''Oh, good, there''s Lyota. What''s the matter, Alice? His companion, Alice, was scuttling up from across the hallway. Alice Wonderland. She''s a girl who, due to her background of being born in a dungeon, can intuitively know the structure and where the monsters will appear once you enter the dungeon. At the same time, she has the ability to turn monsters into friends. The three monsters on her shoulders. Pull, Honehonen, and Bongbong. All of them are monsters that she defeated in the dungeon and made into friends, and now they are deformed in a plush, plush form. Normally they are in that form, but if she commands them to, they will return to their original form and fight with her. If I were to divide her specialties by game profession, she''d probably be a summoner, at the very least. She gave me a rare look as if she was begging me for something. "Will Ryota be free after this? I''m just going to tellurian as usual, and I''ll help you if you need anything? ''Really?Then come with me! Alice said and walked ahead of me. Walking in the direction I came from, the only thing beyond that is the transporter room. I guess it''s a dungeon errand. ...... Well, most errands in this world are born out of dungeons. In the meantime, I arrived in front of the transporter room. ''Do I have to go to the dungeon?'' Yeah, I''ll go first. You guys come over now. "Oh, wait, wait, wait. The transporter room - grabbed Alice just before she jumped into the dungeon and held her back. ''What''s wrong Lyota, do you need to get ready?'' No, I don''t. You need to tell me where you''re going. Okay. Seventh floor, Bismuth. Wheat? I asked Alice if the other day''s incident was still trailing off. ''No, not that one,'' I guess that''s not what happened. I guess it''s easier to explain in person. ''I see that too. Okay. I nodded and Alice disappeared, using the transporter room first. With that, I also enter the transporter room. Let''s see...I think it''s ...... Bismuth''s seventh basement floor. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get to the level of a dungeon you''ve been to. When I learned that, I asked Eve, the most experienced adventurer among my fellow adventurers, to bookmark all the levels of Ciclo''s dungeon with all of us. So although I didn''t conquer it on my own, I can go to the seventh floor underground in Bismuth, too. I flew using the transfer room. The seventh floor of Bismuth, it was a dungeon snow level. The magical snow falling on the crystal floor of Bismuth. It was quite a fantastic sight. ''Lyota, this way, this way.'' Alice, who had come before me, took my hand and started running. ''Wait, wait, wait, wait, I''m not running away,'' He''s going to run away. That girl? What does it mean? Suddenly, I saw the monsters perched on Alice''s shoulders. Pulling, honking, bong-bonging. They''re cute little Alice''s friends. Could it be ....... ''There they were.'' Alice brakes suddenly and stops, almost hitting her as she runs ahead of me and I stop in a hurry. ''Look at that, Lyota,'' Huh? Alice looks at where she''s pointing. There was a monster at a great distance. It''s so far away that its figure is so blurred that it''s hard to tell. You mean that monstrous thing over there? Yeah, prickly. They''re calling me. Yeah, it''s a spikey name. I knew it. The fact that the monsters are named like that means that they''re going to join us. The three monsters we had so far were like that, and they were already named right before we joined them. In other words, it''s the same this time. Why are they spiky? You know, the monster in here is called the Needle Lizard. ''Needle Lizard ...... needle lizard. I see. I kind of imagined it and it made sense. Come to think of it, the upper floor is a chameleon. Based on the trend of the dungeons so far, maybe Bismuth means that everything is reptilian. While speculating on this, I ask Alice. ''So, what am I supposed to cooperate with?'' You have to defeat the spiny spikes to get them to join you, but you can''t defeat the Needle Lizard until you have the spiny spikes on your body first. We''re on the seventh floor. Cyclo''s dungeons have a special way of defeating monsters above the sixth floor underground, which is why you need a license. It seems that Bismuth''s seventh floor is the same. ''But if you get too close, it retracts the spikes. ''So that means you have to do a spike from out of range and then take it down,'' Yeah. I don''t know. ...... I''ll take care of it. I guess all that practice is going to come in handy sooner rather than later. I''m going to draw my two guns. I put a conventional round in it. "How hard are the spikes? ''Yeah, pretty hard. Not as hard as Arsenic''s rock. Regular bullets are too much for you: ...... Hold your gun and approach the monster. As you get closer, the figure gradually comes into view. A Needle Lizard. A stocky, stocky reptile with spikes on its back. It may be closer to the image of a dragon than a lizard. ''Stop, if you get any closer, it will retract. Okay. I follow Alice''s senses and stop in place. I kneel on the ground, two guns at the ready and thrust out. I close one eye and take aim. Sniping. The sniping I''ve been practicing for the past few days. The needle lizard has stopped, I can hit this one. Sweat is beading on my hands. Failure is not an option. No, it might be forgiven, but it''s a monster to be Alice''s companion, and I don''t know what kind of negative effects it will have if it fails. So, failure is not allowed. I''m going to take a deep breath and concentrate as hard as I can. The landscape around me disappears, and even the dungeon snow that''s pouring down around me bursts from my consciousness. I can see the Needle Lizard - the corner. Dun-dun-dun! The trigger is pulled in succession. The normal bullets launched from the two pistols fused in the middle and became penetrating bullets and flew away. The piercing bullets that flew while spinning - all bullets hit the spikes of the Lizard Needle. It didn''t hit the main body at all, only snapping the spikes. ''Yes!'' Off! Alice ran off in a mad dash. On the way, Pulp, Honehone, and Bonbon also returned to their original form, along with their fellow monsters, Alice beat the Needle Lizard to a pulp. After the fierce battle, the Needle Lizard collapsed, disappeared with a poof, and then transformed and regenerated. A stocky plush toy, with spikes on its back (the texture of which would be pudgy if you touched it) appearing and retracting. Alice picked that thing up - the spiked spike - and nuzzled its head. Togetoge also rubs his cheek against Alice. It looks like he''s safely become a new friend. With a wave of his hand, Alice and the others come back. ''Lyota!Thank you!Here, say thanks for the spiky spikes too. Alice with a big smile on her face, and Spiked Spikes with her charming face, moving in and out of spikes. Thus, she had added another one of her friends. 145. T ○ Ss weekdays Once we were back in the mansion, with the spiky spikes successfully joined, we were back in the mansion. It''s a completely different atmosphere from the dungeon, a warm and cheerful home maintained by Emily. The first spiked lizard ...... that was brought there, a plush-sized needle lizard, scurried anxiously. It''s all right, spiked lizard, this is my home, and from today it will be your home. Alice soothed the spiked spikes. At the same time, the other three - Pru-Pru, Honehone and Bonbon - approached Togetoge, telling him something with their comical movements and bodily rage. Four monster-shaped plushies, and depending on how you look at it, it looks like an anime - the type of anime that''s a spin-off of something that''s mildly amusing. Encouraged by Sempai''s companion, my anxiety disappeared from the spikes. ''Welcome home, Master,'' As I was doing that in front of the transporter room, Cerberus, our guard dog, heard the commotion and came over. ''I''m home. Is everything all right in the mansion? ''Well, you know, there was this weird pushy guy who came over, but when I barked at him, he ran away. A pushover. How did you bark? Like this... Cerberus roared up to the heavens. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this in the future. It''s not just the howling alone that''s impressive, it''s the type of roar that takes damage, compared to a game where you hunt monsters. Most people would run away from such a thing. ''''It''s like this,'''' Yeah. Good job, Cerberus. Ehehehe. ...... The fierce guard dog, which is one size larger than a human, a truly huge body, looked happy to be petted by me. Its tail is wagging like it''s about to tear off, and it''s appealing for more and more. I''d do more if I was so happy, though. ''I''m going back to work, I''ll do it again when I get home tonight, so make sure you''re a good guard dog. ''Yes!I''ll take care of it! Cerberus wagged his tail even more as he left. As a dog, he takes more pleasure in being entrusted with his master''s work. Even now, he''s still buzzing his tail, being asked to be a guard dog. It''s a good thing that the hallways and walls are dented by it ...... but that''s just the way it is. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it in the end. ''What''s up?'' Kell, you''re a ...... monster. Yeah. "You didn''t drop it when you beat ....... It''s a tough nut to crack. She looks at Alice, wondering why now. She looks at Cerberus and then at her four companion monsters that kept coming back after being blown up. Could it be ...... Alice looked like she was on to something. Telldungeon, first basement level. Alice and I came with me to the level where the slime that drops bean sprouts was swarming. ''Watch me, Lyota. Yeah. I was brought in to see something I wanted to see, and I put my gun away and folded my arms and went into full spectator mode. Alice took a step forward and summoned four monsters. ''Pulling, honking, bonging, and spiky. Go. The monsters, which were previously the size of plush toys, will return to their original size. Their original size as monsters. Their original form, or not. They returned to their original size, but their forms were still deformed. As proof that they were Alice''s friends, all four of them were summoned in their cute, deformed forms. The four of them went towards the nearest slime and attacked it. It was a four-on-one octopus beating, and I thought it would be ready in a flash. ''''Stop!'''' At Alice''s command, the four bodies stopped attacking at once. The attacked slime continued to fight back, but the four bodies stopped attacking and defended or evaded. ''''What''s the matter, Alice?'''' Just watch--go! After staring at the slime as if to assess what it was, Alice gave the order to resume the attack. The monsters resumed attacking according to the order, and in no time at all, the slime was defeated and the sprouts were dropped. ''''Oh, I knew it.'''' Alice mumbled with some kind of satisfied look on her face and led her fellow monsters to the next slime. They hunted the slime. He attacked as he had done before, stopping in the middle of the attack and stopping something, or taking it down straight away. How many times did he bite it? I''m trying to get the timing right . It felt like that. Right after I noticed that, I noticed another thing. The drop is, 100%. Alice''s drop is a C, or more accurately, she''s an F, but the drop is equivalent to a C if a fellow monster is topped off. A C is not a very high number, and the drop rate is only 50% or so. That''s ...... 100%. It''s not exactly unrelated to Alice''s timing, I thought. Alice. What? Can you try not to? Have you figured it out yet? I smiled at Alice and led my fellow monsters to the next slime. Instructions and beat it. This time it didn''t drop firmly () this time. The next slime didn''t drop either. And the next, and the next, and the next, and the next after that. It didn''t drop at all. I''m sure of it now. ''Do you understand?The person you''re dropping it to. Not exactly, I just found out when to drop it. Timing. Yeah, I was wondering where to beat it to drop it. When I saw Kell-chan a while ago, I felt that he was ''never going to do it again'', so I thought maybe. You don''t do haggling ...... like a random number adjustment. ''What?Ran...... what? I''m talking to you. Game terms didn''t speak to people in this world. ''That''s great Alice,'' Yes, thanks to Lyota. Me? Yeah! Alice nodded clearly and picked up her four fellow monsters back into her plush toy. I think I understand that now that Spiny Dog has joined us. It''s all thanks to Lyota for helping me out. Okay. Thank you, Lyota. Alice thanked him while smiling. In her arms, the stuffed animals have also communicated the same intentions with their bodily rage. My fellow summoner seems to have evolved a bit again. 147. Ryochin Early morning, in the garden of the mansion. The full group of friends had gathered around Alice in full force. ''What magic did you learn?'' Celeste was the one who initiated the conversation. He seems calm as usual, but his eyes are excited, probably because he is a wizard himself. ''All Might, that''s magic. All Might ...... never heard of it. Celeste, the family''s best brains and wits, nodded her head. ''All Mighty or ......'' Do you know this, Yoda? I just mean the words. Almighty or perfect or invincible. I''ve seen a few phrases in texts praising God. These days, though, it''s also used for heroes who deserve that meaning. ''I mean, it''s a carrot,'' I knew you''d say that. I knew you''d say that. I thought you might say that. We all went all in on Eve''s blurbs (not blurbs). ''If that''s true, it''s going to be awesome magic. I wonder what it would be like. Shortly after Elsa''s eyes lit up in anticipation as well, Alice''s words made it even stronger. ''''It''s a magic that can only be used once a day. That kind of restriction sounds more and more awesome at ....... In terms of limitations, so was Lyota''s repetition. I''m only going to beat them. It''s a "restriction" of no damage to an opponent you''ve never beaten, but a "restriction" of killing an opponent you have beaten in the blink of an eye. The stronger the restriction, the stronger it seems, and I know the feeling. All Might, one day at a time, something I''ve drawn after spinning the roulette for a long time. The conditions are in place, and I''m excited to see it. ''Can you show me with that ...... is something I can use?'' ''Come to think of it, yes, is it safe to use such amazing magic in the garden of the mansion? I''m fine!That''s why I invited everyone here. When Alice made it clear, the anticipation of our friends finally peaked. In response, Alice took a little distance from us. She bent down and gathered up her strength in a giggle ...... and then poof, she turned her hands into fists and pushed them up to the heavens. ''''Ree-ching!'''' ...... Yeah? What''s that? Qiu-ching?Wasn''t that All Might? I was puzzled, and my friends were still scowling and tilting their heads. Immediately after, the space cracks. An empty space suddenly cracked open and something came out of it. It''s like coming out of another dimension. The first thing I saw from the dimensional crack was a hand-like object. So it''s summoning magic - I thought. ''...... Yoda-san?'' ...... You must be Mr. Lyota. ...... You must be Mr. Lyota. ...... You''re so low-level and cocky. That''s what my friends said. The one that emerged from the crack in the dimension, the one that Alice summoned, was a guy that looked like me. The body that looks like me is not me at all. In a word, it''s an amusement park costume. The model is me, but it''s me, deformed like Alice''s fellow monsters. My name is Ryota. That''s why it''s called Ryotin. ''Alice, what the hell is this ......?'' You''ll get hurt if you''re not careful. ''What?--Hey! A moment later, Li-ching disappeared from sight. No, he didn''t disappear, but just before it looked like he had disappeared, I saw his right foot gingerly exerting itself, so he moved at super speed. Right ...... back?No, upstairs! I looked up with a puff and saw Riotin''s jumping kick was already in front of me. When I raised my arm to guard it, the kick''s trajectory changed, and it tangled with my arm, not for the purpose of attack, but for the purpose of restraint. I pulled out two pistols in that position, the pistols were deformed and cute. The muzzle of the gun held out to me, I quickly dodge - I see the bullet that was launched and dodge even louder. It kicks Ryouchin, forcing him to peel off the tangled thing and jumping sideways wide. Immediately after, an annihilation bullet was generated where I was before. A fusion of flame and freezing bullets, an annihilation bullet that swallowed the entire space. ''''You can use that too! Me screaming, I turn it on. I switch from my previous daily life mode to combat mode. I pull out my gun and fire a barrage of regular bullets. At the same time, I gingerly step into the ground and flesh out Ryochin with the speed I gave him up to SS. He shoots a re-filled round at the same speed as the gun. The first barrage of bullets is followed by a further conventional bullet - a barrage of penetrating bullets, and you advance with it, closing in on Ryouchin. It''s also a good idea to have a good time with them. So that''s how it is. While the penetrating bullets are strong in straight-line and penetrating power, they have a weak side in terms of force from side to side. If you hit it from the side at the right time, it will burst quite easily. That''s what Ritchin did. After the initial exchange of moves, the fight heated up. In the midst of the fight, I sensed it. It''s deformed, but Ryouchin and I are almost identical in our abilities. The bullets we can handle with our guns are the same, power, speed and toughness. The same power, speed and toughness. Just like Ryota-san. ''Yes!All Might is a spell that summons the strongest opponent I''ve ever seen. The strength remains the same. I heard a glimpse of Alice''s words and I knew it. Yes, you''re the same as me in every way. It''s not the same in terms of appearance, but in terms of ability, they''re all the same. The fight is not over, and I was thinking that this is going to be a long drawn out affair. Thump. There was a sound of air loss, and Li-ching suddenly disappeared. ''''Mmm?'''' ''Yes, that''s it. I can only call you once a day for this long. I see that''s a limitation. ''So there is. But I''m convinced. That''s why I can summon Mr. Yoda. ''It was a high level for a low level, cocky.'' The fight was incomplete, but I understood the effects of All Might. A summoning spell that can only be called once a day, roughly in experience - for about 60 seconds. ''''It''s amazing, Alice-san is almost the strongest when you can summon Ryota-san. Elsa says, and her friends surround Alice and lift her up. Alice is also delighted, but rather than strength, she''s more pleased with the deformed me = ryo-ching as a friend. As I look at it, I think. ''What''s the matter, Yoda-san?'' Yeah, I''m just curious about one thing. What? I wondered what would happen to Kiryotin if I became even stronger from now on, if I became even more powerful with seeds and magic fruits. I see! I wondered if Lyotha was still at this stage of strength or if she was copying my strength in real time. ''I''ll be strong, just like Ryota,'' Is that so? Yeah! Nodding clearly, Alice, I see. Then let''s give it a try. It''s important to test and figure out your abilities. In this case, the only thing that clearly shows a change is. "Magic fruit. Celeste, the wizard, said as if she had read my thoughts, and I nodded. 148. The strongest familiar Seren Dungeon, 7th floor underground. In the middle of the uninhabited dungeon, where the dungeon snow was pouring down, a horse was striding around with a look of its own. Not just any horse, but the master and worst monster of this dungeon, with two horns growing on its head. Dungeon Master, the defiler of purity, the bicorn. The bicorn walks pleasantly, giving off an aura that diminishes the abilities of those around it. It was found by me and Alice, who came down steadily from the first floor. ''There you are - it was hard to find you. You''re a stepping stone, Dungeon Master. You can''t just jump from one to the next. Even if I go after them, they keep moving through the layers. The unexpected limitations of the transporter room are exposed. The mansion''s optional transporter room, which allows you to fly anywhere on a level that you''ve been to before, is now one of the hardest to use against a dungeon master because you don''t know which floor you''re on. We flew to the first floor with the transporter, then steadily descended from there, and finally caught the bicorn on the seventh floor. The bicorn noticed us too. He''s staring at us with hunched eyes. ''You''re angry,'' I''m pretty sure some adventurer already tried and got beaten back. I recall the request that came in suddenly from the Dungeon Society. The Dungeon Master showed up in Seren. We sent the first strike force to defeat him, but it was returned. The sooner we defeat them, the better, since prolonging the attack will have a negative impact on production and logistics. Let''s take them out quickly. I''ll go. As soon as I think it''s too dangerous, I''ll intervene. Don''t worry. We''ll take care of it. Alice went to the bicorn while making a determined face with a side piece in front of her. ''First, a small check. Hone hone, pull, bong, spiky, spiky.'' Calling her name, she summons her fellow monsters. The four stuffed animals on her shoulders returned to their original size and deformed forms to attack the bicorn. Skeleton''s Honehone and Slime''s Purpuru hit her in the vanguard, the little devil''s Bonbon uses magic from behind, and Needle Lizard''s Spiked Spike fires back up with spikes flying off his back. It''s an orthodox and well-balanced party with 2 vanguards and 2 rear guards. They work well together, and most of the monsters would be toothless. But the opponent is a bicorn. Dungeon Master. He reduces his opponent''s ability with the "Defiler of Purity" and kicks four of them away with his horn and hind legs. The four bodies are still going to challenge him further, but the difference in strength is obvious. It''s no use. It''s all right, let''s do the deep stuff. Alice giggles and piles up, and poof!And gutted. ''Ree-ching!'' Alice''s summoning magic. The space cracked open and a stuffed animal that looked like it was on the roof of a department store came out from inside. In a word, the stuffed suit is, in a word, me. It''s a deformed version of me, and it''s a costume that looks cute. It''s like, "I''ve done it, Ree-chin. Ryotin silently jumped into the bicorn. The gun - but first, he held out his hand. Magic is used, the moment he held up his hand, lightning struck the bicorn. Lightning magic, lightning. The first magic, spreading a roar and discharge, but it did not work on the bicorn. The two horns flashed and then a spherical barrier was put up around their bodies, which flicked the lightning. ''That''s about it.'' Tweet me, I''m not surprised that the elementary magic lightning was played. It was more important that I was able to use Lightning. The lightning that I learned from the magic fruit that I procured just before the dungeon master appeared, and Ryochin was able to use it. Ryouchin''s strength doesn''t seem to be fixed when Alice learns magic, it seems to be linked to my strength in real time. ''''Lightning.'''' I held up my hand and I swung at it too, the exact same scale of magic struck the bicorn and played into the barrier as well. ''Lyota!Now it''s my turn! Bad, bad. I apologize for Alice''s anger. The test went well. The power of my shot was the same as Ree-ching''s, and it was the same as when Ree-ching wasn''t around. I''ll check my abilities on the portable now-boat as well, no less or less anywhere. Summoning Alice Garryochin seems to have zero disadvantages for me. It''s a summoning magic that has only advantages. The only disadvantage is. "Liuchin, it''s a repetition. Ryouchin held up his hand and used magic. Repetition, which defeats an opponent once defeated without question. I''ve defeated the bicorn before, so that''s what I would have done (...) I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. "Oh no! Alice seemed to have expected it too. I guess that''s how it is, I''ve defeated Ryota before and never beaten Morichin. The battle continues. Ryotin tossed the bicorn around with super speed that outpaced the wind, even though he was dressed in a stuffed shirt and stocky outfit. The same speed as me, speed SS. I was tossing and turning at a speed far greater than that of the bicone. While barraging it with normal bullets, I rushed forward and caught it by the neck. A series of bullets from close range - two horns broke off with a sound. ''Now!Hone, pull, bong, spiky. The horns broke off and the barrier disappeared. With Alice''s command, the four monsters re-enter the game. Together with Ryouchin, the four of them beat up the bicorn. It was an interesting sight. It was like a game. Deformed characters that all looked like SD characters, those 2D characters looked like the battle screen of an RPG. However, their abilities are well-deserved, and the five companions, led by Ryouchin, beat the bicorn to a pulp. The bicorn collapsed and struggled to get up. Then the monsters swarmed around and punched him. It''s a scene that makes you feel a little sorry for them. "Geez, oh no! Alice said that out of the blue, and I was wondering what was going on. ''We''re running out of time!Come on! At Alice''s command, Li-ching held out two pistols at the same time. Flame rounds from the left and frozen rounds from the right. He fired them in rapid succession and fired a series of annihilation bullets. And then, with a pan, they burst and disappeared. It disappeared as if it hadn''t been there all along. The bicorn tried desperately to dodge the last annihilation bullet, but. ''Nice guys!'' The four remaining companions held the bicorn down, making it impossible for it to escape. The bicorn was lobbed with annihilation bullets, punching holes all over its body and vanishing in the same way. ''''Oh, I couldn''t find the right time to drop them. Alice says with a sour note. Another difference between Ryota (me) and Chochin. The ability I gave you in this world is copied directly from Ryochin, but the drop S that I probably brought from outside - because it''s me - was not copied. Alice, who made me fight until just before summoning time, was not allowed to drop. ''Well, but it''s good if you can beat it. ''Yes!Thanks Lyota. Thanks. Thus, Alice successfully fulfilled her request and defeated the Dungeon Master, who stopped all the dungeon drops. The fact that there are two people in the family who can defeat the dungeon master solo, quickly spreads. The Lyota family becomes even more famous. 149. Cumulative total of over 100 million pillows The living room at night, all of my friends were gathered together to relax. There was a pancake with cherry cream on the table and the girls were picking at it. ''''These are delicious, Emily. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about it by visiting ....... Yes, I saw some strawberries from Starnham and I bought some. Sternum?It''s a dungeon you don''t ask about. It''s a new dungeon. It''s a new dungeon. It''s a city close to Cyclo, so fresh stuff is coming to us. Oh, no wonder it''s so good. Emily and Celeste were talking about pancakes. Meanwhile, Alice was in front of a tail protruding from under that table. The tail is flapping and flapping with a weighty movement. It''s like being inside a hole in the ground, and Cerberus has only his tail sticking out of the table. "Kel-chan, you''re under the table again. You''re in there a lot, as usual. I like cramped spaces. I saw it with a cat. Eve says something like that beside Alice. ''No, no, it''s not that I like it, it''s that I''m used to it. Get used to it? Well, I''m used to getting under the table or bed whenever there''s a thunderstorm. I''ve gotten used to it. It slips under the table in a super smooth motion. I know that one. The last time I saw it, it was running under the table at a smooth and stylish 60 frames per second. Artistic, I even thought. ''Mr Lyota, what are you looking at?'' Elsa walked in on me, refusing to join in the conversation. She looked at what I had in my hand. This is ...... Lyota''s bankbook. What''s going on? I was doing some math. I was just wondering what it was all about. But I don''t have a smart phone or a calculator or a number crunching machine, so it didn''t work out so well. ''What do you calculate?Let me help you. Elsa offered with a smiley face. ''Are you good at math?'' When it comes to money. ''Well, let''s ask: ...... Actually, I wanted to know what your total income has been so far. I want to know how much money I''ve made in all since I came to this world--and not just this world, but to Cyclo. 9,873,750 piro. "Huh? He answered almost immediately, and with a nonchalant look on his face. ''9,876,750 piro. Did you know that? No, but I''d like to know: ...... Oh, Ryota-san, do you have any other income besides this bank book with us? ''No, I don''t, but I''m asking for all the ...... purchases to repay Tsubame''s kindness, and Aulum''s taxes, or rather dividends, are in this account.'' Then you are correct. Elsa speaks flatly. ''And Emily, by the way?'' 786,6754 piro. Where''s Celeste? That''s 411,896 piro. Where''s Alice? 1,993,812 piro. Where''s Eve? Ours alone would be 3,898,400 piro. Yves, you''re pretty experienced, so if you add up all the other buyers'' combined, it''s probably twice as much. Elsa answers as soon as she hears it. ''That''s great,'' I like to do the math: ...... Elsa''s cheeks stained with embarrassment and she slumped. ''I see, I knew it. What do you mean "still"? In response to my mumbling, Elsa''s complexion returns to normal and asks. ''''The total amount I''ve earned should be going to 100 million soon. ''So it was. But it''s amazing. The more detailed the figures are, the more difficult it is to see that you''re doing this kind of cumulative amount. It''s ....... I gave him a faraway look. ''It''s the feeling I feed off of the bills. When you pay your bills, you''re surprised to get a bill at the end of the month that''s more than you expected. So I started to see a percentage increase in my experience. ''Ha, ha, ...... I don''t know what you''re charging for,'' Elsa, a good person, who is confused but convinced. But yeah, a total of 100 million. Fifty million a little while ago was a big deal, but still, you''ve come this far. You''ll be able to see that there isn''t that much left in your hand because you spent it as soon as you earned it, but I''m still kind of happy about it. I''m having a banquet tomorrow. Emily? We''re having a banquet to celebrate Mr. Yoda''s 100 millionth birthday. Emily was more hyped than ever. ''A feast, huh?'' Yes, sir. My mother says we have a feast when we''re happy. Yeah. I nodded and looked at Emily and all my friends. ''We''ll have a perch tomorrow.'' Yeah! All of his friends nodded at him. The next day, Terdungeon. On this day, Nihonium took the day off and came to make money in the morning. Everyone is waiting for me, I hit the repetition on this day. Send sprouts from the slime in the basement level and 40,000. Send carrots from the sleeping slime on the second basement level and get 40,000. Send a pumpkin from a cocrosstalk slime on the third basement level and get 40,000. Bad slime on the fourth basement level--. Hunt the fastest with the repetition and send it to the mansion with the magic cart, while counting the number on the tally function on the cart. The amount needed was about 1.24 million. It was very emotional, I was remembering the old days as I hunted. When I had just transitioned to this world, I didn''t make ten thousand a day. It took him three days to earn the rent of a cheap apartment for 20,000 piro. That''s how I''m hunting fast now. We accumulate 40,000, which is the transfer limit of the magic cart. Once (40,000), twice (80,000), three times (120,000)--. I''m hunting now, using my slowly growing abilities. After the 30th (1.2 million), I did my last hunt in the first floor of the tellurium. I knew it was here, the sprouts here. It all started here. I repetition the slime flying at me. Repetition to the escaping slime. I repetitioned the slime from the ground, wall and ceiling. The counters piled up every time I put in a sprout. Eventually, I crossed 40,000 piro. ''''Soooo, ha-...... okay. The last no-no, press the button to transfer. 40,000 pirouette worth of sprouts are transferred. I should have made 1.24 million today, over and above. I pull up and use the transfer gate to return to the mansion. "--Hey, guys. ...... When I returned with the transporter, everyone was there waiting for me. Emily, Celeste, Alice, Eve, and Cerberus. Everyone greeted me. ''Congratulations!'' Congratulations. Congratulations. Well done, low level. Congratulations to my master! Then Elsa came from across the hallway. ''Congratulations, Lyota, you''ve properly crossed the 100 million mark. Elsa appeared with a stack of paper that was filled with numbers. She seems to have done a recalculation. Everyone''s congratulations make my eyes burn. My chest feels warm. ''Thank you, guys! My friends celebrated with me on my 100 millionth milestone, and we had a great party till late that night. And the next day, we were surprised at the new dungeon. We were surprised at the creation of a new dungeon. 150. Restricted Dungeon Sulfa Mr. Lyota, we''re in trouble! In the morning, I woke up and was leaving my room to head to the bathroom when I was stopped by a panicked Elsa, who seemed to be in a hurry. I stop and turn around, Elsa is running towards me. What''s the matter? What happened? There''s another dungeon on the horizon! Is that so? I''m surprised, my sleepy blur is blown away at once. "It''s for Cyclo? I remembered Seren and asked him about it first. ''Yes!This will be the seventh cyclonic dungeon. Then we won''t be competing with any other city. It must have been difficult for you with Seren. That''s how you met Celeste, isn''t it? Seren Dungeon, a dungeon that was born around the middle of the two Ciclo and Hetero. The fact that it was born right in the middle of the city, geographically, caused a battle between Ciclo and Hetero. In this world, primary dungeons are an important source of taxation, and both Cyclo and Hetero fought for ownership of the dungeon. In the meantime, I was asked by Clint, the head of the Cyclo Dungeon Association, to conquer the dungeon and bring Seren under Cyclo''s jurisdiction. It seems like a long time ago. ''If it''s going to be a Cyclo dungeon, then there''s no conflict. Yes. So President Clint called. There you are. ''Yes!I''m requesting the Lyota family to investigate the dungeon. They say the success fee is 10 million piro. Okay. I was a bystander when I came to this world to investigate the dungeon. That request came over here first, and I was a little happy. On the outskirts of Cyclo, in front of the new dungeon. The entire Lyota family came to the place, not even the Now Board was attached yet. Me, Emily, Celeste, Alice, and Eve. We are the five members of the adventurer''s team that will be hiding in the dungeon. Let''s see what kind of dungeon we''re in. His name is Sulphur. That''s all we know at the moment. "Sulphur ...... burning stone? Do you know, Lyota? Celeste, the family''s number one wise guy, is surprised. ''I''ve only heard the name before,'' Sarfa, number 16 in terms of numbers. If it was a dungeon with a strong smell, I''d have a hard time going around, I thought to myself, "I don''t know what else to do. "Don''t you know anything else? I don''t know. We''re the first investigative unit. Doesn''t Eve know anything about it? The Silence is the Hare. You sound like gold. "I knew you didn''t know anything about it except the name. ''What are you going to do, Lyota? It''s a dangerous thing to not know anything. Yes. ...... I thought about it for a moment. ''Let''s use the Absolute Rock stone, so if something happens with it, it shouldn''t get you hit anyway. Well, that''s better. ''On top of that, I''ll go in first. Then Emily, Alice and Celeste. Finally, Eve. Why the rabbit last? "Because at the beginning and at the end, the ones with the strength and experience will be better able to handle it when the chips are down. All right. Three days of carrots. Okay. After deciding how to enter and the order in which to enter, each of the friends began to check their equipment. Everyone checked their weapons and tools, including the Absolute Rock stone for absolute defense that they all had, and on top of that, Emily''s hammer and Celeste''s bicorn horn. Making sure it was all done. ''Let''s go,'' I said and everyone nodded. I went into invincible mode with the Absolute Rock stone and then went inside. The inside of the dungeon was huge, a coliseum of sorts. A dome, if you will.Anyway, the place is large and useless. No stairs leading down, just the ground floor? As I was looking around, a monster quickly appeared. A humanoid monster, about the same size as an adult male. Its body was green with a single large eyeball on its face. "Cyclops, huh? There was a name that matched in my knowledge. I wasn''t sure if it was right, because in my image it should be more of a giant. Oh well, let''s take it down anyway. I tried to draw my gun--it wasn''t there! They didn''t have a gun, the mainstay of combat! Where is he?You dropped it! While I was thinking about this, Cyclops attacked and swung his club at me, which was very strong. Shucks!I raised my hand to receive it. I grabbed the club as it was swung down. The power is as good as the size, so it was received without difficulty, and the club is a blunt instrument, so the palm of the hand tingles - tingling! If you look closely, I wasn''t invincible, I didn''t have the stone of absolute rock. Not only that, there was nothing else. There were no weapons or items of any kind, nothing but the clothes I was wearing. ''Is this a ...... no-carry-in dungeon?'' That''s what I found in the knowledge. A dungeon that doesn''t allow you to bring in any of the items you have. A dungeon that makes it difficult to attack. ...... That''s not the only thing that seems to be going on. Still no one has come in. I''ve been inside for over a minute and none of my friends have shown up. Is it solo only on top of not being able to bring in? It reminded me of Aurum, that place in the rogue dungeon is pretty troublesome too. ''Goooooooooh! I lost my concentration in my thoughts and Cyclops forcefully pulled the club out of my hand and swung it down further. I dodged it and punched it as hard as I could. The body blow tore the cyclops out of his gut. Apparently, the ...... force SS is still intact. Cyclops is gone and a bottle of corn drops in its place. A bottle of corn, about 100 piro. And then another one appeared. A door. A door appears where there was none, and I can see outside through the door. It looks familiar, outside this salfa. ''Flashing ...... out in time?So that''s it. I thought about it for a minute and decided to go outside for a moment. I was outside with the corn, outside the dungeon. ''Mr. Yoda!'' Are you okay? Emily and Celeste were there. ''Are you two okay?'' ''Yes, sir!I was in a huge panic. If you were in a hurry, that means you couldn''t bring in the hammer. Emily has a hammer in her hand, and I have a gun and bullets at my waist too. I just can''t bring it in, but it seems to be back in place when I get back. ''Yes, sir!I grabbed my opponent''s club and somehow managed to bring it back down. ''You can''t bring your tools into the house ...... and Celeste''s bicorn horn then?'' Yes, and one other thing. What? ''I couldn''t use the inferno. We didn''t have enough magic. What? I could use the fireball. ...... reset the levels too? It hit me right away. When it came to not being able to bring it in, what often came with the set was a level reset. No matter how high your level is, once you enter a dungeon, you have to start over from scratch. I can''t be sure, but it''s probably true. In the meantime, this time, Eve came out. She has a graze on her cheek and shoulder. ''Are you okay, Eve?'' "Humiliation. What? ''The rabbit has gone to a low level,'' Oh, I was right. I haven''t heard the principle, but Eve seems to be able to tell how level they are with a quick glance. ''The way you put it, you''ll be a level 1 when you get in, is that correct? That''s right. The rabbit will never come in here again. All right. I''ll take care of it. It''s enough to know for sure that I''m starting over at level 1. And with that, I got one more piece of information. My ability hadn''t been lowered. It''s a dungeon where you''re reverted to level 1, and since I''m level 1, my powers weren''t lowered. In a way, it''s my kind of dungeon. "The drops are crappy, but you can only make 100 pirouettes in one piece. The second one increased. Eve says with a sullen look on her face. ''More?Or rather, the second time. The first one, a little stronger, showed up, and when I took it down, I got twice as many drops as the first one. Heh. ...... The third one was even more double. I didn''t like it, so I left it there. ''Um, ......, you mean ......?'' As I tilted my head, Eve threw the leeks out on the ground with a thud. A different drop than mine, a leek. That amount is ....... ''About seven hundred piro.'' That''s about it. ''Yes. There may be a margin of error, though. Emily and Celeste both agreed with me. They''ve all dived into dungeons quite a bit, so they''ve been able to make some calculations about the drops. I''m corn, for 100 pyrro. I''m a cucumber, and I''m about a hundred piro. This one is shiitake mushrooms ...... and it''s for 100 piro. So that means the strength and drops increase by a factor of two. I guess you could say that. Okay, I''ll go under. Are you sure you''re okay? ''I''ve been a level one from the start, so my abilities didn''t diminish. I see! That''s what I''m talking about, Ryota-san. Your dungeon is perfect. ''You''re so cocky for a low level.'' I was about to enter the dungeon once more after everyone had seen me off, when I heard I''m back. That''s great, that''s great, Ree-chin, that''s great. Alice came back with a huge pile of tomatoes, extremely excited. ''Alice?''What''s that amount? That''s great, Li-ching, you''ve taken it all by yourself. Did you get the full story? ''Yes!Lyota is so strong even without a weapon! Alice was extremely excited about it. ''Ryouchin, Alice''s summoning magic, a magic that summons a copy of me with the exact same strength. ''''You don''t have to go through it again. That''s Yoda for you, sir. It validates in a surprising way. I would be able to complete the dungeon and. "The drop is ....... How many times did the monster drop? Nine times. Alice answered clearly. A pile of tomatoes, and nine drops. I was able to do the math right away with the laws I''ve been following and those two pieces of information. Starting at 100 and doubling nine times, the total About 50,000 for one session, you mean? I''ll need further testing to see if it''s good or not good for the ratio. 151. All members are dispatched Sulphur Dungeon. Once again, it''s built like an arena. As soon as you enter the dungeon, you''ll be made to stand in a ring-like place, surrounded by towering walls, and you''ll be able to see a spectator''s seat on the wall, but of course there are no spectators. It''s an uninhabited coliseum, a dungeon of sorts. And then the monsters appear. The first monster, Cyclops, a little smaller than an adult male. It attacked, wielding a club. It''s not very threatening for a monster, and its power is as good as it looks. The small man dodges the wooden club he''s wielding and hits him in the face with a cross counter. It''s a dungeon that forces me back to level 1, but I''ve always been a level 1, and my abilities are "still level 1". I killed the Cyclops instantly with a force SS blow. The cyclops disappeared and the wheat was dropped. It''s still a small amount, about 100 piro by eye measurement. A door appeared and started flashing. Same as last time so far, how about from here? I ignored the door and stayed where I was. After about 30 seconds, the door disappeared and a monster appeared. The same green humanoid monster, Cyclops. But it was one size larger than before. It was obviously larger than an adult male, about the size of a basketball player or a sumo wrestler. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on it. It''s a good idea to have a good time with a good friend. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends. It''s not just a matter of time before you get hit, considering the level of decline in the level, it''s a level that will shatter your bones in one hit. I guarded it. It is a thud, an impact that resonates in the body, but it wasn''t that painful. It''s an SS, with both strength and HP at level 1. I took the kelp, grabbed it and twisted it to take it away. So I take a full swing, and Cyclops is torn in half from the middle of his body. The cyclops disappears - the entire club that was taken from him disappears, and the barley drops again. It was about twice as much as before, the equivalent of 200 piro. The same door appeared and I ignored it and waited for the next one. An even larger Cyclops appeared. In the previous dungeons, it was a "hierarchy", but this one felt like a "round". Defeat the cyclops in round 3, it was clearly one step stronger and the drops were clearly nearly double the size. With each round, the monsters got stronger and the drops increased. By the tenth round, the Cyclops became a giant, about the size of a little building. ''''Phew!'''' I was able to withstand one full strength punch, and I couldn''t take him down without two. The Konbu attack was also much stronger, so strong that my arms were numb for a while when I guarded it with a double SS of HP and strength. When I defeated it, the towering walls around me collapsed. It crumbled with a rattling sound and a dazzling light shone through. It''s a clearly recognizable "clear" sight. After the entire wall collapsed, I was brought back out of the dungeon with the drop. ''You''re on your way home.'' Emily and her friends greeted me. It wasn''t just Emily, Elsa was there too. ''Thanks for your help, Lyota. Thank you. Can you make this count as soon as possible? Barley. Wait a minute. I asked Elsa to come over while I was in the dungeon to calculate the drop. I couldn''t bring in the magic cart, and more importantly, I had something on my mind. ''Oh,'' What''s going on? ''Um, ...... right. Hmmm. Elsa, lost, looks twice at the barley I brought back, and seems to be confused about something. ''What''s wrong?'' Maybe, but it''s just 100,000 pyrro. Just 100,000? Yes, at today''s buying rate, it will be just 100,000. You may get a fine figure, but if it were me, I would cut off the margin of error and call it 100,000. Oh, of course, that''s if you''re short. Just like that? Yes. And-- ...... Alice''s guy was 100,000, too, right? You''re very clear. Elsa is surprised. There are a few predictions, and one of them is. And most of all. ''Wheat is a big one.'' What''s going on? ''Speaking of wheat, ...... you know, the last time that happened, Mr. Lyota caused the price to plummet. ''Celeste''s good,'' I nodded. ''Yeah, that''s a big one, just 100,000. Maybe there''s a fixed reward for every round you complete. I see! Pick your jaw and think about it. I''ll have to check that too. Now isn''t the time to earn it, I''m doing some research at the request of the Dungeon Society. ''Come on in again Alice, we''ll give you three rounds. All right. A round is the number of rounds of monsters. Yeah. Alice enters the sulfa dungeon with her fellow monsters. It''s a dungeon that returns to level 1, and she can fight better than the rest of her friends, whose own level doesn''t reduce their strength. It means only 3 rounds, so Alice and her friends came right back. Along with a few oranges there. ''Here you go.'' "Elsa. Yes. ...... That''s 700 piro, maybe just. Elsa''s assessment I knew it. One round would be 100 piro, two rounds would be 300 piro, three rounds would be 700 piro. Ten rounds, 100,000 piro. I''ll have to do some research in the meantime. We''ll split up. Where do you think Alice will end up? It''s all good. All of them? Yeah. You know, Nakadatori-ching could call him. But not now. ......, that is. You can only call your wife once when you enter the sulfa. Yeah! Then you can finish it: ...... And you know what? I''m going up a level. I''m at two. That doesn''t change anything. I see. I''ll use the new information I got from Alice to make my plan. "Emily, can you do four rounds? If you can''t, you don''t have to do it. You will be in charge!If we take the club, maybe we can do it. Celeste needs to repeat one to two rounds and see if the drop is shaky. Okay. I''ll try. "Eve... No rabbits. She refused with a bite. It''s rare for her to show such a clear rejection. Eve, who is so grasping, usually does me a favor for some reason. ''You don''t like it?'' ''You''re in there and you''re at a low level,'' ''You don''t want to go back to one? Are you sure you don''t want to go back to one?I''d like to leave it to Eve''s experience to go from four to five rounds. ...... Eve''s lips twitched and sulked. ''A year''s worth of carrots--'' Okay. ...with Emily''s cooking. You mean...? You will be in charge!I''ll make it so good that Eve''s cheeks will fall off. Okay, I''ll pass. Eve demanded probably the most expensive and value-added reward ever. ''Alice and I will do six to ten in a resourceful number of times,'' Okay! ''Elsa, you can assess a definite amount for the drop. Maybe we''ll figure that one out along the way. I understand. And so we all go out again and dive into the sulfa. Then I realized that the amount of money dropped in the salfa is fixed according to the rounds we cleared. 100, 300, 700, 1500, 3000, 6000, 12,000, 25,000, 50,000, and 100,000. If you complete the last of the 10 rounds, you''ll get 100,000 piro. And it didn''t matter if the drop for each of them was influenced by the fact that the level was to be fought back to level 1. Alice testified that it didn''t matter the timing, and Celeste, who was almost like an F-final, dropped exactly that amount. It''s not a very appealing dungeon to me, but it''s a dungeon where even adventurers with low levels and drops can dream of 100,000 piro if they fight their way through to the end. The monster patterns are set. It turns out that this is a dungeon for adventurers who are good at filling chess instead of pushing hard. We had roughly completed our research in a day. 152. I want you to be here Inside the Cyclodungeon Society building, the president''s office. When I had finished my approximate investigation of the sulfa, I visited here to report back. Clint, who greeted me, listened to the end of my story and stood up with open arms. ''''That''s great, Satou. I didn''t expect you to come back to investigate so quickly. I''ve been fortunate and blessed with good company. ''''No, no, it would have been impossible if it wasn''t for Satou. From what I''ve heard, it''s an egregious obstacle for adventurers with high level limits and adventurers who are used to attacking with a party. It''s hard to be a person who needs a weapon. Mmm-hmm. You''ll level up in the dungeon, but from what Emily, Celeste, and Eve report, it''s only up to three rounds before you go level 5. Even if you go into the dungeon with them in the first place, you''ll be sent to individual rings and forced to play solo. While the drops are low - even if they''re F-final, you can still earn money, but it''s a very people-oriented dungeon. ''So I really appreciate it. With that information, I can release the dungeon to adventurers tomorrow. He didn''t say it, but "that''s how you get more tax money," which put Clint in a good mood itself. He poured a pile of sugar cubes into the tea that his secretary had made, and then stabbed the sugar cubes, cut up like yokan, with a toothpick and threw them into his mouth. The amount of sugar is enough to give me diabetes just by looking at it. ''Satou is a lucky boy for Cyclo, isn''t he? Hmm? All of a sudden? ''''It''s been smooth sailing for Cyclo ever since Sato arrived. I''ve got Selenium, Aulum is practically under my control, and Sarfa will soon be in a position to bring in adventurers. All of this has happened since Sato arrived and what he has done for us. I just did what they asked me to do, that''s all. ''I don''t know. Will you accept this year''s award for the year? "Award of the Year? I''ve never heard of this word before. I have some idea of what it means from the letters. That''s right. That''s right. The local dungeon association is responsible for announcing and awarding the achievements of those who have made a significant contribution during the year. ''Not that kind of thing: ...... I''d appreciate it if you''d take it. Clint looked at me with a straight face. It was a strange thing that the award giver was asking for it. ''People who are active will be honoured, and the adventurers will be inspired by it. That way-- -and more tax revenue, I see. The point is to motivate the workers. I see. That''s why we''re so grateful for your help. I''d appreciate it if you would. ''Thank you!Satow has always helped me out a lot. Yes, the award also comes with a cash prize, in the form of a pension. That''s another thing that inspires me. Okay, I''ll take it. And, Is it still there?I''m surprised. I''ve decided to buy the house where Sato lives now from the Dungeon Association. We won''t charge any rent as long as Sato lives there. No, it was pretty big and expensive. The curse has been lifted and it''s a normal life, so it''s not an expensive property anymore. And, Still? Before I could catch my breath, Clint suggested one thing after another to give me the benefit of the doubt. Stars. We left the Dungeon Society and met up with Alice, who was waiting at the front of the building. She was crouched beside a building, frolicking with four fellow monsters. Depending on how you look at it, she might look like a girl playing with dolls on the street, a pretty heartening sight. ''Here you go.'' Did you finish your report? Yeah, ....... What''s up?You look kind of complicated, don''t you? Hmm. I crossed my arms and twisted my neck. I''m honestly confused, I''m confused. I don''t understand why Clint is treating me so well now. I walked shoulder to shoulder with Alice and told her what happened inside. ''It''s because I want Lyota to stay in Cyclo,'' Do you want me to stay? ''Yes!I''ve been consulting with the chiefs about that sort of thing. The village chief. I think it''s the village chief of Indor, where Alice is from. It''s also the village where I went out to rescue the dungeon called Aulum when it was born. "We gave her a place to live and everything. Was there a woman or something? I found ....... Around the end, Clint brought up that kind of thing as well. You know, introduce them to nice girls, show them where to find nice girls. That sort of thing. I said no to that, of course. It''s not in my nature. "You know, I''m going to have to coerce you into doing that, and I want you to stay in town. Why again? It''s at ....... Alice stops as she''s about to say it. For some reason, she stares straight ahead with a smirk on her face. A cyclo city, a main street with people coming and going. Beyond that, there are boys dressed in unpolished attire. They are similar to when Alice came out of the village, in dress and atmosphere. They all looked like young people who had just arrived in Tokyo. This is Ciclo, the farming town. ...... Good luck! Yeah, let''s do it. The boys are encouraging each other, and it''s a funny sight. But that''s not all. I''m going to be like Ryota Sato. Me too. Me too, me too. Go to ......? What did you say?Will you end up like me? Turning to the side quizzically, Alice grinned in exactly the same way as before. ''This is one of the reasons,'' Could it be: ...... ''Yes!Lyota is a new adventurer''s dream. When I''m here, there''s just one aspiring adventurer after another. I didn''t know that was going to happen ....... "''Aim!Lyota! The circle of boys was embarrassing for me to watch. On top of that, it was doubly embarrassing to see the people around me saying "Go for it" in a normal way. 153. Still I When I woke up in the morning and came to the cafeteria after grooming myself in the bathroom, I saw Celeste propped up at the table, heaving. She was a tall, dark-haired beauty, usually crisp and beautiful, but she was heaving without a trace. ''Good morning Celeste, what''s up?'' ''Good morning, Lyota. I''m just having a magic storm this morning. ''Oh, I see. Are you okay? Yes, as long as you stay inside the house, you''ll be fine. I just accidentally went out earlier and that''s all that got me. Really? ...... I''ll be fine. Celeste straightened up and returned to her usual crisp, beautiful demeanor. ''We''re blocked off as long as we''re inside this mansion, and the forecast was for things to return to normal after lunch. That''s what Celeste says. It seems to be okay, and there''s nothing you can do about it in the first place. When I was in my former world, I had a headache due to the low pressure, so I know I have no choice but to be quiet at a time like this. Fortunately, it''s all right in the morning. It''s all Lyota''s fault. Celeste smiled and said in a mockery, "I''m sorry. I know you''re joking about not worrying me, but what do you mean it''s my fault? ''''It''s something I was able to canst with Lyota-san. Magic storms are harder on you the better you are at being a magician. Oh, that was definitely my fault. I know. ''Then I owe you an apology. What do you want me to do? ''Well, ...... then, would you like to come out and have tea with me sometime?I found a great place in town. There''s two of us there. All right. We''ll go next time. Celeste smiled happily as she said this. I hoped that I could fool the vexation of the magic storm, even just a little bit, I thought. Nifornium, sixth floor. When I arrived in the Transporter Room, I knew something was wrong. The throbbing in the side of my head, not from damage or anything, but from the depths of my head. That''s what Celeste and the others told me about the day of the magic storm. Why?That''s when I thought. ''Ah ...... intelligence s......'' It took an instant to understand. A magical storm that causes abnormalities in a wizard''s physical condition. It was just said that the stronger you are as a wizard, the more you''re affected by it. My intelligence is S, and I''ve raised my intelligence, which is a parameter of my magic attack power, to S. That''s right, it will be affected. I stood there and checked my body''s condition. It''s hard, but not so hard that you can''t move, and... Using the Absolute Rock stone to enter invincibility mode would greatly reduce it. Yeah, it doesn''t seem to affect the hunt. Having concluded that, I began to hunt. Sixth floor of the Nifonium Dungeon, Poison Zombie. I continued to hunt it today. A technique other than status, which I felt more and more necessary when the Sulphur Dungeon came up. Sniping, shooting out the limbs, etc. While practicing various methods, I killed the Poison Zombies and dropped seeds. There were no accidents, and by noon, I had collected the planned amount of seeds and intelligence became SS. Intelligence also became ......SS. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit F Speed SS Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... The statuses I checked using the portable now boat were nicely aligned with the SS. This is the sixth one, with three to go. We''re almost to the finish line. Also, ...... that one will be coming up soon... A sword, a mirror, and a gemstone. I think the last of the three is about to come out. I headed downstairs to aim at ....... Nihonium Dungeon, 7th floor underground. No dungeon snow or poisonous fog, it was the same place as the first four floors. Since it didn''t seem to be necessary, I deactivated Absolute Lock''s invincibility mode. Huh? I couldn''t help myself. As soon as I disarmed it, I felt a pain coming from the back of my head. The pain of a magic storm. The same pain as when I entered the dungeon this morning, though. ''''Wasn''t it until midday?'''' With a twist of my neck, I returned to the sixth floor. The sixth floor, filled with poisonous fog, was damaging to my strength, but I didn''t have a headache. Back to the seventh floor underground, headache. Sixth floor, no headache. Seventh floor, I do. "Window cutter. Chanting magic, it was a dud. I see, it seems to be the special terrain of the seventh floor. The dungeon often has various special terrain and effects after the fifth floor, that''s why you need a license after the sixth floor. It seems that the seventh floor beneath Nifonium is a level where magic cannot be used. Well, I don''t have a problem with that. It gives me a dull headache, but not unbearable, and I can fight without magic. I pulled out my gun and loaded it and then proceeded. I soon encountered the monster and the monster and the encounter. The monster on the seventh floor underground was a bandaged mummy, a mummy. But it''s not just a bandage, it''s a mummy with a strange upside-down neck and a bee charged whole body. The mummy was surprisingly agile in its attacks. It''s fast for the figure, but not as fast as Red Skelton, quickly dodge it and use a normal bullet first. The bullets flew straight through--they were extinguished by the buzzing electricity. ''Is that going to be armour?'' It didn''t take long for the bullets to go off, and then he quickly swapped bullets with reinforced conventional bullets. Both bullets were obliterated. I knew it. It''s a magic storm that bans magic, and there''s a good chance that physics won''t be able to get through. So I started in with normal bullets, penetrating bullets, and reinforced normal bullets. As a result, predictably it was all obliterated by what looked like lightning armor. The mammy rushes in, bouncing around with its powerful arms and hitting me. I fly backwards while guarding myself and catch the power. I wanted to stay in the right place for that. The power is appropriate for what it looks like and my guarded arm tingles, plus the additional damage from the lightning bolt makes it chatter. I jumped back and this time I shot a fireball and a freezing bullet that added nothing. The bullets landed, and a magic circle spread out, burning Mummy''s arms and freezing her legs. Mammy screamed a mixture of yelling and screaming. This one seems to be listening. A magic-free hierarchy, high physical resistance, tough on magic. Easy to see. Wait, there''s one more thing. I set up infinite lightning rounds and boom. The projectile produced a powerful bolt of lightning that healed the Mummy. I knew it was just as I imagined this one would be, too. The bandages are bee-charged, so I wondered if it was possible, but the lightning attribute seems to be absorbed. Now I have a general idea, and I have a rough idea of the strategy. After lobbing a few firebombs at once, the mummy was burned and crumbled down. It didn''t even revive like the fourth basement floor, it collapsed normally. This was the moment when the strategy was fully established. After the mummy disappeared, a seed dropped there. A seed that only I could drop, a seed that would raise my status. --The spirit has been raised by 1. It seems that spirit seeds drop on the seventh basement floor. Well, let''s get all the seeds up to F to E today! Just as I thought that, a mummy was born from under my feet and attacked me by surprise. It was a surprise attack, and I chose the most reliable way to defeat it on a spur-of-the-moment basis. Repetition. I cast a magic, but nothing happened. A magic that absolutely defeats a monster once it''s defeated - but. ''''A magic storm?!'''' Even the strongest magic is something that originally existed in this world, so it can''t go against the reasoning of the world. The strongest magic can''t be used in the first place if the magic is banned. I chose it to fight back, and during the unsuccessful time loss, Mummy teamed up with me. She opened her mouth so wide that it split open and bit me. I tried to pull away, but she had a tight grip on me and wouldn''t let go. ''Ko......Reiki thing! I grabbed Mamie''s head and kicked her in the body. Mammy still grabbed me tightly and wouldn''t let go, but when I kicked or pushed her out with all my strength, the arm holding me was still intact, and her body was torn off her elbow and sent her flying away. It''s a good thing that the arm that''s holding me is still there, because it''s not, but it''s also a good thing that the arm that''s holding me is still there, and it''s a good thing that the arm that''s holding me is still there, because it''s not. It''s a good thing we''ve been practicing this and that. Even if you can''t use the repetition, even if you''re limited in the types of bullets you can use. Still, I can still fight. I can even kill the third mummy with an annihilation bullet. It''s so easy to fight. 154. Wiping the butt Terdungeon, sixth basement floor. Curry at night, Emily said, so I came straight to the transporter room to get some potatoes. Quite a few adventurers are still looking for monsters in the sixth basement floor at night. After a short walk, we saw one just emerging from the ground. A parent-child slime. It''s a monster characterized by the fact that the big slime is pulling the smaller slime along like a baby duckling. It''s a special kind of monster that increases the number of its drops when it defeats its ''parent'' according to the number of ''children'' it defeats. By the way, it''s a ''parent and child slime'', but both the parent and child are an individual. The child is called a child, but it''s more like a limb or hair, or some other part of the body like that. Curry for six people, including the "second day''s curry" is enough for about ten of them. With that in mind, I pulled out my gun, and one of the guys from the side struck the father and son slime first. ''''Hey that''s my .......'''' I tried to stop him from hitting me sideways with my voice, but both my outstretched hands stopped. It was because the man going towards the father and son slime was wobbling. He was so pale that I could tell just by his profile in the dungeon. He wobbled like a zombie businessman bathed in the morning sun after three days and all-nighters, of course, there was no way he could match the monster. His attack misses, and he is blown away by a counter, slamming his back hard into the wall. As it was, it crumbled down like a thread or a broken doll. The father and son slime naturally chased after it, but this time I broke in from the side. I''ll be able to get into the flesh with my normal bullets. After confirming that I was able to defeat about ten child slimes, I hit a full swing body blow. The parents get harder according to the number of children defeated, but ten of them were still as hard as concrete, so I was able to defeat them in one hit. "U......n. You came to your senses. ...... here! A man who went from being in a daze to huffing and pacing around. Tellurium 6th floor. I didn''t move it. "I was out of it. ......?How long has it been? About five minutes. d*mn it, is it that much ...... not too late? The man tried to get up with a face biting down on a bitter worm. But he felt dizzy and fell to one knee. ''Don''t be pushy. You haven''t slept for days. I can tell by the look on your face. I''m going to have to push myself harder than ever before. The man whipped himself up and tried to get up, only to wobble and it didn''t work. That''s right, I know people like that all too well. You''ve probably been up all night for days now, past the vexation and inverted highs, and the real (,) physical limits of your body are being reached. No matter how you try, you can''t move. After struggling for a while, the man gave up. He crossed his legs and dropped his shoulders discouragingly. ''No? ......'' What''s going on?If you''d like, I''d be happy to listen to you? ...... The man looked at me, sighed, and then spoke up. ''I''m Leon from the Joel family. In fact, a week ago my boss, Joel, took a job for me. It involves delivering a batch of potatoes by today. "Hmm. I take requests and deliver that number of items by the deadline. I also deliver watermelon to Ina''s parents'' house, or sometimes bamboo shoots to Eric the gourmet. It''s made-to-order, so to speak, and it''s not that uncommon in this world. That''s the boss''s mistake, and he''s taken on nearly ten times our capacity. Tenfold?So you''re reckless. I look around. If I look closely, I see that some of them are pale besides Leon. A few are still at it, but most are slumped against the wall, leaning back against the wall. "The bossy one is ...... and she''s the one over there. No, there is no boss. What? I stared at Leon in surprise. ''The boss has low plant drops, so we''re in charge of the Cyclo dungeon. Which means: ...... Leon chuckles as he reads what I''m trying to say from my eyes. I''m just cleaning up your boss''s mess. I don''t know what he''s doing, he''s a bastard. He makes mistakes like this all the time, and even though he makes them, he''s still hunting meat with his serenity. Leon complained loudly. If you''re cleaning up your boss''s mess, and he''s taking it easy while you''re at it, you''re going to get one of your complaints. What can you say ...... it''s ....... "Hey, how much more of this do you need? What? What''s the time limit?How much do you need by then? What do you want to hear about it? I don''t care. Leon replied reluctantly, perhaps understanding my intention to spare time to explain. ''We have very little time. The quantity is ...... for another 500,000 pirouette. Okay. I look around and see a father and son slime that isn''t being attacked by anyone. I grab my gun and reload it. "Hey, what are you going to do? I''ll take care of it. Leaving Leon wondering, he rushes at the parent and child slime. After ramming into the crowd of children, he fired in all directions with two pistols. Scatter the normal bullets and wipe out the child slime. Then he hardens the parent slime to its limits - the parent slime that previously required five annihilation rounds. ''Repetition.'' I hit the The parent slime was killed instantly and dropped a lot of potatoes. ''I''ll take care of this one, just pick it all up. I''ll come up with the next one. Are you ......, or are you ......? I didn''t even have time to respond to Leon''s words. I sprinted through the dungeon, finding the parent and child slime and producing a lot of potatoes with a combo of repetition from random shots. Repeating the non-stop blink-and-you''ll-miss-it-all speed, I produced 500,000 piro''s worth of potatoes in less than 30 minutes. At the front of the cyclo-dungeon, I watched as Leon''s friends carried the potatoes away. Some of them were really at the end of their strength, so I used the infinite recovery bullets from the mashed potatoes to recover them. Leon saw them off together. ''Thanks for the help. Let''s see... ...... It''s Lyota. The Lyota family! Leon is astonished. He murmurs sullenly. ''Well, ...... your people are happy. In fact, you should probably stay away from the boss. In my experience, the fact that you responded to his recklessness makes it all the more reckless. ...... He''s a convicted felon. ...... Leon doesn''t answer. I can tell from his expression that he is aware of it. ''Well, I guess it''s not for me to say. You should think about it. I say and head back to the dungeon. My friends are waiting for me, it''s about time for Curry to be ready. I walked down to the sixth floor and tried to leave in the transporter room. "Oh, wait a minute. Leon stopped me. ''Anyway, thank you for the help, thank you!'' Yeah. I waved to Leon and headed back to the dungeon. 155. Recommendation for changing jobs At night, a bar specializing in beer, Villadiche. I came here by myself. Sometimes I want to drink quietly by myself, and sometimes I want to drink alone because every day is busy and fun. That''s why I came here alone. The waiter shows me to my seat and orders a coffee-beer, one of my recent favorites. I''m looking forward to it being brought to me. ''Huh. ......'' I heard a deep sigh from the seat next to me. A sigh of the type often heard in bars - or rather, taverns. ''''Huh?Leon, isn''t it? ''What?Ah. The other guy is surprised to see me. It was Leon there. He had ordered the orthodox menu of beer and yakitori, but he hadn''t touched the yakitori at all, even though he''d had five or six drinks from a puddle ...... made of water dripping from a glass on the table. I''m just stirring up the booze, that''s all. ''What''s the matter with you, sighing so deeply?'' ''Oh no ......, well, thank you for the other day.'' You don''t sound like you''re saying thank you, what''s going on? Yes, ......, that was actually a great help, the client was so pleased with it that they decided to ask for it in the future. Good for you. That''s why ...... all the credit goes to the boss. Yeah? ''Boss ...... Joel, you''ve taken the credit alone. Well, he''s the boss of the family, so I don''t blame him. ...... Leon gulped down more beer. ''Your boss took the credit for it: ...... Leon nodded, the scene seemed to come to life. The boss who didn''t do anything, who only came out when a project was successful and acted as if he had done it all and therefore succeeded, taking all the credit for it. In my old world, when I was in the company, there were people like that. ''That''s okay, I''m the boss. But you know what? Don!and slams the cup down hard on the table. He blushes and his eyes are sitting up. ''So I''m thinking about getting another job. And a job that won''t make any money that the rest of the family won''t want to take. Ah, ....... I understand that, I''ve seen some of those. There are guys who take jobs without thinking about the field and whether or not they''ll make any money. It''s always this one that gets divided by that: ....... I know what it''s like to want to giggle in a bar after being hit by a compound technique, Leon. I move to your seat, accept the beer brought by the waiter, and gesture to tell him that I''ll be sitting with him. As I do so, I ask Leon, "Why don''t you go out on your own? "Why don''t you just go out on your own?Wouldn''t it be better to do this alone than to be in the family?I''m an adventurer, and I think I can still get by. ''No. ...... I''m the number two in the family, and if I stop now, it will be a problem for the rest of the guys. And I still have a lot of work to do to teach the younger kids. That''s what happens when you''re asked to do something, or if you''re ....... Yeah? What if you pull all your guys and go out on your own? As he said it, Leon''s eyes widened. There was a brief glimmer of hope in his eyes. ''That hand--oh, no. ...... Why? ''I don''t have it anymore, but every youngster has debt. Debt for equipment. "Debt for equipment? My eyebrows are squeezing together!I found myself saying. ''We have a lot of kids who come in with nothing, you know, and the first time we give them a weapon, but they usually break it right away. So the new ones pay for themselves, but ...... usually go into debt there. To Joel? Not directly. My boss is a guarantor and borrows it from the Dungeon Society. From the Dungeon Association: ...... You did that too? My boss is my guarantor, so of course I''ll have to return the ...... family as soon as I can. We don''t have that kind of money. ...... Leon sighed more and gulped his beer in one go. There are many reasons why I want to change jobs, but I can''t, and some of those reasons are called "money". I have debts to pay, I''m worried about my life, and my salary might go down. In many cases, "money" is what holds us back. I think about it for a minute and say to Leon. "Come with me. ''What?Where? I don''t care. I didn''t wait for Leon''s reply and walked ahead. My destination is the Dungeon Association. Stars Clint welcomed me and Leon, out of the blue at night and with a heavy drinker, with open arms. Inside the chairman''s office, Clint asked with a smile on top of his surprise. ''What''s up with you, Satou, on a night like this?'' I hear the Dungeon Association owes money, too. ''It''s not a moneylender, call it the Adventurer''s Mutual Aid. We offer a much lower interest rate than those moneylenders. Of course, as an adventurer, you''ll need a certain amount of credit in order to borrow from them. ...... Clint compared me to Leon. ''Does Satou need a sum of money?'' No. I shook my head and then told him about Leon. I explained that he was part of the Joel family and that he wanted to start his own business but couldn''t because of the debt of his friends. ''I see ...... that Joel''s ......'' You know what? The... Clint nodded, glanced at Leon and said. ''They''re famous for their tactics of giving newbies inferior weapons and armor for free, but after it breaks, they''re known for making them buy something awfully expensive by saying, ''You''d better replace it with a properly good one. It''s not a rip-off, but it''s not something they can afford, and that''s usually what gets young kids into trouble for a long time. Is that so? ...... Leon nodded gravely. ''It''s not like I''m being tricked or anything, because it''s long and strong: ...... But it''s malicious. ...... Leon was silent, and I''m sure he felt the same way. I turned to Clint. I could pay him, and if it was enough money to tie up a new adventurer, there was nothing I couldn''t pay him. But I knew that wasn''t quite right. I turned to Clint and asked him what he was thinking of doing. "Is it possible for me to be the guarantor on that debt Joel has signed for? Not normally. What''s normal? Usually. Clint said it off, and next to me I could feel Leon''s disappointment in the air. Leon took "normally" at face value, but I read between Clint''s lines (gaze). If it was really bad, he wouldn''t be looking at me like this and saying ''normally''. "You''re going to have to do something about that. I put my head down. "You know, you don''t have to-- I understand. Clint said, and Leon said, "What? I was surprised. ''If Satou says so much,'' Clint nodded and did us a favor. I don''t know why he made me read between the lines, though, and why he made me do this roundabout thing. ...... Looking into Leon''s thrilled eyes, I was certain that I had removed all his obstacles. Star. A few days later, the rumor of a dumb leader who had been run off by all his friends (buka) spread throughout the adventurers of Ciclo. 156. Dog aristocrat Seventh floor of the Nifonium Dungeon, the moment I came using the transporter room, "Ugh! I became. A tier where magic can''t be used, a tier where magic storms are always natural. I can fight normally without magic, so that''s not a problem, but my ability as a wizard - my intelligence has been raised to SS, so I get a slight headache when I get here. It''s at the level of a general feeling of lethargy on a low-pressure day, but if it comes all at once at the level of moving rooms, it''s a bit unbearable. After taking a deep breath, it was much easier, so I pulled myself together and started hunting monsters. As usual, the uninhabited seventh floor of the basement was crawling with mammies. The bandages on her body were discharging beehives. Pure physical attacks are still ineffective (). The penetrating bullets were almost ineffective, the tracking bullets flew into the gaps in the bandages where the mummy''s body was exposed, but they hit the discharging electricity and turned to dust. ''Oops?'' On the contrary, the restraining bullets worked well. A restraining round that when it landed, a rope of light tied up the opponent. Even with a plain straitjacket that didn''t use reinforced bullets, I was able to restrain Mammy for quite a long time. It was able to restrain the mummy for nearly three times as long, much longer than other monsters. Just this one?Or is this mummy itself? It''s only a small amount, but monsters have their own individual differences, so I shoot straitjacket bullets at every single one of the Mammy''s on the seventh floor underground and see how they do without defeating them. Then I found that the straitjacket worked well on the other mammies as well. If the straitjacket works, what about the sleeping bullets? With that in mind, I fired a sleeping bullet this time. Sleeping bullets that are fusion bullets of recovery bullets. I shot them into Mammy from one side to the other. The effect was still outstanding, and Mammy stopped moving while standing. The sleeping bullets are working and she''s asleep, but because she''s a zombie type, her expression hasn''t changed much and she''s become like a wax figure standing still and not moving. It was a bit surreal to see all the mammies on the floor not moving. It was like a world where time stopped and I was the only one who could move. After confirming that sleeping bullets worked three times as well as normal, I hunted the mammies with a combo of sleeping bullets and punches for the day. Put him to sleep and then do whatever I wanted, keep knocking him down with that combo. Spirit, E to D. I didn''t go into the tellurian this afternoon, but instead went into town. When I talked to Celeste, she told me that she couldn''t help me use magic because of the magic storm, but she said that they usually sell a potion to control the side effect headaches, so I went out to find it. ''There folks,'' Yeah? As I was walking, I was approached out of the blue. It''s a young man''s voice, his attitude is so loud and verbal. He stops and turns around, silvery, Celeste-like long hair, aristocratic clothes, intelligent eyes and a neat nose. He''s a young man who looks like a picture-perfectly handsome nobleman. ''''Where is the dungeon tellurian?'''' ''Tellurium?Tellurian is ...... I was lost for a moment. I''ve been going to Tellurium a lot, but lately I''ve been using the transporter room all the time, so I didn''t recognize it for a moment. I was only lost for about three seconds though, and then I marked Ciclo''s conspicuous building and followed it to recall my memory and tell the young man where it was. ''I see. ''Thank you folks,'' He thanked me and saw the young man off. Thinking it''s great to call out "O common man" to a stranger who asks for directions, I regained my composure and started walking again, trying to find the medicine. Boom! Suddenly, I heard a roar from behind me. The ground shook slightly and I turned around to see what was going on, and there was a gorilla. It was a haggle of dropping guns that I had defeated at some point. It was on a rampage, the people of the city were running for cover. Most of them fled quickly, but one shop lady was slow to escape. When I looked, I saw that she was inside the store, taking the sales money out of the safe behind the counter. By the time she collected all the sales money and finally tried to escape, it was too late. A rampaging gorilla had come to the front of the store and was blocking my escape route. ''Hey, stop ......'' ''Whoa!'' A gorilla beating his chest and bellowing, pouncing on his auntie with a fierce face. A quick decision. I''ve been trying to do a lot of things on a regular basis, so I quickly decided that I could create a wall of ice by shooting freezer bullets at both the ceiling and the threshold to buy some time. I bought time while rushing forward and loaded up the freezer bullets and prepared to save my auntie - the moment. A man jumped out from right beside me. He fluttered his long silver hair and gorilla poked at the rapier. Despite being a slender sword, it had tremendous power, and it blew the gorilla right to the side. The gorilla rammed into a building that was collapsing in a rage, and finally turned into rubble. The man - the young man was the man who had asked for directions earlier. He chased the gorilla with his rapier. He falls down and gives a relentless chase to the gorilla, who struggles to get to his feet in the debris, and then takes him down. I drop the gun I raised, having unexpectedly lost my turn to fight. The young man also puts away his rapier and checks his surroundings, I know the look in his eyes, the way adventurers often do when they are trying to see if there are any enemies left around. The young man''s grandmother runs up to him. ''Thank you. Thank you for saving me. ''Never mind, folks. There was someone in need and someone who had the power to help, that''s all. This is another young man who says this as if it''s a matter of course. His demeanor was pompous, his language was the disgusting aristocrat himself, but I didn''t feel any animosity. People gathered around him, the people of the city who had escaped. Everyone praised the young man, some young girls looked at him with respect and admiration. It was the same vendor as before. In the evening, Emily and I are sitting in the living room, or salon, where everyone gathers, drinking tea and waiting for the others to return. I tell Emily about what happened in the city today, and I guess she heard the story, because she tells me something I didn''t know. "Before," she said, "when me and Emily beat you? ''Yes, sir!It''s the exact same vendor as that time, and I made the same mistake and made a hugely important one. I was warned before, so the Dungeon Association has issued a restraining order against my business. I see. ...... I wish I had made the same mistake twice and put the city in danger. ...... It''s a gorilla haggler that gave me my first encounter with guns, but it''s usually a huge nuisance to everyone in town, so I''m not going to stop getting rid of it. ''We''ve had problems with trash scavenging before, too. You mean Cerberus. Hi. So there are rumors that the penalties for littering and haggling will become stricter. For example, you might not be allowed to take out food with bones that you can''t eat. It''s like Singapore with the gum ban: ...... Newspapers, sir? Emily tilts her head at the name of a place she''s never heard of. ''Apparently salmon fillets are dangerous too. ''Why not?Isn''t the salmon skin delicious! This one was a complete flop. No, it''s not every day you get salmon takeout in the first place. Emily and I were making small talk in the saloon of the house, which was filled with bright and warm air, when there was a knock at the door. The knocker at the front door is buzzed with a bang. ''A guest?'' It''s very unusual for this hour. Is this Clint again?They''re talking about banning all sorts of things, so I wonder if there''s something wrong with me again. With that in mind, Emily and I headed for the front door. I opened the door. ''Excuse me, I think this is Lyota Sato''s home. The visitor wasn''t Clint, but a young man. Long silver hair, nobleman''s clothes, and a handsome face are the same young man who was in town today. "You can go to ...... Hmm?Do you know me? The other side apparently doesn''t remember us. I mean, I heard it was Lyota Sato''s house, and now this. You don''t even know my face. ''Hi.'' Okay. My name is Cell Stem. I''m wondering if Master Sato is home. I''m Ryota Sato. Oh! A moment later, the young man - Cell''s eyes shone with excitement. ''I dare you, Master Sato. My name is Cell Stem. I hear that now. ''This was rude, I guess I got carried away by meeting Satou-sama. I looked at Emily. What do you mean?Emily''s face is like, I''m sure I have a similar face. In the salon, I sat across the table from Cell, facing her. After taking a sip of the tea Emily served with an elegant gesture, Cell stared straight at me. ''I became an adventurer after being impressed by Satou-sama. Me? Yes, I''ve heard of Sato-sama''s many accomplishments. I admire him. Are you a fan of Mr. Yoda''s? Emily asks next to me, still holding the tray of tea served. ''You''re right. No, I''d say respect. So far I''ve been tempted to follow Satou-sama''s lead and do the same thing, but I hear every day of what we''ve accomplished, and I feel compelled to actually do it for once, no matter what. Cell, who gives an impassioned speech, is conversely embarrassed to be praised so much in front of me. To hide my embarrassment, I decided to lift Cell up too. ''You''re better than me. I saw that today and it''s not easy to jump out and help someone in there. ''What?Was it this guy? Emily is surprised, nodding her head in affirmation. So Emily looks at Cell, even more surprised, but Cell is unconcerned and says, "That was an imitation of Satou-sama. It''s an imitation of Satou-sama. ''Imitation?You mean you''re copying me? ''Hmm. When I heard about Satou-sama''s many actions, a phrase came to mind. The bottom line was, ''There was someone in need and someone who had the power to help.'' ''Oh ...... this is a real fan ......'' Muttering Emily, I was more surprised than that. That''s what Cell said to the people of the city after he defeated the gorilla. I had no idea that the words came from my actions. The moment I learned that, I knew I had to know more about Satou-sama, so I came to Cyclo. "Yeah, ......, but I''m just a regular adventurer-- I''ve decided to become president of the Dungeon Association here to find out everything. What? So, you''re the chairman? It''s not a surprise that Cell let loose. What about Clint, he''s going to be chairman? What happened to Clint? Cell is staring straight at me with no way of knowing my surprise. These eyes, these eyes that look like I''ve seen them somewhere before - they''re like Cerberus. These eyes are like Cerberus. Emily''s mumbling, yes Cerberus. Those doggy eyes that look like they''re waiting for me to die at the intersection in Shibuya. The handsome aristocrat was staring at me with those eyes. 157. Stalker aristocrat Oh, no, I don''t even know where to begin. Clint, who had called her out, wrinkled his brow and laughed as hard as he could. Beside him, Cell was flatly complimenting Emily. ''Excuse me, where are these tea leaves from?One of the top three delicacies in my lifetime. It''s the tea I got at a tea shop in town. It''s just an ordinary tea. ''My God!So, this taste ...... Mmmm, I''d say you''re one of Satou-sama''s friends. Cell is very pleased with the tea Emily made and is making her feel horrible about it. Putting that aside for the moment, I turned to face Clint. "Do you know about Master Stem? No, What about this? Clint took a single note from his pocket. Piro, the currency of this world. The 10,000-pillo note, its largest face value. ''It''s money, isn''t it, some kind of special money? No, it''s just an ordinary 10,000 piro. This is what Mr. Stem''s family produces. Go to ......? For a moment, I didn''t know what he was talking about and made a dumb voice. Everything in this world is a dungeon monster drop. I remember when I heard that even money was a dungeon drop before, I was half surprised and half convinced. This one was even more of a surprise. The ...... surprise is that somewhere along the line, I already know what Clint is talking about. "You mean producing ...... money for it? That is correct, sir. The dungeons that drop the banknotes are controlled by House Stem. Okubo Nagayasu? ...... It wasn''t just oil money, so to speak, it was money money money (). If that story is true, then the man''s family home in front of him is a ridiculous place that practically has control of this world. That''s right. Clint said further, smiling as his thoughts showed on his face. ''If someone like that asks me to give up my seat as association president, I can''t say no. That''s right: ...... Next to the seriousness of this one, Cell and Emily were talking about a different story. Cell pulled out a series of dolls from his pocket. They were hand-held size dolls. He placed them on the table and showed them to Emily. ''This is Satou-sama in manual combat, this is Satou-sama in long-range sniping, and this is Satou-sama getting serious about the Dungeon Master class. It''s amazing, they look just like each other! ''Why are you making that stuff? I plunged into it in a big way. All the hand-sized dolls were me. The dolls look like something you''d find in an Akihabara store - I mean, they''re figures, but the quality is amazingly high, so high that it would pass for me to say that I''m magically small. ''That''s because I respect Satou-sama, of course. This is Satou-sama when he was Seren, and this is Satou-sama when he was Aurum. This is Satou-sama when he lent his strength to Miss Margaret-- Stalker! A shudder ran up my spine all at once, and something ran up my spine. It''s still good that it''s close combat and sniper specs, but making it up to a specific situation''s is jumping over the line at sonic speed. It''s not like I''m a stalker or anything. I was genuinely impressed by Satou-sama''s actions. ...... I looked at the cell with zit eyes. ''That''s what all stalkers say. ''It''s true. ...... These are all scenes from when Master Sato helped someone in need. Mmm. Cell speaks with a straight face, and I suddenly remembered his line, "There was someone in need and someone who had the power to help. ''I only wish that I hadn''t, and I''m only giving form to what Satou-sama was like at that time. ....... Maybe so. It''s going a little too far, but it could be. ''If Yoda-san is helping people, do you have Cerberus-chan''s too? Of course, I''m pretty sure I''ve got some sort of-- Something bean-shaped fell to the ground from Cell''s hand as he tried to retrieve the new figure. It''s not a figure, it''s a jewel-like object. It''s a tear of slime. I recognized it at first glance, Emily, I recognized it too. It''s how I remember it, partly because we served it in response to a request at a previous harvest festival. "This isn''t what it looks like. Cell hurriedly snatched it up and tucked it away in his pocket. ....... ............. ''No way is that--'' No, I didn''t switch out the food that Sato-sama served at the harvest festival. Stalker! There''s no doubt about it, this guy is a stalker. A stalker without a hundred percent doubt. Cell''s stalker is exposed, and the salon is filled with a delicate atmosphere for a while. After a while, Cell clears his throat with a gohon and cuts it off as if nothing has happened. ''''It''s going to be messy in this town for a while from now on. As the head of the association, I''ll be asking for Satou-sama''s help, but I''m counting on you. Oh, yeah. As a matter of gratitude, this mansion and the three properties Satou-sama has under contract. I will buy them all and-- Please don''t. He stopped midway through Cell''s words. ''Mmm?What do you mean, stop? There''s no reason for you to take it. No, this is... I''m not in trouble. Simple, short, look into Cell''s eyes and say, "I don''t care if you''re getting paid for something, or if you''re in need of help. If you do something and get paid for it, or if you''re in trouble and need help with something, whatever. If it''s neither of those, then there''s no reason to get it. He pulled back with a bitter face as he said back to Cell. ''Well, I suppose Satou-sama is right. I hate it. But I''m in a bind. I''ve come all the way to this town and I want to get to know you, Sato-sama, as much as possible. ...... The words troubled me. ''Yes!Could you bring me a drop from Satou-sama every day? "Drop? Hmm. It''s a good thing that my sister, who came with me, is a gourmet. It''s just a picky eater, but I''m sure she''ll be happy with the ...... things that Satou-sama made her drop by killing monsters. I''ll double my market price, so every day! ...... Hmm. I thought. I put my hand on my chin and thought. "If that''s what you''re talking about, ......, okay. Really? Cell is overjoyed to have his proposal accepted. ''It''s just like Cerberus, after all. Emily murmured sincerely, but the trouble was, I agreed with her. It''s stalkerish, but it''s a complicated feeling that''s hard to hold back. As they left the Lyota mansion, Cell and Clint were riding in the Stem family carriage. Clint, sitting across from Cell, said with a slight smile. ''''I didn''t expect you to say no to the mansion. So it''s worthy of respect. Satou-sama is still Satou-sama. Clint was secretly surprised. Because the man in front of him, Cell, the man who held the source of all the money in this world, seemed to really respect Lyota. For what it''s worth, in his gut, he was going to talk about ...... after he left the mansion, and he wasn''t expecting it and was greatly surprised. But that was fine, Clint thought. Cell''s gaze of pure adoration convinced him. That thanks to Lyota, Cyclo had a more powerful backing than anything else in times of need. Clint was convinced. 158. Seriously rich Nifonium Dungeon, 7th floor underground. It''s a floor where you can''t use magic, so today I''m going to devote myself to hunting monsters. Since I can''t use the strongest magic, Repetition, I''m determined to improve my fighting skills. I practiced my counter today. The only one who can do that without hesitation is this Nifonium, which no one comes to. I didn''t attack the electrified Mammy, but waited for her to come to me. As the mummy approached and shooed the attack away, I dodged the skin and hit a cross counter. Minimal movement, but sharp. A counter strike to match Mummy''s attack. He blows the mummy away and drops the seed. This is ...... a pleasant feeling. Hold the attack, dodge it with a single piece of skin, and hit the counter at the best possible time. The maximum efficiency of it can only be achieved for a moment, perhaps a split second. The moment I was able to achieve that, I felt a pleasant sensation that went through my entire body. From a gourd to a frame. I continued to counter for that pleasure. A counter that focused, held the attack and matched it perfectly. The mummy blows up and the seed drops again. ...... That was a little fast, not as responsive as before. Adjust the timing of the physical sensation. I do the same thing to the next mummy, this time it''s a little slower and the mummy''s attack is grazed. I repeated the counter over and over again. It was harder than anything I''d ever done before, but it made a huge difference in how good it felt when it was perfect. While I was practicing the counter, my mind went up from E to D on its own. In the afternoon, I came to the basement level of the tellurium in the transfer room with the determination that it was time to earn some money. It was a familiar dungeon with slime and bean sprouts flying around, but something was wrong. It was noisy. As I followed the noise, I found a building there. At a glance, it looks like a one-story building of about 100 square meters, a building that didn''t exist until yesterday. The one-story building built in the tellurium like an underground passage is almost out of place. The adventurers had gathered in front of it and were buzzing about it. ''''What''s this?'''' It''s a rest stop. A rest stop? He craned his neck and turned his attention to the male adventurer next to him. I don''t know his name, but he''s a familiar face in Tellurian, an adventurer who looks familiar to both of us. ''''It seems the new Dungeon Association head had it made. It seems that if you stay in this building, your HP and MP will recover at a faster than normal pace. It''s like an inn in a dungeon: ...... If that''s true, it''s quite a useful facility. ''But why did they build it here?I don''t mean to tell you this, but you don''t need this in the basement level of Tellurian. It''s not just me. The first basement floor of the tellurian is nothing but slime, and it''s the weakest slime, if you can call it that. I don''t think a recovery facility is needed at a level where there is only slime. No, they''ve built them on every floor. What? I''ve heard he''s made them in every level of every dungeon in Cyclo, except Nifongnium. Did you make it? I made it. The man nodded. Hey, hey, that''s great. ...... It''s not oil money, it''s fearful money money. As I was thinking about this, a cell came out of the building. He came out accompanied by a maid whose eyes were hidden by her bangs. Cell spun around to look around at the adventurers and then went in a tone of speech. ''Listen, common people. This is a recovery facility that any adventurer can use.'''' The adventurers buzzed even more. ''Take advantage of this. And be more diligent in your production (drops), folks. Some adventurers raised an eyebrow because of the "common people" every time they said "common people", but most accepted the existence of a free resting place with open arms. There''s some kind of trap for free use or ......? ''Nope. If you can recover in a dungeon, you''ll be more efficient, and if you''re more efficient, you''ll be taxed more. If there''s money to be made, it''s the normal way for the Dungeon Association to do it. Some of us were suspicious, but the more experienced adventurers we were, the more we embraced the rest stop. That''s great ....... I don''t know the specific cost, but it must cost a lot of money to build an inn-like structure in a dungeon. And to do that on every floor, and in one night ....... Rich people, that''s awesome ....... ''''Oh, isn''t that Satou-sama in there?'''' Cell found me and came over with a smile on his face. The bangs maid didn''t follow me, but went back inside the inn. So you''re not your direct subordinate or anything, you''re the staff of the inn. I''m glad you''re here. ''No, I was just passing by. It''s more amazing than that, making this stuff. I''m just trying to be productive. I''m just doing what I do best. He doesn''t look proud or humble. He''s a very natural-looking guy, and he thinks he''s done the "usual" thing, as he says. He''s a great guy. Yes, there was one thing I wanted you to receive, Satou-sama. Me? Mm, wait a minute. The cell ruffled his bosom, what''s being handed to him?I was waiting for it. ''Ah.'' The figure flopped from my pocket and fell to the ground. My figure - although it''s fine. The pose is the counter pose we were practicing this morning. It''s the one I just started doing this morning. "Stalker. Excuse me, but I''d like you to take this. Without seeming to take offense, Cell tucked the figure back into his pocket and pulled out a single bill. It''s nothing out of the ordinary, in fact, it''s just a wooden bill with nothing on it. He takes it and checks it on the front and back, then asks Cel. ''What''s this?'' The transmitter. The transmitter? Hmm, this is the dungeon-- Cell was about to say, when the wooden tag flashed. As it glowed, letters appeared in the empty space. The one displayed was the fourth floor of Seren. ''The fourth floor of Seren?What does that mean? ''''We''re lucky that he showed up at this time. As a matter of fact, in addition to this rest stop, I''ve installed Dungeon Master detectors in all of Cyclo''s dungeons. A dungeon master detector? ''Hmm, as you know, while the Dungeon Master is out, no other monsters will be out, and not only that, but if you let them stay out too long, they''ll even change the ecosystem of the dungeon. Yeah. They are a nuisance to the adventurers, the Dungeon Association and the entire city. That''s why they must be defeated as soon as they appear. That''s what this is for. ...... I see, so when the Dungeon Master comes out, he''ll let you know where he is? Hmm. And I''d like you to keep it for the influential people. First, I want Satou-sama to receive it. Cell with a serious face. If that''s the case, there''s no reason to refuse. I''ll take care of it. I''m going to take him down. Thank you. Cell mouths a thank you while looking at me with a strong gaze. I wondered what was going to happen when I suddenly pushed Clint out of the way to become the head of the association, but he''s surprisingly serious about it. I went to the fourth floor of Seren via the transporter room and shot a repetition at the dungeon master bicorn that the detector had captured, killing it instantly. This guy stayed behind and the entire dungeon stopped producing (and dropping), so I blinked it off without thinking about practice or anything like that at all. Then I went back to the basement floor of the tellurium via the transporter room again to report. Cell wasn''t there, and when I talked to the people around me, they said he went to the basement second floor. With that, Cell had just finished inspecting the inn on the basement floor, and came out with a bangs maid in the exact same ...... outfit. Just like above, I''m going to take a seat and let the adventurers know about the inn and issue a proclamation. I waited for it to be over and approached the cell. ''''Oh, Satou-sama.'''' I''m taking down the dungeon master. Mm, I know. That''s Master Sato for you. You know what?Oh, well, if you have one of these same ones, you''ll understand. I look at the wooden tag I was given earlier, after defeating the dungeon master it reverted back to just a tag-like appearance with nothing to show for it. I wouldn''t be surprised if the cell that had this made has the same one and that''s how they figured it out. ''''Thank you, Satou-sama, let me thank you again from Isuzu. Cell said and bowed his head. I knew he was serious ...... for the head of the association. Potto, the figure fell from my pocket to the ground. It was a new figure, a figure of me sticking out my hand and chanting the repetition - a figure of me just before. "Oops! Stalker! As I shouted that, I was a bit horrified. 159. Ask the Joker Tellurian dungeon, 4th floor underground. Put the bamboo shoots dropped from the Bad Slime in the magic cart and transfer them to the mansion. Now I''ve earned over a million piro today. Lately, I''ve been trying to round up my earnings at a million piro unless I have something in particular to do. I can make more money if I put my mind to it, but a million piro is a good limit, so I try to round up my earnings there. Hmmm, is that not enough? It''s a little hazy because it''s a mental calculation, and if it''s 990,000 piro or something like that, it''s going to be a little nasty. Just to be sure, I decided to earn a little more money, so I loaded my gun and decided to look for the next monster. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group of people arguing with each other. One of them was arguing with something, while a few others looked unhappy. ''''The rest is for 100,000 piro, there''s no need to rush, we just need to get it dropped by tomorrow morning. ""......" All right, I''ll go up first. The man who looked like the leader said this and raised his hand with a shtick and turned to leave with a smiling face. ....... That''s not the kind of thing you want me to do, you''re asking me to work overtime. No need to rush, but I want it by tomorrow morning. Work overtime, take your work home with you and do it at home. It''s a trick I learned a long time ago. It''s a nasty memory, and I thought I could help you out a bit - so I approached him. "Huh!Lyota Sato. The man who was about to walk away looked at me and I cringed. You know me, then, just as well. I was about to open my mouth to say a word. ''Mi, guys!It''s going to be tough, but we''ll do it together. He turned around and said quickly to his friends. What are you talking about now?But the man defeated the bad slime that was born beside him with a tension that forced him to get excited. ''Come on, let''s work together. I tried to make it even more exciting. The guy who was going to come back took the initiative, and the others reluctantly followed suit. I didn''t have time to interrupt, so I watched for a while before going home. The next day, the Cyclodungeon Association. I was in the president''s office when I was called by the president of the association - the cell. ''...... If I remember correctly,'' I looked around the chairman''s office, not at the cell we were sitting across from, but at the inside of the chairman''s office. ''This place must have been decorated like a normal office yesterday. Now it has been replaced with a gilded interior like any other royal palace. "I ordered them to renovate it. It needs many things. You did all this in one night? It''s lightly beyond remodeling. It''s almost double the size of the room, if it''s my imagination. ...... ''I need a lot of things,'' Really? Did you manage it with money?Or is it a monster drop? I don''t know the details, but I thought it was amazing. ''But it''s surprising,'' What? ''I thought they were supposed to display my figures, but I guess not. ...... Cell silently looked away. ''Hey, why do you look away there? I''m glad you''re here, Satou-sama, because I''d like to ask you a favor. I''d like to ask a favor of Master Sato at this time. I was diverted as much as I could. You''re decorating ...... No, well, that''s okay. What are you asking for? Uh, two things. Cell''s face has changed. His face became serious and crisp. ''It''s fine in my spare time, but I''d like Satou-sama to show his face on all levels in Cyclo. All you have to do is show your face.'' ''Just show your face?Why? I didn''t see the point of the cell request. What does it mean to just show up, to just show up in a dungeon? ''There is a whispering among adventurers these days - especially among the leadership level. ''Don''t let Lyota Sato get involved.'' I don''t want to be a part of this, okay?Did I do something wrong? Cell laughed. He laughed with a look that said no way. ''It was only after the Clifford incident that I started being told. ''Clifford?Barley. Cell nodded. ''Clifford''s income clearly dropped after that one incident. I tried to get it up, but Satou-sama intervened and my income went down. Yeah. In addition to that, there have been several other instances where subordinates have defected because of Sato-sama''s help. It''s... I know. I know everything about you, Lady Sato. I tried to argue with him, but Cell said it with a straight face. Not the eyes of a stalker, but those of an understanding man. ''All of those people got what they deserved, and the ones who are now telling Satou-sama to stay out of it are all the ones who are going to get what they deserve again. There are so many of them that are black companies. ''Last night, things changed just as Satou-sama walked by. ...... stalker. It was a stalker, but it was serious. ''Just like that, just having Satou-sama show up would make the unreasonableness a lot less unreasonable, and people in trouble would be less troubled for now. I see. I was wondering why it happened like that yesterday, but that''s what it was about. ''So I want you to show up at various levels, and that''s all it takes to save some people. Cel said and looked straight at me. ''Only Satou-sama could do that. ''All right. I''ll just show up at random. I''ve decided to take the request. I''m a little wary of going down a new level, trying to widen my circle, but I''m willing to show my face for that. I thank you. That''s the Satou-sama we''ve come to expect. What''s the other one you said there were two more? Mm, Auldurm. What about Aulum? "There has been an uptick in adventurer hunting lately. "Adventurer hunting? It''s a new word to me. But it''s a word that''s easy to understand and it''s one that you know you have to do something about. It''s more likely to happen in dungeons like Ulm, where the drops are expensive relative to their volume. Instead of killing monsters and dropping them, aim for the adventurer who collects them and scoop them all up. That''s a robbery. Hmm. And it''s more than just robbery. Sometimes dead adventurers are hunted and killed. That''s going to be ....... It''s something of an impetus. So you''re forcing them to take it. ''And the adventurers are armed, most of them are hardened with rare items for stability in dungeons, which means--'' ...... adventurer''s corpse gives rise to rare monster haggle. I said, and Cel nodded. I nodded gravely. ''I want you to stop that. This is another thing only Master Satou can ask you to do.'' Only me? Regular adventurers run steady laps, which means they specialize in the tiers they''re good at. Adventurers who aren''t very good at opponents spend 90% of their time on the ground. Yeah, ....... It''s like an MMO where opposing monsters and opposing people are two completely different things. ''''I can only rely on Satou-sama, who is highly capable and works hard day and night to be able to deal with every situation. So stop stalking me. He chuckles again. How could I even know that kind of thing they do in the dungeon? I laughed bitterly, but what was said was something I couldn''t leave alone. ''Okay, I''ll figure it out,'' He looked happy and relieved as he declared to Cell. 160. Invisible deterrence Back at home, I went to the salon to think about it. I thought about what the cell asked me to do, and how to get rid of it in the most effective way possible. I had an approximate plan in place, but there was one thing I needed to come up with a proper plan for, and I dwelled on it endlessly. I lost my concentration from thinking for a long time, and by the time I came back (...), the sun had gone down. Gotcha. The door opens. There was EmilieȤ coming in. "Yoda-san. Emily. What''s that in your hand? I need more tea. Emily walked up to me with her tray. As I nodded my head at the word refill, I saw a teacup on the table in front of me. I saw a teacup that hadn''t been touched at all. To replace it, Emily put a new, steaming teacup on the table. "You''ve been making tea. Sorry I didn''t notice. It''s all right. What''s the matter with you?Mr. Yoda, ummmmmmmm groaned and was troubled. Yes. ...... Would you be willing to discuss this with me? Of course it is! Emily nodded with a big smile and sat down across from me. She leaned forward slightly with an excited look on her face, and combined with her petite figure of 5''3", she looked more lovable than usual. I told her about the cell''s request. ''I heard there''s an adventurer hunt out in Aulum. "The Hunt for the Adventurer. Emily''s smile disappeared in an instant. It''s a completely flat expression, which is unusual for her. ''You know?'' I know what an adventurer''s hunt is. Emily answers. A smile returns to her face. ...... What was that all about? That''s what happens in Aulum. Sand is a hoarder, so the problem is that it''s ...... taken away from the hoarders. They want us to fix that. Yes, sir. I''ll have to try to figure out if I can defeat the adventurer-hunter ...... or not, but there''s one problem that comes up first. What is it? I chuckled. ''A lot of things - well, not good things - people are refraining from doing just because I''m here these days. Yes, Mr. Yoda is a deterrent. That''s what Yoda is all about. ''The straightforward solution to this request is to patrol the area. That can be done easily by using the transporter room. That''s true, but if I patrol, they won''t do it, and they might target me when I''m not patrolling. It''s the same as jaywalking for pedestrians, regardless of the degree. If there are no cars coming in the narrow driveway, I''ll ignore the light and still cross, and if the officer sees it, he''ll be pissed off, so I don''t do it when he''s looking at me, but when he''s not there, I usually cross. If I''m patrolling now, the only time I''ll be there is when I''m not, and there will be no incident. That''s not a solution, it''s just a deterrent. That''s what I''m struggling with. I see! I was just wondering what I should do with it: ...... I snarled, and Emily snarled with me. We got together and struggled, but we couldn''t find a solution. ''We might just have to find the killer and cotensure him. Yeah. I will punish you severely. I knew it was the only way. So you''ll have to let him miss and attack you a few times, and then you''ll have to ...... it. Oh. What''s the matter, what''s on your mind? I''m sorry. I thought of Grandpa, not this way. Grandpa? Who are you talking about? I have to deliver food to Arsenic''s grandfather. Oh, I remember being friends with that genie over there. Not only are they not close, but they''re getting the blessing of the spirits, Emily. ''Do you deliver food every day?'' No, sir. Grandpa isn''t human, so sometimes he''s not hungry. So it''s different. "Oh, yeah? ...... What can I do to contact you? ...... What''s going on? Emily wonders. Something flashed in my head. A flash of inspiration, but an inspiration that I lost track of right after it happened. That feeling of forgetting what you wanted to search for when you opened your browser to search the Internet. So I retrace the steps. In this case, I can often trace out what I saw or talked about just before I did it. I did what I said and did it again. "How to get in touch with me? Yes? "--Hey!Thanks Emily!I''m going out for a bit! ''What?Mr. Yoda! Leaving a startled Emily behind, I ran out of the mansion and headed for the cell. Star. Aurum Dungeon, second basement level. The inside of the dungeon was tense. The adventurer hunters were going out, and the adventurers who were aiming for sand and gold were becoming wary of not only the monsters, but other adventurers as well. There was a pervasive air that everything but me was the enemy. ''Um, ...... sorry,'' -Oh! The adventurer, who was using his twin swords as weapons to defeat the little demon, was instantly alerted. He was approached from behind and turned around with his weapon at the ready. ''''It''s not!This, this, this! There was a young adventurer there. The young one hurriedly waved his hand in appeal. Then he held out his scabbard. ''''I picked up a lost item, this is yours, right?'''' ''What?Yeah, it''s true. The adventurer who was told to do so fumbled between his hips. There was only one sheath on the twin swords. ''''When did I drop it?'''' Yeah, go ahead. Thanks. The moment he received the scabbard, the adventurer jumped back in a big way, and his instantaneous reaction was probably due to the fact that he had been alerted just before. But even so, it was too late, the scabbard he received ...... was coated with poison on its surface, and the man''s hand tingled with pain. ''''d*mn, it''s you, adventurer-hunter! That''s right, and by the way, I didn''t drop it, I stole it. You can be vigilant, but if you''re only on the lookout for the killers, you''re going to get into this kind of thing. "d*mn it!This is about-- The twin-sworded adventurer fell to his knees. He held his head and moaned. ''Oh, because that poison isn''t something you can do with your hands, it''s a poison that stops the body itself from moving. "d*mn it. ...... The young man approached the twin-sworded adventurer with all the malice he could muster. He stood in front of the adventurer, who was stuck on his knees, and raised his hand. ''''Well, it''s just another tuition fee. I don''t want that class. What! Just as he was about to wave his hand down, another man appeared. Directly in front of the young man, behind the twin-sworded adventurer. That''s where Ryota appeared. Appearing from nothing, Ryota punched the young man in the side without question. Aurum dungeon, spirit room. I came via the transporter room and bobbed my head to Aulum. ''''Thanks for the help. I didn''t do anything with my life. Is that what you want? Not really. I shook my head clearly. ''Aulum helped me get over the biggest hurdle, thank you. I didn''t really do anything. I mean, what I did was just... Aulum said, taking out a switch and holding it up to show him. ''I just pressed this when the humans were struggling with each other in the dungeon. That''s what helps me the most. The switch was a cell device. It was attached to the cyclo dungeon, the one that notifies the competent person of the appearance of the dungeon master, and he gave it to Aulum, a modified version of it. Aulum - the spirit is able to grasp everything that happens in his (the dungeon). Whenever there was a conflict between humans or adventurer hunting, I would press it to notify me. I''d get the news and rush to the transporter room to solve the problem. This is the most effective way to minimize the damage and maximize the effect. The more this curbing of the gods and goddesses spreads, the more effective it will be in stopping the adventurer hunt. Well, if that''s what you want to do, that''s fine. I''m sorry to keep you waiting. I''ll take you out again. Yes. He asked Aulum to bow his head once more and then left the genie''s room. It didn''t take long to say that it was a while. As I had intended, the adventurer hunting hunting (...) had spread, and as a result, it was rapidly disappearing in Aulum. ''''As expected of Satou-sama, you used the spirits of the dungeon as well. Cell, who had asked for the request, was both impressed and surprised, and his tongue was wagging in his mouth. 161. Outside business hours Midnight, Auldurm dungeon, first floor underground. ''d*mn it!An adventurer''s hunt! If I knew, I would have let you out... Sorry, but that''s it. He put the muzzle to the man''s back, the man who had been threatening the adventurer with a scornful look on his previously scornful face freaked out and his face strengthened. ''Lyota Satou! You know, you''re a lot easier to talk to. Nonsense, it''s too soon. You''re not ready to-- What do you think?If you leave Aulum like this and never come back, I''ll let you off the hook. He presses the muzzle further on the man, lowering the tone of his voice and threatening him. ''Wow, okay. Just let me go, I won''t come back. Are you sure? It''s true! Okay. I lowered my gun and the adventurer-hunting man ran away like a de-rabbit. Finally, he turned around, looked at me, clicked his tongue, and disappeared from the dungeon. He probably wouldn''t come again. Aulum, who was totally used to it, was able to recognize the "signs of an adventurer hunt" and I could run to him before he actually hunted me, the moment he did it, like now. Even if it''s late at night, like now, when normal people are asleep. With Aulum''s advance warning, I could wake up from my sleep and rush to the scene in plenty of time. So I started crushing all the adventurer hunts, and the number of adventurer hunts decreased rapidly. Soon it would be gone completely. I put my gun away and spoke to the adventurers. "Are you okay? Oh. Oh. Uh... The adventurer, a young man, sat there. ''What''s the matter?Did you get hit somewhere? ''Oh?Oh no, I''m just tired. I''ve been on a late-night hunt for a while now on my boss''s orders. "Midnight hunts? ''There are fewer adventurers late at night, and there''s less competition for monsters. Oh, I see. A young adventurer tells me this makes sense. There is a limit to the number of monsters in a dungeon - or rather a maximum number that can exist at the same time. If you get hit by one of them, the dungeon will spawn a new monster, but it will never spawn more than the limit. There is never a limit to the number of monsters that exist. And when the number of adventurers exceeds the limit, some adventurers will not be able to hunt the monsters, of course. So they will fight each other, and the Dungeon Association will ban side-swipes to prevent them. I guess one of the ways to avoid this is to hunt late at night. Of course, adventurers are human, and late night is the time when most of us go to sleep. It''s no surprise that there''s less competition if you go into a dungeon late at night. "You''re all alone? Yeah, the bosses are in the daytime and I''m in charge of the night. He''s the same as me, but everyone else is old and weak at night. That''s just the way it is. Is that what you want? I wouldn''t do it if I didn''t have to. The man shrugged, palms up. He also wore a ludicrous smile. If you look closely at the man''s malaise, he reminded me of a late night part-time worker''s one-man operation, but if he''s convinced, it can''t be helped, I thought. The next morning, I used the transporter room to come to Aulum''s room. The spirit of this dungeon, Aulum, with horns on his head, wings on his back, and a gothic loli outfit on his head, was the spirit of this dungeon. The spirit, which still has a juvenile look to it, welcomed me with a smile. ''''Lyota!We''re going to be okay today, okay?I don''t see anything like that in the dungeon. ''Well. Thank you so much, Aulum saved my life. No, no, you said it.I didn''t do much. Thanks nonetheless. ...... Did you say there''s nothing like that in the dungeon right now? Yeah, they''re gone. The ones we have now - yes, all the faces we know, the ones who usually only fight monsters. Okay. Maybe I should go somewhere else to thank you. Really!I want to go to Lyota''s house. I know you''ve moved into a new house. ''Well, I don''t remember you being here before.All right, let''s go then. Yeah! I pull my gun out and I put it back in. What''s going on? No, I just think it''s better this way. Instead, I held up my hand. Taking out Aulum requires the procedure of taking her out, taking her down once and hatching her into a haglemono outside, which is why I''ve been taking her out after shooting her with a gun. It''s a necessary procedure, and he doesn''t mind it, but I''m sure holding a gun to her is not a very favorable picture. So I decided to use magic instead of a gun. "Repetition. Chanting magic, magic that instantly kills an opponent once defeated. The moment Aulum turned into a metre cubic lump of gold, as usual - the moment. I was stunned, I felt so dizzy that I couldn''t stand still. I know this feeling, I''m out of MP. Repetitions consume different amounts of MP depending on your opponent''s strength, or rank, or something like that. The real master of the dungeon, the spirit Aulum. The MP needed to kill her instantly is so much more than a full SS that it goes from full to 0 in an instant. It was the most MP consumed I''ve ever been forced to consume. ''That makes sense, though.'' Muttering, I put the muzzle to the base of my elbow and fired a series of infinite recovery rounds to recover my MP. This one wasn''t a bad picture, partly because it''s a recovery, and partly because it''s a gun but it doesn''t look like an injection. After I had fully developed my MP, I carried the awlum (1 cubic meter of gold) and returned to the mansion through the transfer gate. The saloon in the mansion, Aulum was lounging there in the setting sun. He was sitting deep on the sofa, looking riddled with a look he hadn''t seen in the dungeon at all. ''It''s nice here, it''s very restful,'' Yeah. It''s all because of Emily. I''m too peaceful-- oh, my God, Lyota! Aulum gives him a troubled look. ''What''s the matter,'' I don''t want to leave this place. Aurum complains about it with an impatient look. He looks and speaks like a man trapped in a kotatsu. ...... Well, I get it. The warmth of the house Emily is tending has a magical power to captivate people. It''s no longer a kettle of fish. "Would you rather live here?There''s plenty of room. ''No!--No, that''s a bad idea. No? ''Yeah, it''s fine to go out and play, but I''m going to sleep outside - I won''t be dungeon dropping if I have to stay out or something. ''Yeah, that''s a problem: ...... Bring him back with you. You can go out in the daytime. No problem. What can I do for you every day... hmm? What''s going on? Aulum relaxed on the couch, craning her neck to look at me. I ruminated on her lines. I''ll sleep outside - if I stay out or something, I won''t dungeon drop. That line repeated in my head. ''Hey, what''s really going on?I mean, it doesn''t have to be every day, you know?Occasionally. I''m a genie, so I have a different sense of time than you humans do. Auldurm! Wha-what? ...... Aulum drew back as he crowded in. ''Is that true now?'' What was that? ''I''ve heard that if you stay out of the house, you don''t get a drop. Yeah, ......, which technically means unconsciousness outside the dungeon, but ...... What does it matter?He looks at me with a look that says, "You know what? I''ve thought about it. I''ve been thinking. As an adventurer. As the head of the dungeon society. And as a former employee. I thought about it from many, many angles. "Aw Lum, why don''t you come live with me? I''ll pick you up every morning. So if I fall asleep outside, that''s when the drop-- It''s a good night at home.Emily''s coming back, and everyone else - oh yeah, and Bonbon, too. Bonbon? I know he''s with Alice, but I''m sure he and Aulum would be on the same page. Because I was born in Aurum. After being persuaded, Aulum felt depressed and looked up at me. "Are you sure? Yeah. Thank you, Lyota. He said with a sly smile. Thus, the spirit of the Aurum Dungeon, Aurum, came to live in our mansion. The next day, the village of Indor. I issued a public announcement in the name of the head of the Indor Dungeon Association. It was a public announcement that Aulum would not drop after midnight. Adventurers were standing in front of the notice and discussing this and that. It''s going to be inconvenient not to drop at midnight. No, people are asleep at night, it''s not that different without it. Some people don''t, do they? ''I know it''s not mentioned here, but has there been an increase in drops?I''ve had an increase before, and it looks like there''s another one? I looked at the arguing adventurers out of the corner of my eye. At a glance, there are a few people who complain about it, but most of them just think that it''s not going to change anything. Most of them are sleeping late at night anyway. That''s just how it is, isn''t it? When I saw the news that a family restaurant might stop operating late at night, I was thinking the same thing. Hey. Hmm? I was approached from the side. When I turned around, I saw a young adventurer standing there. It was the young adventurer I had saved late night before last. ''It''s you, isn''t it?'' No, it''s a genie''s whim. Spirits like to sleep at night. ''Well, ...... then, tell the genie, please.'' Hmm? Thank you. Now I can sleep at night. Yeah, I''ll tell him. Thank you so much. The young adventurer looked me straight in the eye and told me so. I hoped that the next time I saw him, he would be a little more jaded, I thought. 162. Super talented stalker Cyclodungeon Society, President''s Office. In a luxurious room that looked like a nobleman''s office, I reported to Cell about the resolution of the case. As he went on talking, Cell gradually became blindingly blindsided, and when he said that he had stopped the nighttime drop completely, he was surprised, but smiled in a good mood. ''As expected of Satou-sama, such a speedy and perfect solution, I asked for it, and I''m very proud of it. ''The night should now be completely out of the question. The possibility of an adventurer hunt during the day is untouched, but that one should be fine. Hmm. Daytime riots will put someone in the room. Cell nodded with even more satisfaction. The debriefing was over, and this was really the end of the matter. Cell lifted me up a lot. She threw compliments at me like this, but I was secretly wary. It just feels good to have a beautiful girl''s sister call out "As expected" in rapid succession, but when a stalking aristocrat says "As expected", I''m afraid my figure might fall off at any moment. So I was on the lookout for that, but ...... it never came. ''''Yes, I had one more thing to discuss with Satou-sama. Hmm? Cell''s expression changed abruptly. It became a straight face - not serious, but serious. ''''I''m told it''s going to be this year''s award of the year, Satou-sama. What''s wrong with that story? "I''d like a demonstration, if possible, in front of the public. Demonstration? ''It''s similar to a harvest festival. You show your strength by defeating the monsters you have prepared. Unlike that one, we want you to prepare a powerful one and then defeat it. Everyone knows what you''ve done, but it''s still easier to understand if you visually and visually demonstrate your achievements on the spot. I see. I was a bit surprised, it was really serious. I know what you want to say, what you''ve requested and why you''re requesting it is from Naritoku. ''Then it''s not repetition, it''s better to take it down normally - or rather, with a flourish. That''s the way I see it, Mr. Sato, and I''m surprised you understood my request before you did. Okay, I''ll take care of it. It''s not something I''m going to say no to, in fact, I think it''s something I have to do now that I''ve accepted the award. It''s a responsibility. I appreciate it. Then I''ll have them start mass producing posters as soon as possible. The poster? Hmm, it''s customary to make one for every awardee. Satou-sama received the highest award of 7 Stars. The family gets five stars for the rabbit, two for the hammer, and one for the other two. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I was confused by the information all at once. I held up one hand to my forehead while I put my hand to my forehead and stopped explaining the cell. Then I thought about this and that. ''What''s a poster?'' I have a prototype right here. Cell said and opened a poster rolled up into a tube. It was designed more like a trading card than a poster, with my name and seven stars below it (). And it depicts me (), having defeated the adventurer hunt. ''It''s a stalker!!!'' I would like to use this form. If you thought it was a figure, it was a poster! We''ll be issuing commemorative handbills as usual. Then he took out a card-sized one as well. The composition is exactly the same. ''You have a treacle too! It''s very popular with fledgling adventurers and kids, and some enthusiasts. ''You will be there!It''s almost a baseball card, that''s it! We have a limited edition. I had them all make a group edition to commemorate the entire Lyota family award. How many? And--oh. Goton. A figure fell to the floor, the same pose as the card, a figure of me defeating the adventurer hunt. ''''Excuse me, I''ve also prepared a full combination of two shots of Satou-sama and his friends. The two-shot version is appropriate for a 5 star after consideration-- Don''t put the figure away so quickly... or maybe you''re just making it up as you go along! I think I''m going to have to deal with my throat and my head because I''m going into it so much. Cell is the very man who can do it, explaining the story of the card and the award ceremony. It''s ....... Stalkers who can work are horrible, that''s what I thought. 163. Plus Ultra Nihonium Dungeon, 7th floor underground. I was hunting a lightning-clad mummy. I''m working harder on practicing more techniques on this floor where magic is not available. On this day, I''m also putting a lot of effort into practicing "techniques" that aren''t just brain-dead lapses, such as sniping, being aware of maintaining hit rates, and countering. I noticed that (,) after a while after I started hunting, and when I was aware of it, I knew more clearly and became more convinced of it. A seed is dropped when you defeat a mummy, a nifonium drop. That''s not the only thing that drops, it also drops sand and gold. The blessing of Aulum, a small amount of sand gold drops along with whatever you defeat, a small amount of gold. That had increased before I knew it. Roughly 1.5 times as much. It wasn''t something that increased with a bang all at once, so it took me a while to notice and to be sure. ''Blessings of Aulum, huh?'' I stare at the increased sand and gold drop, the amount in my hand. I don''t know why there was an increase, maybe because I brought Aulum to our house. I pick him up when the sun goes down and let him live in the mansion at night. I didn''t use that word, but Aulum was happy about it, having welcomed us as part of his "family" in effect. He''d always liked being out and about, and he liked the mansion that Emily had tended, so this was what happened. It was a pleasure. I was glad that Aulum was happy to see me. I put away the sand and resumed my mummy hunt. The happiness had a nice effect on my technique. The second half, until the spirit rose from a D to a C. The gun''s hit rate was a hundred and one shots, maintaining 100%. The saloon in the mansion at night. After we finished eating, our friends scattered to do their own thing, and there were only three of us in the saloon, me, Emily, and Aurum. ''''Everyone''s busy today, aren''t they?'''' ''Yes, sir!There''s a magic storm forecast for two days in a row starting tomorrow, Celeste said you''re going to work hard tonight. Okay. Where''s Alice and Eve? Alice is a sarfa. Yoda was in great shape today, so he said he''s going to work harder with Liuchin. Eve is a continuation of the carrot party. "Carrot Society? I''m on a roll, and it''s new information to me whether Tori-ching is too, but I was more concerned about Eve''s carrot party and all that. ''Yes, sir,'' What''s it all about? ''Sorry ...... I don''t know either, Eve only said it was a carrot party. I see. Well, it''s somewhat predictable. It''s Eve, and I guess it''s either a group of people talking about the deliciousness of carrots, or a group of people talking about the deliciousness of carrots, or somewhere around there first. Her obsession and love for carrots is real, you know. ''''Speaking of which, Emily''s on the award partner of the year, too. Ha, I''m so ashamed. I don''t know how many stars it was, but it was pretty amazing. Cell explained carefully. I heard that every year, and the ones that are even more outstanding than the 1 star ones, but the ones that aren''t as decisive are ranked as 2 stars. The Nobel Prize or the Akutagawa Prize. I felt like I was in a class that is nominated for a big award like that once a year. I''m not much of a prize winner. ''No, you don''t. I''ve been getting more and more fans of Emily Hammer lately. I hear you''re planning a new model, too? Yes, sir. Next time, they''re going to make it a little easier for you to pretend it''s still the same weight. I hear you have to sign the hammer as well? ''Hey!How do you know that? Emily suddenly starts to panic. Her face is bright red and her eyes are almost in an X (baton) state. The way she''s waving her hands around is so cute that it makes me want to tease her even more. ''I saw an adventurer in town with a signed hammer. The guy who signed it was so proud of it. Huh. ...... Wow, Emily, you''re a celebrity. He''ll be the first to buy the new model when it comes out. Oh, and before that, there''s that trading card. Oh yeah, you''ll have to sign my magic cart too. Ugh, ...... Yoda is so mean to me. I finally pouted my lips and sulked. That sulking face was cute, too, so I apologized for teasing it too much, but I kept the expression firmly in mind. Suddenly, I realized. I realized that Aulum hadn''t joined the conversation at all, even though he was in the same salon from earlier. I turned my eyes to her, wondering why Aulum, who has a cheerful personality, hadn''t joined the conversation. ''......'' Auldurm? ...... Aulum was dazed. He was vaguely uptight and his face was blushing strangely. ''Aulum, what''s wrong?'' ...... Huh?What? What: ...... What''s up with you, you''re on top of things. ''Yeah ...... umm, yeah'' He made a thoughtful gesture with the sky above and nodded further with a dazed expression. A series of raw replies, what the hell is going on? ''...... I''m sorry for a minute,'' Emily leaned forward and put her hand on Aulum''s forehead. ''You have a fever,'' Fever? Yes, sir. He interrupted Emily''s nodding side and placed his palm on Aulum''s forehead in the same manner. It''s hot! It''s a fever. It''s a lot of heat, don''t you think it''s close to 40 degrees? ...... Huh? It''s a tremendous heat, but the person in question was a blur, fuzzy if he even understood. Outside Aulum''s room, Emily came out of the room as I waited. ''It''s probably a cold,'' A cold?Do spirits catch colds too? It''s a cold. That''s true, but ...... There was a huge fever in the sky above me. As soon as I forced him back to his room and tucked him in, his nose was dripping with snot, too. If this was just a human, I would have been convinced of a normal cold too. ''Maybe, but ...... genie has been in the dungeon the whole time, so he doesn''t have much resistance to the disease. Oh, ...... it''s like growing up in a sterile room. A poultry room? I was raised in an overprotective environment, which means I''m extraordinarily frail. Yes, sir. I see. ...... I looked at the door of the room. Behind this door Aulum has a cold and is seething with fever. If he has a cold because he''s really low resistance, I''m the one who took him out ....... ''It''s not the same. It''s not Mr. Yoda''s fault. ...... Don''t read people''s minds. He chuckled bitterly. ''I''m sure Aurum is like that, too. ''Don''t worry, it''s just a cold and you''ll be strong after a few bouts.'' ''Right. I shouldn''t let that distract me from how happy I was when she got out. Yes, sir! Now, when it comes to ...... colds, ....... Can you work your magic? The best way to keep warm and hydrated is to stay warm and hydrated. You''re with me on this side too: ...... Just as they say that if they developed a real cold remedy, they''d win a Nobel Prize, I guess there''s no magic that can cure the common cold here. So I''m sure the same is true for the recovery bullet. Well, it''s a cold, so it''s best to just let him rest quietly. ...... would like a peach. Are you a peach? ''Yeah, canned peaches, or rather peaches in syrup. It''s a staple when you have a cold. That''s great. I''ll get a peach. You can eat it when you''re healed if you make it now. Wait for ......, I''ll get it. Yoda? ''Since you''re here. I''ll make that with my drop of delicious peaches. Hmmm ...... For some reason Emily twisted her head to show her difficulty. Did I say something difficult? What''s going on? There''s only one floor of cyclo peaches. It''s a bit of a difficult hierarchy. Five floors down and up. ...... What''s it about? It''s a killer of the strong. Hmm? He raised an eyebrow at the not-so-gentle name. ''''The strength of the monster isn''t about the level, it''s about the adventurer''s ability. If you are a weak adventurer, the monsters are weak, so if you have the right equipment, you can only fight in the mud. But if you are a strong adventurer, the other side will be very strong as well, so it''s very dangerous. I see. The weaker of the two, the better - or is it a relative advantage? What floor is this? Are you going, Mr. Yoda? Yeah. But it''s not safe. I don''t want to hurt you. Part of me wants to feed Aulum good food, part of me is grateful. ''-- it doesn''t feel right to me to avoid it. But ....... I''ve got Emily''s best stuff waiting for me, so I''ll bring you the best ingredients. Yoda: "Mr. Yoda: ...... Emily looked at me. Her face looked worried, but eventually changed to a huff and a smile. ''Mr. Yoda is still Mr. Yoda, after all. I''m sorry. No need to apologize. I''ll get ready for it. Yeah, I''ll be ready for you. I open the door a little and look at Aulum''s face as he lies on the bed with a pained look on his face. In my case, I''m going to get you the best peaches you''ve got right now. 164. Peach I noticed it (,) as soon as I entered the dungeon in the transfer room. It''s different from other dungeons, but it''s very similar to a certain dungeon. There are no adventurers, and the entire dungeon is made to look like an arena. It''s built similarly to that Sulphur dungeon. ''You mean solo compulsory: ...... Well, if it wasn''t, wouldn''t they call it a strongman killer?'' I waited there for a moment. A vast space that was almost unobstructed and could be seen at a glance. If it''s the same as Sulphur, the monsters will show up sooner or later. Thinking so, I loaded the gun and waited, making sure that I could use my window cutter (elementary magic) to use my magic. Soon, the monster will appear. Two slimes appeared on the other side of the arena. Their size is about the size of a balance ball and their colors are gold and silver, respectively. I nodded my head at the thought of myself, but once again, it was still flirting. Their bodies are rubbing together and they''re flirting so vigorously that it''s almost as if I could see their hearts flying here and there. I guess it''s the same kind of thing as father and son slime or something like that, lover or couple slime. First of all, I did a small hand check, firing a series of regular bullets at the same time with two guns. An ordinary lead ball split the air and hit the two slimes, but it hardly seemed to have any effect. Not only that, the bullets hit () slightly differently. The golden slime was hit, but it almost didn''t seem to work, and the silver slime wasn''t hit in the first place. It felt like there was some kind of thin membrane on the outside of its body that hit it and played off of it. The slime noticed us, it stopped flirting and came towards us--. ''Whoa!'' I yelled out and quickly crossed my arms to guard them. The distance of nearly twenty meters was closed down in an instant, and the golden slime hit me, transforming parts of my body like a slime. The heavy blow went through the guard and through the core of his body. I couldn''t help but blow backwards and somehow regain my stance and land on my feet. ''''d*mn!'''' My hands are numb, trembling and unable to move properly. The gold slime is getting even more fleshy! I avoid it on the spur of the moment. As the ground is gouged out and stone crumbs fly off, he somehow manages to fire a recovery round at himself with his trembling hands. The damage disappears in an instant. Almost at the same time as you''re fully recovered, you turn to counterattack. He lands, stepping in gingerly and getting fleshed out. He slams a full force punch into the slime''s body. It''s responsive, and the gold slime is blown away. It blew up, bouncing about twenty meters, and then went back to the silver slime. With a bouncing rubber ball sound effect, the gold slime landed normally. It seems to do very little damage. ...... Seriously? As I rolled my tongue, this time the silver slime flew at me. It flew at almost the same speed as the gold slime and attacked me by transforming its body in the same way. I met it head on. Stepping gingerly into the ground, I dropped my hips and punched to intercept it. It struck with a silver slime attack. Purrrrrrrrr! The entire dungeon shuddered with the sound of an explosion and a shock wave that made the entire dungeon tremble. The Silver Slime was unharmed, and I couldn''t help but take two or three steps back. We struck each other and I took more damage than I did with the gold slime. Not only that, I know this damage. ''Magic damage?'' It''s the same damage I once did when I realized how fragile I was when my spirit was still F. And it''s not the same as gold slime. Goldslime''s attack was physical damage, and Silver Slime''s attack was magical damage. I see, I was strangely convinced. And then - I dared to take the attack of the gold slime that swooped in again. My numb arm, I had prepared it, so I quickly recovered with a recovery bullet. The power of the gold slime is almost as good as mine. This was what Emily was talking about. Strong killers, the strength of the monsters fluctuates with the strength of the adventurers. Goldslime''s power, and the speed with which he''s fleshed out twice as fast as I am, is about the same as mine. It''s tricky, tricky - but. I grab the gold slime as it continues to get closer and closer and throw it away. I throw it to the other side and fire a series of tracking rounds. These tracked bullets draw a time-lagged homing trajectory and aim at the gold slime. I''m buying time. I turned towards the silver slime so as not to waste that little time. I held the gun to one side and fired continuously. The lightning bullets packed into the reinforced ammunition mashed up - infinite lightning bullets were fired at the silver slime in rapid succession. Lightning struck the Silver Slime one after another, burning the slime''s body with a dull glow of color. The slime struggles in pain - as I guessed. The gold slime is almost as good as my physical abilities, then the silver slime that deals magical damage is almost as good as my magical abilities, I guess. And I''m still low on spirit. I shot the infinite lightning bullets of the massacre into the spirit (magic defense power), which is the only hole in my mind at the moment. The silver slime struggled painfully and eventually turned black and burned out. Okay, the rest--. The moment I was about to turn around, the gun disappeared from my hand. "N-- Without any time to be surprised, the gold slime was even more fleshed out. It would come at me with SS-equivalent strength and speed in close combat. I desperately guard and try to avoid it and get past it. The gun''s disappearance has caused some damage to my mental health, the key to long range attacks, the gun that can also heal and assist, has disappeared, which means that my battle power has been reduced by half. With no time to rebuild that unrest, the slime attack hit me cleanly on the side and I was blown right to the side. It''s been a long time since I''ve done any serious damage, not since I fought the Dungeon Master. I stood up with my hands on my knees, the blow now coming to my chin. The relentless SS equivalent of a blow was so heavy. The gold slime attacked further. Its ferocity has increased mindlessly - no, it has definitely increased. Immediately after the silver slime disappeared, the intensity of the attack has gone up a notch. The power and speed are the same, but the increased fierceness has made the attacks terrifying. I shrugged it off, dodging and receiving it and shrugging it off. Because they''re equal, it''s hard to rebuild once they''re pushed into an inferior position. I was made good by the rush of gold slime. If I don''t do this, I''ll be left with nothing. I''m completely devoted to defending myself against the enemy, but I''ve made up my mind. I gave up on trying to regain control and not try to rebuild. Instead, I took aim. I sharpened my awareness and took a chance and aimed. My arm was numb and wouldn''t listen, the damage was building up in my core. ''Gafu.'' The taste of iron spreads in my mouth as I forcefully drink down something (...) that is building up. Still aiming at it, I sharpen my awareness. ''''--Haah!'''' A big piece of gold slime, this is a tome!And then a blow came flying in. A counter to match it, an all-out cross counter. The fist pierced the gold slime - no, it penetrated. The skewered gold slime cramped up and eventually popped!And then it was gone. A large peach and a gun that had disappeared and disappeared showed up on the ground after it disappeared. ''''--Gafu!'''' This time, I shook my head quickly as I spat out the fresh blood I had spat out, and I was beside myself so I wouldn''t get on my peaches. Inside the mansion, Aulum''s room. Awrum is dressed in his pajamas with his body upright on the bed. She looks a bit pale and a bit pale with her jacket over her shoulders, giving her the appearance of an invalid. Emily handed her a peach. A peach cut in half, heaped with syrup. ''What''s this?'' It''s a peach, and when I have a cold, I eat it and feel better in no time. You mean Potions ......? That''s not true! Emily says, smiling. Aulum nods his head, but still takes it, stabbing the peach with his fork and bringing it to his mouth. Immediately after, her eyes sparkle. Her eyes widen and she stumbles back, her eyes sparkling. ''''Oops! That''s a lot of hoarding. Because it''s so good, it''s so, so, so good. Okay. These are the peaches that Yoda took from the ground. Really? Well. ...... Thank you for that, for me. Don''t worry about it. I just killed a monster. ''Thanks, Lyota. ...... What''s going on? If you catch a cold, they''ll make you this again-- Pish, I decapitated the awlum. ''No, not like that, fix it right. Yes. Thank you, Lyota, Emily. Aulum, still in his sick form, chewed on a peach on the bed. It must have been the effect of the peaches made like a can of peaches, because Aulum was burning so clearly as she sipped them. I exchanged glances with Emily and secretly gave each other a thumbs up. 165. I hate to lose In the morning, in front of the transporter room. I came back after dropping Aulum back to the dungeon, who was completely fine, and Celeste and I were standing there talking. ''''Terdungeon 15th floor, husband and wife slime. Commonly known as the ''Strong Man Killer''. I was in a hurry yesterday, so I went into it for the first time, but I still wanted to get some information for the future, so I grabbed Celeste to talk to her. The family''s wizards told me easily and with a flat expression on their faces. ''Apparently the silver slime is the husband and the golden slime is the wife. Huh?This kind of thing, if it were gold or silver, I would have thought gold was my husband. Maybe I''m preconceived and prejudiced. The reason for the strongest killers is that the dungeon is in a different space that isn''t normal, where you''re sent to be alone at all times, and on top of that, the silver one goes with the magic-based abilities of the person who enters it, and the gold one goes with the physical-based abilities at all. ''I could see it in my own skin. He was strong, fast, hard, almost dungeon master level. ''If it were me, the golden one would be weaker than the normal slime on the ground floor. A complete copy of the ability ...... is exactly what a strongman killer looks like. On balance, it''s tough when both are high. And then, Is there more? Yeah. Celeste nodded. ''The golden slime has the property of being magic-disabled and the silver slime one has the property of being physically disabled. ''Yeah, ...... means ......'' Yeah. We''ll be forced to compete with each other in the same capacity. That''s another reason for killing the strong. If you''re weak, you can just play house. ...... I see. I suddenly remembered Margaret. While her drops are all A''s, she''s an F with every other ability, from HP to luck, which is the worst of all. With Margaret, both gold and silver are all F-equivalent, which means it''s a sour and salty match between F and F. Even with the same ability, if it''s a fight between Fs and A''s (I''m an SS), the latter is more dangerous than the latter. The strongman killer ...... is pretty egregious. One more thing. Is it still there? ''''Yes, this one is called ''Couple Slime'' for a reason. If one of them is defeated, the survivor goes into a state of rage and his or her full ability goes up a notch. Your mate''s revenge. ''That''s what I''m talking about. There are two strategies: if you don''t have A status, start with the strongest one and kill the weak one later, and if you have A, you can''t go higher than A even if you''re in a rage state, so you have to start with the weak one and put a ceiling on your ability increase. Okay, so you didn''t feel like I was particularly strong yesterday? I beat the silver one first yesterday, the surviving golden gold slime is supposed to be stronger, but the fact that it''s the same as my ability means it''s all SS. It''s above the ceiling, which originally didn''t exist, so it doesn''t feel stronger because it didn''t go any higher than that. It''s a tricky hierarchy. I''m good at some of them. What''s it like?I was about to ask, when Alice returned to the transporter room. She has four fellow monsters on her shoulders and is pushing a magic cart. ''Huh?''We were both here. Didn''t you go to the dungeon? I was just asking Celeste about the 15th floor of Tellurium. Naru. Oh, good, I was just there. "Huh? Alice walked out into the hallway and showed me the magic cart she was pushing. ''Look, I got a bunch of peaches. I heard from Aurum that they were really good, so I''m going to ask Emily to make them for me. The magic cart has about twenty peaches in it. It''s not much to earn, I guess they took them for the family dessert, as I declared. Anyway, ...... so much from the first thing in the morning? ''Lyota, she''s the type of person you''d be better off with. I''m weak, and I can get in with a fellow monster who is clearly stronger than me. ...... I see! Celeste''s explanation convinced me again. When I heard about the 15th floor, I thought to myself, "Well, I wish I could have made it out of Lyota''s peaches, but I''m sure Emily''s skills would have made it better. I''d like to have you use Lyota''s peaches to make it, but if you''re an Emily, I''m sure you''ll be able to make it just as good. Alice said, pushing the magic cart to the kitchen. I''m going to leave the peaches with or without Emily. Not good for me. ......? Telldungeon, 15th floor underground. I came to the arena-like dungeon via the transporter room. I waited for a while, and then a gold and silver slime appeared. They''re flirting as they did yesterday, and if you look closely, you can see that the gold slime is pampering the silver slime. The theory that the silver one is a male is a somewhat convincing sight. ''''Whoa!'''' I rushed towards the slime. When the two slimes noticed me, they broke apart in a flash and attacked me at the same time. Electric lightning. I grabbed them while guarding the silver attack and threw them as hard as I could towards the day after tomorrow. The remaining gold slime attacked, avoiding it with a single piece of skin in the manner of a counter, grabbing its body and continuing the rush. I push the gold slime against the wall of the arena, the wall cracks with a crack. A series of guns fired from close range. Zero range penetration rounds. The countless bullets that continued to shoot at a single point gouged through the body of the slime like a drill and eventually penetrated. The gold slime disappeared with a clunk, and the two guns that were firing continuously also disappeared. Turning around, a change occurred in the remaining silver slime. The silver body, to my surprise, began to take on a golden aura. I see that''s the enhancement ....... ''''But!'''' He holds out his hand towards the silver slime, which is about to jump on him, and casts a spell. Repetition. The most powerful circumscription magic, no matter how strong your opponent is, no matter how much you strengthen it afterwards. As long as you can use the magic - if it works, your opponent will fall the moment you cast it. The Silver Slime disappeared, disappeared, and dropped a peach and a gun. I''ll pick up the gun and peaches. If I give it all I''ve got, I can go around. As long as I can kill a gold slime of my own equal in the blink of an eye, the silver slime will be able to repetition. By the way, the gold slime is impossible, an opponent I''ve defeated before, but that one has the property of disabling magic. Suddenly, I felt something dripping from my chin across my cheek. I wiped it with my hand, thinking it was sweat or ...... because I gave 100%, albeit for a moment, and it was red blood. I could see it had been cut with a snap, touching my cheek. It looks like I couldn''t avoid it on the counter and got grazed. I knew it wouldn''t go so well between the same SS. ...... though. I shot myself a recovery round like an injection to recover my HP and MP, and waited for the next one. After a while, a new gold and silver (meoto) slime will appear again. I challenge you to fight, fight with all your might. Isolate the Silver and defeat the Gold in a heartbeat. Practicing how to defeat an opponent as fast as possible. I''ll be cooped up on the 15th floor of the tellurium for the rest of the day. Besides for family dessert. I made 770,000 pirouette in peaches. I thought there was still room to update it. 166. Golden scary At night, the "Tsubame''s Benefit" sub-branch in the mansion. I was looking at Elsa with nervousness. Elsa is tallying up the numbers written in the ledger at hand. Today, it''s a tally of my earnings. I''m nervous about the results for the first time in a long time. As I waited while secretly praying, Erza looked up with a smile on her face. ''Congratulations, Lyota-san,'' ''Oh?Does that mean? ''Yes!We crossed a million piro in total today. Ush! I was gutted with joy as it was. I''ve often earned 1 million piro in a day - or rather, half a day of actual work - but I''m still happy because today I hunted only peaches on the 15th floor of Tellurium, and that made me over a million. On the 15th floor of Tellurium, the "strongman''s killer", I learned the behavior of the monsters with my body and optimized the way I dealt with them like a chess game, and as a result, I went over 1 million, a big increase from the first 770,000. It wasn''t so much that I just crossed a million piro after all this time, but I felt a sense of accomplishment to be able to do that with the ''strongman killer''. ''''It''s amazing, Lyota-san, it''s probably a world first. A world first? ''''Yes, earning this much money for the 15th floor of Tellurian in a day. Earning money in a dungeon is only possible if you have a high drop, but those with a high drop are ninety-nine percent of the time, and their other abilities are high as well. I see. ...... You''re very good, Ryota. When Elsa told me that, I felt more and more accomplished. ''It''s more and more amazing that it''s only for half a day,'' Half a day, that''s a rule I''ve set for myself. After a long career as a company employee in my former world, I don''t enter dungeons after evening unless there''s something wrong. In other words, I only go into dungeons during the daytime, and I spend the top half of that time boosting my abilities in Nifonium, so I only make money between 12:00 and 18:00 in my original world. I''d say it''s not just a half day, it''s a quarter of a day. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time with us. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for, but it''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. The sense of accomplishment and Elsa''s words made me doubly happy. ''Alright, let''s go for a drink today.'' Yes! I was on my way home from Villa Diechee, a tavern of familiarity. I was walking with Elsa and Aurum. Everyone else had things to do and didn''t catch up. The only two people I drank with at the launch were Elsa, who did the tally, and Aulum, who I picked up on time. ''It was good, it was good, it was very good,'' Auldurm must have liked the beer at Villa Dierch''s so much that he''s still excited on the way home from the store. He''s still running in circles around me and Elsa, reacting like a child. ''I didn''t know alcohol could taste so good. You like the drink? ''Yes!It feels nice and fluffy. ''Right. Now let''s try another drink. Do you have another drink? Yeah, wine, champagne, whiskey, all that stuff. Ooh, ....... Aurum snorted with impressed eyes. I''ve just come out of the dungeon, so I react like such an innocent child to the unknown. Seeing that makes me feel like I want to let him experience things and teach him. ''There are so many things.'' ''Yeah, we have it. Come to think of it, I wonder if we have any gold-leafed liquor over here. ''Gold leaf?You''re going to put the money in alcohol? Yeah. They say it''s not just for booze. You can put it in all kinds of dishes. I''m told it''s good for nourishment--that''s what I was doing in my place. Oh, yeah. Yeah, well, I''ll help Emily with that, and I''ll start putting money into the cookbook tomorrow. Yeah?Okay, well, I can usually get money out of it. ''Yes!You can eat all you want! No, no, The way he said it was interesting. Gold - the all-you-can-eat gold leaf thing was a bit of a sticking point. From the point of view of the golden spirit Aulum, the gold is inexhaustible. All-you-can-eat gold. I thought it might be interesting. "Huh? What''s the matter with you, Elsa? There ...... you''re building a house. Hmm? He stopped as well and followed Elsa''s gaze as she went. In the darkness of the night, there was no movement since it was nighttime, but I could still see it clearly. It seems that they are doing quite a large scale construction work. ''''It''s true, it''s an incredible scale of construction work,'''' It looks like a mansion. It''s not exactly a commercial facility. ''A mansion, huh? ............ A mansion of this size at this time, cell? I''m going to go get him. Elsa said and ran off. Ask who?I thought, but there was a person working the night shift at the site where she ran to. Elsa spoke to the man and asked him a few questions before coming back. ''It looks like Sel Stem''s mansion,'' I knew it. They said it''s going to look more like a castle than a mansion. ''Heh ...... well, when you''re that rich, a castle isn''t surprising.'' Castles don''t have to be kings to be popular, and it''s a common story among European nobles. I heard that the nobleman who was the source of the famous Dracula had a castle (I saw a news report about his descendants trying to sell it). But a castle, eh? ............. ''What''s going on, Lyota?'' Oh, no, you said "castle" and I remembered the word "statue. Statue?It certainly looks like something you would have in a castle, but what about it? No, you''re thinking too much. Then he shook off the thing that had emerged. No matter how much, you know. ''Wait a minute,'' Elsa ran to the man on night duty again and came back after asking him a lot of questions. This time with a very subtle look on her face - seriously. ''That ...... Lyota, Mr. No way. ''Yes ......, they''re making a statue of Mr Lyota,'' You''re really making this stuff up! And it''s a variable statue. They say it''s a statue that can be magically changed into various poses. What a waste of technology! I shuddered lightly at what the cell reformed stalker had done. ''I have to go to see him tomorrow and tell him to stop the statue. ''So, but it''s going to be a very nice house. Elsa said, to distract from the topic. ''Hmm?Oh yeah. People with power and money want to make those things up. Really? Aulum tilted his head and asked back. ''That''s the way it is. For example, there was a guy who built ...... a gold-plated castle and so on. Hmm?Was it a temple, not a castle? I search my memory to see what Osaka Castle was like. ''Is it great when it''s gold-plated?'' ''Well, it''s intimidating, and you can tell at a glance that it''s awesome. Hmmm, cool, maybe. Yeah, okay. Okay, what do you mean-- Before he could call out to her, Aulum ran like the wind. ''I wonder what''s wrong,'' ............ No way. What Aulum had said just before replayed in my mind as a scene. I ran out after her. No way - don''t do it. I ran hard after Aurum, thinking about that, and followed her. Eventually, when I returned home, I saw. It was a gilded - the form remained conventional, but the mansion was completely turned into gold. Aulum, standing in front of it, turned to me, his hands on his hips and a look of pride on his face. ''How do you feel, Lyota? Does this make you feel great? Aurum the Golden Aurum, the spirit of the Aurum Dungeon. She used her power to turn the mansion into a gilded house. ''''It''s amazing, but not this. Uh, why? I don''t want to settle down for anything. ''But isn''t it great?I know it''s cool. No, no, no. ...... I broke out in a cold sweat and desperately tried to persuade Ahrum to stop at the gold-plated house. ''Then I''ll put on a gold statue instead of a statue of Lyota--'' Don''t do that one! Aurum said something even more outrageous due to the negative effects of the cell. It was such an event that the gold, a symbol of wealth, seemed to quickly turn into a trauma. 167. Like a girl Nifonium Dungeon, 7th floor underground. As soon as I encountered it, I punched Mammy in the side as hard as I could as she attacked me. The fully-body-bandaged monster swooped through the air and plunged headfirst into the ground, its body momentarily bending in an inverted "ku" shape. If it had been a human, it would have died for sure. Still not enough damage to defeat the monster, the mummy struggles to get up and approaches with a beehive of electricity all over her body. I intercepted it with my bare hands. I didn''t use magic, and I didn''t draw my gun. I fought the monster completely with my bare hands. Self-binding play, an even stronger binding than I''d done before. From my experience on the 15th floor of the tellurian floor, I fought the mummy without any tools, so that I could deal with every situation - and dungeon - as I would eventually be able to handle it. He dives into the pocket faster than the mammy coming at him and slams a knee into his stomach. He grabs the back of Mummy''s collapsed head from his knee and slams it into the wall, followed by a stomping kick to the head. With a flowing combo, he takes down the mummy, the monster disappears, leaving the seed behind. I boost my abilities with the seed and look for the next monster. I opened up and encountered all three of them together. When they recognize us, I beat the first one coming towards us and grab his head and twirl it around. Mummy becomes a giant club and rips down the other two. They don''t use magic, they don''t use guns, they don''t even use weapons. It''s as if I''m back to the way I felt before Emily gave me the bamboo spear. That took some work, but by mid-morning I was safe and my spirit rose from a C to a B. ...... is up, though. Hmmm. I crossed my arms in the dungeon and twisted my neck. Today''s bindings weren''t bad, based on the results. It was a little unfamiliar to me, and I''d take the occasional counterattack, but tomorrow I''d get more used to it, and if I was careful and serious, I''d be able to do no damage. I can expect that to happen based on my experience so far. But I felt like I was missing something. The 15th floor of Tellurideon, the 15th floor, was different from when I was actually restricted there, both during and afterwards. I felt like something was missing. The difference between being tied up and being tied down, I guess. I thought about it for a minute and came to that conclusion. When you bind yourself with your own rules, you will inevitably get a kind of indulgence, in fact, I''m still out of the gun. You can break your bindings if you want to, and there''s no penalty for doing so. But the 15th floor of Tellurium, and a dungeon that doesn''t allow silicone-like magic. The bindings are something that can never be broken. I guess that made a difference in the seriousness of the situation. And then. ''I''ve tied myself up in the past, but I might as well get laid in a dungeon where I''m actually restricted and get laid in the field. It was the opposite mindset of the adventurers of this world. Adventurers think about getting around consistently, while I think about overcoming difficulties now. It''s the opposite of what I think. But it''s better to do it. When the time comes, as it has in the past, you''ll need strength and technique - and experience. And for that, you''ll have to take on the challenge. "And then there''s ...... I thought about it for a moment and returned to the mansion through the transporter gate. ''Ah, Lyota-san,'' Celeste. Just in time, I had to ask you something. She nodded her head curiously as she said to Celeste, who was walking in from across the hallway. ''What is it you want to ask me?'' ''Celeste knew a lot about dungeons, didn''t she? Yes, in its own way. That''s how Celeste speaks, quite a bit of humility in it. ''Is there something you want to ask me about the dungeon?'' ''Yes. I''d like to hear about the dungeons and floors that are restricted to play ...... or something else. ...... ''Rogue dungeons like Aulum, silicon magic bans, special tiers like the Tellurian fifteenth floor and the Nifonium sixth floor. I''d like to hear what other special dungeons like that are out there. Do you want to elaborate? ''Yes. ...... Oh no. Just give me the name of the dungeon and the name of the hierarchy. I stopped halfway through and rephrased it. If you ask Celeste, I''m sure she''ll tell you what kind of restrictions are in place. But there''s no point in asking that, if you''re going to challenge yourself in a restricted area, you''ll learn to be more resourceful if you don''t know anything about it. ''Okay, I get it: ...... here.'' Yeah? Celeste took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to me. It''s a small, folded piece of paper. The edges are all messed up, like a receipt that''s been in my wallet for a long time. I take it and open it. It had dungeons and hierarchies written on it. "What''s this? It''s on lockdown. What is this stuff? I was told that Lyota was training in the dungeon and I knew I would need this one day. ...... I was surprised, I didn''t think they were prepared for me. I looked at the paper I got again. The letters on the plain paper, the ink color was slightly different from the beginning to the end, the size of the letters and the thickness of the lines were slightly different. You can see that he wrote it first and then added a few more things from what he knew. In other words, he''d been preparing for a long time. It was heartbreaking. Celeste''s concern for me made my heart ache. I grabbed Celeste''s hand and looked her straight in the eye. ''Thank you!'' I said. I mean, you didn''t do much. I just picked out a few things I know about-- But still, thank you! When I thanked her again, Celeste blushed. She smiled as if she were a little girl, smiling and looking up in depression. ''Good, ...... for being helpful.'' Celeste looks happy. I stared at the notes. The notes with the names and hierarchy of the dungeons, the evidence of Celeste''s hard work in researching them, the majority of what she added later were from dungeons other than cyclo. I was more and more impressed by the fact that the Family had looked into dungeons other than cyclo, which they don''t usually get involved in. ''Celeste, let me thank you for something. That''s enough for now. No, I interrupted her words. He held up the note and looked straight into her eyes. ''This note is worth as much to me as the Nihonium itself. Nihonium is a dungeon that will give me status, and this note should help me develop my technique. ...... I''d like to repay you for that: ...... and let me heal you. When he said that, Celeste was surprised for a moment, and then returned to her normal expression. She smiled calmly, to her usual, mature Celeste. ''Don''t worry about it. I''m not one of them. But then... All right, I''ll think about it. I''ll think about it. Since you''re such a big fan of it, we should think about it. Oh, think about it! I''ll do anything. I feel like I have to do anything and tell Celeste how much I appreciate her. If she wants me to think it over carefully, then of course I''ll wait. "I''ll be in the dungeon, then. Yeah, have a good day. Celeste sent me off and I used the transporter room again to get to the dungeon. The hallway of the mansion after Ryota was gone. Celeste turned herself around and walked out and went back to her room. It was still high in the day, at this time of day when all his friends were in the dungeon, and he returned to his room. He entered his room and closed the door behind him, the moment. ''Uh-huh, uh-huh.'' Celeste grinned. She jumped on the biggest stuffed animal in her room, the one that looked exactly like Ryochin, and held it in her arms, rubbing her cheek. ''Yay!Mmmmmm, that was helpful, Lyota-san. Despite her usual composure, Celeste was like a little girl, revealing her joy. She held the stuffed animal in her arms and slumped on the bed. ''''Ufufu, Kyahoy!'''' She tossed the stuffed animal and caught it again, rubbing her cheek. Celeste was so happy, and she was innocently happy because she was in her room. She held the Ryota-like Norichin plush toy (handmade) in her arms and was much happier. ''''Ryota-san ...... ufufu ......'''' Despite the lack of magical storms, the joy of the day kept me from working. 168. Ryotas intuition Terdungeon, 19th basement floor. Based on the information Celeste gave me, I came here first. We''ll be moving to the transporter room. All of Cyclo''s dungeons are transferable thanks to Eve. I''ve only been here once before with Eve, but I can say this is the first time I''ve actually come here to do something. There''s a lot of activity in this hierarchy of dungeon snow falling, a lot of adventurers are fighting monsters. I was prepared for this special hierarchy, but it was surprisingly normal-looking and a bit disappointing. A slime appeared in front of me. The newborn slime had eyes for me. I knew those eyes very well, the eyes that set me as the attack target. I pulled out my gun and was thinking, "I''m going to make a small check with a first strike first--" when the slime suddenly split apart. It became three slimes, three slimes, slimes that look exactly the same, with as*xual reproduction, which is common for this kind of demon. I pulled the trigger and shot out one of them just as a greeting. Pah! A popping sound echoes in my ears, and I''m shocked as if I''ve been hit in the face with a heavy blow. My eyes go blank in front of me, my vision flickers. As I quickly crossed my arms to guard myself, the next impact came. The feeling of something hitting me, like the body of a slime. This one didn''t do much damage, my HP and strength SS did. Still, this isn''t good, so I quickly used the Absolute Rock stone and entered invincibility mode. My vision slowly returned, I could see the slime I was supposed to have shot out of the air was back to three again. That slime moved back and forth, back and forth, left and right, violently. They switched positions as if they were shuffling. I intuitively knew what it was, I looked around in invincibility mode. Looking at the way the other adventurers were fighting, they were all facing the same splitting slime, but they were carefully choosing (,) and defeating it. When I hit one of the split slimes - there are three or five of them, or various numbers - the remaining one disappeared without a trace and dropped a round cabbage. All of the other adventurers defeated it normally, but I''m more and more convinced by the prudence that can be seen even from a distance. Only one of the splintered slime is correct, and I have to find it and defeat it. I loaded my tracking round and shot directly above the slime that had returned to the three that were aiming at me. The tracking round took an arcing trajectory, twisting and turning and shooting through the slime to my left. The slime was knocked down and dropped the cabbage. I knew I had to hit the real thing. The invincibility mode was unlocked and I encountered the next slime. The slime still split up, and this time I shuffled it from the beginning. ''......'' After the shuffle was over, three of the slimes came towards me at once. I shot out one of them with a normal round. The slime was easily defeated and dropped a cabbage. I could see why everyone around me was guessing. If I concentrated from the split, I wouldn''t lose sight of which one was the real thing in the shuffle swap. It''s a reasonably fast and tricky move, but it''s not difficult enough to fool the adventurer. It''s good training, though. Shuffling around at high speed and guessing the real thing is good training for my eyes, and I''ve decided to stay in here today. Meet the slime, wait for it to split, assess it, and shoot it. I went around the dungeon like I was strolling around pushing a magic cart and continued to take down the slime. ...... yeah? About the time the magic cart was once full and sent a full load of cabbages to the mansion, I realized something. I was skeptical, maybe - just maybe - it was the extent of it. To confirm this, I closed my eyes the next time the Encounter Slime started to split. I could hear the sound, the sound of the splitting slime moving around to shuffle. I open my eyes after I see that the sound has stopped. There were five slimes in front of me. Luckily (,) more splits. I stared at the five slimes that were coming towards me, my eyes fixed on them. Then, there was one that was different. What''s the difference? It''s almost like a hunch. As someone said, a hunch is an "instantaneous, integrated judgment based on the rule of thumb. Maybe that''s what my experience of hiding in dungeons has led me to do. I used normal bullets to shoot one that looked somewhat different. There was no counterattack. The slime disappeared, leaving the cabbage behind. One shot wasn''t enough to be certain. Let''s try more. I decided to keep doing the same thing. "Around. A normal bullet shoots through and a cabbage drops. ''Off'' Immediately after being shot out, my eyes go blank and my mind goes dizzy with shock. ''Per.'' After failing, I shot through the slime, which I couldn''t figure out what it was, and dropped another cabbage. I checked it over and over again. And I guessed it all (,). I could somehow understand the real thing, and I clearly learned that "somehow" in my body. My chest was filled with a sense of accomplishment, having achieved the purpose of coming to this level. I should thank Celeste again when I return to the mansion. And when I thought that. "Hmm? I noticed a man. I felt uncomfortable with the man. The clear feeling of discomfort was immediately apparent, the man was not pushing a magic cart, which is almost a must-have for adventurers. For that matter, he doesn''t have any weapons or equipment. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the right one for you. I''m not sure why they are sneaking around. I''m not sure why they are sneaking around and disappearing into the upper levels. ...... is suspicious. Something was fishy, it was fishy anyway. I know because I''ve seen adventurers behave well, especially in this world, and it''s easy to understand the behavior of adventurers. The first priority is to get around safely, so their actions are naturally similar. The man from earlier was acting very differently from the adventurer. I thought for a moment about whether to chase him, and then went towards the direction the man had come from. It was a straight road, and a dead end. There were no other adventurers and no monsters. Just when I was about to turn back to see if there was anything ....... I returned the kibisu and quickly turned around. I stared at the dead-end dungeon. "What ......? I mumble. A sense of discomfort, something catches me, that kind of discomfort. There''s nothing but a dead end, and yet you feel a vague sense of discomfort. If I had to choose, I''d say it''s the air. I''m going to be able to say that the ...... I know very well is now a nostalgic atmosphere. I stare at it, it''s still just a dead end. The scene is no different from the one behind me as I turn around. But it''s a tricky one. Something is there. Muttering further, so I''m more and more convinced. Here''s something: ...... On behalf of the city of Cyclo, I''d like to thank ...... The Dungeon Association''s president''s office, Cell, who was facing me, bowed deeply. I didn''t know anything after that, but I couldn''t shake the feeling that something was up, and I left the dungeon and ran to Cell''s place. I explained my story and asked him to look into it, and that''s what happened. Between me and Cell, there was a stone on the table. It''s just a stone, an ordinary stone for all intents and purposes. ''I sent someone to the spot Satou-sama mentioned to look for it, and this was found. What''s this? "Dungeon Debris. You mean trash? No, it''s called a drop item. ...... Mmm? I found myself wrinkling my brow. Drop items, the things that monsters drop. What it means is ....... ''This is the dungeon master of a dungeon called Uranium, the one the Grand Eater drops. Uranium ...... dungeon master ...... ''The monster drops are basically three things: water, air, or something specific to the monster. Yeah. ''The Grand Eater drops these stones, except for water and air. This itself is just a stone, no different from the pebbles lying around. All kinds of people have confirmed that it is just a stone. But ...... Still, drop items: ...... Cell nodded gravely. ''Unlike the other pebbles, if you leave them where there are no humans, they will hatch into hagglers. The most annoying grand eater in every sense of the word. And once left unattended, they can be ....... ...... no one can find it. Hmm, they''re all just pebbles, except for one thing: they''re not very ugly. That''s how I know. A drop hatches into a haggler. I know the air in that moment well. People in this world avoid doing it because they don''t have to, but I have the opposite advantage, so much so that I got a mansion and a basement for the space to do it. I''m probably the person in this world who has seen the moment of hatching into a haggler more than any other. That''s how I found out about these stones. "Why are you doing this? I think it was to kill the dungeon. What? "Grand Eaters, sometimes called by other names because of that characteristic. Another name? ''Dungeon Eater. Normal dungeon masters will change the ecology of a dungeon if left unattended, but this guy will bite and destroy the dungeon itself. If you let this guy run rampant without any countermeasures, you''ll be in for a ride. The Death of the Dungeon: "...... The culprit is still out there, so I can only speculate, but Cyclo is taking a leap of faith these days, and there are more dungeons than ever before. Many of them may not think well of that. Kill the dungeon and, if you like, let it be born to us ......? Cell nodded. That''s how it happens ....... ''But the heavens are on our side. As long as Satou-sama found this, it''s already okay. The Grand Eater''s human judgment range is wide, and it only hatches into a haglemono in situations where there is not a single human in the hierarchy. They probably set this up and tried to hatch when the tellurian dungeon master was out and no one was around. I see. ''No adventurers will disappear from the dungeon when the Dungeon Master is not present. We''ll let them search the other dungeons slowly and carefully. All right, well, you know what to do. Instantly, my back was horrified. The moment I thought this was the end of the story, I was horrified. ''What''s the matter, Master Sato?'' ...... Not good! Realizing in an instant the source of the chill, I took off running. I jumped out of the Dungeon Association building and ran through the bustling city with people coming and going. I left Cyclo and came to a dungeon on the outskirts of the city. Nihonium. A dungeon that''s usually empty because it doesn''t drop anything but water and air. An empty dungeon - a dungeon where hagremonts tend to hatch. I was relieved as I rushed into the dungeon, letting my momentum carry me into the dungeon. I didn''t make it in time, but I did. The air in the dungeon has changed, the air with the dungeon master. But the skeletons are there, the Nifonium monsters are there. This is despite the fact that when the Dungeon Master is out, the monsters in the dungeon are gone. Now here is a dungeon master other than Nihonium. I didn''t make it to Hagremonium in time, but I did make it before I destroyed it. If I look closely, I see that little figure beside me. That translucent, ghostly woman in a clasped sleeve. She had a troubled look on her face. ''Don''t worry, I''ll get rid of it.'' When I said that, the woman disappeared with a relieved look on her face. Well, let''s do it. 169. Grand Eater I used Repetition to kill all the skeletons in the first floor of Nifonium, and then used Infinite Recovery Bullets to recover MP as soon as I got rid of them, and then proceeded through the dungeon. Normally I''d do this and that, but I used a combination of Repetition and Infinite Recovery to keep the weapons I had on hand for the duration of the dungeon. I soon came across it(...). It is humanoid, with a head, torso and limbs, and is an adult male in size. It had no eyes, nose, or mouth, and was smooth and smooth, with no ups and downs, and weird patterns swirling all over its body, in such a humanoid shape. "It looks like Jupiter: ...... I couldn''t help but say it out loud. It was a Jupiter-like pattern I saw in a textbook a long time ago. It looked just like that Jupiter photo cut out in human form, and I felt like I was going to get drunk just looking at it, and I was going to get sick. The guy slithered on. He reached out to a nearby skeleton. The skeleton that touched his hand was eaten (). Like an eraser, the skeleton''s body disappeared as the hand passed through it, and the remaining bones fell to the ground in a flurry. There was no time to be astonished, a new skeleton was born from the wall right next to that guy. A hole was made in the wall and a skeleton was born from it in a blur. The humanoid thing stretched out its arms again, and this time it erased (ate) the skeleton from the entire wall. The Grand Eater, also known as the Dungeon Eater. Immediately, I felt like I understood the reason for that name. A monster that erases anything it touches like an eraser? ''First of all, try ...... small hand! I fired a series of normal bullets from two guns, and fired a total of six penetrating rounds at him on a trajectory that fused them together. The air is torn and the penetrating rounds fly through the air, and the bullets fail to respond to the speed or they land on the ground eater. And then it disappeared. It literally disappeared. The moment the bullet hit the Grand Eater''s body, it disappeared just like the skeleton before. ''''Then! He quickly swapped bullets, and this time he loaded frozen bullets, fire bullets, and infinite lightning bullets. If the physical bullets are no good, this time he fires a series of magic bullets of the attribute on both sides. The bullets are launched to land, expanding the magic circle--. What! It was the most surprising thing I''ve seen since I started using this gun. Frozen bullets were eaten by ice, flame bullets by flames, and lightning bolts rained down from the ceiling, all of which were eaten by the Grand Eater. Not only the actual ice, but the flames, the lightning, and even the magic circle that spawned them were eaten by anything that touched the Grand Eater''s body. It wasn''t just matter, it was shocking that even the magic circle was eaten. Does the Grand Eater have the power to erase everything that touched that body surface of the Grand Eater, that pattern like Jupiter? Suddenly, he reminds me of the dungeon master of Nihonium. A ghostly guy with an invisible body. It''s a monster, so I should be able to defeat it, and since it was turned into something haggard and sent here, there''s a way to defeat it. Then I''ll use a tracking device that aims at the weakest point, like I did with that one. ! I quickly jumped sideways. The moment I fired the tracking rounds, the Grand Eater rushed towards me. If it were even a half a second too late, it would have obliterated us. It cleaved its arm and ate away the tracking rounds. It was horrifying. I don''t mean getting hit by a tracking round. I knew when the arm brushed the tip of my nose as it dodged a bullet. It ate everything. Literally everything. It''s not just the bullets, it''s the air in there, it feels like it''s eating away at space. I land, sweat pouring down my back. The Grand Eater, which eats up everything, didn''t chase me. I wave my hand carelessly at the wall of the dungeon, which is closer than me, and make it disappear. He''s making things disappear there in a handful of ways. If I let it go, the dungeon - I''m getting more and more horrified. I''ve got to stop it....... I''m going to launch a series of bullets that I haven''t used yet. Restraint bullets, sleep bullets, recovery bullets ....... I shot every bullet I had on hand, but they were all eaten. But they were all eaten. The rope of light from the restraint bullets, the effect of the sleep bullets, and the healing light of the recovery bullets. All of them touched the Grand Eater''s body, were eaten and disappeared. The only thing that didn''t get eaten was the scrap bullets, ironically, the bullet speed was too slow to reach the Grandmaster and therefore didn''t get eaten. Put the gun away, now the magic. The repetition doesn''t work, of course, and I shot the wind cutter and all the other magic I remembered one after another. The result was more and more shivering. The reason is that they were eaten as well as the magicians of the special bullets. Even the magic is eaten, it is erased. ''Then how about this ......! I picked up the bones of the Grand Eater''s eating husk, which had fallen at my feet. A skeleton femur, I picked it up and used the stone of absolute rock. The moment you use it, the rock transforms into a harder stone than anything else, and the effect is applied to what you''re wearing. The bones of the skeleton holding it also became hard - invincible mode hard. I approach with it and swing it down at the Grand Eater. While in invincibility mode, both speed and strength drop to the equivalent of F. But the grand eater received the bone without dodging it. The result - exactly the same. The bones in invincible mode were also eaten and turned into miserable pieces to look at. The Grand Eater fires back, managed to avoid it while in invincible mode, but it was still grazed in the waist. One of the guns was taken, it was eaten. ''d*mn!'' Desperately retreating, getting distance. If we stay that close, we''re going to get killed. Even in invincible mode, even with SS strength and HP. I''ve become convinced that the Grand Eater will eat them out regardless. The Grand Eaters didn''t follow. They ate away at the walls of the nearby dungeon more than I did away from them. I''m not in mortal danger, but the pinch continues. If I let it go, it will kill the dungeon. Dungeon Eater, I now realize the horror of that nickname. What do we do now?How do we get it down? There''s definitely a way to beat it. The only reason this guy is here now is because someone beat him and brought in the drop and made him into a haggle. There''s definitely a way to beat it. There''s a way to beat it. What is it? The dungeon eater waved his arms. A gesture that was almost human for a moment, a gesture that seemed to shake off the flies that were coming at it. It was the scrap bullets that he swept away (and erased). He fired the first shot, and only now shook off the scrap bullets that had arrived so close. ''''--! A revelation comes down. I pulled out the other gun I had left. I pulled out all the bullets I had loaded and replaced them with all the scrap bullets I could find. I fired the scrap bullets. Fired one shot, took a step back. Shoot, step back. Shoot, step back. Keep shooting, keep dropping back - and go towards the dungeon''s exit. After we left the dungeon, I continued to shoot the scrap bullets. With every step I took, the scrap bullets I hit, that thing crawled through the air - it was like a rail. There''s a sign, a sign of a grand eater. From inside the dungeon, that thing came. He came waving his arms and eating scrap bullets as if he were wiping out flies. He waved his arms and took a step forward. Wave your arm and take a step forward. Chasing the scrap bullets like rails, the Grand Eater disappeared the moment we left the dungeon. No matter how strong he was, he was capable of erasing anything. The monsters of the world would disappear the moment they crossed the threshold of the dungeon. It was no exception in Grand Eater. Lured by the scrap bullets, the Grand Eater disappeared cleanly under the open sky. 170. Food Battle After defeating the Grand Eater, I slumped down and sat there. Somehow I managed to defeat ...... maybe the most powerful enemy I''ve ever had. That''s how cornered I was. ''......'' ...... No. You don''t have ...... to take it down, do you? Look around. The basement level of the Nifonium Dungeon, near the exit. There''s an exit in front of you, and you can see the view outside. If you turn around, you''ll see the familiar dungeon, crawling with skeletons you''ve seen more than your parents'' faces. But there''s nothing. A drop, no. My own unique skill, drop S. In a world where everything drops from dungeons, the Drop S is the most powerful skill to make any monster drop. You can''t drop Nifongnium monsters or Hagremonts that humans can''t drop in this world. As long as you defeat them, they will drop. That didn''t happen. Because I didn''t beat them. Technically, I just got away with it. I used this world''s immovable logic well to lead them out of the dungeon and make them disappear. I didn''t defeat him. That''s why I didn''t drop it. It was the first time I didn''t drop it. I was the first one who didn''t drop no matter what I defeated, and I was the first one who didn''t drop it. ............. A little ...... No, quite. That''s pretty frustrating. I wish I hadn''t noticed, but when I did, it was like a fish bone stuck in the back of my throat. It really bothered me and I had to remove it. It''s that uncomfortable. That''s when I wondered what I should do: ...... That woman, that doll-sized, translucent woman in a kimono, appeared again. She bowed to me, which I already identified as a Nifongnium in my mind. It was a bow with an elegant gesture, just like the way she was dressed. Thank you, I felt as if she had said that to me, though it was silent. ''Don''t worry, I don''t want to lose it here either. ...... Nifonium returned the kibble and started walking. He walked with such grace that he was a good example of good manners in a manners class. He walked a bit, stopped, turned around and looked at me. ''Do you mean to tell me to follow you ......?'' When I asked, Nihonium started to walk further. I didn''t know what she was talking about, but I followed her. ''So you''re a Nifonium after all,'' ......? She just turned her head and tilted it back, with me leading her. ''No, it''s not right to tilt, anyone can see that when they see something like this. I pointed to the side. Nifonium basement level two, a level where the zombies swarmed. Normally, the zombies would be grunting and attacking me, but I didn''t have any of that. The zombies made way for her, hands on their knees, heads down. ''It''s some gangster, or maybe it''s just a whole lot of polar wives. ...... Nihonium just smiled and didn''t answer. He was led away as it was. On the third, fourth, and fifth underground floors, the undead monsters bowed to Nihonium and yielded their way. Then Nihonium stopped at the back of the fifth basement floor. Beside it, there is a stone wall. She stared at it and turned to me. ''Ah, there''s another one.'' They nod. I knew it was a nihonium ...... the spirit of this dungeon. It looks like just a stone, but the Grand Eater''s stone is foreign to this dungeon. Just like Aulum can detect an adventurer hunt, so can Nihonium detect this. I stared at the stone. The stone that hatches in the Grand Eater - the stone that the Grand Eater dropped. The stone I couldn''t let ...... drop. I stared at it and sat down with a thud in front of it. Thinking. Remove the fish bone stuck in the back of my throat. I thought of a way to do it. ...... Ask Celeste and she''ll tell you. They''re mass-produced enough to be used in a conspiracy, so there''s probably an established way to take down a Grand Eater, but I decided to figure it out for myself. I stare at the stone and remember the fight I just had. It''s a battle that made me lick the bitterness out of my body, which could be considered a complete defeat, but I thought about whether or not I could grab something from it. It''s a pattern in a way. The Grand Eater erased everything like an eraser. It''s kind of like an extinguishing bullet, only erasing what it touches. ''You''re invincible: ......'' You can erase magic as well as matter, so you would be unquestionably invincible. You want to use something that can''t be erased to defeat it?Then you''ll be out of luck. ...... ...... hmm? I''m stuck. I''m stuck for a second. I''m stuck on what?I am. I can go back through my thoughts, trace what I think. I can erase everything, erase it like an eraser. The Grand Eater makes everything disappear with a single touch. "Erase? Wait, do you want me to turn it off? Grand Eater, aka Dungeon Eater. Eater, not Eraser, Eater. They say a name represents a body. Either your real name or an alias. He was both an eater. He''s not erasing it, he''s eating it. "Eater." ...... I stared at the stone in front of me. Stars Outside the dungeon in Nifonium, right by the entrance. I put a stone there and kept my distance. It''s shameful, but it''s an insurance policy. If it didn''t work, it was an insurance policy to guide me back in with the scrap bullets to eliminate them. Hopefully, my guess is right. I waited for it to hatch. After a while, the air changed. The air of a dungeon master drifted around. The stone hatched into a grand eater. I held up my gun. He loaded the remaining gun with only two types of bullets. Lightning rounds and recovery rounds. Two types of bullets that were infinite after attacking the dungeon. Infinite lightning bullets were shot, not hit, slightly to the right of the Grand Eater. The Grand Eater reacted, waved his arm and ate the lightning bullets (...). Then I fire a recovery round, also don''t hit it, but shoot it slightly to the left of the Grand Eater. He reacted in the same way, waved his arm and ate a recovery round. Thunderballs, recovery bullets, thunderballs, recovery bullets. An infinite number of bullets were shot in turn. In a way, it''s the same as with the scrap bullets. He swung the bullets left and right and swung the Grand Eater around. It''s like a repetitive flying grand eater, and it eats the bullets. I keep firing. 10 rounds, 20 rounds, 50...... 100....... I shot left and right, taking advantage of the fact that it was infinite. The Grand Eater''s body, which continued to eat bullets, was clearly larger. It was one - or even two - larger than the first. It was so big that it was impossible to mistake it for anything else. Grand Eater, not Eraser, Eater. If you''re eating it, there''s a limit. Even an Eraser might have limits, but an Eater should have more limits. So I thought, I kept feeding it endless bullets, and this is how it worked. I could do it, I thought, and I picked up the pace. No longer swinging from side to side, I fired a series of infinite lightning bullets and infinite recovery bullets. The Grand Eater''s body was growing in size at an accelerated rate. ''''Can you really go ......?'''' The pace of that guy''s eating didn''t slow down to the point that I couldn''t help but feel uneasy. No matter how many bullets you shoot at it, it will devour it with a flick of its arm without a problem. ...... I shook off my hesitation and continued firing in rapid succession. Trusting myself, I kept firing bullets at the Grand Eater, which had swelled up to about ten times its initial size, the result. Pshhhh ....... I heard a sound of air loss. A part of the swollen Grand Eater''s body burst open and immediately afterwards, it rapidly squeezed out. The Grand Eater kept swinging its arms while it was out of the air and tried to attack me, but the pace of its exit was even faster than that, and soon it was smaller than the first time, and then it was gone. The amount of bullets that exceeded the limit - roughly four digits of bullets fed to me, the Grand Eater disappeared. Where it stood, it dropped a shining stone. ''...... Okay.'' He gave a small gut-punch with his free hand while holding the gun at the ready. 171. Bottomless belly As soon as I picked up the shining stone that the Grand Eater dropped, it melted away in my palm. The melted thing became a pale light, enveloping my entire body. I remember the feeling of melting, I know it well. It''s exactly the same as a nihonium seed. Is it just me or is it just ......? Let''s try it next time, we got it down once, so we can use the repetition. I''m sure there''s a pile of cells to collect, so let''s get one turned in. But more importantly, we have this light now. The dungeon master''s haglemono dropped it, and the moment you touch it, it turns into light and envelops your entire body. There''s no way that this will be nothing. I wonder what will happen, what will happen? I waited excitedly, watching my body change carefully. The light gradually became smaller and smaller, but more intense. The light condensed into a single point and gathered in my pocket. My pants pocket. The light went in there and disappeared completely. I put my hand in to chase it, and I immediately notice something is wrong. The bottom of the pocket had disappeared. Normally, if you put your hand in your pocket, it would immediately hit the bottom of the bag, but it didn''t. It''s a strange sensation, as if the bag itself has disappeared, not just the bottom, but the bag itself. It feels as if I put my hand in a huge, bottomless bag. I took my hand out and put my hand in my other pocket to try it out. It feels the same, both pockets are equally bottomless. I stick my hand in my other one, and then I put my hands in my pockets. ''Whoa!'' I made a strange sound. Something unexpected happened. My hands in my pockets were touching each other. I could touch them if I shoved my hands deep into the perforated pockets, but that was only if my hands met in the middle of my body. Right now, my hands are each in their normal position, next to my thighs. Both hands. Each of them feels like my left hand next to my right hand and my right hand next to my left hand. They intertwine their fingers, going crazy and doing an irregular finger-wrestling. And it looks like my left pocket and my right pocket are connected. Inside, it was a strange space. I came home and went into my room. There was almost no furniture in the room now. There was no bed, no desk, nothing that had been there a while ago. Lyota is back--what is this? Alice was greatly surprised when she came into the room. The sudden change in the room can lead to this reaction. What happened? I just put it away. Did you put it away? I can get you out. I pulled the bed out of my pocket. The bed is heavy there, but it''s a power SS, so it''s no big deal. I take the bed out and put it back in its place. ''And put it away,'' I lifted it lightly again and tucked it into my pocket. The bed is much larger than my pocket, but it''s easily swallowed up. ''Great, what''s wrong with that?'' A grand eater is either an item ...... or an ability that kills monsters. I see. Alice is convinced when she is told it''s a monster drop. ''That''s great Ryota. Hey, hey, can anything go in that? Yeah, ...... See? I took some things out of my pocket. Sprouts that I tested to see if they would fit in the drop, my own clothes to see if they would fit in the processed goods, and regular bullets to see if they would fit in the haggler drop. I showed him the various items I''d put in for the test. ''Ice cream goes in, too, see? Oh, it''s so cold. Is it really cold in there? Not even close. Steak!And it''s hot! It keeps him warm, but I don''t know what''s going on inside. I can stick my hand in there, but not my head. Then he bent down and showed it to me. It''s a trouser pocket, so of course my head can''t get in, or rather, can''t reach it. Then I''ll go in for you! ''What?I''m going to go in--ah! Before I could stop her, Alice shoved her hands in my pockets and disappeared into them with an amused look on her face. ''Humans get in there too: ...... Alice held out her hand nymphetically. It was a bit bizarre to see a human hand reaching out of her pants. Alice''s hand did a piece and retracted again. ''Is it funny inside?'' Given her personality, that was a big possibility. I''ll ask her for details when she comes back, I thought, and waited for Alice to return. But Alice didn''t come back. I put my hand in my pocket and he pinched the back of my hand. She seems to be enjoying this quite a bit. Well, if he doesn''t show up, it''s not worth it. Let''s try the next test. I decided to resume testing to figure out my new abilities. It turns out that I can swallow everything and even people normally. What to try next? I thought about it, and I wondered, is it these pants?I was curious. To be frank, it''s already looking like that famous Nekorobo pocket, and I wondered if that was the only pocket on these pants. I took off my pants and put on a new pair. The moment I put both legs through and was about to raise them. "Hey Lyota, inside--wow! Alice peeked out of the pocket of her new pants. Suddenly, she was so startled that she couldn''t help but take the pants off. Alice''s head fell to the floor with a thud while part of the hem flipped over around her calf. ''Icy, what are you doing now?'' No, no, no, no. I''m just showing my face. It''s not that big of a deal-- oh. Huh? Alice suddenly fell silent. I didn''t need to follow her gaze - I didn''t need to follow her to know what was wrong. Half-dressed pants, Alice looking up. ''Oh--'' Don''t say a word, just get inside! Oh, God, don''t push me. Just let me in! All right, all right, all right. Mr. Lyota, the head of the association... "What? With a knock, the door opened and Celeste walked in. A very bad sight. He''s pulling down his pants and holding Alice''s head down. A scene that could be misunderstood. "Oh no, you''re ...... ahead of me. I didn''t! I didn''t! Celeste backed up and slammed her back against the wall, and Alice rushed out of her pocket in a hurry. It took her a moment to explain and clear up any misunderstandings. Yeah, that''s right: ...... Celeste was clearly relieved to hear the explanation. I put my pants back on and took out a bed from my pocket - a bed that is deliberately something that would not be possible on a regular basis. When Celeste saw it, she blurted out, "Wow ....... As well as being relieved that the misunderstanding is now completely cleared up. ''You can put your pants on and it''s connected.'' You''re helping Lyota, not your pants. I suppose that''s the way it goes. Hey, hey, I don''t know if they can carry it all the way inside. Carry? I look at Alice and ask back. ''Yeah!Like this. ''Wow!Hey Alice! Before I could stop her, Alice slipped back into my pocket. Then she grimaced, and only her head appeared. "Come on, Celeste. ''What?Wha, me? Celeste alternated between Alice and me, who was only neck-deep. ''I''m ...... in Lyota''s pants ....... It''s in my pocket! Come on. Alice put out her hand further and pulled Celeste in. Celeste said, "Hiya! I screamed, but he dragged me into his pocket without a normal occurrence. ''Move along then, please.'' ...... Yeah. He pushed me away, but I knew what Alice meant. In addition, I tucked the bed into my pocket again, then left the room and walked down the hallway. Various pieces of furniture, and two humans in my pockets, but they didn''t feel heavy. It''s not that the power isn''t heavy because it''s SS, it''s that it doesn''t feel heavy in the first place. I walk down the hallway and wander out into the yard. How''s that? As you can see, it''s a garden. Oh, you''re mobile. It''s true. ...... Hey, I don''t know about this situation. Alice and Celeste stick their heads out of their pockets on either side. ''You look like a kangaroo.'' What? ''It''s a kind of animal, it has pockets on its body, and it raises babies in its pockets. ''Huh ...... So this is what it looks like then?'' Alice didn''t just hold out her neck, she held out her hands as well. The hand that was held out a bit to the side of her neck gripped the edge of her pocket. She looked more and more like a kangaroo cub, which was a bit cute. I walked around the yard with Alice and Celeste, who peeked out of their pockets. I don''t feel the weight, maybe it''s because it''s in my pocket. The Grand Eater''s abilities, it seems to be more useful than I thought. ''Mr. Lyota,'' Elsa?What''s going on? I turn around when I hear Elsa calling from inside the mansion. Elsa looks at me and then at my lower half - Alice and Celeste. ''...... Kyu.'' He suddenly went white eyed and passed out. ''What''s the matter?'' Oh, this is what happens, isn''t it? Well, you look like you''ve got two heads hanging from the side. The Grand Eater''s pockets were handy, but a bit of a fuss. 172. Secular Cyclodungeon Association, President''s Office. I visited this place with the help of Aurum, recovering the dungeon debris installed in the Aurum Dungeon - the Grand Eater''s Stone. ''''Six in total, huh?'''' Looking at the six dungeon debris on the table between them, sitting across from each other, Cell''s brow furrowed. ''As I recall, Aulum is ...... The whole floor. Were there two of them on each floor? Yeah. I nodded clearly. The dungeon''s master, Aulum, had sensed or searched for me, so I''m pretty sure it was these six. They couldn''t be left in the dungeon without being found. Looking at the six dungeon debris, Cell made a serious face. Eventually, he looked up. ''Someone.'' You wanted to see me? A woman walks in from outside the room. A clean-cut, clean-cut, cleverly clipped shortcut, a suit-like outfit that fits her shrewd good looks. It''s Cell''s secretary, the one I see when I visit here. Have them search every dungeon in Cyclo again. "I want every single one of Cyclo''s dungeons to be scoured again, one at a time, one level at a time. "As you wish. The secretary bowed reverently and left the room. After seeing it off, Cell turned his attention to the six dungeon debris again. ''I was careless, my mistake. I assumed there was only one for each level. ''Don''t worry about it, it''s normal to feel that way. I thought so too. Then why? Cell asks back. ''There were only two Nihoniums. So oh?I just thought. I thought, "Isn''t it possible that each level of the hierarchy has more than one? In fact, some places have more than one. "Hmm. ''That''s why I asked Aulum to check out the Aulum dungeon. Yes, Satou-sama can use the spirits in the dungeon as well. Cell''s eyes were a mixture of admiration and respect. It''s not that I''m a messenger, but I didn''t dare to excuse it, so I let it pass. ''As you can see from the adventurer hunting system, the spirits in the Aulum ...... dungeon can find out what happened in their own dungeon. You can find out if there are foreign objects and where they are. That''s how they found me. So it''s no longer in Aulum. Satou-sama''s words. There''s no way I would ever doubt them. Cell said and stared at the dungeon debris again. Six dungeon debris, six Grand Eaters, installed on the three levels of the Aulum. A clear killing intent (,) could be felt from them. Two nine-tenths of Nihonium, which drops nothing, compared to two-nineths of Nihonium, which drops sand gold - six-thirds of Aulum, which is a gold mine, so to speak. I could sense a strong intent to kill Aulum at all costs and skip the dungeon elsewhere. ...... maybe. "Hmm? Do you know who you''re f*cking with? Mm, ninety-nine percent confirmed. We just don''t have the scene and the person who did it yet. Who are you?I did that. "Same-Chen Dungeons Association. ...... I see. I''m convinced. I''m so convinced. It made a lot of sense to me. The Sametjenrein Dungeon Society, Awrum and Indor, whom we''ve had a run-in with. The village of Indor, where Ahrum is located, was built with the help of a city called Samethylen. Sometimes the town will fund a village in the form of a settlement in anticipation of a new dungeon being reborn, and the same goes for Samethylen. Sametilene is the same, and Indor was the first village to be built with the initial funding. But Samethylen then left Indor alone, and when Indor got in trouble, it asked the Cyclo Society for help, and I was sent to help. The problems of Aulum were successfully resolved, and Indor became independent of Sametilene and became a part of Cyclo. So from Sametilene''s point of view, it''s very uninteresting to have Aulum there. What''s more. ''''It wouldn''t be surprising if they tried to annihilate not only Aulum, but all of Cyclo''s dungeons as well. It''s a snobbish idea. But it doesn''t make sense anymore. The Grand Eaters are indeed evil, but if you keep the hand stuff resident in your dungeon, it doesn''t make sense. Yeah. I fully agree with that. In the same way I defeated the first Grand Eater, no matter how strong a monster is, you can''t deviate from the rules of this world. As long as there''s always someone in the dungeon, the haggler won''t hatch. ''''...... hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm, hmm.'''' I thought I was staring at him, but now I looked up at the heavens and laughed out loud. ''What''s the matter with you, all of a sudden?'' It''s funny. The snobs have miscalculated. Miscalculation? ''''Mm, all of Cyclo''s dungeons were planted with dungeon debris, or ground eaters. The main target is probably Aulum, but I guess they plan to kill the other dungeons if they can. Yeah. But it was discovered by Master Sato. It was Satou-sama who first discovered the dungeon debris. It was also Satou-sama who discovered that there could be more than one in the hierarchy, not one, but two. Thanks to Satou-sama, Ciclo''s alert was fully prepared. Now that we''re in this situation, we can''t afford to have a single haggler rampaging through our dungeon. Cell said with merriment. ''''It means that all of the snobs'' plans have been thwarted by Satou-sama. I see. And, And? What''s going on again? Leaving items that are not on the relevant level in the dungeon is a serious offense. ''''Yeah. If you leave the stuff in that tier, you''d rather have more monsters and more drops, but there are a lot of adventurers who specialize in the monsters in the tier, so it''s just too dangerous to get different monsters. Hmm. It happened to a man once. That time it was an accident, an adventurer dying in a deserted area with a bad piece of equipment. I see. I tried to imagine it for a moment. If I died in the corner of a dungeon, I imagined the scene when all the equipment in my body hatched into a haggler all at once. A total of over a dozen dungeon masterclass and rare monsters, and I always have a lot of bullets at the ready, so the monsters of Nihonium would show up in an army. It''s going to be the ...... equivalent of a tragedy, attacking the adventurers who specialize in laps. With that, an agreement has been reached between all dungeon associations. That it is a felony to knowingly dump stuff from another dungeon, another tier, and so on. I can see that in my case. It''s lightly attempted murder. Hmmm, what kind of charge would mass murder be? Either way, it would be a terrible felony. ''Thank you Lord Satou,'' Gratitude? ''The dungeon, not to mention the fact that he protected the adventurers. I can beat the ringleader for using the Grand Eater class for a story. You''re going to hit it. ''It''s even more convenient if the opponent is in the association class. We will hit them thoroughly to strengthen the agreement. We can also create a system that won''t abuse Hagremon in the future. Okay. That''s pretty important ....... Laws are only a deterrent when there are penalties. If you crush a Dungeon Association class opponent thoroughly, that''s a pretty good deterrent. I looked again at my equipment. Considering the number of casualties that would occur in the dungeon when these things became haggled, I thought more and more that I should have the cell do a thorough job. Create a system where adventurers can hunt around and hunt with more peace of mind than ever before. ''Anything I can do to help, you can always tell me. Thank you. Cel put his hands on his knees and bowed his head. I was impressed by the fact that he was a big person who was able to take care of the people in the field despite his high position - but. Goton. Something fell out of Cell''s pocket as he bowed his head. I''m firing a single gun in rapid succession, just as I was when I defeated the Grand Eater. ''Why do you have that too! ''Hon!Oh no, thank you Satou-sama, and the snobs will regret messing with you where Satou-sama is. ''You''re starting to look like the biggest snob I''ve ever seen! I gave it a big shove, but Cell was already back to his usual sullen face. 173. Samethylene Winter Team The city of Sametylene. Cell and I came here in a rickshaw shaped carriage. While the streets of Cyclo have a medieval European feel to them, the people and streets of Sametjen have a more Chinese feel to them. And yet it''s as lively and bustling as Cyclo. I was curious about this world, what kind of dungeons there were, and what kind of daily life the city''s residents were going through with them. Of course, the name of the dungeon is something I''m curious about, but that''s not the place to be right now. I asked Cell, who was sitting across from me. ''We''re in Samethrene, where are we going?'' ''The Dungeon Society. That''s where I''m going to put the head of the association, Linus Ronin. I see. As I recall, they said they were going to use this as an opportunity to strengthen the agreements and rules. That''s all well and good, but why me too? We need Mr. Sato''s help. In a way that only Mr. Sato can. Is it just me? Hmm. I can handle it if I leave it to my own hands, but it will be easier to handle if Satou-sama comes out. ''Oh, right: ...... What do I have to do?'' As long as you''re with me, and you can get your story together there, that''s all that matters. Is that what you want? Cell nodded clearly. His eyes are calm, but there''s a hint of a lecherous glint in them. Is there an ambitious side to you that you haven''t shown me?What a surprise, I thought. The rickshaw and rickshaw pulled by two strong men arrived at their destination. When I got out of the car, I saw a five-story tower-like building in front of me. I walked into the tower with Cell. I walked in easily to see if we had an appointment, and we were shown into a luxurious reception room. We waited for a while and a familiar face showed up. The head of the Same-Chillen Association, the man who was done in by Clint for the Indor case. His name was Linus, according to ...... cell. ''Thank you for your patience,'' We''ve never met. I''m Cell Stem, president of the Cyclodungeon Society. This is Mr. Sato, president of the Indole Society. Cell introduced himself and introduced me as well. Oh, right, I was the head of the Indor association. The Indore association is actually a sub-organization of the Cyclo Association, and I usually never pay much attention to that. I see, that''s why you asked me to accompany you. I''m sure the head of the association will be asked to say something. Let''s prepare ourselves. "Same-Chillen Dungeon Association President Linus Ronin. Linus said his name, but he was freaked out. It''s a reaction to the fact that he knows what we''re coming for. ''I''m sorry for the unexpected visit. I''m sorry for the unexpected visit, but things are getting a bit dicey at this time with Cyclo and Indor. What is this? Someone has planted dungeon debris in the dungeon. Really? There are such shameless people out there? I uttered a few words of condemnation, but Linus'' voice was shaky. He tended to keep his eyes down, glancing at me and the cell to see what was going on. I did it. It''s like he''s confessing. ''Has anything like that happened to Samethyne? I''m not sure. I haven''t heard anything like that. Oh, I see. As you know, it''s a serious offense to place such a thing in a dungeon. You can''t afford to overlook that. I''m going to have to find the real culprit: ...... and the mastermind behind it. Yeah, I guess so. Linus'' voice trembled more and more. Cell continued to threaten Linus in a distant way. It was surprisingly far-fetched and sticky. He couldn''t do anything about it, he could only bite back, and every time Cell opened his mouth, Linus, who freaked out, was slowly being trapped. It reminded him of Osaka Castle, which had reached the height of its prosperity but was cruelly stripped naked. The cell continued to fill in the outer moat, just like that. ''But the other side did something stupid too. What? Well, you know what they say in Cyclo. Don''t let Lyota Satou get involved. There are not one or two of us who have done something unreasonable and have been so displeased with Satou-sama that they have been devastated just because they intervened. Come to think of it, that''s what they say. Maybe after Clifford?That''s what I''ve been told. I''m just a regular guy. But it also became a threat. Linus was even more frightened when he did something that didn''t fit the norm. ''''If you get to Satou-sama, he''ll even change the drop times of the dungeon. Come to think of it, I hadn''t heard of it, but can Satou-sama eliminate the drops themselves? Yeah? What are you asking me all of a sudden - I huffed as soon as I thought about it. ''This,'' he said, ''is this the one you want to talk to me about? ''I can do that,'' Oh, really? Yeah. I don''t need to dare to talk to you, that''s a normal thing to do. All you have to do is not send Aulum back to the mansion at night, and you don''t have to send him back to the dungeon in the morning. If you want to do it, you can do it. I''m sure you''ll be able to do it. I''m afraid you can''t do anything absurd in Satou-sama''s presence. I''d love it if you did. This is the real story. I''ve been in a black company, and when I see something absurd, I can''t resist sticking my head in the sand. I''m usually happy that I don''t have that problem. "By the way, Satou-sama. Yeah? Why don''t you go and experience the dungeon? ''Dungeon experience?Yeah, I''m certainly curious to see what the dungeons of Samethrene are like. Can I go to ......? Get with the story. That''s the last thing Linus told me. It''s another threat. Absurdly I stick my head in the sand, talking about people who have been shoved in and beaten, and then further indicating the possibility of no drop with the Aulum story. I turn it around and threaten Linus with it. I felt sorry for Linus when he was threatened, and in an instant he looked like he had indulged for about 10 years. After just threatening him like that, Cell ended up not talking about any of the intricacies, and left the Society of Samethyllene with me. In a rickshaw drawn by a strong man, Cell said to me. ''Thank you, Master Satou.'' Is that what you want? ''Hmm, thanks to Satou-sama, I''m completely in control. I''m glad I could help. But it''s good that you''re willing to do it, because I''m not making any demands or anything. ''We''ve taken full control, there''s no need to panic. Linus Ronin is a reasonable man, and I''m sure he will understand the position and offer himself. I see. Besides, big trees taste best before they fall. Plainly, Cell says horrible things. Well, but this time, Linus had it coming this time. ''''If it wasn''t for Satou-sama, things wouldn''t have gone so well. Let me thank you again. In a comfortable rickshaw that doesn''t rock at all, Cell gets on his knees and bows his head to me. ''Thank you.'' He said. 174. Black hole After leaving the Chairman''s office, I walked alongside Cell in the hallway. ''I''d like to ask Satou-sama for help,'' Yeah? I''d appreciate it if you could stay in town for a few days. ''Stay?I don''t mind that, but why ......? I''m going to hunt him down now. Even more so. I remember Linus'' frightened expression, and I feel a little sorry for him when he gets to this point. ''I''m going to use every hand I can. I''m going to drive them from the inside out. Do you want me to do something for you? No. Cell looks at me with a straight face. ''Just being there, Satou-sama, is fine. Your mere presence is enough to put pressure on them. Pressure just to be there: ...... Isn''t that too much of an exaggeration? Cel didn''t say anything more than a lifted corner of his mouth to form a smile. ''Anyway, it would be nice if you could stay.'' "Well, ...... should I make him disappear occasionally? That''s my boy, Lord Sato. He said respectfully. ''It''s even better if you do, it makes the other side more suspicious on its own. All right. I''ll take care of that for you. I accepted Cell''s request and decided to stay in this city, Sametilene, for a few days until it was settled. Sametylene, a prosperous city with nine dungeons. In one of them, I entered a dungeon called Cobalt. The dungeon I stepped into, on the first floor beneath Cobalt, was surprisingly large and looked like a forest. The trees are so thick that if you look up, you can''t see the sky (if there is one) because it''s covered by trees. The gap between the dungeon from the edge of the prosperous city and the dungeon was an interesting one: it was a dense forest. There weren''t many adventurers in the dungeon. It''s only a trickle of them being visible. It''s not like there''s a magic storm, nor is it a day of breeding when the drops are low. But subtly, there are few people. When I was wondering why ...... I encountered a monster. It''s almost human in size, bent forward, with arms as long as its legs, hanging slackly. It had bat-like wings on its back, and its entire body was a purpleish color. If you look closely, it has no eyes and moves as if it were wandering around at random. "Demons, huh? I mumbled that from the looks of it. In fact, I hadn''t heard anything about it. I approached adventurers in town and asked them how many dungeons they had and their names, but I didn''t ask them what they were. It''s just a matter of getting out. It''s part of the training. You go into a dungeon without knowing anything about it and develop the ability to be resourceful in a real battle. I followed the same policy from a little while ago and did the same thing here. I pulled out my gun and - oh. ''Come to think of it, you''re still down to one gun. Can we get some tuna in town? Keeping the replenishment of the gun he had lost in the Grand Eater battle in a corner of his mind, he loaded up his regular bullets and shot the monster. With a shot, the regular bullet shot through the head of the eyeless demon. A single headshot, the demon sank with a single shot and dropped the item. ''''Weak ...... well, it''s the first floor, so it''s not like this.'''' I picked up the drop, dismissing it as such, though it wasn''t trained or anything, but I picked up the drop. It was a rectangular, dull-colored mass. ''Is this tactile and shiny ...... iron bars?It weighs in at about ...... a kilo. I touched and stroked the demon''s drop and knocked it with the second joint of my middle finger. Probably iron, I''m sure. In the dungeon of Aulum, I defeated a small demon and dropped a gold sand. The demon here dropped iron. There is a clear trend in the type of drop items and monsters. This dungeon called Cobalt would be a dungeon with demon monsters and dropping minerals, I judged from my previous experience. I put the iron bars, which were about a kilo in weight, in my pocket. I didn''t bring the magic cart because I didn''t expect this to happen, but I had the Grand Eater''s pockets, so it wasn''t a problem. I walked for a while and was with the demon again. On closer inspection, the way it wandered around was vaguely similar to the zombies in Nifongnium. The color of its skin is similar to that of a zombie, too. I wonder if it''s a zombie demon or something like that. I headshot it with a regular bullet, and another iron bar dropped. I knew it was about a kilo of steel. I pick it up and put it in my pocket. ...... That doesn''t feel like having two kilos of stuff in your pocket. Only a man can understand this. That subtle feeling you get when you put too much stuff in your pocket. That heavy, dangling, weird, obnoxious feeling on your thighs. Naturally, that''s not there at all. You take out the zombie demons. You can do headshots, stop the gun and punch them down, or grab the top and bottom of their biting mouths and rip them apart. I took down monsters in the cobalt basement level and went around collecting iron bars. I kept going around mindlessly, and then I knew one thing. The adventurers here are no different from the adventurers in Cyclo. I defeated the monsters with efficient movement on the premise of circling and put the dropped iron bars into the magic cart, but I pulled it up before the cart was full. It still looks like it''s going to go in, but the cart I''m pushing is oddly wobbly. It''s like the weight reached the limit of the magic cart before the volume. I see, that''s what happens with steel. Well, the specific gravity is far heavier than that of vegetables. Just like that, I continued to observe the adventurers in this city while defeating the monsters in the new dungeon. So this is the dealer. After leaving the cobalt dungeon, I came to a buyer''s shop that I heard about from the people in town. The sign said ''Oshidori Gassen'' on the sign. I walked into the shop empty-handed, mixed in with a group of adventurers pushing a magic cart. Unlike "Tsubame no Omiai", the inside was needlessly large. Instead of counters, it was built like a supermarket cash register, and that''s what it was made to look like with an extremely wide layout. I went to one of the empty cash registers. ''Welcome, customer, is this your first time?'' The male clerk at the register asked with a business smile on his face. ''Yeah. Can you buy it for me for the first time? Of course. I''ll buy anything you drop in this city''s dungeons ...... but it looks like your customers don''t have anything. Not really. I reached into my pocket and pulled out one of the iron bars and placed it on the checkout table. The moment I put it down, the numbers moved in the checkout machine. ''I see, so it weighs you down when you put it down. Yes. But, sir, a draught of iron is not enough. There''s more. More iron bars out of his pocket and put them down. More numbers, take out more. Takes them out and puts them down. One after another, he takes them out and puts them on the register. ''What?'' The male clerk, who had a "that''s a lot in there" look on his face until halfway through, couldn''t keep his mouth open in surprise at one point. He asked me when I had laid out about 100 bars with a unit of one kilogram ...... of gin on the other side. ''Well, wait a minute, customer, how much did you bring in?'' There''s more to come. I take them out one after the other. I pile the iron blocks into the cash register, which takes up a lot of space. How much am I in the middle of it, too?I thought to myself. ''Oh, come on, what is that?'' A new kind of magic cart technology? Or is it magic?No. Is it an inherent skill? The stunned shopkeepers and the adventurers gathered around. As they looked on, I continued to let them out, and eventually the number exceeded 1,000 and cheers erupted from all around me. More than a ton of steel had been placed in my pocket. 175. Pocket money In the midst of the buyer''s ''oshidori war'', I was waiting for the buyer''s assessment. I looked around the shop for some reason. The buyers were a variety of adventurers, but they all brought in chunks of metal. Various shades, luster, and sizes. I took it out of the magic cart and asked them to assess it. It''s a fresh sight, so similar to the cyclo, yet so subtly different. ''''Ya, stop!'''' Yeah? I suddenly heard a man''s voice that sounded like a scream and turned toward him. The adventurer, who had just bought the ore he had brought in, was surrounded by three rattling men. Two of them flanked him on either side, while one stood in the middle, taking the gold from the adventurer''s hand. What''s this all about?when looking at it. Hi Fuu Mii...... You did a great job, now you''re paid off in full. Apparently it was a debt collector. The debt collector pulled out a sum of 10,000 pounds and returned the remaining coins to the man. Then, the corners of his mouth twitched and he said in a sarcastic tone, "Thank you for paying off your debt. ''Thank you for paying it off, we look forward to seeing you again. Hello, sir. Hold on. If you take it all away... "Can''t drink tonight," right? Ugh. ...... The adventurer was at a loss for words. Apparently, it''s like a man who has lost himself in drink and the people who collect a debt from him. The adventurer tried hard to bite back, but the men would not listen to him, only to grimace. They even suggest the next debt. "Lend me your money!10,000 ...... 20,000, no, 30,000! So sign here. I don''t know if he really wanted to drink, but the adventurer had just paid it off and now he was in debt again. I watched from a distance, thinking that I''ve seen people like this in comics before. ''''Here you go.'''' Then the buyer over here came back. ''Yeah,'' I just checked. The total count is 1198 gin in all. It reminds me of when I took out the iron block. You''d think that a jin is roughly the same as a kilo. ''The market rate today is 19 piro per jin, so that makes 22,762 piro in all. It''s that easy? Iron is easy. It''s all right. Yes. You mean iron, which is cobalt. It might be better to dive a little deeper and get some copper or aluminum. It depends on each person. How much would that cost? Copper is around 800 piro at today''s prices. I was given a very rough number, perhaps for comparison purposes. Roughly, but the difference was clear. But ...... iron is cheap ....... Gold was about 4,000, I believe. That''s a pretty small profit by comparison. Oh well. This might be good, I thought as I looked at the 22,000 piro, the profit I received today. I left the buyout place and walked around the completely darkened streets of Samethrene at random. I had 22,000 piro for today in my pocket. It''s a lot less than usual, but it''s enough to pay for dinner and a place to stay. Come to think of it, I''m keeping track of my earnings in my passbook right now by looking at the numbers, but I might as well have some cash in my grand eater''s pocket. I''m pretty sure the 100 million dollars weighed about 10 pounds. The paper money in this world that gets dropped from monsters is roughly the same size and value as Japanese yen. That''s my pocket with room for a ton of steel, and all my wealth in cash. All my money in my pocket. This reminds me of when I was a kid. I''m richer because I''ve panned my pockets for metal game medals that aren''t gold, or the number of coins I got in change (,) when I shop for 500 yen coins!Or so I thought. Come to think of it, there''s a magic item that allows you to freely insert and remove coins, and if you use it, you can take out coins endlessly and become very wealthy!What a thought I once had. "...... Was I pretty much a moneymaker as a kid? Somehow, I had a series of memories about gold that made me think of such things. Suddenly, I found a store where I could drop off my money. I went in and with my bankbook and magical biometrics, I unloaded 10 million in one go. Ten million piro, about a kilo, the same weight as an iron bar. I put it in my pocket, I still didn''t feel the weight. Nineteen pyrro''s worth of iron bars and ten million pyrro''s worth of bills. They were both the same weight, and it was interesting to see how easily they fit in my pocket. As we were walking around the city, we passed a busy bar. It''s nice and lively, briefly look at the prices on the menu. Reasonable prices in the pub as much as the setting of the price, the restaurant is just enough to eat and drink today''s earnings of 22,000 piro, even with a full meal. I felt more comfortable in such a place, I thought as I entered the restaurant. Welcome, one person? Yeah. Okay, come on in. The female waitress at the restaurant showed me to my seat. ''How would you like to order?'' A few popular meat dishes and some drinks to go with them. More food, less booze. I understand. I look around the shop after seeing the female waitress who took my order and left. Judging by the atmosphere, almost everyone is an adventurer. After a good amount of time in this world, I can tell at a glance if they are adventurers or not. It''s not a very meaningful skill, though. Can I ask for information on Samethrene?I listened to the conversations around me as I thought to myself. ''Isaac''s coming back tomorrow and I''m going to go talk to him, do you want to join him?'' Isaac, that guy who went to Awlum? Yeah, I hear money can be made. If it''s good, I think I''ll go with you. I''m a pass, and I''m comfortable in the hierarchy of aluminum. I don''t want to get depressed until it''s too late. I cringed a bit when I heard the familiar noun and the familiar tone of the argument. The majority of adventurers in this world are still focused on stability. ''''Please don''t!'''' Suddenly, the crowded shop went quiet for a moment. Everyone turned their attention to the scream at the same time. ''That''s ...... the debt collector from earlier. And it was the female clerk who led me to my seat. The three debt collectors are surrounding the woman in exactly the same formation as before. I''d like to have my money back. I''ll pay you back, and I''m sure you''ll have more than enough. Almost there?Don''t be silly! The man in the middle yells at her, and the men on either side of her act menacingly, kicking the table at the same time in a breathless motion. The female clerk jerked away. ''I''m sorry!A little more ...... just a little more! Then just pay me the interest. ''It''s tomorrow, I get paid tomorrow. Just wait until tomorrow. The women desperately want to wait and bite down, and the men are pressing for them to pay now. Is this a common sight, or do they not want to get involved? Nearly half of the customers in the store have already looked away, as if they don''t care. ''Let''s do this, sis. I''ll wait for you if you''re willing to spend the night with me. How about it? And then the men all started to grin at each other. It''s a vile and disgusting laugh. ''......'' The woman is depressed and squeezes her skirt tightly. She bites down hard on her lower lip, and it''s about to bleed. ....... ''Don''t.'' He stood up and went towards the four of them. ''What the hell?What about you? How much do I owe her? What? She told me how much she owes. What are you going to do with that?Hmm? I saw him at the dealer who bought it earlier. I''ve been buying iron for them. Huh? After being told this by two of his brothers, the man gave me a condescending look. "Do you think you''re a hero? Just give me a number. Ten million pianos, that''s more than enough for a cop who''s been scraping together scrap metal for years. He pulled a wad of ten million bills out of his pocket and thrust it at the man. ''Nah ......'' Take this and go. What did you say? Hey, bro, this is the real deal. "The guy who was buying the steel is ......? All the debtors were surprised and confused. I thrust more money at them, they said. The man turned red in the face and went up in arms. ''Don''t be so smug! And then he punched me. He''s used to hitting humans, it''s a punch without hesitation, but it''s not nearly as weak as a monster. I lightly avoided it and hit him in the face with a counter. ''''Brother!'''' Tenmei: "Tenmei: ...... The two remaining men also came at me. They were right up there with my brother and the others, and both of them avoided the attack, taking them down in one hit. The three of them fell and crawled to the ground, tossing a wad of cash to my brother''s man. ''Take that and disappear.'' "Shit, shit. Get off me! The three of them fled with the money, leaving behind a discarded line. ''Oh, um ...... sorry ......'' When I turned around, the woman looked apologetic. ''Are you okay?'' ''Yes ...... thank you for your help. I''ll do whatever I can to return the money. Yeah. I''d rather have my food. ''Eh ...... ah yes! The female waitress hurriedly ran into the kitchen. Seeing this, she appropriately brushed aside the curious gazes around her and returned to her original seat. ''''You''re doing it, an-chan. There was another man sitting there. That''s my cough. Hey, come on, you can sit with me. Hey, sis. Give me one more dish over here. And I want the hardest liquor in the house. The man proceeded at his own pace and forcefully. He was a middle-aged man, roughly dressed in well-tailored clothes. He wears a yabberish air, an air of being more comfortable with the exercise of "power" than an adventurer. I don''t want to get involved. I''m thinking about having him switch seats. "Well, it''s Nicholas Lyke Field. Haha. ...... I''ll buy you a drink and you can join me. No, I''m ....... It''s Mr. Ryota Sato. "--! For some reason, the man who knew my name, I wasn''t sure what to do. 176. Undacchable I sat in front of a man. Nicholas Lykfield. ''Thank you for your patience.'' Oh, here she is. Sis, are you sure this is the strongest liquor in the shop? Yes. The price is... ''Oh, no, no. I don''t want to talk about money. Nicholas took the bottle from the waiter, sniffed it, and poured two more into the cups. ''Whisper, gulp, gulp.'' More importantly, how do you know who I am? Huh? Nicholas, who has been trying to shrug off the situation, quickly speaks up for himself. If he doesn''t say anything, he looks rather dandy, but his expressions and gestures are childish or comical, or something like that. This is it. Nicholas pulled out a card and placed it on the table. It was my card. 7 Stars, the card Cyclo had issued me with the award at the same time. Uggaa! Also, cell and This is you, right?Ryota Sato. I didn''t understand at first, this card is too badly made. Done? How could they possibly recreate the shit out of it?Not one tenth, nay, one hundredth of the real aura. Aura is ...... and it''s a card. Whether I have it or not, it''s a crazy order to ask me to recreate an aura on a card. Well, whatever it is. I glanced at the card. Now I know why he knows my face and my name. "There you go, gulp, gulp, gulp. I moistened my lips with the liquor Nicholas had recommended to me. I don''t know what it is because of the way he ordered it, but I know it''s a spirit, and I know it''s a good one, clean and easy to drink. I didn''t expect to see you here. I''ve been looking forward to meeting you for a long time, huh? Did you miss him? The Lyota family boss. Untouchable, Lyota Sato. ''Untouchable?What''s that? I''m talking about you. You know, they say if you do something unreasonable in front of you, not only will you be interfered with, you''ll be prevented from doing what you''re doing, but your luck will drop. Ah, ....... Come to think of it, there''s a story about that. They say that a lot lately, and they''ve been saying that more and more since the Clifford one. "That''s why they call me The Untouchable. You''re not supposed to know who you are. Yeah, I see. That''s a very annoying nickname. Hey, hey, would you like to fool around with me? What about ......? ''''Dahhhh, I''m asking you to fight me. If you run into a 7-star adventurer, wouldn''t you want to fight him? No, I won''t!What''s with that combative ethnic thinking? I put my cup down and say no, once and for all. "I won''t fight you. I have no reason to fight you. Why not? Come on. Just a little, you know, just a little bit. No more begging. Just as long as one of you is down, okay? That''s a very serious battle!I won''t. Why, come on, let''s knock it off. A child! Nicholas began to ramble on. He has a dandy face and an austere voice, but he acts like a selfish child. But he acts like a selfish child. What''s wrong with this guy? That''s right. Sweat trickles down my back. Nicholas, who had been complaining until then, stands up like a ghost. "You were the one who did that to me just now. Okay, I''m going to mess with the same clerk as that one! Stop. I stopped Nicholas in a quiet but clear tone of voice. Nicholas, who was about to attack the clerk who was bustling around in the busy store, stopped moving and turned to me. His eyes have a haunting glint in them. ''Stop?'' ''Yeah. ...... I won''t fight you for the rest of my life if I do that. No matter what. The moment I nodded, I remembered what Nicholas had told me. Untouchable, that the person who did the oi-tah was not only going to be prevented, but he was going to lose his luck. Remembering that, I glared at Nicholas and warned him. Then. Nicholas'' motivation instantly collapsed, and he sat back in his chair and squirmed into me. ''I see, so if I deliberately go for a tease, you won''t get what you want on the contrary. ...... ''Mmmmmmmmmm ...... Ughhhh'' He growls, grunts, and makes strange noises with his head in his hands. What a ...... big kid, really. ''...... is, oh, well, we''ll just have to give up.'' I mean, why do you want to fight me? Isn''t that cool? ...... well, in its own way. "Fighting the strong ones makes my crotch tingle like this ...... What? I felt like I was going to blow up in a bottle, and I felt like I was going to burst out of my bottle, and I felt like I was going to explode ...... It''s a pervert! Here''s another pervert, and a bad kind of pervert. Don''t you get it?It''s like the feeling you get when you hold a woman, it''s ten times better. I know!I knew that kind of pervert as soon as I heard it! I mean, don''t bother explaining it to me, because it''s creepy! Huh ...... Hey, how can I help you fight this? Nicholas plopped down on the table and looked up at me with wistful eyes and asked me if I was an old man, but do you call him a child old man? I''m an old man and I''m a child ...... do you call this guy a child old man? ...... I don''t want to call him that because it makes me feel strangely cute. It would be nice if you gave up. "I''m not giving up!No matter what. ''Stop with the cool lines. You''re making me feel like I''m really going to have to fight one day. He didn''t seem to be forcing himself on me, and although he was a bad guy, I decided he was harmless for now and went along with the drink. ''Wait, wait, what are you doing?! I heard a commotion from the entrance of the store. When I looked to see what was going on, I saw the debt collector from earlier. More people, are you taking your friends for revenge? The thug grabs the woman from earlier and presses her in a dusky voice. ''Where''s that guy from earlier? ''Yeah, yeah ......'' Answer me! "Yikes! The man raised his hand, the woman was slapped on the cheek and fell off balance. Those guys. ''Hey, hey, hey, hey!'' Nicholas started to move before I did. He got up and headed for the entrance where the men were. I decided to keep an eye on him. I thought it should be tough since he''s the one who''s going to challenge me (Star 7), I thought it would be safe to leave this place to him, but things took a surprising turn. ''Bo, bos. Good job! ""Good job!" As the man bowed his head, the friends he brought with him also bowed their heads in unison. You mean, the boss? Hey, hey, hey, hey. What are you guys doing? ''What?No, we''re collecting from ...... and this woman is borrowing money from us. I saw that. He returned the money. What the f*ck do you want to do to a customer who returned his money in the past? Yeah, that''s ...... The man became upright and immobile, but began to wobble and shake. The companions he had brought with him were similar, completely frightened, as if they had encountered a terrible monster. A man who didn''t answer, Nicholas punched the man. An unexpected punch, the man squirmed and was blown out of the store. Nicholas walked slowly and stood in front of the blown man. He continued to kick him. He kicked and kicked and stomped on the man, hurting him. After hurting him a lot, he squats down, grabs his hair and makes him look up. Hey, I''m always here, aren''t I? It''s the customers who don''t pay back the money and the customers who pay back the money. Oh, uh, ...... What were you going to do to the customer, huh? Ya, me: ...... Ah-an? Knock the grabbed head on the ground. Then he raises it up again, and more. And that''s when I came in to stop him. I put my hand between his head and the ground and stopped him. And it was so hard. If I hadn''t stopped him, his head would have come crashing down like a tomato, and he''d have had all the strength he could muster. "What''s this? That''s enough. He''s my protg, and I''m giving him a lecture because he made a mistake. You understand? ''There''s no point in killing them. The sermon would be wasted. For nothing? Nicholas cranes his neck and looks up at the sky and thinks. ''Yes.'' I smiled and took the man''s head off. He stood up and stared straight at me. "Yeah, yeah, you''re right. You''re right. I don''t need to waste my time preaching to you about killing people. I hope you understand. I''m relieved. For now, it looks like we avoided a scene with a bad aftertaste. You''re a good guy. Hey, do you still want to fight me right now? I guess I''ve been poisoned, I was the one who seemed to be charming to Nicholas. ''You could have fought me if you''d left me alone earlier, though. Huh? ''If I took out your henchmen, if I came out to bully you as a master, you could have fought them, couldn''t you? ''...... Aaaaah!I can''t believe it!That''s enough!It''s all right now! By the way, if you go out of your way to do that, you''re not going to make sense and you won''t get what you want. Uh-oh! Nicholas became more and more frustrated with his head. ''d*mn it ...... God is mean. Nicholas is disappointed. He looks like a charming man after all. 177. Usual business After a quick bite to eat and drink. I decided to leave early, due to the fact that I was the center of all the commotion and attention. As I paid the bill at the register and went outside, the woman I had helped earlier came after me in a hurry. ''''Ah, um!'''' Yeah? ''Thank you!How can I thank you ...... for helping a complete stranger like me? Don''t worry about it. It just happened. Coincidence? Yeah, it''s a coincidence. I just happen to be there and I happen to have the means to solve it. Yes, it was a total coincidence. I wasn''t aiming for it. "But ...... An acquaintance of mine once told me, ''There was a man in trouble, and he had the power to help. "A friend of mine said this, ''Someone was in trouble and had the power to help. That''s all there is to it. Still, thank you for ......! The woman bowed her head. ''I will definitely repay you for this. So ...... Absolutely! The woman looked straight at me with a powerful gaze. Her enthusiasm was half-hearted, and I could read her willingness to do whatever it takes. ...... I see. I''m Sato Ryota. I usually live in Cyclo. What? ''I won''t stop you if you say you''re going to return the favor, but don''t get in over your head. I''m not going to run and hide. ''Yes, yes ......'' If I go to all this trouble to return the favor, some guy with the power to help me again will step in. He winked at her and said in a droll manner. The woman paused for a moment, then bowed deeply again. ''Yes!Thank you! I said. I then watched her walk back into the store and then I started walking again. Zzzah, zzzah, zzzah. Two overlapping footsteps. Someone is following me from behind. When I stopped, he stopped too. The one who followed was ...... needless to say, Nicholas. You''re going to be able to get the most out of it. You''re so cool, mister. I love that exchange. No, it''s not. She''s in love with you, man. If you chase her now, you can get laid. I don''t mean to tell you that. I''m in love with you again. I''m wet! It''s not more for that! I felt a shiver run down my spine. Hey, hey, hey. Do you want to come over to my place for a drink? We may not fight, but we can at least have a drink. I don''t want to risk my life. Come on. Don''t worry, they won''t attack you before you fight. You gotta have a good fight, you gotta have a good physical workout before you can feel good about it. Don''t appeal to me!I don''t want to know, so don''t! So I''m gonna have another drink. Nicholas squared his shoulders roughly. It was rather normal, in the realm of man-to-man skin-to-skin. Nicholas pulled me to him. He''s a pervert and someone you have to be wary of, but he''s the kind of guy you can''t dislike because he''s not backwards. Nicholas pulled me to a section of the old city. It was an old, rundown area, unlike the brand new, splendid buildings in the downtown area where I was earlier. "Do we have to go through this place? No, I live here. Here? He pecked away while I was saying. I''m here. It was an old building that Nicholas brought me to. I heard it''s reasonably well maintained, but you can still tell at a glance that it''s showing its age. It''s a building that could be as old as 50 - or even 100 years old if it''s not. Do you live here? Yeah. ...... Why?You could live in a mansion or something like that, not in this old place, right? He''s a 7-star guy, the head of a family with (probably) henchmen. It''s only been a short time since we met, but from what I''ve seen so far, he''s the head of the family in the mafia sense of the word, so he seems like a nice place to live. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it in the ...... ramshackle house that''s 100 years old. You don''t get it, do you? It''s the oldest house in Same-Tierne," he said. "The best? ''Osa. This is one of the houses built when the city was founded. The same one is already here, and it''s the oldest one. The oldest ...... I remember, you ordered some ''old booze'' earlier. Hey. You ...... know what the greatest luxury in the world is? It''s time. Time. He mumbles in a flat pronunciation and an obtuse reply. You can make all the good things you want. The same goes for the best things. Can''t you make one good thing after another if you''re so inclined? Yeah. But I just can''t take the old ones. Yeah. You gotta take your time with the old ones. There''s no way to get rid of it by human power. That''s why it''s the ultimate luxury. I see. Old booze, old house. I wondered why he was so obsessed with it, but it made sense if you ask me. ''It''s a pretty expensive obsession, isn''t it? I''ve got lots of money. Then you''re running a general store in town. I''ll do anything and the money will come in. Aren''t you an adventurer? I could tell when you squared your shoulders with me earlier. Nicholas is strong. He''s probably the strongest human being I''ve ever met, even more so than that Neptune. I thought he was an adventurer too, since I''ve always known that the strongest people in this world are adventurers without exception. That''s because he''s the F-final! I didn''t know that. That''s surprising. The second page of status, which has nothing to do with strength. Drop status, and that''s all the lowest ranked F humans are called F-final. That''s what I call a person who enters a dungeon and rarely drops anything. It''s a kind of derogatory term. ''''I see.'''' Why don''t we just go in and have another drink? ''Bo, boss: ......'' What? Nicholas was about to take my hand and bring me into the house, but he jumped from the shadows and grimaced when I stopped him. The corners of his mouth twitched as he dexterously peeled one eye out. A man emerges from the shadows. I''ve never seen him before, but I recognize his mood. The same air as the men you just chastised, no doubt Nicholas'' henchmen. The guy came in front of Nicholas fearlessly. "What? Actually ...... I glanced at me, then softly gave Nicholas an earful. At first Nicholas is unhappy about being interrupted, but his face gradually turns into a look of surprise, and eventually a smile twists the corners of his mouth into a grin. It seems to be a thing. All right. Come back and get it. Are you sure about that, boss? You don''t want to know what you''re getting paid? Ah-an? I''ll get back to you! The man who was staring at him straightened up, saluted, and left the place as if he were running away. What the hell?What''s going on here? OMG! Quickly, he slumped his upper body. Something sharp and freezing grazed the tip of my nose. I kicked the ground and jumped down. Landing on the ground, he assessed the situation. Before I knew it, Nicholas, who had drawn his dagger, had swung it right out of the air. The blade of the dagger is emitting a red and purple aura, a bad type of weapon no matter how you look at it. It was the one that grazed the tip of his nose. ''''What are you doing!'''' I just got a job. Work? Yeah, one of my regular clients asked me to make a guy disappear. A man ...... needless to say, that''s me. I do a lot of killing too, so, well, it''s just business as usual. There''s no such thing as normal business! I plunged in, but Nicholas licked the blade of the dagger with his tongue and looked at me in ecstasy. Oh man, I''m so blind. I''ll be able to fight you now ...... after all, I''m a tsujogeum, as usual! d*mn! Nicholas''s figure wavered - and then he appeared in front of me. A tremendous step in, a speed so super fast that there''s definitely an A. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most out of your time in the world. Gogo Gogo ...... doh! A roaring sound came from behind me, what a surprise, the oldest building in this city that I was invited to earlier was slashed in half and the place where it was slashed was shifted (...). The power is quite high, or is it the power of the weapon? Either way, he''s a formidable opponent. "Oh, ...... it''s good, it''s good, it''s good, it''s good!I wanted to have this kind of fight with you guys, man! Nicholas rushes in with his eyes wide open. Calmly, he avoids a slash and dives into his stomach to unleash a counter punch. A punch deep into his gut, repelling Nicholas as he dives in. Its momentum is like a super ball. That''s how much of a bounce it is. Nicholas finally stops after knocking down a few old, unpopular buildings. A full blown blow, perfectly in. I shouldn''t be able to get up in this one! f*ck, that hurts. Heh-heh-heh. Nicholas stood up, writhing in agony, but his mouth was smiling. Nicholas continued his rush. He was extremely fast. The dagger he was holding was also muddled, and if he was slashed, it looked like it would be bad, except in a physical sense, but he dealt with it calmly and matched the counter. He hit the fifth shot and blew it up five times. ''''Say, as expected, you can''t stand up anymore``'''' Are you kidding me? Nicholas plunged in and jumped up from the rubble of the house he''d ripped down. He cheered, as if in triumph. I braced myself, bracing myself for the next attack. But it didn''t come. Nicholas jumped up and stopped moving as he landed. ''......'' Fearfully, I approached and looked at him, braced and alert. Nicholas was passed out in a large ball on the rubble. His well-tailored clothes are covered in blood from the bloody antithesis of his own, and the area around his body where I countered is a wreck. Nicholas, who should have been knocked down and knocked out by the damage beyond his limit, was fainting``. That face was smiling with satisfaction. It''s a good thing that ...... this is already okay. But ...... I look around. Probably because Nicholas bought it all up, this corner of the old buildings that are not popular at all. It was destroyed by Nicholas''s slash rather than my attack, and was no longer in ruins. ''I''d have won, but if I''d hit one of those shots ...... I was horrified at the thought. 178. Self-destruct Wechoohi, that''s it! I heard a brisk voice from Nicholas, who was lying on his back, along with a weird laugh. You''re in good spirits even though you should have fought back as hard as you could and beaten him to a pulp. ...... ''I knew you were awesome, you''re awesome. I wasn''t crazy in my eyes. Oh, yeah? Hey! Nicholas picks himself up. He sits down on the ground and smiles, putting his arm on one knee where he stands. ''Let''s do it again sometime.'' Again? That''s great. This is the best fight I''ve had in a long time. "Neat fight, you ...... I looked around. The area around me looks completely abandoned. It''s not a fight, it''s more like a killing spree, and it''s an environmental disaster. It''s not a cloudy day, but it''s not a refreshing one. Hey, come on, hey. No, I''m not... Okay, let''s go get a drink at a place we know. I know a place that serves super-aged meat. Let''s go there and enjoy some old meat and old wine. Hey, wait a minute. That was quick. I mean, what happened to your regular work schedule? I''m closing up shop for the day. I don''t do overtime. Nicholas half-heartedly tried to take me in as I protested, and Nicholas half-heartedly tried to take me in. When he stood up, Nicholas was wobbly, and if you look closely, you can see that he''s still so damaged that he can''t walk straight. If I wanted to unshake him, I could easily unshake him. It''s a good thing I did. I came twice in that fight. The perverted but unyielding Nicholas, I don''t want to go deep with you, but I''ll tell you in a footnote? There''s no need. I don''t mind at least having a drink with him. I started walking with them, thinking, "What''s more, what''s a super-aged meat? "More importantly, what''s this super-aged meat thing? Do you know a dungeon called Bloomin''? It''s a dungeon in hetero, and it''s where the meat is dropped and processed. "Processing in a dungeon? You do know that what you drop in a dungeon becomes a new monster if you leave it alone, right? Yeah. It reminded me of Tellurian parent and child slime. Parent-child slimes drop multiple potatoes at the same time, but depending on their dropping ability, there are some scraps that don''t turn into gold, depending on whether the dropped potatoes are small or badly shaped. Those junk will be left in the dungeon and hatch into new parent and child slimes. Many adventurers in this world specialize their abilities and equipment in going around the tiers they pass. Even though it is strictly forbidden to hatch a monster from another level, there is nothing wrong with discarding monsters from that level. Rather, it''s welcomed by the ability to increase the number of monsters. ''Make use of it. Leave the meat you drop and hatch it into a monster when it''s on the verge of rotting. We''ll kill that monster and drop another meat. That''s how it works. Why do you have to go through all that trouble again? Meat tastes best when it''s still rotten. Well, ...... maybe so. I''ve heard that argument a lot, I can understand it. "We let the meat almost go bad, and when it''s about to get umami, we hatch it into a monster or reincarnate it. Then the savoriness will return to normal. Is that so? Hey. It''s called reincarnation. One, two, three, and so on, and the meat gets better and better with each incarnation. Yes. ...... However. I''m not sure if you can find out how rotten it is and if you can kill it after it hatches, but it doesn''t always drop meat. Even if you have drop A, sometimes you don''t get it, right? Indeed. ''''That''s why the high number of reincarnations comes at a high price. Yeah. What can I say, I''m subtly impressed. I can see why the price is so high. It''s reminiscent of a netherworld weapon enhancement system, where the possibility of failure follows each reincarnation, and if you fail, all the effort you put into it is pah. So I can see why it''s expensive and valuable. At the same time, I can see why Nicholas would like it. It''s a drink, in a way. I know he likes the old stuff, and I can see why he likes it, claiming that time is the greatest luxury. As I walk alongside Nicholas, I ask him about the super-aged meat. He makes a strong case for how good it is, and I''m usually curious about the taste of it. We leave the almost abandoned section and head back to the downtown area we were in earlier. Then. ''Ah, visitor.'' I saw the woman I had just helped at the store. She was looking for me, and when our eyes met, she ran over to me. ''What''s up?'' I found this on one of my customers'' seats. Didn''t you forget it? She said, and held out her gun. ''Oh?By the way, you haven''t used a weapon yet, have you? He wasn''t using it. Slip! Isn''t that fair? Take it and fight me again, now for a second round. No, no, no. ...... I thought you weren''t going to work overtime. ...... The moment I was about to accept the gun, I was about to accept the ...... moment. I realized something. There was a gun. My gun was there. It was one gun. Not two. It''s one. Along with the one the woman gave you, it was two. That delayed the reaction. It''s been a long time since he''s had two guns. The gun glows. The barrel of the gun cracks and light floods out from inside. By the time I was "creeped out" by the light, it was too late. The world stopped...... no, it was too late. The world has gone into slow motion with a frame sent to slow motion, but the two of us were not able to react. I''m the only one who is aware of the meaning of this light. It was a suicide bomber using her to target me. The moment I realized that, I took out the Absolute Rock stone I was holding. After a blinding light engulfs the area. I opened my eyes, enduring the searing pain. In front of me, I see Nicholas. ''Hey, are you okay?'' In his invincible state, Nicholas was worried about me. I took a deep breath and pulled out my (,) gun. I recovered enough damage that I had to fire a series of infinite recovery rounds ...... and took a breath, letting out the air that had accumulated in my lungs. ''It''s okay. Over there. There you go. You threw this at me. Nicholas said and held out the Absolute Rock stone in the palm of his hand. The moment the light flooded in, he quickly pressed it against him to activate it. The light felt bad. I knew that Nicholas, injured after the fight, might not be able to withstand it. Thanks to activating it, Nicholas was safe. On the contrary, the surroundings were terrible. There was no damage to the building, but the air was different. The air was horrifyingly empty. The air around us was horrifyingly empty now, similar to the way it was after the typhoon had passed and the dust had cleared away. What does that mean? You''re a target. What? I look at Nicholas to see what''s going on, and I''m horrified. Nicholas''s smile is different than it was a little while ago. He''s smiling, but he''s also very aggressive. "Use me as bait. ...... So as long as you can beat me, that''s all that matters, and even if you can''t, you''re the second assassin when you''re weak. I suppose so. ...... Nicholas laughed with eyes that weren''t smiling. He''s just mad that he''s being used. ''It''s a shame about that sister. I''m sorry you got completely caught up in it. Yeah, that''s fine. What? Phew! Nicholas scowled, and a woman peeked out of my pocket. It came out of my pocket as if it had grown a head. ''What''s that?'' I had it in my pocket at a moment''s notice. d*mn, man. You''re good at this. ...... With Absolute Rock''s stone, even though it''s in invincibility mode, it''s not completely invincible. I decided to hide the stone in Nicholas, who is wounded but competent, and the woman, who is a mere civilian, in her pocket. And I did my best to keep my magic at bay. It was a spur-of-the-moment decision, but somehow it seemed to work. I was relieved to see that it worked, and now I felt a surge of anger. ''Nicholas. Who asked you to do this? I knew what to expect, but I asked him just in case. The answer I got back from Nicholas was still what I expected. Linus Ronin. The head of the Samethyllene Society is being hunted down. You''re going to have to pay for it, and you''re going to have to pay for it. 179. Untouchable I pulled the woman from the store out of my pocket and gave her a look. ''Be careful. You might want to pull back and get off your feet once you''re done. It''s all right. We''re almost-- hey! My upper body came out safely, but on the last step where I was supposed to put my foot out, I caught that foot on the edge of my pocket and lost my balance in a big way. I just fell forward with my leg hooked in my pocket - and I fell forward. ''What brand new pants?'' Nicholas, who was beside me, balked. ''You, boy, get rid of the old pants. It''s better to wear loose pants that you took your time to grow in your own body.Most of these are brand new pants... The woman caught me up and pulled my pants down. Ignoring Nicholas'' opinion in the direction of the day after tomorrow when he saw it, he hurriedly pulled his pants back on. ''I''m sorry!I''m so sorry. No, no, no, don''t worry about it. I''m so sorry! ...... ...... Awkward. We both know it was a complete accident, but it was still the most awkward thing I''ve ever seen (or been seen) in my pants as they pulled them down. While there was silence from both sides, it was Nicholas, who didn''t read the air, who helped me out. ''You''ve been used perfectly,'' he said. Hehe, what you did with me. That one word pulled me back. ''Used. You''re getting it now? Yeah, that''s the same guy who asked me to kill you. How do you know? I''ve got an imitation of your weapon in the trap. He''s been after you for a while. I know all about your beef with him. His ...... tiff with Linus and me. I don''t know if it''s much of a tussle. Well, it''s true, after all, he''s got a dungeon. So you''ve been holding a grudge for a long time, and you''ve been preparing for something that might happen. Or maybe this whole incident was just a way to lure you out of there. ''What?Oh yeah. So that''s a possibility. It''s a famous story about me getting fired up for this and that. And I''m not sure, but it''s not surprising that Cell is getting into me, too, since he''s built a ...... statue of himself, so it should be a famous story. If you mess with the cyclo, I''ll come out. It''s not surprising that they''re going to come after me with that in mind. It''s not crazy to think that ...... glanced at the woman. Nicholas is good, his is a "request". A request to assassinate an outlaw and do-it-yourself do-it-yourselfer, a legitimate story that Nicholas was happy to accept. But she''s different, and it''s not the same as involving an innocent person. It makes me angry. I''m extremely angry. "What are you going to do? You gonna kill me? ...... No. Hey, you''re so sweet. You gotta kill somebody to get it done. More importantly, ....... I thought about it. I''m ...... untouchable. That''s what it''s called. I kept it within my sight (,) and then the repercussions of that make things worse - I''ve been called that because I''ve let it happen. I want to do that this time too. Normally, it was a natural progression, but this time I want to aim for it. Intentionally, how to make things worse for Linus. I thought, I thought of many things. I thought about everything that had to do with this city - everything that had happened since I''d been in Samethyllene - and I thought about it. "Cobalt. Huh? ''Is this a lucrative dungeon?Drop-like. Hmm, I don''t know, I don''t go into dungeons like that-- It''s quite profitable. The woman answered for Nicholas. ''There are several floors that drop copper, and some of our regulars have even built houses with it. "Copper. ...... I see. Copper is about 30 times more expensive than iron, I think. In games, iron equipment is usually more expensive, but as a substance, copper is more expensive. That''s what they say is in cobalt. ...... Okay, that''s decided. What are you doing? I smirked and showed Nicholas a smile. ''I''m going to sleep in the dungeon for a while. Huh? The next day I went into the basement level of the cobalt dungeon. The heavens were on our side. A magic storm from the morning was brewing. There weren''t many adventurers when I came yesterday, but today there were fewer in the circle. I pulled out my gun and readied it. I brought my pistol back to two with the tuna I got from Cell before I entered the dungeon. I used those two pistols to take out the zombie demon from the very beginning. I don''t think about it, I just take them down from one side to the other. Iron chunks were dropped one after another, but I didn''t ...... pick them up. I left them all on the spot. I''m not going to be able to get it right. ɥåפΤ򤽤AӤ˷äΤˤʤʤľ⤤ʤ ʤʤ餽ΥɥåƷ¤󥹥`ˤʤ롢AӤΥ󥹥`Τޤޤˤʤäơ뤫 ä⟉K¤ӥǩ`󤬷롢ȤτeͨΥӥǩ`󤬥󥸥󤫤ޤ롣 Ĥȫơ⟉Kä롣 ä⟉K˥ӥǩ`˨DD 󥹥`ƤȉƤä 󥹥`Τðߤä ¤AˤͨiðߤϡĤϤ뤫तA״rä Ǥ󥹥`ωA롣 ơäơ䤹 핤ˤʤȡޤǥ󥹥`ϥȤäƤ֧ʤ餤ХȤεһAϤ餷 ǰϵΤ᤿ ڤҊȤˤɤääơ饤Λװ䤹롣 󥹥`ιĤ䤹륢ƥࡢ饤Λ档 HPSä핤ˤ֤ơ󥸥ޤƤ󥹥`ǵޤäƤ HPSSˤʤä ޤޤj~󥹥`ιĤʤơ`≈ ϥ饤Λװ䤷״Bz Τ⤷ʤä ӥǩ`󤬰˹Ĥơ֤˷ǵ롣 Τ⤷ʤä ˤȤĤΤаħ顢⟉Kh˱ܤǺΤ⤷ʤä ȥӤ롣 ;Ф餽Ҫoä Ӥ˹ĤƤ^̤ǡ֤⟉KѺΤƤ줿 ϥ󥸥ФǤĤ 줬֤˥ѥ`äơǩ`󥾥Ӥoމֳ ҹˤʤȡðߤΤA˽ɤ󥸥ˤäʤ餤 ХȤһAϡ󥹥`ޤߤˤʤäΤä 180. Just sitting Outside the cobalt dungeon. The adventurers who were not allowed inside were making a lot of noise. The entrance to the dungeon was clogged with iron. Iron bars, a dropped item from the first floor underground of the Cobalt Dungeon. It blocked the entrance like a pile of crumbling medals, making it impossible for anyone to get in or out. ''''Hey, don''t bother, you need to move faster than that! I can''t! ''Yes!It comes out faster than you can move it out ...... and it increases faster than you can move it out. "Then get more people in here! That''s why it''s impossible. There''s no point in adding more people to the entrance. Some of them were working as if they were clearing a landslide, but as the people who were actually doing it were whining, no matter how much they removed, iron bars were coming out from inside at a faster pace than that, and the entrances and exits were narrow to begin with. Although we''ve already removed nearly a thousand bars, there''s no indication that a path will open up. The adventurers have been irritated. Not being able to enter the dungeon meant that they would stop earning money. It''s a good thing to be frustrated. ''What''s this all about?What the hell is wrong with you? I''m talking about the guy who came out from inside when it wasn''t yet like this, and he''s got Ryota Sato inside. That ''untouchable'', the leader of the Lyota family? Yeah. It''s just sitting there, but it seems to have the ability to reflect attacks. All the monster has to do is attack, and it will take itself down. And that''s what happened. Why are you doing that? That''s what I''m talking about. ...... One of the adventurers put a hand over his mouth and stifled his voice. ''That guy said he was almost assassinated last night. Assassination? Yeah. And he used a woman to blow himself up. ''What kind of idiot are you?You know you''re going to get the ''untouchable'' backlash if you do that. You heard the rumors? Rumor?...... The dungeon debris latched onto the example of Cyclo? Yeah. You mean Linus Ronin?That guy is an idiot! The adventurer who''s been ranting loudly for a while now is even more furious. The adventurer who is talking is killing his voice, but it''s almost meaningless. Everyone around them was paying attention to the conversation between the two. ''''What would happen if you used a woman to blow yourself up--this is what would happen! Oh, there it is. The untouchables are here. The only way to do that is to stay in the safest dungeon in the world, because you don''t know when they''re coming for you. And since we don''t know when they are going to attack us, we can''t afford to give up our automatic counterattack. "They''re making sense!Linus. As the adventurer spat, similar voices rose from all over the place. The voices cursing Linus rose incessantly. Sametylene Dungeon Association, President''s Office. Linus angrily blurted out the papers he had just read through. The papers were mostly complaints of sorts. An adventurer''s complaint, a buyer''s complaint. Cobalt, complaints about the fact that a whole dungeon with a lot of money to be earned no longer functioned, gathered at Linus'' place. Ostensibly, they''re telling the head of the association to do something about it, but in some places the phrase "it''s your fault, so do something about it, quickly" stands out as a detour. It''s not just the paperwork that''s to blame, it''s the blame of the self - even if it''s self-inflicted, and Linus, who was subjected to a concentrated barrage of fire, angrily blasted the papers and others in a fit of rage. He let his frustration dissipate by throwing every single thing he could see, not just the papers, but every single thing he could see. ''Let''s stay,'' Then Nicholas came to visit. Nicholas came in front of Linus, who had his head in his hands, looking his usual, aloof and elusive. ''How are you?'' What are you doing here? Well, well, well, I just wanted to say thank you. You''re grateful? ''For giving me a reason to fight him. Thanks to you, Ankato-san, we haven''t had a good fight in a long time, huh? ''How dare you show your face in that!You failed! It''s all right. You pick a fight, and the guy who loses it has to obey you. Obey? Hey. This guy has a message for you. Nicholas remained smiling, but Linus''s expression grew stronger. ''It depends on how you come out. ''That''s what I said.'' Depends on how well I get out?You need money? Nicholas snickered. ''So you want me to apologize then?'' This time he shrugged his shoulders with a frown. Well, I guess I''ll just say I got the message. I''m going to be stuck with this one. Nicholas turns himself aloof and turns to leave. He stops when he puts his hand on the doorknob of the Chairman''s office and says to himself. ''Yeah, yeah. According to the prediction, the Dungeon Master is going to appear in Cobalt around tomorrow. The prediction for his appearance is the bottom floor. ! Bye. Having finished saying what he wanted to say, Nicholas left this time. The rest of Linus began to shake with fear. Frightened. Dungeon Master is a tricky one that will change the dungeon''s ecology and drop items if left unattended. Because of its nasty nature, predicting its appearance is very important. And now, its appearance has been announced. In the cobalt dungeon, where no one is allowed to enter. More bashing has befallen Linus. The Chairman''s office at night, after dark. Linus holds his head at his desk, surrounded by even more piles of papers. He has aged ten years in about half a day, and it''s getting to be that way. Then Cell comes in. ''You''re interrupting me,'' What? ...... Entering the room, Cell came glossily in front of Linus and looked down at him arrogantly. ''Looks like the bashing is going badly,'' d*mn it ....... I don''t think it''s any of your business. Yes. But I''m afraid I can''t stomach it. What? Linus wonders, and Cell throws the papers in front of him. ''What''s this?'' "Read on. Linus cautiously looks over the documents at his prompting. At first, he had a quizzical look on his face, but gradually he turned pale. "Hey, this is ......! I don''t like to depress the dog in the water. That''s a document to inform you that you''ve been pulling money out of Indor. ...... ''Most of the money that was supposed to support Indor was in your pocket. I got it from people who wanted to take advantage of this time to beat you. What are you going to do? I don''t like this kind of thing to come out in the open, even if it''s in a different city. "I don''t like this kind of thing to come out in the open, even if it''s in another city. But things have gotten so big that if you''re the kind of person who has a lot of enemies, you''re going to find something even more disgusting. Right?He looks at Linus with a look of concern. Linus flinches. He''s practically already out, and he''s already grabbed it, Cell insists, without saying a word. No, it doesn''t have to be claimed. There''s no way that Cell, the party involved in the dungeon dust case, doesn''t have a grip on it. If it''s put out at this point in time, that would be complete ruin. Hesitation, anguish, and ...... resignation. Various emotions came and went, and Linus, who knew more about himself () and the horror of the cell than anything else, gave up. ''I''m resigning, so give me a break. "I will tell Master Sato. Cell said, and this time he left the room. Just before closing the door, I glanced at Linus'' figure, who had aged another decade in this instant ...... and looked like an old man. ''''That''s as good as it gets, Master Sato,'''' Cell stares ahead with reverence in his eyes and walks away, thinking about the man who isn''t here. ''I forced him to resign just by sitting there. It''s a feat that only Master Satou can pull off. The aristocracy of Ryota''s followers were becoming more and more fascinated with him because of this one incident. 181. Compensation The entrance to the cobalt dungeon. The iron bars that had completely blocked the path up until then were obliterated by an annihilation bullet, and I made my way out. As I expected, a lot of adventurers had gathered there. These were the people who couldn''t get into the dungeon while I was blocking the road. As expected, their expressions were also mostly angry and unpleasant. Now, this place--'''' Oh, there you are. I was waiting for you. Nicholas squared his shoulders with me from the side. He almost jumped up and down on my shoulders, acting like we''d been friends for years. I wasn''t expecting that, and I was caught off guard, so I was lightly staggered. ''Nicholas,'' ''You weren''t busy inside?You were bored, weren''t you? Why don''t you go f*ck me now? No, I just don''t want you to get upset. Don''t be such a pussy, you couldn''t have been here all day and not have time to spare, could you?Nah, just a little bit, just a little bit. He paused to worship with one hand while squaring his shoulders. Just as I was wondering if he wanted to do that so badly, Cel came in front of me this time. ''Get your hands off of me, you would be disrespectful to Satou-sama. ''What?What the hell are you? He''s a cyclo... ''I am a first believer in Master Sato. His name is Cell Stem. ''Yeah!Believers?Why are you a believer? I sounded so surprised that I sounded weird. I''m sure there''s more to it than that, though, another introduction. Like the head of the Cyclodungeon Association I was going to say, or where I came from in the first place. I skipped all of that, and Cell gave me the most ridiculous name I''d ever heard. "You''re a believer? Exactly. Look at this. Cell pulled a figure out of his pocket. It''s a figure of me in combat. I''m sure it''s not too much of a lie to be a believer. That means you''re trying to interrupt a fight between me and this guy. Of course. I can''t let Satou-sama fight uselessly. I will eliminate whoever forces it. Very good. I''ll start with you. Wait, wait, wait, wait. I''m not starting here. I got between Nicholas and Cell in a flash. I don''t want them to start here, even though I have some things to do now. I intervened between them to at least do it somewhere else. ''Ah.'' He hit the cell with all his momentum. The momentum caused another figure to fall from his pocket. It''s me again, but it''s me again, with my pockets full and overflowing as I try to put something in my pocket. ''How could it (...) be made! Cell hurriedly snatched the figure and put it back in his pocket. Really, what is this guy? ''What''s the matter with that one? Nicholas, on the other hand, makes a face that he doesn''t quite understand. Of course he does, I don''t want him to know what that figure means. Such a stalker, one cell is enough for me. The altercation seems to have died down for now, and I get my bearings and leave the two of them and head over to the adventurers. The adventurers I had taken over the first floor and prevented from entering the dungeon. The adventurers who had caused me so much trouble. Standing in front of them, I put my hands in my pockets. A few of them braced themselves for a jittery reflex, but I didn''t care, I took things out of my pockets and laid them out there. It was a stretching rod, but not steel. They are valuable bars of copper and aluminum. He took them out of his pockets one after another and lined them up, piling them up. The adventurers were wary at first, but gradually they let down their guard and watched me. I took them all out. The moment the figures caught me - I took out all the pockets full of dropped items. After the first floor was completely blocked off, I went downstairs to hunt for them. The combat skills he had accumulated so far, the two pistols, and the dropped items he had hunted with the ultimate lap magic repetition. Literally, a pile of metal appeared in front of the cave. I bowed ...... to the adventurers who wondered at it. ''''I''m sorry!'''' Satou-sama! Behind me, Cell let out what sounded like a scream, but I ignored it. ''I''m sorry for taking over your dungeon and causing you so much trouble because of my selfishness!I don''t think that''s much of an apology, but I hope you''ll take this. ''Master Sato!There''s no need for Satou-sama to do that. It''s that man who''s to blame. That doesn''t change the fact that I''m a pain in the ass. I said to Cell with my head down and a sideways glance, and he grunted and slumped slightly. I turned to the adventurers once again. ''I want you to take this as a nuisance fee. I said. ""......" A silence descends, a stifling time passes. I don''t expect to be forgiven for this, but still, just physical compensation. With that in mind, I laid out the drop items here. Then. ''Hey Cuttle, take it from you.'' What? I looked up, and a man who looked like a veteran adventurer started to speak. You''re a cyclist. Take what you need. Oh, yeah. Thank God. The thin, frail-looking man loaded his magic cart with copper bars. ''So are Olifa and Sai. I know your wife and old man are sick. Hurry up and cash them in and buy some medicine. Okay. I''m in your debt. The pile of dropped items is being sorted by that adventurer''s partition. I was a bit relieved. Then I looked at the distribution gaps and spoke to the man. ''Thank you.'' ''Never mind. You didn''t have to do this. No, but-- You can''t get your mind off that. Well, I''ll just take it. We''ll call it even. Thanks to ....... And... The man turned to me. He turned his body around and looked at me straight in the eye. "Thank you. What? The man bowed his head at the level of lightly bailing. When the other adventurers saw this, they stopped their hands and looked at me with the same expression. ''Thank God you dragged that thing down. That thing is making a lot of people cry. No one wanted to do anything about it, but we didn''t get a chance to. There were a lot of snitches. It was rather hard to pick them out. Cel said, supplementing from behind him. ''Thank you for giving me the opportunity,'' "''Thank you,'' The voices of the assembled adventurers, the words of thanks. It was a bit powerful, and I was unintentionally confused. I was thinking that I should respond in some way. ''Alright, you''re done?It''s over, right? So now we''re going to fight. Nicholas squared his shoulders from behind and called it another fight. ''Wait a minute, that''s not possible right now,'' "You haven''t been around all day, have you?Boring, right?So let''s have a fight and get it over with. ''You heard me!I wasn''t resting, I was hunting on all levels in the middle of the hunt-- Let''s go fight. With his shoulders crossed, Nicholas tries to drag me along with him. I was being dragged along by a man who didn''t read the air. By the way, I beat Nicholas to a pulp in an unpopular place. 182. Devil Satanachia Cobalt dungeon, bottom floor 45. I was standing on full alert. There was a notice that the Dungeon Master would be here today. The matter of blocking off the first floor in the case of Linus''s one incident caused a lot of trouble for everyone in this city. When the Dungeon Master appears, the other monsters in the dungeon will disappear completely. If that happened, along with what I did, it would mean that in a short period of time, the adventurers wouldn''t be able to earn money in the dungeon. To prevent that from happening, and to reduce the period of time I couldn''t earn as much money as possible, I waited here for the Dungeon Master to defeat me as soon as he got there. I waited for about half a day and the air changed. The other monsters disappeared, and at the same time the adventurers pulled up like the tide was receding. I was the only one left here, right after. The dungeon master appeared. His upper body flapped against the blue-purple skin tone, the cloth wrapped around his waist. Dragon like wings and horns almost as long as his body. It''s the Cobalt Dungeon Master, the demon Satanakia. Satanakia swung a huge sword at me. I saw it coming and half-avoided it with my body. Zsin! The sword struck the ground and the dungeon shook loudly vertically. ''''That''s an awful lot of power. ...... It won''t be enough for a frontal attack.'''' I''ll load two pistols, and I''ll start with a handgun to check-- "Whoa! The impact came from behind me. I was about to fall to my knees, but I stepped forward and gingerly held back. I turned around and saw three adventurers there, all of them dressed as wizards. All of them were women dressed as wizards. The women have downcast eyes and are chanting while holding up their magic wands. ''''Why at this time!'''' He spat and jumped sideways as fast as he could. Satanakia, the demon, has the ability to control any woman at will. There is no exception for any woman, and as long as she is biologically female, there is no escaping that control. I know that, I got the information to take it down fast, and other adventurers should know better. Still, there are female adventurers. ''Utterly!It''s always like this! I remember the wizard who got lost in the dungeon despite the magic storm, and I spit out. Guarding the magic, I duck further from Satanakia''s sword and load my two guns with recovery rounds. While avoiding the onslaught of four adventurers, I fire a series of recovery rounds at the women adventurers. A fusion of recovery rounds and sleeping rounds. I hit two of them and put them to sleep, but one of them deployed a magical barrier and flicked a bullet. ''d*mn!As expected of a wizard who comes up to the 45th floor, he reacts fast! I don''t know if it''s my own reaction speed while being controlled, but I spat and loaded the next round. Then I aimed at the target and was about to pull the trigger. ''Huh?Why me? "Sanity--ohh! The female adventurer said, and scurried around with a curious look on her face, but her hand thrust out her staff and released her magic. A blazing fire swells and envelops me. ''''Whoa!'''' Flames that burn your entire body. I reflexively crossed my arms and bent down to gum it up. My mind still isn''t SS and I''ve taken quite a bit of damage. I look up, my eyes locked with Satanakia''s. He gave me a triumphant look. This time I look at the female adventurer, "Ehehehee," she was chanting her next spell with an innocent smile like a child. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good idea of what you''re doing. For a moment I thought I had escaped from control, I was caught in a trap and damaged. But if only I knew that. ''I''m sorry!I didn''t mean to. I don''t want to go through this again! He neutralized the flying fire magic with a series of freezing bullets while blasting sleep bullets with another series of recovery bullets. The magic barrier wasn''t enough, and the female adventurer was put to sleep this time and collapsed like a threadbare doll. Now, the rest is Satanakia--. ''''--! My belly was burning. When I looked at it, it was as if it had grown out of the inside and three spears of fire, ice and stone had pierced my belly. ''Why ......'' I turned around, and I knew. It''s the magic released by the three adventurers who have fallen asleep. These women are asleep, their faces completely asleep. But their bodies are moving, and as adventurers, they are unleashing their attacks. It''s as if they''re sleepwalking and Satanakia is still controlling them. ''Then you just can''t move! Swap bullets, this time with no sparing. A restraint round with 5 rounds of reinforced ammunition, shoot it, reload it, shoot it again and reload it. The maximum potency restraining rounds were shot into the three men. Hikari''s ropes bind the three men together. Even though they are restrained, he holds them at the muzzle for a while. I look at them for a bit to keep my guard up, and this time I''m sure I can''t move for sure. Then I turn to Satanakia. A huge winged and horned demon. The other side is still unharmed, and the pressure hasn''t decreased with the strongest. But. It''s a one-on-one. I don''t feel like losing anymore. I''ve been caught off guard twice, and each time I''ve increased my concentration, I don''t feel like losing to this guy anymore. I avoid the huge sword being swung down with a single piece of skin and slam a cross-counter punch along the blade. He catches up with the blasted Satanakia at breakneck speed, this time firing a series of bullets from zero distance. A fusion bullet of normal bullets, a penetrating bullet. Bullets that have dozens of times the penetration power of normal bullets are slammed into his stomach in succession. The bullets gouged Satanakia''s belly like poling and eventually penetrated. ''''--'''' With a scream of unnamable rage, Satanakia waved her dragon-like wings at me. He grabbed it firmly and tore it off to the left and right. Next, the horns - no, no. He suppresses the lechery of his neck. I was a little offended by being poked twice in the face, but this is no time for that kind of thing (teasing). If it goes on too long, you might get caught off guard again, and more importantly, you won''t drop anything from the dungeon in the meantime. I''ve decided to beat this guy rather than return the favor. I dodged the last fart from the horns and slammed all the penetrating bullets I could find between my eyes. The ruler of all 45 floors of Cobalt, Satanakia, the demon that controls all kinds of women, was successfully defeated when it appeared. 183. Failed Sametylene suburbs, looking around a lot, checking more carefully than usual. After I was clearly convinced that there were no humans around, I put down the drop items and hatched the hagremonos. The air changed completely, Dungeon Master Satanakia appeared. ''''Repetition!'''' Cast a spell in the nick of time. It is the strongest round-the-clock magic repetition that kills monsters once defeated unconditionally. It''s a good idea to have a good time with them. ''Fufu......'' I was a little relieved. I checked my surroundings carefully, and as soon as I got out, I killed him instantly with the repetition. It''s because Satanakia has a special ability to control women. It''s not so bad if you''re just strong, but if you''re able to manipulate people you have nothing to do with, it''s just too tricky. I killed him instantly before it became a problem. Haglemono''s Satanakia dropped something. As he got closer, he saw that it was an earring. The moment I picked up the earring, the effect flowed into my head. Satanakia''s earring, deactivating the ability of the woman equipped with it. ''...... hmmm,'' I jerked my head back and snorted. Somehow I understand. The demon Satanakia, which controls all kinds of women, and its drop product is ...... which suppresses women''s abilities, is somehow understandable. However, the effect is far too subtle to be effective if you look at the drop items from the previous hagremonos. I''m sure it''s a good idea to give it to a woman who''s going to be your enemy and have her wear it as a gift. It''s not something that I would dare to use. There will be the occasional outlier. Even if it''s a Dungeon Master''s drop item, it''s not a great effect for anything. Celeste''s Dungeon Master Bicorn''s Bicorn Horn, which Celeste has, only allows her to use beginner level magic infinitely. It was a perfect fit for Celeste, but it was inherently subtle. It might come in handy somewhere someday. With that in mind, I shoved the earring in my pocket and started walking back to Samethyllene. I walked halfway through and met a woman. It''s a strange woman, she''s right in front of me, but she has no presence, as if she were not there. The presence was so faint that if you close your eyes, you would lose sight of her. I''ve been in this world for a certain amount of time, and I''ve gradually mastered the skill of detecting a presence. Even so, I can''t feel the presence of the woman in front of me. Don''t tell me it''s a ghost--?What a brusque moment. The woman who was walking carelessly stopped in the open and took something out of her pocket and placed it on the ground. Immediately after, a magic circle spread out around the placed it. The purple magic circle, poisonous light reflects diffusely like cocktail lights. A presence - was born. It''s not a woman''s presence, it''s that of a magic circle. More like a consciousness. Killing ...... destruction. Such words appeared in my brain, and I jumped out of the way. Thump! I dove in, but was flashed by a purple bolt of lightning at the edge of the magic circle. My outstretched hand is sore, my flesh is taken away in a sneaky way. It''s still a bad magic circle, I don''t know any of the details, but it''s clear that if I stay inside, the woman will disappear. ''Hey!What are you doing, get out of there! I shouted loudly. The woman turned around quietly. I perked up. I was startled, I was caught off guard. She turned around and saw her eyes - no, her face. She was a completely emotionless doll. Even while I was perturbed, things were developing. The magicians are eating (,,,) her. Her long hair is getting shorter and the clothes she wears are being erased. There was not a moment to lose! My head was in full swing. What''s happening, what''s happening. What I have, what I''m capable of. All of these things ran through my brain in a split second. All of them combined to burst into a single possibility. I no longer had time to think about it. I pulled out my two pistols, loading each one with a flame round and a frozen round. They immediately became a series of firing ...... fused annihilation bullets. The annihilation bullets gouged the ground - multiple annihilation bullets ate the magic circle. The missing magic circle rapidly lost its effect and the purple lightning stopped. Eventually, the area returned to the natural outdoors. The woman - she was safe. ''...... style'' I let out a big breath. The spur-of-the-moment idea, the idea that this was the only way to go, somehow worked. What''s wrong? ''What''s the matter with you!What the hell are you doing?! I couldn''t help but yell at her. I don''t know what happened, but from the side, it was suicide for her. ''Master''s orders,'' Orders?Master? Master says it''s junk in the landfill. He wants you to go in there and clean it up yourself. ...... What? I felt my stomach churning and boiling. Stars. I talk to her while loading up my flame freezing rounds to warn her of another suicide attempt. ''What is disposal, anyway? You know, people who use that word for human beings are insane. It''s not wrong. What? ''I am an artificial life form, one without an invented soul. So disposal is the right word. "Artificial ...... life forms? I''m speechless. "You mean like a robot or an android or something? A rag?''Antai-doroids?'' ''Oh ...... golem?And homunculus?Is it a target? The woman nodded quietly. ''Very close, Nearly Equal.'' How could that be: ...... ...... a question to the purpose for which it was manufactured? The woman tilts her head with an emotionless face. ''Oh.'' For the dungeons. The dungeon? "I was created to artificially produce Drop A. But it failed. The drops are all F. And they don''t grow. So it''s a failure. The woman spoke up slowly but without stuttering. I shut my mouth there because I had explained everything. I could almost understand the situation. ''''So, since normal adventurers have varying levels of productivity, you''re going to produce an artificial life form with drop A, which is the highest, to stabilize the drop. The woman nodded. ''That failed ...... d*mn it.'' Why are you angry? It''s... Why are you angry when you''re getting rid of an irrelevant, failed tool? Ugh. ...... I gulped. Because when you say it that way, it sounded like the other side was seemingly right. ''Well, that''s still no good. Anyway, I''m not going to allow you to destroy yourself with that ....... I don''t want that. Why? Master''s orders. We must execute them. That seems like a fair question. "Can you change the master? I heard it almost like a spinal reflex. In these cases, changing the master is the only fundamental solution. You can. What do I do? ''Place your hand on my chest. I will pour more magic than the previous master. I will overwrite it. So? That''s it. That''s it? It''s a prototype, so we can easily change it. All right, all right, I''ll tell you what... But... But? His outstretched hand stopped. ''My power source is the Master''s magic, and just by existing, I consume a little bit of the Master''s magic--'' I reached out and placed my hand on her chest. The magic power flows as I was taught. I don''t know if the magic power is MP or intelligence in this case, but it doesn''t matter which it is. It''s because she''s an SS that far exceeds the humans in this world either way. Her body glowed for a moment, then quickly calmed down. ''How''s that?'' Master change complete. Okay. Are you sure you want to go to ......? I saw the first expression on her face. It was almost expressionless, but a level of confusion appeared if you looked closely. ''You''re asking if it''s good for eating MP,'' she said. ''Yeah, no problem.'' And it''s a lot better than being self-determined in front of me. Above all. It was annoying to be forced to do such a thing for the (,) unilateral convenience of the top (,) and I didn''t feel like I had to intervene. 184. Allegiance to swear again I grabbed her and came to the basement level of the cobalt dungeon. ''Well, let''s see, ......, come to think of it, I didn''t hear your name. "Nayamileia. A layer of distress? I couldn''t help but listen blankly to the unfamiliar words. ''It''s an old word that means ''zero.'' ...... Let''s change the name. How about Leia? "If the master says so, She nodded emotionlessly. Leia is also vaguely reminiscent of a flying dragon, but well, that thing is a female, too, and it''s better than a name with the connotation of "zero". I get my mind back on track and get to the point. ''So how do you follow up on that?'' Ask Leia. It''s an artificial life form I created to support the adventurers, to increase their drops, then it has the ability to just join the battle. I decided to take it as my master and try to figure out its abilities as well as the bullets and magic I''ve been using. ''Mount it, and order it to...'' Yeah?In the meantime, attach ....... It was an oopsie-like way of looking at her. Immediately after, Leia''s body melted into mush. It melted like a liquid metal robot in a movie and twisted around me like it was taking over me. It took me by surprise for a moment, but I let it go. I could clearly see that it didn''t mean me any harm. Leia became entangled in my body and then became what I normally do: protector and armor. It was something else entirely, but it morphed and became armor. The colors are a bit different, though. It''s like something you''ve seen in a comic book in the past. I see. Base defense will be increased. I circled my arms and then my ankles. It''s the same as the original protector, so it''s hardly any different. A zombie demon was born in front of me. I clenched my fist and struck it with my right arm with Leia''s armor on it. With a single blow, I blew the zombie demon away and killed it instantly. There was no drop. Another zombie demon came from the side, so this time I shot it down with a series of regular bullets to the head. This one dropped a normal chunk of iron. ''I see, so if I hit him with this, the drop is treated as yours? ''Yes. The plan is that anyone who succeeds will get a Drop A. I know what the plan is, and if it really works, it''s going to be pretty awesome. I can also predict where we''ll end up. It''s artificial life like this, not like it''s going to transform or anything, but purely. "Drop-A Weapon. If we succeed, of course. If we succeed, of course. I''ve been thinking about it. There''s nothing wrong with researching, because the end result is going to be maximum efficiency in production, and it''s going to be a revolution, like the industrial revolution. That''s fine, that''s fine. I can''t accept this kind of punishment just because we created a life form like this and failed. Should I do something ()? While I was thinking about that, the zombie demon came again. I noticed it (...) when I went to ...... to reload and defeat it. Reloading. It was fully loaded with regular bullets that I had shot off in a series of shots. When. I did that. Leia? While the master was thinking. Wasn''t it bad? It''s not a bad idea. Would you rather go to tuska ......? What can I do for you, Master? An idea came to my mind. It was a revolver - a way of doing things in a time long before the rifling gun. But it was a way that seemed to work. We left the dungeon and returned to the open air of Samethrene. I made sure it wasn''t popular, and put the tuna I''d procured from the market away. I really wanted another one, but we didn''t have a whole one, so I decided to get another one at a later time. I waited a bit, and the moment the tuna hatched into a gorilla, I killed it with a repetition. The gorilla dropped a gun. As it was, he shot a recovery round into himself. The Repetition and becoming Leia''s master had consumed a lot of MP. Drop ......?Master, what is this? ''Don''t tell anyone else. My drop is an S. I''ll drop anything because it''s an S, even if it''s a haggle. I understand. I won''t tell anyone. Leia responded, but I doubt she really understood. Because it sounded more like she was responding to the ''master''s command'' than understanding. Well, that''s fine. No problem. Pick up the third pistol I let drop in the repetition. ''Keep this one.'' I understand. Leia responds. A part of the protector transformed into an arm and held a pistol. I see that''s how you reloaded. Here we go. Just like you taught me how to do. Yes, sir. I got my gun up - I fired a series of regular rounds. I aimed at an empty place and took a shot anyway. I shot off the loaded rounds in an instant, then let go of the gun and took the next gun I was wearing nearby. The new gun was loaded with regular bullets. After firing it out in rapid succession, he let go of the gun and took the next gun - the first one. It was reloaded, and I fired again in rapid succession. While I was firing continuously, Leia would load the gun, and when I finished firing, she would use the loaded gun and immediately fire another continuous shot. Subtracting the time it took me to load it, I nearly doubled my pure rapid fire power! There is a technique called "Nobunaga''s Three Step Shooting". There is a recent theory that the shooters don''t take turns, but rather hand a loaded flintlocklock gun to someone who is good at shooting and have them fire continuously. It''s the same thing. I finish one shot and drop the gun. "Nice one, Leia. What? ''Awesome and helpful. Keep up the good work and keep up the good work. I understand. Thank you ......, Master. You can do more than just armor, you can do more than that. It''s purely an extension of your hands, then there''s a lot more you can do. What can you do, what can you do? I''ve been thinking about it. I thought of ways to make Leia more useful. Thinking about this is the funniest thing I''ve ever done in my life, the moment I got my new powers. "Oops, I''ve been thinking about this. Come on, Leia, come back to it. Yes, sir. Leia went back to her original human form, as ordered. But perhaps because it was her first time and she wasn''t used to it, she got caught in her clothes and stuff in the process of returning and scattered bullets and items and such. ''Sorry Master.'' Don''t worry about it. Pick it up with Leia, who has returned to human form. Regular bullets and flame bombs. These are also paper money and coins that are actually drop items. And a number of items, including slime tears. ''''Huh?'''' Suddenly, I found something in the item. Satanakia earrings. I got them today, an item from the Dungeon Master. Its ability is to disable the ...... woman''s ability. ''......'' Master? ...... Leia, put this on. I''m an artificial life form. I don''t need to be fancy. ''No, it doesn''t. No, it''s not and it probably looks good on you, but it doesn''t. Now it doesn''t. Put it on anyway. I''ll see to it. If the master ordered it. Leia did as she was told and put on her Satanakia earrings. As soon as she put the earrings on. ''I knew it,'' What can I do for you, Master? MP consumption is off. ...... Huh? Leia was surprised, her expression changed dramatically, which was unusual. It was to be expected. Satanakia''s earrings suppressed the woman''s abilities, whether they were good or bad abilities. The ability to gradually reduce the master''s MP - something that could not be called an ability - was also suppressed. The MP that had been gradually decreasing earlier, like sand falling from an hourglass, but now it wasn''t decreasing at all. ''What about your other abilities, transform, Leia? ...... Yes. As ordered, she transformed into a protector again. She hatched a haglemono from a coin and hit it with her cuirass. Then a drop-up potion appeared. The hand armor applied my drop S, not Leia''s drop F. The earring took effect. ''Can you armor it?'' Yes, I can. I suppose. It''s not an ability, it''s a ''movement''. If you can''t do that, you won''t even be able to move the moment you put the earrings on. All of Leia''s demerits, the cause of her being called a failure, were erased by Satanakia''s earrings. Now Leia, for me, has more arms without any demerits. That''s what she is. "Well, all your problems are taken care of. It''s good to see you, Leia. ...... Yes. I will follow the master for the rest of my life. She said it with just a bit of high intensity. I didn''t immediately understand the meaning of this phrase "I''ll follow you for the rest of my life". The common "absolute obedience to the master" has also been nullified by the earring, and I''ll follow you for the rest of my life on that basis of my own volition. I finally realized what ...... meant when it was later pointed out to me. 185. Wired all-range attack Cobalt Dungeon, first basement level. I dove into the dungeon to figure out my new powers. I checked out the outside of the dungeon, but I knew there were some things I wouldn''t know unless I was in a real battle, so I came here. I added another gun to my arsenal. For an extra fee, I paid to have another tuna sent directly to me, made it a haggle, and had the gun dropped. Now I have four pistols in my possession. The zombie demon showed up. Two pistols, all loaded with conventional ammunition, fire in rapid succession, and the monster''s upper body turns into a beehive. I let go of the handguns, and two other handguns came into my sight, so I took them and fired more continuously. A barrage of gun exchanges. The revolver''s continuous firing power originally surpasses that of a machine gun if used by a skilled person, but reloading takes up a great deal of time. Leia''s reloading with the arm, and the continuous firing with it, lightly exceeded the continuous firing power of the machine gun. It was utterly overkill and took out the zombie demon. ''Good job Leia. Thank you, Master. A voice came from around her chest, Leia''s voice as her protector. Almost at the same time as she replied, the arm extended and retrieved the chunk of iron that the zombie demon dropped. The recovered iron chunk goes straight into my pocket, the Grand Eater''s pocket swallowed the heavy, huge iron chunk as if it was nothing. I strut through the dungeon as it is. It was just a matter of encountering and firing the gun in rapid succession. If I censored it, Leia would reload it and give it to me, and Leia would pick up the dropped items. It''s much more efficient. The gun, which no longer had to be reloaded, was so annihilating that it was close to Repetition, and the collection of drop items was faster than any other method I''d ever devised. It was the best efficiency I''ve ever had, I even felt like I had stepped into another dimension. ''''Leia, that,'''' He stopped and looked at the dungeon wall. Leia''s arm reached out and touched it lightly. I touched it where there was nothing. By my own will, Leia''s arm will do exactly what I want it to do, even if I don''t say it out loud. ''That''s great, Leia,'' Thank you. Leia''s voice remained emotionless. I felt a little sad, but that''s just the nature of my personality, so I can''t help it. The check of what I envisioned was done in full, I was able to move roughly as I imagined, and the results were even better than I had imagined. Satisfied with the results, I left the dungeon while talking to Leia. "Does it consume any wear and tear while I''m wearing it like this? I don''t. Is there a time limit on how long it can be worn? ''None. As long as I don''t go dormant, it will go on forever. Dormant. Does that feel like human sleep? Yes, sir. I asked a lot of questions that I hadn''t asked before, details that I hadn''t heard before. Because as a master, I want to keep track of every detail. And so, as I walked out of the dungeon, I saw Nicholas. He''s got his hands in his pockets and was leaning his back against a tree, looking bored, when he saw my face, he ran up to me, overjoyed. ''Yo, I''ve been waiting for you,'' Me?What''s going on? No, man. Let''s go fight. Nicholas smiled - and smiled a yucky smile. ''Not again.'' Of course. You''ll be back to Cyclo soon, won''t you? You''re gonna have to save up for a fight. You see, I have the tingling sensation. Nicholas wiggled his body, scratching here and there like a monkey. You''re a tricky person ...... I don''t mean to be malicious, so it''s not a problem. ''There''s no word for a fight pool or anything like that. I mean, how many times have you lost already?I guess it would be the same if I tried. Chitty. You don''t understand. It''s worth it just to get in a fight. I don''t get it. And hey, I''m feeling a little different today, all right? What? When I was confused as to what this meant, Nicholas pulled a small glass bottle out of his pocket. What''s in it is an amber-colored liquid ...... Nicholas is talking about, so it''s definitely a liquor. He opens the lid and gulps it down, looking up to the heavens. I was alarmed. No way is it some kind of potion type! The next moment, Nicholas knocked the bottle to the ground and broke it. ''Ka--, dammit! Go to ......? "There''s some real shit in the new brew, motherf*cker! With a snap that I didn''t understand what it was, Nicholas punched me in the face. ''''--!'''' I was surprised by its sharpness and dodged it on the spur of the moment. It didn''t hit me, but I almost fell on my ass because of its sharpness. ''Oh my God!You''re getting on my nerves, you bastard! Saying that, he attacked further. It was one rank sharper than Nicholas'' previous attacks. It was so fast and sharp that he was able to take the initiative and push you down. ''''Don''t you dare, hit me, chickie! Seeing that he swears and delivers an attack so sharp that it is inversely proportional to his swearing. ''Don''t tell me you''re not going to power up ...... or something because ...... alcohol is bad and irritating. Stop messing around! I thought maybe I was right. I thought that might be true, since Nicholas loves old things. I took a deep breath and intercepted Nicholas'' fist. Pow! Fist to fist met with a bursting sound that made the hem of my pants chatter. Borrowing my momentum, I jumped back once, took a deep breath, and regained my position. Then I jumped towards Nicholas. ''Alright, come on! I challenged Nicholas to a meat fight. I hit him at close range. He guarded his fists and kicked his knees into the ground, swaying and ducking a headbutt and hitting him with a summer salt kick to the chin. They hit each other with enough force to create a tornado around the two men. In the next moment, gunshots rang out in rapid succession. Up and down, left and right, bullets shot at him from around Nicholas. ''Yikes, what the hell?'' It was Leia''s arm that I shot at. With it attached to me, she extended the arm and shot bullets with four pistols from out of range, out of reach of Nicholas'' fist. My intention, the unspoken intention to attack. It was Leia who took it in and achieved an all-range attack. Nicholas scowls when the bullet hits him, but when he realizes it''s the arm that extends from me, he says, "You''ve got a hell of a lot of stuff. "You''ve got a hell of a lot of stuff! I was in a good mood. When Nicholas was in a good mood, that was a tricky one, so I ducked into his pocket while doing more all-range attacks with my arm gun. I hit Nicholas with a full force punch. He spun three times vertically with a look of amusement on his face and went straight into the ground head first and stopped moving. ''Fufu...... done?'' Are you all right, Master? Is it possible that he is dead? It''s not hard to be dead if you''re this close to dying. I answered Leia''s question with a wry smile. 186. Empty vessel Pow! He kicked through the iron door and rushed inside. They were in the middle of doing exactly what they were doing. There were a number of men dressed like hooded robes ...... wizards, and they surrounded a single magic circle. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on a new one. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more information on this. It''s hard to understand what he''s doing, but it doesn''t look like he''s doing anything good. ''''What the hell are you--gafff.'''' He stepped in silently and punched the man''s body. The man spilled out his stomach juices and collapsed as he did. The men around me held their hands up to me and chanted a spell, producing a magic circle. They were too slow to react. I fleshed out the men one by one, sinking them all in one punch. After the men fell, Cell came over with his men in tow. ''''Sorry to keep you waiting, Satou-sama...... this! Cell''s expression changed when he saw the magic circle and the boy lying on the ground. ''Do you know what this is?'' It''s a magic circle that separates the soul from the body. The soul from the body? Yeah. Cell nodded gravely. Separating Souls...... increasingly not a good story. Leia''s one. I told Cell about her and asked him to find out the source of her creation. Cell quickly figured it out. When I learned of the gang''s hideout that created her, I raided the place with Cell''s help. What I saw was a sight beyond my expectations. ...... This girl is still fine. Cell said with a relieved look on his face as he squatted down next to the boy. When I was relieved too, people came running out from the back. Unlike the wizard-like people we just defeated, they look like they''re used to roughing it. It''s probably a bouncer. I''m not going to be able to get it right," he said. Cell said, though his men, who had attached themselves behind him, tried to move forward in a combat stance. Before that, I killed the bouncers instantly. Conveniently, four of them, I fired a series of infinite lightning bullets of maximum firepower at all of them and sank them. I thought "what if" at the connection between the boys and Leia, and I blinked them away, angry at the idea of leaving them to it. ''Let''s go ......,'' ...... Mm. With Cell and his men in tow, we made our way deeper and deeper into the facility. More bouncers appeared along the way, and a wizard-like man appeared, but they all blinked and moved on. It''s not this mass-produced other people, there must be someone, someone who controls and knows everything. As I went on, I came to the largest room I had ever been in. There was a woman in the center of the room. An adult woman, but not in the flesh. It was recognizable at first glance as an artificial life form, with only the upper half of her body. It was hanging on a hanger of sorts. ''''Hey, what is it with you guys?'''' Beyond that was a man. His attire was different from the previous guys, and he was clearly dressed like a high-ranking human being, with gold thread embroidery and decorations on his robes. I stepped into the bewildered man in an instant, grabbed his throat whistle and settled him against the wall. ''You''re in charge here?'' You didn''t do anything. I''m asking if you''re in charge. Strengthened a bit, the man nodded painfully. ''What was that magic circle out there?'' Oh, heal the boy-- hey. I tighten it up with force once more and listen with a dusky voice. ''Nayamileia,'' -Oh! Speak up, or else. I gulped my free hand and put a little more pressure on my hand to grab the throat whistle. ''Wow, okay, ...... speaks, speaks or la ......'' I loosened my hand a little. ''Ta, I was taking my soul out. I know that. Why would you do that? "Put the souls you take out and put them in that thing: ...... It''s easier to control them with a tuned human soul. What have you done? Did you say you just made a connection to ......? I gulped at Cell''s point. The adjusted human soul ...... no way. ''What do you mean?'' ''Guh!K. Anger, joy, anger, and sorrow are not necessary for a tool. That''s why I take it out of my soul and put it in that thing. Joy and anger: ...... To make ...... a tool? No wonder. It reminded me of Leia. I thought her emotions were diluted because she was made, but it wasn''t, it was because they had removed the emotions of joy, anger and sorrow from her original soul. ''What happened to the joy, anger and sorrow that was removed?'' You don''t need to discard them. He slammed the man against the wall with force. The man who hit his head so hard that he passed out and collapsed on the sly. ''Cell ......'' I don''t need to tell everyone. I''ve been choked up for a while now. There are still people who don''t come out, and I won''t let them get away with it. Cell turned around and had a calm expression on his face, but his eyes were closed. I couldn''t help but say, even though I knew that if I let him take care of the rest - I had to say it. ''''Make sure you can''t do this kind of research again. I leave the research facility and return to the city of Samethrene. I can''t stop being angry. At first, I was just going to stop the research. I wanted Cell to help me, so that no more unwanted lives like Leia''s could be born, and if they were, they wouldn''t be treated as unnecessary and forced to commit suicide. That''s why I went along for the raid. I didn''t expect it to turn out like this. With that in mind, I returned to the inn that served as my hideout and met up with Leia, who made me wait. ''Welcome home, Master.'' ...... Yeah. ''Master. Angry ...... and sad? What? When the master is angry, I am angry. When the master is sad, I am sad. That''s ....... The Master''s feelings flow directly into ...... here. Leia said, putting her hand on her chest. Somehow, I thought, it''s because there''s no The missing soul, the missing soul, the lack of joy, anger, and sorrow, so my emotions can slip right in there in the sky. There''s a saying that I can understand the feelings of others, and I feel like I''m seeing it come true in the worst possible way. But then. But then... if my feelings are going into that empty space, I can''t fill it with anger or sorrow. I''ve changed my mind. "Oh, ...... master''s feelings. "Let''s go to the dungeon. Let''s go to the dungeon, make some money and eat some good food tonight. Yes, I''ll go with you. Leia''s expression brightened a bit, as if my positive feelings were contagious. With Leia in tow, I headed to the dungeon as usual. Lighten my spirits and think about how fun and happy but contagious it would be for her. Ryota Sato is a human being. Because he is human, he has the idea of "non-reversibility" in relation to "damage". If you lose your arm, it won''t come back, if you lose your leg, it won''t come back - if you lose your soul, it won''t come back. That kind of thinking is ingrained in us, human. But the world isn''t necessarily like that, if you ask me if what is destroyed or damaged can''t be restored. There are certainly worms and starfish, creatures that regenerate back to their original state after being damaged. And so it was with the soul. Originally, emotions are "born" and "sprout". Just because you lose it once doesn''t mean it never comes back. (Thank you, Master ......) Nayami Leia - change name Leia. A small, warm feeling grew in her chest, filled with Ryota''s strong feelings. It was so small that neither Ryota nor he had noticed it yet, though. It was definitely present, and it was growing little by little. 187. 10 million players Cobalt Dungeon, first basement level. All the mess at Samethrene has been settled. On the surface, it''s just a change in the head of the association, but since they''re going to send in a guy who can breathe on Cell''s behalf as the next head of the association, Sametilene will have been swallowed up by Cyclo. That''s why Cell is scrambling to stay alive. There''s nothing more for me to do now that I''ve come this far, everything is settled. I want to resume my halted ability raising, and I''ll be back to Cyclo tomorrow - so that''s what I''m going to do. I''ve been thinking about turning iron into gold and having a banquet with Nicholas and the others at a familiar ground floor for our last day in Samerstyrene. The hunt went smoothly with the support of Leia, who had merged with me. Leia''s ability to load bullets with her arm was quite helpful. Master, we have three zombie demons in front of us on the left! Yes! Leia was created to support adventurers, and she also comes with radar-like abilities. As expected, it''s not as strong as Alice''s. Alice''s was not only able to use radar, but also predict its appearance, but Leia''s was only able to use radar. You can only search for what''s in the dungeon right now. They''re still strong enough though. Furthermore, Leia''s arm picks up all of the drops after you defeat it. He''ll pick them up and put them in his pocket. All I have to do is get close enough for Leia''s arm to reach it, and she''ll pick up the rest on her own. When I get close to the drop in the game, it becomes mine on its own, that''s how it works. Thanks to Leia, all I had to do was think about defeating the monsters efficiently. So I focused. Not to mention the highest efficiency of defeating monsters is Repetition. Without using repetition, I had to figure out how to approach the efficiency. I tried to kill it by trial and error. I shot guns, bullets, and other magic. I tried to focus on efficiency. The result of staying in Cobalt all day. Buyers ''Oshidori Battle''. While I was getting the iron I dropped today weighed in, I was studying Leia and the use of the item. Leia still had the stone on me, still attached to me, and I let her hold the stone on one of the arms. ''That''s the Absolute Rock stone. When you use it, you can go into invincible mode. Use it. Okay. This is what happens when you use it. I hit the arm with quite a bit of force. It would have been easier to understand if I''d actually fired the gun, but it was in the store. ''--you won''t do any damage,'' Yes, zero. ''Can you move in this condition?Do the radar and stuff work? When asked, Leia tried this and that. ''No problem master. I can use my powers other than attack.'''' ''Right, well, I''ll give you that then. Make sure you use it all the time. ...... Got it. Leia stretches out her arms, becoming a hand armor and protector. From the side, it''s a kind of light armor. That light armor has been given an added effect of full defense with absolute lock. It''s not much of a benefit to me, but it''s practically like a power up. I did a lot of things like that, and I was thinking about what else I could find in the item that would be suitable for Leia. After the tally was done, the man from the purchase shop returned. ''''Sorry for the wait. Let''s see, first of all, the purchase price of the iron today is 1 jin 18 piro. A bit of a drop. The clerk nodded. ''''Well, it''s within the margin of error. ''''So, the total you brought in was 3,841 gin in all, so in total--'''' What? What? I suddenly raised my voice, and the clerk was startled and made the same surprised sound. ''''D-Do you need help?'''' Right now, it''s all 3,800 jinns: ...... ''Yes, it is. I''ve weighed it out properly many times, so I''m sure it''s correct. What''s wrong?You look at me with a look that says "No, not that. No, that''s not the point, I didn''t bring a magic cart this time to begin with, so I didn''t weigh it in advance. The problem is that ...... that number was more than triple the previous one. Three times. A few days ago, when Leia and I dove into the dungeon for the first time, it was roughly double. But today it suddenly tripled. It''s true that today we only pursued efficiency as hard as we could, but even so, the triple figure was astonishing. That''s 69,138 piro in all. About 70,000 piro, that''s quite a lot of money. But I wasn''t looking at that number anymore. The highest efficiency I''ve ever had, three times that. And my highest earning so far is three million piro in Tellurium. Of course, there''s the additional drop of Aulum, but the number excluding that is three million. Just over three times that. In other words, ....... I got up and walked out of the store at a fast pace. No, I''m no longer running. ''Hey, customer!I haven''t given you any money yet! I didn''t even hear a voice calling from behind me. ''Master?'' I''m going back to Cyclo now. Now? ''Yeah, I''ll be in the dungeon as soon as I get back. Then I''ll go as fast as I can, Leia, and I need your help. ...... of course, Master. Leia is feeling excited about being asked to do something. My tension was even higher than that. I was excited for the first time in a long time to calculate three times more than three million, a calculation that even a schoolboy could do. And so I took Leia and marched into Cyclo in a forced march, staying in the dungeon all day at the usual time. Me, for the first time. I had achieved ten million piro for a day. 188. Similar things I came home from the buyer''s shop for the first time in a long time. The mansion, just after dark, I saw Emily, wearing an apron and cleaning with a broomstick taller than my own height. ''Emily,'' Mr. Yoda!You''re home! Emily throws out her broomstick and runs at me. With only a few meters to go, she kicked the ground and jumped into the air. I gingerly stepped back to catch Emily as she hugged me - but she didn''t come. Leia, who had returned to her human form from her protector, stood between us and stopped Emily. ''Who are you, sir?'' Master, who is this guy? They both asked at the same time. ''Here''s your new mate, Emily, don''t ask her for a room too. I understand. Emily ran into the mansion in a flurry. ''Master,'' Yeah? Am I one of the masters? "I''m going to, but can you go to ......? ...... No. I am the master''s tool. It''s sad about the tools, you''ll have to be one of them. After learning that her soul was missing, I felt extra tempted to deny her the "tool" and all that. So I emphasize the ''mate'' part and look straight into Leia''s eyes. ''My companions can be found at .......'' Yeah? Can my friends ...... hug the master? Now it''s Emily. I don''t mind... Just as I was about to say "I''m sorry," a hand reached out from beside me and tapped my forehead. I turned my head to the side and saw Eve there. A girl in a bunny suit with her own bunny ears. With a look of Leia-baried lack of emotion, Eve chopped me twice. ''Ouch, ouch, what''s the matter with you, Eve?'' "Low-level haters. I kind of miss that. I laughed and took out a carrot from my pocket and handed it to Eve. It was a carrot I had left in advance from the earnings that had reached ten million earlier. A fresh, drop S carrot. Eve received the carrot with a slightly happy expression. ''It''s been a long time since I''ve had carrots.'' That''s good to hear. Long overdue. So you end up chopping. After receiving the carrots, Eve, who was in a much better mood, weakened the power of the last chop. Then she went back inside the mansion, gobbling up the carrots. ''You''re still the same Eve ...... hmm?What''s wrong Leia, what''s wrong with Eve? Is he one of your masters? Yeah, but? Do your buddies do ...... chops? ''What?Oh, that''s how it works. It doesn''t matter, Leia''s one of us, you can do whatever you want with what you think. Is it a cheap shot?But then I realized that my guys are pretty weird. They''re all pretty intense in their emotions of joy, anger and sorrow. From the way Leia is talking, she''s trying to emulate that. I''ll do whatever it takes to help them get their emotions back. I thought to myself, "I think I''m going to be a good influence around Alice. "Master! This time, Cerberus came from the garden. A giant guard dog, Cerberus. He made a mad dash for me and braked in front of me, staring at me with his sparkling eyes. ''Welcome home, master.'' I''m home. You know, master. I kept the mansion safe while master was away. Okay. Cerberus, with his doggy eyes and aura of "praise, praise, praise". When I patted him on the head, he wagged his tail as if it was about to burst. He''s big, but this is the kind of place that makes me want to be a dog. Ehehehe. ...... Is this one of your masters? ''What?Oh yeah, ...... Yeah, you''re one of us. Fellowship ...... ''In a way, it''s probably the closest position I''ve ever been to Leia. Cerberus is my dog and companion. Leia is my tool and companion. I''m going to say something like the ...... follow-up I mentioned earlier. It''s an imposition of my feelings that I denied the tool. Maybe Leia has an identity with "tools". Maybe it''s still not a good idea to deny it out of hand. After being told by me, Leia stares at Cerberus. I stared at Cerberus, who I was told was the closest position to me. After a while, this time he turned his attention to me. Mindlessly, he''s giving off the same "praise and praise" aura as Cerberus. But I don''t say it. Leia doesn''t say it and also looks like she''s trying to stifle it. ''Leia,'' Yes, sir. You can say what you want. You have nothing to be ashamed of. ...... master. Yes. Are you going to tell him?That''s when I thought. "Master... Cerberus, who had been nodding his head the whole time, tackled me. I couldn''t help but be pushed down by a hulking body twice the size of a St. Bernard. After pushing me down, Cerberus licked me down. A show of affection with all the instincts of a dog, sticky with saliva all over his face, but I didn''t feel bad about it. I felt his eyes on me. Leia''s eyes looking down at me from right beside me. I was creeped out. ''Well, wait Leia, don''t be too quick--'' By the time you realize it, it''s already too late. I was after this. Leia and Cerberus had perverted me to the point where I was totally perverted. 189. New village In the morning, I woke up and left my room to find Emily standing in front of me. "Good morning, Emily. ''It''s good morning. There was a letter for Mr. Yoda. A letter?Unusual, who''s that from? He''s the chief of the village of Indore. For Indor? I accepted the letter, cut the seal and looked inside. As I read the contents, I found that it was a letter of thanks. I heard that the residents of Indor were happy to hear that Linus, the former head of the Samethrene Association, had been disqualified. Even after Indor was saved by me and joined the Cyclo family, it was still being harassed by Sametilene. Originally, Indor was under the umbrella of Samethrene. A city that has a dungeon may have a village built in the middle of nowhere in the form of a pioneer for when the dungeon is born. Indor is a pioneer village that was built with the help of Samethyllene. It had a lot going on and was being treated badly by Samethylen, and I stepped in and helped. The people in the village call me "Benefactor" and thank me for my help. The letter repeated "thank you" over and over again, as if that, in turn, indicated the degree of harassment. ''So the harassment has continued since then? "Not important enough to report," it says. ''Sober harassment or ...... insidious.'' Well, but it''s good to see that go away. From now on, the head of the Association of Same-Chillen will be the one who is breathing down the cell''s neck, so the harassment will stop altogether. I''m going to pick up Aurum, who has been in the dungeon while I''ve been away, in the evening, so I''ll talk to him by Indor then and reassure the residents. Nihonium, 7th floor underground. I put on Leia and used a fireball to take down the electrified mammy, using mainly fireballs. Leia tried to pick up the spirit seed that was dropped after defeating it with her arm, but it slipped through as it should have, with no one else touching it but me. ''I won''t touch it, I''m sorry Master,'' ''Never mind, this is inevitable. It''s something only I can touch. Just the master? Yes, I''m the only one in the world. I took the seed, the seed disappeared in the palm of my hand and the spirit was up one. ''The world''s only ...... master is amazing.'' ''So don''t worry about it. You can follow me elsewhere. Okay, here''s what I''m gonna do. Leia transformed one of the arms. It was just an arm, but it morphed into an intricate design. ''What''s this?'' This is a map of the hierarchy, and that''s where the monster is. As Leia explained, there was some terrain I knew, and it was indeed a map of this hierarchy. And Leia moved some dots (,). ''The monsters are there, I can see that. ''I didn''t know you could do this.'' I practiced yesterday. This is easier to master. Yeah, that''s pretty straightforward. Thank you, Leia. ...... Leia was silent, but I could tell she was happy. The seed of the Nihonium Dungeon, Leia didn''t touch it after all, but she weaved another technique instead. The map that could be viewed at any time was very useful, and although my efficiency only increased slightly, it was half the wear and tear, or rather, double the ease compared to when I didn''t have it. With the help of this extremely useful ability, I effortlessly raised my spirit from B to A on this day. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit A Speed SS Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... At noon, I came to Indore with Leia. I met and talked to the village chief, and he thanked me again for my help. He asked me to let the whole village have a big feast, but I politely refused because it was too much of a big deal. And now Leia and I are strolling through the village of Indor. The golden village of Indor. It was once an empty, cold village, but now it was bustling with the sand and gold produced by the Aurum Dungeon. The village is vibrant and the building rush continues. It looks like it''s about to become a city in size, not a village. Even if you go around the city a bit, there are many bars, brothels, gambling dens, and other shops that cater to people who have a lot of stirrups. This is the master city: ...... Nominally, I didn''t do anything in my job as head of the Dungeon Association. ''But a master''s city, a master who has an entire city, is amazing. Leia''s words were a bit itchy. We continued walking for a while, and then I saw one beggar on the street. It suits him in a way. The number of people in the village is increasing, and trash is piling up here and there. With the increase in the number of residents, it looks like the garbage is not being disposed of in time. The beggar next to it ...... looks very natural for a location. When I walked past the beggars, one of them gave me money for some of them. The frequency is much higher than the similar scenes I know of. After all it is the gold rush, everyone is warm in the pocket, it seems that there is no hesitation to give. Just when I thought I could make a living begging here. Master. What''s going on? It''s a monster. What? It''s a great thing. Leia said with her usual, emotionless expression. Her gaze caught the beggar. ''Really?'' Leia nodded clearly. ''Same type as the Master''s dog.'' Cerberus. ...... I see. Leia can detect a monster''s presence and she knows it because she saw Cerberus, my guard dog who lives in the house, yesterday. I saw a beggar. To all intents and purposes, he''s a human being, but if Leia says so, I''m sure it''s a human being. I walked up to the beggar. He doesn''t know now, but if he did, he''d be in big trouble. I don''t have a collar or anything like Cerberus to show that I''m someone''s "property". If they see we''re haggled, they could take us out. So we need to get to him before they do. A little. What the f*ck? The beggar looked up at me with slightly frightened eyes. He looks middle-aged, his clothes are tattered and his hair is shaggy. For all intents and purposes, he looked like a homeless man or a beggar. I believed Leia. I absentmindedly pulled out my gun and fired a recovery fusion/sleeping bullet. The beggar instantly fell asleep, and I stuffed him in my pocket and left the place. I don''t want him to get out of control, so I''ll take him somewhere we can talk at length. We''ll talk then. We left Indore for a while and came to an empty field. There, he sent out a beggar and waited for him to wake up. The beggar woke up after a while and looked around with a frightened look on his face. ''Don''t be afraid, I''m not the enemy. Oh, what are you gonna do to me? I know you''re a badass. -Oh! I grabbed his hand as he tried to escape. ''Ha, let me go!'' Calm down, I told you we''re not the enemy. If we were the enemy, you wouldn''t have brought me here in a sleep, you would have killed me on the spot. Ah, ....... The beggar stopped his rampage, he seemed to understand my point. ''Have you calmed down or are you going to tell me a story? Because of Cerberus, I''m willing to help you if you need it. The beggar thought for a moment and nodded quietly. ''Duh, where do I begin? ...... ''First of all, tell me what kind of monster you are. For all intents and purposes, you''re a human being. I''m a monster named Clayman. He said this, and then suddenly the color disappeared from his body. The color disappeared and the shape changed. He became a slimy, clay-like figure. ''I see, so you''re the type of monster that can turn into many things. Yes, I do. So you''ve been acting like a beggar and getting favors from the people in your village? ''Yes ...... I had to do this for everyone. There''s no other place in the world as rich as this golden city, so ...... For everyone? ''I have other friends. But they''re all recognizable huggers at a glance, so I''ll work like this and get everyone to ....... Really? ....... ''Is everyone a lot?'' That''s fifty-six in all. ''That''s a lot!I thought you couldn''t feed yourself if you were begging? ''But I don''t know what else to do. If it''s not me, they''ll find out and kill me in a heartbeat. ...... right? It was the same with Cerberus. He looked almost like a dog, rifling through the city''s trash cans and running away from humans. For some reason, a haglemono with a near-human self-consciousness would end up doing something similar. In some cases, I thought about keeping this monster in the mansion, but fifty-seven was a bit much. I can''t physically fit in the house. And the other two dwellings I own aren''t even close. The only way to get around that is to rent a new one. Either that or we build on it. Maybe we could build some kind of dormitory, and then put monsters like Cerberus and Clayman in it. Maybe it would be better to build a place dedicated to that. ...... oh. Suddenly, I remembered. The word "make" reminded me. How Indor came to be, and where I stand. "Let''s build a village of haglemono. I looked straight at Clayman and said. "Huh, mm, in the village? Yeah. I''m the head of that village''s dungeon society. Yeah! ''We can pay and have a village built by someone willing to settle it.'' Oh, really? Yeah. It''s a pain in the ass if we use the association''s money, so I''ll pay out of my own pocket. You can do that now. I talked about things, told a still skeptical Clayman about the possibility of making it happen. As we talked, we adjusted the plan to where it was realistic. I could make ten million piro in a day if I worked hard, I''m the head of the dungeon association. There are a lot of things we can do, and even if we do it firmly, there are multiple options left. Talking about it, I looked at Clayman. "What do you say? Yes! Clayman turned back into his human form and grabbed my hand as hard as he could. ''Thank you!'' I said. The hand that grabbed me forcefully was a bit painful, and it seemed to speak volumes about their predicament so far. 190. Functional village Cyclo, the dungeon society building, its president''s office. I came to see Cell. "Thanks to you, Master Sato, we have the Samethyllene. I can''t thank you enough. It''s an open question. I don''t want to hide anything from you, Sato-sama. Besides, I feel that I must properly express my gratitude. ''I didn''t do anything of note, but if it''s ......, I''d like you to prepare something for me. I''m at your service. "A collar that shows the owner of the haglemono. 200 for that one. Duly noted. Cell responded immediately and rang the bell at hand and called his men to get their collars ready. Cell''s men, both of whom acted quickly and left the room. ''''You don''t ask me why?'''' ''It''s Satou-sama. I''m sure it''s to help those in need again. What''s wrong with you? Hmm. ''There''s something in need, something with the power to help.'' That''s what I''ve been told since the day I met Cell. If you say that''s what I''ve always done, you''re right. I don''t need to ask for details. Okay. There''s one thing that bothers me. Something bothering you? I know that Sato-sama has the power to help others. But I am only concerned that it will not lead to indulgence. ...... I''ll keep that in mind. I left Cyclo and once I returned to the mansion, I used the transfer room to come to Indor via Aulum. I think about it as I walk through the city, which has become completely prosperous, with more people and things, and more bustling and cluttered. Is it spoiled? I''m trying not to be like that, although I''m trying to be careful. But this time, I thought it might happen. Monsters like Cerberus, who are able to communicate with each other. They can interact normally with humans, but there is one crucial difference: they cannot enter dungeons. They can''t enter dungeons. No matter what happens, if a monster enters and leaves the dungeon as a monster, it will disappear. That''s no exception to the dungeon spirits, such as Aulum, who are the spirits of the dungeon. To take a monster out of the dungeon, you have to return it to a drop item once and hatch it again. So they can''t get into the dungeon. And that''s deadly in a world where these dungeons drop everything. So my first plan was going to be the old Indor. I''d pay out my pocket money in the name of being the head of the dungeon association and help out by building a village. I could do it now, but it might be as spoiled as Cell says. That''s just the way it is with Clayman and the others. ''I don''t know if I have a choice: ...... Cell told me I was lost. My hesitation caused me to be careless with my footing, and I stepped on a lot more trash than before, and I slipped on the sly. Fortunately, my abilities are up to speed, and I''m very physical, so I can quickly roll backwards and land with a clean spin. "''Oh,'' Passersby around me applaud. I''m a little embarrassed. I pick up the banana peel, which caused me to slip, and toss it into the pile of trash in the area. ''...... Oh!'' Looking at the pile of trash, I remembered something. It was about a half hour''s walk away from Indor. When I came to the meeting place, what I saw were hundreds of monsters gathered around Clayman. The monsters of all kinds are gathered together, but there is no killing intent or hostility. Like Clayman and Cerberus, they can communicate with each other - they are monsters that have awakened to reason and intelligence. The monsters look at me and suddenly become agitated. As I approached, Clayman came up to represent me. Satou-san. Sorry to keep you waiting. The people behind that ...... I glance behind me. There are three wagons and six people piloting them. They''re Indoreans, but that''s for later. ''Here first.'' I took the collar out of the bag I''d brought with me and handed it to Clayman. ''Put that on somewhere on your body. As long as you wear it and don''t attack people, they won''t attack and defeat you. Clayman received the collar and looked a little confused. ''Ni, what about being attacked by a human?'' It''s okay. Like Cerberus, the collar is proof that I''m a tame monster. I wouldn''t have so many people trying to be absurd with me now. I didn''t say why, but I assured him that I was confident enough to say it, and that made sense to Clayman. He got a collar and gave it out to the other monsters. The humanoid and animal forms were usually put on as collars, but the insects and slimes were not sure where to put them. The monsters, like gas or death spirits, took the collar into their bodies and looked a little funny, as if they were "nuclear" or something like that. After the collar went to all of us, I said to Clayman again. We''re going to build your village here, but I need you to do one thing for me. Work?Oh, is there a job we can do? Yeah. I nodded widely and gestured to the carriage and the people who had followed me. One of the carriages stepped forward and unloaded its load with a bang. Garbage. It was rubbish piled up here and there in Indore. ''Hey, what''s this?'' Destroy this. I don''t care how. What do you mean? "The human world has its own garbage disposal companies, because if you leave it alone, it''s going to turn into something bad. And as you can see, Indore is full of garbage everywhere now. The population is growing so fast that the disposal is not keeping up. Oh, sure. I said, "What do you think we could do to help? Yes! Clayman nodded loudly and quickly came forward from the monster he had been listening to, some of them coming forward as quickly as possible. They attacked the trash that was unloaded from the wagon. These monsters were originally good at attacking. With a concerted effort, the pile of trash was quickly erased. I handed Clayman an envelope with the money I had already put in it. ''''This is the market price of money for the current amount of trash to be dealt with. Market money. I dared to give him the market rate amount. I gave him the amount that was strictly in line with the market price, partly because the cell told me to do so. The receiving Clayman takes it out, the monsters come by and let out a gasp when they see it. Nearly all of them - with the exception of some faceless monsters whose expressions were unrecognizable, all of them had impressed expressions on their faces. After a while, the monsters all cheered together and said "Thank you!" to me. He said. 191. Village specialty As I took Aulum out of the dungeon and returned to the mansion, Cerberus came dashing in from across the hallway. He was in a very good mood, flapping his tail and in a very good mood - something good happened. ''''Master!'''' Wow! With no time to think or avoid it, Cerberus tackles me and puts me on my ass. I''m going to be licked on top of him and licked on his face. It''s an instinctive skin-to-skin relationship, and it''s a cute thing for our dog to do. ...... It''s a good idea to get out of the way. I held Cerberus'' face in my hands and pushed his larger than me body upright. ''What''s wrong Cerberus, what happened?'' ''I heard, master, that you built a village for us. Ours?...... Oh. You mean the Claymans. I guess that''s "us" for sure. Cerberus and Clayman have the same background, or rather, history. Cerberus was taken in at the mansion because there was only one of them, and Clayman and the others were many, so we built a village for them. That''s the only difference. Who told you that already? It''s the puppet guy. The puppet people ......? Who''s that? You''re not that guy named Cell? Aulum, who was watching next to me, said. Oh ...... doll man ....... I got a bit of a blank stare. I don''t mean to be stingy with people''s taste, but that thing on him, I wonder what can be done about it ....... Can''t we just ....... Thank you master! It''s nothing to be thanked for. Hey, master. Can I go over there and have some fun? In that village?Okay, but it''s a long way away. I turned around and looked at the transporter room. I had just returned from there. I came back in the transporter room via Indor, using the Aurum dungeon. That place is some distance away from this cyclo. ''Don''t worry, I''ve heard where it is, and I can take a morning walk there. That''s a lot of legwork. That''s about right. That''s good. Just make sure you don''t get in trouble with anybody. I''m wearing a collar, so I know it''s nothing, but if something goes wrong, that''s when it''s irreversible, so I just gave him a heads up. ''Yeah!Thank you master! Cerberus was on top of me again, licking my perky face. The next day, I came to Clayman''s village while I sent Aulum back to the dungeon. Just as I had said, Indor was sending us garbage little by little, and the monsters were crushing it with their own hands. It''s called a village, but this is a village of monsters. There are virtually no buildings, the grounds are surrounded by a wall, and the rest are digging holes or building huts. I spotted Clayman in the middle of all this and approached him. ''You''re doing it,'' Mr. Sato! Clayman, in human form, ran up to me with a happy look on his face. ''How are you doing?'' ''Yes!We''re all good at breaking things. Except for a few. Part of it? There it is. Clayman smiled and pointed to a spot a short distance away from the center of the garbage disposal. There are some rocks there. They were monsters from the Arsenic Dungeon. Rocks that didn''t attack me at all when I was in the dungeon, rocks that were also used by magic carts to haggle me for various effects due to their characteristics. ''That can''t be helped,'' ''Yes. We''re all friends, and we''ll do well. Please do so. "Squeak. Squeak. Hmm? With a rather cute squeal, something was moving at my feet. When I looked down, I saw one of the slimes pressing up against me. A slime that inhabits the first floor of Telluride John. A haggler from bean sprouts. The slime had a cute face and was pressing its face against mine. I squatted down and patted its head, and it seemed more and more happy to rub its body against my face. Slime, so is that cheek rubbing?I was a little relieved at the thought. ''Oh, by the way, Satou-san, I found something strange. What''s so funny? Yes. The guy who got up first thing in the morning found it. I was wondering what to do when no one else did. Hmm. Lead the way. Yes! Clayman nodded and led me into the village. Slime followed at my feet and I picked him up so I wouldn''t accidentally step on him. The other monsters saw me and welcomed me with cheers and shouts of encouragement. Amidst the welcome, Clayman brought me to the center of the village. ''Here it is,'' What Clayman showed me was a ball of light. What could really only be described as a ball of light was floating at about the height of a human''s waist. ''''It''s like this, I can''t touch it at all. It''s fine for now, but it''s kind of creepy. I see. I approached the ball of light, up close and personal, up and down, left and right, observing it from every angle. No matter how much I looked at it, the ball of light, I couldn''t get any more impressions of it than that. ''......'' I decided to touch it, not wanting to leave it alone, not even the tame of this village, so I decided to touch it. Taking a deep breath, I carefully reach out and touch the ball of light. Instantly, the light diffuses. I''m enveloped in the dazzling light, and I hear a voice in my head. Thank you. It''s not just one voice, it''s a single voice with a large group of people, like students at a graduation ceremony do. Immediately the light subsided, the ball of light instantly squeezed out and went from being the size of a basketball to the size of a marble. "W-what do you mean by that? Here''s the thing. I showed Clayman what had been clenched in my hand before I knew it, the one that appeared in my palm as the ball of light became smaller and smaller. Bullets. A bullet that my pistol uses, a bullet that looks different from any other bullet I''ve ever seen. A special bullet of some kind, I knew by intuition. And one more thing - well, two things, I knew on a hunch. This is a product of this village. It''s different from a drop, and it''s also different from a drop, and it was produced by the monsters and haglemono. And another one. It is a ball of light that has become small, but has not disappeared. Maybe it will grow again over time, and if I come, you''ll get a bullet. That''s what it was, I knew by intuition. 192. Acceleration bullet The next day, in the village of Haglemono, I took another bullet of the same size. When I took one, the ball of light became smaller, and the next day it returned to the same size, so I figured it was something that I could take one bullet in one day. Of course, it might not be, but we''ll see if that''s the case. I came to an empty suburban wasteland with two new bullets in my hand. Testing the bullets, as long as I don''t know what they are, it''s better to do it in the middle of nowhere. In that sense, I could have done it in the dungeons of Nihonium, but that''s where the important stuff is waiting for me over there. You have to get your remaining abilities up to SS, and you have to find the sword after the mirror/gatama and meet the spirit of the dungeon. That''s what''s coming up, so I won''t be able to do anything crazy there. By the way, I brought Leia with me. Since it''s too risky, I''ll be on my own first. I put down one sprout and kept my distance. After a while, the sprouts hatched into a haggler, a slime. I loaded a new bullet and aimed firmly and pulled the trigger. If it''s only a slime, there''s no way to miss, but I aimed and hit it properly. The bullet that I fired went through the middle of the slime - and it easily disappeared. "So it''s like a recovery bullet---haha! Instantly, I felt a strong impact of something in my midsection. The impact of being hit as hard as I could by something. I instantly knew the cause, because just before the impact, the slime disappeared with a poof. The slime''s body hit, and it just met the middle of my body. I kicked the ground and stepped back - and this time I was hit in the back of the head with a smack. My eyes go blank for a moment, my head is buzzing and my eyes are flickering. I grit my teeth and stay on my feet. I understand from the flurry of attacks, and the slightest sign that my eyes and ears have caught. The slime is attacking me at super-high speed - so fast that even I can''t catch it now. The reason is obvious, that bullet. It''s called an accelerated bullet ....... There''s one more bullet left, if it''s really an accelerated bullet, you can counter it by firing at yourself--but I want to test it further. I want to test it further, and it''s not clear whether it''s an accelerated bullet or not. We''ll deal with it as is first. In the meantime, I received a shock like being punched as hard as I could on the side, the taste of iron cutting through my mouth and spreading. Soooo ...... I close my eyes, take a deep breath and calm myself down. I let my nerves ...... sharpen up. Something touched my right side - I dropped my elbow with a reflex faster than my spinal cord. The blow that sharpened all my nerves caught my opponent firmly, and the slime was blown away by the elbow strike, blasting it to pieces. ''Fufu......'' Probably the moment I struggled with slime the most. It was the moment I struggled the most with slime, including right after I transitioned to this world, which was nothing. Stars Nifonium Dungeon, first basement level. After getting some information, I moved my location here. I loaded the other remaining accelerator bullet (provisional) into the gun and shot it at myself, just like the recovery bullet, as if it were an injection. The world changed. It became incredibly quiet. It''s hard to describe it, but I think "quiet" is something that sounds like "silence". Or, rather, that''s what I''ve been experiencing. This silence is completely different. Silence. Everything has stopped, even the air is silent. If this had been the first shot I would have associated it with ''time stoppage'', but having tried it with the slime first and seen how wild it was, I thought it was ''super acceleration''. I set up my gun and shoot a loaded conventional round. The bullet flew out of the muzzle of the ...... no-frills bullet. The situation is like a scrap metal bullet in a normal state, moving forward like a slow-moving frame. Time hasn''t stopped, it''s just slowed down tremendously. I fired all types of bullets in rapid succession, side by side with the normal bullets. I noticed something interesting. The bullets that were shot out in a side-by-side line were different in the distance they went - that is, the speed. The slowest one was, of course, the scrap bullets, which were slow at first, but with me accelerating them, they seemed to be fixed in the air. The fastest was, surprisingly, the recovery bullets. From the situation where they all started at once, the recovery bullets were already a head above the rest. But the situation changed even more. The tracking bullets that had been slow until then changed their trajectory and flew towards the skeleton that appeared to be some distance away. The tracking bullet that found its target and accelerated was the fastest out of all the bullets. The state of acceleration still continued. I went towards the skeleton. The skeleton in an almost stationary state. I walked slowly for about twenty meters before I approached, and the other side could only move about twenty meters away from me, with a closed mouth that opened a skimmer with just one finger in it. I hit the skeleton as hard as I could, the skull breaking apart and shattering. Normally, this would make it fall over and drop - but it didn''t. The skeleton didn''t fall over when my head was blown off, it didn''t drop. ''...... Well, I''m too fast and it takes the opposite to drop. I hit more skeletons, not falling down and not dropping, so I hit them all. Arms, body, legs. I crush every part of my body, but the skeleton''s body shatters in the air and the bone fragments slowly fall to the ground in super slow motion. Eventually, the effect of the bullets wears off and the speed returns to normal. The skeleton blows apart and drops--. ''''Whoa!'''' I dodged a bullet that flew past me. I''d shot it the first time and forgot it existed, but now it had arrived. I dodged the bullet as quickly as I could and it was all over. I understood the general effect of the bullet, I knew it was what I should call an accelerated bullet. I ruminate on the effects of the bullet and the scene I just tried. I make an evaluation. ''It''s nearly as strong as the strongest against strong enemies, but it''s not at all usable for circumvention. Strong but peaking performance bullets. It could be interesting if used well, I thought. 193. Limitations of reaction Next day, Nihonium dungeon, 7th floor underground. The previous day''s tests had given me a rough idea of the accelerator rounds. I wasn''t satisfied with the conclusions I came to there - I wasn''t satisfied, so I jumped up in the middle of the night when I got into my futon. It''s awfully strong against strong enemies, but it''s not suitable for circling. Is that really true? To check it out, I grabbed some accelerated ammo from the village first thing in the morning and got in here. Right now I''m in invincibility mode with the Absolute Rock stone. I''m walking around the seven underground floors while invincible and collecting monsters. The dungeon has a maximum number of monsters for each level. That''s why Nifonium, where there are almost no adventurers except me, is not overrun with monsters. I decided to walk around invincible and attacked, gathering all the monsters in one place before I started the test. I took my distance from the monster, the Lightning Mummy, unlocked the Absolute Lock''s invincibility and pulled Leia out of my pocket. I immediately shot an acceleration round at Leia to accelerate her. It turns out that the accelerated bullets apply to anything other than me with the first slime I tried. ''Mmm ......'' There was a slight jolt to my body. It''s because Leia has "attached" it to me. The impact is a little stronger than usual because she wore it while she was accelerating. That''s what fast speed means, overwhelming speed is proportional to the strength of the impact. However, it wasn''t an attack, so I was able to gut it. In the next moment, Leia''s four arms extended and fired a series of normal bullets with the gun. No longer is it close to random firing, the arms move around at super speed to the extent that you can see the afterimage, or rather the alter ego, and shoot down the mammy one after another with a barrage of flaming bullets. It''s a super fast all-range attack. As I watch the unstoppable speed of annihilation, I think to myself, "Why did I let Leia do this? There are several reasons why I let Leia do this. First is to figure out the duration of the effect. When I''m in an accelerated state, it''s extremely difficult to figure out the actual duration of the effect. It''s because my sense of time accelerates and becomes completely different. And in this kind of thing, effect time is the lifeblood of the game. Watch the arm''s movement closely and evaluate its speed. It''s so fast that it can be converted to a speed of SSS ...... or SSS ...... or even five S''s. I know this because I''ve experienced it myself. I know this because I''ve experienced it myself, and when you enter an accelerated state, it''s a pseudo-time halt. I think it''s safe to say that this accelerated bullet can do most of the things you can do when you''re in time stoppage, and if that''s the case, the duration of the effect becomes increasingly important. While I was thinking about it, all the mammies went down. The arm is still moving, still in its accelerated state. The monsters are gone. The battalion''s annihilation rate is faster than Repetition. Repetition is absolute, but it''s single-agent magic. With the number of them, if I tried to use it, I''d have to multiply them one by one, which would take a lot of time. Hmm, it''s not unsuitable for the lap. The arm is still moving, and Leia somehow feels out of hand. It''s a good idea to have your voice reach you, even if you want it to do something additional. ...... No. I remember the first time I tried Leia''s arm, leaving her to her own devices, and I just strutted around the dungeon. Leia''s arm - no, Leia has a direct connection to me and can command me at will alone. Humans, no matter how fast they speak, no matter how fast they are. After all, I''m not following the speed of thought. The brain thinks overwhelmingly fast, just like the running lights you see when you die. I thought, and immediately Leia started to move. Four arms shot at the wall, firing a barrage of regular rounds. After a shot that was faster than a machine gun, the bullet holes drew a six-pointed star on the wall. What I had envisioned, what Leia had made me do. Now I let her draw a cartoon character at the level of a drawn song. A cute character with a simple stroke was drawn on the wall. This test turned out to be a good idea. If it''s a thought, it''s almost the equivalent of Leia''s movements in an accelerated state! There might be situations where it would be better to use it on Leia instead of me. Judging that, I increased the usefulness of the accelerated bullets I had put on in my head by one rank. By the way, its effect time was almost a minute, and I thought it was something that would be increasingly useful. 194. Accelerated early and dust Nihonium, 7th floor underground. Leia''s follow-up to me was hunting mammy. Leia merging with me as a protector and arm. It''s still useful, but I''ll find a way to make better use of it. There''s a lot of things I can do, it''s purely like having four more arms, now six. But since it''s nihonium, four of them can''t be used as a stopper. I tried many things within that constraint. Halfway through, I got stuck in a pattern and started working on it to the hilt. "Master. "Master, 75 degrees right. Yes! I turned around and topped off Mammy, who was freezing her legs off with Leia''s gun, with my fireball. "180 degrees back. Well, I''ll tell you what. I don''t completely turn around and half turn around and still toss Mammy, who has frozen both of her legs. Leia stops her and I finish her off. It''s a bit different than purely weakening her, and I focused on stopping her legs. Sometimes I''ll use firebombs for the shot, other times - depending on the distance - I''ll use an annihilation shot if it''s far enough to fuse them together. We looked for various patterns to stop their feet and go on from there. Stopping your feet is a method that can be used in any situation. And mastering the pattern after that is never a waste of time. "The Master. What''s going on? ''''Is this necessary? A master can take it down in one hit without doing this.'''' It''s like a bad habit of mine. It''s a skill that isn''t just about status, or personal skills as the game calls it. I have a habit of wanting to be good at that kind of thing. I''m sorry, but you''re going to have to come with me. I understand, sir. I''ll do whatever you say, Master. There''s no need to feel bad about it. Okay. Leia and I went around the dungeon together. We got some patterns from shooting through the legs. I started practicing some of those patterns over and over again in the middle of the game. I could feel the movements seeping into my body as I did them on repetition. ''Okay, that''s as far as it goes,'' "Is that enough, Master? Yeah. I nodded and picked up the freshly dropped spirit seed. Checking it with the portable now board, thinking it would have arrived by physical sensation, I do. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit S Speed SS Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... As I felt, my spirit was s. Today''s quota was met. It doesn''t mean anything in particular, but I''ve decided that every time I dive, I''m going to improve my ability by one rank. That''s the kind of "Kiri-ness" that I think is necessary for repeated laps. Now that I''ve done it again today, it''s time to get out. ''This was originally the max I could do. I mumbled something to myself, and suddenly I was deeply moved. The feeling that I''ve come a long way is rising from the depths of my heart. My spirit is going to be Max''s SS next, but right now (,) I can''t do it. So I''ll keep my S level and go to the next 8th floor first. I''m starting to look forward to the next one, whether it''s dexterity or luck. "Master What''s going on? "I''m reading something that I can''t determine. A phenomenon that can''t be determined? Monsters come and go. Monsters come and go, don''t they? "...... I''m paraphrasing. Leia''s tone became even more serious. ''It''s increasing for a moment and then quickly decreasing.'' Yeah? That''s definitely not right. The monsters are increasing and decreasing for a second. ''Someone''s taking them down?No, no. The only people who come to Nifonium are Margaret and her friends except me, and I''ve never seen anyone else. Even for Margaret and her friends, they don''t come down from the basement floor. It''s been a long time since I came to this world, quite a few months since I started holed up in Nifonium. I don''t remember seeing any adventurers after the second floor of Nifonium. A world where everything drops in dungeons, and dungeons that don''t drop anything. As a result of the combination of these two things, people didn''t stop by as a matter of course. ''''Just in case, there''s no one else here, right?'''' No, sir. Leia said once and for all, she could figure out not only the monsters, but also the adventurers, to some extent. ''Do you know where they''re appearing?Or rather, is it the same place? This way, sir. Leia''s arm extended and led the way. I head in the direction the arm is pointing. ''Here it is.'' It just looks like a dead end. It''s down. Hmm?Does that mean it went up now and then quickly? "Yes. ''I didn''t see anything. I don''t see a mistake ....... That''s not the case with Leia so far. She has a robotic side to her. It''s not just in her attitude, but in her ''performance''. She''s so robotic that if you order her to freeze a mummy''s leg, she''ll faithfully shoot every mummy''s ankle with a freezer bullet. So in Leia''s case, it''s not a misunderstanding. There was definitely something going on, and she caught it. I think it''s fair to assume that. ...... Is it just for a moment, or is the increase "Yes. Is it cyclical? Yes. Leia answers immediately, also robotic in this area. ''Okay, then let me know five seconds before that cycle comes. I understand. I stood there for a while, waiting for Leia to give me the signal. Eventually. Five seconds. Okay. He thoughtlessly drew his gun and fired a bullet into himself. It was a freshly picked, freshly accelerated bullet taken this morning. The world almost stopped the moment I fired the bullet into myself. In the accelerated world, I waited for five seconds to pass. A naked zombie appeared in front of me. A zombie with no skin and bare muscles all over its body, a zombie that was dozens of times creepier than the human body model in the infirmary. I didn''t even have time to think about it, I had a spinal reflex to move. Even in a world that had accelerated to the point of pseudo-time stoppage, the zombie rapidly faded away from the moment it appeared. I hit them as hard as I could. I can''t use my gun, it disappears faster than the speed of a bullet. I can use my body, my accelerating body. So I hit it as hard as I could. The zombies are getting thinner and thinner--just in time! I shake my fist out with a strong reminder, no response. I look where the zombies have been, there''s nothing. "It was nothing. It was just a matter of time. Oh well, we''ll try again tomorrow. You can try again tomorrow, one accelerated bullet a day. With that in mind, I waited for the acceleration effect to disappear for 60 seconds of real time. There was a slow glow in front of me. It was slow to even glow, and slowly, vaguely, something emerged from that light. ...... Oh, so that''s what it was. I had to beat it to get it down, but it just felt slower to drop because I was in the acceleration. I chuckled and waited for the drop to come out. 195. 2 million and 20,000 In the midst of the accelerated world, the sword was the one that dropped. It was a rusty sword. Unlike so-called longswords and daggers, where the handle and blade are made of different materials, that sword is made of the exact same material, both the handle and the blade. It is a rusty sword that looks like it was made from a single piece of metal. There was a woman next to that sword. A woman wearing a figure-sized, clasped sleeve. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot more information on this. ''I see, I see. I said, and the woman nodded quietly. It was in response to my murmur. A mirror, then a gemstone, and now a sword. It is obviously those three sacred artifacts. And then, on the seventh floor below the ninth floor, the rusty sword was the one that dropped. "Does this mean we have to attack two more floors? He nodded quietly again and huffed and smiled. I knew it was like that. I don''t know what the process is, but after we capture the remaining two floors, this sword will be back to its original, un-rusted form. I guessed that, and the woman - Nihonium admitted. ''Okay, just wait a little longer.'' The woman smiles and disappears, smiling serenely. I grab my sword and decide to put it away in my pocket until the day to come. Come to think of it, I wonder. HP, strength, and stamina, these three became SS after I got the mirror and broke through the limit of S. MP, speed, and intelligence broke through the same limits by getting a grenade. Then what about the sword? When I was trying to leave the dungeon earlier, I thought to myself, "I can''t do that right now" because I didn''t get the sword. Once I get my real sword, I''ll definitely be able to become SS, but this rusty sword? I was curious and found a mummy in the accelerated world and blinked it away. The seeds didn''t ...... drop easily and I was burned out. Quickly ...... quickly ....... After a while, the effect of the acceleration wore off as the seeds dropped. ''''Master?'''' I''m going to take the seed out of Leia''s hands, leaving her to wonder, but... My mind is up to zero. It seems that you can''t break through the limit yet. I''ll have to regain my true form before I can lift the ban on all three. I''m sorry. In the afternoon, I did my usual laps around Terdungeon. A different lap than the one I did in the morning with Nihonium. Tellurian drops can be picked up by Leia, in fact, it''s more efficient to have Leia pick them up. When I was looking for that efficient lap, ...... it was a bit less efficient in reverse. ''Total for today is 2.14 million piro. When I got back to the mansion, I asked Elsa how much the total was and I knew it. It can''t be helped, some days are like this. Challenging is also next to failure, today''s method is inefficient, let''s just be happy to know that clearly. You look a little dull, but are you OK? Apparently I hadn''t completely split it off and it was in my face, and Elsa was worried about me. ''Yeah, I''ve tried a lot of things in the way of laps, but I guess today''s didn''t work. But it''s amazing. You make 200,000 phials in a day. ''Yeah. But now that Leia''s here, I want to do better. Mr. Lyota: "Mr. Lyota, ...... is amazing. Elsa looked at me with impressed, respectful eyes. It''s not that admirable, though, it''s just a loser, to say the least. So I feel a little bad when she looks at me like that. As I was looking for some line to cover up, a helper came from outside. ''''Master-'''' It was Cerberus'' voice. ''I''ve been called in, I''m going to go for a minute.'' Yes! I escaped from Elsa''s place and went out into the yard. Then I saw not only Cerberus, who called me there, but Clayman. What''s up? "Report to master. "Report? I tilt my head and look at Cerberus and Clayman in turn. Clayman takes a step forward, looks straight at me and opens his mouth. ''I finished my work for the day without incident, and I''ve been paid. Well, that''s good. ''So me and the guys talked it over, and I brought this to Mr. Sato. Clayman said, and held out an envelope. I took it and looked inside and saw that it contained two ten thousand pillow bills. ''What''s this?'' It''s the remainder of today''s payment, minus everyone else''s. He said, "Give this to your master. No, you don''t need to worry about that. Clayman interrupted me with a straight face. ''It looks like we''ll be able to live quietly in there. That''s all thanks to you, Satou-san, for that feeling. He said he was like everyone else in Indore. Everyone in Indore: "Indore guys: ...... taxes? Indeed, I still get regular transfers from Indor to my account. It''s part of the taxes earned by the adventurers as a village of sand and gold. That''s what Clayman and his people would do. Yeah. I took the 20,000 pianos, because I''m glad I could say no. "Okay, I''ll take it. I''ll be giving it to you every day from now on. Isn''t that a hassle? With our feet, not so much. Well, you''re a monster. You''re stronger than most people. I thought for a minute and told them both to wait a minute. I walked into the mansion and came back to Elsa. ''Elsa, I''m sorry, but can we cancel some of our purchases?'' Yes, that''s fine. What? ''Take a little bit of everything: ...... minus roughly 200,000 pirouettes. I understand. After saying that to Elsa, I put two hundred thousand pirouette worth of vegetables in my pocket and went out into the garden. Then I put the vegetables in my pocket in front of Clayman. ''Here''s your share, take it. ''What?Are you sure? What''s good or bad about sharing? I showed him a smirk, and Clayman was a little lost, but he replied with the same smile. ''Thank you, everyone will be delighted.'' That''s what I''m talking about, ex-monster, Hagremon. Clayman left the mansion with 200,000 pounds of vegetables, all by himself. As he walked away, Cerberus turned to me and said. "Master, that''s very kind of you. Okay. And a big heart. I''ve got almost nothing to show for it. That''s still great. Okay. Cerberus said, wagging his tail and jostling me. Cerberus'' huge body was a bit heavy, but I didn''t feel bad about it. Thus, I followed Indor. The village of demons also started to receive tax revenue from the demons'' village. 196. What was crap magic In the late afternoon, I took a break from the dungeon today and was relaxing in the living room of the mansion. Also relaxing are Celeste and Leia. Celeste is taking today off because today was a magic storm, and Leia is of course taking today off with me. ''''Don''t we have to go to the dungeon today?'''' Celeste asks while munching on the tea cakes Emily has made. ''It''s okay. I''m off today. I''ve decided to make one more mileage rule. What are the rules? You know I only work until about 5:00 in the evening. Basically, yes. Celeste nodded. He added casually, "The basics are". Celeste knows very well that if something is going to break it. ''And on top of that, I''ve decided to give you two days off a week. Two days off? ''It''s always been a dream of mine to have two days off a week, off the calendar. Before, I was like, ''Saturday and Sunday, what''s that good? I was in a state of mind. ''I don''t know about you, but it''s good to have a break. ...... so I can be with you. Yeah?What did you say, Celeste? No, it''s nothing. Celeste smiled at him. Celeste seems to be getting more and more beautiful lately. It''s not that she''s pretty or anything, she''s beautiful. It''s just that she''s already pretending to be beautiful, and she''s looking maximal. It''s not just that she''s beautiful, but she''s also very beautiful. Yeah, that''s not a very apt description. Tiger with wings?Benkei and naginata?XP default wallpaper on the Mona Lisa? It''s all very subtle, and the last one makes me doubt my own ideas, but it''s just amazing. The last one is so amazing that I can''t help but gawk at it. "A gun for the master. How about this? What? Leia asked back, surprised when she suddenly opened her mouth. ''What''s that?'' It''s an answer to what the master thinks. I invented it as a metaphor for a situation where a strong man has a powerful tool and is out of control. A gun for Mr. Lyota, I think that might be a good idea. ''No, no, no, no, I know what you mean, but for God''s sake don''t say that out there. We''d be in trouble if some nobleman overheard us. ''Would Mr. Sell have the whole world know about it that day? So really don''t. He could really do it, he could really make the term ''gun to Lyota'' really popular. ....... ............. ................... They haven''t asked me, right? He scurried around and out the window. Fortunately, there was no sign of the cell. It was supposed to be a relaxing holiday, but it turned out to be a moment of no rest. ''Speaking of which, ...... of her, what''s Leia''s status like?'' What? You don''t know? Speaking of which: "Speaking of which: ...... I looked at Leia. I realize now that I hadn''t checked that. ''I know it''s an F-final. What about the rest, Leia? I don''t know. Then use this. Celeste pulled out a portable now board. As we speak, I tell Leia to use it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... "Oh, ...... Leia''s stats were a brilliant F as it was. The abilities, the drops, everything was a beautiful F. And with the highest level being 1, it''s like there''s nothing more that can be done about it. ''I''m sorry Leia, I''m sorry I forced you to do this. "?Why is Master apologizing? Well, that''s ...... no. Leia doesn''t seem to care. On the contrary, he doesn''t even understand why I''m apologizing to him. That''s a sad story, a reaction that seems sad to me because I know the story of a person whose soul was removed. But I decided not to care. Continuing to do so now will only push my sentimentality to the side. ''It''s nothing. More importantly, with this status, you''d better continue to follow me around. Yes, sir. Come on, Leia. I''m the master of the game. More importantly, Mr. Lyota. Yeah?What''s up Celeste? ''I guess being the highest level 1 means you''re like Lyota-san and can eat all the magic fruits. ...... Oh? I popped my hand. I didn''t notice it, I''m a genuine wizard, Celeste, so I would have noticed it immediately. A magic fruit. It''s an item that, when eaten, drops your level by one, but instead randomly learns one magic. The basement of the mansion, I placed the magic fruit I had just bought in the distance. I moved away with Celeste and waited with Leia attached to it. After a while, the magic fruit hatched into a haglemono. A monster of liquid metal, it quickly transformed into my form. ''Let''s go, Leia,'' "Yes. I fought Metal Ryota with Leia, who had no expression in her voice (...). Just as I attached Leia, they extended their arms to their protectors. I performed a Repetition against a monster that copied 80% of the target''s power. I put on Leia because I wanted to see if the other side would copy my arm, not because I was going to fight with Leia. I got that result, so I killed it instantly with Repetition. Metal Ryota dropped the magic fruit. The magic fruit that Hagremono dropped was two six-pointed stars, compared to the one six-pointed star before the process. ''''Come back Leia! Pick up the magic fruit and bring Leia back. I put the magic fruit in her hand. "Eat it. Yes, sir. Leia obediently ate the magic fruit. The sight of her eating with no expression on her face was surreal. After a while, Leia finished the magic fruit. ''''I''ve learned two magics.'''' Oh, You''ll learn. Me and Celeste looked at each other and nodded at each other. Even Leia seems to be able to learn magic if she eats the magic fruit. ''What kind of magic, use it, Leia?'' It''s not working. What? ''The magic I learned is Inferno and Raging Mist. Both can''t be used with an MP of F. Ah, ....... ''Oh yeah, most of the magic that MP can''t use at F.'' We stared at each other again, me and Celeste, and this time we could see the disappointment in each other''s eyes. If you eat the magic fruit, your level will drop and also you won''t be able to raise your level at all afterwards. That disadvantage has no room for people like me and Leia, whose highest level is 1, to activate it. That''s why I made them eat the magic fruit. But to begin with, it takes MP to use magic. There are a lot of magic that the lowest level of F cannot use. ''''I thought it would work. ...... No, this is a story that works. What? You can just eat the magic fruit until you learn elementary magic. ''''Wait, Lyota, there''s one magic fruit now, two million piro, and it''s a randomly learned lottery, so it''s two million a time. ''Celeste, I''ve got a good word for you. A colleague of mine used to say it. Hey, why don''t you go to ....... Celeste is pressurized, I tell her. ''If you pull until you get out, you have a 100% chance of getting out. That''s a bad way to think about people! Celeste screams out. Through her, I went into town again and procured a new magic fruit. The second magic fruit, hatched into a haglemono as well, and killed it instantly with a repetition. I feed the magic fruit that was created in this way to Leia. ''''I''ve learned two magic berries. What''s it like? The End of Calamity. It''s super f*cking awesome magic to hear it!You can''t use that, can you? Yes, sir. What''s the other one? Revive. ''Revive ...... resurrection magic?This would be great magic, too, so I guess I can''t use it after all. Mr. Lyota: "Mr. Lyota: ...... Celeste, who had been watching over him, gave him a complicated look. Two million piro''s worth of gacha, it came off in an instant - a complicated expression on her face for having melted. Even if she gives me such a look, I''ll keep pulling until it comes out. Now it''s time for the next magic fruit--that''s when I thought. ''I can use it.'' What? Revive, we''re ready. Leia said, surprising both me and Celeste. ''You can use it?Isn''t Revive amazing magic? Ah, ....... What is it, Celeste? ''I just remembered the details of the Revive. I could certainly use that. Is that so? Yes, it''s called scum magic. It''s called junk magic. It''s the outlier of the two. ...... originally? Celeste nodded, and she left the basement for a moment and came right back. With a carrot in her hand for some reason. Give that carrot to Leia. ''Try it on these.'' Okay. Leia used the magic method on the carrot she received, just as she was told. Scum magic, Revive. It''s a momentary thing. If you think about what has happened so far (), it really is a momentary thing. Carrots hatched into ...... sleeping slime. ''''This! Revive, it''s a spell that revives monsters and hatches them into hagrems from a drop. ...... and that''s why it''s scum magic. Celeste nodded. That kind of magic is of little use in this world. As far as I know, it''s a magic that can only be used for the spectacle of the harvest festival. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. I''m not going to be able to get out. ''''You can use it on Lyota-san. Yeah. Good job, Leia. ...... I just ate the magic fruit and drew the lottery. But still, that''s great, Leia. ...... Yes. Leia nodded with a complicated face, but faintly, with a not-so-perfect expression. The magic that hatches monsters into hagremonos in an instant, Revive. Like Celeste said, it was a magic that was extremely useful to me. 197. Revive and Repetition The basement of the mansion, the bean sprouts which is a hill. Today''s experiment with these sprouts. At first I waited a bit, the usual time passed, and the sprouts hatched into a haglemono slime. I shot it with a regular bullet, and then a regular bullet was dropped. The usual way, it was easy to acquire this one normal bullet, but the wait was long anyway. A few minutes to wait and a second to take it down, which was ridiculously inefficient. That''s what we''ve been doing, because that''s the only way we''ve been able to do it. ''Leia, please.'' I understand. I heard a voice echoing directly into my head from the Leia I''m wearing. I get my gun up and approach the pile of sprouts. Hagremonos hatch where there are no humans, in other words, they don''t hatch as long as they''re nearby. I approach it against it, in this, the basement that I keep exclusively for hagremonos. Standing in front of the pile, I pick up a single sprout and Leia goes to it. ''Revive.'' I used the beginner level scrap magic, Revive. The moment I cast it, in no time, the sprouts in front of me turned into slime. The slime hatched on my palm, the drop products hatching into a monster in my hand, a fresh touch that I had never had before. I crushed the slime as it was. The slime I defeated, bullets appeared in the drop. ''''Sounds good, let''s go one after another. "Yes. I took the sprouts, Leia put the revive on, and I blinked away the returned slime in no time. The world has changed. Before, it was minutes to wait and a second to take it down. But now, it was a second to wait and a second to defeat it. It was a completely different world, another dimension of efficiency. "Master. What? You are out of MP. ''Your MP was an F, Leia. Try shooting infinite recovery rounds at yourself. I understand. Leia did as she was told, loading the pistol held by one of the arms with infinite recovery rounds and shooting herself in her protector. And. ''Revive.'' The bean sprouts turned into slime again. This combo worked properly. A recovery bullet that recovered both HP and MP, it worked for Leia as well. I had her use Revive anyway, and when she ran out of MP, I used Infinite Recovery Bullets to recover her MP, and then fired Revive again in rapid succession. That way, it didn''t take me more than twenty minutes to deal with the sprouts that were in a small pile. ''''Master.'''' What''s going on? "What''s that thing you were wondering about earlier, besides the bullet? Yeah?Oh, you mean experience. Come to think of it, Leia''s never seen this before. I haven''t had this out in a long time, too. I rarely do this, but today I''m going to go all out (). I showed her the sizeable ring on my thumb. ''It''s a ring dropped by the dungeon master in Nifonium, and when you wear it, your experience after a level canst comes out as a crystal like this. If you give this to someone who hasn''t completed their level, they will be able to raise their level. It''s a ring that played a big role in Margaret''s before, but never saw the light of day after that. To begin with, most adventurers in this world are level-canned on their own in their laps. There are very few situations where this is necessary. I have a few thoughts and I wore it on the side today in order to do the whole () thing. ''Yoda-san, I''m waiting for you. Emily''s figure could be seen from the entrance of the basement. Behind her, the contractors brought in sprout after sprout of people from The Swallow''s Grace. ''''You could?'''' Yes, sir. I bought most of the same Cyclo stock as before. Emily replies, the sprouts being brought in one by one beside her. Soon, piles and piles of sprouts fill the basement. After the people from "Tsubame''s Grace" are gone, Emily. ''The sprouts you ordered are for a million piro. A million pillows of bean sprouts, that was the same number as Margaret''s. A million pillows of sprouts that were converted into experience to level up Margaret, it took almost a day. I wonder how long it would take this time. I rolled up my arms. ''Well, let''s do it.'' It''s a fight! Yeah. Leia, we''re going to time it like we talked about, using the fastest pattern we could. I understand. We went to the sprouts. Leia chanted Revive, I chanted Repetition on the hatched slime. Revive, Repetition. Revive, Repetition. Revive, Repetition, again, between the recovery rounds. We barely moved, taking out the slime with the fastest combination imaginable. A glimpse of Emily was following me around, carrying the dropped normal bullets and refined experience out of the basement. I concentrated and hunted the slime mindlessly. The pile of sprouts was diminishing at a visibly fast rate. I didn''t need two hours to devour the million-pilo pile of bean sprouts () that took me a whole day last time. Leia''s revive had changed - or rather, evolved - the production of haglemono-related defeats to such an extent that it caused a revolution. 198. One in the world I came back to the mansion in the morning after using the transporter room to send Aulum to the dungeon. When Emily found me, she ran up to me with a flurry of slippers. ''Oh, you''re back, Yoda-san. What''s up, Emily? You wanted to see me? Yes. Yoda had a visitor earlier. Customer? He''s from the Dungeon Society of Carbone. Carbone ...... I''ve never heard of you, but if you''re from the Dungeon Society, what city are you from?" "I''m high. Have you heard the requirements? He said he''ll be back. He said he''d love to meet Yoda-san in person and talk to her. He also gave me a packet of sweets. Really?What''s going on here? Maybe so. Emily smiled. Of all my friends - well, she''s only known me the longest in this world, and she seemed to understand what I imagined in an instant. That''s what''s happening, especially lately, as word of me spreads and more and more people come to me for help when something happens. ''It is indeed Yoda,'' I think Emily''s the one who''s doing it. I''m not nearly as good as Yoda. I didn''t think so, but I didn''t say it. Because Emily''s personality makes her humble again, and she doesn''t think it''s humility. It was warm, bright, and this comforting space that was neither a family home nor a temple. Every house Emily has maintained will be like this. From what I''ve heard, it''s not just the house, sometimes she does the same thing in the dungeon. Some of the slimes in the dungeon feel at home in Emily''s space and doze off together or not: ....... I think Emily is more amazing than my just being strong. ...... Well, I won''t say any more because he''s humble enough to say it. Ah. What''s going on? Forgot the accelerator. I''m going out. Yes, sir. Have a good day. Yoda, Yoda, Yoda. As I went to Clayman''s village and returned to the mansion after taking the limited number of accelerated rounds per day, Emily came running up to me again. ''What''s up Emily?'' Mr. Yoda had a visitor. You that guy from that Carbone place? No, it''s a place called Aldehyde. This time it was the head of the association himself. What? It''s a bit surprising. A dungeon society in another city, and now someone of the association''s head class. ''''They''re still here?'''' ''No, he said he''d be back. But Yoda-san ...... is in trouble. I got a candy bar. Funny?Didn''t you get that from the Carbone people? ''Yes, but it''s not: ...... Emily''s brow furrowed and she looked increasingly annoyed. With that look on her face, she pulled out a box of pastries. ''This is it.'' I mean, that''s just plain crazy-- It''s so heavy! The moment I received it from Emily''s hand, I was surprised by the weight of the box. It''s definitely not just candy, from the center of gravity, it''s a box filled with rocks or something. If you look closely at the box, it seems to have a double bottom. When I opened it up--. ''A golden snack!Promise! I plunged into it with great gusto. The gold was laid out underneath a two-tiered box. A hand-me-down or a bribe ....... ''This ...... isn''t like you''re in any trouble or anything, is it? I feel different: ...... Emily seems to feel the same way I do. When I heard about the Carbone people coming, I thought it was a pattern of people in trouble and asking for help, but this one in aldehyde is clearly not what people in trouble do. It''s the same as asking for a favor, but it doesn''t feel like you''re in trouble. I wonder what it is. What is it? ...... He twisted his head to join Emily. ''Oh, Mr Lyota,'' Elsa came from across the hallway, wearing the shop''s uniform. She''s an employee of the buyer ''Swallow''s Benefit'' and she''s seconded to my mansion in form, and she makes sure to wear the store''s uniform during employee hours. ''''What''s up, what''s going on?'''' Well, ...... I have a favor to ask you. Well, the head office asked me to do you a favor. Please? The people from the Society of Alayne would love for you to meet Mr. Lyota. I looked at Emily and each other. Carvone, aldehyde, and arene. This was the third place. ''With that face, ...... are you already from many places?'' So that means Elsa knows why. Yes ...... Elsa made a complicated face. She looked happy - or rather proud, and yet troubled. ''Maybe, but everyone came to recruit Lyota-san. They asked if we could move to this city next year or the year after. ''Emigrate?Why? Yesterday, they announced the year-to-date buyout rankings. You mean the amount of money you brought in to the cumulative purchase ...... buyer? Elsa nodded quietly. ''Is there such a thing as ...... practically a long list of people?'' In that ranking, Lyota-san was ranked third in the world. Are you sure? ''Wow!It''s amazing, Mr. Yoda, it''s amazing! ''And that''s how you got the invitation?Oh, right, because the purchase is taxed. ''That''s part of it, but it''s not the only thing. In an agricultural city like Cyclo, they basically don''t get ranked. It''s because the unit price is so low. I see. ''In the last ten years, Lyota is the only agricultural town that has been ranked in the top ten in the world. That''s why everyone came to me for an invitation. Mr. Ryota, you have a proven track record in the city of minerals. Certainly even with animals. You can make more money in our city, everyone said. Alane has our store too, so that''s why. I see. Besides, ....... Is it still there? Lyota, you haven''t worked full time this year, have you? That reminds me, It''s been less than a year since we moved. I haven''t been fully active for a year. ''I still understand that, so why not do a full year?Everyone thinks so. There''s a lot of rumors that we''ll be number one next year. Some people say we''re practically number one in the world. ''It''s amazing!Mr. Yoda is an insanely awesome person. Emily is totally excited, and Elsa is quietly glowing in her eyes. It was just a normal thing to do, but it''s oddly awesome. ...... 199. Nihonium, 8th basement floor Nifonium, basement level 8. It''s been a while since I''ve been here alone. When it comes to laps, I''ll bring Leia with me, but I was able to do it myself the first time. If I''m on my own, I''m thinking that no matter what happens - I''ll be able to do it. As soon as I entered the eighth floor, I encountered a monster. Again it was a zombie, but it wasn''t just any zombie. The body was humanoid, but it was on all fours. The figure had no clothes, or even skin, and its pink muscles were bare. Even more deformed than that is its three extended necks. A hydra zombie in a human body. Such words popped into my brain. ''''We''ll have to do a quick check first.'''' Three of the necks are exactly the same, the same face on the level of triplets. I fired a conventional round into one of those necks. The bullet hit right between the eyes, a head shot. But it didn''t work. The bullet lost momentum and hit the ground with a plop. Not that nothing happened. The zombie''s torso was on all fours, its head disappeared in a haze, and then it was down to three heads again. ''That''s something: ......'' Muttering that, he shoots one more time - ugh! The moment the headshot hits, there''s a thump in my brain. My eyes went blank, and I felt like my consciousness was going to fly away. As my upper body slumps and wobbles, the zombie quickly leaps at me. I jumped to my feet, rolled on the ground and ducked. As I got up on my hands and knees, I saw the zombie''s head snap back into place for a second, then turn back into a three-headed monster. It was a quick decision, and based on my experience in battle, I knew what the three heads were... I checked the zombie''s leg with a conventional bullet. The bullet momentarily blew off the leg, but it regenerated - the leg regenerated without even losing its balance. The other leg shoots out, regenerating just as quickly. The zombie that pounced on me didn''t feel drained at all, and the momentum and pressure(,) of the attack was the same. You probably won''t be able to take them down, no matter how much you try to do anything but their necks. The weak point is the neck, and it can be one of three things. And the breakdown of the three heads is predictable. Head shot to make sure. It hits me between the eyes, uneventfully, and the heads disappear and regenerate. Conveniently, on the fourth headshot, I finally shoot the head out and the zombie collapses in a heap, its body falling apart. As expected. Three heads, one invincible, one reflex, and one weakness. The invincibility is literally invincible, even if you attack it, it is nullified. Reflexes are probably doubled or tripled or so. The impact that came between his eyebrows was that much, and if his HP and strength weren''t SS, he was in danger. And another neck, if you shoot through there, the zombie disappears. The problem is that if you attack any one of them - or rather the two that are outliers - the heads will disappear and shuffle once they''re gone. It''s a zombie that always has to make three choices, three dangerous choices. I pick up the dropped seeds. --One up on my luck. Ability increases steadily, but they''re a nasty piece of work. The next zombie showed up in a hurry. I''m the only one who comes to this dungeon, and there''s no rest for the wear. There''s a repetition, but I sealed it up first. I have to seal it until I can capture it for sure. But what to do: ...... That''s right, tracking bullets. It''s a tracking device that drops from the trash hagglers, Frankenstein. It chases the enemy''s weak points, a bullet that was also used in the Dungeon Master battle. With that in mind, I fired. The tracking bullet drew a homing trajectory and flew into one''s neck. ''''--Guhahaha! The moment it landed, the impact came to me again, enough to make my eyes go blank. The impact, this time delayed until I recovered, and I took a bite from the zombie''s lunge. Quickly, I hit the head that had been bitten. Apparently it was an invincible neck, and when I hit it, the head disappeared and the bite was released. I kicked the ground and flew backwards wide. I hit myself with a recovery round. Phew ...... that was a close one. Why ...... when it''s a tracking round aimed at a weak point? After a bit of thought, one theory emerged. I fired another tracking round, and at the same time I put the recovery round on standby. The moment the tracking round landed, I fired a recovery round at myself. The impact came again, and the trigger of the recovery round that I pulled down at the moment of impact made me move quickly, and I took evasive action. A tracking bullet, a bullet that aims at a weak point. The reason why the reflexes are doubled or tripled is because that neck may mean that its defense is weaker than other heads. That''s why the tracking bullet aimed at that point and the counter came. In other words, the tracking rounds only aim at the neck of the reflex. That''s fine then. I grinned. Three times I load the tracking rounds, and this time I charge at the zombies, shooting in the direction of the day after tomorrow. I focus, assessing the trajectory of the bullets. In the world of speed SS, I know the neck that the tracking bullet is aiming at from the trajectory. At this moment, the area has gone from one-third to one-half. If the tracking rounds are definitely aiming at the reflection, then the other two that they are not aiming at have real weaknesses. And no matter which of those two you do, the reflection won''t come. I moved even faster than the tracking rounds and shot a half of them. It seemed to be an invincible head. Once he got away, more tracking rounds, more rushes, another half - again invincible. Once more - still invincible. ''You''re pulling a little too hard. I started to laugh. Well, I decided that it could mean that the selection of tracking rounds was working. The probability of running over a third in a row is 1 in 27, compared to 1 in 8 for a half in a row. A 12.5% chance is just one in eight. Fourth time''s the charm, and this time I''ve blown a real weakness and got a seed. I continued to hunt the zombies with the tracking bullet selection. It took me eight challenges to take down five of them, and my luck is converging on one-half of them. Even at ....... I wondered if I could keep it up. A choice of two halves, a choice after crushing the reflection. That works as a strategy, but I want something more. To narrow down the choices further. ...... hello. I came up with a possibility. I decided to try to tame it. A test that would probably not matter if it failed and was reflected back. A zombie appeared, and I fired a barrage of recovery rounds. I fired a recovery round at each of the three necks. The bullets hit and released a recovery light. The zombie''s head didn''t reset! It was a bingo. The zombie''s head resets when it''s attacked, but the recovery doesn''t. And then one of the three bullets didn''t heal well, so the bullet hit the ground. Probably an invincible head. Because I felt my reflexes recover. I reviewed the head carving chart in my head and loaded the pistol with a tracking round and a recovery round, respectively. I take a deep breath and rush forward with my eyes wide open, as faster movement is required. I shoot a tracking round, and that trajectory makes my options a half. I rush in faster than that tracking round and shoot a recovery round at zero distance, I didn''t recover. I blew the head off the one remaining head more by spinal reflex than by thought. The zombie fell and dropped a seed. You take the seed and raise its status even more. It was an even greater satisfaction than status. It was because I had established a strategy. Carve out reflexes with tracking bullets and carve out invincibility with recovery bullets. These two types of bullets and the speed SS are interwoven with each other. After successfully attacking the eighth floor of the Nifonium basement, I first raised my luck from F to E on this day. 200. Inherited intention Aulum''s dungeon, Aulum''s room. I dropped Aulum off here in the morning as a pick-up for work. "Hmmm, okay!I''m going to have a great day! After stretching out, Aulum gave a small gut-punch and got fired up. I was curious about that, so I asked him for a moment. ''''What difference does it make if you put your energy into it and work hard?'''' ''The dungeon shuffle is going to be a bit egregious,'' That''s terrible. The Aulum Dungeon is a special type of dungeon that changes its internal structure every time an adventurer enters. The fact that the structure changes (shuffling) is so bad is annoying to adventurers, but since we set rules for that area and run the dungeon, it''s not too different. ''Low level, quicker.'' Eve, who was following along with me, tugged at my clothes. ''I promise to let the rabbit eat all the carrots he can today. I know. I''ll see you in the evening, Auld Lang Syne. ''Yes!Oh, no. ...... Huh? What''s going on? Aulum''s expression suddenly changed as he waved his hand and looked away from us. A look of surprise on his face. ''Someone''s been injured.'' "Injured? Yeah, it''s pretty rare. Pretty badly hurt. They''re bringing him in. That''s unusual. The adventurers in this world aren''t adventurers, they''re producers. They''re producers of primary industry, so 99% of adventurers are taking stability and going around dungeons. The odds of getting seriously injured in a dungeon are less than the odds of a car accident in the original world. On top of that, the Aulum dungeon has a shallow hierarchy and little variation in monsters. There''s nothing inherently wrong with getting seriously injured. ''''Let''s go have a look. Aurum, which floor is it? I''m sorry. Wait, I need the rabbit carrots. Eve says it in her usual flat tone, but her lips are pointed and there''s a hint of accusation in her eyes. ''People change when carrots are involved, Eve, I can see that. ''The rabbit will look into it instead. The low level goes to the tellurian. Will you check it out? It''s all about the carrot. I feel incredibly secure and stable. Whether it''s a good idea or not. Anyway, if that''s the case. I decided to leave it to Eve and pick carrots on the second floor of the tellurium as planned. Stars. It''s noon at Cyclo''s house. Eve and I are facing a pile of carrots in the courtyard. There is literally a pile of carrots, an amount that exceeds 100,000 piro. Eve is getting excited in front of it. Wow, those are master''s carrots! Master, give me a piece of-- "Stare. Cerberus, who had rushed over after being called by the carrot, hit the brakes suddenly. It was a complete change from his good mood, because he was stared at by Shura-like Eve. ''''This is a rabbit carrot.'''' Uh-huh. This is a rabbit carrot. ''Gagaku-gaku-gaku: ......'' The rabbit stared at me and the guard dog started to rattle and shake. ''Our family hierarchy seems to be getting pretty interesting. ''Anyway, Eve, tell me a story. All right. The name of the adventurer they took in is Al Thirty, 25 years old. His birthday is-- Birthday?Did you go through all that in such a short time? Of course. Eve flattened her chest. ''A rabbit is a good rabbit who, if he''s a carrot, knows everything from his partner''s date of birth to the balance on his account, from the color of his pants today to the age and position of his first experience. That was awesome!And that''s a rather scary rabbit. How are you going to find out how old you are and what position you''re in for your first time? You can blow it off. What''s going on? Newly arrived in Indor, an adventuring family, with some weird rules. Strange rules? ''A family of greats and fledglings. I''ve heard that recovery magic in dungeons has to be approved by the greats. By permission?You don''t get to recover without his permission?No, that''s not possible-- "The low level is right. Oh, no! Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I remember when I used to be at work, there was a time when I had to ask permission to go to the bathroom. You''d have to have permission to recover, and it was even worse than that. You''re in a dungeon and you''re dealing with a monster, and if you don''t recover often enough, you''re going to die if you''re not good at it. "That''s why I wasn''t recovering, I was badly injured and had to be transported. ...... That''s a dangerous story. I went right back to the dungeon, by the way. What? I had a drop quota. So I went back. ...... Did you have a performance quota? Yeah, I''ll have to pay for the shortfall with my own money from the market. ...... Eve''s explanation made me feel like I was boiling my guts out for the first time in a long time. ''Huh?It''s only noon. What''s up, Lyota? I need to talk to you about something, Aurum. After hearing the story from Eve, I thought for a moment and came over to Aulum. ''What do you want to discuss?'' ''Aulum can adjust the drops, can''t he? ''My dungeon, yes. Yeah, but I can''t get Lyota to zero. I''ve been trying to do this for a while now, but I just can''t do it, and Ryota is the only one who looks different from the others. I didn''t know you were doing that: ...... I chuckled. ''''Then can we do something like, if you haven''t recovered your HP before the battle starts, you won''t drop it? "Full HP"?How easy is that?I mean, there are kids who are doing it. Really? Aurum nodded. ''There''s already a dungeon like that, remember. ''Then can you ask for it?'' Okay. I want you to go on a date with me instead. Date? ''Yes!I got to go out, but come to think of it, I''ve never been on a date before. ''I see. ...... Okay, I''ll figure out a date plan and course.'' Wow, I promise! Smiling Aurum, I made a promise to her and changed the rules of the Aurum dungeon further (,) Stars. The central square of Indor, in front of the Aurum Dungeon. People had gathered around a sign that was erected in the name of the Dungeon Association. The contents of the plaque were quite simple: if you didn''t have full strength before starting to fight the monster, you wouldn''t get any drops at all. The adventurers buzzed. ''You''re going to be like Oganeson: ...... That''s all well and good, but why all of a sudden? You see, ...... it''s that guy''s fault. As one adventurer said this, all the adventurers in the room looked at a man at once. At first the man was looking at the bills with a "hmmm", but then he noticed the eyes around him and started to get upset. ''Hey, what''s up with you guys?'' Hey, you''re the guy. Anybody who has a sobriety policy under their command... Yeah, what''s wrong with that? That''s the rule in my family. The man tries to defend himself, but more adventurers have gathered around him. All of them are glaring lightly at the man. ''You can do that as much as you want elsewhere, but please don''t do that in this town, it''s a nuisance. You''re not bothering me. This is your fault. One of the adventurers sticks out a bill of goods, and the adventurers around them are lit up. ''Yes, that''s right,'' Don''t be like that! You''re out of here if you don''t stop. The man was truly under siege and flinched. The adventurer who told the man that he was a nuisance said further. The head of the Dungeon Association here doesn''t like that kind of ''unreasonable'' stuff. Ryota Sato. You know that. What? You don''t know what ...... is? Hey, hey, hey. ...... Ignorance is a scary thing. I mean, don''t bother people with that. People around him denounce the man even more, and the man''s shoulders get narrower and narrower. ''I don''t need to know anymore, just stop the permit system or get out of town. When he said that, they all stared at the man in unison, as if to say that was the consensus of everyone. The man who was glared at became a Gununu ...... and tried to defend himself, but. ''There he is!Hey there, you! A young woman came through the crowd. She stood in front of the man. "You know, you used to set a quota for your employees and make them bring it back even if they had to pay for it themselves, right? ""Yeah!" The woman''s dialogue caused all the adventurers to boil over. The buzz was much louder than before. ''''Really?'''' You need to get out of here right now. You don''t know, do you, chief? If I eliminate him now, we''ll end up with a bunch of free adventurers fighting each other over and over again. A man who is further accused, some of whom are willing to go to extreme measures. Lyota Sato is already widely known among adventurers. We all know that when we encounter something unreasonable, we can''t help but intervene, and sometimes that means changing the environment to solve the problem. Most importantly, the drop changes have already happened. Normally, it would be strange for a dungeon association to announce a drop change, but this city has already had a drop time change once. There was an overworked person, and that''s why it changed. It happened again this time, and on top of that it''s even more unreasonable, there''s a quota and self-payment. The adventurers agreed that they had to do something about this man before something changed. That''s when he became the enemy of everyone in this room. "Excuse me, excuse me, excuse me. A voice came from outside the crowd, a young man said, making his way through the crowd and coming into the center of the commotion with a few adventurers. ''What''s up, Cliff?'' The adventurer who had been blaming the man at the center knew the man who had come in. ''These people want to talk to him,'' These people? His people. The man was being confronted with three and a half lines by his men next to Cliff explaining. ''Mr. Cliff woke me up,'' I can''t follow you anymore! We''re on our own from now on! Hey, guys!You think you''re allowed to do that! The man ranted, but his men - or rather his former men - turned and walked away without a care in the world. What do we do with this guy? Let''s just toss him out of town. ''No, let''s dare to stick it out in front of Mr. Lyota. I''m sure you''re not the only one. Before you do anything unreasonable, let''s have Mr. Ryota lightly tighten the screws. Next to the man ranting, the adventurers were discussing his treatment. After this, by the autonomy of the adventurers. The man was never allowed to enter Indor & Aurum again, and was effectively banished forever. Long time no see, Lyota. I was out of the Aurum dungeon and wondering what to do next about the quota thing, when I witnessed the commotion. The conversation went on and on before I could do anything about it, and the conversation was resolved before I could do anything about it. The man at the center of it all came in front of me and bowed deeply. "You''re ......, right? Cliff. He''s an adventurer who was used for good by the Black Family in Cyclo before, and he''s the one I brought to Indor because of the high mineral drops. ''Long time no see. How are you? Thanks to Lyota. Speaking of which, where''s your mate? I got him out. Well, that''s good to hear. Um! He spoke from beside me and Cliff. I turned around and saw the adventurers that Cliff had brought with him earlier. The ones who were at the center of this whole thing, the ones who were being exploited by the Black Family. They bobbed their heads at Cliff. ""Thank you very much!" You should be thanking Lyota more than me. Me? I was surprised, as expected, but Cliff gave me a natural look and said. ''I''m just doing what is normal as a member of the Lyota family, what Lyota once did for us. Oh, ...... right. Yeah, it''s a lot like what I did. Maybe if I had moved a little faster, I would have done what Cliff did. I''m sure you''re right, it''s Lyota. You''re the one who changed the dungeon system right away. What? Then it''s... Did he do this to you? Cliff was surprised by the adventurers he had helped. ''Oh yeah. We changed the drop so we wouldn''t create any more people like you. Lyota did. When Cliff said this, the adventurers all looked at me in unison. They looked at me with extremely grateful and impressed eyes. ""Oh, thank you!" And he thanked me by lowering his head with a stronger vigor than he had done to Cliff. 201. Leias idea Nihonium, basement level 8. Today, Leia and I came with her. I''m not going to be able to get a good deal more than a few hours of sleep. The ultimate circumspection magic, Repetition, is a magic that defeats monsters once they''ve been defeated unconditionally. It''s a good idea to use it to help you get the most out of the game. I picked up the seeds. Repetition is powerful, no, it''s the strongest, but I feel like the "dependency" is waiting for me beyond that. I could decide to do a lap today, or something like that, but it''s not the kind of thing I''d use in a dungeon on the first time or second time or whatever level. Today, I decided to hone my skills, too. ''What am I going to do?'' Well, we''ll have to put it on first. Yes, sir. Leia responded immediately, transforming into a protector and putting it on me. It was brilliant as always, a sight that tickled the good ol'' boy''s mind that was still left. I gave Leia instructions, even as words like "merge" and "cross" popped up in my head. ''When the zombies are out, fire a tracking round, just one shot. Okay, I''ll shoot. Leia extended her arm and fired a tracking round with her gun. The three-headed zombie that appeared, despite the fact that it had three heads, Leia faithfully followed orders and fired only one shot. That faithfulness would be a great weapon in the dungeon. The tracking rounds flew in a homing trajectory. I instantly saw the trajectory of the tracking bullet and figured out which neck it was headed for. Then I fired a conventional round. The regular bullet is faster because it''s going straight ahead, and I caught up with the tracking bullet and flicked the bullet with it. Bravo. Amidst Leia''s cheers, I fired a recovery round to carve out more heads. I found the neck of the true weakness, so I shot it with a regular bullet. I explain to Leia while picking up the dropped seeds. ''It''s a reflex that the tracking rounds are heading towards, as it turns out, but don''t hit it, so tomorrow. I understand, Master. What''s going on? "How about tracking rounds with enhanced ammunition? ...... Oh. I popped my hand, come to think of it, I hadn''t tried that. ''I''ll try, disarm it once and move away. Copy that. Leia returned to her human form. An enhanced bullet mashup tracking projectile, there are two possibilities. I thought about one of them and made Leia leave in advance. I reloaded, one tracking round and the other filled with reinforced bullets. Reinforced bullets, special bullets within special bullets that do not fire, but increase the effect of the bullets loaded together. What would happen if it was hit by a tracking round--? Immediately after I fired, my eyes went blank. It was the impact of being hit by something, the damage from the tracking rounds that came from the reflection. I''m going to be able to shoot the recovery bullets that I had loaded in advance at myself and recover. "Master, are you okay? Yeah, that''s okay. Apparently there''s no tracking function, only increased power. I''m sorry. I thought it was weird. No, thank you for saying that. I''m sorry to say that Leia looked apologetic in her lackluster expression, but I was surprised when she told me. You''re not using the repetition because you want to understand the performance and effectiveness of the weapons you have, so in that sense, I''d rather fail. It''s more impressive that way, and I''ll always remember it. Okay. ''Thank you Leia, please continue to tell me everything you notice. ...... Yes. Feeling depressed, Leia takes a moment to answer. Then she merged with Leia again and took down the zombies. I thought that I could make Leia do something more, so I let her try not only tracking, but also bouncing tracking bullets, but Leia''s accuracy was so low that it didn''t work. The technique of launching two bullets and then combining them to produce fusion bullets, I am the one who can do that with almost one hundred percent success. That''s why I asked Leia to shoot only the tracking rounds, but to be honest, it''s not much different from the first time, and the efficiency is subtle. I was just thinking about this ...... "Master. What''s going on? "I''d like to try something, okay? Okay, go ahead. "Yes, ....... Feeling more tense than usual, Leia returned to her human form. As it was, she went into invincibility mode using the Absolute Rock stone and disappeared. As I waited for a while since nothing was said, Leia came back with a whole bunch of zombies in tow. I''ve done this before, the kind that uses their toughness to collect monsters. There are roughly 20 zombies, which is a pretty bad situation considering the need to be sensible. Once you''ve made that up, Leia will come back to me. I''m putting it on. Yeah. I let him do what he wanted without asking for details. I''d rather do this. Situations that require you to make a resourceful decision on the spot without being told what to do, and I''m not relying on the repetition to do it, this is one of the things I want. Leia became a protector and put it on me. Then I fired the monster''s worth of tracking rounds. Tracking rounds fired wildly from four pistols, homing trajectories. So I grasped the reflective heads of 20 zombies - but I couldn''t hit them off. Even if I fired continuously with my two pistols, I couldn''t catch them. Accelerate. Leia fired an accelerated round at herself, and the next moment the regular bullets were fired in a series of messed up shots. As if he was firing a Gatling gun, the shots roared continuously, and the regular bullets went towards the tracking bullets. There were more than a hundred of them, roughly. Most of them missed, but the bullets that were scattered around knocked down all of the tracking rounds, as if even a poorly made gun can hit a few. I didn''t even have time to fire a recovery round, which revealed the weaknesses of half of the 10 zombies, and I immediately shot them out. Seeing that the remaining 10 heads had been rearranged, Leia fired another tracking round, knocking them all down in an instant. Leia''s accelerating follow-up killed 20 zombies in a flash. Leia''s acceleration broke and she returned to normal. She turns from protector to human and looks up at me. ''How do you like it, Master?'' You did well. ''Yes. I thought I could use an accelerator round on this level. Yeah?Oh, I see. The dungeons in Nifongnium are only dug in for seven days per level after all, then it''s possible to use a single accelerated shot every day to capture them. Yes, sir. That''s the way you think: ...... Thank you Leia, you''re well aware of that. Yes ...... Next to a heartily happy Leia, I thought about attacking with accelerated bullets as well. With acceleration, there would be a little more scope for strategy. 202. Water and air Mr. Yoda, you have a visitor. In the evening, after work, I was returning from the dungeon with Aurum when Emily, who was waiting for me in front of the transporter room, told me so. ''A guest?Did something happen again? Maybe it''s okay, I just don''t think it''s happening. Yeah?Don''t be so blunt. Are you listening to what they''re saying to you? I know it when I see it. Emily said with a smile as smiley as the sun. You''ll know it when you see it ...... Well, we''ll see each other anyway. Who''s this? I''m sending him to the salon. Okay. That sounds really interesting. You are over here, Aulum. ''What?Don''t tug on my collar-- Aurum, who tried to follow, was pulled by Emily. He was one of the spirits in the dungeon and pretty amazing, but he was pulled by Emily, a pure power type, at the mercy of her. Emily shoved Aulum into her room and went in with her, winking at us before closing the door. What''s this all about ......? Wondering, I headed to the salon. The face in the salon was one I hadn''t seen in a long time. ''Margaret. It''s been a while. It''s been a long time. What do you want to do today?If you look closely at ......, is that a dress?Are you going to a party somewhere? Margaret was in pure dress, not the princess armor she usually saw. ''No. I''ve come to ask you out. An invitation? Yeah, well, you know, ...... Margaret said, taking a deep breath and looking prepared. ''So, you''ll have to make a date with me,'' In the carriage, I was sitting facing Margaret. Margaret, the air has changed a lot since the first time we were there. The air, or rather, the atmosphere she wore, was much better. It had changed into a much better breeze. In the canopied carriage with a canopy so that you can see the outside, I was moving through the streets of Cyclo at dusk, facing her. ''Where are we going?'' That will be a surprise when I get there. Okay. So, is this a normal date? Yes, it''s a date, pure and simple. Margaret blushed slightly and said, smiling. ''I''ve heard all the rumours about you. ''It''s not like that,'' she said. Today is purely a date with me. ''Well, it''s an honour to get a date with that Princess Margaret. What? ''I''ve heard rumours, too, of Margaret''s exploits. She''s a great adventurer, and I hear the price of air is eel-high these days. Ah, ....... Margaret looked happy and frowned even more. Margaret''s airbox. A box that immediately encloses the dropped item and displays the face of the producer--that is, the person who dropped it to tame the monster--as if it were a photograph. Margaret''s air boxes have been sold as a kind of fan item for a long time, but it seems that they have become even more popular lately. And it''s not just men, the original customer base. Women have started to take advantage of it as well. It''s not just air, it has a fabulous scent, and from what I''ve heard, it''s used like an aroma. When I told ...... that I knew about it, Margaret became extremely happy. I''m sure you''ll be happy to hear that.What is that? Suddenly I was curious about a store I''d seen in town, outside the carriage. What was it? Look, it''s the place. It''s a water stand. A water stand? Yes, it''s exactly what the name implies: a water store. I didn''t know there was such a thing. ...... is a new one. You don''t know it, do you? What do you mean? When I asked back, Margaret smiled with a chuckle. ''Lat,'' Ha! Whoa! I was greatly surprised, so surprised that I sagged in the carriage. Where have you been all this time, Margaret called me, and one of those four knights appeared. He was running alongside outside the carriage. ''Wh-where did he appear from? "My princess''s faithful servant, who is ready to come to you at any moment should you be summoned. ''You mean they''re always with you?Is that right, Margaret? ? Margaret nodded her head. No, I was going to say privacy or something like that ......, but I didn''t think she really understood, so I didn''t. Margaret didn''t understand, but the knight called Lat got it right. ''I have a special training for our Princess. She can only hear the princess''s call and see what she wants to see. That''s scary! No, it''s great, but it''s great but scary. Is that loyalty?I feel like there are believers in it. I have a feeling that these knights have been pretty amazing or penetrating before, but it seems like they''ve penetrated further. I''m not sure what''s going on here, but I''d like to know what''s going on. Ha. Water stand, it''s a recently established business. The majority of people think it''s Satou-sama''s fault. What? Because of me?What do you mean? "Thanks to Satou-sama''s frequent interventions in the case, absurdity is gradually decreasing from this cyclo, and our dungeon production is rising rapidly. I don''t know if it''s because of me or not, but ...... isn''t that a good thing? Ciclo is an agricultural city and plant production is up. But the city is suffering from a chronic shortage of water. ...... Huh? The more efficient the dungeon''s production, the less water there will be in the outliers (...) ...... Yeah. I see. It reminded me of a story Emily told me right after I arrived in this world. It''s common to all dungeons, but when they don''t drop a certain number of items, in other words, when they are out of line, they drop water or air. This means that water/air is inversely proportional to the production of vegetables and such. I''ve done a lot of stuff, dungeon production has gone up, tax revenue has gone up, and water has eaten that incentive. Has it become so scarce that it''s now ...... worth the monetary value? Rutto nodded. ''That''s what I mean,'' ''I didn''t know that: ...... ''That''s great, even the water would be high in your hands. And in a good way. Well, it''s like a form of commerce. In this form, there will be new possibilities to make money for those F-final things that have not been able to get into dungeons before. The more jobs and business possibilities, the more money that goes around. It''s good to have money going around. ''But come to think of it, we''re a lot alike, aren''t we? What? ''Margaret is air, I''m water. We''re both adding value to something that wasn''t worth it to begin with. And we have similar statuses. Even ...... is imitating it. ''What?What did you say? I couldn''t hear him in a whisper. ''No, you''re much more awesome for putting a value on most of the water than some of the air, that''s what I said. Okay. I didn''t feel bad that Margaret had complimented me so much. 203. The place of beginning, the two of the beginning I was wandering around the city, not doing anything in particular, when I passed by an apartment. A cheap apartment for 20,000 piro a month. The apartment I rented right after I came to this world and shared it with Emily. I still keep it rented. I suddenly felt nostalgic and turned toward the apartment. ''''Huh?'''' I hear a sound, a sound from inside the room. I put my hand on the doorknob and easily turned it. ''Oh, it''s Yoda,'' Emily. It was Emily in the room. She rolled up her arms and cleaned up. ''You''re here.'' Hi. I come in and clean up sometimes. Well, thank you. Then I look inside the room. The room is small, but warm and bright. The exterior of the apartment is completely raggedy. It''s so desolate that I''d believe it if they called it a haunted house or an abandoned house. And yet, the warmth inside is in full swing. This is the room that Emily has been tinkering with and maintaining. Home, a place to come home to. It''s a place where that feeling comes up naturally from the bottom of my heart. I was happy then. What? Emily is surprised. Because my line was too abrupt. But it was only for a moment. Emily quickly calms down and smiles serenely. ''I''m the one who was very, very, very happy that Yoda worked so hard to rent this room for me. ''I just wanted Emily to live with me, that''s all. I would have loved to live with Yoda like that. We looked at each other, both of us smiling at each other. We have already changed a lot from that time. But still. "It''s good to be here. ''Yes, sir!Yoda, we''re having dinner here today. I''m going to cook something delicious. Yeah. I''ll have the bean sprout soup. Yes, sir! Emily smiling at me. The soup of bean sprouts that linked us together. We''ve both changed a lot since then, but I''m sure the sprout soup is still delicious. I''m sure of that. I''m going to buy some bean sprouts. No, I''ll get the sprouts. Emily will get the other ingredients. Okay. We nodded silently to each other, saying we''d be back here later, and were about to leave the room, when. ''Kyaaaah!'' Go to hell. It''s suddenly noisy outside the room. Me and Emily''s expressions instantly tightened, and we ran out of the room. I see a monster. It''s a spherical monster floating in the sky, maybe three meters in diameter, with a torso (?), and a body (?). has a strange pattern of flickering lights. There are dozens of tentacle-like things wriggling at the top, and the tips of the tentacles are eyeballs. It''s a disgusting monster, to say the least. It''s running rampant, and the townspeople are running away like spiders scattering spiderlings. ''Mr. Yoda!'' Yeah. The moment he nodded and took out his gun. One of the monster''s tentacles shot a fireball at me. A fireball as big as a slime flew straight at me, flying at breakneck speed. ''''What!It is. Emily swung her trademark hammer and popped a fireball. ''That''s awesome Emily! Ehehe. ...... Emily smiles shyly. It was different from that time. It was different from when the slime on the first floor of the tellurian basement could take a hit and then attack in time. Emily has become strong enough to be able to flick off even a straight fireball with no problem. I''m different from those days, too. The monster attacked me. Tentacles and eyeballs unleashed their magic all at once. Fire, ice, rock, lightning--. I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them. The magic comes this way--the apartment is completely obliterated by the magic--don''t let it! Mr. Yoda! No problem! I drew my two pistols, I saw the type of attack magic at a glance, and loaded the bullets that matched it. Freezing bullets for flames, flaming bullets for ice, and annihilation bullets for rocks--. He shot each one and knocked all the magic out of the air. The apartment--not a scratch! ''Hah! Emily''s judgement was outstanding, and I was like, "No problem! The moment he shouted, he already rushed forward. Rushing at full speed, he turned the hammer, which was much bigger than his height, around and around, and pounced on the monster. A painful - no, a satisfying blow. The hammer struck the monster, which went rigid after firing a single shot, directly on the monster. The monster, which was floating in the air, was knocked directly to the ground and crushed with a crunching sound. ''''Whoa!'''' It''s The Lula and the Bludgeoning Mother. ''Awesome ......, that''s the Lyota family and ...... The residents of the city that had been on the run right up to that point seemed to be a city with a dungeon nearby, so they quickly calmed down and marveled at me and Emily. I mean, what the hell is that?I get it, because bludgeoning moms are perfect for Emily, but what is The Lula?I''m moving at a moment''s notice. As I was pondering the meaning of Lula (the ruler) for a moment, Emily came back with a smiling face and carrying a hammer. I looked at her and high-fived her, holding out my hand from either side. ''Yoda, that''s what I''m talking about,'' Emily. ''No blisters, no bears. It was true when they were gone. That''s not what I meant, but still. I chuckled. Emily was right. I don''t have blisters on my hands now, nor do I have the dark circles under my eyes that I couldn''t get rid of all the time I was in the black business. Those two things that symbolized the times when hard work went unrewarded are gone. This is just the beginning, and there''s more to come. There will be more and more to come. I look straight at Emily. "Once again, good luck in the future. ''Yes, sir!It''s good to see you! 204. Takarabako I collect today''s accelerated bullets from the monster village and return to Indor. The dungeon and my mansion are connected to each other, but the monster village doesn''t have a dungeon, so this move is a pain in the ass. The accelerated bullets are valuable and powerful, though, so I''ll collect them even if they''re a bit cumbersome. I''ve never been here before, but... Yeah? ''That''s amazing. The monsters all looked at Lyota-san with respect. Celeste, who had followed the village of monsters with us, said sincerely. ''They were all Cerberus. ''Sure, they''re all hagrems, and since they''re all of the same height as Cerberus, it might look that way. And they''re doing a great job. I guess that makes me Celeste''s junior. Celeste smiles serenely. She used to work as a trash disposal worker, not getting into dungeons because of the low drops and poor mileage in combat. It''s the same job that that monster village does. ''I''ve heard about it, but it''s a much more impressive gathering than I expected. A picture is worth a thousand words, and that''s exactly what it is. It''s called blotting out again. I guess it would have been easier to visualize it if I showed it in pictures or videos. This is a world where all kinds of things are dropped, but as you would expect, such machines don''t exist worldwide, so there''s no way to drop them. No?I don''t have a camera, but maybe I can make something with camera capabilities. I''ll ask Mr. Orton from the modified magic cart. Yeah. What is it, Celeste? There''s a plantain over there. What? There was a monster that looked like a "treasure chest" at the tip of Celeste''s finger. The so-called mimic-like appearance, the lid of the treasure chest was open, and inside it was pitch black, with sharp fangs on the edges. ''Hagremonos?'' No, it''s a tacarabacho. Isn''t that the same as Hagremon? ''''Yes, it''s the rarest of monsters. If you defeat anyone, the items will drop, but what they drop depends on the person. To each his own? It''s so rare that it''s not well-researched, but there''s a theory that it''s a memento that drops and is reborn from memory. A souvenir drop. That''s interesting. Let''s take it down. Yeah. ''Does anyone drop it?Even outdoors? ''Yes. Takarabako drops something no matter where and who kills her. Do you want to try Celeste? I''m good. Yeah? ''Because with memories, you might drop ...... Mr. Lyota or something Lyota-like: ...... Celeste mumbles something to herself. I didn''t quite catch it, but I''m sure it''s showing some difficulty. ''All right, I''ll do it then.'' Yeah. I pulled out my gun and fired a regular round, just to test the waters first. Palin. The takarabako made a beautiful sound and shattered like glass. ''''Huh?Yo, weak? Apparently so. It''s a monster that anyone can beat and anyone can drop. If only they could meet them. Really? "And those fangs look sharp, but they''re not sharp at all. They''re like sponges. ...... reminds me of a monster called Presenter back in the day. So it''s a complete bonus. A shattered takarabako, something dropped. I walked up to it and picked it up, lying on the ground. ''...... that''s my phone.'' I turned it over and looked at the back, a scratch I put on it the first day I bought it, a scratch that I regretted for a long time as a waste. It was definitely my phone. What''s that? Yeah, it''s called a phone, but it''s ...... powered on. Can''t catch a signal as expected? Mr. Ryota? Okay, Celeste, you just stand there. What? I held my phone up and took my distance from Celeste. With the activated camera activation, I got her in the frame and focused. ''Yes, cheese,'' Cheese? Celeste looks puzzled, and I click the shutter. I confirm that I''ve taken the picture and show it to Celeste. "Hoi, Yes ......, me? Yeah, it''s called a picture. This eye-like lens is the ability to draw a picture of what you see in the moment you look at it. ''Wow ...... I''ve never seen anything like this before.'' You can make a video of it. ''Wow, ...... I''ve never seen anything like it.'' ''Oh!What was that? Video. It''s not a moment, it''s a scene from a certain time period, with audio. ''So that''s one of those things: ...... This is Lyota''s remembrance?'' ...... Well, yeah. I fiddled with my phone and somehow deleted all the emails that came into my eyes at once. I erased that of my bad memories of working for a black company. For that, I''m convinced that this phone is still mine. ''So it''s Takara Bako,'' Hey, Ryota. Do you have any other memorabilia? In its own way. Something as great as that? ...... It''s a good one. There are all kinds of things we don''t have over here. There''s no point in microwaves and ...... Emily''s rice, though, because everyone eats it before it gets cold. Yeah. Hmm, I''m looking forward to running into Takara Bako again. Yeah, I''m looking forward to it. I agreed with Celeste, but tucked the phone into my pocket for now. 205. Slashing bullet Nifonium, 7th floor underground. I''ve practically cleared this place, and I''ve brought Leia with me. Okay, you did what we talked about. "Yes, Master. Leia replied and pulled out two arms. One held a gun and pointed it at me, the other used Leia''s radar ability to keep track of the monster''s location and used it as a compass to point it at the nearest monster. I walk in the direction the arm is pointing in. I soon encounter the monster. A man in bandages, an electrified mummy. "Repetition! I stick out my hand and use my magic to kill him instantly. The seeds the mummy dropped will be sucked into the pouch at her waist. Furthermore, the arm will guide you to find the monster, and as soon as you find it, you can use your Repetition to kill it and secure the seed. Leia''s other arm is used to fire a recovery shot at me once for every five Mummy''s to recover my MP, no matter what happens at any time. That''s what I''m going to do in case the Dungeon Master comes out. Actually, only Nihonium doesn''t have a dungeon master prediction. Just like the weather forecast, most dungeons have a prediction of when the Dungeon Master will appear, which is made public, because it affects the drop (harvest). The only exception is this nihonium. It''s a commercially worthless dungeon that no one but me can make drop, so it doesn''t get a forecast at all. It might show up now, or it might not show up for a while. As a precaution, I always keep my MP near the maximum. I''m going to collect the seeds in the easiest and most efficient way. In less than an hour, I had gathered 100 seeds. I used the transporter room to get back to the mansion and came to the basement. He pulled the seeds out of the pouch on his hip and scattered them on the floor. ''What are you going to do now, Master?'' I''m going to turn these into hagremonos and make them drop. The nihonium haglemono drops special bullets. ''I understand. So we can do a revive? Yes. Leia nodded quietly. She''s an energy-saving chick and not very responsive, but she seems to be motivated. ''Then let''s go.'' Yes--Revive. "Repetition. Revive. "Repetition. In the basement of the mansion, I was in the basement of the mansion, and it was the easiest thing I''d ever done - work-wise - to convert the special bullets. I used to have to take my time and distance to get to the haggle and then take it down, but with Leia''s revive, I no longer had to wait. It''s no longer like a factory conveyor, completely converting seeds into bullets with no more work. By the way, the reason I made it a complete operation is because I still have to verify the bullets afterwards, so I''m conserving my strength and my brain and so on. After a while, 100 seeds were converted into 100 special bullets. ''So let''s go next, I''ve got some sprouts over there. Revive. ''And the restraints. Hold him for a second or two after I put him back in the Revive, you can do that slime. ...... Should I toss it lightly up in the air? It''s like toss batting. I thought about it for a minute. ''Yeah, it''s more subdued, but that''s better. It''s better than going for a completely immobile target. Yes, sir. ''Good Leia, keep suggesting what you think, and keep suggesting what you think. ...... Yes. Leia looks happy and slightly depressed. I make a conscious effort to praise Leia. I''m trying to give her as much praise as possible and give her emotional swings from the past that her soul is being drained in the process of being made (). By the way, making her angry or sad is fine, but I don''t do it. That kind of thing isn''t my hobby. Leia approached the pre-prepared sprouts and took them in her hand. After keeping our distance and exchanging eye contact, Leia chanted "Revive" and lightly tossed the slime back. I loaded the new special bullets I had converted from the mummy and shot the slime in a mountainous trajectory. First of all, the trajectory was ...... normal. Apparently, it wasn''t the type of tracking bullet. The velocity ...... of the bullet was also normal. The scrap bullets on the sixth floor underground were useful for special purposes, but when I first saw them, they were sloppy. Normal trajectory, normal bullet speed. The special bullet that flew away landed on the slime. Zuppah! The slime was vividly cut off in one swipe, so much so that you could hear such a sound, and dropped a normal bullet. ''''Slash?'''' Looks like a slash. Let me try again, Leia. Yes, Revive. The next slime, the same way, shoots a new special bullet. This time I stare at my eyes, staring at the moment of impact. At the moment of impact, a rift ran left and right around the point of impact. This is a special bullet that creates a slash from the point of impact. It''s a slasher bullet. By the way, I don''t recall using a slash until now. After arriving in this world, it was bamboo spears for a while, and soon afterwards, I got this gun as my strength increased. I''ve done all sorts of strikes, shooting, and magic attacks with special bullets, but slashing and shooting is almost a new experience for me. I asked Leia to throw the slime a few more times and shoot a slashing bullet. The slashes that are born can be horizontal, diagonal, or vertically straight, but they all have one thing in common: a single slash. There is one slash per hit. I see. Master, would you like to try out the fusion bullets? Well, I don''t know what''s going to happen to the fusion bullets, so just shoot them a little farther away, just in case. If it looks like an extinguishing bullet, it''s dangerous to get too close to it. "Yes--Revive. The new slime was thrown twice as far away as before, just like I said. First, the freezing bullets. I shot a frozen bullet and a slashing bullet and fused them together to hit it on the way. The bullets that fused into one caught the slime in the air and unleashed a slash. The slime collapsed and disappeared, but the cut that was visible just before was frozen. ''Is that what you call an ice blade?Again. Yes, sir. This time I made a fusion bullet out of a flame round. In a way, it was like a frozen bullet, the cuts had melted into the flames. It was like being burned by a blade of flame. I tried various tame-ups, I was able to fuse all of them except for the recovery and restraining bullets. The lightning bullets became a lightning blade, the tracking bullets became a slash that tracked, and the scrap bullets became slash bullets that were only messily slow. It was a special bullet that was modest but highly versatile and seemed to have quite a bit of use. ''I''ll go next, Revive. Then, a slashing bullet and a slashing bullet. I shot both of them, fused them together, and landed on the slime. Then the slime was disintegrated. It''s chopped, basketball-sized slime is dismembered into hundreds of pieces in an instant. ...... Leia, throw down the plate with the sprouts. Yes, sir. Leia releases the plate as told, and I shoot two slashing bullets to fuse them together. Just as expected. The hard plate shattered more clearly than the jelly-like slime opponent. Literally shattered, shattered in a stagnant instant. ''''It''s an amazing effect.'''' That''s what I think: ...... or at least a smashing bomb. The new bullets, were excellent, quite effective. 206. Ryota-ness On this day, we all gathered in the Coliseum instead of going to the dungeon. It was the day of the year''s awards, which had been mentioned before. It was a ceremony where the city''s dungeon association honored adventurers who had contributed particularly well that year, thereby motivating them. The awards are ranked from 1 Star to 7 Stars, but the Lyota family are all nominated, so they''re all here for it. At the back of the coliseum, in the waiting room. I walked in with my dress-clad friends and saw a familiar face there. Neptune. The mainstay of the Neptune family, a very famous adventurer. ''''Well, well, well, it''s been a while, Lyota-kun. ''Neptune--'' Don''t get attached to me all of a sudden, don''t put your hand on my shoulder. Don''t be trite. It''s just you and me. What kind of friend are you? Hmmm, yes. Neptune squared his shoulders with me, plucked his chin and thought about it. He''s a gentleman, but his face is well made, and his handsome face, the kind of handsome face that isn''t disgusting, becomes a thoughtful face up close. ''Can I write ''nemesis''?'' Didn''t we have that kind of relationship? I made a big deal out of it, I have no idea what the hell kind of relationship is. So, soulmate. Oh, yes, of course, the friend of the heart is the friend of the heart. Now that''s an expression I''ve never heard before! For my part, I''d be willing to fight for a single woman. Of course, in the end, I''d like to congratulate you on a nice, clean break. You talk about all this fresh-faced, fresh shit, but it''s a lot of work! I can''t believe you want to lose. "Ha-ha, you''re still a tweaker. That''s why I love you. Okay. I sighed in disgust. I know that(suki) of Neptune is 90% of the story. Because there''s a real life (,) behind him. The bewitching sister character, Lil. The younger sister character, Ran, who makes you want to protect her. In fact, they are the only two people Neptune has with him, even though they are a large group, and they are probably irreplaceable in terms of their battle style. I''m staring at the two of them, Lil and Ran, as being Neptune''s true destiny. ''''Oh no, but Lyota-kun is amazing,'''' What? Lyota, as great as you are, it''s not every day that an entire family is considered for an award. Yeah. I glanced at my friends at my back. Emily. Celeste. Eve. Alice. My friends dressed up in their dresses (for some reason, only Eve is a bunny as usual). My most important and proud friends who are all receiving their awards together. ''I looked it up and it''s been 67 years since the whole family has received an award. I didn''t know you''d look into that. That''s how rare it is, Mr. Lyota. Thanks to ....... I was happy to hear my friends praise me. When I turned around, everyone looked equally happy. ''Lyota-san,'' Margaret, I didn''t know you were here. You''re here, too. Yes! Pushing past Neptune, it was Margaret who spoke to me, just as it was a few days ago. This room is filled with all sorts of people, all of whom are being honored today, and all of whom are dressed in formal attire in their own right. All of them were in a haze - including me. Margaret, who came to me, was dressed in a princess dress. She looked like some princess - or not just in appearance. Even the atmosphere she exudes is completely the princess herself. Noble, elegant and beautiful. A princess that has no complaints. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a good time. ''''Thanks to Lyota-san, I''m going to be awarded as a 4 star. Wow, there aren''t that many Star 4''s out there. It''s all thanks to Lyota-san. You raised the bar for me then, Lyota-san. Margaret''s hard work was recognized after that. You can''t just raise the bar and expect people to not be good enough. Still, it''s all thanks to Lyota. Um, Mr. Lyota. Yeah? Margaret squirmed and looked at me, her cheeks tinted. ''Well, I hope to see you next year. Yeah?Yeah, nice to meet you. Yes! Pah, a flowery smile on her face, Margaret. I was a little defensive about what she was going to say to me, but she just said hello. And when I returned the hello, she looked incredibly happy. Why? Ryota, you''re a good friend to me, but I don''t think you''re any good at that. No. That sucks. Neptune''s buddies, Lil and Ran, also rubbed me the wrong way with their mouths. No, what''s wrong with that? Without knowing it, the awards began. It was an awards ceremony that felt like a ceremony. The Colosseum -- at the front, the newly appointed head of the Dungeon Association, Cell, was taking a seat at the table with his speech. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about it in the future. After that, the awarding ceremony was held. After that, the awards were presented in order from 1 star to the next. There were a good number of Star 1s. Everyone went out to the ring of the coliseum at once, and the host called their names and introduced their achievements. That made the full house of spectators in the coliseum give a round of applause. After the first star, the second star was awarded to the adventurer who was about halfway to the top. This was also introduced and received a round of applause. There were 3 Stars, 4 Stars, and 5 Stars. The number of adventurers is decreasing, but they are still doing the same thing. Neptune, a 6 star adventurer, was the only one in the same rank, and his departure did not change that. To tell the truth, I was a little nervous when I heard about the award. I was a bit nervous because I had never seen anything like this before. I was afraid of what they would do to me, and then I found out that I would be treated as "the same sentence" at the graduation ceremony, in a way. So I was extremely relieved. After the awards were over, Neptune came back. ''I guess it''s your turn next, Lyota. Yeah, I''m out. I''m completely settled in after everything that''s happened so far. I high-five my friends and walk lightly to the ring. Then--. "Whoa! ''Kyaaaaaah, Lord Lyota! Lyota!Ryota!Ryota!Lyota! Suddenly, a cheer erupted that hadn''t been there at all before. Shouts and yellow screams, and the crowd calling my name. The ground shook, a flood of cheers rushed in. ''What, what?What''s the matter with you? It''s natural. Emily? I turned around, and before I knew it, Emily came in, all dressed up, with her hands on her hips and her chest heaving. ''We''ve all been waiting for you, Yoda. Did you wait for me? ''Yes, that''s right. This cheer is the result of what Yoda has done this year and what he''s done for everyone. Surprised, I look at the ring again. What I''ve ...... done. ''Yeah, I think so.'' Now Celeste, and her friends, gathered around. ''You''re low level and cocky, but that''s no surprise,'' ''I know, right? You''re not just a guy who makes money, that''s why you''re cheering. Celeste, Eve and Alice. ...... ''There are so many people who have been helped directly by Yoda, and there are many more who have been helped indirectly. So-- Emily smiles and smiles. The cheers continue. A flood of cheers slowly seeped into my chest. ''...... I see.'' This is the sight. The fruits of all I''ve done since I came here. When I was over there, I couldn''t have imagined such a scene, which I never would have imagined from the days when everything I did was unrewarding. "Whoa! "Lyotaaaaah! Calling me - the voices of the things that are waiting for me. I''ve been rewarded a little bit in the past, but now, most of all, it felt like it was all worth it. I took a deep breath and turned to head to the ring. I''m going to reveal myself to the people who are cheering me on - I''m going to reveal myself to them. ''Ta-oh my God!'' It was stopped by a man who jumped in with a bloodied look on his face. The man came in to break down the door and made a desperate plea with a mud-covered face. ''Seren!We got a dungeon master in Selenium! The waiting room buzzed with the appearance of the Dungeon Master. ''Oh, come on, you''re missing the forecast. Most of the best in the business are here for the ceremony. It''s not good. You''re going to replace Ceren with an ecosystem? The place was tingling, disconcerting. Without knowing it, the front - the audience still cheered. I''m both - no, I don''t need to compare them. ''Emily,'' Hi. "Sorry, but you''ll have to accept the award in lieu of an explanation, please. I''m leaving it up to you! Emily slapped her chest with a big smile on her face. I loosened the collar of my formal dress and ran out of the waiting room in the opposite direction from the ring. It''s a shame I didn''t get to accept the award in person. ''''Whoa, whoa!'''' A cheer that came from behind me, more than double what I heard earlier. A cheer from Emily''s explanation. It felt like it was all worth it. 207. Fairy bullet Seren Dungeon, the lowest level. In an unusual atmosphere, the ''thing that defiles purity'', Dungeon Master Bicorn, was on the prowl. A few encounters, it''s still a rare monster. A bicorn and a unicorn. Uni means 1, and bi means 2. A bicorn, as the name implies, is a two-horned monster that is the counterpart to a one-horned unicorn. The bicorn. Repetition. He killed it instantly with All magic power was used up in an instant, and he recovered with a series of infinite recovery bullets. Dungeon masters can''t take time to train and discipline; Repetition will kill them instantly. The longer it goes on, the less money other adventurers will earn, and if something goes wrong, the structure of the dungeon will be altered. Repetition is the best and only realistically possible option. I''m done with this. That''s it for this year''s work. I mumble, recovering from my exhaustion. But apparently it wasn''t over. The downed bicorn dropped, I thought it was the second bicorn horn Celeste uses, but it wasn''t. It was a staircase. Seren''s lowest level, a staircase appears there that leads further down. The stairs leading to the dungeon spirits. ...... You''re a dungeon master, aren''t you? I tweeted, but I''d be on guard for a moment. I packed the two pistols with all kinds of special ammunition, just in case anything goes wrong. I descend the stairs - the staircase disappears completely when I complete the descent. There is nothing there, a mysterious space of ''white''. Are we together so far? The white space was a road. After following the path for a while, we came to an open, vast space. There was a monster (?) There was something that looked like that. She was a rather tall woman, about six feet tall or so. A beautiful woman with long hair and a cool atmosphere. There were glowing balls the size of softballs flying around her. It''s like a planet flying around a star. The number of balls is seven, and each color is different. I''m sure it''s a magic ball, judging by the way it glows and its strangely insubstantial appearance. The only thing that can be said for this is that it''s not a bad idea.Or-- The moment she opened her mouth, the woman held up her hand. Clear skin, fingers like white fish. A karma flame was released from those fingertips! Of course! We ducked and ducked the flames that came flying in with a growl, and first of all, we shot the normal bullets and the tracker bullets of the small check. The normal bullet that flies straight, and the follow-up bullet that flies in the direction of the day after tomorrow but draws an arcing trajectory. I fired both straight and curved bullets at the same time. The woman held up her hand further, the blue magic ball became an ice shield to prevent the bullets. If it was an ice shield - and fired a flame round and a slashing round at the same time. It''s not just a matter of time before you''re able to get your hands on it. Quickly chase--. ''''Guhaha! The impact came from right beside me, and I quickly jumped to the side, but I couldn''t catch the impact and was blown away. ''''Guaaaaaah!'''' A painful blow that scorched his entire body came in two stages. This is - an electric shock! I landed and took a turn, getting up quickly on my knees and hands. The balls that had been flying around the woman were buzzing and discharging where I was standing. The woman flew at me without a chance to breathe. It wasn''t a ball of magic power, it was the person herself. I touched one of the magic balls and squeezed it. ''''Zanjin sword, summon.'''' I thought I heard voices, but that wasn''t the point. The woman slashed sharply with a sword whose ball of magic power had changed. I can''t duck it in a hurry, I cross my arms and guard it. ''''--! A strange phenomenon occurred. The sword didn''t cut the sleeve of his jacket, but when it did, it ripped underneath his clothes and spurted out blood. The pain of a slash, a pain that burned the skin after a breath of delay. He kicked the ground and kept his distance while firing a series of normal bullets, startled. I look at the area where I was cut before recovering. The clothes are still innocuous, but the skin has been ripped open. A series of recovery rounds, closing the wound. The woman readies her sword and rushes further, her stance and speed are both quite good, she is a monster, but she is a master. The clothes that have not been ripped, the clothes that have not been ripped, the normal bullets are fired in succession, the scrap bullets are also fired afterwards. The woman who went straight while repelling the normal bullets flying at high speed with her sword, the scrap bullets that go limping along also try to repel with the sword, but... "!!! Too bad it''s not a working one. The woman''s sword, a super-slow speed scrap bullet that wouldn''t break its own pace no matter what, didn''t burst it. And as I guessed, it didn''t even slash. A slashing sword, it certainly sounded like it. Her clothes were completely intact, but only her skin had been sliced open. It is a sword that can only slay humans - a sword that can only slay humans. I''ve figured that out - but. ''''I don''t think I''ll be spending much time on it. Immediately after cutting me, the other magic balls became even more brilliant. There''s something, I thought of it in my gut. Long term battle is not good, we have to finish it all at once. I fired a tiger''s acceleration round at myself. Instantly, the world went still. I thinned out on the woman in the accelerated world and hit her with a cross counter as hard as I could. The woman is blown away, but the response is vague. The ball of magic power catching up with the blown up woman, the light of magic power swelled for a moment and became weaker than before. ''''Defense?Transfiguration?Either way, should we do it then? The accelerated bullets were thirty seconds, I couldn''t take the time. I rushed forward again, and this time I did it from the magic ball. The woman is indeed a monster that defends (...) this space. I''m the only one in this accelerated world who fought back. I''m not going to be able to get the best out of it. Avoiding the sword, at high speed - but while accelerating I could see it well, avoiding the attacks of the magic ball that was spinning behind me. Penetrating bullets were shot from close range into every ball of magic power. Within the accelerated world, the ball of magic power shattered almost at once. As the woman''s expression grew stronger, I thrust the muzzle of my gun at her and topped it off with a regular bullet from zero distance. ''''Fufu ...... a tough one. ...... After the acceleration broke, he gathered up the air that had accumulated in his lungs and swept it out. I waited for the downed woman to slowly disappear. I kept my gun at the ready to respond to whatever happened, but it was unfounded. After the woman disappeared, what appeared there was a single bullet and a staircase that led further down. The stairs must be the path leading to the spirit''s room, and that''s what it was until now. Seren, the spirit of the Seren Dungeon, Seren. That''s what''s down here. ''I mean, it''s a straight bullet drop this time. When I was in Aurum, it was to power up existing bullets, but the one that''s falling now is the first one I''ve ever seen. It was distinctly different from the ones I''d seen before, with letters and patterns carved into the jacket like crawling worms. As soon as I picked it up, I didn''t hesitate to put it in my gun. As soon as I held it, I knew it was an infinite series of bullets. The same as the thunderbolts and recovery bullets I have now, these two. An infinite bullet that doesn''t disappear even if you shoot it. So I loaded it up and immediately gave it a test shot into nothing. After I fired, the cylinder flashed for a second. Another shot, and the cylinder, with a new bullet in it, glowed. The bullet itself was a little slower than a regular bullet, and so far it didn''t seem to have any special effects, but... I shoot again, it still glows in the cylinder. It somehow reminded me of the monster I saw earlier. After cutting me off, the magic bullets increased in brilliance, and the current light is similar to that. And along with the brilliance, I felt the monster became stronger. ''''A bullet that gets stronger with every ...... shot?'''' In my mind, a spectral sword that becomes strong by sipping on a person''s lifeblood, that kind of thing, came into view. 208. Selenium, 18 bans to walk The stairs leading down appeared, so I put my new bullets away for now and went down the stairs. I''m nervous. If it''s the same as before, this is the dungeon''s spirit room. The Seren dungeon genie, Seren, should be waiting for me. I wonder which one (,) Selenium or ....... Somehow, in my mind, Seren is the image of a woman. When I went down the stairs, there was no one there. I''m not going to be able to get it right.You''re not there ......? It''s me. Muugiyu! He suddenly hugged me from behind. I felt two extremely soft, warm and elastic sensations on my back, and a soft hand blindfolded me. ''Se-Seren?'' I was upset that it was so sudden and upsetting, but I said the answer. ''''Seikaai. Ummm, you have good instincts, or are you just a girl with knowledge or luck? Well, I''d rather you let me go. You''re so close... Are you getting it up? I said, "Wait, ......, what are you talking about? I hurriedly shook Seren off and turned around after getting some distance from her - but I was even more surprised. What I saw there was a beautiful woman with a tremendous style. Her boobs were an F or G, but she was an H. ...... I don''t know, but that''s the level. She has a great body, a nubile waist, and beautiful legs. You can''t get enough of that style!The bikini is very revealing. The rest of the bikini is tied up with strings. The other parts are tied up with strings. ''Huh?Don''t you like to dress like this? ''It''s not that I love it or hate it, but why are you dressed like that?'' Because I like this. It is a very good idea to be able to have a good time with them. I don''t hate it," she said, "I don''t hate it. That''s what a boy is for. Hey. What the f*ck? "Look at you, you''re a good-looking guy, ...... and give me a hug. You''re not making any sense. And hold me. ''No?Isn''t that the same thing! Of course not, there''s a huge difference between being held by a man and being held by a woman. In fact, a virgin or a virgin is more desirable, but then again, he''s a good guy, so I don''t mind. ...... that defiles the innocent. Somehow the words came to me. Seren''s words were flat, not overpowering or anything at all, and they sounded serious. So I remembered, aka the bicorn, the one that defiles the innocent. I wondered if that was what it was about. More importantly, I wasn''t sure what to do with the woman in front of me, Seren. The overly revealing outfit, the open courtship. It''s not an exaggeration to say that she is a walking ban, but what should she do? What are you confused about?Since you guessed my name, you know you''ll get a spirit blessing when you come here. Oh, ...... well, ....... Then you know we want something from you. That''s true. Both Aulum and Arsenik got their spirits'' wishes and became friends with them. Why do you have to do it? You can kiss me if you want. Then ...... so-- Mug! There was no time to finish, and Seren suddenly came at me and then closed his lips as he did. She pressed her lips together, then split them apart and let her tongue sneak in for an adult kiss. ''''--!'''' By the time I realized something was wrong, it was too late. An adult kiss left me at the mercy of Seren. It was a storm on a summer day if you want to compare it to a literary one, or a 99-hit combo if you want to compare it to a game. I was beaten up a lot and then released. As expected, this was a shock, and I fell to my hands and knees on the ground, disappointed. ''No more ...... grooming,'' Ha-ha, I''m sorry. I''m just saying, he''s a very nice guy. Thanks for the drink. ...... or at least not a feast. "Ha-ha. Seren smiles vigorously without being mischievous - but bewitchingly. I recover from the shock of being hit by the sudden thick kiss and the super combo of 99 HITs. Then I''ll give you a blessing. Since you gave me a good kiss, I''ll allow you to stay in my dungeon without spending any magic power. ''No magic consumption?You mean no matter how much magic you use, no consumption? Yeah. You''ve got a pretty good spell, huh? Do you understand? I know what happened in the dungeon. Well, I guess so. I just killed a bicorn with my Repetition, so that''s understandable. No magic consumption. It doesn''t matter how many repetitions I use, I''ll be fine. Even though there''s infinite recovery bullets, "no spending" and "infinite recovery" are different, so this is great. Thank you. Also, go to ...... and get it out. What? I held my crotch and threw myself inward. ''Not that way. I don''t mind if you do. Seren smiles, and smiles even more bewitchingly. ''It''s about a new bullet,'' Oh, yeah. You mean the bullet. I took out the bullet I''d just gotten and handed it to Seren. Seren took it and stroked the jacket with his s*xy fingers. Then something emerged from the pattern carved into it. A three-dimensional image like a hologram. It''s a simple few letters. ''Level 1 ......?'' Yeah. This is a bullet that grows by the minute you use it. Unlike human balls. No, that''s not what I''m asking. Selenium smirks. He can''t help but tangle with that, this guy. ''The more accurately you guessed it, the more it grows. I made that growth easier to understand. Well, thank you ....... It''s all good. He''s an unusually nice guy. Service. Seren smiles at that, a smile that has only been around for a short time since we met, but I''m already getting used to it. Underneath that smile, I suddenly found a lonely expression hidden. Even if he acted cheerfully, he was still lonely. The same was true for Aulum. ''''.......'''' Almost without thinking, I gently approached her and pulled her face to mine. --chuck. I kissed her with just a touch, and Seren looked surprised. ''You ......?'' You''re welcome. I''ve had enough ...... and you''re still a nice guy. Bye. I''ll be back. Ha-ha, I wish I could. I left the genie''s room with Seren, who covered up the loneliness. Seren didn''t believe me. Of course, it''s hard to get to the genie''s room. As Aulum once said, "I''ve conquered the dungeon. ''''You''ll have a 0.000000001 chance of opening this door after conquering the dungeon and defeating the lowest level of rares. If I heard that, I wouldn''t trust that you''d be back. But I can. I use the transporter gate from when I came to defeat the dungeon master to return to the mansion and immediately fly back to Seren''s room in the transporter room again. Seren is surprised, and I kiss her with a mere touch. A kiss that''s just a press of lips against mine - Seren isn''t even able to respond. The surprise was a success, and the surprised Seren was surprisingly cute. 209. Permanent level up Nifonium, basement level. I walked around randomly, knocking down skeletons and going around. I''m using new bullets - I''ve named them growth bullets for now. The reason it''s the first basement floor of Nifonium is because Seren told me that the more you hit it, the more it grows. Anyway, the best place to hit it, or just hit it regardless of the drop, is here at Nifonium. In other dungeons, there''s no way you can do the "numbers" because you have to combine them with other adventurers. For that reason, I''d be almost entirely on my own in Nifonium. Darn! He pulled the trigger and shot through the skeleton with a single shot. ''''Hmm, the power and speed are less than normal bullets. I''d say it''s about 70%. A new skeleton appeared. He held two pistols at the ready and fired a regular and a growth round at the same time. The bullets shot through the skeleton''s left and right shoulders, respectively. The growth bullets were clearly slower and less powerful than the growth bullets. That''s not a problem. They''re growth bullets, and this kind of thing is supposed to get stronger as it grows. The weaker they are at first, the more fun it is to see what happens after they grow up. I went around shooting skeletons, not caring at all about their weakness at the moment. I found them, defeated them with growth bullets, and dropped the seeds into the pouch. I repeated that anyway - but. ''This is going to be tough,'' I couldn''t help but say it out loud. Even with the number of seeds accumulated in my pouch, enough to raise my status by one rank, the level of the growth bullets did not go up. The letters that Selenium carved for me didn''t go up, indicating level 1. I wondered if I needed to do something special, but I found out after a while that wasn''t the case. I continued to shoot more, and after killing enough skeletons to raise their abilities by two ranks, the growth bullets quickly turned into level 2 as if nothing had happened. It would go up as long as I shot it, Seren was right. However, that would require a pretty hard number of times. ''''What''s wrong with that? ...... Looking at the growth bullets that had reached level 2, I decided to rethink things. Stars. Seren Dungeon, the room of the spirit Seren. He used the transporter room from the mansion and came here with Leia. ''''Yo.'''' Wow, it''s really happening again. I told you I''d be back. ''I told you, I really didn''t think I''d be back. I thought it would be a hundred years from now at the earliest. In a hundred years, you''ll be dead as a human being. What do you say we come here every day? It gets old. Seren smiled good-naturedly. She''s beautiful and s*xy, but her personality is quite bold. She looked like a gravure idol and a big sister with a personality. Selenium was a woman (spirit) like that. So, what''s yours? Yeah, that''s my guy. Her name is Leia. It''s the Master''s. ''What''s the play!I''m so jealous! No, it''s not a play or anything: ...... What''s the weirdest thing you''ve ever imagined? ''Do me a favor, though. Can you put my no MP consumption on Leia? That? Yeah. I need it. Ummm, that''s impossible. Seren told me once and for all, and I raised my eyebrows. I thought I could ask for help because I''m a man who knows what he''s talking about, but I''m not so sure. "Do you have to? That''s for you. I can''t just take it off and give it to someone else. Well: ...... If the MP was Leia, I''d have had a chance to do it (), but I guess I missed my guess. ''Don''t miss,'' What? If you''re going to wear it on that boy, all right. I see. This time he laughed bitterly. He wasn''t misguided in thinking he could get away with it if he asked. ''Can you ask?'' Okay. But you know what you''ll be asking me to do: ...... Yeah, I know. I approached Seren and put my hands on his shoulders, trying to get his face close to mine - that''s when. Seren dodged my hand with a flick and went towards Leia behind me. ''Huh?'' Seren ducked me and grabbed Leia''s hand. ''Why?'' Isn''t it obvious that he''s the one to ask? ...... That''s right. So, can I leave you two alone for a while? Um, ....... I look at Leia. Leia nods quietly, as if to say it''s okay. I used the transporter gate to get back to the mansion. After waiting for a while in the mansion, they returned to Seren''s room. The two of them are delicately distant, and for some reason, Seren was glossy. ''''Phew ...... egeta egeta.'''' No, no, no, no, no. ...... What kind of a character are you? I''m an old man at heart when it comes to dealing with pretty girls! ''Don''t be brave!I mean, are you sure you''re okay with this, Leia? Yes, sir. In contrast to Seren, who seemed to be subtly storytelling, Leia was as nonchalant as usual. ''''I see, then it''s good--'''' ''Because no matter what they do to you, your body and mind will still belong to the Master. What have they really done to you? Me screaming. ''Don''t worry, I didn''t do much. And I don''t want you to hate me for overdoing it. It''s kind of complicated. ...... Do you believe that argument ...... for now? ''Yes, that''s it. She''s got no MP consumption in this dungeon, too. It was a bit of a shake up, but it got the job done. Stars. Seren Dungeon, first basement level. I came to the back of the dungeon, in an unpopular part of the dungeon, with Leia attached. What I''m about to do now could be seen separately, but I decided to do it here, since it would interfere with the adventurers who were producing properly. There was a monster, a slime with a rainbow-colored body. I shot it with a growth bullet and made it drop a soybean. I raked up the soybeans. "Leia, it''s Revive. I understand. When Leia applied Revive to the soybean in front of her, the soybean turned back into rainbow-colored slime again. Instantly, the growth bullet killed it instantly. The revived slime returned to the soybeans again in an instant. ''''Again, Leia. "Revive Apply Revive, and Growth Bullets kill it instantly, then apply more Revive, and Growth Bullets kill it instantly. Leia''s MP is infinite, and the number of growth bullets is also infinite. Shoot, revive, shoot, revive. The loop repeated. "Master. What''s going on? "I''ll do it, Master, please rest. As he repeated absent-mindedly, Leia extended his arm and held the gun up for him to see. ''I''m glad you feel that way, but not so much. The only reason this is a loop is because the drop S will absolutely drop. Leia will run out of drops. I see. You''re a master. We continued to grow our growth bullets. It took a while, but the level was raised to 3 and the permanent engine was completed and working without problems. 210. Hard worker Ryochin I woke up in the morning and came to the dining room. ''Good morning, sir.'' Good morning. In the dining room, Emily was fluttering around preparing breakfast, and Eve was snacking on the food laid out in front of her. ''Good morning ...... what''s that dish?'' Carrot dice steak. Eve answering, Emily grinning and pulling out of the dining room and into the kitchen. Carrot ...... dice steak? Isn''t that just a dice-clipped grill? In fact, it looked like that at first glance. The carrots were cut up to the size of the large carrots in the curry, which is very "rough" and appropriate for a dice steak. It was nicely grilled and placed on the plate. ''Low level is sweet, no way Emily God would do such a messy job. God? "Cooked carrots, back them up, mix them with butter, put them in a mold made of carrots, and roll them up. "Huh? I took another good look at the carrot dice steak. It''s true that there is a slit in the middle that looks like something is trapped inside. The bite sized diced carrots look like a box that has been opened on one side. Emily God''s Carrot Dice Steak, crispy on the outside and melty on the inside, the moment you bite into it, the two flavors and aromas of carrots spread out in your mouth at once, an astral symphony! You''re still so eloquent and strangely poetic when it comes to carrots. It was funny, but at the same time I understood. Emily''s elaborate cooking, that''s how good it is. Incidentally, Emily''s food is not just good because it''s intricate. The food is good even when it''s the kind of innocuous breakfast that''s always on the table while I''m talking to Eve. Ham and eggs, for example, and the usual breakfast menu. If I had to put a price on goodness, I would be able to pay 10,000 piro for a meal of Emily''s breakfast. It''s that good. My friends woke up one by one and gathered in the dining room, expecting to start another happy day with a delicious breakfast. Celeste, Elsa, Cerberus, Cerberus, Aurum and Leia. They all gathered one after another, but. "Huh?Where''s Alice? Alice would have gone out early in the morning. Gow-Gow calls me. He says he''s calling me. Celeste and Elsa answered my question. ''Gawgaw is calling you?...... a monster to mate with? I see. Gau Gau ...... dog, I guess. I wonder if it''s my own kind! Cerberus'' eyes twinkled. ''That''s the kind of vibe I''d get if I were Gau Gau. I was somewhat convinced, but I was lightly hopeful for the new friends Alice was bringing home. Since everyone except Alice had gathered together, we all began to eat, saying that we''ll have it together. ''''I''ll deliver the food to Arsenic-san and then I''ll go straight to Arsenic to hunt. I have a magic storm and I''m resting. No one can stop a chance encounter between a carrot and a rabbit. We eat Emily''s food and report back to each other on some of our plans for the day. It''s not set in stone, but this is the kind of rule that has somehow become a part of our family. ''What about you, Lyota?'' "I''ll drop off Aurum and then I''ll lock myself in Seren, go downstairs and level up the bullets. It''s not a good idea to put too many roots in the ground. Don''t worry, I don''t take chances. "Low levels are liars. Eve, who was no longer talking about carrots, said with low intensity. ''You''re a liar, that''s not true.'' ''Emily God told me that the dark circles under my eyes have to go away. I don''t remember her saying that. I think I''ll be fine. I agree. Celeste countered to Eve, and Elsa agreed with her. ''The only time Mr. Lyota does anything reckless is when he does something for others. Right. Leveling up the bullets?is my thing, so I''ll do it at my own pace. Raising your status is also very much at your own pace. ...... I see. Eve is convinced by the two of them. It''s a bit biting when you say it like that, but I originally didn''t plan to raise it all at once. As long as we can predict how the growth bullets will grow and what will happen to them after they''ve grown up, I think that''s fine for the time being. ''''Well, that''s about it anyway. Cerberus, that''s why you should tell everyone that we won''t be able to collect the accelerated bombs until the evening. I''ll do it while I pick up Aurum. Okay!I can handle it! After a lively breakfast, the group started to prepare for the day''s activities. ''Tadaima!'' I heard Alice''s voice from outside the cafeteria. The sound of footsteps thudding through the corridor approached and Alice jumped into the cafeteria. ''Tadaima!Look at that!It''s a gau-gau! Alice jumped in, looking excited, and held out a stuffed animal-like object in her hand. Hone, purr, bong, and spiky. Like all of her fellow monsters before, it was a default plush-like monster, too. They look like... A lizard? Gow! The monster held in Alice''s hand suddenly became angry. ''I ain''t no lizard!I''m gawking at you, Yeah, sorry. It''s just like the prickly pearls. ''Yes!Because we were on the bottom floor of Bismuth. I see. Bismuth Dungeon. It''s home to a number of reptilian monsters, like the spiky spikes of the Needle Lizard, which is Alice''s companion. The resemblance is no surprise. ''''Yeah!Is the bottom of Bismuth a master dragon? Elsa is surprised. ''You know?'' Yes. It''s a famous monster. A master dragon from the lowest level of Bismuth. There''s only one of them at a time, and it''s a very reluctant monster to drop. ''I see, it will be famous.'' Once again, I got a good look at the "gau-gau" that Alice has. Sure, it''s tiny and deformed, but a dragon is a dragon. It''s a dragon. ...... ''Don''t lose heart, Kell''s friends will be here sooner or later. When you hear the name "Wang Wang", it''s time to get to work. That''s right! Anyway, Master Dragon, by the name of it, looks like it''s really strong, but you managed to defeat it. ''Yes!Honehonen and the others got beaten up a few times and we were in a pinch, but when we called Ryo-chin, it was an easy win. All Mighty. Summoning Magic All Might. It''s a magic that allows the surgeon to summon the strongest opponent he knows. Once a day, the effect lasts 60 seconds. However, the opponent he summons becomes exactly the same strength as the original. I, Ryo-ching, whom Alice called with All Might. ''So that''s how you defeated it?'' ''Yes!At first I tried many things, but none of them worked, and then when there were ten seconds left, I just started to go faster. The accelerator. It''s the latest thing. And then the gau-gau turned into a beehive. It''s amazing!It really is a beehive. It''s a horrible beehive to look at. Aww, she''s so relentless. But I got the general idea. "Hey, summon this girl--make it big and show me. You have to go outside the house. It''s huge in its own right. More than me? ''Yes!About ten times bigger. You''re a master dragon. ...... All of my friends surrounded Alice and GauGau, babbling and arguing with each other. A monster so big that Ryouchin (me) was finally able to defeat it by bringing it up to an accelerated bullet just in time. My hand naturally reached for the gun, I touched the growth bullet. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to have to go through the entire process of getting your hands dirty. 211. White President Seren Dungeon, first basement level. I was here today, working on leveling up my growth bullets. Leia held back the rainbow slime, I shot it, Leia applied Revive, and I shot the revived slime. The process was repeated. The level rises roughly two hours to 1. It''s not like it''s easy to go up because it''s the first, or it''s harder to go up when you''re behind. It''s a working flow, and I''m up to level 1 in about two hours. I think it''s the number of times. Times? Leia, who was still in human form, since she didn''t need to be combined, asked. ''Yeah, maybe it''s the number of times you need to level up. Maybe it''s more correct to say leveling up based on the number of times you''ve used it, rather than leveling up based on the experience value.'' I swallowed the words, "If you think about it game-wise -" I swallowed the words. ''I''ll count,'' Leia wasn''t impressed and started counting the number of times to prove my guess. Normally Leia is very robotic and very good at this kind of counting work, but she''s very good at it. ''Thanks,'' ...... No. When I praised her, Leia''s cheeks colored slightly. Her upbringing - her upbringing of being drained of her soul and turned into a doll, and I''m repeatedly saying and doing emotional things at every opportunity. Of course, it''s in a positive direction. Negative doesn''t suit me. As Leia and I were leveling up, I suddenly noticed a little commotion in the distance. What had happened?I stopped. ''Just a stop.'' Yes, sir. Leia and I made our way to the center of the commotion. It was in front of the rest stop. At the behest of Cell, the newly appointed head of the Cyclodungeon Association, a rest stop had been set up in the dungeon, except for the meaningless Nifonium. It''s a place where adventurers can rest their bodies and heal their wounds. There is a young adventurer in front of the rest stop, staring at the rest stop with suspicious eyes. ''The resting place ......,'' Hey, over there, if you''re not going in, get out of the way. I don''t like the way you''re standing in the doorway. A different adventurer came along and pushed the young adventurer away. ''Oh, hey. What''s this ...... about? What do you mean, you''re here recently? Yeah. I see. It''s just a rest stop set up by the local cyclodungeon association. How much do you charge for one session? It''s free. Eh, ....... To the young adventurer''s dismay, the adventurer who answered shrugged lightly and walked into the resting place. The young adventurer who was left behind. ''For free?That''s ridiculous. It''s in a dungeon where you can recover, right?I''m sure there''s something behind that ...... that''s free. I was mumbling to myself. I was about to speak to him and tell him that he can use it in peace because there is no such thing, when another person spoke to me from behind me. ''Satou-san, long time no see.'' ''Eh, ...... Ena? Long time no see. Standing there was Ena, a clerk at the buyout place "Swallow''s Grace". She was Elsa''s best friend and met Cyclo, but she should have been in Indore a while ago. ''''Why are you here?Is Indor good for you? Yeah, you''re in good hands. I''ll get you a new job here. New job? I''ve decided to set up a buyback office in the dungeon. You know, that buyback system Satou-san made for us. Yeah. It''s an application of Swallow''s favored business trip purchase, the transfer function of the magic cart. Until now, it was only my mansion. ''''You''ve decided to extend it to the dungeon? Yeah. He said he''d get customers and also that in the dungeon, he could get a lower purchase price, so he might be able to increase his profits. Yeah, that makes sense. Considering that adventurers go to the trouble of carrying it all the way back to the city, and that it can be purchased immediately in the dungeon, there should be a certain number of people who will use it, even if it''s a slightly cheaper valuation due to the labor costs and such. It''s because of Sato-san that I was able to start this. My master is going to pay you back next time. Okay. Is this just the selenium? No, I can put up something else. Other than nihonium, of course. Ena speaks with a laugh. I see, that''s going to make earning money in dungeons more and more convenient. I won''t benefit from it, but it will definitely make it easier for other adventurers to earn money. That''s a good thing. "Hey. As I was talking to Ena, I was approached from the side. It''s the young adventurer from earlier, the man who was alerted to the rest stop. He turns to Ena and asks furtively. ''I just heard you talking about building a buyout place in the dungeon, is it true?'' Yes, it''s true. Ena made a sales smile and replied. ''It''s going to be a few more days before we open for business, but I hope you''ll patronize me when we open. Do I need any qualifications to get that ...... buyout? Qualifications?We don''t need it. That''s ridiculous. ...... Such a good story. ...... The young man is shocked. ''But buying in the dungeon is going to be a little cheaper than doing it in the city. Ena explained additionally, but the man still looked shocked and incredulous. He mumbled and walked away, saying, "It''s impossible" and "There''s something behind this". ''What''s wrong with me, did I say something crazy? ...... maybe. I know of a phenomenon similar to that. It''s a phenomenon in which former black employees who have been re-hired by a white company - if not a white company, then a normal company - become suspicious of it. It''s the same thing I''ve heard from a colleague of mine who changed jobs. The new company is too nice, there''s definitely something behind it. I can''t tell you how it happened, but when I heard about the new company''s practices from my colleagues, I thought, "There''s always something going on behind the scenes. It''s the sadness of being tamed by a black company. You were in a sad family, you were in a sad dungeon. So that''s what happens? ''When the environment gets too good all of a sudden, you become skeptical. It''s going to take some time for them to adjust to a white environment. Yeah. Ena looked away from the man''s back and then looked at me with a mischievous smile. ''So it was Satou-san''s fault for making him do that, then? What? The reason why Ciclo and Indor''s dungeon got better is all because of Sato-san... The reason why the rest stop was built and why we opened a buyout shop. The quality of the adventurers around us and the atmosphere has improved. He took a breath, smiled, and looked straight at me. I''m so grateful for your help. It''s all because of you, Sato-san. I said. ...... Maybe so. And if it really is. It was all worth it, I thought. 212. Mote bullet On the first floor of the Seren Dungeon basement, I continued to level up the growth bullets with Leia on this day as well. I stopped all other daily routines and leveled up all the time for now, and the level of the growth bullets reached 10. --The drain effect has awakened. ''''Oh?'''' What are you doing here, Master? Now there''s a voice saying the drainage effect is this: ...... I took out a growth bullet from the gun and looked at it. The engraving that Seren had put on me, it was marked as level 10. ''''You said you were awakened, you got it because you reached level 10? Special effects? Yeah, I guess so. He told me it was a drain. Absorption. Absorption. That''s the effect of absorbing something. ''That''s the only way, the question is what will you absorb: ...... Leia, Revive. Yes, sir. Leia flowed and hung a revive on the drop just before and returned to the rainbow slime. I reloaded the growth bullets and shot the slime. The speed and power of the bullets came to about 90% of normal bullets, it seems to be steadily growing. More than that. "...... Hmm. What do you think, Master? ''I''m definitely absorbing something, I feel like I''m taking something in, even if it''s faint in my body. What do you mean by "something"? I don''t understand that; it''s not HP or MP. As I said that, I loaded the recovery bullets and shot at myself. Recovery bullets that recover HP and MP. ''''Yeah, it still feels different,'''' It''s not HP or MP? Yeah. Let''s try some more. Let''s go down to level 11. I understand, Master. Leia nodded quietly and hung up the revive again. Hang the revive, and I''ll shoot it with my growth bullets. The repetition of that, working, leveling up. All the while, I kept feeling a subtle sensation of something flowing into my body, but I couldn''t quite figure out what it was. Eventually, I didn''t understand it, and the growth bullet reached level 11. ''''How about it, Master?'''' No, I have no idea. Okay. ''It''s not a bad feeling, we won''t have to worry about it for now. We''ll pull up for once and ask Seren about it tomorrow. I understand. It''s a good time to start leveling up in the morning. We head to the transporter gate to go back to the mansion. Then. "Oh, um! Yeah? I was suddenly called out to her from the side. A teenage girl, staring at me with a desperate face. Has something absurd happened again? I was the one who had been bracing myself - but. ''I love you!'' What about ......? I love being cool and strong--thank you! After the girl sowed one way, she walked away like she was running away. No, thank you is what you say after a ...... confession? I didn''t answer any questions. ''Um, ......'' Master, you are very popular. No, no, don''t make fun of me. Do I make fun of you? Leia nods her head. Okay, so she doesn''t have any feelings to tease me. I found out that she really thinks it''s amazing and irresistible, and on the contrary, I felt a little embarrassed. That was a strange accident. The other person is gone, so let''s just go home. "Master. What''s going on? They''re watching us. Did he see you? Leia told me and I looked around. They''re watching me just as I was told - by women. Every woman I can see from where I''m standing is watching me. Some are blushing, some have feverish eyes. All of them are looking at me with the same expression as the girl I just confessed to. I don''t know what''s going on, and I feel like I''ve been pinched by a fox. Without any events happening from there, I returned to the mansion at the transporter gate. When I returned to the transporter room, I ran into Celeste. "Yo, I''m home. I''m home: ...... What''s going on, Celeste? I ask, but Celeste doesn''t answer. Instead, she stares at me with a very surprised look on her face. ''What''s the matter. What''s wrong with my face? I ask again, and Celeste huffs. ''Uh-uh!It''s nothing. And then he slipped away. It''s not a reaction of nothing, it''s definitely something. That something is-- A growth bullet, I guess. The dungeon confession, the fervent gaze, and Celeste. A series of events, and considering the timing, it was after the drain effect of the growth bullets came on. I left Leia behind and used the transporter room to make my way to Celen''s room. Seren, a glamorous spirit in a super racy bikini. ''Oh my good man,'' I ignored her words, still dressed to the eyes of the youth, and asked her point-blank. ''What''s a drain?'' Oh, you got it. That''s great, it''s the rarest one. There''s a chance, but it''s not possible unless you''re a natural. But ...... yeah yeah, it''s a drain. Seren moved closer, peering into my face from close range and convinced one of us to look at him. ''I knew it was the drain, what does that mean?'' Ummm, let''s say, for example, what would have happened if I had suddenly turned glossy and gone ''whew'' or something? "...... had s*x, or something? Okay. Ping-pong, ping-pong, ping-pong!Seren deliberately mouths onomatopoeia, "I''m sorry," he says. It''s not just the HP and MP, it''s the physical strength - the stamina, of course. It''s not HP or MP, it''s the energy - the stamina - that is sucked out of you and restored. I think I''m probably tired now. ''Surely, for a whole day of leveling up, I''m not tired at all. See, that''s the thing. ''That''s all well and good, but why do the eyes around you change color?'' Hey, nice guy. Yeah? For some reason, Seren responded without context. He repeated the exact same line he''d used when I arrived. I thought about that for a moment. ''A side effect of the ...... drain that makes you look like a nice guy ......?'' "Peenpone. Seren says it again with his mouth, it''s obvious he''s amused. ''I didn''t know it worked that well.'' You named your bullets, right?Why don''t you use that as a motivational bullet? No, no, no, no. I came back from Seren with a transfer gate. Even though it makes you look better when you listen to it, the effect is on the level of "women in love become more beautiful". I''ve heard that people who are in love produce more hormones and as a result they look more beautiful. I''m convinced, and it''s not a negative effect, so I''m back at the mansion ....... ...... ...... I feel eyes on me from outside the transporter room. It''s Celeste and Elsa. They''re a little farther away, glancing at me from the shadows. Their cheeks are stained with embarrassment. It''s not that I don''t want them to like me, but this air is a bit annoying. Now I''m thinking, "What do I do now? "Low Level Detection. Eve walked briskly into the transporter room. ''I want a carrot,'' ...... ''You''re so low-level and cocky to stare. I''ll charge you a carrot in ten seconds. "...... is that all right? What? Eve tilts her head slightly in the air. I compare her to Celeste and Elsa, who are glancing away, alternately. ''Eve really likes carrots, doesn''t she? My dream is to eat a poisonous carrot, become a sleeping princess, and have a prince on a carrot wake me up with a carrot in his mouth. That''s a very specific dream. Eve was still too much as usual, and I giggled a bit. The air was contagious, and both Celeste and Elsa came up to me and talked to me as usual, though they were still a little red in the face. We''re friends who live in the same mansion, so hopefully they''ll get used to it eventually. By the way. After this day, I started getting confessions and offers from the dungeon. 213. My sisters longing person Celeste''s eyes were red as she greeted the morning in her room. To put it simply, she hadn''t slept well. She''d gotten under the covers last night, but when she closed her eyes, the image of Ryota appeared behind her eyelids and she couldn''t sleep because her heart was pounding in her chest. ''It''s not fair, ...... to be that good looking. She buries her face in a hug, her lips pursed, hugging the stuffed animal she''s sleeping with. Celeste has a hint of a crush on Ryota. It was usually held back by reason, but it suddenly exploded. She looked at Ryota and her heart leapt like never before. It wasn''t yesterday or today that I fell in love with him, how could it be so sudden - I was surprised, but Ryota''s explanation that it was the effect of the special bullet convinced me afterwards. I was convinced, but that doesn''t make the pounding go away. Celeste had been pounding all night and couldn''t sleep. ''It''s not fair. ...... With her face buried in the plush toy, Celeste thought of the image of Ryota she had seen last night, and her heart began to beat in her chest again. Silicon dungeon, twelve floors underground. Celeste came here on her own. One of the Cyclo dungeons, a dungeon where most of the monsters are weak in magic and messed up in physics. That''s why most of the people who enter here are wizards. Most of the dropped items are vegetable foliage, so the price of foliage can fluctuate wildly due to the influence of magic storms. That''s where Celeste was. The monster on the twelfth floor, Evolution Caterpillar. Celeste used her magic tool, a bicorn horn, to fire a series of fireballs. The caterpillar, which was about the size of a medium-sized dog, received a series of fireballs and burst into flames, stopping its movement as it came toward him. After it stopped, it began to peel off the string. It wasn''t towards the enemy - that is, Celeste, it was not towards him. The thread wrapped around the caterpillar in a circle and became a chrysalis, taking in debris around the dungeon and scraps of vegetables that looked like they had been dropped but weren''t worth the money or something. Celeste put down her bicorn horn and sucked in a sigh. ''Pure flame, born of the void, burn the whole void--inferno! The increased magical power, the flames from Celeste''s hand that she held up wrapped the chrysalis. The flames yanked the chrysalis, the chrysalis endured for a while from the high heat of the flames, but after a while it gradually melted away. Evolutionary Caterpillar. A monster that transforms from a caterpillar into an adult butterfly (,). It''s a special monster from the fifth basement level onwards, and it won''t drop any items even if you defeat it in its caterpillar state. You have to defeat it as a caterpillar to get the items. On the other hand, it is called an evolving caterpillar because its attack power is ten times stronger than the original. Its strength is inherited from the caterpillar stage, and Celeste lets the unmoving chrysalis accumulate damage. After a while, when the chrysalis is half-melted, Celeste guffawed!He gagged his clenched fist. The flames stopped. Celeste waited. After a few more moments, the chrysalis buzzed and an adult insect tried to emerge from inside. Celeste took out her bicorn horn and growled a fireball. The weakest magic, Fireball. With the damage accumulated up to that point and the final blow, the monster was defeated in its adult state. And the item on this floor, spinach, was dropped. These days, it''s used in large quantities in ramen noodles and other foods, and it''s one of the vegetables with a decent price there. Celeste picks it up and puts it in her magic cart. The adventurers around him had the same kind of fight. Accumulate damage between the caterpillar and the chrysalis, and then toss in the moment it becomes an adult. Easier said than done. Some lack firepower and can''t accumulate damage until they metamorphose, so they have trouble with adult butterflies, while others fail to control the amount of damage and defeat them with chrysalis, resulting in no drops. In the midst of all that, Celeste was always snug, inflicting damage as if it were measured, and only the last bicorn horn was enough to topple them. Seeing Celeste like that, the people around her-- That''s a full-fledged member of the Lyota family. He looked at her with respect and admiration, such as. Celeste, the one in question, didn''t notice it, and was running around the dungeon as an adventurer with the abilities that Ryota had raised for her with Quicksilver and the drops he had raised for her with potions. ''''Ah, um, ......! A girl appeared in front of Celeste. A doll-like girl with a petite, fluffy hairstyle and wearing a cute one-piece dress. It is not like an adventurer, but Celeste did not miss the fact that there is a ring on the girl''s finger that increases her magical power. In other words, she is a full-fledged adventurer. Celeste turned her whole body around. ''''What?You wanted to see me? Oh, um!Its ...... A girl stammering. Over and over again, gaining momentum, face bright red. Then, finally, with the force of a shout. "Can I call you sister? Celeste, who was pompous, and the people around her said, "Oh. ''''Hah ...... it''s fine, but--'''' Oh, thank you! The girl lowered her head in a flash, and with a joyful face that looked like she was about to cry - tears of joy, she turned her back to Celeste and walked away to escape. ''''--Why me, I''m no longer ...... Celeste says she doesn''t understand one thing now. The adventurers around her saw that. It''s so sad. It''s sad that you don''t understand how I feel. But it''s sweet and sour. And so on, and so on, and Celeste nodded her head, more and more unsure of what it meant. Stars Celeste returned to the mansion at the gate after completing her lap in the dungeon. He kept wondering what the thing was, and wondering about the girl''s far-fetched confession. Let''s ask someone, she thought, and as she pushed the magic cart and walked away, the gate transferred someone back from behind her. Celeste turned around, her heart coursing through her chest, and her heart instantly fluttered. Sato Ryota, the owner of this mansion and family, and the person Celeste has a hint of feelings for. ''I''m home.'' Hey, welcome back. Ryota has been raising the level of his growth (motto) bullets today. Celeste''s heart sank with joy at the sight of him. He thought that he wouldn''t be able to sleep again tonight. 214. True Ruler Emily After breakfast, it''s time for everyone to go off to their own dungeons. ''''Ta-No-Mo! I heard a loud voice from outside the mansion. ''Are you a guest?'' That''s just plain old-fashioned, isn''t it? Emily nods her head and Celeste smiles. ''Sounds like fun, I''m going to get it.'' Me too. Alice and Aurum, they left the dining room at once and headed to the front. When this happened, I had to go too. Aside from everyone else, Aulum would have to go with me to take her to the Aulum dungeon. I can''t go to the dungeon either until she comes back, so I''ll have to go with her. Elsa laughed a little bitterly as she understood that. ''Let''s all go and see.'' Yeah. Nodding to each other, we headed to the front a little later. As we walked out the front door of the mansion, we saw the gang confronting Alice and Aulum. A young, flustered man in the lead. Behind him was the party, three men who looked like friends. All of them are in a party with similar equipment, and only the man in the front has a flashy decoration, making him look like a leader. Lyota. He wants to see you. You''re Ryota Sato? The leader looked at me, smiled, and took a step forward. He looked straight at me and said his name in a slumped position. "I''m Philip, Philip Crown. Philip the Highlander? You know about this, Celeste? I turn around and ask Celeste, who screamed the moment she heard my name. ''Yes, the highest level man in the world, as I recall--'' Phew, 255. Philip said proudly. Wow, level 255, huh? That''s pretty amazing. The highest level I''ve seen so far is Margaret''s 99. The upper limit of the level is different for each person, so I thought that 99 was not the highest, but there would be people who exceeded 100, but I knew there were. ''''So what does this Mr. Philip want with me? I''m declaring war. Yes? ''Lyota Sato. Last year you apparently became the highest earning man in town. Yeah, well. ''But that''s over, too, because now that I''m here, your time is over. ''Well, ...... does that mean you make more money than me?Cyclo. That''s right. Philip said, and his companions began to shout goodbye in unison. ''That''s great, young man!'' Hee hee hee. They''re already pissed off at the young man. Philip, whose good deed makes me feel even better and even more flustered. I thought about it for a minute. It''s ...... something. It''s not a good thing, is it? If people are coming to town to make money, that means more tax revenue. ''Well, good luck with that.'' Huh, what a sore loser. Yes? ''You want to take it to the point where you can''t lose because you don''t go on stage like that, but it doesn''t work that way. The numbers are clear, no matter what you try to say. A win or a loss will be clear enough for everyone to see. Haha. ...... I think you''ve got it all wrong. I don''t mind, but it''s too much trouble, so I''m going to ask you to leave. Is that all you''ve got to say?In that case, it''s time for us to go to the dungeon, so for today-- Huh, you''re gonna get away with it. No, no. ''I feel sorry for you guys, too, that you''re being duped by these cowards. But now you know.I''m not going to say a bad thing, but you''d better get out of his sight as soon as possible. If you want to join me, I''ll join you. Beep! As Phillip was finally hanging on to his high opinion, I heard empty ears that looked like the air had frozen and cracked. No, it wasn''t empty ears, on closer inspection, some of his friends were rather cut off. Shimmering flames flicker around Celeste, and Elsa has eyes that look like she could kill someone with just her anger. It''s Leia who scares me the most. She has the biggest smile I''ve ever seen on her face since I met her. How scary is it to smile at someone who doesn''t usually smile? ''''Young man, it looks like all these people are brainwashed! Hmm?Indeed, that''s what you look like. ...... Okay, I''m Lyota Sato. What? You''re going to come up against me. ...... Yes? What is this guy''s problem? "You''re going to play me right now. "I''m going to rip your skin off right now. Oh, I see. The way the story is going, if you beat me up, people will wake up... It''s kind of annoying, so what are we going to do? "We don''t need a low level. Eve? God, it''s your turn. ''What?I, it''s me? Surprised Emily, Eve nodded quietly but clearly. ''Wait, wait, wait, I''m to Lyota Sato--'' High level there. Eve said to Philip. ''High level,'' he said, ''but the language is a bit oddly sullen. ''We''ll have to defeat the gods first. Eve''s suggestion, the one that puts Emily against Philip. It was agreed upon by the rest of the group. They all spoke up and harangued Emily. Emily looked at me, I thought for a moment and nodded. ''Okay,'' Emily then nodded and brought her beloved hammer from inside the mansion and confronted Philip. ''I can''t help it, I don''t mean to-- hey!I''m sure you''ll come out of it when we beat her. ...... Yeah, I promise. Yes! Philip was motivated and pulled out his weapon. It was a crochet claw to be worn on both hands. With it on, Phillip pounced on Emily with enough speed to leave an afterimage. He was fast! As expected of a level 255, he has some difficulties with his personality, but his basic abilities seem to be unquestionably high. Philip''s claws, which rushed forward like a gale, gouged Emily''s defenseless shoulder. ''''Emily!'''' I screamed, though. Immediately after it hit my shoulder, there was a cracking sound and a spark. ''''It''s okay, sir! Emily swung the hammer down, taking the claw. I miss it. I remembered my encounter with Emily. It was exactly like this, the way Emily showed me the way she defeated the monster right after I had moved to another world, on the first floor of the Tellurium basement. A genuine power fighter, taking one hit and finishing it off with a counter. Emily fought the same way she did then. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them, but you can''t duck and take the hammer head on. Phew. ...... Emily carries the hammer back and wipes the sweat off her forehead. I peered at Phillip, and Phillip''s friends peered fearfully at him too. Phillip was stretched out in a wide open position when Emily hit him with the hammer. He appears to be in a life-threatening condition. ''Wow, young man!'' I''m pulling out of here! Remember! Philip''s friends carried the stretched leader and fled, leaving a discarded message. The rest of us surrounded Emily and rambled on. ''That''s great Emily, isn''t that a blow?'' You are God. ''I mean, what was that?Is it okay to hit that thing? ''''It''s okay, with the power Grandpa gave me, I can harden just one part of my body at will. Arsenic: "Arsenic ...... Blessings of the Spirits. Huh, I didn''t see Emily getting stronger again after a while. That''s great. "I''ve seen a lot of adventurers, but I think they''ll get it wrong. Emily is the real leader of this family. That may be true, though. ''Yes, yes, yes. I mean, Emily, you''re the big boss behind the scenes. The family falls apart without God. ''Not true!They''re all too complimentary. Emily, who is not used to being praised, blushed profusely. But I feel the same way. The house is warm and cheerful, the food is absolutely delicious. I''m the leader, but I think it''s Emily who''s in charge. "Emily, that''s awesome. I''m a mean girl, even Yoda: ...... Emily scoffed lightly. I''m serious - and everyone''s faces told me that they were serious. 215. No. 1 in the world Tavern, Villadiche. I came by myself at night and ordered a beer, which I was told was today''s recommendation. I ordered a sausage platter as well, and we drank the night away. The beer and sausage were both delicious, and I was feeling tipsy and in a good mood. Lyota Sato. Phillip appeared with his friends in tow. He came into the store from outside and headed straight for me. ''I''ve been looking for you,'' What can I do for you yet? Let''s face it, last time we played, we lost. Let''s do it. ...... Isn''t it too dignified to lose?I don''t mind. ''But that stuff doesn''t mean anything!We''re adventurers, the real game is what you earn in the dungeon. Haha. ...... He stuck his finger on the tip of my nose with a beastie. If everyone in the family was there, I''d be pissed again, Philip''s this. ''And I can''t lose the money I make in the dungeon. Okay, all right. Game on. I responded with a line of dialogue that Philip would have liked, because if I stimulated him badly, the conversation would get complicated. It didn''t help that I was somewhat of a stick in the mud. "Phew, that''s the way it should be! As he intended, Philip smiled with satisfaction, turned himself around and left with his companions in tow. I looked away at it with my eyes - the moment. ''''--! I gulped involuntarily, sobering up quickly. A woman passes Philip as he walks away in high spirits. An adult woman who wears a dress as if she were at a party. But the atmosphere was different. I know, it''s clearly different. I''m sure you''re probably the same as me: ...... A woman who seeks and wears strength outside of status. I was completely oblivious to Phillip and she came straight to my seat. Then she stopped in front of me, smiling gracefully and with a smile. "Nice to meet you, I''m Rebecca Neon. Oh, yeah. You''re from Aurum, aren''t you? -Oh! You are twice as surprised. And then you realize she has one more thing going for her (). "You are ....... Your name has been added to the neon signs. ...... neon?! I didn''t notice the name because it was so common, but I noticed by the people of Aulum and the words that I got from Neon. Atomic number ten, Neon. Definitely by one of the names of the dungeon. ''You were with a genie?'' Rebecca smiled again, quietly. Rebecca Neon. Also known as The Perfect. I found out the meaning of the alias on the portable now board she used. ---1/2--- Level: 50/50 HP A MP A Power A Strength A Intelligence A Spirit A Speed A Dexterous A Luck A --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant A Animal A Minerals A Magic A Characteristic A --------- ... It''s just perfect. Thank you, sir. ''By the way, was your status like this all along? Yes, since level one. It''s getting more and more amazing. Me and Rebecca sitting across from each other at the same table in the bar. I was tongue-tied at the status she showed me. It''s Margaret''s upward mobility. Margaret''s first one is all Fs and her second one is all A''s, but Rebecca has A''s all over the place on both the first and second cards. ''How did that Mr. Perfect get to me?'' You''re the Aurum man you told me about. Yeah. ''''I was wondering what it was like for those of us who have met and received blessings from the same spirit. From what I''ve heard, you seem to be quite fond of Aurum. Oh ...... I see. That may indeed be true. I''ve changed the rules of the Aulum dungeon a few times for me. That won''t happen unless you get along with the spirits very well. It seems like they like you a lot. He even gave you a name. We hit it off. She was like a sister to me. Okay. He is a very big person. There aren''t many people who don''t act needlessly arrogant or humble themselves when praised, but that doesn''t mean they can''t act. The reason for praising him is that he is the highest level of existence in this world, a dungeon spirit that can do just that, so I thought he was pretty big. But I''m amazed you got to meet the spirit of the dungeon. I''m blessed. Actually, I was born in a dungeon. ...... When do we know when we''re going to take it down to make way? ''Yes. I slept in the dungeons for three months before the timing of it came. If you think it''s upward compatible with Margaret, it''s also upward compatible with Alice. Since Alice was born in a dungeon, her drop ability is low, but she knows when to beat them and when to drop them. In other words, it''s an ability that you can use in a lottery or roulette to read for sure. Drop A, and dungeon birth. So those two things combined to meet Neon. Wow. Thank you, sir. And strong. ''I''m so specialized in neon that I''ve had to bury my bones in there now, though. Rebecca smiles at me. She''s still quite a human being. ''Speaking of which, what did you get for your neon blessing? The "One and Only The only one? I''m the only one who gets to drop it in Neon. ...... Oh. It was even more amazing than I expected. ''Does that mean you''re hogging a whole dungeon? Yes. Neon and I have a rapport. The word was said earlier, but it meant something completely different. It''s not even close to fitting. ''It''s the Aulum thing, and I was wondering what kind of person would threaten me next year. Scaring you? "Buyout Ranking, "Oh, yeah, that ...... that says I''m number three in the world, no way! I opened my eyes and looked at Rebecca. She was still smiling serenely. World number three, threatening, dungeon hogging. ''You''re number one in the world?'' Yeah. Rebecca nods flatly. I didn''t expect, I didn''t expect to see the world''s number one here. I didn''t expect that to come from the other side as well. I guessed it would be quite a person, but it''s more than I expected. ''Oh, and what are you going to do?'' Nothing. If I had to ask, I''d say it was about Aurum. As a matter of fact, I''m curious to know what the other spirits are like. It sounds seriously intriguing. What can I say, my view of her has changed since I found out that she''s number one in the world. She began to look like a supernatural, one-ranked being. Then she suddenly opened her eyes. She stared behind me with a startled look on her face. I wondered what was wrong with her. ''Yoda-san Mikke,'' We''ve been looking for you, Master. Two women who call me in a unique way. Emily and Leia appeared behind me. ''What''s up, what''s going on?'' There''s nothing to it. I heard Yoda was coming over for a drink and I thought I''d like one. Okay. I''m a chaperone. If the Masters should fail, I''ll make sure they get home. I don''t mind that. You can have a drink with me if you want. It''s more fun that way. ...... Yes, I have a few things to say then. Emily and Leia''s appearance reminded me to talk to both of them as I normally would, but Leia''s gaze reminded me that she was sitting with Rebecca. I should make introductions, I thought, and when I turned around, Rebecca''s eyes widened even more. Come to think of it, why did she look like this when she saw Emily and Leia ...... but why? ''You guys are also ...... blessed by the spirits?'' ...... Yeah. Pong, I clap my hands. Come to think of it, that''s right. Emily and Leia have received Arsenic''s and Seren''s blessings respectively. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one who has received the blessing of the spirit, in the sense that all four of us here are. ''Introducing, Emily and Leia, my associates. Your guess is as good as mine. It''s nice to meet you. My name is Emily Brown. It''s Leia. When they introduced themselves, Rebecca was even more surprised - it was beyond the limit, and her expression returned to normal. ''That was far more than I expected. I didn''t expect three people with spirits. And ...... you who follow it. Rebecca stood up gracefully. ''I''m glad I came today,'' He walked away, still with a graceful gait. How is it, what''s wrong, Yoda? Did I do something wrong? We were warned. Master, are they our enemies? I was warned, huh? I can''t say it''s a good thing to be spotted by the world''s number one. ...... Well, I guess I can''t help it. 216. Outrageous request Cyclodungeon Society, President''s Office. I came here for the first time in a long time with Emily and Leia. I was about to go home after that, when someone from the cell came calling for us to come and talk to us. Inside the Chairman''s office, me and Emily are sitting down and Leia is standing beside me because she insisted on doing so. Across from us, Cel was sitting. ''I heard you met with Rebecca Neon. You''re fast, or is that what you call it? ''The Perfect, the woman who rules the neon name and the neon dungeon, number one in the world. I''ve been marking that much of a woman since she came to Cyclo. Then she made contact with Master Satou. It''s something I can''t help but care about. We''re number one and number three in the world, so it was kind of an amazing scene. Emily is good, Cell nodded. Well, when you think about it, that''s certainly a noteworthy situation for Cell, the head of the Dungeon Association. ''If you don''t mind me saying, what did you tell him? He came to see me because he was interested in me. It''s not really something to hide, so I told him honestly. ''...... I see,'' Have you ever heard of a genie? Did she admit that she did? Cell''s brow furrows slightly. ''You hadn''t admitted it before?'' ''We don''t profess to, but we all think we do. Just like Master Sato. Yeah, I''m not a big fan of that. I mean, I just found out just now that there is such a classification. I don''t know and I haven''t professed it, but I''ve changed the rules of Aulum often, so I see, it''s probably recognized by adventurers all over the world that it comes with a genie. ''Well ...... I knew it was still true. Rebecca is with a neon spirit and receiving blessings. There''s quite a difference between professing and not professing - Cell puts a hand to her chin and thinks about it, as if to say, "I don''t know. ''I don''t know what''s bothering you,'' Suddenly, Leia opened her mouth and said to Cell. Cell looked up. What do you mean? ''There''s one over there and three over here. I don''t think it matters if the spirit''s blessing determines anything. Three?...... No way. Huffing and puffing, Cell looks at us in turn. ''Selen.'' It''s Arsenic. Leia and Emily each answered. Cell''s face grew increasingly surprised. ''''You don''t think there are three people with spirits in the ...... family?'''' That''s what it comes down to. ...... That''s the way to go, Mr. Sato. He always exceeds my expectations. No, it''s not that I''m great: ...... Mr. Yoda is amazing. Emily interrupted me mid-sentence. ''If it wasn''t for Mr. Yoda, I wouldn''t have met my grandpa. ''I don''t have Seren''s blessing either. It''s only with the Master. That''s ...... right? Emily and Arsenic, Leia and Seren. It''s true that the two of them were right, I was the one who brought them to the spirits. It''s true that they wouldn''t have met the spirits without me. It''s a good thing that you''ve contacted three spirits in fact: ...... I didn''t tell you about the ...... one that I''ll be meeting with Nihonium soon as well. If I told you, you''d be more and more amazed at how amazingly amazing it is. ....... Suddenly, Cell became depressed and thoughtful. A pondering face with a dignified frown on his face. He seems to be seriously pondering something. ''''What''s wrong?'''' I ask him, but he doesn''t answer. ''He has a difficult look on his face,'' What''s wrong with you? ''It could be. He must be thinking about whether to ask Mr. Yoda for help. Yeah, ...... maybe. Emily may be right. I don''t know how far he''s serious, but Cell is acting like a "Ryota cult member". I''m not sure how many times I''ve been in a situation where I''ve had to ask for help with a difficult case, but I have a feeling that if you ask me, I''ll take care of it. I got that vibe this time, too. And from the flow of the conversation. "You want me to contact other spirits as well? It''s very possible. "I expect to be asked to conquer all of Cyclo''s spirits. Leia''s prediction was pretty much the real deal. Cell knows very well how Aulum came to be. Just as Rebecca dominates Neon, so do I. All the dungeons in Cyclo, Tellurium, Silicon, Arsenic, Bismuth, Boran, and Selen. It''s natural to think that conquering all six dungeons in Cyclo would increase Cyclo''s production - and thus tax revenue. ''I suppose they might request that,'' Is it possible, Master? I''ll have to try it: ...... maybe. I''m feeling vaguely sure of that. It''s not so hard to meet the genie, it''s just that it''s there and what happens. I pulled that off and thought, maybe. Cell thought about it for a few minutes of plenty of time as we argued about this and that. He looked up and stared straight at me. ''Master Sato, do me a favor. I have some negotiations and politics to attend to now, and if that works out for you: ...... What do you say? I heard a gulp. That''s the sound of Emily next to me spitting raw. So much so that Cell''s expression was uncanny. ''''Would you be able to meet the spirit of the dungeon controlled by Yu''s clan? What about ......? A story came up that was too unexpected. ''The dungeons controlled by the Stem family are ...... gold?'' Hmm. I want you to meet the genie over there. Everything in this world is dropped from dungeons, even gold. Paper money, coins, everything is dropped from the dungeon. It is controlled by the House of Cell, the Stem family. In other words, the Stem family is the Bank of Japan-like house in this world. Cell, with a straight face, asked me to meet the spirits in that dungeon. I wasn''t expecting that and it''s ...... an amazing story. ''Wow ...... Yoda you''re amazing ......'' Cell was straight in front of me, and Emily was beside me, tongue wagging. I was momentarily put off by the story that was too big, but Cell''s face--. ''Do you really need it?'' Hmm. The too-serious face nodded clearly. If that''s the case, I can''t say no. 217. Leia Selenium Saloon in the mansion at night. In the course of small talk, I told Ahrum about what happened today. "Oh, I didn''t know that the people we helped treat people like that. With a genie. Didn''t you know that? No one has ever been able to come see me more than twice before, and I''ve never heard of anything like that. That''s right. ...... For what it''s worth, Aulum suddenly fell silent and stared at me. ''Hey Lyota,'' Yeah? Can I take my name, Lyota? What, like Rebecca Neon? ''Yes!For example, ......, let''s see, is Satou your last name?Then it would be Lyota Aulum. You look like you''ve been adopted by your son-in-law. It''s kind of funny, I guess. No? No, I mean, if I call myself that, maybe I''ll-- What a rumor! Celeste walked by outside the salon after her bath. She looked at me with a very complicated look on her face. ''Lyota-san ...... her and ......?'' I mumbled. I called Celeste over to explain the situation and clear up any misunderstandings. ''Nah, I see. So that''s what happened. ''We have others like Emily Arsenick and Leia Ceren. That is, of course, if the spirits allow it. That would be great. Celeste, who understood the situation, smiled and said. ''It sure could be great,'' I mean, why can''t Lyota just go for the comp? Comp? Yeah, just stick with your original name and put our names on the back. You mean Lyota Sato Aulum ......? Keep adding to it. From what I hear, you''re about to meet Niftonium, right?Then it''s like, Lyota Sato Aulum Nihonium, It''s going to sound like a grand aristocrat. "It''s going to be my ship, rather than Ryota Sato, sailor Levee. What? No, I''m just saying. Or maybe I should just call myself an Atom when I''m done comping everything. I won''t, though. I won''t do that, though: ....... ''Yeah?What''s going on? No, it''s nothing. Aulum, Arsenic, and Seren. All of the spirits that I had a relationship with were hungry (...) for something. Regardless of the name, they all had their own, and that something was to be resolved--. ''I''ve got to do it: ......'' I thought. The next day, Seren Dungeon, Seren''s Room. Leia and I came to meet Seren. ''Not interested in the outside world, are you?'' Is that so? Yeah, I don''t care what''s out there. I came to Seren, who I knew first of all, hoping to relieve the ''hunger'' of the spirits trapped in the real dungeon, but she said simply. ''You don''t sound really interested.'' I''m not interested. I''m not... Seren made a lusty noise and came up to me, tracing her fingers across my chest plate over my clothes. ''Because I like this...'' I was thrilled. It was oddly thrilling, even though he just touched me over my clothes. ''Oh, right,'' ''Haha, don''t be scared. I''m either a virgin or I''m a virgin. Yeah, but I thought you wanted my name. No, I''m not saying that I-- All right, I''ll tell you what. Seren claps his hands with a pop. The conversation goes on with some kind of misunderstanding. ''You can come over and rub my tits once in a while. Is that what you want? I''ll let you rub yours if you want. I don''t even want to imagine that picture! A beautiful woman in a three-point bikini rubs my tits. Even I don''t want to imagine such a scene. Then it''s still 10 billion times better to rub her tits. "Master, I have a proposition for you. Leia, who had come with me but had been silent for a long time, opened her mouth. ''What''s the proposal?'' Why don''t you have them do that thing Master told me about before, the puffy thing? ''Puffy?What''s that? Selenium has bitten off more than she can chew. Ah ...... puffy puffy. I remember telling my friends about it in our normal chit-chat. It''s a good thing that you have a status and beat monsters in dungeons, because this world is so game-like, and that''s why I brought up Puffy as a topic of conversation. "Master said it was a man''s dream, It''s romantic, but ...... He glanced at Seren. ''It''s not the same as eroticism, puffy puffy, is it? Yes, it''s different from erotica. In my mind, puffy is a romance, not an erotic one. I don''t know if the walking eighteen-year-old, erotic Seren, who wants to defile her purity, will like it or not. But she was interested in it, so I explained. "It''s called ''puffy-puffy'' when you pinch his face with your tits and squish it. ''Face with tits: ......'' Seren imagined as she pressed her breasts between her hands. Then. ''That''s good, that''s good.'' Twice. It''s that good. It''s a great idea, honey, it''s a great idea. No, I didn''t think of it, but I heard you liked the one called ....... It''s more like an air puff, or maybe it''s just pretend. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make a good impression. She must have really liked it. "Seren-san. I''ll make you puff and puff every day. Really? It''s a great way to bite, or is it you? So let me take Seren''s name. Leia looks at Seren with a straight face and offers in a low-inflected respectful tone. "Ok, that''s it. Then let''s get on with it. Yes, sir. Seren bends over to get ready in a groove. Leia turns to me. ''Now then, Master.'' What? I''ll take the genie''s name. This puts me on a par with Rebecca. ...... Oh. Somehow I know what Leia is thinking. Leia and I have a master-servant relationship. She believes that as the rank of the "subordinate" rises, the rank of the "master" naturally rises as well. She''s trying to get me to take the genie''s name to elevate me above Rebecca. I didn''t stop her. I was kind of happy about that. Leia was drained of her soul, and even now, her emotions and tone of voice are poorly inflected. It was nice to see those "emotions" coming out. So I let her do what she wanted. Thus, just as I was picking up and dropping off Aulum. Leia also made puffy puffy with Seren a part of her daily routine. We were to call ourselves Leia Seren. 218. With Ryota Seren Dungeon, first basement level. Today, Leia and I were leveling up the growth bullets together. I shoot with growth bullets, Leia shoots back with revive, and I shoot with growth bullets--. It''s the usual leveling up process ...... as usual. Buzzing. It wasn''t as usual around here. Normally, the dungeon is a dungeon where adventurers hunt monsters and go around in their own way, but today, for some reason, they were staring at us from a distance. And it''s not just one or two, it''s ten or twenty. ''''What in the world is going on here?'''' They''re watching me. Is that so? Surprised, my hand stops and I stare at Leia. Leia blushes a little and replies. ''I heard it earlier. ''So that''s Leia Ceren?'' ...... Oh, I see. I was convinced. This is the Seren dungeon, and Leia comes with a new genie named after the dungeon''s genie, Seren. It might be natural to attract attention. I listened carefully while moving my hand to level up just in case. ''''That''s the one with a genie. ...... I knew it was different, the aura. You don''t know what you''re talking about. ''No, but it''s awesome to be recognized by the spirits. I''ve always been curious about that girl''s ability to use magic indefinitely, but maybe that''s a spirit''s blessing. Many adventurers envied and admired Leia. Some of them were perceptive, and they had guessed Leia''s blessing perfectly. ''Master.'' "-- Yeah?What''s up, Leia? You tell me what to do. Orders? I look at Leia to see what''s going on all of a sudden. The same expression is still lacking as usual, but her eyes are staring straight at me and she''s trying to tell me something. I don''t know what it is, but I''ll give you some orders anyway. ''Right, so let''s pick up the pace a bit. About twice as fast. I understand. Leia focused on the task at hand. So far, it was a repetitive task, which meant he had to do it much more sloppily. That''s what happens when you do the same thing over and over again for days. In order to avoid this kind of sloppiness, I did some training while I was in Nihonium, but as expected, the number of requests for growth ammunition was too high, so I had to work on it. I increased that pace. The moment the Rainbow Slime dropped, Leia applied Revive. The moment the drop item appeared, it was so fast that it was almost invisible. ''......'' I went with it. The moment I applied the revive, I shot a growth round to take it down the moment it returned to the rainbow slime. The moment the slime appeared, so fast that I could barely see it. Revive, shoot. Revive, shoot. We both gave it our all. Then I couldn''t see anything. I couldn''t see the drop or the slime or anything else, and it looked like the image there - the space kept blurring. That was good. A way to break out of the rut I''d been in for the past few days, the pursuit of the limits of speed. I focused. I concentrated so hard that I couldn''t hear any noise around me at all. ''I picked up the pace, wow,'' "I ordered a genie to come with me.Who is that guy? Don''t you know?It''s Lyota Sato from that Lyota family. ''Yeah!You know what? I was focused and felt like I was in the so-called zone. I couldn''t hear the voices around me at all. On this day, my growth bullets had grown almost double their normal size and I was at level 15. Stars. In the evening, I went through the transporter room and stopped at the monster village before going to pick up Aurum. I hadn''t used it recently, so I had a stock, hence I put off collecting the accelerator bullets. ''''Lyota-san!'''' When I came to the village, Clayman and the other monsters found me and came over. ''Good night, what''s up, all together.'' Do me a favor. Please? What''s happening?I raised my eyebrows. Clayman and the other monsters, the residents of this village, all had serious looks on their faces. ''''What''s going on?'''' What''s your name, Mr. Lyota? Name? ''Yes!I''m naming this village after Mr. Lyota. That''s ....... I looked around at the monsters and the village they lived in. ''You want me to make this village a ''Lyota''?'' Yes! The monsters that could speak were mouthing off with Clayman, and those that couldn''t speak were squealing. ''Give this village my name ...... Lyota ....... ''No, no, no,'' He hurriedly waved his hands crossly. ''That would be very embarrassing. I can''t believe my name is in the village.'' No? Why did you suddenly think that in the first place? I''ll explain it to you. Beyond the monsters, Celeste appeared from deep within the village. ''Celeste, I didn''t know you were here. Yeah, I''m just teaching him to do his job. I see. This village works as a garbage disposal for Indore through my mediation. And Celeste worked as a garbage man before she joined me. So you''re here to help me with that. That''s all right, but what does it mean? ''We talked about it in small talk, with a genie. Leia was blessed with Seren''s blessing and got her name. And then it was decided that this village needs a blessing too. The village? ''Yes. This is a village of monsters, Lyota-san''s prestige keeps us from being persecuted. Yeah. ''To make it clearer, why not name the village ''Lyota''?That''s what we were talking about. You mean ...... Cerberus collar? Celeste nodded, and the monsters looked at me expectantly. The monsters in this village are all formally my pets. You''ll be able to get rid of them because they are basically violent, but if someone takes responsibility for managing or raising them ...... treats them as pets, they will not be killed. That''s what Cerberus is, and that''s what this village is all about. I see. ...... ''In Lyota''s name, more and more people won''t be able to mess with this village. Unless you''re an idiot who''s willing to pick a fight with Lyota head on. That''s what Celeste said. It may indeed be so. I look at the monsters, all of them gave me a look of request. Well, in that case, you can''t say no to ....... I understand. I''m going to be the ''Lyota'' of the village from now on. The moment I said it, they cheered. Some monsters do a banzai. I did it because I had to, but I''m still embarrassed to have the village named after me. ''''Huh.'''' Celeste smiles at me. At this time, I had misunderstood Celeste''s smile. I thought it was a smile for the idea I had for this village to pass. Later on, to the cell. ''As expected of you, Satou-sama. To be the one to give the name.'''' He looked at me respectfully and finally noticed Celeste''s smile and her true intentions. 219.10000000% reduction Another evening, I came to "Lyota" to collect an accelerated bullet. A village of monsters, named after me, Lyota. ''Oh ......'' As we entered the village, I sounded both amazed and overwhelmed. The village was overflowing with trash, though it wasn''t a mess. The work of the monsters, the trash to be dealt with, was piled up here and there. The amount of trash piled up is more than twice as much as before. The monsters attacked the pile of trash as an opponent. The increase in volume made it look like a diorama from a distance, making it look like a scene from a movie where a monster destroys a city. ''Ryota-san,'' Clayman came from the village to find me. ''Hello ...... no good evening! Yeah. More importantly, what''s going on here?Do you have more garbage than usual? Yes, that''s right. When I told many people that the name of this village was changed to Lyota, villages and towns from all over the country asked us to dispose of our garbage. If I accepted that, this is what happened. You mean more work: ...... I''m aware of this phenomenon. It''s a billboard. A company puts a celebrity on a billboard and that increases sales. "Newcomer says hi to me," right? ''Yes!As expected of Lyota-san, you can see everything. I see. Like the billboard, I''m sure that''s why they want to connect with me. Well, the fact that you''re getting more work is a good thing. "Are we getting paid for this? ''Yes, of course it is!Oh, here''s what I''m going to give to Lyota-san next time. Saying that, Clayman held out ten ten thousand pillow bills and one hundred thousand pillows. Considering that the first bill I received was 20,000, I could say that my sales had gone up considerably. I would have been more worried if I hadn''t been given them, so I took them and put them in my pocket. The amount of money I''ve received so far is nearly a million. If anything happens in the future, I''ll give it back to them. With that in mind, I walked into the village that was in the Great Monster War to collect the accelerator bullets. ''Phew. ......'' Suddenly, I walked past some kind of tired-looking monster. It was a giant frog, its body was purple in color. Its name is Poison Frog, I believe. Are you okay? ''What?Oh!Lord Lyota!Don''t worry, I can still get there myself! Poison Frog said and stood up in a flash and exhaled a breath of poison from his mouth. The poisonous breath wrapped around the trash he was in charge of, dissolving it. The garbage was taken care of, but I didn''t miss Poison Frog''s increasingly pale face. ''Don''t take it easy, if you''re not feeling well, take a break ...... or rather, just stand there. I said, pulling out my gun and firing an infinite recovery round. ''''This, this is a ...... force to be reckoned with,'''' It''s just a band-aid on his recovery. But don''t get too far ahead of yourself. Thank you! Thank you, Mr. Lyota. I was thanked by Poison Frog and Clayman one after the other, and I casually looked around. ''Somehow, a lot of them look pale. ...... Yes, I do. Clayman replied with a complicated look on his face. ''Actually, we all haven''t recovered much. Too much work? ''That''s partly true, but ...... we monsters don''t recover much in the same bunk as humans do. Yeah? ''I knew it, or rather, how could I say it, I recover better in the same environment as the dungeon where I was born. Does a dungeon mean it has to be an underground passage or a limestone cave? ''Yes. Oh, of course, I recover reasonably well in a human bunk. I see. ...... A lot of people don''t feel well, do they? I look around again as I listen, yes, I can see the sharpness of his body, the power of his magic, the flames and ice he''s spitting, and so on. A lot of things aren''t performing as well as they should. ''''Right.'''' All right, get all the volunteers. We''ll get you back on your feet like we did. "--Hey!Thank you! Clayman thanked him and ran to call his fellow monsters. It would be easy to heal them all with infinite recovery bullets, but that wouldn''t solve the problem. To solve the problem, go to ....... At night, in the city of Ciclo, a familiar real estate agent. I''m sitting across from Antonio, a skinny acquaintance of mine, sitting across from him. After drinking a cup of expensive looking tea served to me and making small talk. ''So, how can I help you today?Are you looking for another new mansion? No, I want to build a house. Yes, thank you. Antonio''s voice was sober and upbeat, perhaps because he knew it was going to be a big deal. ''What kind of house would you like to see, sir? A dormitory. A dormitory? Yeah, it''s a building that houses a lot of people: don''t you know ......? I thought that maybe there was no concept of a dormitory in this world, so I checked. ''I''m aware of that. But a dormitory ......? ''It''s not just a dormitory either. I want the interior to look like a dungeon. Like a dungeon? Yes. I took a quart of paper out of my pocket, unfolded it and put it on the table. I had drawn it beforehand before I came here. ''This is ...... more like a tower than a house,'' Oh, the tower. For example, the first floor is a dungeon like Tellurium, the second floor is a dungeon like Nihonium. Each dungeon has its own characteristics, right?It''s like an underpass or a limestone cave. There''s a lot of house style to it. There''s a place for that. I was a bit surprised by this, but it wasn''t the point of the story, so I let it pass for now. ''I want each floor to be built in a different dungeon style. Is that possible? Any special features at ......? No, it''s just a matter of mimicking the environment. I told him what Clayman had told me as a reminder. There''s no such thing as the power of the earth''s veins or magic or any of that crap, as long as the environment is similar. In short, it''s an exaggerated version of "I can''t sleep on a different pillow". So as long as you can recreate the appearance of the environment, that''s all that matters. Then it can be done. ''Right. I''d like you to put this up in the new village ...... ''Lyota''. This is the village where Satou-san''s monsters live. The sooner we know that, the sooner we can talk. I doubt it. It''s going to cost roughly hundreds of millions ...... and in some cases billions. It''s a fair price, but it''s within expectations. If you let me split it up. I understand. I''m asking for you, Sato-san, of all people. I''ll take care of it. Oh, yeah. Thanks. You have collateral-- ''No, no, Satou-san can be trusted, and besides, this is such a big deal, this is the one to thank. Well, thank you. He said that Antonio would be gathering craftsmen and such again on another day and we would have another meeting. For now, it looks like the renovation of the monsters'' dwelling place will be done successfully. 220. To comfort the child The next day, Lyota''s village. Immediately the contractors that Antonio had arranged entered and began to build houses here and there. We decided to build more than one house. Because there are many types of dungeons. It could be something like an underground passage, a limestone cave, a hole dug in the ground, or a ninja house. There are many types of dungeons and monsters in this village. I wanted to cover all of the patterns as much as possible, and make sure we had enough space for everyone to fit in and to rest and recover. With that in mind, I decided to build more than one. As I was watching the start of construction while collecting the accelerated bombs, Clayman came over and spoke to me. ''Mr. Lyota,'' ''Clayman. It''s going to be loud with construction for a while, but bear with me. ''No way!It''s what they do for everyone, patience. We''re all rather excited about it. ...... Looks like it. I chuckled. The monsters were gathered next to me, already starting to build a framework in several places. They were frolicking a lot. The bird-like monsters were flapping their wings, and the gorilla-like ones were drumming away on their chests. Some of the slimes had a nihilistic face, half-melted, and looked like the bubble slime in the example game. It was obvious from the side that everyone was happy. ''''But are you sure?'''' Yeah? It''s a monster, but I''m starting to get it. This is going to cost a lot of money, isn''t it? In its own way. I can''t thank you enough for all you''ve done for me. He stopped his line with a decoupling of Clayman. ''Don''t worry about that part. I''m doing this for me. Haha. ...... Clayman gives me a look that says I don''t understand. No wonder you don''t understand, but it''s the truth. Yes, it''s for my own good. There''s no way I''m going to overlook them or leave them outside the dungeon when their name is "Haguremonos". I can''t help but compare their current situation with my own situation as a former employee of a black company and I can''t help but want to help them. This is what I do for myself. That''s why I''m so happy when I see these boisterous monsters having a blast. Master Sato. In the afternoon, as I left the store after further meetings with Antonio, I ran into Cell as he walked by. I''ve been called all sorts of things, but only Seru calls me by "Satou-sama". It''s not condescending, and I can sense genuine respect from the way Cell calls me. ''Oops,'' A passerby hit him with a don, and Cell dropped the figure in his sleeve. He picked up the figure with a clear face. I could see it well for a moment. ''My figure, the one in the pose with my hand out and a deco pin. ''Working too fast!It''s not even a few hours since I decopinned him! I don''t know what you''re talking about. Cell, which is a blur. Every time I do something, I figure it out (surveillance, by the way?).If only we didn''t have this habit of doing this (I still don''t know how they do it, including). Respect is real, rather than respect, and that includes the ...... figure thing, which feels like a level of "faith" rather than respect. I sighed lightly, disgusted by such a cell. Cell, on the other hand, said as if nothing had happened. ''''I''ve heard the story. Satou-sama''s family is becoming more and more prosperous. It is a joyous occasion.'''' ''A clan?Not a family? I''m finally getting used to being called the Lyota family, and it''s a new name for me. It''s a family. The Lyota Family of the keystone, the Margaret Family of the de facto direct lineage, and the Cliff Family. Lyota, the village of a hundred demons in the golden city of Indor. Cell says as he counts up. The Golden City makes sense, but it''s the first time I''ve ever heard of a village of a hundred demons. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. It is no longer as powerful as that Neptune family. I''m rather surprised he''s so awesome. The five "organizations" that Cell mentioned as he counted them up, so it seems they are finally on par with the Neptune family. ''''Don''t worry, the other side has already reached its peak, but I''m sure Master Sato is just getting started. No, I''m not competing with you. It''s true to the word, I don''t care about the size game of the organization or anything else. That''s a "deterrent" these days, though, so it''s not as big as it should be. But a family, huh? It''s more comfortable to call it a group than a family. While thinking about that, I stood there with Cell. ''''Hey!'''' I was suddenly shouted out from right beside me. When I turned around to see what was going on, a young man with a strange tousled head was looking straight at me. ''You wanted to see me?'' ''Oh!You must be Ryota Sato. ''Yes, but ......'' Okay, let''s take me on! ...... Huh? The request was too surprising for my head to understand. The game is ...... what? You know what I mean. You''re a man of your fists. Does that mean I have to fight a duel? Oh, yeah. I''m gonna knock you off your feet and make a name for myself in the world. Oh, I see. I mean, it''s a dojo-busting kind of thing. This isn''t my house. I''m sorry, but you don''t have to deal with this kind of stuff-- You f*cking coward, you f*cking coward. Beep! Gogogogogo ....... A moment later, I thought I heard the air solidify and gain weight. My back went creepy, and that scared me, and I glanced right beside me - I saw Cell laughing. It''s the scariest kind of smile, the kind of smile that instantly shakes your anger meter and all you can do is laugh. Oh no, if Cell moves, he''s going to die worse than this guy Minch. ''I''ll take your buckskin--'' He took a moment to turn around behind the man who was still slurring his words and patted him on the shoulder. ''--What?'' The man was surprised and exclaimed. ''What, what do you mean?'' Poof, he turns around and takes a quick step away from me. But I moved further and went behind the man and popped him on the shoulder. ''Nah!'' The guy got further away, but he got ahead of me one more time and tapped me on the shoulder from behind. Speed SS. Even without the accelerated bullets, I could easily get behind the man. ''Nah, nah, nah ......'' I tapped him on the shoulder from behind. ''What trick--'' He taps me on the shoulder from behind. ''No way!'' He taps me on the shoulder from behind. ''Mo, no more.'' I tapped him on the shoulder from behind. He didn''t stop when the man started crying. I went around behind him in an instant and kept tapping him on the shoulder until the man screamed and ran away. I didn''t chase him away, as expected, because I didn''t have to and I''d already reached my goal. There was a round of applause and cheers from all around me. Because of the fact that I was doing it in the street, before I knew it, quite a few onlookers had gathered. Cell came out from among the onlookers and came toward me. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it. You have treated him like a child with overwhelming force. It''s not a good idea to get into a fight in town. It''s just a token, because if I left it alone, Cell would do something. That''s the way I see it, Mr. Sato. ...... That''s fine. I remembered something and slowly walked up to the cell and tapped it on the shoulder from right in front of me as normal. Then the figure popped out of the cell''s sleeve and fell to the ground. My figure, I posed to tap the guy''s shoulder earlier - a figure that was 30% better looking and better made. ''So how do you make them?I''m early! I don''t know who did all this. Cell scoffed like a politician. Straight up. 221. Variety Improvement At night, we went to our favorite bar, Villadiche. I was here again today, enjoying the beer of the day. The beer I''m drinking now has a citrus aroma. I wonder what it smells like. It must be a grapefruit. Sitting across from me, Emily answered my question with a taste. At six feet tall, the bar is a mismatch, or rather, it reeks of crime, although in the original world, it would be a combination of officers coming in and making up for it. ''Um!I''m a huge fan of Emily''s!Sign me up, please! It wasn''t a policeman who came over, but a young adventurer. He stressed that he was a fan of Emily''s, and he got her to sign his weapon, an iron ball, and even shook her hand, and then left with a dreamy look on his face. ''You''re still the same. Do you get fans like this when you''re not with me? I come to the dungeons a lot. Emily replied with an embarrassed and yet troubled expression. ''I see. Well, Arsenic''s monsters are all rocks, and adventurers naturally attract power types. If that''s the case, I wouldn''t be surprised if people who admire Emily gather there. They''re all too proud. No, it''s not. As I said that, I glanced around. There are a few adventurers in the tavern who are looking at Emily fondly, if not enough to beg for an autograph. I thought for a moment and remembered the day I met her ....... ''Emily, would you mind standing up for a moment?'' Yes, sir. ...... Are you like this? "So, try standing on one foot ...... and see if you can lift a hammer in that condition. You can lift it, sir? Emily stood on one leg and hoisted the hammer that was propped up next to the table with a flourish. A two-meter-long hammer that far exceeds her height. The sight of Emily lifting it with such ease was at first glance adorable, but when you think about it, it''s a hell of a sight. Naturally, a lot of people are watching. Her appearance had attracted a lot of attention. ''''What about this?'''' ''That''s part of Emily''s charm. A power goddess. If I were of the same strain, I''d die for it. Yoda is ......? ''Yeah. Not to mention which is more attractive, the macho powerhouse or the little one? Ummm, I''m not sure. Emily put down the hammer and sat back down, twisting her firing. It''s like she really doesn''t get it. Oh, well, that''s part of her charm. ''I''ve rarely been pressured to sign anything, you know. It''s natural. Emily said, smiling and holding her beer glass in both hands. ''Yoda is so amazing that everyone is put off by it. "Let down. ''Hi. It takes a lot of courage to talk to someone who is so amazing. You have to have confidence in yourself to talk to them. Is that how it works? ''It reminds me of all the people who come close to Mr. Yoda. "You''ll be close to me at ......? Emily tells me to try to remember. I''m getting close to me ...... cell, or Neptune, or Nicholas? ''I see, they''re certainly self-confident people. Yes. And there are some weirdos in there too. All people who are amazing to some degree are. ''Does ...... mean that all the weirdos who approach me are going to continue to be weirdos?'' ''The likes of us call friends. Most people don''t think of setting up a village for hagrems with their own money. Mmm. It''s hard for me to hear that. There''s a good reason for it, in my opinion, but it might look like that to people around me. ''We''re going to continue to attract strange people. ...... The first one says it''s very convincing. It''s me?I''m a normal-- ''Normal people don''t mess up dungeons and dust monsters. "Huh! Emily is a mess of a housekeeper, and thanks to her, the mansion we live in is warm, bright, and full of warmth that makes me feel more at home than my parents'' house. That power comes into play in the dungeons as well. Once I saw a monster doze off in a dungeon as a result of the same cleaning, and he and Emily, who was exhausted from cleaning, were dozing off together. Emily is a "dungeon master" in a way. She''s the one who''s not normal. We chat about this and that while drinking beer with Emily. It''s a pointless chit-chat, but it''s a lot of fun. Excuse me. Hmm? I looked up as he called out to me. There was a well-dressed gentleman standing next to our table. A familiar face. "That''s Eric. Come in. I shifted in my seat and opened the seat so the gentleman - Eric - could sit down. He took his silk hat and sat down. Eric. A gourmet I knew when I first came to this world. He was the one who asked me to get some bamboo shoots after hearing a rumor about the quality of my drops. Come to think of it, this is the first time the Lyota brand has been created. ''Oddly enough, Eric, are you a beer too?'' I''ve been looking for Master Sato. Me? Yes, I''d like to ask you to do something else for me: ...... Yeah, that''s fine. I answered almost immediately. After that one incident, I heard about Eric from many people. He''s a genuine, I would say, gourmet gentleman. A man who has spent most of his life eating good food. The way he lives his life is worthy of respect, and his requests aren''t meant to hurt anyone, unlike the others. So I answered immediately. ''So what do you want me to get for you? That''s a little different from getting it. We need your help with the breeding. Breeding? It''s the first time I''ve heard that term since I came to this world. All production over here takes place in the dungeon. Meat, fish, vegetables, air, water, and everything else is dropped from the dungeon. It''s the first time I''ve heard the term "breeding" since I''ve been here, but I knew right away that they do something special in the dungeon. ''Lanterns, have you heard of them?'' If you''re in the store. It''s a dungeon in the city of Filin that specializes in breweries. Good evening, sir. This is a dungeon where you''ll find all manner of brews, from beer to wine to brandy and everything in between. What''s up with that lantern? I bought that one level. What? I''m surprised that Eric says it so readily. ''Buying out the dungeon?'' Is that really such a surprise?I am aware that Master Satou is practically in possession of the Aulum as well. "Oh, ......, that''s right, ......, that''s what happens. What are you going to do with it? I''d like for Mr. Sato to work on the breed from there. What do you mean by that? Lantern basement level 20. There is a 99% probability that the next dungeon master will appear. ...... I see. I could see the story, and-- ''I didn''t know there was a way.'' I''ll have to make some calls beforehand. I guessed it, Eric smiling with a smirk and a good-natured face. On the other hand, Emily, who hasn''t been able to keep up with the conversation. ''What''s this all about?'' In other words, I''m asking you to keep the dungeon master who''s supposed to show up on the 20th floor locked up on that floor for a period of time without beating him. Is there ...... on that floor? ''Yeah, the dungeon ecosystem changes if the Dungeon Master stays on, right? Yes, sir-- oh, you''re only changing one floor? So that''s what it looks like. ''''This is something that only Satou-sama can do. They are so powerful that they can prolong a battle against a dungeon master class and defeat them at will. There is no one else in the world with the exception of Sato-sama. He lifted me off the ground. Let me ask you one thing. Have you ever tried your hand at breeding? If it''s just a coincidence. ''I see. So we can take it down right after the ecosystem changes? Well, goodbye. Eric nodded clearly. A gourmet gentleman, unclouded eyes. ''All right, I''ll take care of it.'' The breeding itself is a good thing, I thought. I decided to take up Eric''s request. 222. There is no S rank, but ... It took me a whole day to come to the city of Filin in the carriage Eric had arranged for me. By the way, I came alone this time. The dungeon master and endurance battle, looked pretty dangerous, so I didn''t want to let my friends risk it, so I came alone. As soon as I entered the town, I felt that the tension in this town was generally high. I could hear high tension laughter from all over the place. The tension is surrounding the entire town like a bar. As I stepped out of the carriage, I realized that my impression was correct. The residents of the town are drinking here and there. If you''re drinking, of course you need snacks. The town of Filin has stalls selling snacks at every corner. Residents buy snacks, drink and laugh at each other - such is the town. "Ryota Sato-sama? Yeah? I turned to look at him as he called out to me from the side. The one who looked up at the carriage was a boy who looked like he was in his mid-teens. His hair was trimmed so short that it didn''t need a lot of grooming, and his cheeks were littered with freckles for his age. ''And you?'' ''My name is Terre Angus. Eric told me to show you around Lyota. I see. I thought for a moment and jumped down from the carriage. ''What''s the matter with you?'' ''I''m tired of the carriage. I''d like to see the dungeon, you can show me around. Okay. Tale whispered something to the carriage master and the empty carriage moved away. ''I''ll show you around. Which one do you prefer? Which one? "There are two dungeons in Filin, Lantern and Cerium, which one do you see first? ''Yes, ...... Lantern please. Eric asked for a lantern, I want to keep track of the dungeon until the Dungeon Master''s scheduled appearance date. Okay. Tale started to lead the way and I followed. It''s like crisscrossing the city of Filin, but everywhere you go, people in town are drinking. Even if they''re not drinking, it''s like they''re doing a little bit of everything after a normal day of work. People drink a lot, don''t they? Yeah, whatever. It''s from Philip''s. Oh, look at that. ''Huh?You mean that well? Tale told me to look at the well on the road. It looked like a featureless well, but a middle-aged man approached it and drew water from the well. He dipped his mouth into the water he drew up. ''''Puh-uh!'''' I drank it all at once. ''Wait a minute, wasn''t there something wrong with the color of the water now?'' It''s a beer. Beer? There''s so much booze for sale in Filin (). There are so many cheap drinks that are not for sale in other cities that you can drink them for free. It''s a great city. I was almost speechless. The liquor is just, you can get it from the well and drink it at random. It reminded me of a certain prefecture where you turn on the faucet and orange juice comes out. ''Is it like the water in other cities?'' Yeah, well, there are a lot of disconnects. Off? The higher the status of the drop, the higher the quality of the liquor dropped. When it''s low or out of line, it turns into cheap liquor like that. I see. So it''s air and water in other dungeons, or substandard vegetables that aren''t for sale, or something like that. So, as a drop S, I''m allowed to drop high quality booze. I can''t wait to see what they''re going to give me. Oh, if you''re going to the dungeon, you might want to buy some of those. Tale stopped in front of the tool shop. He pointed to a large number of bottles with blank labels. ''What''s that?'' Have you ever used a collection box? Yeah. I''m well acquainted with not just the collection box, but its improved version, the Pandora Box. It''s a handy item that sucks dropped items into the box the moment they''re dropped. Using that, Margaret was selling the ''Princess Margaret''s Homemade Air Box''. It''s a filin special version of it. With this, you can rank the liquor you drop on the spot. What does it look like? Their ranks are like ABCDEF....... I see. If that was the case, I bought about five bottles anyway. Tale led me through the city and into the dungeon. It''s a busy dungeon with a lot of people coming and going. "We''ve arrived, this is Lantern. I''m told it''s a brew-only dungeon. Yes. I was a bit surprised when I entered the dungeon. I''ve been in a lot of dungeons before, but this one is definitely different from the previous ones. In fact, it''s so well constructed that I didn''t even realize it was a dungeon. Lantern dungeon, the first basement floor. Inside, it''s like a ninja house. In what appears to be a Japanese-style room, adventurers are fighting with monsters. And that monster is called. ...... Ashigaru. "Ugh, the monster in the basement level, the flaming footman. Tale answering, I gave a complicated smile. The monster''s appearance is that of a foot soldier from the Warring States period itself. The sight of many of them, fighting with adventurers in a Japanese-style mansion, looks like the final stage of a battle that broke into a castle tower. The only difference is that the monster foot soldiers are wearing flames on their bodies and the spears they use to attack are also on fire. ''''What''s going on?'''' Oh no, I''m just confused by my first monster. I see. A convinced tail. I composed myself and pulled out my gun. One hand on the gun, one hand on the bottle I''d bought earlier. First of all, a small check, and use growth bullets instead of regular bullets. It''s a good thing that the growth bullets, which are much more advanced, are now powerful enough to replace the regular bullets. I aimed it clearly and aimed between the armor of ...... foot soldiers. The flaming foot soldiers approaching with their spears at the ready were shot and staggered. Shoot more, one after the other, aiming between the armor, and then a final tome blow, knocking the flaming footman down. It''s not very strong, well, it''s a monster about a basement floor, that''s about it. As soon as the flaming footman disappeared, a flood of liquid poured into the bottle he was holding. Not only that, the blank label also read "Rank: A". Yeah, just as I thought. I''m a drop S, after all, and I can make a high rank liquor drop just by knocking it down normally. It''s been like that before, so I wasn''t surprised to see it as expected. But when I turned around, I saw Tail exclaiming. ''''What''s up Tail?'''' Yeah, I''ll show you. It''s really a full tank of rank A. What does it matter? What''s going on?It''s not. High ranked liquor has fewer drops. What? It''s a good thing that you can''t get a full tank of it in one sitting. ...... It''s impossible to get a full tank of it in one sitting... ... Tale stares at the bottle and exclaims again. Apparently he did it without ...... knowing it. 223. Vintage Wine Ryota The city of Filin, the buyer, "Pofu Pofu Mountain". They bring in beer dropped by Lantern and wait for its assessment. Perhaps because it''s the same shop, the interior of the store is similar to Cicuro''s "Tsubame''s Grace", and the movements of the clerks who deal with the adventurers who come in are also similar. In the midst of the puffy mountains, I sat at the counter and waited. Incidentally, Terre, the guide, is sitting next to me, and he keeps giving me impressed eyes from earlier. That bothered me a bit, so I decided to ask him. ''What''s wrong,'' ''I''m so surprised. Ryota-san''s drop was half a ton. I''m as surprised as you are. How often does that happen? That thing, by that I mean the bottle broke ...... like it exploded. I was able to defeat the monster on the first floor of Lantern''s basement, the fire footman, normally, but I only got the drop beer the first time. After the second time, all of them were too much, and the moment they dropped, they exceeded the capacity of the bottle and exploded without filling it. That bottle was made in such a way that any adventurer''s drop would fit into it. That''s why I''m even more surprised. That''s what Terre says. It''s more of a look of respect and admiration than a look of surprise. I see ...... usually fits in with a good amount of room. So maybe I''m not making much money here. Filin''s two dungeons, Lantern and Cerium, are all liquor drops. Liquor, in other words, is a liquid, and unlike solids, if you don''t put it in a container the moment you drop it, it will spill out onto the ground and seep in. As the proverb says, "There is no return to the basin," and once the liquor is spilled, it is not for sale. I have a good guess as to why it won''t fit in the bottle. That bottle can accommodate up to drop A adventurers, but my drop S seems to be over capacity. The capacity is too high to use mass production. The quality of the drops are high and the quantity is high, but there are too many ...... too many, so it''s a laughingstock situation. Well, I''m going to go back to Cyclo after I complete Eric''s request anyway, so there''s no problem. ''Sir!'' After waiting for a while, the female clerk who had gone back to the back to assess my carry-on came back. She seemed to be in a hurry. "This is our customer, Master. A man was following behind the female clerk. He had a shaggy head and stubble, and his nose was bright red with veins sticking out. He was wearing something that looked very similar to a dressing gown in the original world I was in. The half-open eyes, combined with the outfit, give off quite an atmosphere. "Is this what you brought with you? The man held up a bottle in his hand. The bottle of booze I brought in. Yeah. What''s wrong with it? Where did you drop this? The Lantern''s basement floor? The man scowled tightly as he answered honestly. Was there really something wrong with him?It''s such a reaction that I''m starting to worry about it. ''It''s the basement floor of the Lantern, it''s ...... stupid ...... impossible ......'' What''s impossible? Let''s talk inside ....... The man turned himself around and went back to the back. The female clerk released the counter partition so I could get through. I don''t know what happened, but it''s pretty clear that something is up. That bothered me, so I followed the guy inside. Tale followed in a hurry. I walked into the back room and sat down facing the man in what looked like a parlor. ''It''s an amazing place,'' I looked around the room and chuckled. It was a drunkard''s room. There were bottles of liquor lying here and there, and the room smelled like a mess of booze. And there was a small plate on the table, with salt on it. It''s built as a parlor, but it''s a completely drunkard''s private room. I looked at the plate with the salt on it and asked the man. ''Salt?'' ''I was drinking spirits not long ago. Spirits are good to drink if you have salt. You''re an expert. I''ve heard of people drinking like that, but this is the first time I''ve met them. ''I''m Dio Bacchus,'' The man - Dio said his name, so I changed mine. "I''m Sato Ryota. ''Hmm?That Lyota family boss. Dio surprised, I nodded. ''Yeah,'' That''s true. Dio looked at the bottle of liquor I brought in and nodded vigorously. ''What on earth is wrong with you?'' It''s delicious. What? I had the privilege of tasting this beer, and it is the best beer I have ever had in my life. It has none of the bitterness that is the lifeblood of beer, but you do get a ''bitter'' feeling after drinking it. I don''t think you know what you''re talking about. Yeah, I don''t know. I didn''t think it tasted bitter, but did you think it was? I don''t even know what that''s all about, and I don''t know if that''s a good thing or a bad thing. ''Anyway, I''d say it''s the best beer ever. You can only grade booze up to an A, but this one tastes so clearly above and beyond the A grade that anyone who drinks it can tell. ''Awesome!That''s great. Dio praises me with a straight face, and Tale''s eyes light up even more beside me. I was tasting the appraisal as usual, and that''s what happened, so I ran out in a hurry to see what kind of person brought this to me. I see. I can see why you would do that. I want to talk to you about this, and not just about this, but about how we''re going to periodically... Bad. I chuckled and declined. ''I''m only here in Filin on a separate request, and when I''m done I''ll have to return to my home base, Cyclo. It''s going to be hard to deliver on a regular basis. I explained the situation and refused once and for all, but Dio didn''t back down. ''Then let me sign a yearly contract with you. Annual contract? What difference does it make?I nodded my head. ''Yeah. Yes, ...... wine is good. The wine drops in several tiers of lanterns, but I''ll take fifty ...... or even ten a year for that. Bring it to me, please. Ten a year?Why again? Yeah, I want to sell it as vintage. ...... Oh, I see. Is that why you take advantage of the scarcity to do business with it? Dio leans forward and gives me a half-open but eager look. I thought, if it''s ten a year, it''s similar to some of the regular requests I''m getting now. You can use the mansion''s transporter room when you return to the cyclo, and if it''s not every day, it''s not a burden. If that''s the case-- I''ll give you as much money as you want! In the middle of his thoughts, Dio said more. ''It''s like he wants me to do whatever it takes. ''Awesome ......,'' Dio guessed that, and next to him, Terre was marveling, forgetting the "sss". ...... Okay. Let me think about the number for a moment, but if it''s a small batch per year, I''ll accept it. Thank you! Dio stood up with a flash and grabbed my hand tightly. My hand was a little sore despite being a physical SS, and the pain felt like Dio''s enthusiasm. 224. Salmon and fish Lantern Basement Level 2. Just like the first basement floor, it''s a dungeon with a ninja house-like interior. There are many adventurers here too, and they are fighting monsters. The monsters are the same as the ones on the first floor, but their hair color, armor, and spears are all "ice" attributes. They are the footmen of ice, so to speak, and the one above them is the flame footman. A series of attribute foot soldiers for a while. I guessed. The only reason I''m guessing is because, as usual, I haven''t stocked up on previous information. Part of training and training myself to be able to deal with all kinds of situations is that most of the time I come to dungeons with no prior information. Encounter with an ice footman and pull out a gun. Headshot with a growth bullet, stronger than a normal bullet, and shoot him between the eyes. Pashan!And the liquid was splattered. It''s the scent of wine, apparently the ice footman on the second basement floor drops the wine. I walk around for a while without a bottle and take down the footman. I catch the encumbered footman and shoot his brain with a growth bullet from close range. Pashan!and sipped some of the dropped wine with his hand. It was white wine, almost transparent to golden in color. He continued to take down several ice foot soldiers. All of them were white wine. Lantern dungeon, second basement level. The ice footmen''s drop is going to be white wine. Now that I''ve figured that out, let''s go to the third basement floor. ''''Geez!'''' There it is! Somebody better find him and kill him. Suddenly, screams and shouts began to echo through the dungeon. The word "out," made me think of the Dungeon Master, but it wasn''t. If the Dungeon Master had appeared, the other monsters would disappear completely from the dungeon. But that''s not the case now, an ice footman is appearing in front of me. It wasn''t a dungeon master, but the weapons the ice footman had were different. It had been carrying a spear before, but it was carrying a flintlock gun. He held it up and growled. I quickly dodged it, the speed of the bullet was reasonable, but not so much that I couldn''t dodge it. "Oh, come on, I chuckled a bit. The footman started to load the bullets. A flamethrower that only shoots one round and takes a long time to load. The ice footmen are fumbling with it. It''s practically weakened compared to the spear, I thought, as I slowly raised the gun and blasted that guy with a growth bullet. There was a change in the weapon, but the white wine in the drop was exactly the same. I walked around some more, wanting to know what happened. ''Mwah!'' We were in a large space - or rather, a room-like place. There were more than twenty ice footmen there for every one adventurer. The ice footmen fired their flintlocks. It''s a single shot, extremely slow-loading flamethrower, but the numbers are staggering. The lead bullets flew at the adventurers all at once. The adventurer looks frightened, unable to fully react. ''''Tch!'''' I loaded the two pistols with full conventional rounds and fired continuously. All of the bullets fired by the group of ice footmen were knocked down in the air. But that wasn''t the end of it. The next round of fire came quickly. This was another violence of numbers, a series of shots came flying in like Nobunaga''s three-stage shooting. Further loaded with conventional bullets, they all shot down. ''''Wow, awesome ......'''' The adventurer who had been frightened earlier rolled his eyes. I move forward, shooting off all the bullets, and then I see another monster beyond the footman. It looks like a footman, but a bit of a pompous looking fellow. ''What the hell is this thing?'' "That''s the rare monster leader of the foot soldiers. Defeat him and the foot soldiers will return to their spears. I see. Was this what the first thing I heard, "Find it and take it down" was all about? I shot an annihilation round with flaming and freezing bullets while knocking down the three levels of flamethrower shots with normal bullets. In a situation where it would be complicated if he didn''t attack quickly, he used an annihilation round that could deal a large amount of damage consistently from the first move. It was effective. The annihilation bullet swallowed the entire upper body of the Ashikaga Taisho, tossed down. The footman general disappeared and dropped something. At the same time, the footmen''s weapons reverted from flintlock to spears. ''We''re back!'' "Whoever you are, thank you! I heard words of thanks from all over the place. Firearm foot soldiers. As one unit, it seemed to be weakened, but as a group, it was perfectly strong. Rare monster Ashigaru General, the difficulty of the dungeon will increase when this guy comes out. While thinking about this, I picked up the thing that the Ashigaru General had dropped. It was a necklace, a silver wreckless in the shape of a fish. ''''What''s this?'''' It''s a drop from a foot soldier. They''re rare, but they''re not very useful. A frightened adventurer answered. ''What''s not available?'' Put it on and try to beat the footman. "Hmm. As I was told, I put on the necklace and shot down one of the ice footmen. I thought it sounded like a pashan--but it wasn''t. There was a familiar sound, a clunk, and a piece of cheese dropped. ''Cheese?'' ''When you''re wearing that thing, the drops aren''t booze, they''re snacks. Of course it''s different on every floor, but the people who come here aren''t happy to see snacks dropped instead of alcohol. Okay, so it''s not like I can''t use it. That''s what I''m talking about. The adventurer said, "Wow, thanks," one last time, and went back to his laps. I stared at the cheese I''d picked up and then popped it into my mouth. Well, it was delicious. Yup?White wine and cheese?What does that mean? With one expectation, I went back to the basement level. Lantern dungeon, first basement level, flaming footman. I put on the fish pendant and beat that guy. Then the edamame was dropped. White wine and cheese, beer and edamame. It was a rather interesting pendant. 225. Fish salmon Lantern Dungeon, first basement level. I was walking around with the pendant that was dropped from the Rare Monster Ashigaru General. It''s a rare monster drop item, I have to make sure to check its ability. Even if it''s from around. Get rid of it. Even if it''s something that would be laughed at. I met the flaming footman, dodged the spear that was thrust at me, and headshot him with a growth bullet from zero distance--. ''''Whoa!'''' I was startled and screamed. A growth bullet with increased power, a head shot from zero distance, blew my whole head off. I was a bit surprised. I''ll try it on the zombies when I get back to Cyclo, not the footman. The flaming footman, who lost his head and fell down, immediately dropped an edamame with a pong. I immediately encircled the next flaming footman, this time removing the pendant and shooting out the same way with the growth bullet. Then, there was a cracking sound of water and beer was splashed into the dungeon. I check it out, switching it around a few times in turn. With the pendant on, without exception, what was a drop of liquor became a drop of a snack to go with that drink. I look at the edamame on the ground and look around. Without exception they''re all knocking down flaming foot soldiers and producing beer, no one is letting the edamame drop. It wouldn''t be completely unsaleable either, but it would probably be extremely cheap. An exception in a city that specializes in something, and the numbers are miniscule. It''s not surprising that they were bought for two or three pennies. The reason why the fish pendants from the drop of the footman are treated as outliers is clear. Since no one would pick them up, the edamame hatched into a monster. From the edamame came a flaming foot soldier. I shot the flaming footman without the pendant. Then the beer was sprayed on the footmen. Apparently, beer and edamame have the same root. It''ll be a flaming footman from either one, and which one it will be depends on the presence or absence of the pendant. ''Here''s the thing,'' After a round of examination, and with nothing of note, I tried to put the pendant away. Out of the corner of my eye, away from me, another edamame hatched into a footman of flame. I stopped moving to put the pendant away. Suddenly, I remembered that I hadn''t finished checking it completely yet. We left the dungeon and out of the city of Filin and came to an unpopular open field. I put the fish pendant on the ground and kept my distance. Leia wasn''t there and Revive wasn''t available, so I waited as I had in the past. After a while, the haglemono footman general hatched. As I approached with my gun in hand, the footman general scurried around and then, to my surprise, turned himself around and ran away. I''m not sure if ...... can do anything but power up the foot soldiers. I thought so and chased it for a while, but General Ashigaru just ran away and didn''t attack at all. I defeated the Ashigaru General when I confirmed that it was really only commanding, apparently. A pendant was dropped, the shape changed slightly. ''''Is this a ...... shake?'''' A fish is a fish, but in the form of a fish I know well. With the Shark Pendant in hand, I made my way back to Filin and back to the Lantern Dungeon. The first basement floor, a ninja house filled with foot soldiers. ''''Ah, Ryota-san. I''ve been looking for you. As I walked in, Tale found me and ran over to me. ''What''s up,'' ''The head of the dungeon society in Filin wants to say hello. So I''ve been looking for you. Oh, I see. Use the Dungeon Master to change the ecology of the dungeon - breed improvement. Eric will have a story to tell, but from the Dungeon Association head''s perspective, he''d like to see what the execution team is like once they''re in place. ''Okay, ......, but first, one last check. Will it take long? No, we''re just taking down a footman or two. Okay, okay. I made Tale wait and I put on a freshly made salmon pendant and shot the nearest flaming footman. Then it was at the same time. Beer and edamame dropped at the same time. It''s like a set of something. ''I see, so you''re going to get both. ''Yeah!Hey, what''s going on? Surprised Tale, I took him down to the basement level with me and knocked over the ice footman. This time I dropped a set of wine and cheese, again. ''Awesome!I''ve never seen both dropped at once. What did you do? It''s a trade secret. Yes. ...... Tale looked at me with a look of admiration. Sharkfish pendants, this one still seems to have a use for it. 226. S + man I took down the flaming footman with the pendant on to try it out. Beer and edamame, both dropped. This time, he removed the pendant and shot another flaming footman. Only the beer dropped and was smashed to the ground. ''......'' What''s going on? Hey, you got that bottle you were looking for? Is that it? Tale takes out a bottle of liquor. The bottle has a similar effect to a shipping carton, which is delivered the moment the liquor is dropped from the monster. ''Yeah, just give me a hold of it,'' Okay. Tale nodded his head slightly, but handed me all the bottles he was holding as he was told. Three in all, well, it would be enough. With that, I hung up the pendant and took down the next monster. The edamame fell to the ground and the beer fit completely inside the bottle. Defeat it with yet another bottle, and the beer fits again. The third one, when I removed the pendant, it didn''t fit in the bottle, and it burst. I knew it. When I was wearing the pendant, I thought the amount of edamame might be slightly less than the amount of edamame, and apparently I was right. When I''m wearing the pendant, it''s just enough to fit in the jar, and when I''m not wearing the pendant, it''s so large that it bursts. I then asked Terre to get some more bottles for me, and the amount definitely changed with and without the pendant. This pendant promises to produce vintage wine, and with it, we should easily be able to produce the promised amount. It took me a while because of the pendant, but the performance check on it was successfully completed, so Tale led me to Filin''s Dungeon Association. The president''s office, which was brought to me by someone from the association, and when I opened the door--. ''''Ugh.'''' The room was so boozy that I couldn''t help but moan. As if he was used to that, the man who showed me around entered the room without hesitation. ''Mr. Chairman, Lyota Sato is here to see you. Come in. When I walked in, craning my neck to hear a surprisingly juvenile voice, I found a young girl inside, just like her voice. She has a childish face, undeveloped limbs, and two-tied hair as tall as she is. No matter how you look at it, the girl is in the single digits of age. ''''I''m going to wait.'''' The girl said, then opened the bottle of liquor and sniffed it. After sniffing it, she said to the guy who led us to it. ''It''s a bit thin, add 10 percent of the B-grade stuff.'' Yes, like that. There''s tomato juice in my beer, so I''m scrapping the tar. The person in charge is to be disciplined. They opened bottle after bottle of liquor, sniffed it, said it was thin or thick, and gave us instructions. After that was all done, the association officials left, leaving me, Terre, and the girls. They came over to the couch where we were waiting and sat down on the couch across from us. It was a bit comforting to see her young body climb up onto the couch as she climbed up. ''It''s nice to meet you, Mao is the head of the Filin Dungeon Association, Mao Mee. Ryota Sato. ......, nice to meet you. I was unsure for a moment what kind of language to use. He may look young, but he''s the head of the Dungeon Association. I wasn''t sure for a moment if I should use respectful language. ''''Don''t push it, Mao is as old as he looks, so you can do whatever you want with your language.'''' About the same time she said that, the door opened and another staff member came in with a glass on a tray. A high legged glass, burgundy liquid, and put it in front of us. ''Very...... very...... very...... very......'' If you''re as old as you look, you can''t drink. Puh-leeze. It''s okay, it''s just juice. Juice? Oh, this grape juice tastes so good. Terre is impressed as she sips her glass. ''And that''s grape juice? Confusing: ...... Are you sure you prefer barley tea? No, I like barley tea with barley tea: ...... That''s not the problem with ....... I had a feeling that if I went into it, it was going to turn into a yabbering snake somewhere, and I had a feeling it was going to turn into a compliance issue, so I decided to digress. ''What was that all about?'' Was that it? I could smell it. That''s Mao''s job. It''s the quality control of the sake we produce in Filin. Quality control? Every adventurer has a different quality of alcoholic beverage that they drop. Of course you do: ...... It''s not just alcohol, but all the products produced in this world. The quality varies greatly depending on the adventurer''s drop status. ''''Filin''s liquor is shipped in a mixture of very good and very bad, minus the very bad stuff. ''Maybe that''s why you''ve been ranking them since they dropped, to keep track of them? That''s correct. And it''s my job as head of the Filin Institute to control the quality of the mixture. ''I see. ...... stinks it up! Mao is a child. He''s not allowed to drink. No, no, I thought that wasn''t the point: ....... ? Mao said, "Then what do you mean? I was nodding my head with a look on my face. I didn''t mean to tell him that kids shouldn''t drink, I meant that it''s amazing how much you can tell just by smelling it. Mao didn''t get it and scowled. She''s a child, but as expected of the head of the Dungeon Association, she''s an amazing girl. By the way, there''s a great beer smell in the air. ''What?Oh this. I pulled out a bottle, the beer I''d dropped in the lantern earlier to test it. I put it on the table and Mao stared at it. ''What''s the matter ......?'' Mao took the bottle, silently opened the lid and sniffed it. Ignoring my surprise, he opened all the bottles I brought and sniffed them. ''Is this after you''ve mixed it?'' ''What?No, it''s not. It was sealed. Tale said from the side. It was sealed. I wouldn''t have been able to tell before I got here, but now I can. This bottle has a trick in the mouth of the bottle so that you can tell if it''s been opened. For quality control purposes, they can tell if it''s been opened to make sure they know what quality to mix and how much to mix. The beer I brought was unopened ....... That''s funny. What do you mean? All the beers smell the same. Same? ...... Could it be that you''re Max from A? Max? One thing after another I don''t understand. ''There are minor differences in the status of the same drop. Yeah. ...... Exactly. It''s not a drop status, but I''m using Nihonium to boost my abilities with seeds. Because of that, I can see that the same A or the same F, but I can''t see the fine numbers. Probably means the drop is the same. Yours is ....... Mao looked at the letters ''Rank A'' on the beer bottle. ''I think it''s Max with an A.'' So they''re all the same quality. It''s too expensive, so you''re sticking to the top. He''s an amazing person, just the kind of person Uncle Eric asks for. Mao looked at me with eyes that were almost longing. Innocent eyes, eyes that genuinely felt amazing. It was just a little tantalizing. Because she was half right and half wrong. Because Max is Max, but I''m not an A, I''m an S Max. "It''s so f*cking awesome, 227. Three flames Inside the Chairman''s office, Mao is sitting right next to me. He had been sitting directly in front of me, across the table, until he moved his tail to sit beside me. ''Um ...... chairman?'' What is it? Why, in fact, why are you standing next to me? I don''t care. Don''t worry about it. It''s hard not to care in this situation. Mao is smiling and staring at me with sparkling eyes. It''s probably because - since he found out I''m "A''s Max" - that''s what he''s doing. I can clearly see that it''s probably why he missed me (). That being said, I coughed and changed the subject. ''Speaking of which, when is the Dungeon Master coming out?'' Two days later, I''m on the 20th floor at the Lantern. Are you sure about this prediction? It''s the alcohol talking. Yeah?What do you mean? When Mao nodded his head at his words, Terre, who was standing up, replied. The chairman is able to predict the timing of the dungeon master''s appearance based on the quality of the alcohol. It''s a hundred percent accurate. Is that so? Nah! Mao made the V-sign. In this way, she''s just a cute girl, but she even has such a special skill. ''''Does the quality increase when the time comes closer for the Dungeon Master to come out or something?No. Will it go down? The dungeon master who controls the dungeon itself. The fact that he''s only occasionally. Spawned when the dungeon is full of stuff. When something goes missing from the dungeon, it comes out and replenishes itself. I expected two patterns. I''m imagining mana and sentience and things like that. But-- No, no. When the dungeon master is about to come out, he gets all boozy and smells like crap. I''ll call you Mr. I don''t get it," came to my mind. It''s the work of a genius, a complete sensibility type. Anyway, if you say it''s a hundred percent, I''d appreciate that. That''s why Eric must have made this plan. Then on the day... and that''s when I started to formulate the plan in my head. I noticed that Mao was staring at me even more. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. ''''What''s going on?'''' I''ll know what time I''m leaving tomorrow. You mean you can see the details as you get closer? Nah! Mao nodded, and his eyes grew more and more expectant as he looked at me expectantly. I thought for a moment, then. ''Well, when you figure it out, you''ll be the first to tell me. Mao will do it! She was so pleased that she jumped up and spun around in a circle in a flash. Apparently, she missed him quite a bit. An inn in the city of Filin at night. Taking a large room, I placed the beer on the diagonal and waited at a distance. A short time later, a flaming footman hatched from the beer into a huggle. ''Don''t!--Repetition I used the repetition in a hurry. The flames worn by the flaming footman scraped the wall a bit. ''''It should have been wine: ...... While reflecting on it, I checked the drop of the haglemono. What the flaming footman dropped was a bullet. A completely new bullet, a bullet I''ve never seen before. ''''If it''s a special bullet or ......, then we''ll have to mass produce it first. I left the inn and wandered around the city. Filin, the city of breweries. The lowest-ranked cheapest liquor is offered throughout the city for free. We found all sorts of booze in barrels. The beer is ...... flaming foot soldier is probably bad, and will probably ignite with what I''m about to do. I checked the tars with the wine in them and carried them out of town. I left the tull in an unpopular place, away from the city. And keep my distance. After a while, an ice footman hatched from inside the tull. ''Repetition!'' I used my magic to defeat the ice footman. A new special bullet entered the porch. Soon, another ice footman came out of Tal again. Tull''s liquor, it''s like water of life. Monsters hatched out of it, one after another. I didn''t use the bullets. That''s what I didn''t do with the beer. Wine and a gun, I don''t think that would ignite it, but in the procedure of bringing a whole tal of booze and hatching one haggle after another, I avoid any action that might ignite it. Repetition in this case is the best solution, not a sideways approach. Take them down with Repetition as soon as they hatch and get a special bullet in the pouch. Each time they hatched, the liquor in the tars decreased. Eventually the contents of the tull became empty and the last one ice footman. ''We''ve accumulated a few, let''s test them. I ran out of booze, so I felt free to pull out my gun and load a new special bullet. I loaded it and fired at the ice footman. The moment it hit, the ice footman burst into flames. It wasn''t just a flaming bullet, it was a blue flame. "Alcohol? I thought to myself, "I see. It reminded me of an alcohol lamp I used in a class experiment when I was in middle school or so. The flames from that time are these colors, but It''s even bluer than that. It was a perfect blue, without any of the red and orange colors of the flame. It could be called blue. So that''s what we call a blue flame bombshell. I fired another shot, and for comparison, I also fired a fireball. The two types of flames, red and blue, next to each other, are spectacular. ...... After the two types of flames were extinguished, I raised my gun again. A flame round on one side and a blue flame round on the other. I fired both at the same time, overlapping their trajectories and fusing them together. ''''Huh?It''s so hot that you can''t see anything--! I was wondering why nothing happened the moment they fused together, but the next moment a tremendous heat hit me. There''s a fire show at a concert or something like that, but the heat hits you in an instant, even from a distance. The heat was nearly a hundred times greater than that. I quickly crossed my arms and guarded them while I kicked the ground and jumped back in a big way. I got some distance away from the heat, I realized. It wasn''t for nothing, the space where the fusion bullets originated appeared distorted. Shimmer. Just like the scene on the road looks distorted under the blazing sun in the middle of summer, the landscape is far more shimmering and distorted than that. A fusion bullet of flame and blue flame bullets. The invisible flame is like a fusion bullet that emits a ridiculous amount of heat. If you shoot it at a nearby tree to try it out. ''...... Hey, hey, this is too bad.'' Not even ashes remained, and the invisible flames had consumed everything in an instant. 228. Perpetual motion I tried a few more blue flame bullets, and a few more of the new fire fusion bullets. I shot a lot of things and burned this and that. If the power of the flaming bullets and the blue flame bullets is 1, the power of the fusion bullets seems to be nearly 10. It''s hard to see after they''ve fused, so it''s hard to tell, but that''s about as powerful as it gets. ''''Ouch! When I put my hand in invincibility mode with the Absolute Rock stone and let it plunge into my hand, a stabbing pain came over me, just like when I took a terrific hot water bath. Incidentally, I didn''t feel hot or anything, even if I created a location that was in flames with ordinary flame bombs and went inside. Rather, it was a cool Phoenix rising from the flames. Standing in the flames in invincible mode, I murmured to myself. I''d like to use it in a real battle. I know that it has high firepower. I''m curious to see how the other characteristic, the ''invisibility'' thing, will play out in battle. It''s late, but I''ll go to the dungeon and try it out. Even if I tried to do it tomorrow, I wouldn''t be able to sleep properly anyway because the excitement is so strong at times like this. Just when I was about to get out of the fire, unlock invincibility mode and head to the dungeon. ''''Huh?'''' I noticed that the other flame, the fusion bullet flame, wasn''t extinguished. It''s hard to tell because it''s an invisible flame, but the shimmering flame is still flickering. I threw in the barrel of liquor I was going to dispose of later to test it out and it burned up without a trace. Had it been this long?This. The invisible flames are dangerous if left unattended, so I watched them go out and then tried to leave. In the meantime, I look around. I fired dozens of fusion rounds, so I look for anything else that hasn''t gone out. There wasn''t another one, this one was the only one. I waited for it to disappear, to be relieved ...... but it did. No matter how long it took, it never went away. I had no more tars, so this time I fired a regular bullet. The bullet was consumed by the invisible flames and evaporated. The flames are still there. Why has it been this long? Curious, I shot another flame and azure bullet right next to it. The moment they fused into an invisible flame. The previous - the invisible flame that I thought would never go out - disappeared. ''''Hello?'''' I tweeted and shot more fusion rounds to the side. A new invisible flame came out, and the one before it went out. I waited, the invisible flame didn''t go out. I shot again, the previous one went out and a new one was born. I see, a type of attack where only one can exist at a time. And - this time I waited patiently. I sat there, firing a regular round every five minutes. Even after an hour had passed, the invisible flames had not gone out. He waited patiently, this time he stopped firing. I waited another hour, the flames were still there. I fired a new fusion bullet and it was easily extinguished. Only one of them can exist at a time, and it''s the type that doesn''t disappear naturally. ''......'' I had a few thoughts, so I fired another fusion bullet to test it out. It''s an annihilation round with a flame round and a frozen bullet. Annihilation bullets that disappeared to engulf the space, and then I saw it, and then I saw the invisible flames. It had disappeared. The invisible flame had disappeared without a hitch and was gone. I see. So, to sum it up, it''s about ten times as powerful as a normal flame round, and once it''s launched, it stays there and doesn''t disappear until a new fusion round of any kind comes along. ...... This might come in handy. Once back in town, I carried a new barrel of booze from the empty filin in the middle of the night and returned to the unpopulated open air to test it. He put the barrel down and moved away from the haglemono to a distance where it would hatch. Then he shoots a fusion of flame and azure bullets over the barrel. Space shakes, and an invisible flame appears. I sat on the ground and waited. After a while, the ice footman hatched and crawled out of the barrel - the moment. I touched the invisible flame that formed directly above me and it instantly evaporated. And the new blue flame bullet went into the pouch. I did nothing but wait. Every time the haglemono hatched, it would plunge into the invisible flame on its own, and the drop would be sucked into the pouch. Eventually all the wine became a footnote, and then the blue flame bombs, and the remaining barrels = garbage became Frankenstein, and then the tracking bombs. Within minutes of installation, the bullets were fully automated and produced. New fusion bullets, they could be used to make a permanent engine. 229. Endless Waltz The next morning, the Filin Dungeon Association. In the president''s office, Eric, Mao, and I were face to face with each other. We found out what time the Dungeon Master will show up. It''s tomorrow at noon. Where is the hierarchy? Eric asks Mao. ''It''s the Lantern''s twentieth floor, as expected. It''s the floor with the dark creeps.'' Also on the water beer floor. A very cool location. Yeah, that''s a zero-failure proposition. Mao and Eric, their expressions were bright. You''re too easy to be planning to use the Dungeon Master to destroy the ecosystem (breed) by using the Dungeon Master, aren''t you?I thought for a second. ''Water beer?And what do you mean by zero failures? Didn''t you know? You mean like watery beer? Well. It has a beer flavor, but it''s a sad substitute for not getting drunk, no matter how much you drink. Yeah. You mean non-alcoholic beer? ''Water beer doesn''t sell and no one drinks it for free. I don''t know what that turns into, but it can''t be anything less than ...... water beer. Well, you already suck at it. As a matter of fact, I made this plan when I found out I was going to be on the 20th floor. Eric says. I see, it''s not so much that there are no failures as it is that we should take the opportunity to change a meaningless hierarchy. ''We don''t know how long the change will take. Therefore, we''ve decided that tomorrow, after the Dungeon Master appears, we''ll forbid you to enter or leave the Lantern at all. We''re going to let Cerium do the work for us. We will stay close to the entrance, and after confirmation of the dungeon master''s defeat, we will go to the 20th floor. You''re not coming with us? When I asked back, Eric and Mao looked apologetic. ''We''re not cut out for a fight, so...'' They''re both level one and slowing me down. Really? I thought I was going to use the experience crystal in the example. The ring dropped from the Cyclo Dungeon Master. It''s an item that, while equipped, the experience of the monsters you kill becomes a crystal, and the more you use it, the more experience you get at once. In this world where adventurers are mostly running steady laps, and 99% of them reach their highest level before they know it, it''s a useful item, but it''s not very useful. I wondered if I should give the experience crystals I''ve accumulated to two people. ''''It''s a one-shot deal.'''' I can''t wait to see what kind of drink it is. Two people who aren''t adventurers and don''t have to fight don''t seem to be inconvenienced by the fact that they''re level 1, so I decided not to offer it. But yeah, I see, it''s a one shot deal. If only I could know when to beat them like Rebecca did, and when to get the best drop. Nah, that''s a one-time thing. The best time in my opinion isn''t always the best time for the best drink. I don''t know as much about alcohol as Mao does. Well, it''s a drop S, so it won''t be a bad result, and it doesn''t matter if you get a shot at the occasional dungeon master ....... ...... hmm? The occasional dungeon master? I remembered that ring, the cyclo dungeon master who tried to use it. Star. Furthermore, the next day, the Lantern Dungeon, 20th floor underground. There are no more adventurers in this ninja mansion-like dungeon. It''s crawling with monsters that haven''t been defeated because of that. The monster on the 20th floor of Lantern 20 is a dark ninja. They are literally ninjas dressed in black ninja gear like darkness. If you fight them properly, they can be quite troublesome, but I''m just going to take care of them. In the meantime, the expected time has come. The air changes. It''s the same air I''ve experienced many times when the dungeon master is in the air. When the Dungeon Master is out, the monsters disappear and only the Dungeon Master ...... is there. The dark ninja hadn''t disappeared. They all stood on sticks like mannequins, but they didn''t disappear. What does that mean?The real target will appear without any time to wonder, "What is this? A humanoid monster in special and luxurious armor that is clearly one-of-a-kind and distinct from foot soldiers and samurai generals. Daimyo. He is the Lantern''s dungeon master, Daimyo. He''s the master of Lantern''s dungeon, the Daimyo. The Daimyo is coming towards us very speedily. He''s drawing his sword from his waistband as he walks towards us. I''ve fired a growth shot, first of all, a small check, and then I''ll punch him in the shoulder. The daimyo slumped and stopped in his tracks. The shoulder that was shot out, if you look closely, it has begun to regenerate. The dark ninja right beside the Daimyo decomposes, and the Daimyo absorbs it, repairing the wound. When he had fully recovered, the Daimyo started walking again. ''''Hmm.'''' Once again, this time, he eliminated one of the legs with a freezing bullet, a flaming bullet, and an annihilation bullet that fused together. A lot more damage than before, so much damage that an entire leg was lost. The Daimyo stopped again, and absorbed the nearby dark ninja to heal his wounds. I see, I wondered why the monster was present, but it was a source of recovery for the dungeon master. He blows off one leg and one hand of the lords who started walking again. There were two injuries, but all it took to repair them was a single dark ninja. Apparently, one piece is enough for one recovery. The fully recovered daimyo came towards him and swung his sword. He assessed the sword''s length = range, and flew backwards to dodge it-- -Oh! At that moment, a chill went down my spine. My instincts screamed with all my might, "Oh no! I didn''t fly backwards, I flew directly to the side. The sword of the lord swung down, the ground split open for more than ten meters. It''s a close call, if I had gone back just by the length of the sword, I would have been cut down. The daimyo swung his sword further, this time with a horizontal slash. This too is bad - so I crouched down to dodge. After the sword swung out, a single horizontal slit of more than ten meters was created in the mansion - the wall of the dungeon. Is it an invisible slash, or is the sword itself an invisible sword blade? I don''t know which one it is, but it''s bad if you''re passive. Stalling, this could be a lot harder. I kept my distance anyway. I shot a growth bullet to stop them, but the lords learned, or maybe they learned to play it with their swords and move forward. On the way, the dark ninja - kicking his own subordinates to the ground and still advancing. The moment I kicked them away, my speed slowed down a bit, but it made little difference. In this situation, it''s better to aggressively and aggressively stop them in their tracks. Mwah! Suddenly, I remembered something. Seeing the lords advancing, kicking away the completely motionless dark ninja, I had an idea. A flame round and an azure round. I would launch the two and fuse them together to create an invisible flame. The daimyo continues to advance, and the moment he touches it, half of his body is instantly burned away. The Daimyo stopped and began to regenerate. He takes in the ninja of darkness and regenerates the burned out body - but. It doesn''t move while it''s regenerating, which means it''s regenerating in a space with invisible flames. The moment it regenerated, the Daimyo was burned out of the exact same spot. It was regenerated as it was - and burned out. From the moment it was regenerated, it was burned out, and the Daimyo stayed where it was and repeated the endless regeneration. I lowered my gun. No longer did I have to do anything, the stranding was almost complete. All that''s left to do is wait in this state. After a few hundred repetitions of regeneration and annihilation, a change occurred in the dungeon. The dark ninja that was the source of recovery around me disappeared for a moment and became covered in flames. His attire became more revealing than a ninja, and even his body became more erotic. The flaming Kunoichi, a monster that could definitely be named that based on the trend up to now. ''I see, so this is how the monsters change. Even then, the lords continued to regenerate and disappear. Just as I was wondering what to do from here, Eric and Mao showed up. ''Oh, it''s still different,'' You are very good, sir. When they came to me, they said with an impressed look on their faces. I ask them both. ''Are you sure this is the right thing to do?'' ''Yeah, all we have to do is defeat the dungeon master, and then we can drop from the new monsters. Okay. I raised my gun and fired a series of annihilation bullets. I shot annihilation bullets that repeatedly regenerated and disappeared, covering every part of the Daimyo''s body that was stopped in its tracks. The Daimyo disappeared and dropped the ring. I pick it up. ''''I''m going to taste the new drink as soon as possible. Would you mind? Eric and Mao stared at me, and I nodded and shot out a flaming Kunoichi with a growth bullet as it started to move. It wasn''t very strong and I was able to take it down in one shot. The bottle I had prepared was filled with liquor and edamame was dropped at the same time. ''What does this ...... mean?'' ''Yeah, that''s my special ability, when I have it on I drop both drinks and nibbles at the same time. I see. Eric is convinced. It''s normal for nibbles to be dropped, so that convinced me. He uncorks the bottle and they check the new drink. ''This is ...... banana liquor, isn''t it?'' But there''s a lot of ...... that''s pretty mediocre. Isn''t it good? ''Yes. It won''t be too expensive in itself, but I thought it was better than water beer. So let''s do it again. "What? They both raise their voices in surprise. ''What do you mean, once more?'' See you there. With that, he made them wait. First, to be safe, I used the repetition to clear out the flaming Kunoichi around me. Then I put the ring away in the empty cave, away from the others, and leave. I stuck with the two of them as they looked like they had been pinched by a fox. After a while, the air in the dungeon changed again, and Dungeon Master Daimyo hatched. He quickly fired a fusion bullet of flame and azure bullets to stop them. After stopping his feet, which repeatedly regenerated and disappeared, he says to them. ''''This is the second time.'''' ''I see, we can try again using the Dungeon Master''s drop. Oh, my God, that''s amazing. Mao is overjoyed. He waits for a while in that state, and then the flaming Kunoichi becomes the ice Kunoichi. Confirming this, Dungeon Master Daimyo also defeats it with Repetition. The ring dropped again, and when I picked it up, I saw Eric and Mao startled. ''Take out the Dungeon Master, beat it, change(hatch) it--repeat it until you get a good one. This is ...... amazing. It''s amazing!It''s far more amazing than I expected! They were amazed and impressed. Together with them, we repeatedly changed the ecosystem of this floor and continued to improve the breed. 230. Risemara The monsters around them change as the fused flameless bullets continue to burn the Dungeon Master/daimyo. ''''Repetition!'''' I defeated the Daimyo by Repetition safely and reliably. I was beaten by the dungeon master with a huge amount of MP, but I''ve gotten used to it, and I almost unconsciously shot (injected) myself with infinite recovery rounds. I looked around, crawling with gilded looking footmen. This is the first monster I''ve seen since the ecosystem changed, Repetition doesn''t work, so I shot it down with a growth bullet. I took the dropped liquor into a bottle and offered it to Eric and Mao. ''''Oh no, it''s brilliant.'''' I''m totally groping the Dungeon Master. It''s more of a drift than a gimmick. With that, the two men began to appraise the new sake. ''''This is ...... refined sake, isn''t it?'''' Kun Kun Kun: ...... I''m 56 points. 56 points ...... not so good. Yes. It''s messy, and it''s not very nice to look at. Okay. I nodded. I went through the breeding procedure once more. After keeping the Daimyo''s drop at a distance, I shoot a flameless round of fusion on it. In that state, I wait while sweeping up the small fish monsters around me. After a while, the air dodged again and Dungeon Master Daimyo hatched. The Daimyo was burned by the flameless bullets, taking half of his body and stopping his legs to regenerate. He waited even more in that state, continuing to shoot infinite recovery bullets at himself, restoring his MP to his full SS capacity. I see that the monsters around me have changed and repetition more. I hand them both a new drink. ''It''s beer, with a hint of coffee. I got a 93. Not bad, though: ...... Eric glances at me. "I know what you mean. Well, since you''re here, let''s try to make the most of it. I said with a smile. It''s called a resumption of a game. It''s a random result after a certain procedure, but you can make a new result by doing it again. If you can do that over and over again, it''s better to stick with it until you get a good result. Are you sure? It''s a long shot. And that''s not much of a strain. Hawa: "Hawa: ...... You are very good, sir. The two of you are impressed, put it down for a moment and take another round of the Daimyo Sake resealers. They put down the drop, shoot flameless bullets, wait until the ecology changes after it hatches, and then defeat it with Repetition. It''s a resemara that takes roughly 15 minutes each time. I''m at 42 points. No. 88 points. Not bad, but he scored a 93 once. Score one. Out of the question. He continued to work with the two of them to improve the drink. Mao was okay with just smelling it, but Eric''s face gradually turned red as he took a sip each time. The resumption didn''t go very well. My status, which according to Mao was an A Max - actually an S Max - didn''t help much. I tried it once, though, and beat two of them and got two of the same ones out. ''They''re both 70 points,'' ''''So you can get the highest rank out of this monster, but you can''t control the changes from the Dungeon Master. ''The ecological changes will be untouched by Satou-sama, and he''s just watching over them. Yeah, of course. In the end, I came to the conclusion that I had to keep resuming and shoot for numbers. ''It''s the same as it was earlier at 93 points ......'' This is ...... a difficult decision. I got a 93 after about 20 attempts, the highest score I''ve ever gotten, but I didn''t think anything of it and went into the next reseller procedure. Not an outlier, but a result that came up once. Since I went in to persist, I needed to get at least a better result than that to be worth it. With that thought in mind, I continued with the resumption of the game. I''m getting much more tired, and both Mao and Eric are talking less and less. ''''Fifty-two.'''' "Beer, I started to say the minimum amount of words. Still, I keep going, I can''t back down when I get to this point. And that''s when I didn''t even know how many times I was going to do this. ''Ugh!'' What''s up, Mao? It''s good! "Oh? ''This is ...... literal nectar, isn''t it?'' ''Yes!It''s a hell of a drink. The quality is such that two exhausted people can regain their energy at once. ''How much is it?'' He scored 120! I''ve never tasted anything like it. Their assessment was much better than I expected. 231. Bodley Ryota After a night, I left the inn where I was staying and wandered around the streets of Philine. It''s still a nice, lively city. ''Are you gonna do it?'' I''ve always disliked that side of you! Oh, my God. Now you''re up. It''s a street fight between Goissy the Sake-Benkei and Rex the Drunken Sword Master! It seems to be somewhat of a drunken, no-good-upon, but I guess it''s still a good town because people are enjoying themselves, including the fact that they''re enjoying themselves. Now that Eric''s request and the breeding is over, it''s time to get back to Cyclo. I''ll bring everyone back after I''ve opened up the mansion''s transporter room and lantern for sightseeing and such, but I thought I''d say goodbye first, so I turned to the Dungeon Society. ''''Hmm?'''' As we approached the association, I felt a different kind of heat. Unlike the fervor of the drunks earlier, the sober ones were half expectant and half wondering. Such an atmosphere filled the air. As I got even closer, I could see that the crowd was gathered around the Dungeon Society building. A stage of sorts has been set up in the front of the Dungeon Association building. It''s still unmanned, but I know something is about to happen because of the crowd gathered around it. Good work. Yeah?It''s a tail. Just as well, what''s going to happen now? What? Terre''s eyes widen and he looks at her blankly. ''Don''t you know?'' Is it weird that I don''t know about this? Yes, because... When Tale tried to explain, his voice was drowned out by the cheers of the large crowd. The cheers were directed at the stage that had been set up, and a young girl - Mao, the head of the Filin Association - appeared on the stage. Thank you so much for coming here today for the new brew launch! Mao raises both hands in a "wow" kind of way, and coupled with his juvenile appearance, I can only feel his loveliness. But the cheers grew even louder at Mao''s words. The new brew is ...... Ah, you mean the new brew of the Lantern 20th floor that I''ve been breeding? If you look closely, it''s mostly adventurers who have gathered here. I see, everyone is wondering what the new earnings will be. Today, we''re going to announce a new brew from the 20th floor of Lanterntern. It''s a new wine. Mao''s announcement was met with half cheers and half buzzes. ''Wine?'' I wonder what it''s like. Anyway, it''s better than water beer. As the crowd buzzed around, one man who looked like a staff member walked up to the stage with a whole bottle of wine and handed it to Mao. Mao took it and held it up for all to see. ''This is my new wine, it''s called Bodley Lyota. Whoa! I wiped out. The name of the new drink, I didn''t expect to see my name used. ''Lyota is the boss of that Lyota family, isn''t he? ''And Bodley?'' I think it''s an old word that means ''Absolute Blood of God''. That''s a great name. Is it that good of a wine? The people around me were buzzing about the name and I could strongly feel the anticipation building up. Terre next to me also said, "Wow, that''s a hell of a lot of stuff," and his vocabulary was fading at an alarming rate. Under Mao''s watchful eye, a Dungeon Society employee poured Bodley Lyota into a bite-sized paper cup and distributed it to the spectators present. They began to sip from what they had received - but the cheers spread like a wave from there. ''Wow,'' What is this: ...... What is this: ...... The spectators, like Tale, had seen their vocabulary diminish dramatically. After the wave had died down, Mao spoke up and said, "The wine is rated 120 points by Mao. I give this wine a score of 120 in my book. "''Oh, oh, oh, oh!'' I''m going to buy the Bodley Lyota with a special license, the ban on the market is a month away, and I want everyone to get their own license. Mao''s words made some adventurers even more excited, and some of them rushed into the dungeon association to get ahead of themselves. It''s very ...... very popular. Association room, alone with Mao, facing him. It''s the association head''s room, but the adventurers remain so excited that you can hear the buzzing from outside the room. ''I''ve had various people produce Bodley Lyota for me to try out. Mao said with a smiling face. Mao smiled, "It''s a great wine, it has a range, but anyone can score more than 100 points. All the wines are now behind the times, thanks to you. It''s all thanks to you. I''m glad I could help. As a thank you, I''m giving you a portion of the proceeds from Bodley Lyota. ''That''s nice to hear, but couldn''t you have done something about the name ......?'' Is something funny? Mao tilts his head in a small way with Kyoton. She looks adorable, coupled with her petite figure, but ....... ''''No, it''s embarrassing to have my name used like this, or something. I need your help with that too. We want to brand this wine. Branding. ''Nah!Now you can say it loud and clear. For some reason, Mao''s brow furrowed and he looked grim. ''Lyota bamboo shoots are too normal. If I''m going to use your name, I need to make it stronger like this. Uncle Eric has zero taste.'''' No, how about Bodley, too? Absolutely God''s blood...... No, it''s true that strong is strong, but. Please. It''s the breed that Lyota has been working on. That''s why it''s so popular from the start. It goes from ''I''ll know it when I drink it'' to ''I''ll know it without it''. It''s hard to say no when you say so: ...... I''ve been a corporate employee for a long time and I know it painfully well. Even the good ones - even the really good ones - often go unacknowledged and get buried. This Bodley ...... wine is definitely a good wine, and yet there''s no chance of it getting buried. That''s what Mao says he wants to use "Lyota" for. It doesn''t matter, it was my involvement in the first place. I''ll just have to live with the embarrassment. "All right, then. "All right, go ahead. Thank you! Mao laughed innocently and gave her a huggy smile. Thus, the Filin affair was a great success. The new wine that bears my name, Bodley Lyota, was thoroughly managed by the Filin Dungeon Association to sell only the best quality wine every three months on the day it was released. It became more and more of a brand, and was always sold out on the day it was released. 232. I did my best We''re home. Our home in the city of Cyclo. As soon as I came back and stepped inside the mansion, I felt a tremendous shock and fell flat on my ass. ''''Welcome home, master!'''' The one who pushed me down was my dog, Cerberus, who was even bigger than a lion at the zoo. The Cerberus, a monster even bigger than a zoo lion, jumps on me out of nowhere and knocks me on my ass. Cerberus licks my face even harder. It''s a gesture of instinctual dearness, I don''t feel bad about it. He''s wagging his tail all over the place, dog tail wagging, a good mood sign, but size is size. It looks like he''s hitting the ground with a little club. It looks painful if he hits it. It will take a while for him to be in such a good mood, I thought, when suddenly Cerberus'' body came to the surface. ''Meh!It is. I didn''t float up. If you look closely, you can see Emily, who came a little late, grabbed Cerberus and lifted it up with a flourish. The 130-centimeter-tall Emily, from a sidelong glance, looks like a schoolgirl. The sight of it lifting a super giant - a dog the size of a lion - with one hand is unbalanced and a bit strange. ''Mr. Yoda is tired, I will moderate my jostling. ''Ugh ...... sorry ......'' Cerberus is teased by Emily, the shadow ruler of our house. I shuffle off, and my tail, which had been dancing wildly, hangs down without power. I stood up and rubbed my buttocks while I stroked Cerberus'' head with my other hand. ''I''ll play with you again later,'' Yes! I sat on the sofa facing Emily and Celeste in the saloon of the mansion, Emily and Celeste. The sun was gentle and the windows were open and a pleasant breeze was blowing in. We drank the tea Emily had made for us. ''Yes!Delicious!I feel like I''m back with Emily''s tea. Thank you, sir. ''It''s no wonder you can''t compete with the tea Emily makes, but didn''t you drink tea over there?'' No. It''s all she does is drink. It''s a surprise. It''s all the booze that comes out of the wells. All the cheapest booze you can find is free booze, all you can drink as much as you want. That''s great. Yoda did a great job with that filin, too, which was amazing. The rumors are already coming through? Emily and Celeste, both nodded at the same time. ''I''ve groped the Dungeon Master, beaten him a bunch of times and remade the dungeon the way I wanted it. They''ve already been talking about it. There''s a statue going up on the dungeon society grounds. It''s him again! It''s not a figure, it''s a statue. I tsked at Cell''s usual behavior and told them about my stay in Filin. I was having a rambling chat with a group of like-minded friends. ''Ugh!'' Suddenly, Celeste held her head down and began to suffer. ''What''s wrong?'' Suddenly there''s a magic storm at ...... I''ll close the window. Emily got up and ran with a flurry of activity and closed the window. When she closed it, the wind stopped instead, and Celeste''s headache seemed to ease. ''Thank you Emily,'' You''re welcome. ...... It''s urgent. Well, the forecast for today didn''t say anything about a magic storm coming. It''s a weather report, you know. It''s bound to miss. Emily and Celeste nodded. It was like the weather forecast was off and I didn''t have an umbrella and got soaked, and that''s about it. That''s what I was still thinking at this time. Dungeon Master? Cell comes to visit the mansion at night. He has an unusually serious look on his face. "Mm. It''s silicon, and it''s showing up. Really? ...... showed up? That''s what I''m talking about, Sato-sama. Cell chuckled. ''Yes. Actually, the silicon dungeon master has been there since this morning. Of course I tried to get him to take them down immediately, as usual, but a series of buyers suggested I change the breed. ...... Maybe it''s my fault? Because Cell nodded. ''What Satou-sama did with Filin. He wanted to make something that would be famous for cyclo, after knowing about Bodley Lyota, and he suggested that the Dungeon Master survive for a while, and breed with it. However, ...... The magic storm came in defying the forecast. Cell nodded further. I have a general idea of the story. Silicon dungeon, a dungeon I''ve entered before to help people. The monsters there are physically disabled without exception, and only magic works. Technically, they''re not disabled, but even I''m a power SS, and if I tried to do it with physics, the zakos would be harder than the Dungeon Master. Normally I''d use magic to take them down, but every once in a while there''s a magic storm that doesn''t allow me to use magic at all, and when that happens, all the silicon monsters are practically invincible. ''''So the Dungeon Master has the same properties?'''' ''''Exactly. At first we were doing well with magic, but then the magic storm suddenly came and that magic stopped working. As a result, the Dungeon Master became completely invincible and turned into an untouchable monster. It''s been a long time ago, and it''s a messed-up silicon ecosystem. ''''The magic storm is still going on, and if we leave it like this, the Silicon Dungeon itself will be killed by the Dungeon Master. Okay. I stood up quickly. "I''m going to take him down right now. Thank you. Silicon Dungeon, first floor underground. Unlike the lanterns in the Ninja House, Silicon is a cave - a cave type dungeon. Compared to that dungeon, this one is more "the cave" and in a way more comfortable. "I can''t say that, The moment I stepped in, I felt bad. When the Dungeon Master is out, the atmosphere of the dungeon itself changes, but now the air is in a circle and it''s in bad shape. The air itself is extremely gloomy, and many parts of the cave are on the verge of collapse. This is not good, I thought as I rushed ahead, but fortunately, or perhaps I should say, it was in this situation that I felt the presence of the Dungeon Master strongly. It''s as if I''m being guided through the dungeon. I walked in a straight line and went down several floors. When I arrived at the destination, that guy was there. It seems to be silicon with insects like caterpillars, flies and grasshoppers, and the dungeon master is also an insect. Instead, it was huge. It was a giant moth, roughly 10 meters in length. ''It''s like a moth.'' As I was having these thoughts, the other side noticed me and flew at me. I reflexively threw a punch. A beautiful cross counter that met the flying, the fist pierced Mothra''s compound eye--. ''''--! My arm almost squirmed. I faltered. Silicon dungeon, physical attacks don''t work at all. My neatly matched cross-counter didn''t do any damage to the other side, but on the contrary, my fist and then my shoulder had to take the force of the lunge one way or the other. My shoulder hurts, I jumped as hard as I could to get a distance and recovered with infinite recovery bullets. That''s right, bullets. The last time I rescued someone during a magic storm, my physics and magic didn''t work, but the special bullets were the only thing that worked. That time I ran out of bullets and was in a pinch, but that won''t happen this time. I fought mainly with infinite lightning bullets and growth bullets (this one also had infinite bullets). Mothra wasn''t that strong. He was probably the weakest dungeon master I''d ever fought. It was a tricky one, because this was a field of physically invalid dungeons, and Mothra itself wasn''t that strong. By the time I carefully ducked the attack and shot five infinite lightning bullets into it, it had already fallen, and Todome stabbed it with a growth bullet, hoping it would also grow. After Mothra dropped the item and disappeared, the normal monsters came back. The next morning, Cell came to the mansion for a visit. ''First of all, I would like to thank you,'' Cell said that in his usual hawkish tone. The Stem family, a ridiculous level of nobility, he calls me "Satou-sama" while his own first person is "Yo" and his tone is subtly pompous. It''s still the same ...... something ....... Doesn''t he look like he''s subtly biting down on a bitter bug? I''m not sure if I can call you Satou-sama. It''s a good thing that you''re able to easily defeat the Dungeon Master under such poor conditions. The magic storm passed just a few minutes ago, but if you left the Dungeon Master that far behind, Silicon would have been dead for sure. That''s all well and good, but why do you have that look on your face? "It''s not Satou-sama''s fault at all - in fact, it''s only this much () thanks to Satou-sama''s immediate defeat. This is it?What happened? The silicon ecosystem has changed. ...... Hmm. It reminds me of yesterday. I had felt it from the moment we entered the dungeon. The cave was in shambles, and it was about to fall apart. The dungeon master had affected it, but it hadn''t returned even after the dungeon master was gone. Even on the way back to the ground after the defeat, come to think of it, the monster had changed. ''Come to think of it, this is the first time I''ve seen a dungeon master change its ecosystem. I''ve heard a lot about it, though.'''' ...... What''s going on? Physics ...... and magic on top of it. ...... No way. Cell nodded, "No way," he said. ''The silicon monsters have been rendered ineffective in both physics and magic. I could tell my eyebrows were cupped together. The silicone had become quite important. 233. Cooking for 5 minutes Silicon Dungeon, first basement floor. Me, Emily, and Celeste came to a dungeon that was empty of adventurers. It''s full of monsters. You look ...... the same. Celeste, the family''s walking dictionary, said that when she saw the monster. The caterpillar on the first floor of the silicon basement, a caterpillar the size of a box of tissues, is just like the one I saw on the third floor. ''Looks like it. It looks like the same one we''ve seen before. It was a difficult time for me. "Emily was very helpful. Okay, well, let''s see what we have. Can you do that for me, Emily? Yes, sir. Emily stepped forward, carrying the hammer. A supermassive hammer at 130cm tall and over two meters, though it was still unbalanced as always. ''''You''ve got some style going for you,'''' So that''s what it looks like. Yes. She gets even more turned on from here. "Huh? I stared at Emily, intrigued by the switch that was about to be flipped. The air changed, Emily''s expression changed drastically. She had always been calm and motherly to the family, but in an instant, she took on the air of a brave man of the past. She turned Emily''s hammer with a grunting, grunting sound, and jumped at the caterpillar. ''''Yaaaah!'''' A hammer swung down from head-on, boom!The ground rumbled after the explosion. The ground underneath the caterpillar''s feet cracked into a spider''s web, but it didn''t seem to have any effect on the caterpillar at all. ''''--haaaaah!'''' Emily, who was even more enthusiastic, the ground that was cracked into a spider''s web went one step further, literally ''shattered'' and the space for it became like a crater. Emily kicked the ground and jumped backwards in a big way to get a distance, just as she thought she was giving up, she took a light swing of the hammer - the moment she did. DAWN!!!! There was a tremendous explosion around the crater. ''You were able to use magic?'' ''No, that was a dust explosion. It''s amazing what it can do to shatter the ground that much: ...... As I was impressed, the explosive flames gradually cleared and a caterpillar emerged. The caterpillar crawled towards us in the flames. ''''Ugh, it doesn''t work at all,'''' It''s all right. Can you ask Celeste to go to ...... next? Yeah, I''ll try. Replacing Emily, this time Celeste stepped forward. Unlike Emily, she didn''t jump on him, but held up her hand and chanted quietly. ''Inferno.'' ...... It''s nothing. ''True, I chanted, but the magic hasn''t activated. Are we still in the middle of a magic storm? Me and Emily nodded our heads at the same time. On the other hand, Celeste, whose magic was a dud, didn''t get upset and continued her magic chanting. ''''Inferno! After a more spirited chant than before, a karma flame swirled and swallowed the caterpillar. ''''It was proper. It''s amazing, the magic is stronger than a little while ago. Oh, I see. What''s going on here? ''Right after I cast the second Inferno, there were two outbreaks of flame, although it''s hard to tell. Perhaps it''s a way of delaying the first occurrence and adjusting the timing. When I said what I saw and what I thought of it, Celeste turned around and said with a blush on her face. ''As expected. You could see through that much at a glance. Does the timing give you more firepower? ''Yeah, one plus one makes it about ten times better, not two,'' You mean 200. Celeste and Emily were puzzled. It''s always the case that the little stories from the original world don''t work, so I faked it appropriately. In the midst of the industrial flames, the caterpillar appeared in a keratinized state. ''No magic either.'' This is a big deal. Celeste and Emily gave a troubled look. Silicon was originally a dungeon with physical and magic special effects, but yesterday''s accident had disabled both. I shot an annihilation round at the incoming caterpillar, this one was heard and defeated safely. The purple cabbage is still a leafy plant. That''s what I''m talking about, Yoda. Yeah. But it''s not enough. Yeah, a dungeon where I''m the only one who can beat you is going to be less productive. To bring it back, you can go to ...... and do the same thing again. Yeah. I took out the ring that the silicon dungeon master had dropped. ''That''s the dungeon master''s drop?'' Yeah. You''re going to hatch it and make a change in the environment. Yeah. So do me a favor. I want you to keep burning the caterpillar while I''m fighting the Dungeon Master. As soon as the environment changes and the magic still works, I''ll defeat the Dungeon Master. It''s a repeat of what I did with the Lantern. ''What?But as long as the dungeon master is on, the monsters disappear. That''s the thing: ...... I walked out of the dungeon with the purple cabbage I had just dropped. I put it right outside the entrance, away and hatch it into a haglemono. Then I say to them both. ''Maybe, but it should be fine outside the dungeon. I see! You''ve thought about it: ...... If it doesn''t work, then it doesn''t work, and I know when the ecosystem has changed. We''ll switch to a repeatable strategy. Okay. I''ll burn it when I''m under control, sir. Yeah, I''m on it. I left the two of them to their own devices here, and I stepped into the dungeon again. I hatch the dungeon master at the entrance where I can see the two of them and the caterpillar. Here''s another twist. The entire dungeon would stop, which would also stop the production of the city itself. It''s also a way to get the two of you to test the caterpillar at the same time to bring it back as quickly as possible. One more thing we can do to help with that. Leia. I understand. Leia, who had been silent the whole time as she merged with me, extended her arm and chanted "Revive" at the ring. The next moment, Mothra''s Dungeon Master instantly hatched. I fired an accelerated round at myself first, then at the Dungeon Master. I hadn''t used it for a while, so I used a large number of stocked acceleration bullets. Maybe ...... this will also accelerate the ecological changes. The dungeon master hatched and I fought him. An opponent I defeated head-on once, the weakest dungeon master to begin with. I fought him randomly, stalling for time. All the while, I looked out constantly. Emily holds back and sees the caterpillar that Celeste is burning. I stall for time while constantly checking on the situation over there. The first acceleration wears off, and soon I''m accelerating again, both mine and theirs. I did so because I decided that acceleration was effective. The inside of the cavernous dungeon has already changed, the walls and ceilings are getting torn apart due to the dungeon master''s influence. And so we buy even more time. And to repeat, after the ninth set of accelerated bombs ...... at the end of five minutes in real time-- They''re here! The caterpillar began to burn. The karma flame released by Celeste, which hadn''t worked until now, was burning the caterpillar at a very high pace even in my accelerating world. ''''Repetition!'''' I used magic to instantly kill a dungeon master that I had once defeated. The dungeon master falls, drops a ring, and the atmosphere of the dungeon changes. ''''Yoda-san!'''' Mr. Lyota! Check it out, please. Yes, sir! Okay. The two of them each had their own style of knocking the caterpillar that had reappeared. Emily''s powerful hammer was still ineffective, but Celeste''s magic was still able to burn the caterpillar, just like before. ''Feng, you''re back for now?'' Yoda, that''s amazing. I can''t believe you can change dungeons again in five minutes: ...... I was relieved, and my friends praised and rewarded me. 234. Rules for Ryota Cyclodungeon Association, President''s Office. Waiting face to face () with me and Cell, Celeste came in there. Celeste sat down beside me as she was led into the room by her secretary. ''I''ve been through all the levels of silicon in one way or another. ''Goodnight, sorry to leave it to you, but I thought you''d be good at it. Celeste has more knowledge than I do, so I thought she''d be good at checking it out. When I said that, Celeste looked a little startled and a blush appeared on her cheeks. "It''s ...... fine. You''re one of us, so it''s nice to know that you can count on me at a time like this. Thank you. So, how did it go? Cell rushes Celeste. ''Head of the Dungeon Association, as the person in charge, you''re probably worried about the changes in the silicon. ''As it turns out, it''s still the same silicon we had before. All levels, I can confirm that only magic will pass through with physics disabled. Okay. ''Two changes in drop type, one change in quality, and the rest of it is still the same. A lot of people don''t change. Celeste nodded at Cell''s words. ''Maybe it''s a good thing we were able to get it back with a minimum of frequency. This is just a guess, though.'''' At any rate, you will continue to produce. Yeah, the strategy and the laps are the same. Celeste said, and Cell looked at me and bowed his head quietly. ''It''s all thanks to Satou-sama,'' Glad you could make it back. I''ll send out an announcement as soon as possible: ...... and then we''ll have to come up with a plan to prevent this from happening again. ''You''re banning it?We need to improve the breed. ...... Cell fell silent. ''I kind of know that feeling. ''It''s not good to have no change, is it? ''I knew Master Satou would say that. Yes, it is not good to have no change. In the same way that Satou-sama is always looking for new ways to fight, a man cannot grow without change. Adequate breeding is the order of the day. ''The same is true of the minting dungeons that are now politically driven and are trying to get Master Sato to change them. Change is necessary. ...... Right. I nodded. I''m constantly training in dungeons myself, so I know exactly what you''re talking about. ''We need some restrictions that aren''t banned, and those restrictions need to be severe. Hmm. More to the point, it''s a limit that everyone can live with. Hmmm, that''s a tough one. I don''t think anyone would agree. Cel and Celeste both gave me a difficult look. I thought about it for a moment and came up with an idea. ''How about with a genie?'' ...... I see! A cell that understands in an instant, as expected of someone who can do it. ''''That means that only people with spirits should be allowed to do it. ''''With a basic spirit, you''re recognized as a competent person, and that''s an outstanding one at that, right? Well, if you''re not that good, you shouldn''t be allowed to improve the breed. After the accident, everyone should be convinced of that. So that''s it. How''s that? ...... "Cell? I turned my water on Celeste after my conversation with Cel, but he was thinking about something. ''I don''t know what''s wrong, I wonder if it''s difficult.'' Come on, ....... After watching Cell for a moment, he looked up with a flash. ''I''ll leave you two alone.'' Two? Hmm. Let''s have two people with a genie. If there are not two of you, you will not be allowed to use the Dungeon Master to change ecology. The bar is going to be raised royally. Or rather, ....... Yeah?What''s wrong Celeste, just stare at me. We''re the only family with more than one genie in the family right now. Really?! Hmm. ''''There are not many spirits in the world. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. I''m sure you''re not the only one who''s been through this. I see. That''s something to know. Rebecca Neon. I''ve only met her for a little while, but I still found her to be a very strong person with a lot of energy ...... or me. ''I mean, under these conditions, in effect, only Mr. Lyota can do it. I wonder what that means? I chuckled. Cell, on the other hand, chuckled. ''I won''t tell you that only Satou-sama should do it. All you have to do is get two of them with a spirit.'''' That''s all Cell said, but I thought I heard an auditory hallucination of "If you can do it, do it". There''s absolutely nothing wrong with it in terms of rules, it''s more of a natural measure. It''s a dangerous thing to do, so it should be done with the consent and cooperation of several competent people. It was a perfectly legitimate thing to do. Then we''ll make a new rule in this direction. Thus, after the silicon one. In effect, the rule was called the "Lyota Bill". 235. Give birth to a unique monster Lantern dungeon, 20th floor underground. I flew in from Cyclo using the transporter room in the mansion, and what I saw was a sentry who exudes an air of somberness. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the right one for you. Mmm, who''s there! Um, ....... There''s nothing to be sorry about, but this atmosphere makes me puzzled as to what to do about it now. There''s no need to hide, so I went out in front of the guards normally. ''''Ah--I''m sorry! The young man in the guard stood upright and felt his heels aligned and saluted me. ''I''m sorry for yelling at you, I didn''t know you were Satou-san,'' No, it''s okay-- I mean, do you know who I am? ''Yes!You''re Master Satou of Bodley Lyota, right? I know everyone who guards this floor! Okay. Why am I being guarded? ''Because Bodley Lyota manages production. We''re not supposed to buy people who don''t have a license, but if we did, they would go to the black market, so we decided to manage it from the production floor. That''s what the Filin Association decided to do. I see. You''re going to be pretty serious about managing production. This is going to be a little bit more of a "bodhray ban!" every season. is in Filin - or maybe it''s going to be a trend in Cyclo. It''s hard to maintain a brand. "All right, I''ll take a trip into town. I''ll have to ask Mao for a license. Oh, I''m dealing with a word from the head of the association. Yeah? "''Master Lyota is free to go as far as he wants,'' he said. Are you sure about this? Not a personal message, but that''s what I told my guards. It''s not an excuse, but I did say to my bodyguards, "Of course it''s okay for you to drink it yourself, Ryota-sama. Of course it''s okay for you to drink it yourself, as long as you sell it for a good price without a license. ...... It''s very thorough. Well, you know. Okay, I''ll take you at your word. Yeah, go ahead. I said goodbye to the man of the guard, defeated the monster, let him drop a few (...) wine for the number of people and took it back to the mansion. The terrace of the mansion, I was outside in the night breeze. The base of my ears were hot and my body was on fire from drinking a good amount of wine. ''What are you doing, Lyota? Alice came out from inside and came over next to me. ''I was just sobered up a bit. I think I might have had too much to drink. Really? It was a good drink. Yes, it''s delicious! Alice smiles and sips on the wine glass she brought with her. Maybe, but what she calls ''delicious'' and what I call ''delicious'' have different meanings. ''It''s really good, Bodley. That''s as good as it gets, Lyota, it''s amazing. Really? ''Yes!See, everyone''s having a blast drinking it. I''m talking about the fellow monsters on Alice''s shoulders. The slime pull, the skeleton honehone, the little devil bonbon, the needle lizard spiky spikes, and the master dragon gau gau gau. Deformed in SD size, Alice''s fellow monsters are drinking as they chirp and lick the contents of the glass she''s holding. ''These girls eat things too,'' Not often. But you seem to enjoy it very much. Maybe it''s because it''s Ryota''s drink. Maybe. A wine so good that Filin decided to take control of production, and the best quality I''ve ever served in my drop S. The kind of drink that would make a monster swoon. Kellie''s been drinking this delicious, delicious stuff. Cerberus, well, he usually eats food and stuff. My family''s guard dog, Cerberus'' haggle of Cerberus, Cerberus. It''s a different beast than Alice''s companion monster. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal of information about the breed, but if you''re going to breed again, take me with you. Show me how Ryota is breeding. ''Yes, ...... then, when Alice comes with a genie. ''Yes!You''re not allowed to do it unless it comes with a genie, right? Yeah!I''ll go for it! Yeah, go for it. My family''s enthusiastic Samonar, I''m sure she will eventually conquer some dungeon and become a genie with a spirit. Somehow, I had a feeling that she would. U......n. Fluffy. The next morning, I woke up in the morning sun. Emily''s house - I slept on the best bed I could find with that kind of () effect, like the name of a skill anymore, and I slept clear and well, fully recovered. Just when I was thinking that I was going to do my best for the day - that''s when I thought. Whew. Something hairy stroked my face. Whoa, papa. Whoa, papa--. I know the feeling, a dog''s tail. "Did you crawl under the covers, Cerbero......s? Good morning, master. ...... Are you okay, master? Cerberus (?) stares at me as I sit up with my eyes open. . Are you ...... Cerberus? ''Yes, I''m Cerberus. I''m Cerberus, the Cerberus my master named me. What does it matter?Cerberus (?) nodded his head as if to say I grabbed the guy''s face and turned him to the window. I grabbed the guy''s face and pointed it toward the window. The window, which also functions as a mirror, reflects a giant cobbler, a shiba-inu-like looking Cerberus (?). Was. He''s a unique monster. In the president''s office of the Dungeon Association, Cell, facing me, said in an assertive tone. ''Unique ......'' ...... monster? Hearing this, me and Cerberus, exchanging glances, still nodding our heads. ''''What''s that?''''It''s unique ......, which means unique in the sense of unusual. Cell nodded. ''It''s also called a mutant species. Sometimes a haglemono evolves into something that looks like only itself in its own species. It''s like a rare monster. ''No. Rare monsters live on the same level, but they are different monsters. A slime mutant and a slime broth are two different things. ''I mean, Cerberus is still Cerberus as a species, but ...... hmmm'' He folded his arms and cocked his head. I thought about what expression would fit best. ''A rare Cerberus, the only one in the world,'' ''Exactly. But ...... yay. Cell looked at Cerberus, who had become a giant bush dog. ''''I didn''t expect it to be a unique monster, as expected of Satou-sama. Yeah?How can it be me? "99% of unique monsters change from hagremonos. Because they need to be continuously exposed to human vibrations, magic, life force, etc. - in other words, their unique human energy - and 99% of them are Hagremonos because they continue to be exposed to their owner''s energy. ''Yeah, because if it''s a ...... dungeon monster, it''s going to be taken down very quickly. Cell nodded. ''It doesn''t change that much just because you keep them, though, about one in a hundred. And it usually takes a few years to a few decades. When Satou-sama started keeping that dog-- Not even a year old, yet. That''s great, I''m proud of you, Lord Sato. But why the change all of a sudden? Have you ever taken a large amount of energy from Master Sato? ...... Oh, wine. I gave him a lot of bodhray yesterday. That''s it. I looked up at the giant - a Shiba Inu Cerberus, about the size of a wagon. A unique monster, Cerberus the Shiba Inu. My dog has evolved a bit. 236. Unique monster for each village The Filin Dungeon Association, I came to visit Mao - and I - but. The head of the association, Mao, was sitting on my lap. Normally they are across from each other, but for some reason they are on my lap. ''''Um ...... Mao-san?'''' You''re Mao. "Huh ......, well, that''s okay, but ...... why is it on my lap? ''You don''t want Mao to sit here?'' ''No, no, but ...... If you put his title alongside the head of the Filin Dungeon Association, Mao Mee ...... he''s an amazingly great guy, but he looks even smaller than Emily, or rather, younger. The way she''s on my lap, she already looks like a relative''s child. So it''s not like I don''t want to or anything. I''m just confused and confused for no reason. But I''ve learned. I learned from the cell and stuff. That you can''t go into these things and get a real answer. ''...... Gohon. I did a favor for you today. Anything. Mao, I''ll do anything for you. Lantern basement 20, I need to use a lot of wine from that place for personal use. Yeah?I thought I told you to be free in there. ''I''ve heard that from the guard over there. But it''s a bit, I mean, it''s quite a lot, so I thought I''d have to say no. ...... Mao stared at me. He turns around and looks up at me over his shoulder, still on his lap. ''What''s the matter,'' I''m in love with you again! What? Mao got up in a flash and stood in front of me. She looked at me with sparkling eyes. ''You''re going to get the manpower now?Is it enough for 500 people? No, no, you don''t have to. I''ll be fine on my own, okay? Really? When I declined the offer of cooperation, Mao''s face sank and she looked sad. I was unwilling to let a young, pretty girl like her do that, so I was unwilling to Do you want to come with me? I said. ''We''re going!I want to see what you do! His expression flipped in an instant and he started to frolic like a child on the day before a field trip. Stars Monster Village, Lyota. I went to Indor via the transporter room and came here from there. ...... awesome. Yeah? I turn around. There''s a carriage (procured in Indore) with Tal behind me and Mao on top of it. That Mao is half-impressed with his eyes. ''Filin to Cyclo and then Indore. It''s a quick trip. Yeah, it''s a function of the house. I answered normally. I answered normally because that was what originally existed in this world. ''It used to be a ghost house, but when I defeated that ghost, that transporter room feature came with it. Hawa: "Hawa ...... is amazing. So, we''re starting to get a glimpse of that village. I know! Mao got up in a flash. He stood up on top of the carriage, an excited expression on his face. ''It''s a village of Hagremonos, Lyota!All sorts of haggard things live there and they do a good job. You know your stuff. I checked. Ahem, Mao stretches his chest. That gesture is also cute. I see that you have looked into it. I didn''t ask what it was for. If I asked, it would have turned into a wild snake, and I was afraid I would have found out the truth. That''s what I thought of it because of someone else: ...... ....... What''s going on? Mao tilts his head, and I cover it up with a reasonable "No". There''s a subtle moment when Cell and Mao are in the same boat. I wonder if she''s that type of person. Hoping it''s not, I head to the village. ''''Good morning!'''' When I arrived at the village, Clayman greeted me. ''The accelerated bullets are regenerating properly today--huh?What''s the matter with that carriage? Yeah, that''s the alcohol. Did you drink? I made the drink. I''ll bring you all some. Thank you! After a pause for a breath and a one-tempo tug, Clayman nodded with delight. Everybody!Mr. Lyota brought you some food! Clayman shouted loudly, and the hagreymen gathered in a straw. These monsters, who knew each other, got excited when they found out that the drink was brought to them. A feast was to be held at once. The wagon and Bodley Lyota were brought to the center of the village. ''Yum!'' Wow! I''ve never had it in my life! Bodley was a big hit with the monsters. The party was lively, and then--. Stars. The next morning, after staying overnight in the village, what I saw was a completely different scene than yesterday. The monsters, all of them were completely different from the previous day. The orc that looked like it was about to attack the princess knight was now looking as lovely as the three little pigs. The little goblins were stretched out, not with loincloths but with suicide jackets, not with clubs but with nail-bads. And then-- Good morning. A slime that flies at the height of my face and flaps on its wings. You are ....... It''s Slapiro. Well, you''ve got feathers. Yeah! Oh, yeah? By the way, don''t you have a bunch of slime friends that you''re not so close with as twins? I''m here. I heard a voice from the other side and turned around - I was surprised, as expected. The one standing there was a beautiful girl. It''s a beautiful, innocent girl, as if she were a legitimate main heroine. "Well ...... you are? My name is Sra-Nyan. Thanks to you, I''m a unique monster. That makes you human: ...... Slime to human, I was a bit surprised by this. But then I looked around the village again. The monsters that are getting excited, as far as I can tell, every single one of them has become a unique monster. They are. ''It''s amazing, it''s amazing!I gave them all a bodhray to drink and they all turned into unique monsters! Pata Pata and Mao came back in front of me in high spirits, as if they had been coming around the village just a moment ago. ''Oh my God, this is amazing. Mao, who was involved in the breeding process, was very excited about the benefits of Bodley. 237. Only one monster Filin''s Dungeon Society, president''s office. Mao was sitting on my lap, reading the papers. ''I had them run some tests on Bodley Lyota. It was an experiment, so I couldn''t use someone else''s pet haggler, I used a newly hatched haggler. ''That''s all well and good, but why is this attitude?'' As a result, the same A-ranked monster didn''t become a unique monster. Are you ignoring that? Blurting out, I gave up and listened to Mao''s report. ''But I gave her your A-rank and she became a unique monster overnight. Is that so? ''Yes!I''ve become all of them without exception. It''s the same A rating, but there''s something different about your bodley. I see, I thought. Mao says it''s an A-rank, but that''s because the concept of an S-rank doesn''t exist for people in this world. I remember the first time I met Emily, I saw her status. Emily looked at my S and judged it to be much lower than F. Which, in turn, is true, but in this case, I know that S is above A. And it was right. It would be the same in this case. Mao used common sense to rate it as an A, but I guess the bodley I made him drop was an S-rank. An S-ranked Bodley, the effect is to make the monster unique. ''I had it tested from B to E rank, just to be sure, but it was the same. "Mmm-hmm. ''Yours is special ...... special. So ...... its ....... Mao squirmed on my lap and made something hard to say. ''Yeah?'' I''d appreciate it if you didn''t sell it to a regular buyer. ''I see. So you don''t want me to spread alcohol with special effects, or as the person in charge of the Dungeon Society. ''Yes, Nana''s ......'' All right. Then I''ll only take what I need for my own use in the future. Is that all right? Yes! Mao laughed innocently, even though it was about dungeons and association management. Monsters - and a village of unique monsters, Lyota. I left Filin and came here via the transporter room. ''Good morning,'' As soon as I entered the village, a single monster spoke to me. An extremely large clay doll with an extremely large head, a charming look, but it''s a bit of a horror story, it''s talking but its expression doesn''t change at all. ''Is that voice ...... Clayman?'' Yes, sir. I see, you''ve become one. Clayman, the literal translation of which is Mud Man. He became a unique monster and thus looked like a clay doll. ''Accelerated ammunition is regenerating safely. All right. But more importantly, how''s everyone doing? When he asked, Clayman bowed his head deeply. ''''Thanks to Lyota-sama, we''ve all become unique monsters. All of them? All of them? Yes, sir. I see. I knew that with my bodhray, it would be unique. There''s a change in skills and abilities when you''re unique, and at first people were confused and their workloads went down. The way you put it, I heard it resulted in a rise. ''''Yes. After I grasped my new abilities, my fighting power increased across the board. Some of them doubled on average, and some nearly tripled at best. I see. It''s all thanks to you, Lyota. Clayman bowed deeply again. You can feel his gratitude in his words, but it''s still a bit eerie to see him in his clay doll form with his expression unchanged. I''m going to retrieve the accelerator shells as needed, I''ll look at the village and go home, so you can get back to your work, too. I understand. Clayman walking away, I looked around the village alone. Until recently, the village was full of monsters, but some of them looked like they were wearing covers, but today they all look completely different. The village has become rich in variety, with an orc that looked rough on the princess knight turning into a fairy tale baby pig, and a slime turning into a human. Of course, the abilities have also increased. Just taking a quick look as you stroll around the village, you can clearly see that it''s getting stronger. At the time when I was wondering if this would make it easier for the monsters to spend their time in the village. ''''Ah...'''' I made eye contact with one of the monsters and it suddenly ran away. ''''Is that ...... a mini-wise man? Huh? After I said that, I knew something was wrong. A mini-series. Monsters that live in platinum dungeons. They''re monsters that resemble game-like "jobs" and are about two to three heads long. It looks kind of like a three-headed game character from the late 90s. That''s fine, totally fine. This is the kind of world I''m used to. The problem is that those mini-wise guys are "the mini-wise guys I know. Isn''t that a unique monster? Curious, I went after the mini-wise man. The guy struggled to get away, but it didn''t take long for him to catch up with me. He got ahead of me and ended up running face-first into my leg. Pniu! I made a strange noise and fell on my butt. You okay? That''s okay. Oh-- The mini-wise man rubbed his nose, but froze when he saw me reaching out to him. ''Lyotha-sama,'' It''s me, right? You''re not the monster in the water today, are you? Yes ...... ''How come you''re not a unique monster?'' ...... The mini-wise man slumped. ''Couldn''t you drink?'' ............ Huh? ''Ohhhhhh!'' The mini-wise man suddenly started crying. He started crying with a womp, which drew the attention of everyone around him. I got clich and desperately tried to calm the Mini Sage down. ''Gusu ...... sorry. I''m sorry to inconvenience Lyota-sama. No, that''s okay. Me and the mini-wise man sitting shoulder to shoulder on a large rock at the edge of the village. I''m sitting with my feet on the ground normally, but the mini-sage has his feet only about midway up the rock and he''s letting them dangle. ''Are you calmer than that?'' Yes ...... Yeah. Sorry if I offended you, but I have to ask. You''ve been drinking and there''s been no change? Yes, But Klayman told me they''re all unique monsters now, remember? I was hiding. Yeah? ''At first I was normal, but then everyone around me transformed, and I was the only one who didn''t transform, so I just hid ...... Yeah, ....... You''re in pain. I know what it''s like. When everyone around you is doing well and you''re the only one who isn''t, you can''t even stand to be there. No matter how long I waited, I wouldn''t transform, and I knew I couldn''t even stay in the village if I didn''t. ...... It''s easy to say don''t worry about that. In fact, I think so, and it''s not like he shouldn''t be in this village because he''s not a unique monster. But he would be extremely awkward and depressed. You can''t turn a blind eye to the underprivileged and undeserving. Do you want more to drink? What? Or you can come to me. Is this Lyota''s place? ''''Yeah, it''s my mansion. As I recall, a unique monster is supposedly kept and changed by the person''s magic or something over the years. As I said this, I remembered the impression I had when I heard the explanation that they were like tsukumogami. Then you can live in my house for a while. Then you might become a unique monster. Are you sure you want to do this? Me nodding my head. I''m rather not good (). It was impossible to leave such an opponent alone, I thought strongly. The mini-wise man was sent off, envious of everyone. Most of the monsters said that it would be nice to live with them in Lyota-sama''s mansion. I took these mini-wise men back to Indor. I thought I''d go into the Aulum dungeon and go back to the mansion ...... in the transfer room. ''Oh shit, I did it,'' Mini-wise men are haggle-heads, monsters. Monsters can only exist in their own hierarchy. The exception to this is that hagremonos can exist in other levels, dungeons, and even outside of dungeons, but if you enter or leave a dungeon, they will disappear. I carelessly forgot that and brought them here to use the transporter room as usual. I''m sorry, this is entirely my fault. I''ll put you on Cerberus, let''s go back to the village. Cerberus would take a daily "walk" back and forth between Ciclo and Lyota, so let''s get on it. That''s what I told the mini-wise man, though. ....... The mini-wise man stared at the entrance to the Aulum dungeon. ''What''s up?'' I''m calling ....... ''What?Wait a minute-- Faster than I could reach out, the mini-wise man took a firm step towards the dungeon. Then, without any hesitation, he stepped into the dungeon. ''''Nah!'''' I enter the dungeon in a hurry, and a moment later, I''m sent to a completely different place. ''It was!It was a rogue dungeon! Aurum is a rogue dungeon, the structure of the dungeon changes every time you enter or leave. I forgot about it and went in and was sent somewhere in the dungeon. That''s a lot of carelessness. More importantly, mini-wise ...... no, it''s too late for that. The moment you enter the dungeon again, the haggler disappears, which is the reason for this world. Haha ...... I sighed, reflecting on my failure to stop him, and decided to look for the gate that led to the mansion. Illaption! What? I heard a voice at a distance, a voice that sounded familiar. I caught it and started running, and when I got to the place of the voice, I found a mini-wise man there, fighting a small demon, a monster from Aulum. Didn''t they disappear when I entered the dungeon? ...... maybe. It looks the same, but is it already a unique monster? Has the S-ranked bodley been effective and made you a unique monster with those abilities? I thought to myself. 238. Level counter, time required 3 minutes Oh, Lord Lyota! I went towards the direction of the voice and saw that the mini-wise man had just defeated the little devil. The other side also noticed us and rushed over with a pat on the back. ''''Look, Lyota-sama, here.'''' That''s ...... gold. Is that a drop from the guy you just killed? Yes! But why the hell did you go into the dungeon all of a sudden? I was called in. Did he call for you? ''Yes, what''s that ...... in the woman''s voice?'' The mini-wise man who had been having a normal conversation until then widened his eyes as he remembered. ''Speaking of which, I entered the ...... dungeon and it hasn''t disappeared. Why ......?'''' That''s my line. There: ...... The mini-wise man stared curiously at his hands. ''Maybe, but I''m already a unique monster. Already? It''s a pattern of people who haven''t changed in appearance, only in ability. I''m not immune to that kind of thing. Really? Yeah. I nodded clearly. ''Do you want to run a test?'' A test? ''Try going to another dungeon. In and out of dungeons, up and down the hierarchy. Test to see if it disappears. I see. ''We''re already in the dungeon anyway. We can''t just stay here forever, can we? The suggestions I make to the mini-wise man are very casual and "let''s go for a walk" temperature. Because I''m almost certain I''m already Stars. Telldungeon, basement level. Once we got back to the mansion from the ground floor of Aulum, then we flew here. I thought about it a lot and figured this would be the best place to test it. The structure of the dungeon changed every time I entered Aulum, and testing there would be too annoying. Nihonium fits the bill in terms of not being annoying at all, but there''s no now board or drops there. After thinking about things, I came to the first floor of the tellurium with a mini-wise man. ''It didn''t disappear: ......'' Once again, I was surprised and speechless, a mini-wise man. When I was in Aurum, I was "called" to wander in, then huffed and puffed. This is the first time I''ve ever done a hierarchy/dungeon move with an extinction or not in mind, so this is a natural reaction. ''''Right. Is there anything else different? ''Well, ...... seems to be less powerful ......'' Power?Let''s check it out on the Now Board. Yes, sir. We nodded to each other and moved to the Now board. A board with the ability to check status, in a dungeon with many adventurers like Tellurian, it''s set up so that you can use it for free, like a public service. I came to it and checked the mini-sage''s abilities, and then. ''Huh?'' ---1/2--- Level: 1/50 HP E MP E Power F Strength F Intelligence E Spirit E Speed F Dexterous E Luck F --------- ... The mini-wise man looked at his abilities and exclaimed in surprise. ''That''s low,'' This is weird, I can''t believe we''re back to level one. Did it cost more? Yes. I''ve been working so hard every day. "Hmm. Every day the monsters in Lyota''s village accept and dispose of the trash from Indor and other nearby villages and towns. Sometimes the trash will hatch into a garbage haggle - a Frankenstein - and that''s how much experience you accumulate. With that in mind, even I know it''s weird that I''m a level one. ''Reborn, I suppose,'' Is that so? Yeah. All right, I''ll see you in a minute. ''What?Yes, I understand: ...... Leaving the mini-wise man who tilted his head curiously, I used the transporter gate to return to the mansion once I got there. From the warehouse, I brought out a large number of crystals that had accumulated because I had no use for them. These crystals are dropped by equipment items dropped by the dungeon master. It is a crystal that materializes and stores extra experience after the level has been canned. With a large amount of it, I used the transporter room again to return to the first floor of the tellurium. "Huh? I came to the front of the Nowboard, but the mini-wise man was gone. I looked in the dungeon to see what was going on - and there they were. The mini-wise man was at the entrance to the dungeon, going in and out. It was as if he was doing a repetitive jump, jumping in and out, then jumping back in. He was repeating the process - and seemed happy to be doing so. An adventurer was watching the scene. ''That''s a mini-wise man, isn''t it?The "Monster''s ''I know it looks like it, but ...... why doesn''t it disappear when it''s straddling the dungeon?'' Look at the collar. It''s from the Lyota family. Does that mean it''s Lyota again?Holy shit, when that guy is involved, even a haggler can get in and out of a dungeon? Leaving the thrilled adventurers behind, I quietly (...) approached the frolicking mini-wise man. "Here you go. Oh, excuse me, Master Lyota, for leaving that place without permission. No, I don''t. I know how you feel. I''ll take this instead. What''s this? Experience. Saying that, he handed the crystal he brought to the mini-sage. Immediately after receiving the crystal, it quickly melted and disappeared like snow on my palm. Wow, what is this? Don''t worry, it''s not like we broke it or anything. That''s just the way it is. Oh, I see. The mini-wise man was relieved to see. I handed him the crystals I brought one after another. The mini-wise man looked at me like he didn''t understand what I was doing, but he accepted them one by one. I handed them the experience crystals, which disappear as soon as they are received, until they no longer disappear. It took only three minutes for the crystals to disappear. "Is that all you got? Haha. ...... Okay, now board. I take the mini-wise man, who feels like he''s been pinched by a fox, back to the Now Board from earlier. ''Try again,'' ''Okay, ...... yeah! ---1/2--- Level: 50/50 HP C MP B Power C Strength C Intelligence B Spirit B Speed C Dexterous B Luck C --------- ... Well, that''s something. The status of a mini-sage was on average high and quite strong. ''''S-awesome ......'''' The person who saw it was raptured and looked at me with respect. 239. Mike Aurum Telldungeon, basement level. I was in spectator mode, watching the mini-sages battle. The level-canned mini-sages were strong. He can use his sword for melee combat, and his magic is versatile enough to attack, assist and heal. He can do everything and is strong, but if I had to choose, I''d say he can do everything, but none of them are quite at the "masterful" level, and he seems to be a bit of a poor handyman. The mini-wise man was dropping more and more bean sprouts against the slime. "Amazing. ''Yeah, ......, ah, cell.'' I suddenly heard a voice from right beside me and turned around to see the head of the dungeon association''s cell standing in a line, looking at the mini-wise man. ''''Having heard the rumors and come here, it''s a sight beyond my expectations, isn''t it?'''' Really? ''It''s already unheard of for a human-kept () haggler to soar back into a dungeon, and I''ve never even imagined it producing as well as an adventurer. Can you go ...... downstairs? "Oh, mini wise guy. I called out, and a mini-sage who had just finished the battle came towards me. ''What is it?'' My name is Cell Stema. I''m the president of the Cyclodungeon Society. ''What?Oh, I''m Meeke, a mini-wise man. It''s nice to meet you. ''I need to ask you a question, can you move up the hierarchy?'' Yes ...... What does it matter?I look at the cell as I answer, "I''m not sure. ''Do you ever go in and out of the dungeon?'' I can, but you can go to ...... Will you try? Meeke looked at me with a slightly puzzled expression. I don''t know why Cell would ask that, either, but I said to Meeke anyway. ''Let''s see it.'' I understand. Meeke walked out and headed for the dungeon''s entrance. When he came to the entrance, Meeke went in and out of the dungeon in the same way as before, jumping in and out of the dungeon in a repetitive fashion. ''...... awesome,'' What? I''ve never heard of this kind of haggling. Even the Dungeon Master can move through the levels, but he can''t get out. I see. Suddenly, I remembered Aulum. Arum is even higher than the dungeon master, and even she can''t get out of the dungeon on her own. So every time I changed her into a gold nugget, I took her out and hatched her, and when I was busy, I couldn''t pick her up and drop her off. I''m doing her a favor, but it''s not a complete ...... situation. Meeke is amazing when you think about it. It''s not a level of greatness. And what''s truly amazing is Sato-sama for making it so. Meeke, that''s enough. Yes, sir. Meeke said and came back from outside the dungeon. Then a slime jumped on him. Meeke jumped out of Meeke''s blind spot, a body attack, catching him off guard, Meeke tangled with the slime, fell down and went out of the dungeon. After tangling and falling together at the side of the dungeon, Meeke kicked the slime away. As it was, "Irruption! and chanting an attack magic to take out the slime in one blow. ''Fufu...... surprised me.'' Are you okay, Meeke? ''Don''t worry, it''s just a surprise all of a sudden. It was just a slime. I see. He wasn''t injured on a quick glance, and it happened just as he self-reported. A little happening, and that''s the end of the story--. Why? -- of which, it was supposed to be. We turned around with Meeke and were about to go back into the dungeon, and waiting for us was a deathly surprised Cell. ''Yeah, what''s going on?'' Why don''t you just disappear? What? I looked at Meeke. My eyes met Meeke''s as he looked up at me. ''No, I explained that it won''t disappear, and I''ve been showing you that for a while now. No, I''m not talking about a mini-wise guy. It''s a slime. ''Slime?--oh. I huffed. Yes, the slime. Meeke killed the slime - outside the dungeon. Monsters disappear when they leave the dungeon. Aside from Meeke, who was a unique monster and had a special ability, the slime should have disappeared the moment it left the dungeon. But it didn''t disappear. It existed normally until Meeke kicked it away and chanted a spell - and it was defeated normally. ''What do you mean?'' Maybe that''s what the boy can do. Me? You might be right, Meeke. "Let''s test it. Let''s try to recreate the same situation as before--no. You should look at something more essential. ''Let''s just grab the slime and go straight out. Yes! ''Yeah, let''s get them together. We''ll catch two of them, throw one of them outside, and the other one will stay out while we catch it. I understand. I switched to my usual ability testing mode and instructed Meeke with an idea. I moved back into the cave with Cell and watched Meeke''s test. As instructed, Meeke caught two slimes. After casting a restraining spell to prevent them from moving, he caught them and headed to the entrance of the dungeon. He threw one of them as it was - the slime disappeared. As if there was something there, the slime disappeared without a trace as soon as it passed through the entrance. Meeke looked at me anxiously. "It''s okay, next. Yes! Meeke, whose anxiety was removed after I told her to, got her mind back on track and walked out with another slime in her grasp - holding it in her hand, as if to say. As it was, I walked through the entrance. ''''Wow.'''' "Hmm. Meeke raises his voice, Cell snarling and nodding quietly. The slime that Meeke had caught did not disappear. ''''What do you mean by this?'''' In other words, the monster Meeke is touching doesn''t disappear when it goes outside. Maybe, but it''s safe to move across the hierarchy. I''ll try it! Meeke jumped into the dungeon like the wind and came right back. ''''Lyota-sama!'''' The one I presented with puppy dog eyes that wanted to be praised was a sleeping slime. It''s a monster that lives in the basement two floors. I''m going to have to say that I''ve been dragged here from the second underground level to this point. You mean we can span the layers? Yes! It''s amazing. No, you''re the great one, Mr. Sato. Cell interrupted. ''Really?'' ''Unique monsters, or mutants. There had been a good number of them until now. But they were all within the framework of ''monsters''. As long as they were monsters, they couldn''t escape the logic of the dungeon and the world. The one who removed that framework is Sato-sama, and the one who should be praised as truly amazing is still Sato-sama. Master Lyota, that''s amazing! I was a little itchy when Cel and Meeke both praised me. I didn''t feel bad, but I was embarrassed, so let''s deflect the conversation. With that in mind, I quickly looked around for a topic of conversation, and the sunset caught my eye. It''s almost the end of the day, and since I''m free from the black business, I don''t work at night, it''s time for me to go home. I''m going to go home and pick up Aurum and-- Mmm. What is it, Master Lyota? Meeke asked with a tilt of his head. He stared at her for a moment, then turned to Sel. I might add a genie to the mix. "Law. Cell was not surprised, "Who is that? He stared back at me like. ''It''s Meeke,'' I took Meeke to Aulum''s room. Meeke took me by the hand and brought Aulum back to the mansion. I had been taking him to and from the house by going through the process of being knocked down by me and hatching as a haglemono. With Meeke, all I had to do was hold her hand. Aulum was greatly pleased with this. With a genie, Meeke Aulum was born. 240. Golden Ryota Silicon dungeon, basement level. Let''s go to Arsenic next! Yes! One and one. The monster in the girl''s arms rushed up from the lower levels like the wind and flew out of the dungeon like the wind just like the wind. The silicon adventurers who witnessed the scene all looked at each other in wonder. ''''Now that''s a monster called ...... Mini Sage, right? No, it''s not. How come monsters are able to cross levels and get out of dungeons? It''s that cute little girl''s stuffed animal and ventriloquism. No, no. Just between you and me, that''s the new kid in the Lyota family. There was one adventurer who knew a lot about things, so all the adventurers there paid attention to him. Since everyone was used to going to Silicon Dungeon, they were all listening to the story while defeating the monsters single-handedly - a very strange scene. A well-informed person who knew what he was talking about met his gaze and continued to explain in a slightly smug manner, "You know what a unique monster is, don''t you? ''You know what a unique monster is. That''s the unique monster that Lyota kept and evolved. It is said that the monster that you and I are in the middle of touching can cross the floor and enter and exit the dungeon. ""Yeah!" There was a chorus of surprise from the adventurers. ''Oh no, a haggler can do that?'' I know unique monsters, but they''re still monsters, right? Haha ...... I knew the Lyota family was awesome. ...... Uh-huh. As if everyone''s surprise was a pleasant surprise, the well-informed adventurer sniffed further and laughed in a proud and meaningful way. ''''What''s that laugh about?'''' Now, there''s a little girl holding a miniature wise man. Oh--no way! Well, she''s a monster when she''s touching a monster, so she''s a monster. So that''s one unique monster. Uh-huh. He was even more proud of himself as a knowledgeable person. ''I know that already!Tell me all about it quickly. This time there was a chorus of ''so and so''. ''Impatient, all right. That''s the girl, Aulum, we''re talking about. ''Does Aulum come with a ...... genie?'' ''Come to think of it, Lyota Sato has been controlling Aulum for a while now. But wasn''t Lyota the one with the genie? No, no, that''s Auldurm himself. ...... Huh? The spirit itself. Yeah! All the adventurers present, except for those who were in the know, turned in unison to the entrance of the silicon. All of them had surprised, impressed, and respectful eyes. When I got out of the bath at night, I went into the kitchen to get something cold to drink. "Lyota! Wow! I was suddenly tackled from right beside him. I stepped on it in a flash and somehow avoided falling on my butt. ''What are you doing all of a sudden ...... aurum?'' ''Thank you, Lyota!Thank you so much. Yeah, yeah, I get it. I saw Aulum hugging me, and Meeke, the mini-wise man, beside him. ''By the looks of it, you''ve enjoyed it a lot. ''Yes!I''ve been to every dungeon in this city! Okay. When I grabbed Aulum out of the Aulum dungeon and introduced her to Meeke, she completely forgot about Emily''s dinner and took Meeke out with her. ''Sounds like you had a good time,'' ''Yes!I''ve never seen another dungeon before! Oh, right. I''m sorry I couldn''t bring you down here. The reason I took Aulum out of the dungeon was originally because she had a wish to see the outside world. Every spirit that has ever been there has a different wish. Arsenic has an appetite, and Seren has, well, a s*xual appetite. Aulum wanted to know the outside world as much as if she were a deep-windowed daughter. So I used Drop S and the mansion''s transporter room to get her out of Aulum, but I didn''t take her to any other dungeons. Theoretically I could do that too, but every time I enter a dungeon, even if it''s by magic, every time I cross a level, I need to kill it once, drop a gold nugget, and then hatch it into a haglemono. That''s as far as I''ve gotten - and that''s why I wasn''t able to do it. ''The other dungeons are interesting too! Really? ''Yes!It was snowing red and stuff. ''Dungeonsnow. Come to think of it, I don''t know if they had any in Aulum. Ahrum talks about other dungeons in high spirits. He''s as excited as a child in a toy store. That''s the kind of thing you''d like to see in a lantern or something. What do you mean? That''s a pleasure to see you there. Meeke, I''ll use the transporter gate to bring you there later, and tomorrow I''ll bring Aulum-- I want to go tonight! Aulum interrupted me. ''You want to go,'' he said. ''All right. How''s Meeke doing?Aren''t you tired? ''It''s all right. I''m glad to be of service to Master Aulum, and besides. And? It''s for Lyota. Meeke fumbled for something and handed it to me. "A gold nugget, a kilo of it. Master Aulum gave it to me. This is for Master Lyota. ''No, you keep that one. You''ve earned it. But, ''It''s fine. More importantly, Aulum, Meeke can call herself ''Meeke Aulum'' from now on, right? Of course!We''ll always be friends, right, Miichan! Yes! Meeke is being pushed back by Aulum''s tension. If the tension is this high, the rest should be fine. It''s been one of my concerns for a long time. While I was on a business trip, I couldn''t help but notice that while I was visiting a place for the first time, I''d end up leaving Aulum alone in the dungeon. I was relieved and honestly happy that Meeke had resolved that. ''Lyota-sama,'' Yeah?What''s wrong, Meeke, you look so apologetic. ''I heard many people saying that while I was showing you around Aulum-sama. I''m sorry, if it were true, ''Aulum'' would be Lord Lyota. That''s the one thing I don''t care about. It doesn''t matter what your name is. What?Do you want Lyota to lose my blessings? You don''t want to be seen like that in human society. I don''t mind it. So, I''ll tell you what to do. This house belongs to Lyota, right? Yeah?Oh, yes, but? So.... Aulum held out his hand with a swoosh and snapped his fingers with a snap. Scene. Nothing happened. No, nothing could have happened. In this world, spirits are gods in a sense. And they have special abilities. That Aulum snapped his fingers as if he wanted to do something, and nothing could happen. What happened?And you think. ''Hahahahahahaha, what is this, hahahahahahahaha'' I heard laughter from outside the mansion. It''s Alice''s laugh. I opened the window and put my face out. ''What''s the matter with you, Alice? ''That''s your line, Lyota. What''s this, what did you do, Aurum? ''I did something, but I did it: ...... I''m more and more confused as to what this is all about. Aulum did something that Alice could see at a glance. Just when I thought it was something--that''s when I thought it was something. "Whoa! I was so startled that I couldn''t help but shout. I caught a glimpse of him, so I leaned in further and turned around. Then it became clear to me. I could only see part of it, but it looked like I could guess that it was probably all (,). The outer walls of the mansion were completely golden. I pulled my head back and asked Aulum. ''Did you do this?'' Yeah, I replaced a lot of stuff with gold. I changed a lot of stuff to gold so that you''ll know it''s really Lyota who has the blessing. I see. "Ha-ha-ha-ha. This is fine. ''You''re so low and cocky,'' I could hear the voices of my friends from outside the window one after another. I was wondering if they were impressed by the Hideyoshi-like golden house. I''m here. I can''t lose to this. I could even hear the cell. ...... losing? Somehow I had a bad feeling, and I leaned out the window again. Then I saw the garden of the mansion, and in one corner of it, my friends and Cell were gathered together. All of them were surrounded by something, a life-size golden statue in my shape. ''It''s powered up from the statue! I let out a near scream. I knew that''s what Cell meant when he said he lost. I was about to hurriedly tell Aulum to just pull the statue down. ''''Ryota-sama, you''re ...... cool.'''' Meeke was staring at the golden statue with sparkling eyes, his tiny body hanging over the window sill. I couldn''t tell Aulum to stop, because I couldn''t water her pure eyes like a child''s, and I couldn''t tell her to stop. Thus, my Lyota family. The golden house and the golden statue. And a new unique monster and spirit companion was added to the family. 241. Banquet Let''s go see the flowers! In the morning, in the dining room where everyone had gathered, Aulum said bluntly. All of his friends looked at Aulum, who had Meeke, a mini-wise man, on his lap, his eyes glittering, and all of his friends looked at him. ''Hanami?'' ''Yes!I heard that people are supposed to see flowers in the spring, and I want to do that! I didn''t know they had cherry blossom viewing parties here. As I mumble, I look at Emily for some reason. ''There is. My mom loved to go hanami. Every year she would go out with all her friends to see the cherry blossoms and drink lots of alcohol. ''What?Emily''s mom, the last time I heard of her, was the kind of person who holed up in dungeons all year round, but she also does flower viewing. I''m taking all of my friends to see the flowers in the dungeon. Is it ...... just a banquet? While everyone else was eating a normal meal, only one person, Eve, who was gobbling up a carrot, asked back with a blank expression. ''Hi, sir!Your mother loves to watch flowers where you can have a feast. Oh, we picked the floor where the dungeon snow falls to do it? That''s not flower viewing. It''s snow viewing. Sounds like fun!Hey, let''s go see the flowers! After hearing about Emily''s mother, Aulum becomes more and more interested in flower viewing. She originally wanted to know the world outside of the dungeon, and the annual events on earth must be fascinating to her. It''s not just Aulum, before I knew it, all of them were paying attention to me. I''d like to do it, but it''s Lyota who decides. They all had that look on their faces. Of course there''s no denying these events. ''Okay, let''s do it.'' I stopped cheering for a moment. ''Instead, we need to do our job properly. Especially since Aulum has to get back to the dungeon. Okay!I''m going to work hard for the cherry blossoms!Let''s go, Me! Wawa! Aurum ran out of the dining room with Meeke in his grasp. ''You must really want to see the cherry blossoms. ''''I''m going to cook for Hanami. Let me help you. Not being an adventurer, Elsa offered Emily''s help. ''Do we need to get a place to watch the flowers ......?'' I wasn''t sure about the Hanami over here world yet, so I asked everyone about it. Then Celeste from the Family Wisdom Book answered. ''Well, we''d better make sure we get a place. I''ll do it. Alice got on board and bought the placeholder. ''Are you sure, Alice?'' Yeah, because I''m the least boring person in the room. The fellow monsters were rattling around on Alice''s shoulder as she spoke. Deformed looking monsters that looked like they were in a Gachapon, Alice''s friends. It''s true, Alice is the least boring of the family to take up space. ''Then please,'' ''Yes!Let me go. Celeste, Eve, and Leia. We''ll gather our ingredients. Okay. Emily, give me the list. I''ll start with the carrots until I have a list. This is how we each start to move towards Hanami. This is a place on the outskirts of the Cyclo where few people normally pass. A cluster of cherry trees makes it crowded and crowded only once a year at this time of year. In one corner, in a vantage point, sat Alice Wonderland on a wide seat. She was playing with her fellow monsters on the seat, taking up space like the others around her. Monsters that were all deformed in size. Skeleton''s honeone. A slime pull. The little devil''s bonbons. Needle Lizard''s spiky spikes. The gau-gau of a master dragon. Alice was talking and frolicking with a menagerie of enough variety to make a puppet show. Then a group of strangers approached her. ''''It''s your fault. You''re late to the party, you don''t have a good spot left. ''Is it just me?It''s your fault for sleeping in when you said you were going to get a spot in the first place. I think so too. f*ck, all right. Well, I''ll take care of it, then. What''s the big deal? We''ll see. One of the group, who looked like a rattling bunch, took a quick look around and then approached Alice with a grin on his face. ''Hey you,'' Yeah?What is it? Give it to me. Uh, no. This is a place for me and my friends to go and see the cherry blossoms. Just give it up, okay? The man gets to his feet--DON!I stepped on the ground. The ground gouged and dirt splattered around. "Oh, It''s an act of intimidation, but Alice doesn''t seem intimidated at all. While I was speaking softly, you know. I''m sorry. Alice answered immediately. ''This is where I go to see the flowers with all my friends. What? The man raised his dossy voice and stared at Alice. ''Oh, hey ...... that girl is no way.'' He''s the Dragon Master of the Lyota Family, that''s for sure. Oh, boy. After the men looked at Alice and whispered to her. "Hey, hey. Hey, guys... I stopped him. ''Oh, just wait a bit longer. We''ll make room for you. Unaware of his companions'' restraint and strong expressions, the man turns to Alice again. ''I''ll say it again, let me give you this place. I''m sorry. Alice only refused with a nonchalant look - right after that. Immediately after that, the man tightened his collar on Alice. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to be able to get away with it. The man was blown away. He hit a round object that rushed from behind Alice and blew her away. ''Pull!Everyone! Alice turned around, and there were her fellow monsters. It wasn''t the small, deformed, adorable figure it had been just before, but the monsters in their original size. The monsters were all deadly. Before Alice could stop them, a skeleton, a slime, a small demon, and a needle lizard pounced on them, ripping the man to shreds. The monsters were looking blown away by the insulting act they did to Alice, the master. ''''Everyone''s had enough, so hey, gawgaw! The master dragon, which had returned to its original size, didn''t stop even when Alice in question stopped it, on the contrary, the master dragon, which had returned to its original size, flared its karma flames out of its huge body. The flames flew toward the man, and screams came from all around. The flames of the master dragon''s flames were enough to burn up the space, and everyone thought the worst - the next moment. There was a dry sound and a shield of ice formed in front of the man. The multiple layers of ice shield prevented Master Dragon Gau Gau Gau''s flames. Even so, Gau Gau, who had not returned from his bruised state, swung a sharp claw down from his huge body. --Don! The earth-shattering blow was stopped by a man who interrupted him. "Lyota! Alice shouted. The appearance of the man caused a buzz around and relief at the same time. Stars. My hand is numb and throbbing. I quickly broke in to stop him, but Gow Gow''s blow was heavy indeed. As expected of a dragon species, a master dragon that is said to be comparable to a dungeon master. I had no choice but to give my all to stop the blow. ''''Gururuuru......'''' Gaugau still stares at me with bloodshot eyes, though, and is about to launch his next attack. ''Stop right there, Alice is grieving. When he said that, Gau Gau huffed and looked at Alice. Alice was saddened by the outburst of her fellow monsters. Gaugau, and the other four, all looked apologetic and returned to their deformed little bodies. All of them shunned and lined up in front of Alice. Alice patted them. ''That was a bad boy. But good boy good boy.'' As I stroked it, all of the monsters flirted with Alice in unison. As for this one - I turned to the man who had been beaten to a pulp. ''I''m sorry, are you okay?'' Who the hell do you think you are? The man shouted, but was quickly feathered and muzzled by what appeared to be his friends. ''Huh?Mr. Yoda, what''s wrong? You look like you''ve had a fight. I heard a voice from the side. I turned toward it, from Emily to Meeke. The family members were all there. I''d love to hear what was going on, but-- ''Mugu!'' Stop being such an a**h*le. Don''t you know who you''re dealing with? You''re dealing with that Lyota family. It''s a group with three spirits. If you weren''t crazy, you''d be a charcoal extinguisher by now, you idiot! The people who were involved with Alice were arguing about something and slinking away in a tangle. What happened? Yeah, I''ve been asked to give up my place. Yeah, ....... So that''s what happened. The bad guys, Alice alone, still in her infancy. I think I know what he''s talking about. Something bad. No, I''m fine. ''Low level and little, I can''t help but get licked.'' Well, looks are important at times like this. As Eve and Celeste said this, they went up to the seat that Alice had taken up. ''Maybe this way I won''t get licked,'' Aulum snaps his fingers with a snap. In the next moment, the sheet turned golden, and the weight holding it down also turned into a golden statue. In an instant, our hanami space, which had become gleaming, drew the attention of the public with all its might. ''This way we won''t get licked. I think I''ll be licked in another way. More than that, it''s cherry blossom viewing! Ahrum climbed into his seat in high spirits. The innocent, childlike figure of a frolicking child made me think it was all right. A group of friends gathered to watch the flowers. The flowers were beautiful, Emily''s food was delicious, and Aulum''s excitement at his first hanami was enough to make the whole experience enjoyable. I''m going to be licked, huh? I wonder if I will be able to avoid being licked if I become with a spirit. In the midst of all the excitement of flower viewing, Alice secretly made up her mind. 242. Ryota for two Telldungeon, first basement level. For the first time in a long time, I entered the dungeon using the mansion''s transfer room to do my normal work - hunting drop redemption. Leia''s already attached to me, and she''s got a gun on her arm. That arm is moving with a shuffle. ''Are you subtly fired up?'' No, sir. It''s a polite way of saying something from his usual light-hearted tone, but he''s still subtly spirited. Oh well, it''s good to be spirited. Now, let''s get on with defeating the monsters. ''''Uhhhh!'''' No, I''m not going to do it! It was strangely noisy at a distance, and all the adventurers fled this way at once. Not just one or two, but so many that every adventurer on the floor escaped. ''''What''s the matter?'''' I asked one of them, who was on the first floor of the tellurium, so I knew quite a few familiar faces. ''Oh, Lyota-san,'' What''s going on? It''s a great thing. Haggler? Yesterday, an adventurer got beaten up by a monster and started running away. He dropped his equipment in the dungeon. ...... Yeah. I understand the situation. There''s another reason why adventurers in this world don''t push themselves too hard. The adventurer''s equipment was also dropped from the monsters when you get right down to it. If it was left where no one was present, it would naturally hatch into a haggle of things. For example, if a strong adventurer dies from a deep wound where no one can help him, his equipment will turn into a horde of hagglers and cause a second disaster. Because of this, adventurers in this world do not do anything recklessly. Even so, they are human, so they make mistakes from time to time, and this time it''s an incident that was spawned by the fact that they were injured to the point that they didn''t even notice they had dropped an object and lost the race. Even while doing this, adventurers are running away, they must be very strong monsters. Well, it''s useless if left unattended, so if I can beat it, I''ll beat it. I reversed the flow of adventurers running away. After a while, I saw an unfamiliar monster in the familiar dungeon. It was an unusual, almost human-shaped monster. But that doesn''t mean it was completely human. It was human in size, and almost the same size as a girl around her age. It only had one piece on its back, with butterfly wings on the right side only. Her hair was also tied in a single knot - a side tail - on the right side, the same as the wings, the same as the human girl''s. ''Can we have a dialogue?'' ---- The monster screamed in a voice that couldn''t be expressed in words and rushed forward to attack. Fast!Quickly, I kicked the ground and jumped right next to him. He moved after me, but followed almost as fast as I did. He waves at me randomly, arms up and guard - blown away. The whole guard was blown away. My arms chattered and my whole body throbbed with the impact of being blown through. You can''t use your gun if you''re reduced to flesh and blood, so I tried to get a distance, but the speed of the other side was too fast for me to keep my distance. Leia also shuffles her arm, but she can''t even aim properly, let alone shoot. If you can''t use a gun, it''s a meat fight. Strength SS, speed SS, strength SS. I switched and intercepted them with a status that would surely not be lagging behind in a melee. I dodged the monster''s wrinkled arm and slammed it with a gouging hook, which was guarded, so I grabbed the guarded arm and swung it around, knocking it to the ground - but. The counterattack came immediately, using the captured arm as an axis, a spinning kick came flying in. I ducked with a single piece of skin, my hair was grazed by it. It''s fast and strong. If I''m all SS, then he''s all S. He''s so strong. If you''re serious and serious, you won''t lose, but it will take time. "Then-- then! Almost as soon as he attacked, he pulled out his gun and stuck it at himself. If it wasn''t an attack, I could shoot as it was, even if it was fleshed out - and I shot. I shot at myself, an accelerated bullet, a special bullet that accelerates messily and enters a different time stream. The moment I shot it, everything but myself went into slow motion. Even a monster with a speed of about S is about the speed of a waddling child in an accelerated world. In this state, I can''t use bullets, so I''ll take them down in a meatball fight. I approached and punched the monster with a punching motion reminiscent of the Hyakurei Fist. With over 100 punches in a second''s time, the monster is blown up and slammed into the wall. Then, in an accelerating world, it slowly disappears. ''''Feng ...... was strong.'''' After the acceleration melted and the monster disappeared, I mumbled as I wiped the sweat from my forehead with the back of my hand. I didn''t even know the monster''s name, but in terms of strength, it might be Dungeon Master level. There are slimes and such around, though, so it doesn''t seem to have any special abilities like a dungeon master. At any rate, that''s an end to it-- ''Wow!'' I need help! This time, an adventurer escaped from the basement floor. No way!So I went downstairs to the basement. Then I saw a monster there. A monster that looks like a rare human-shaped, beautiful girl. The wings of the butterfly and the side tails are the same as before, but--. "Left, huh? They were both on the left, like a mirror image of the guy from earlier, like a common twin character. When I saw that, I had a bad feeling. I had a very bad premonition. And in this kind of situation, my premonition was right. ''Kyaaaaaah!'' From the first floor - I heard another scream from the floor above me that I should have knocked down. Outside the dungeon, near the entrance to Tellurungeon. ''It''s a monster called Unison Twin,'' Celeste said as she heard the commotion and came over. It seems that the family''s wits are now not limited to Cyclo''s dungeon, but have knowledge of all the monsters in the world in their heads. ''''Are they regenerative monsters?'''' In a way. From what I hear, you''re one of them. What the hell?...... Oh, father and son slime That''s what I mean. It looks like it has the same pattern as the parent-child slime, multiple individuals, but it''s one piece. So that means I have to take it down in a special way? ''Yes. You have to take them down at the same time or they will come back no matter how hard you try. At the same time. And it has to be the same person. ''Well, we''re usually on the same level,'' Celeste nodded with a furrowed brow. ''Normally we''re on the same tier, so it doesn''t matter if it''s the same people at the same time, but this time it''s a different tier: ......'' Celeste said, and the adventurers around her, who had escaped from the first and second floors, buzzed. ''No way. ......'' You''re talking about simultaneously destroying a monster that even Lyota Satou couldn''t take down? Even Ryota Sato wouldn''t be able to give himself up. What are you going to do?" ...... ...... It''s going to be dangerous, but it''s Meeke. Yeah, I don''t want to risk it. Meeke Aulum. A new addition to the family, an evolved unique monster with the ability to "move up a hierarchy with the monster you''re touching". As long as she''s touching it, she can move through the hierarchy, so if you collect her on either side of it, Lyota-san can take her down. There was a cheer at Celeste''s words. Cheers for the fact that we had a solution. But it''s much more dangerous. Meeke is level 50, with a mix of C and B abilities. The unison twins are quite strong from what we fought earlier. It could be dangerous for Meeke. Isn''t there a better way?If you use accelerated bullets to accelerate to the limit, you can go to ....... ''I''ve heard the story! Alice appeared to me in my distress. She put her fellow monsters on her shoulders and said in her usual cheerful tone, "I''ll take care of it. "I''ll take care of it. For Alice? Yeah, you know what? I''m... ...... I see! I remembered that. I thought it was worth a try. Star. Go into the other dungeon and come with Alice between the first and second floors of the tellurian. Alice goes upstairs and I stay on the first floor. What about timing? If you want to measure time, use the accelerator. We''ll take it out the moment it''s about to run out. Okay!T.O.! Alice''s summoning magic ''All Might''. The moment I used it, my deformed character appeared. I look like a deformed stuffed animal, but my abilities are exactly the same as mine. ''''Then let''s go--Seno! At my call, me and Ree-chin simultaneously shot an acceleration round at myself. The accelerated world that left the summoned Alice behind. I ran out to find the unison twin on the first floor and Ryo-chin on the second floor. We soon found them. The Unison twin was moving sluggishly in the accelerated world. I know how long the accelerated bullets work. Before it ran out, I scraped it off first. In a meatball fight, I whittled away at the unison twin. I didn''t use "Repetition" from buying time. I took down the alter ego, but that''s because I didn''t want it in there yet. I kicked it, I kicked it anyway. In the accelerated world, the Unison Twin couldn''t even fight back and was beaten up one way or the other. Then, the moment the accelerated bullets cut off - he gave it his all. Time returns to normal and the Unison Twin disappears. I wait for a bit on the spot, it didn''t come back. Furthermore, the pine tree, which had clearly revived earlier, did not. Hey! Alice came up from downstairs. She gave me a thumbs up and showed me that she wasn''t resurrected on the other side either. ''Feng ......'' The adventurers greeted me and Alice with cheers as we walked out of the building after defeating the monster in its troublesome form. 243. Bonus stage Huh? Telldungeon, first basement level. The dungeon I flew into for work, but there wasn''t a single adventurer in sight. In a way, this is the first time I''ve seen it. It is crawling with monsters, but not a single adventurer is in sight. It''s a common sight in Nifongnium, but this is the first time I''ve seen it like this in any other dungeon. What''s going on here? I''ll ask him. Leia, who had followed me around for the lap, ran to a nearby rest stop. The benefit of the Cyclo Dungeon Association, a rest stop in the dungeon. Leia opened the door and went inside - there were people there. After talking to the staff at the rest stop, Leia came right back. ''Master, it looks like Phosforus has appeared. Phosphorus?I''m not familiar with that name, are you a monster? No, it''s a dungeon. "Dungeons. ...... Ah! It''s been so long since I''ve noticed it. Yes, that''s the name of the dungeon. I was curious about it a long time ago and looked it up, just like the gold is called Aulum, and one of the things I looked up was Phosphorus. Like tellurium, silicon, and nihonium. It''s the name of a dungeon, just like those things. It appeared and the adventurers disappeared from here ...... a new dungeon was created! Knock! I heard a heavy object fall to the ground. I turned around at the sound and saw Cell picking up a figure-sized statue from the ground. A statue of me, a statue posed as if I was gun=cata with two guns. A statue with a whole new composition! When Cell was seen picking it up, Gohon, he coughed. ''It''s not like that,'' ''No, no, no, no, no, you can''t just say it''s like nothing happened! Fosforus is a bonus stage. Cell completely dismisses my interruptions and begins to talk. It''s a moving dungeon, a dungeon that appears in different cities at random times. It''s a special dungeon that doesn''t belong to any city because it disappears within a day after it appears and goes away. ''You''re going to pretend it didn''t happen altogether, but okay. I chuckled and asked a question to get my mind back on track. ''I know you only show up for one day, but why is this a bonus stage?If there are no adventurers here, does that mean it''s a really good dungeon? It''s money. "Kane. Me returning the oomph, my pronunciation of the word is a flat thing. "You mean gold ...... this? I take the money from this world out of my pocket. Bills and coins. They''re in pirouettes, and their value and face value are almost the same as Japanese yen. ''Hmm. Fosforus is a dungeon that drops money directly from the dungeon, and it doesn''t depend much on the status of the drop. So whoever you are, you''re going to get some cash for it? Hmm. A very strange dungeon. ...... You defeat monsters in dungeons and drop money directly into them. It''s certainly a bit strange, but I''m used to that kind of feeling in games, so it''s not too strange for me. Still, it''s not a little strange (), but that''s probably because I''ve gotten used to this world. But when everyone ...... goes over there, you''re going to have less supplies. It''s also why my family controls the dungeon. Yeah? What do you mean?He looks at the cell with a face like, "I don''t know. ''If everyone goes to get the money directly, like they do now, then we''ll have less stuff. Because if you get the money directly, there''s no hassle. Indeed. But doing so will eventually make things scarce, and the value of things will rise far more than money. Don''t go to ...... inflation. Cell nodded clearly. He looked inside the dungeon again. The usually rambunctious adventurers were completely absent. It''s a situation where production has completely stopped at this moment. I don''t have to think too hard to see that this is not a good situation. ''''However, for one day, the stockpile of supplies is enough, and having plenty of cash in the hands of the primary producers is a good thing, as it will boost the economy. Yeah. ''Ah!Satou-san! Yeah?Ena''s mother? I turned toward the voice, outside the dungeon, and saw Ena''s mother from the entrance. She was running a grocery store and not an adventurer, and she was watching me from outside, like she was afraid to step into the dungeon because she couldn''t fight. The other side couldn''t come in, so I headed over and we were outside the dungeon. ''What''s going on?'' ''Um ...... today''s watermelon is ......'' Ena''s mother looked at me with a horrified, pale, and frowning expression. Cell comes out of the deserted dungeon. Oh, I see. All the adventurers have gone to Fosforus, and they''re worried about that. Like the watermelon, I have a few contracted production--like things. One of them is a watermelon that I''m delivering to Ena''s parents'' house. ''Don''t worry, I''ll get it to you later, like I always do. ''Oh!Thank you!Thank you! Ena''s mother bowed her head over and over again. Fosforus looks interesting and interesting, but this one is a prior commitment from before, so let''s make this one a priority. On this day, all the other adventurers entered Fosforus, so when the Lyota family delivered their drops as usual, they were thanked here and there. The next day, for some reason, Phosphorus didn''t disappear! 244. A man with a daily salary of 20 million There were no adventurers in each dungeon on this day. Tellurium, Silicon, and Arsenic ....... All the dungeons I went to were devoid of adventurers, only monsters like Nihonium. ''''This isn''t good.'''' Extremely bad. Whoa! I was mumbling to myself, surrounded by Arsenic rocks, when Cell, who had been here some time before, spoke to me from right beside me. ''You''ve been here,'' I heard that Master Sato was here. I didn''t tell anyone where I was going. It''s not something you can catch up with after you''ve heard, since they''re moving through the transfer gate in the first place. ...... Don''t shut up at that point. That''s why our family controls the minting of money. If anyone can pay out as much money as he wants, he will run out of things to do. I guess so: ...... It''s only the second day, but I can already feel the seriousness of the situation. There are no adventurers when you enter the dungeon, i.e. the production of things stops completely. If this goes on, things will completely disappear from the city''s shops and stores. ''''Can''t you do something about it?'''' ...... Got it. I nodded gravely to Cell''s request. The first thing I need to do is understand the situation. So I went back to the mansion, and after going out of town, I came to Phosphorus, which had appeared on the outskirts of town. The place where adventurers were stepping into, even now, was not a cave. There was a cloud floating about a meter above the ground, and on top of that cloud was a door. It''s a door that is open with a Kannon (Goddess of Mercy) opening, and adventurers are constantly entering it without having time to shut it down. Quickly, quickly. Hey, you''re pulling my leg, all right? If you take that long, you''ll be gone in a cloud. The duo of adventurers slipped past me and into the dungeon. ''Oh ...... I see,'' Visuals are very important, people are very much pulled by the images they see. The fact that the dungeon entrance looks mobile - riding on clouds - is probably the reason why adventurers are rushing to Phosphorus right now in a hurry. I stepped inside, almost bumping shoulders with the hurrying adventurers. It was packed tightly inside. There were more adventurers than in any other dungeon I''ve ever been to. There were more people, but there was a strange order to it. The adventurers gathered at several points and lined up in line, as if the dungeon itself had become an amusement park. Looking at the head of the queue-- Hey, line it up. I''m just looking. I quieted the adventurer who misunderstood my intrusion and looked at the front of the line, and then a monster appeared. A monster appeared at the front of the line, looking like it had spotted a jewel box. Shortly after, it was defeated by an adventurer. The adventurer picked up the dropped items and came to the end of the line to re-enter the line. What a sight I''ve seen before. I decided to get in line too. I stood in line and waited my turn. Monsters were spawned and defeated one after another, and the line was being digested. In the blink of an eye, it was my turn to stand in line. I fired my gun at the jewel box with eyes spawned in front of me, a monster with jagged teeth at the edge of the opening. A single growth bullet, I easily defeated it. The drop was - 30,000 piro. Three 10,000-pillow bills. We made 30,000 pillows in an instant. No wonder no one goes back to their normal dungeon. That''s a lot of money to be made in this one moment, equivalent to one magic cart''s worth of supplies. I went down to the second basement level, the line was full of the same. The monsters were different from the above, this time it was a bag of jewelry with arms and legs. We quickly killed the monsters that were spawned in the same line, and this time we got 40,000 piro. We went down to the third floor. The monster is a motionless safe, a safe with a mouth and eyes. It was an Arsenic-like monster. The adventurers lined up in the solid vault are struggling. If you look closely, you''ll see a hammer carrier, and a few adventurers here and there who seem to be fans of Emily, usually in Arsenic. The normal adventurers took several times longer to beat them, but the fact that they don''t move makes them incredibly safe. We line up there, wait our turn, and take them down from the beginning with a full blown annihilation round. ''''Whoa!'''' You just hit a safe face. I pick up the 100,000 pillows of the drop while people around me marvel at it. A quick look around, I get it. And even if I had to wait in line, I''d make more than the average adventurer makes in a day. If I didn''t need the line - yes, I would. If Fosforus came in and I went in as the first team to go in before the word got out yet. I think I could make 20 million pirouette a day, I think. I can''t do this, though I had the option in my head of convincing the adventurers to go back to the dungeon I''m usually in, but I can''t do this. ''I guess I''ll just have to hope that Phosforus will take me back to Phosforus as soon as possible. I agree. And that''s something only Satou-sama can do. So don''t go barging in on the side! I was sad that I was a little used to the appearance of the cell. 245. Solo Raid Boss On the third day, Fosforus remained present in Cyclo. More and more adventurers were holed up in the bonus stage dungeons, and the production of goods had stopped completely. Other cities, or things that could be covered by imports, were exactly the same as usual, but vegetables, fruits, and plant-based goods had completely disappeared from stores. The non-adventurer families took advantage of this. Adventurers make a lot of money in Phosphorus, holed up here day and night at the drop of a hat, so it doesn''t matter if the goods disappear from the stores or if the prices go up. The taverns and eateries frequented by adventurers are not so affected either. They are the adventurers who have acquired Abukuzeni, so even if their purchases become expensive, they can just add it to the price. Humans are a strange thing, when they get a large amount of money that they didn''t plan on, they get carried away and spend a lot of money. That''s why the average non-adventurous family got a cut of the money. Beef cost 100 to 200 Piro for 100 grams of beef, but a cabbage cost over 1000 Piro. I had to do something quickly, so I came to the bottom floor of Phosphorus, the 20th basement floor. The 20th basement floor was a different scene. It was like a lobby in the middle, with 12 huge doors radiating out in every direction. They look like castle gates, with doors that open in a Kannon style, and a countdown timer on them. The doors are swarming with adventurers, who are ready to attack. From swords, spears, hammers and their physical bodies to flames, ice, lightning and all manner of magic. All kinds of attacks here and there were fired at the door. ''''It''s a strange sight.'''' I''ve never seen it before. Beside me, Leia, who accompanied me, said in her usual flat tone. ''''Yeah, this is my first time. If all the adventurers are doing this, I wonder if that door is a monster. But it doesn''t look like a monster defeat, does it? "Sabotage. That''s the one. I look at it with a bitter smile. As I''ve said, it feels more like a sabotage or dismantling operation than a monster extermination, as I''ve found out quite frankly. Everyone is attacking the doors as best they can. Suddenly, one of the doors caught my eye. The countdown timer is about to end. 10, 9, 8...... 0. The timer hit zero and the door disappeared with a pop, a distracting sound. There was a space behind the door, a decent amount of space, about ten tatami mats. There was nothing in it. ''d*mn it!You failed! I couldn''t get to it in time. ...... ''When you squirm, you drop zero ....... Even though you knew, this is hard. The group of adventurers who were attacking that door were extremely depressed. I see, if they are not defeated within the time limit, nothing will happen to them-- Boom! What the f*ck? Boom! Boom! Boom! A tremendous roar began to echo from a distance. When I looked over there, I saw another group of adventurers attacking the door. There were ten people, and all the adventurers who hadn''t yet attacked were in some kind of "hoarding" pose, and they were firing the blow after hoarding at the door. The timer had less than a minute left, and they all released their hoarded attacks. Then the door was smashed through with great force and a space similar to the one before was created at the back. With a pop, the wreckage of the door came out and a pile of money was created in the back space. Roughly speaking, it was 20 million. The adventurers went in and began to divide the money up. Two million each. "This is the best place in the world! The one for me takes half an hour at a time, so I don''t usually get much use out of it. So do I. Wow, I love it here, where I can take my time building up. The adventurers who split up the mountain were in a good mood. ''''I see, those adventurers who took too long to charge up and have great skills that they can''t normally use? They''re in heaven. Yeah. We have a pretty good idea of the situation on the lowest level, and I should probably get to it. The adventurers who had failed earlier were discouraged and pulling out, leaving me with an extra room. I stood in front of the room and waited for a moment. I had to do something about Fosforus. If I didn''t know when he was going to disappear, then I would have to see the spirit of the dungeon--Phosforus himself. That''s why I''m here. The straightforward way to meet the spirit is to defeat the monster at the lowest level. So I came here and waited for the door - probably the monster door - to revive. Suddenly, I noticed that there was a buzz behind me. I turned around to see what was going on and-- Whoa! Before I knew it, the adventurers had gathered there. The 12''s - the adventurers who were at each of the remaining 11 doors - had gathered, surrounded, and were looking at me. ''What''s going on?'' I want to know how Mr. Lyota is going to screw this up. One of the adventurers, a macho man with an Emily-branded hammer, said. More than half of them nodded in agreement with him - and I could tell by their eyes that the other half agreed with him. ''Master, popular,'' It''s complicated. And it''s hard to do. The door came back on after a while, and I tried to leave the awkwardness behind me, and I took one deep breath and faced the door. "Leia, Yes, sir. I put on the transforming Leia and fired a series of normal bullets from a total of six pistols, me and Leia, for a small check. I slammed the bullets into the air as hard as I could with the force of a one-man barrage, but the one that emerged from the dust cloud created by the countless bullets was-- I''m unharmed. Yeah, you''re right. Let''s go for the obliteration round. "Yes. We''re changing the bullets Leia loads. She changes all of her regular bullets to frozen bullets. And then she fires a series of recoil bullets. After confirming this, I fire a series of flame bombs. I catch up with Leia''s freezer bullets and fuse them together to make them disappear. Leia''s accuracy is still not 100%, and even if I shoot it, it doesn''t always turn into a fusion bullet. So this way, I''ll have them focus on one type of continuous firing and I''ll shoot the other one and fuse them together. ""Ooohhhh!" From the side, it took the form of all the bullets that Leia shot at me (and knocked them off), so even though I didn''t understand the situation, I cheered. Those countless annihilation bullets hit the door, the annihilation bullets that usually bite off the entire space, but they disappear almost without effect. But it''s not completely nullified either. ''''Confirm that the surface has been scraped off.'''' Hard. What do you want to do? There''s no guarantee we won''t run out of bullets. Let''s just go with all conventional rounds. I understand. Leia begins to reload, and I load all the regular rounds into all the pistols as I did the first time - and then fire continuously. I also fire a series of conventional rounds, and the fused piercing bullets attack the door at a single point. A bead of explosions, it''s like road construction. I''ve gotten used to it, so I increase my pace, and the explosions become even shorter in duration--and eventually connect. Pan-pan-pan-pan ......--not. Purrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! The sound of the game became a sound. Mixed in with the sound were cheers from the adventurers watching. The door was gradually being gouged out, the continuous shots pierced the door little by little. It would take several hundred rounds, or about three minutes to fire. At the end of that much continuous shooting, the door was pierced and a hole was made. That, right after. Pow! The door came open and a pile of bills appeared in what looked like the room beyond. ''Oh!'' Wow, yeah! One person, and in such a short amount of time, can break it: ...... I waited for a while while everyone around me marveled at it. The admiration turned into a question at the end, and everyone was asking, "Why don''t you take the money? I began to wonder. Still I waited. For the stairs to the bottom, to Phosphoenix. "Oh, no, Leia. It''s Revive. "Yes. I gave up and commanded Leia, and one of the arms extended and cast a spell on the pile of bills. Revive, a magic that instantly turns dropped items back into monsters and hagrems, Revive. In an instant, the wad of bills returned to its original door. ''''Eeeeeee!'''' Why?Why would you put it back? You don''t need the money or-- Amidst the murmur, I reached for the door and chanted "Repetition". The door returned to the wad of cash again. ''I beat it!'' Isn''t that last lap magic? ''In one second, wow. ......'' Amidst even more surprise and admiration than before, I stuck. I kept waiting, but the stairs didn''t come up. I continued to revive and repetition in amazement, but the stairs didn''t appear. Hmmm, what should I do? 246. Only Ryota can do it I tried dozens of times, but in the end, I didn''t end up with the stairs that lead to the genie/phosphorus. In the evening, it was time to go up. I had no choice, so I returned to the mansion from the transfer gate with the last wad of 20 million bills I dropped at the end. ''''Welcome home!'''' Oh! Aulum greets me in the transporter room of the mansion as the sun sets. In his arms, like a doll, is a mini-wise Meeke in his arms, a mini-wise man in his arms. ''Welcome home,'' I''m home. What are you guys doing here? I just wanted to tell Lyota I''m home! Aurum was extremely excited. ''I''m home?'' People say "I''m back" and "welcome home".I haven''t been able to say anything at all since Lyota has just taken me out of the house. I see. It''s like a live-in couple daring to meet up outside for a date. ''Ughhhh, thanks to Lyota, I''ve experienced another one. It''s good to see you, Master Ulm. I owe it to you, too. Here''s a present! Aurum said and held up his hand, his palm glowed with a pah, and then the golden accessory was on Meeke''s body. Also, there was more. As a unique monster, Meeke, who was free to move around the dungeons and hierarchies of the monsters he and I were touching, had become the partner of Aulum, who wanted to get out. Aulum thanked Meeke at every opportunity, and now Meeke is covered in gold jewelry all over his body. All ten fingers are covered in rings, or else she''s fully equipped like a two-dimensional idol chaser. I''m sure Meeke and Aurum are good friends. It''s nice to hear you say you''re home, thank you. That''s my line. If it wasn''t for Ryota, I''d still be there, and I''d still be there. So thank you. Okay. Me and Aurum nodded and smiled at each other. When we got home, I walked towards the salon, trying to catch my breath first. Aulum takes Meeke in his arms and follows beside me. ''Mmm,'' What? Ryota, how are you feeling? Yeah, I''m having a little trouble getting through the dungeon. I explained to him briefly about Phosforus. ''I see. ......'' I thought I could handle it, but maybe it''s just multiplied. Not really. What? Aurum stopped in her tracks. I stopped and turned to her too. Aulum stops and looks straight at me. Her tone of voice is quiet, not so strong, but I can sense her clear intentions. ''Lyota could do it.'' Really? Yeah, well, it has to be Lyota. I''ll make sure of that. Smiling, Aulum smiled. ''That''s me,'' There are 118 dungeons in the world, and Aurum controls one of them. In this world where everything is dropped from dungeons, spirits like Aulum are equal to gods - or even gods themselves. I''m not going to be the only one. Well, thank you. That''s my line. Aulum laughed and walked off again, coming alongside me. ''Ah, there''s Yoda,'' What''s up, Emily? Emily pattered in from across the hallway. ''We have a guest,'' Customer? Rebecca is here. Why, again: ...... Rebecca Neon. Also known as "The Perfect". All A''s in every ability, and on top of that, being dungeon-born, she''s one of the genie-attached ones who has completely conquered 118 single neon dungeons and received permission from the genie to call herself "Neon". ...... Oh, I see. I remembered and looked at Aulum and Meeke. ''What do you mean?'' ''I remember a conversation we had the last time I was here. She asked me, ''Are you from Aulum?'' I asked. And now Aulum is Meeke, right? Yes, it''s me. Maybe he''s here to see a new genie. ''Yes, sir. And he said he had something he wanted to say to Yoda, too. ''I guess I''m complaining. These people are like, ''What do you mean you''re changing without my permission?'' I''m going to say it. Maybe we shouldn''t see each other. Aulum tilted his head slightly and asked. ''Well, ...... what to do ......'' Do you want to see him for me? ''Wow!You''re back, Alice. Alice asked with a wry smile as she called out from behind me. ''Yeah, I just got home. ''You''re Rebecca Neon, right? I''m kind of curious. Interested? We''re all from the same dungeon. Yeah, like, ......? Same dungeon birth? ''Huh?What''s up, Lyota? You''re frozen. ...... Alice! Haha! I grabbed Alice''s shoulder and looked her in the eye from close range. ''''Dude, what''s wrong with you, Lyota?'''' Alice is a 100% drop, right? ''Yes, but ......'' "But the monsters dropped the equivalent of a C, didn''t they? Yeah, I had to time the-- Hi! Come on! I grabbed Alice''s hand and headed back the way I''d come. ''Mr Yoda?'' Where are you going, Lyota? Sorry, I want to try something. Rebecca''s all yours. With that, he pulled Alice along the corridor with Zunzun. ''What''s that?'' I don''t know ...... but it was alive and kicking. Yeah. Fosforus, the lowest level of the basement, 20th floor. There were fewer people here than on the other levels, partly because the vault door would take a long time to smash through. I took Alice and stood in front of the open door. "How''s that? You mean, the timing? Oh, you sense very rare timing? Yes. ''Early!How can you know so quickly? I''ve been to a lot of dungeons myself. Alice grins and gives a mischievous smile. ''I know all sorts of patterns. Here''s ...... a messy one. What do you mean? ''There''s always timing, but it''s super short. One second - hmmm, maybe a ten-thousandth of a second? That''s why I didn''t. There''s always a 1 in 10,000 chance of that happening. And since the time is right I''m not going to tell you how to beat him. Hmm, I think I''m okay? What? Watch. Alice said, and stepped forward to face the vault door. ''I don''t know what I''m going to do, but I''ll leave it to you. ''Rietin!'' Alice used her trump card summoning magic. Ryouchin, the deformed me. A genuine trump card, with all the same abilities as mine, but only once a day and only for 30 seconds to be called. ''I''m going to call you Ryo-chin.'' Ryouchin nodded, drew his gun and began to attack the door. Just like I did, it''s a series of penetrating rounds with two pistols. I''m doing that randomly. I see, you''re going to scrape it off first, and then you''ll be able to time your tome--. "It''s out. What? I made a strange sound. The door was normally penetrated and normally gone - and there was a staircase that normally led down. ''Huh?So easily? That''s because Li-ching and I are connected. That''s what happens when you have to time it correctly. That''s awesome: ...... What are you talking about? Alice says dumbly. The great thing is Lyota. I didn''t give you any other girls. Oh, by the way, ''I couldn''t do this unless I did it with Ryota alone. It was much more successful with just Lyota than with everyone else. So that''s what it''s all about. Well, here''s the stairs. Alice turns to the stairs, as if to say, once again. I turn to the stairs, too, and I see it. The stairs leading to Fosforus'' room, they finally come out. 247. Phosphorus = melamella The stairs leading to Fosforus. ...... Gokuri. I gulped raw. The air was distinctly different. The air was tense and tense, as if it pierced the skin. ''Is this spirit here a scary person? Alice seemed to feel this as well, and her expression was clearly strengthening. ''''No, we have to break through one more barrier before we reach the spirits. Really?! If it ain''t too much trouble. When we get down here, we''ll be fighting monsters in a very large room. It''s a dungeon master class monster. That''s right: ...... He looked at her like he respected her for knowing that, but it was only for a moment. Alice stared at the stairs with melancholy eyes. ''What''s the matter, what''s bothering you?'' You know what, Lyota, I want to go to ....... What? You must defeat the monster. If I do that, I''ll be able to see the genie, right? That''s true, but ...... I could take him down and take him later, like Seren and Arsenik. I thought, but I didn''t say that. It was because Alice''s eyes were extremely serious. I want to do it, I really want to do it. I want to do it with my own hands for a reason. Such a strong will was clearly evident in her eyes. ''''I understand.'''' I don''t know why, but I can''t say no if that''s what Alice wants to do. ''''Just support then. I''m going to use "All Might" Norichin, so I''m going to use "Quicksilver" to raise your status instead. Alice and the monsters for six. Then, before we go in, I''ll give you an acceleration round-- Lyota. What? You''re staring straight at me. She looked at me with the same, or perhaps even more determined eyes as before, and said, "I''m going to do my best. "I''m going to do my best. ...... "Hang in there. ...... Right. I have no idea why, but I know that Alice is making a strong appeal to me. But I know that Alice is making an incredibly strong appeal to me, and it''s not just selfishness, she''s insisting on doing something that she knows is dangerous. She''s claiming that she knows it''s dangerous to do it, and it''s not just selfishness. Then. Okay. I decided to drop my involvement and leave it all to Alice. Thank you. Alice said with a smiling face and a voice that revealed her happiness. Then she put each of her fellow monsters on her shoulder in the palm of her hand before gently sending them back to their original form. The pull of slime. Skeleton''s honking. Little devil bonbons. Needle Lizard''s spiky spikes. The gau-gau of a master dragon. You can feel the Lord''s Alice''s enthusiasm, and you know why. Deformed and adorable, the silhouette was more serious than ever, giving off an aura of something more than just a thing. ''Let''s go, guys,'' Alice said and went down the stairs with the monsters. After she went down, the stairs disappeared and were gone as if nothing had happened. I waited there. Maybe--. ''I''ve been here.'' ...... Rebecca. I was approached from behind and when I turned around, I saw Rebecca. I remembered that she was at the mansion. ''I heard from your people that you were here. Yeah, I''m sorry. I don''t care. What are you doing here? I''m waiting for my people to come home. Hello?--no way. That''s Rebecca Neon, "The Perfect", who was allowed to take the name of a genie. In an instant, she seemed to understand what I was going to say. ''Yeah, I''m going to see the genie here, Phosphorus. Yes, that''s true ...... and I''m sure you''re not in the mood for that. ...... No, not really. Oh, you''re surprisingly cold, aren''t you? You''ve been with a spirit at one time or another. You must know the hurdle to get there, right? At one time. That''s the only part of Rebecca''s dialogue that was slightly different in "weight" than the others. I don''t have to dare ask. I think she came to visit today to ask about the matter of Aulum being passed from me to Meeke - to another person. That''s what she said once, in the way she said it. Apart from that, she also knows how hard it is to meet a spirit. That''s why I''m wondering. ''I''m not cold.'' Then what is it? My thoughts came full circle. I came back to where I had thought I would be just before Rebecca showed up. ''Maybe, no, definitely. Alice will be back. Take on Fosforus. That means ....... Pausing for a breath, Rebecca looked at me with zealous eyes. ''You trust me, don''t you? ''I''m embarrassed to say it again,'' I guess that''s what I''m talking about. You''re acting like a big shot, but I wonder if it''s going to work. "The battle. I answered immediately. It''s not like I''m a big shot or anything. I''m just a believer. I believe in Alice. And I don''t-- Lyota!Look, look, look!It''s mellifluous, mellifluous! Alice came back on high tension, a blue burning, deformed fireball in the palm of her hand. ''So that''s Fosforus?'' ''Yes!But from today, I''m a melange. Okay. The name was given by Alice''s naming sense despite being a dungeon spirit. I huffed, expecting that. ''......'' Rebecca, who didn''t know Alice that well, was in a state of exasperation about too much. 248. I dont need money (side Alice) Alice Wonderland walked slowly down the stairs. She suddenly stopped and turned around to look behind her. The entrance slowly closing, the figure of Ryota disappearing. The sight of Ryota further strengthens her resolve. ''Yeah, I''ll do my best!I''ve got to get a proper genie for Lyota''s sake. I clenched my fists and steeled myself before descending the stairs again. The destination of the descent was an empty, pure white space. ''''--'''' The fellow monsters on her shoulders buzzed. The skeleton Honehone in particular squeezed and clung to her face. Her fellow monsters have different personalities, with Skeleton Honehone being the most timid and spoiled. ''''Don''t worry, I''ll be with you. Alice looked around, stroking her honeone. ''It''s a strange place, I don''t even know if it''s small or wide ...... this, if I stay here long enough my eyes will go crazy.'' It seems to be spreading out as far as it can go, and if you reach out, you can almost reach an invisible wall. In such a mysterious space, a monster suddenly appeared. The monster is humanoid, about twice the size of a human. Although it is humanoid, it has no skin, no scales or anything like that. Its entire body is made of jewelry, gold and silver, and other treasures. ''Wow--wow! Alice hurriedly flew right to the side. The monster raised its hand and it flew at her as if it had exploded. Gold, white silver, pearls and diamonds. The priceless objects flew at her like a shotgun. I was able to fly right next to it, but I couldn''t duck one of the gems and hit my forehead with a heavy blow. ''Itatata ......'' Alice held her hand to her forehead where it had been hit. Something tepid flowed down through her palm. ''Guys, please!'' He summoned his fellow monsters, holding back the blood flowing from the wound. Skeleton''s honeone. The slime pull. The bonbons of the little devil. The Needle Lizard''s spiky spikes. The gau-gau of a master dragon. The deformed looking monsters all jump out at once. Even Honehone, who had been frightened earlier, bravely attacked the enemy monsters. Alice keeps her distance and observes the enemy. The five-on-one battle is fierce. The enemy doesn''t just send jewels flying, they also use wads of 10,000 piro bills to hit you at close quarters. It''s an attack that makes you want to rush in to see if it''s some kind of rich person, but its power is immense. In the blink of an eye, the honeone and spiky spikes acting as the vanguard were crushed to pieces and returned to Alice''s shoulders at doll size. ''''You''re okay! Hone Hone and Togetoge nodded, and then took on the form of a monster again, returning to the battle. It was only the monsters that guarded the path leading to the spirits, and they were quite strong. The other four of Alice''s companions, with the exception of Gau Gau, the master dragon, were repeatedly getting hit and then returning to the fight. Meanwhile, the enemy showed no signs of falling. The five onslaughts, spreading gold and silver treasures from their bodies each time they were attacked, but in the next moment, they were repairing themselves as if nothing had happened. ''''What should I do? ......'''' Alice was troubled. If this was Ryota, he would have guessed that it was an inorganic life form, self-repairing, a pattern with a core somewhere, but Alice didn''t have the experience and knowledge to think like that. Unable to do so, she was in trouble. But there are things only she can do. ''Do you have anything ......?'' Every time an enemy monster attacked or regenerated. Alice felt that there was "something" in the belly button area, as humans call it. It wasn''t that something glowed, it wasn''t that her magic or life force had increased. But something is there, Alice feels. The dungeon-born girl felt the same way she had always felt, "Somehow there''s something in the other person''s belly button. ...... good. Thinking about it, she decided to move. She took a slingshot from her pocket and used it to send a round ball into the enemy monster. It hit the opponent''s belly button, and with a pitter-patter, red juice spread out. The thing itself is just a paintball, it has no killing power or magical effects. It''s just a paintball. But when her fellow monsters saw it, they didn''t look aside and focused their attacks on the painted spot. It''s an agreement between her and the Honejones, so when she makes a mark with it, she ignores everything else and concentrates her attack on the spot where she made it. Honehone''s bone club, pull-pull body hits, bonbon magic bullets, spiky spikes flying, and gau-gau bites. All of the attacks were focused on the painted area. Palin! There was a dry sound, and the enemy stopped moving. It twitched and cramped for a few moments, but the body made of gold and silver treasures eventually fell apart and crumbled, scattering the expensive treasures on the ground. ''''Yay!Thank you all. Victory after a fierce battle, the five companions jumped on Alice in unison, flirting with her in skin-to-skin contact. As she stroked and nursed them one by one, a staircase leading downward appeared from the empty space. Gulping, Alice spat raw. ''There''s a ...... genie down here ....... I buzzed and shivered. Was it the air leaking out, or was it the anticipation and anxiety? Or both. Alice became nervous and strong. "-- Then Hone Honehone clings to Alice. A white-boned monster, rather a resident of the world of horror, but a fearful Hone Hone Hone. Such Honehone clung to Alice in the same way as before - or even more frightened than before. '' ...... Don''t worry, I''m here for you. When you see something that frightens you more than you do, it''s the opposite of what makes you calm down. Alice soothed Hone Hong Hong and relaxed a little, and went down the stairs. The monster at the end of the stairs?There was a 10,000 pirouette wads of bills on the ground, piled up like a bed. In the center of the bed of wads of bills, there was a flame monster that looked like it was made of burning bills. This room, lit by the flames burning the bills, seemed strangely brighter than the pure white space above. ''''How come I haven''t seen a human here in hundreds of years and you''re a little girl? The flame drew back his mouth in a blunt tone. ''You''re that ...... Phosphorus?The spirits here. Alice became respectful and asked the flame. ''That''s right, I''m the master of this dungeon. ''I am Fosforus.'' Good to see you ...... somehow. Why, you didn''t just come by chance to see me? ''Yes!I''ve done you a favor. Hmm. Fosforus narrowed his eyes - but he didn''t have eyes, but he looked at Alice like that. After a while, he looked bored. ''Well, I''ve made it this far. I''ll at least reward you. ''Really?Thank you. So, how long-- I need you to join me! What--? As if by surprise, the words Phosforas was about to say flew off. ''What did you just say?'' ''Join us!Oh-- Alice hurriedly summoned the five monsters that had returned to her shoulders after the battle was over to monster size again. ''''Just like this, please join me! What did you say? I mean, ...... is that a no-no? No. That''s a skill that was born in a dungeon. You could do it if you punched me in the face with one of your Ila''s, but I''m not ...... sure that''s a good idea. Yes! You don''t want the money? ''Yes!I don''t want that! Alice answered immediately, and Phosforas was taken aback by her immediate response. ''......'' Um, ...... still no good? ...... No, I''m just surprised. I''ve never seen anyone like you before. What? People who come in here, or even into my dungeon, are always looking for money, and I''ve never seen anything like you. Fosforus laughed - a flicker of fire that seemed to be - and asked one last reminder. ''You really don''t want the money, do you?The way you look, I won''t be able to give you any money or anything until you''re dead. Yes! Alice answered without hesitation. Fosforus laughed so hard, so merrily, that the room shuddered. After it subsided. ''Alright, give me a shot at Ola. Yes! Alice didn''t hesitate to go over and hit Fosforus. She hit him just like she did with the other kids, she would take him down herself. She didn''t hit the flames burning on the wad of money, but she didn''t bruise them. Instead, the flame squeezed out once, changed shape, and appeared in the palm of Alice''s hand. It was the same in terms of flames, but just like Alice''s other fellow monsters, comical eyes became attached to the center of the flames. Thus, Mera Mera of Phosphorus became Alice''s companion. With the spirit as her companion, she became the spirit she had longed for. 249. Ryota> Alice> Rebecca Outside of Fosforus, in the shadows a short distance away. Most of the adventurers coming out of the hidden exit were full of frustrated faces. ''''Suddenly it''s not dropping anymore, what the hell is going on here?'''' We''ll come back tomorrow. I''ve got a lot of money here for now. Fosforus no longer drops gold, and it seems that adventurers are leaving there in droves. The reason why Fosforus is no longer dropping, is, of course-- You''re very successful. Yeah. I''ve got Melamela here. Just like Aulum. Alice, who was beside me, put the new addition to the group, Melamera - the spirit Phosforus, on her shoulder and said with a smile. ''''Does that mean they''re the same?If I go back now, will the drop be restored? I don''t know: ...... I don''t know. ...... I do. It was silent, but the melancholy flames showed a reaction that grew in size for a moment. Like his fellow monsters until now, he doesn''t speak, but he seems to be able to communicate with Alice. ''''Eh?Oh, no, it''s not. I''d rather not have to go back - and that''s fine, Ryota. Yeah, that''s more like it. So there''s that. But we''ll go to other dungeons together, okay? All together. When Alice said that, the other fellow monsters on her shoulders as well - from Hone Hone to Gau Gau got excited with a lot of enthusiasm. Because of their deformed appearance, their clamoring figures are comical and cute. That''s right!Hey Mela Mela, come over here and give me some honehoneys. Thinking of something, Alice, she held out her palm and indicated it there. Hone Hone went into the palm of her hand without any hesitation at all. Melamela, who hadn''t yet become Alice, hesitated a bit, and then did the same in the palm of her hand. The skeleton Honehone is standing in the palm of Alice''s hand. Melamela, on the other hand, is floating in the air. Bones and flames, side by side together, it''s like a human soul to a skeleton. It''s a good look for you. ''Right!They''re both so cute! ''I didn''t say it was pretty, but it looks good. Probably the best partner? So do I. Alice with a big smile on her face. In response, Hone Honehone dexterously shaped the place of Geikotsu''s eyes into a smile and clattered with delight. On the other hand, Meramela on the other hand wavered and the color of the flames flickered, but ...... looks unperturbed. Alice''s group was having a great time with the newcomer, Melamela, and the rest of the group was having a great time. I wanted to watch them all the time, though, because it was fun. ''Alice, go and report back to the cell. What did I do? ''Since the meltdown is proof of a solution, it would be faster to show Cell in person. Yeah, right!Yeah, I''m off then. Alice nodded, and shortly afterwards the master dragon, Gau Gau, returned to monster size and literally flew away with Alice and the other companions on board. ''''I''m dumbfounded.'''' A voice came from behind me. Rebecca Neon. She came to visit me and followed me to the dungeon, she had been silent and watched from a distance ever since Alice brought Mela Mela to me, but then she spoke to me when Alice was gone. I turned to her and asked her back. ''What?'' I''ve heard about your unusual stay in Phospho-Las, isn''t that the solution? Yeah. That''s going to take the credit for her. I''ll put it away or nothing: ...... I turn my back and glance at Alice and her friends, who have disappeared into the sky in pea-sized pieces. ''It''s Alice who solved it, I didn''t do anything. If there''s any credit to be given, it''s 100% hers. Are you sure you want to do this? Yeah. I answered immediately. There was not the slightest hesitation. Rebecca stared at me, then said. "...... hmm. He sniffed with a sullen look on his face and walked away. Come to think of it, I didn''t even ask him why he came, but ...... is that okay? Cyclodungeon Society, President''s Office. Alice, unusually, met Cell without Ryota''s presence, and showed him the Phosporus melange. When Cell saw it, he nodded firmly. ''''As expected of Satou-sama''s companions, to have spirits on your side as well...'''' I''m not on your side. I''m with you. Hey, mellifluous. Melamela gently flickered her flame. A vague reply, neither agreement nor denial. He was still puzzled by Alice. As far back as he could remember, Phosforus - the first human to enter his dungeon who didn''t ask for ''money'' - was the first person he had ever met. ''That''s as good as it gets,'' Now I''m on par with him, right? You mean Rebecca Neon. Can you tell? In retrospect. So... ...... What do you think? Alice looked expectantly at Cell for an answer. I want to be able to not be licked. I want to be Ryota''s companion and not be licked as a member of the family. To that end, he aimed to be with the same spirit as Rebecca, who came from a similar origin. Now that the results were in, I wanted to know how it would look from the cell, an outsider. ''''Huh, not of the same rank. ''What?Still not good enough?Is he that great, Rebecca? No, rather the opposite. "Huh? What do you mean?He looked at the cell with a scowl. ''You''re already over there. Hence, there is no such thing as equal rank. ''...... yeah!Really? ''Of course, she''s the kind of woman who takes the dungeon all to herself, not to mention her accomplishments, and then gets jealous and grumpy all on her own: ...... Phew.'' The corners of Cell''s mouth twitched in a nihilistic manner. As Sato Ryota''s biggest believer, he was mostly aware of what happened around Ryota. He was naturally aware of what had happened just a few moments ago when Rebecca had left in a sour mood, feeling one-sidedly inferior. ''You''re now a far superior person to Rebecca Neon. I can vouch for you. Yeah! Alice was delighted, and the other monsters, except for Meramela, were also very happy. "You can always count on me for help in the future. In the name of Sel Stem, I will help you as much as I can. Even Cell, who speaks with Cell, seemed sincerely happy, not only because of his position as the head of the association that solved the case. Cell is a complete follower of Ryota. He''s a man who can even follow a spirit attendant. In that sense, Cell wholeheartedly welcomed Alice''s genie''s company. Perhaps even more so than he was, he welcomed it. 250. Take a place again, this time ... A village of monsters, Lyota. On the outskirts of the village is the dungeon Phosphorus. A bonus dungeon floating in a blizzard of dancing cherry blossoms. Two unique monsters, residents of the village, are escorting us at the entrance. Me, Cell, and Clayman, the actual head of the village, stood in a line and looked at them. ''''So, we''ll leave the management of this to you guys. ''Leave it to me, Master Lyota, for everyone in the village is in the fire and water. ''Don''t be so uptight. ...... is this okay? I ask Cell, who is on the other side of the room, while tsking Clayman with a smirk. ''I can''t complain. The Lord is gone and the dungeon is no longer dropping. I will manage it by depositing it in a village of monsters that can''t enter the dungeon. As expected of Satou-sama, that''s a perfect idea.'''' It''s fine to keep it in the cyclo, but if that''s not enough, some adventurers will try their luck a little bit later on. Hmm, this is the best shape for this dungeon. Sel did so and turned to Clayman. ''I and anyone else who isn''t Satou-sama are not to be allowed to enter. I''ll take care of it. "We''ll pay you a monthly maintenance fee. ''What?No, no such thing: ...... Clayman was puzzled, and I quickly went to talk him down. It''s a good job to be a bodyguard. And besides, it''s a proper job to keep the cell in check when it comes to managing Phosphorus. Haha. ...... Clayman looked at Cell with a puzzled look on his face. Cell nodded quietly. ''''...... Okay, I''ll take it. I''ll give Lyota-sama the top payment properly later.'''' I nodded silently, but laughed even harder. That''s exactly what I shouldn''t have to worry about, but the Claymen wouldn''t listen to me if I said that. Ever since everyone in the village turned into unique monsters in Bodley Lyota, the monsters started to respect me more and more. I feel like I''ve broken through and reached the level of "worship". ''By the way, Cell-san, I have one thing to discuss with you: ...... here. Hmm?What''s going on? Clayman took Cell and moved a little further away. ''That''s why everyone wants to ...... ...... ......,'' ''I see. ...... then I''d be happy to go to .......'' The distance is so subtle that it only sounds fragmented, but it sounds like Cell is on board with Clayman''s proposal. I don''t know what it''s about, but this village will be safe when it has the backing of a cell. Whatever it is, it''s a welcome development. GOT! A miniature statue of me fell to the ground from the sleeve of the cell. Wait for ....... You guys ...... are consulting on what. I''m back in the cyclo. I circled around the city, feeling like I was taking a walk. The city of Cyclo, which had visibly decreased in number of things after the Fosforus incident, was slowly returning to normal as the adventurers returned to the dungeon with the disappearance of the bonus stage. ''Ah, it''s Lyota.'' Really? It''s true. Suddenly, they called my name and the kids swarmed me. All of them were boys, all of them school age, all of them energetic and wannabe boys, all crowded together. They half squirmed and said things like, "That''s real," and "Why are you so strong? The boy was surrounded by the same flirtation and enthusiasm as if he had seen a professional baseball player. I was bewildered, but I had to deal with the boys who turned to me for genuine favors. They asked me for my autograph or something like that, and I had no choice but to write something like that for them. ''Oh, what are you doing, Ryota?'' Who is this Alice? The one who came over was Alice, who had all her fellow monsters - all of them, including the new addition, Mela Mela, on her shoulders. She looked at me, who was squirming, and had a strange expression on her face. ''''This is--'''' ''Wow!It''s Alice, man! Alice is that new genie in the bottle? ''Seriously?Which one?Which one is the genie? The boys all went towards Alice at once. They swarmed around as if to idolize the first pitch, just as they did to me. ''Ooh, Alice is a celebrity too,'' Crisis (?) I looked at Alice and the boys with a remarkably calm eye. I was actually surrounded by them, so I knew they would be fine. Alice was also attacked in three places: questions, handshakes and autographs. After doing that once, the boys left, looking satisfied. ''Feng ......'' Are you okay? Oh, Lyota. Yeah, I''m fine. But I was surprised. Didn''t Ryota get hit by that? Well. With a bitter smile, he shrugs. ''I see. ...... ugh.'' What''s going on? You look happy. Because, hey. No, no, no, no, no, no. I''m not sure. I wasn''t sure, but Alice seemed happy. So, I thought, okay. Suddenly, a breeze blew. A warm spring breeze. The cherry blossom blizzard, which was nearing its end, was gaining strength. ''It''s beautiful, isn''t it, Sakura? ''Yeah, it''s about to end, but ...... might be the most beautiful right now.'' ...... Hey Lyota, let''s go see the flowers again. ''What?I''ve already seen the cherry blossoms-- Come on, I''ll get a spot. I''ll get you a spot this time. You looked like you did it right the last time. Hey! Alice stares at me with sparkling eyes. Suddenly, I see Melamela on my shoulder. ''Right, let''s do another one of those welcome parties for Melamela! ''Yes!Then I''m going to go get a spot! Alice was in a very good mood and ran off like the wind. ''Alright, let''s go for it, Mela Mela! Alice''s back and her joyful voice as she walked away in a blizzard of cherry blossoms. I don''t know why I''m trying so hard, but when I saw Alice and Meramela looking so happy, I thought, "Well, that''s it. 251.Millions Salon at the mansion after breakfast. A rare visitor came to visit me, so I left for work a little late. And so it is Neptune''s family that we face. It''s Neptune, Ran and Lil, who are always together. Neptune is sitting in the middle of the sofa and Ran and Lil are beside each other, snuggled together. You always have flowers in your hands, don''t you? I think you''re much better off. How many people are there now, in this house alone? "I''ve got it all under control," you say. Of course. With a man as important as you, it''s important to know what''s going on. Haha. ...... However, the head of the Society of Filin is still too young to be a flower-- If you say more, I''ll sue you for defamation and win! I plunged in with a covered face, but Neptune didn''t feel bad, he smiled friendly with his usual face. Scary, scary. ''Scary, scary,'' he said, ''I''m going to make you mad, so I''ll leave it at that. No, no, I''m not mad at you for that. I know. Mmm. Neptune looked at me, smiling, but with a serious look in his eyes. ''That''s the kind of girl I like. If we go in that direction, I''m going to get really angry. No, no, no, not that way. Would you rather have a cup?I like that. I''d rather not have that either. I''ve gotten used to being called the Lyota Family, but when it comes to talking about cups and such, I''m a little resistant to it because it finally becomes the Yakuza or the mafia itself. I don''t know how far Neptune is serious, but I decided to divert the conversation for now. ''So what are you doing here?'' Hmm, well, actually, I''m saying hi to everyone else, but ......, well, maybe you. Everyone else? ''Well, it''s ......,'' Neptune pointed the water at the two flowers in both hands - the two girls who are attached to each other. Ran, who is an energetic, neighborhood childhood friend, and Lil, who is an older sister and gives off a bewitching air. Of the two, Lil answered the question with a dumbfounded look on her face. ''Emily, Alice, Leia and Meeke. These four. Oh, yeah, those four. ...... genie? Four names that had never been involved with Neptune before. To begin with, Leia and Meeke have only recently joined the group, and I''m not sure they''ve even met Neptune. Although they''re not tangled with Neptune, the similarities between the four of them are clear. They''re allowed to take the name of a genie, with a genie. That''s it. As a person with more than one genie in the family, we thought it would be a good idea to do some face-to-face meetings and stuff. You''ve got more than one with a genie? This was new to me, but I wasn''t surprised. The Neptune family that I''ve heard a lot of stories about right after I transitioned to this world. I''ve also had a hand-to-hand meeting with that Neptune. He''s an undisputedly talented person, and his achievements are impeccable. There is a genie in the family, and more than one of them. I wasn''t surprised to hear that. ''Hi, I''m Neptune Oxydin. Oxydin. It''s Run Hydrogen, Lil'' Hydrogen. Respect it properly. "Huh? Neptune''s didn''t surprise me, but the two that took their names shortly afterwards surprised me. I know Hydrogen, a name I knew I would hear at some point, given the name of the dungeon in this world. What surprised me was that they both called themselves that same thing. ''It''s surprising. But the spirits say they won''t admit it if it''s not two people. I see. "But ...... oxyzine and hydrogens? What''s going on? Neptune tilts his head slightly. Neptune, and Ran and Lil on either side of him. I look at the three of them and blurt out. ''......H2O'' I mumbled. ''Yes?'' No, it''s nothing. Yeah?Oh well. That''s why I came to meet you, but when I saw you, I didn''t think it mattered. Why? A genie is a major factor in some cases in a lot of people''s lives. You understand. ...... Right. In fact, Rebecca is the one. I''m doing something close. Rebecca Neon has the Neon dungeon completely to herself. For Aulum himself, I''ve also zero-dropped the night in Aulum Dungeon. That''s the kind of thing that can be done with a genie, and as Neptune said, he''s the one who can influence the lives of a lot of people by himself. ''''I don''t have an official position or anything, but that''s far more of a position than the head of a dungeon association. You will. I was wondering about that place where there are four people with a genie, but then I realized that you are the leader of this place. I guess I''m okay with that. Don''t buy it. I love you for who you are-- yee-hee! Neptune got a pinch on his cheek from both Ran and Lil. Suddenly you were getting yapped at. After they pinched him, Neptune rubbed his cheek and continued as if nothing had happened. ''But you''re really amazing,'' Yeah? ''I was an adventurer there when it was first there, and now I have four spirits in tow. That''s right: ...... Neptune turned a straight face. With the most serious expression I''ve seen on his face today. ''''You''ve become big enough to affect ...... million people. 252. Reason for being summoned Melamela, get on my shoulder. Okay, I''m off. In the morning, after eating breakfast in the cafeteria, Alice went out to the dungeon with her fellow monsters, including Meramela. The others have already gone to work in the dungeon, and there are four of us left in the dining room: me, Leia, Meeke and Aurum. "You''re feeling even better this morning, Alice. They''re very eager to show him the dungeons. It was Aulum who answered. He - one of the spirits of the dungeon, like Phosforas, aka Meramera - was one of the spirits of the dungeon. ''''Is that so?'''' Yeah. And he seems to enjoy it too. ''That''s more than anything. Is ...... awlum good?With Meeke, we can go all over the place, right? I''ll take care of it! One of the family members, Meeke, a unique monster of a mini-wise man, gave a small gut-punch and went on with enthusiasm. ''I''m not interested.'' Aulum said matter-of-factly. ''I see.'' Because dungeons are all dungeons. We spawn a monster, and the humans have to kill it and get something. I see, that''s certainly true of every dungeon. The entire primary industry in this world consists of dungeons. As long as everything from gold to sprouts are dropped from the dungeon, the dungeon is just a "production site" no matter where you go. If the idea sums up that much, it really doesn''t seem interesting. ''I''d like to see more outside the dungeon, though. "Since Meeke is here, ...... do you want to take a vacation once in a while?As it is, you only get to look around at night. Are you sure? Aulum, who had reacted with a really disinterested "I''m not interested" a moment ago, has been biting on it. You really want to see the outside of the dungeon, don''t you, Ahrum? ''''Yeah, right away is probably annoying to the adventurers who are circling, so yeah, if we give them a month or so to get the word out--'''' "A month is a month!Yes!Thanks Lyota! Aurum is extremely excited, and he''s so excited that he cracks up a little. I''ll do my best today!Let''s go. I understand! Aurum picked up Meeke and ran out of the dining room. With Meeke''s special ability, Aulum, who had the spirit--monster attribute, was also able to enter and exit the dungeon. He went to work, returning to his own dungeon almost on his own, and from the side, the story he just told looks like ''an employee who has been granted a leave of absence by his boss''. Master. Yeah? ''She thanks the master, but I thought the dungeon was hers? I know. I chuckled. I couldn''t help but laugh at Aulum, who would naturally feel like he had my ''forgiveness''. Eighth floor of the Nihonium basement. ...... It''s been so long since I''ve seen ....... It''s been almost three months, Master. Leia, who followed along, answered like a secretary. ''......'' Is there something on my face, Master? ''No, sometimes Leia looks like a guide to the game. Like, like, a little wipe-like window busted up in the corner. I don''t know what you mean. I know. I chuckled. If you talk about video games to people in this world, there''s no way they''ll understand. It''s something that doesn''t exist. So it''s something I don''t usually say. ''That''s easy to say to Leia, these things. Okay. Leia took it in stride. It was easy to talk about something related to the original world because Leia would pass it off lightly. ''''Master,'''' What''s going on? Look over there. Leia gently pointed to the ground at a distance, diagonally in front of her. There was the example, a doll-sized, classless woman. Maybe her name was Nifonium, a woman who I assume was the spirit of this dungeon. ''Sorry, I''ve been busy for a while,'' She chuckled. Nothing verbal, as usual. I look at that smile and think for a moment. Fosforas, who wants to see other dungeons, and Aurum, who wants to see the outside, not the dungeons. Arsenic, who would be happy with food, and Seren, who loves eroticism, regardless of gender. The spirits all want different things. "What do you want? I asked the woman. What does she want, which is probably nihonium, what does she want? I was curious, so I asked her, clearly articulating it. The woman smiled at me. Just smiling. Just smiling as usual, not saying anything, just smiling. And then it was gone. ''There''s something about .......'' Intuitively, I thought. Maybe there''s no doubt about it. Just like other spirits, she is practically trapped at the bottom of the dungeon, existing (and living) with a hope that cannot be cleared. I had a gut feeling that she was one of them. When I thought that, I couldn''t leave her alone. I saw myself as the same person I used to be. The figure that Ahrum had shown me. I''ve been working day and night without a break, yet most of the spirits have been unable to fulfill even the most modest of hopes. ''''I wish I could do something about it. They haven''t done anything for me, all the remaining spirits. I mumbled out loud. Then I heard a crackling, clapping sound from the side. I looked over and saw Leia clapping with her usual expressionless face. "What''s the matter with you, Leia? I don''t know. Yeah?Don''t you know, you clapped? ''Yes. The Master suddenly looked dazzling, and when he did so, his hand was writhing. Okay. Oh, I get it now. Yeah? ''Master, it''s amazing. I''m so impressed, I applaud you. I chuckled a bit at Leia, who was impressed by the time difference. 253. Mie bullet launch Darn! Eighth floor of Nifonium, I took out a three-headed zombie with a conventional round. The three heads of the zombie are invincible, reflective and weak, respectively. Invincibility means no matter how many times you attack them, and reflexes mean that the damage will be returned intact. You have to attack the weak point''s head to defeat it, and if you miss three options, the heads will shuffle and you''ll have to start over. As it is, you have three choices, but somehow the tracking round flies towards the "reflex" neck, so you have two choices except for the tracking round, which fires a tracking round and then aims at it until it lands. If you''re invincible and weak, it doesn''t matter how many attacks you make, you just have to start over at worst. Shoot the tracking round and attack the two remaining heads of the two options faster than that round. I took down a few of them, collected the seeds of luck on the porch, and took the transporter gate back to the mansion. I went into the basement and met up with Leia, who was waiting for me. ''Ta-da!'' I understand. Leia nods nonchalantly. I pull a seed out of the pouch, careful not to touch it. ''Revive.'' Leia cast a spell. It''s called resurrection, a magic that turns you back into a monster from a drop. Since it''s out of the dungeon, the seed of luck hatched into a haglemono. Like in the dungeon, I shot a tracking round and blew the remaining heads off after making two choices. I hit it invincible, started over, and took another two choices from the tracking bullet - this time I took it down normally. A new bullet dropped, one I hadn''t seen before. I pick it up, now what kind of bullet is it--. ''Master-'' Yeah?What''s up, Leia? Why not use the repetition? It''s much faster. Repetition, is that what you''re talking about? I held out another seed and sucked my chin at Leia. Leia nodded silently and cast a spell on the seed. ''Revive.'' "Repetition. I was covered up and I used my magic too. The seeds almost wiped out the process and became bullets in an instant. Even though defeating monsters in this world is more and more a production aspect, this is more and more production. If you do this enough times, it will be on the level of putting chrysanthemums on a sassimi. ''You''re asking why we don''t do this? Yes, sir. ''This guy is a thankless monster. You have to be faster than a tracking round, so you''re used to high speed combat, the ability to make a split-second decision between two options, and the ability to recover when you fail. Fighting this guy will train all three of these abilities at the same time. You don''t want to waste your time skipping out on repetitions. I see. The master is a hard worker. I''m a hard worker, I mean, I''m a bit of a stickler. I liked time attacks, even in kart racing games where you use a lot of items, I would run forever against my ghosts, not the items, but my own ghosts. I don''t know, but I know it''s great. I''ve never told anyone anything unnecessary, and I can''t help but talk about the other side of things. I''m grateful for Leia''s response of understanding, "I don''t know, but I understand," and I can''t help but talk about it again. ''Well, that''s good to know: ...... This new bullet. Would you like to test the effect? Yeah. It''s probably some kind of special bullet. I loaded my new special bullet into the gun. Leia brought the flowers stacked in a corner of the basement and revved them up. Flowers from Arsenic, the monsters are Arsenic monsters. Like an Arsenic monster, it was a stubborn-looking rock that didn''t move at all. ''Here you are, Master. Thank you. I fired a new round at the motionless rock monster. After the bullet landed without a problem-- Pow! The sound of an explosion echoed and rocks shattered. ''An explosion, is that all?'' ...... Leia, one more time, please. I understand. Leia silently prepared a new monster without asking me anything else. He shot a new bullet into the monster that regenerated instantly with Revive. Pow! There was another explosion, and the rock shattered into pieces. ''......'' What do you think, Master? Again. Yes, sir. Three times, I set up the monster. Before firing a special bullet, he fired an accelerator round at himself and Leia. "Master? Check it out with me. I understand. Leia nodded, and I fired a special bullet. In the accelerated world, the bullets flew lazily through the accelerated world. It landed on the rock monster. Papa Paan! There were three explosions. Yeah. I knew it wasn''t my imagination, I felt like I heard it three times at normal speed, but I wasn''t sure, so I used two precious - and only one accelerated bullet per day - to confirm it. ''One more, please, while I''m accelerating.'' I understand. Leia moved very crisply and revived from the flower, but the speed at which it hatched into the haggle was normal and didn''t make much sense. She struck to place (,) a special bullet on a rock that slowly hatches in an accelerated world. Papa Paan! Another explosion sound. It''s the fourth explosion. That doesn''t sound right. Is that so? Don''t you get it? Yes, sir. Let''s ask him again on the assumption that he might be. Yes, sir. The fifth test, a blink-and-you''ll-hear-it from Revive. I looked at Leia. ''Yes, it''s a bit different. Only the second time is a bit odd. I don''t know why.'' ''I think the first and third time it''s exploding from the outside, and the second time it''s exploding from the inside. Is that so? The way it sounded, or the way it was caged, was different. ''Is that so?I''m not sure. Leia says she doesn''t know, but I''m 99% sure that I''m sure of it. The rest of the time, why is that so: ....... ''Leia, one more time.'' Yes, sir. In terms of time, this is the last of the accelerated bullets. I fire a series of bullets at the rock Leia has set up (...). "Master?Isn''t that a conventional bullet? Yes. I fired six conventional rounds. I divided them into three routes and fired one, two, and three, respectively. In the accelerating world, 2 and 3 rounds were perfectly aligned with each other. I fired a shot that hit and followed closely to avoid becoming a fusion bullet. One bullet slammed into a rock. Two bullets landed in rapid succession, causing an explosion. The place where three bullets landed in rapid succession caused an explosion as well, and the flying debris literally shattered. ''I knew it,'' What do you mean? If you deliver a series of shocks in almost no time, the fragility of the previous attack is replaced by a new shock, which makes it more effective than normal. This special bullet does that three times, three impacts at once, to maximize its destructive power. Yeah, I''m not sure. I''ve had the idea of a double round since we got the accelerated rounds, but this one is kind of a self contained triple round. Newly acquired special bullets, triple bullets. The destructive power was one of the best bullets I''ve ever seen. 254. Ryotas Gift Nihonium Dungeon, basement level two. We''ve run out of flaming bullets, so we''ve come to replenish them. The zombies living in the second basement floor are carefully headbutted one by one as you level up the growth bullets. The zombies that fell after having their heads blown out are sucked into the porch as seeds of strength. ''Hmm, I wish there was an easier way to replenish the special bullets too. A brief pause in the work, I kind of blurted it out. The easiest way to replenish bullets is to use normal bullets and tracker bullets. You can replenish normal bullets by using sprouts and vegetables as Hagremonts, and you can replenish tracker bullets by using garbage as Hagremonts. But you can only get special bullets from monsters in Nihonium dungeons. Regular bullets are made from normal hagremonts, so it''s easy to get them in quantity, and you don''t have to go through much trouble to get them. It''s a bit of a hassle, because special bullets are made from materials that you have to make yourself. ...... It''s impossible to do that, because the fact that this place drops itself is something only I can do, so there''s nothing I can do about it. Let''s at least build a pattern for the lap to make it a little easier. With that in mind, I killed the zombies one by one. ''''Hmm?'''' I suddenly stopped and stared in a certain direction. I felt the presence of someone. "This nihonium is a sign? I questioned my senses. Nihonium doesn''t produce anything, usually it only drops air no matter how many monsters you kill. That''s why none of the adventurers other than me came, the only exception being Margaret''s crew who produce air boxes. That Margaret also only produces air, so she doesn''t go down below the first basement floor. This is the second basement floor, and normally no one would be here. I lower my gun and take a deep breath. I''m going to be able to get my mind back on track and look in that direction again. ...... I''m still there. It''s not a misunderstanding, it''s a definite sign of human presence. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it in a few of the dungeons, but it''s not the case here. I stopped collecting seeds and went to the place where I could feel the presence of people, because I was curious about why people were coming here. As I turned a few corners--. ''''--Don''t be too quick! I saw a man hanging a noose on the ceiling and about to hang himself. The man''s head was about to hang on the noose. I quickly pulled out my gun and shot through the hanging rope. The man lost his balance with the broken rope and fell to the ground. I ran to him. ''Are you okay?'' ...... The man looked up at me and nodded at first, then shook his head shortly after. ''You didn''t have to help me.'' ''Not so fast. Why is this ...... ''People don''t come to Nihonium. If I die here, the haggle of my equipment won''t bother anyone. No, I don''t mean why are you here, I mean why do you want to kill yourself? The man looked up at me again and smiled emphatically. ''I''m screwed. ...... This is not good. I couldn''t leave him alone, and I used the transporter gate to take him back to the mansion. Are you okay? ...... Yeah. The man nodded. The saloon in the mansion, the tea Emily had made him warmed up with, and he looked a little more energetic than he had right after he was there. Emily''s cooking and tea and such have a calming and soothing effect on people. He pushed the man into the salon and flew to Arsenic''s Emily''s place in the transporter room as fast as he could and got her to come back. It was worth it. Thank you. I''m good to go. The man seems to have discouraged me from trying again to kill myself. ''Can I ask your name anyway?'' We''ll start with a bland topic to explore. It''s ...... Mattia. Yeah. I don''t-- I know. Ryota Sato. You''re the most famous person I''ve ever met. Mattia laughed in self-mockery. He is the boss of the biggest Cyclo powerhouse, who often solves difficult cases with overwhelming force and has four spirits under his command. This is a different kind of man than I am. Mattia mumbles almost as if he''s fiddling. ''What''s going on?Why would he kill himself? I can''t do anything about it anymore ...... Tell me a story if you want. Maybe I can help you. To the power of ......? "How often have I solved some tough cases?Can you talk to me? I stared straight at Mattia. I didn''t feel relieved. Maybe it was because I''d seen so many people like him when I was in my old world, but I didn''t feel relieved. After a while, Mattia spoke up, "My family is starting a new business. "My family is starting a new business. A new venture? ''Yeah. It was about a year ago, I think it was a drinking party, and everyone was having a good time, and they thought that they could make money by not having to work so hard and find the most efficient way to defeat the monsters at each level of the dungeon, and sell that method to the adventurers. Oh, you mean the teaching corps - or just regular know-how sales? Mattia nodded. ''We had a great time at the bar, but I thought it was just a joke at the time. But the boss was serious, and the next day he seriously bumped up the project and ordered me, who was closest to him at the time, to do it. ...... ''I worked hard all year, using different weapons and magic. I''ve also tried to optimize routes and stuff like that: ...... It didn''t work out, did it? Mattia nodded further, and then slumped down. That''s ...... right. In this world, a large number of adventurers are diving and circling the dungeons day and night. The structure of the dungeon and the monsters that inhabit it don''t change very often, and the breed to change it recently has even made a rule of "two or more people with a spirit", so the dungeon is kept much the same. So most of the adventurers are in the dungeons they''re used to going through and optimizing their moves. It''s not so easy to find new and best ways of doing things. ''But why kill yourself in it? He said it was my fault that I didn''t get results after a year of trying, and he told me to either pay for the damage or come up with a better way to do it right away: ...... Hey, hey. You can''t get compensation for work you did under your boss'' orders? That''s ridiculous. That''s why I couldn''t help myself. I see. I get the story. I have a lot of thoughts on that boss, but for now, we need to fix what''s in front of us. ''Is that optimization good for any dungeon? ''What?Oh, yes, but ...... Oh, except for Nihonium. Yeah, of course. It''s not going to make money if you optimize for nifonium that no one else drops. On the other hand, if it was a way to make it drop for everyone, it would be a mess of money. Well, whatever it is. Let''s go. ''What?Where? Come on, follow me. With that, I walked on. He glances back at me, hesitantly, but Mattia stands up and follows him. He continues down the hallway and comes to the transporter room. I use the transporter room''s function to set up where I''m going. A gate appears that looks like a light vortex. ''Let''s go.'' ''What?Hey, wait-- I brought Mattia into the gate, half forcibly, without saying a word. The dungeon that arrived was a dungeon that looked like a Japanese house. "What is this? Twenty floors below the Lantern. ''Lantern!The lantern is that lantern?It''s in Filin. Yeah. ''Oh my God, ......, how .......'' ''That doesn''t matter for now. What do you know about the Lantern Basement Level 20? ''What?...... Oh, the new wine. ''Yes, the dungeon I''ve bred, the one whose structure has just changed. Now I''m going to take you around, you can learn it and submit it to the boss. ''What?But that''s not how it works: ...... You''re gonna have to improvise. And anyway. I chuckled. ''It''s a brand new hierarchy, and even if it''s optimal now, it will be even more optimal in time. So don''t worry about it. Then he looked at Mattia. He hesitates for a bit, then bows his head deeply to me. ''Thank you,'' I chuckled and let him take me around the Lantern''s 20th underground floor with him. I''ve been optimizing to defeat monsters on a regular basis, so I didn''t have a problem with the story. The first time I showed him how to do it was inadvertently, and it was an impossible way to do it unless the ability was S or SS, so I imagined keeping the ability down to around B and then showed him a different way to do it. Mattia remembered that and left. A few days later, the eighth floor of the Nihonium basement. On this day, he and Leia were working on improving their luck abilities. ''''Satou-san!'''' Yeah?Mattia. You look good. Thanks to Mr. Sato. He comes in, and he''s a different person than he was a few days ago, blown up and refreshed. ''How are you doing since then?'' I''m done with that. Did you stop? I was a bit surprised. ''Why did you stop?'' ''I taught my boss that thing that Satou-san taught me, and he completely side-stepped me and took the credit like he did it all by himself. Yeah, ....... It''s something I can see. Failure is the subordinate''s fault, success is the boss''s credit. Yeah, it''s common, common ...... and it''s common on a level that makes me want to kill a little bit. "That''s what they did to me, and it woke me up all at once. So I quit the family. Yeah. If you don''t mind me saying so, it''s better. Yes. So today-- Mattia stepped back and bowed deeply. ''Thank you. And I''m here to thank you. Okay. Raising his head, Mattia looked so radiant that he looked like a different person than he had at first. It''s hard to subtly say that we''ve solved the problem, though. ''Thank you so much,'' I looked at Mattia''s face and decided that this was it. 255. System development Lantern dungeon, 20th floor underground. I came here with Mao Mee, the head of the Filin Society. I look around, we are the only adventurers in the room. "We have the whole place to ourselves! Mao said with an innocent smile that suited his petite body very well. ''Renting out?'' That''s right. I did you a favor and got rid of all the other adventurers and rented it out for the day. Are you sure you want to do that? ''It''s okay. There is no way in the world that anything higher in priority than what you ask of me should exist. Mao said something amazing with an innocent smile. It doesn''t exist, it can''t exist even higher than that. It''s amazing that he can say that much. Star. At the time, the Cyclodungeon Society, President''s Office. Cell and his men were working on paperwork. ''Mm?'' Are you pleased with yourself, Master Cell? I have an epiphany. "Tenkei. It''s a revelation that you have to stick together, that you have to show what you believe. I''m not sure, but good luck with that. -Oh! What''s going on?I have a scary face. I just got a weird chill in my mouth: ...... or am I imagining it? I feel like there''s something terrible going on that I don''t know about, but I''m scared, so I decide to forget about it. ''''More importantly, what are you going to do with that sword?'''' Mao looked curiously at the sword I was holding. ''I did some research, and it seems that swords are the most common weapons used by adventurers. Yes, it''s a very conventional, easy-to-use weapon for everyone. So this is it. I don''t know, but I''m rooting for you. Yeah. I gripped the sword again. A feel that didn''t feel very comfortable in my hand. I''d gotten guns and special bullets from Hagremonos as soon as I came to this world, so I''d rarely used weapons that were otherworldly. But now I need this. The flaming Kunoichi, the monster on the twentieth basement floor. This monster is characterized by Kunoichi''s highly revealing outfit and the flames it wears all over its body. The flaming Kunoichi came sprinting towards me and slashed at me with a ninja sword held in its reverse hand. I catch it with my sword, a metallic sound and sparks fly. I push Kunoichi back and step in further, slashing back. Zash!The slash cut down Noichi like the flames he was wearing. The monster disappears and the sake drops. Ignoring Bodley Ryota and the branded liquor, I review the current battle. After doing the whole thing, I take on the next flaming Kunoichi. I didn''t take it down right away, I let my opponent attack me to some extent and then we''ll figure it out. Flaming Kunoichi was easy to understand. There are two patterns of attacks from a lunge, depending on which foot comes out first. If you start from your left foot, it is a slash of the ninja sword; if you start from your right foot, it is a shuriken while you charge. When he turns around, if there is nothing to see, he will perform a swinging slash, and if he glances at you, he will throw his shuriken before attacking you. After assessing the attack pattern all over the place, he optimizes it with his sword. The ability is suppressed, and the assumption is lowered a bit to C strength and speed. The optimization is done with the movements that the ability value can do. Okay, that''s a time savings of nearly 20%. Congratulations. Mao crackled and clapped. ''You''ve been watching this the whole time?'' ''Yes!It was so cool, it was like dancing at the end of the show, I was just mesmerized. ''Maybe it''s a dance, or maybe it''s just a matter of figuring out the pattern. I thought to myself, recalling the optimization pattern I''d assembled after various tests, and it certainly could look like a dance. I used the paper and pen I''d brought with me beforehand to write down the optimized pattern and, as an added bonus, the entire pattern of Kunoichi''s attacks on the flames. I handed it to Mao. ''What is this?'' ''This is the safest and quickest way to defeat the flaming Kunoichi when using the sword. Give this to all adventurers for free. It''s a waste of time, because even a novice fighter like Mao could see that it''s such a great move, it''s a waste of time to show it to the public for free. It''s free. I said and stuck out more paper. ''......'' Mao stared at the paper with a straight face. ''Could it be that something unreasonable was happening somewhere?'' Well, they don''t seem to think it''s unreasonable. I remember Mattia''s face. The family that Mattia was part of, its boss. I didn''t even know what he looked like, but I remembered that guy, whose face I didn''t know, but I knew he was a jerk. Mattia quit and looked radiant, but I couldn''t stand the idea of what I made for him being used to make money. So I came in like this, studied the movements of the most used swords by adventurers, and created a pattern that was 20% more efficient than the previous one. And it''s free to the public. I don''t know who you are, but I''m sorry for your loss. Yeah. But I''ve had it coming. Yeah? ''Everyone tells me not to be unreasonable in your presence, and then some guy who did it had it coming. Yeah. I hope it works out that way. Mao took the note from my hand. ''Mao will be responsible for spreading this to all the adventurers in Filin. Thank you, please. You''re welcome. I''m rather honored to be a part of it. I''m so excited to be a part of Lyota System! I''d appreciate it if you''d drop that name as much as possible. And it''s embarrassing. Nevertheless, Mao is willing to do it, so I decided to leave it to him. After a while, the Lyota system for Lantern 20 floors went viral. He heard rumors that the family Mattia was with had failed to make a profit and had lost credibility because people laughed at him for trying to sell them a crappy method. 256. Ryota doesnt do that Tavern, Villadiche. It''s my favorite place to go, they serve a different kind of beer every day, it''s a good place to enjoy a different taste every time you come. After a long day''s work, Alice and Rebecca came to the bar. They recommended black beer today, so we started off with black beer for the three of us. ''I heard that,'' Yeah?What? When I asked her back, Rebecca stared at me with horrified eyes. No, the way you ask it, you''ll have to ask it back like this. "Are you saying this is not worth remembering? No, I really don''t know what you''re talking about. ...... It''s about Bodley. Yeah. Pong, clap your hands. ''You''re the guy who disclosed how to go around. Yes, I do. You''re a terrible man. I can''t believe he did that to me twice. I was munching on it. Don''t play around with those killer platitudes. Rebecca''s lips twitched. Don!He slams the battered jock onto the table. He looks really pissed off. ''Though: ...... I scratched my fingers on my cheek. Even if this doesn''t happen, the strategy is something I''m going to make public - or rather, share - with you. I''ll get used to it so that anyone can do it to some extent before I post it on a wiki or something. That''s how I''ve always treated strategy, so it''s not like I''m going to make it public, it''s just ....... For some reason, that doesn''t seem to sit well with Rebecca. ''Yes, yes, I know. He wanted to give her a whirl. It''s okay if you know what you''re doing. And I don''t like the margin for error! Yeah? Rebecca''s face is uptight and she looks completely made up. Is it possible that she has a drinking problem? I don''t think he has the luxury of time or anything. Alice, who had been frolicking with her fellow monsters all along, opened her mouth. ''What?'' It''s just the way Lyota is. It''s not that I''m in trouble--it''s that I can''t leave people in trouble when I see them in trouble. I know that! Of course. Alice said happily, smiling and laughing. Rebecca''s lips twitched more and more in response. ''I hate that you can afford it, too! Me? ''Yes, you do!I just walked around with a genie in my hand and it''s already ...... eeee! Rebecca is eating a pinch of peanuts from Alice''s hand (!) He took away the spirit, Phosforus'' melasma. ''Eei, thus!Thus!I''ll do this! Rebecca kneaded the melamella with her hands, nudging it around and wrapping it with her hands to roll it up like it was clay or mud dumplings. The flames of the melamella grew brighter and duller, and when she was freed from Rebecca''s hands, her eyes were completely "@@@" and spinning around. What a ...... drunk. Well, I''m still a cute guy for this level of tangled drinking, so it doesn''t matter. The Melamela kitten incident led to more interaction between Rebecca and Alice. The two of them leave me and start chatting. I take a step back to watch these two people who are very similar to each other. We are both born in a dungeon, and both have a spirit. Their personalities and tone of voice are opposite, but by looking at it this way, I feel that they are subtly similar. Suddenly, the skeleton Honehone lost his balance. He lifted the human mug with his whole body and tried to drink its contents, and sneaky!He slipped and fell backwards. Rebecca reached out quickly to help her out of it and put it underneath her. ''It''s not safe, if you''re going to drink it, you need a smaller cup. Hone Hone responded with a crunch and a shake of Gaikotsu''s head, as if he were saying, "Thank you. ''That''s very kind of you,'' Monsters are special. Maybe it''s because I was born in a dungeon. Yes. You''re right. Rebecca admitted honestly. Once Hone Hone was rescued, the other monsters began to approach Rebecca as well as being around Alice. Between the monsters, Alice and Rebecca became close friends. ''...... outside, it''s so noisy,'' Suddenly, Rebecca, who had been feeding Gow Gow with fries, said something like that. The entrance of the store - the eyes turned to the outside were back to being sharp, like a top-notch adventurer, genie attached. ''''It''s a bit noisy if you ask me. Ah, what''s going on? I catch a shopkeeper passing by and ask him about it. ''I heard there was some kind of haggle. Is that so? Yes, but it''s not a problem because everyone else is getting rid of them right away. It''s just that they keep showing up one after the other, so there''s a lot of commotion going on. ...... Right. I was caught up in the fact that they are showing up one after another. You don''t get to see haggling in the city early, and it''s showing up one after another? Could there be something else going on? I sat up and looked out towards the entrance of the restaurant. The city of Cyclo at night was several percent more noisy than usual. From all over the place, the sounds of battle could be heard, as if you were in a dungeon. ''''Hey, did you hear, it seems that Ryota is the one causing all this commotion. Ryota, Ryota Sato from The Grandmaster? Yeah, he''s been throwing out monsters everywhere. Across the road, I could hear the men talking as they passed by where I couldn''t even see their faces well. Am I scattering them?That''s why-- No way. - No way. The voices came from two directions at the same time. One of the duo moving away from me in conversation, and the other right next to me. They both sounded like they were snickering. Before I knew it, it was Rebecca who came up next to me. Rebecca. It''s ridiculous, you wouldn''t do that. ''Yeah, yeah, Lyota wouldn''t do that. Everyone in town knows that, right? Alice came over and agreed with Rebecca''s words. Well, I guess so. Rather, "Don''t do anything unreasonable in front of Lyota" is Ciclo''s watchword. There shouldn''t be many people who believe in that kind of thing, spreading haggling around the city. However, we can''t just leave it at that. It is a fact that hagre-mono is actually out there, so it is possible to cause damage. Sorry, you two, I''m going to go out for a bit. ''Yes!Have a good day. You''re on your own. The two of them saw me off and I ran out of the store. After Ryota leaves, Alice and Rebecca remain in the shop. Alice with a smiling face and Rebecca with a bored look on her face, looking bored and flustered. They stand shoulder-to-shoulder and look off at Ryota''s back. ''What a man, at all.'' Well, you know better than that. Alice suppresses her mouth and smiles meaningfully, mufufu. ''''I can''t believe you did that (...) twice,'''' You''ve been watching it a lot, haven''t you? Or maybe you''re looking into it. I don''t know! Rebecca has a point, Tan!He stepped vigorously on the floor and walked back into the store. ''Haha, no embarrassment, no embarrassment,'' With a sense of familiarity and ease, Alice followed Rebecca back into the shop as well. 257. Compassion is not good for people We walked fast around the city. There were slime and other weak monsters here and there. As you encounter them, take them out one by one. In dungeons, you may have to spend a lot of time training, but this was outside, in the city. The more time you spend, the more danger you put the townspeople in. I didn''t take any time at all to beat the head of the encounter. I used tracking rounds. You don''t need to focus on the target, and after recognizing the monster, it will track itself if you hit it. Repetition requires time to chant seven letters, while tracking bullets only require you to pull the trigger. If it''s the weakest one like the slime, the tracking rounds are faster than the repetition. So, I''m firing a lot of tracking rounds while looking for the culprit in the city. "Oh, I found the culprit. Neptune ...... and ....... Neptune, whom I encountered, suddenly called me a criminal. He was accompanied by his two lovers, Ran and Lil, as usual. The familiar-looking Yuuo smiled a little more nastily than usual and went to his two companions. ''''See, I told you. I told you the killer would come back to the scene of the crime. You''re right, that''s awesome. ''Don''t be dignified. That''s the story I told you in the first place. I know. But what''s mine is mine, and Lil'' himself is mine. f*ck you. What are you talking about? What about me?Hey, what about me? Neptune started flirting with the two of them. I couldn''t keep up, so I ignored him and tried to walk away again. ''Hey, wait a minute. You''re being horrible for ignoring me, I''m not the guy who did it. I know that. Everybody in the city knows that. Maybe the real killer is the only one. You don''t think this is going to work in your favor. Neptune turned into a smiling face, how amused he seemed to be. ''Hey, let me give you one piece of advice. What? "When you find the real culprit, punish him properly. Never show mercy. Why? You don''t do them any favors by being merciful. ...... Hmm. I''m not sure I understand. "One more thing. Yeah? That''s because you''re too quick to take him down. He''s going around telling everybody it was you, isn''t he? ...... I huffed. I was careless. Yes, that''s what it''s all about. There''s a monster haggler out there who''s trying to blame me for a monster haggler that''s out there. He''s trying to do some damage and blame me for it. I can''t just run into a monster and kill it as fast as I can. "Thanks for the help. Yeah, it''s tough being famous. I''ll thank you next time. I said goodbye to Neptune and went after the killer again. I ran around the streets of Cyclo for a while and found another monster. Two of them this time, the slime in the first floor of the Tellurium basement. I suppressed my desire to defeat them immediately and went towards the slime. The slime bounced around and slammed into me with a bang. I heard the onomatopoeia in my brain, a pettish sound. It was fresh in a roundabout way. I hadn''t been attacked by a slime in maybe a year. After I got some strength and experience, I didn''t take any damage from the slime at all. -- and that''s not the time to be unconcerned. ''''Uh ...... Ugh, wow!'''' It was an embarrassing act that would have killed me if someone I knew had seen it. I let out a barbed scream and fall to the ground. The slime swarms in, attacking me. It doesn''t hurt, in fact, it''s hard to hold back from accidentally fighting back and knocking them down. For a while, I let the slime do what it wants while I''m down, and occasionally I''ll say "wow" or "ouch I showed him a scream. I was so embarrassed that I felt like fire was going to come out of my face, even though I wasn''t used to this at all and no one was looking at me. But it was worth it. ''There''s another monster in here!Ryota Sato is haggling again! There you are! I turned toward the voice. I saw someone leaning out from the corner, screaming. I pulled out my gun and shot the guy while he was down. A strapped bullet. A rope of light catches the guy. "What the hell is this? "Repetition. I used my magic to defeat the haglemono slime and slowly approached the guy. It was a middle-aged man who was bound by a restraining bullet. ''''Who are you ......?'''' Who are you? The man yelled at me. I was about to say my name and ask him why he did this to me, when he said. ''Boss ......'' I heard a sigh and how dismayed I was from behind me. I turned around, and this time it was a familiar face. "Mattia." "Mattia! ...... Huh? He turned around again, and the man was glaring at Mattia, who had appeared, in a form of anger. He knows Mattia, and Mattia called him "boss". This is ....... ''The boss of the family that was here before?'' When I asked, Mattia nodded with a face that looked like she was biting down on a bitter bug. Oh, I see. If that''s the case, I instantly understood the story. ''''It''s backhanded, isn''t it? ''Yes. I heard the story and I was chasing after it if I could, but I didn''t realize it was really the boss: ...... Mattia sighed further. So, it''s good that I disclosed the method of circling the Lantern''s 20th underground floor to keep him from making money, but he resented me for it, and that''s why this happened. ''''I''m sorry Satou-san, I''m sorry this happened to you. No, it''s not your fault. The only one to blame is this man, Mattia''s former boss. He started a business with a random idea, and if it fails, he blames his subordinates, and if he succeeds, he takes the credit. And yet he does this out of spite against a mere business enemy. This man is completely to blame. This guy, I mean. "My powers are slipping away: ...... It was kind of a crappy case that I didn''t even want to give him a bang for his buck. In the end, all this guy did was spread hagrete and call my name. None of the cyclone people believed in him, and the monsters he dispersed were weak. ''Why was it a slime or something?The monsters, ''No!Of course it''s because being a strong monster puts me in danger too! ...... A man who makes a strong argument for pathetic things. It''s so relaxing. What should we do, Sato-san? ''I feel like I don''t really care anymore. I''m not going to do anything from me. Are you sure? Yeah. Okay, then I''ll report the incident to the authorities. Yeah. Even if I''m the one who took off the force, distributing the haggler to the city is a classic crime. I''ll report it to the authorities, and that may be all that matters. I''ve been briefed. I''ll make my decision. ''Wow!Ce, cel, when. I''m surprised by the sudden appearance of the cell. He''s still a godsend. ''There''s a commotion in town, and as the head of the association I can''t just sit back and watch it happen. Well, I suppose that''s true. Especially those who try to blame Sato-sama for the crime. This is not a matter for the head of the association to worry about... I smiled bitterly, and the next moment, something fell from my cell sleeve to the ground. I hear a heavy sound, and it''s my figure, and-. Why is it that I''m being attacked by slime? Gosh, really. Cell picked up my figure and reinserted it into his sleeve and glared at Mattia''s former boss with a stern face. ''You''re the lordship of the Sept Family, and I''m pronouncing judgment on you. No, I''m not... ''From now on, all Cyclo buyers are prohibited from buying from the Sept family. The dungeon''s license is also revoked. W-- The verdict handed down by the cell was probably the heaviest of all. ''Well, wait a minute!This is different! The bound sept was desperately different - he wondered what was different, but he complained that it was different anyway. But Cell walked away without turning around at all. His back seemed to exude anger. Um, I knew this was it. ''Ah. That''s why I told you.'' I heard Neptune''s voice from right beside me, and before I knew it, he was here too. ''Neptune,'' You told me being merciful was not in their best interest. Neptune said, smiling smugly. 258. Soft thrower Ryota The first floor of the Tellurium basement. On this day, I was killing monsters to get around efficiently. I updated the way I did the 20th floor of Lantern 20 twice after one of Mattia''s cases, but I realized that the dungeon I usually go to is an old fashioned way of doing things. So I came to the first floor of Tellurian. ''Phew!'' I grab the slime and throw it at the magic cart I keep a short distance away. The magic cart that Leia is guarding. The moment the slime reached the top of the cart, it sizzled and then disappeared, turning into sprouts. The dropped sprouts fell into the magic cart. I grabbed the slime and threw it, catching it as it hit my body and throwing it, and kicking it away with a direct volley as it flew at me. I sent the slime flying into the magic cart the way it was supposed to be there. On top of the magic cart, I shot a flameless bullet - a fusion of flame and azure bullets. The slime dies instantly as soon as it touches it, and the drop goes into the magic cart. ''''How''s that, Leia?'''' Calculating ...... is only slightly less efficient than the way it was done before. I knew it. ''Efficiency outweighs efficiency until the master makes his way to the enemy monster. After that, I''m guessing the wait for the resurrection is a loss. "You can''t go looking for them, because flameless bullets stay there when you shoot them. But if you use flameless bullets every time you move, that''s what you get... Yes, it''s going to be even less efficient. ''''That''s right. I''ll have to shoot flameless bullets at just the right height and put the magic cart right underneath it. That''s where the loss comes in. Even if I increase the accuracy of generating fusion bullets, I still feel like it''s a loss. ''''This way, if I can push the magic cart, it''s likely that efficiency will increase. Hmmm: ...... I put my hand to my chin and thought about it. Surely that would be more efficient. Would it be better if Leia pushed the cart - or in this case, combined, and pulled the cart by the arm? If you can throw an enemy on that cart and take them down, your efficiency will be even better. The problem is that the flameless bullets don''t work: ....... ''Yikes.'' A small scream that came from a distance interrupted my thoughts. A female wizard I knew was injured by a slime attack. Without thinking anything in particular, I fired an infinite recovery round at her. ''''Thank you.'''' She bowed her head in a bow. As it was, she circled around the fighting slime. The slime was purple in color. It was her fighting style, the way she used poison magic to take it down with percentage slip damage. She spun around the poisoned slime in a circle without touching it. After a while, the slime sizzled and melted and dropped a sprout. It''s always a strange way to defeat it. Slip damage - a monster that has fallen due to continuous damage looks like it suddenly died even though nothing was done to it. It doesn''t work for me, but it''s a strategy that a lot of people do. After dealing a percentage of sustained damage, all you have to do is defend yourself, and you can safely defeat even slightly higher-ranked opponents. Because adventurers in this world place the highest priority on getting around, there is a certain percentage of adventurers who use this strategy. Besides the female adventurer from earlier, there were others who were doing it as well. Right beside her, another man is casting the same poisonous magic and concentrating on defense and evasion. The slime leaps and bounces and attacks the man, but it doesn''t do much damage to the adventurer, who is focused on defending himself. Eventually, the slime is knocked down again in a very sudden way, and the sprouts are dropped. ''''Ah!'''' The man made a troubled sound. The poison damage killed the slime the moment it flew to the ceiling and tried to recoil and fly back. The sprouts dropped by the slime that fell in its place were nearly half caught in the ceiling. ''''I can''t get it, that was a ...... waste of time. The man let out a sour note, but gave up on the idea that it couldn''t be helped. I stared at the sprouts on the ceiling. ''Master?Do you want those sprouts? No, it''s not. I just said that, and I stared at the sprouts. The slime looked suddenly dead from the poison damage and the drop caught on the ceiling. Without thinking, I picked up a pebble that had fallen to the ground and threw it in the direction of no one. The pebble flew with a rotation and plummeted into the air. It was a vertical ball. That''s right, depending on the amount of force like this ....... ''Leia, push the magic cart and follow me. I understand. Leia didn''t hear anything, but followed along, pushing the magic cart like she was faithfully following orders anyway. I encircled the slime, and as it flew quickly, I caught it in the palm of my hand, grabbed it, and threw it towards Leia. The slime flew away and burst in the middle of the flight and dropped the sprouts - but I didn''t have enough momentum and the sprouts didn''t go into the cart because I was hit in front of the magic cart. ''Sorry Master,'' ''No, no, it''s not Leia''s fault. Rather, just keep up the same pace and follow me. I understand. Leia faithfully kept her word. She bent down and tweaked the magic cart that was following her at the same pace, and this time she grabbed the slime to snatch it up and threw it in an underthrown manner. I control my power the moment I throw it and try to get hit just as I reach the top of the magic cart. The second time, he had too much momentum and jumped over the magic cart, but the third time, the slime was properly knocked over the magic cart and the sprouts went directly into the cart. ''''As expected of a master.'''' We''ll start with the cart, evenly spaced. Follow me. Yes, sir. He took Leia, who nodded clearly, and went to work throwing the slime. I grabbed it and threw it, I came up with it from poison damage, and threw it so that it would fall over in time. It went in and out at first, but slowly I got the hang of it and started to get close to a hundred percent of them going in. After I was able to get in reliably, and after throwing nearly 50 of them, I asked Leia. ''Leia, what''s your efficiency?'' It''s up 1.1 times. Ten percent more. Okay, I''ll pick up the pace. I''ll adjust the timing myself. Leia, just follow me. I understand. Leia''s cart was still coming off because she wasn''t pushing it as fast as she was consistently, but once she got the hang of it, she was able to adjust it easily this time. Grab it and throw it, throw it and let it fall on the cart. The result of speed and timing as optimal in the moment and as improvised. How''s that! It''s 1.3 times the first one. Okay, let''s take it up a notch. Yes, sir. It was a tellurian, and a day of further efficiency. 259. Social studies tour Terdungeon, basement level. I was resting near the rest stop. Leia is back in the mansion. I went to ask him about the numbers he gave me for the circumference optimization. The magic cart that Orton the custom cart maker modified for me also has a tally function, but that thing is just a simple one. I wanted a proper number, so I asked Leia to run an errand for me. So now I''m taking a break like this. Everyone, stand in line. It''s not safe to go too far! Hmm? I heard a distracted voice. I looked at the voice and saw a young woman in her twenties, with a group of children about mid-elementary school age in tow. ''''What?''''That one. Don''t you know? An adventurer I knew nearby responded to my soliloquy. ''What do you mean?'' It''s a school event in town, and since adventurers are such an important profession, sometimes the teacher will take you to the dungeon and show you around. Oh, okay. Social studies. I was vaguely impressed with the fact that there was such a thing. "I won''t go downstairs for safety reasons, and I''m preaching to you, but please refrain from attacking me like that when there are children around. Yeah, sure. The familiar adventurer entered the rest stop. But a social studies tour is a dungeon? It''s typical of this world, though. ''Um--hello.'' One of the girls came over and bowed to me. ''Hi, what''s up?'' Maybe it''s because they''re children, but I can''t help but be gentle with them. "Uncle, are you an adventurer? My uncle ...... ah, yes. Can I see you slaying that ...... monster? Yet another girl came in. The new girl was also polite, but she seemed to be stronger than the first girl. I''m sure I''ll see this girl again in the dungeon in the near future. She was the kind of girl that made me think so. ''''Oh, good.'''' I broke off the break and pulled out my gun, ready to go. ''Thank you,'' Thank you. I saw a monster over there earlier. No, I''m fine. It should be there by now. ......? The girl tilted her head slightly. What do you mean it''s about time?That''s a face. I held my gun up, pointing it at the empty space. I could generally tell when I was circling around, the monster''s resurrection point and the approximate interval between resurrections. I fired the strapped bullets accordingly. The bullets flew into the empty space and hit the slime that had just been resurrected. The placing restraining bullets hit, and the slime was tied to the rope of light and couldn''t move. ''''Whoa!Amazing. ''Want a closer look?Or do you want to try to beat it? Are you sure? The more energetic girl went towards the restrained slime with a glint in her eye. She punched and kicked it. The other girl followed along as well, picking up stones from a distance and trying to smash them. I guess they''re good friends, they''re both pettisoning each other against the slime, and it''s funny to watch. I was careful not to break the restraints. It took the girls five minutes to get the slime down. The slime dropped a pinch of bean sprouts, and the girl happily took it with her. He''s back. ''Uncle!The sprouts! ''You did it!'' Yes! Thank you. The girls smiled like flowers had bloomed. ''Hey, what are you doing?'' More children came. This time it''s a boy, a boy who seems a bit rowdy. ''You know, he''s amazing.'' Look, this guy really helped me beat the slime. Wow, you''re good at that. What''s sweet? Hey, old man. Yeah? My husband''s name is... It''s Ryota Sato. Satou ...... ryohta ...... hmm. That''s not right. What''s going on? Let me tell you something, adventurers, the best thing about being an adventurer is that it comes with a genie. You''re a sailor? ''Yes. There''s a genie in the dungeon, and if that genie recognizes you, you can name the dungeon after him. Really? The girls looked at me. ''Yeah, really.'' Satou and Ryota aren''t dungeon names. This guy''s not much of a dungeon. They didn''t look wild, they were sassy kids. What I''m saying isn''t wrong, but the two girls who were sprayed with cold water were shuffling and buzzing. I thought to myself, "Let''s follow up on that a bit. ''Hey there, long time no see, Ryota-kun.'' That voice is ...... Neptune. I can''t believe you can tell by the sound of my voice, it just makes our friendship that much stronger. Likeability is not a status in this world, so I''m fine with it. The one who came over was Neptune, with Ran and Lil in tow, as usual. "What are you doing here - well, I guess I''ll just have to deal with the kids. I took a break. That''s right. Children are very important, aren''t they? Yeah. "Hey, hey ...... The cocky boy spoke to Neptune, looking completely different than he did to me. ''Yeah?What is it? Is this Neptune, or is it that Neptune Oxydin guy? You know your stuff. Oh, my God. It''s got a genie in it! The boys were excited. It''s like a huge thrill to see a genie in the flesh. ''Oh, um!Shake my hand, please. Okay. I''m going to be an adventurer!I''ll be an awesome adventurer like Mr. Neptune! Well, that''s good to hear. But you should be aiming at him instead of me. What? When Neptune pointed at me, the boy was puzzled. ''Why ...... this old man?'' He''s better than me. Hey. That''s fine, but don''t wink at me. Ha-ha, you''re as uptight as ever. Has anyone ever told you that you''re just too shattered? Neptune and I made idle chit-chat. Neptune is easy to talk to. We''ll be on our way. Let''s go, run, lil''. Yeah! You made me wait too long. The Neptune family went down the stairs and headed downstairs. ''Hmph!'' Hmm? When Neptune was gone, the boy snorted. ''Don''t get carried away,'' Um, yeah. As I was wondering what this was all about, the boy swooped in at once. ''''The awesome thing is that it''s with a genie, and it''s just not cool to be dignified just because you''re friends with a genie! ...... Yeah. So that''s what you mean. For a moment I didn''t know what you were talking about, but in short, you''re jealous. I''m talking to Neptune, the genie of my dreams, and I''m having a friendly conversation with him. That''s very sweet. "Master. Oh, Leia, you''re back. A voice called out to me from behind, and I didn''t have to turn around to see that it was Leia. Leia came around in front of me. It was as if she couldn''t even see the children, she was only looking at me. It''s very much like Leia to not pay any attention to ...... when there are children in the dungeon, but it''s very typical of Leia that she doesn''t pay attention at all. "I''m sorry I''m late, What''s going on? ''Seren called me. If I ignored her, her voice would echo in my head and interfere with my master, so I went over there first. Well, if that''s the case, I guess I''ll have to do it. Seren''s call means that he might have done something naughty, but Leia didn''t say, and I didn''t ask. Suddenly, I saw the expression on the boy''s face. He looked astonished and compared Leia and me in turn. ''What''s wrong?'' What''s the Serenity? You mean that Selenium dungeon? Yeah. Could this sister be the one with a Serene spirit? Yeah. I nodded, and the boy''s eyes widened as he looked more and more surprised. ''Seren ...... with a genie, yet master ...... yeah ......'' I guess he''s the type to say everything he thinks. Leia with a genie calls me master, and she seems aghast that the genie is now my man. ''Lyota!Ka-ero. ''Wow!Who is this guy? "A-tah-to. Auldurm! It''s Aulum who hugs me like she''s tackling me from behind. She''s hugging me dexterously while holding Meeke in her arms. ''What''s going on, all of a sudden?'' You came for me. Just like Ryota got me out of the dungeon. Okay. How do you like that? It''s not every day you get to have a genie pick you up. "Mmm-hmm. Aurum''s chest heaved with joy. It was nice to see her so emotional, to take her out and then to pair her with Meeke. That, on the other hand. ''Aulum...... genie...... Don''t tell me it''s the rumored Aulum himself these days!Why this old man! The boy was even more astonished, and then he started to bob and shake. He was saying this again in a very obvious way, and I was still smiling. The boy turned his attention to me. He pulled his mouth shut and stared at me. And. ''--?'' Hmm? Don''t think you''ve won! The boy turned and ran away, leaving behind such a discarded line. As I watched him back, I secretly gave him a shout-out, "Go for it. 260. (Tax) Gold Mr. Yoda, you have a visitor. I was relaxing in the saloon of the mansion at night, when Emily came to call me. ''A visitor?Who is it? I''m new here, how can I help you? I''ll see you anyway. All right. I''ll show you where to go. Emily left the salon in a flurry. A first time client at this hour, what kind of person and what do you want? "Ryota, let''s go to the bar, let''s go to the bar. As we waited for Emily and the others, Aulum came in this time. She''s holding Meeke, a mini-wise man who has now become her partner. ''The tavern?'' ''Yes!A place where she''s around and you can hear all kinds of stories. Yeah, well, that''s what you like to do. ''Yes!So let''s go. Hey, I''ll buy you a drink. Aulum said, holding out his hand and producing a gold nugget. It was a pyramid pile of gold with a market value of 4 million piro in one piece. That''s the master of the Aulum dungeon, the golden incarnation. ''''No, no, no, that''s a lot of gold. I don''t need that much, I''m going to the tavern. "I''ll buy everyone a drink, anyway!It''s a real bar, and it''s worth it! You really like it, don''t you? ''Yes!So, hey! You''re welcome to go, but... Mr. Yoda, we''re waiting for you. Emily walked into the salon with a client. He''s a man in his fifties, looking a little tired, like an old man in an overpopulated shopping district. ''--I''ve got a customer here. "I see. ...... Sorry. Aulum held up his hand and made the gold disappear. He was a good listener and pulled back easily, but I felt sorry for him when I saw him shunned. ''I''ll go tomorrow instead,'' Really? You can talk to people while you''re at it. People will come to you for free. "--Hey!Thanks Lyota! Aulum hugged my neck and kissed me on the cheek, tutting. As it was, I hugged Meeke in a good mood and skipped away from the salon. ''...... gohon,'' I cleared my throat and faced my visitor again. "I''m sorry to make you look weird. I''m Ryota Sato. He''s the first person I''ve ever met, so I''ve become a respectful person. It''s a company animal - no, it''s a remnant of my salaryman days, or maybe it''s just natural manners. ''''My name is Dale. Um, ...... excuse me, but isn''t the person now, Aulum-sama, ......? Yeah? When he nodded, Dale''s eyes changed color. ''''You really do live with Spirit-sama, don''t you? Moreover, it''s also the power of Spirit-sama that made the gold nugget disappear just now. Oh, yeah. The tension was so high that I flinched slightly. After the introductions were done, Emily left the salon to make tea for the visitors, and I sat down across from Dale. So, ...... what can I do for you? I''m the president of the Tetramine Dungeon Society. Oh, Tetramine, that''s a poisonous name. ''I''ll be blunt!Would you be willing to move your activities to our Tetramine! Yeah?You want me to move to ............ for a base of operations? He thought for a moment and then asked back, and Dale nodded curtly. ''Yes!I have prepared a mansion for you to stay in for Master Lyota, with a well-trained maid, and I will have a buyer just around the corner. These, of course, will be for all of your companions--and more. More? Is there more than just a mansion with a maid? ''The dungeon Plumbum that my tetramin has. We will be issuing licenses for all levels, of course. Plumbum: "Plumbum: ...... lead? What? ''No, it''s this way. Hmmm: ...... That''s a weird story. It''s not like they''re just going to come in and tell us they''re going to set up a house or something. It''s something, isn''t it? "...... I don''t have a straight answer, just give me a few days to think about it. ''Thank you!I urge you to consider it positively! Dale leaned forward meh. I didn''t know his intentions, but I could feel his desperation. Stars. Haha, it''s for the taxpayers. The next night, as promised, I brought Aulum to the tavern, Viradiech, and I ended up having a drink with Neptune, who was there. When I brought up last night''s events as a snack, Neptune answered with a joyful laugh. ''Taxes?'' ''You should know your influence a little better. How many members of the Lyota family are there now? ''Me and Emily, and Eve and Celeste and Alice and Meeke. Oh, and the Cliff family and the Margaret family will be in there too? ''Aside from the second half, that''s six in the direct line alone. And the taxes? What? How much tax do you think you''ll pay in a year? How was the tax ......? I never paid much attention to it. It''s hard to keep track of adventurer''s taxes in this world in the first place. They take a little bit out of every purchase. A little over a billion. Eve? At the next table, Eve, tipsy from beer and carrots, joined the conversation. ''The low-level family''s taxes have gone to a billion. That much? ''You''re a low-level, high taxpayer'' Yeah. So. You''ll bring your family over, and the taxpayers'' money will help pay for it. TetraMin is suffering from depopulation these days. Even if it''s a billion dollars, it''s still a lot of money compared to Cyclo. I see. It feels like the whole mystery is solved. I didn''t know this was going to happen. "By the way, it''s a big deal for a guy like you to move out of town. There''s going to be a city war. That''s such a big deal: ...... or not so much. A billion dollars is all it takes. Neptune also said that TetraMin was getting depopulated. My first impression of Dale, that he was the right guy in a depopulated shopping arcade, was right. From that point of view, a billion is no joke, and it''s all about life and death. But-- ''Tetramine, and Plumbum, what''s the cause of the overpopulation ......? It means that people have disappeared from the city and from the dungeon, right? Hmm. "Phew. It''s ....... I thought, "Oh, I see your bad habits are coming out. Is this a bad habit of mine? Oh, do you need a prophecy?You''re not moving out, but I''m leaving for Tetramine tomorrow. I just wanted to see if I could do something about it. ...... I chuckled, I sure did. I''m already planning on doing that. An underdeveloped tetramine, and a plumbumbing dungeon. I practically asked for help, and if I could manage it, I would. 261. Insider starting point When I got home, Elsa was waiting for me at the door. ''Welcome home, Lyota,'' I''m home. What''s up?You look kind of complicated. Yes, actually, the master was just here. Master?Oh, ''The Swallows Return''. Elsa gave a small nod. ''If it was earlier, does that mean you''ve already left?'' ''Yes, things have changed so fast that I can''t do this,'' "Situation? I go up from the front door and ask Elsa who is following me while I head to the salon to calm down for now. ''First of all, Master came to check. He asked if Lyota-san is really going to Tetramine. It seems that he came to convince you to reconsider if you are really going. Why persuade ......, you''re a big customer. Yes. I heard that if Ryota-san and the others disappear altogether, we will lose money. ''What?That much? They said it would wipe out all of our profits. Of course they''ll come to ...... to stop you. I walk into the salon and sit down on the couch. The conversation is so loud, it doesn''t feel like it''s about me. ''But they''re back?You didn''t even try to talk me out of it? ''Yes. I heard that some buyers have already started to move to open a store in Tetramine. If we don''t, we''ll be late to the party!Master said. "No late start or anything ...... if I move over there, though I''m not going to ''repay the swallow''s favor'' and break the deal? As long as Elsa is in front of me. She''s like a seconded employee, so to speak, who was dispatched from ''Tsubame''s Grace''. Nevertheless, I feel compassionate when I make a room in the mansion and eat and sleep with her. Although our nominal affiliations are different, we almost feel like friends. ''Thank you,'' Elsa''s cheeks dyed and she replied with a slightly depressed look. Looking at her reaction, it seems like she''s thinking the same thing. As long as that Elsa is around, I''m going to keep our relationship to just ''repay the swallow''s favor'' for the time being. ''''But it''s different.'''' What? Master told me. ''They!I''m sure Satou-san will regenerate the tetramine, so I''m going to take the place while I''m at it.'' ...... I mean. ''Yes, people see that Lyota-san''s entry into the race will certainly bring him back to life. But I think it''s only natural. ''What?Of course? ''Lyota-san, I''ve been told I''m a master of regeneration. Indor, Samethyllene, and Filin, I''ve won a lot of fights in a row so far. That''s what they call you, a master of regeneration? How many nicknames do I have? I''ve been in a situation a lot lately where I''ve found myself in a situation where I''ve been given a new nickname. That''s why the Master hurriedly made his way to Tetramine. I see. I don''t think that''s going to work. Wow! I was surprised to hear a different voice than Elsa''s. I looked at the owner of the voice, Ena was there, who had been guided by Emily. An employee of the same ''Swallow''s Benefit'' as Elsa, her best friend. She was once asked before to deliver specialty watermelons for her mother''s grocery store. This Ena comes in and laughs happily. ''Ena, what do you mean it''s not going to work?'' I have received new information. A buyer is already in the process of buying up the Tetramin lands. The buyers have all fallen behind in their purchases. Who is this "some guy"? Yeah. You know what I mean, Ryota, don''t you? What would I do? My mind raced through my mind, wondering what this was all about. You can''t do this kind of ground-breaking stuff unless you''re very quick to hear and quick to hand, and yet you''re sure of something. "Oh. Neptune, huh? Yeah, that one. He''s ...... too early. d*mn it. ''But it''s great. Ryota-san, just deciding to go is such an important thing. Yeah, you''ve already spent hundreds of millions of pounds just by deciding to go. Elsa and Ena complimenting me. I know, but it''s a little complicated. 262. Shutter Town and Hagremono In the carriage on the way to Tetramine. I asked Eve and Celeste, who had followed me. ''It''s a good thing you''re with us. I''m not letting you go low-level alone. ...... Huh? I flinch as Eve looks at me with a very serious expression on her face. ''What does that mean ......?'' It was Auldurm''s fault. ''Auldurm?Why is her name there? I got a little one on that one. You mean Meeke? Eve gave a small nod. ''Now that I don''t have to be dropped off and picked up, the lower levels can stay longer. I certainly do. Until now, even if I went on a business trip (,) somewhere, the thought of having to return home as soon as possible was working somewhere. That''s because I was the only one who could drop off and pick up Ahlum from the dungeon to the mansion. So I decided to go back to the mansion as soon as possible after accomplishing a request or something. I''ve rounded up all the sightseeing and relaxing after solving the problem and all that. I don''t have to worry about that now. I don''t know what kind of town TetraMin is, but I think it''s possible to stay here for a little while longer after solving the problem. Ouch. Eve takes a chop to the head, his forehead is tingling. Eve''s chop is a multi-level hit. It looks like it''s too fast and only hit once, but really, it''s a lot of shots in one go. It''s like the blades on a fan, when you get to a certain level of speed = seriousness, a phenomenon that makes it look slow in reverse. Now the chop was much slower, and it hurt. ''Without the low levels, the carrot is gone.'' I see. He smiles bitterly. Eve''s it was similar to Aulum''s reasons. She loves the carrots produced by my drop s. If I don''t come back long enough, she won''t get the carrots she loves. ''That''s why you''re following me,'' Yes. But there''s no carrot drop over there. ''If you don''t have the carrots, just hit the low levels.'' Okay, I''ll be back as soon as I can. "Hm. Eve nodded with satisfaction. This time she turned to Celeste. ''What about Celeste?'' ''I''ve been looking into it, and it seems that the Tetramine region is a place where magic storms are rare. Really? Yeah, I thought maybe I could help you with that. Well, thank you. You''re welcome. Celeste blushed a little and smiled. If Celeste is following me, it''s reassuring. It''s so reassuring that a simple word of thanks won''t be enough to thank you. I should thank you for something. Is there something you want me to do for you? Partners? But that doesn''t mean I won''t be happy to see you indulge in it. Yeah. Well, I''ll think about it. If you think of anything, please do. Yeah, do that. Celeste''s face beamed with happiness, mindlessly. He and his two companions who were accompanying him were rocked by the carriage and headed to Tetramine. Baboon. I heard the horses crying and the carriage stopped. He opened the hood and turned his head to ask the person in charge. ''Are we there yet?'' No, You shook your head and looked ahead. I looked ahead, too. There are many carriages and people gathered together, it looks like a caravan. Beyond the gathering, you can see the city about 30 minutes away by carriage. I''m sure you''ll find a lot of people looking at it, but they don''t want to move on. What''s going on? Celeste came out of her face. ''Come on, let''s hear it for a minute. Yeah. Where''s Eve? ''Rabbits don''t work without carrots. I was turned down on a refreshing basis. I was just going to talk to them for a minute. I left Eve behind and headed over to the people who were parked with Celeste. ''What''s going on?'' Oh, no, I got to go. - Oh, Lyota, isn''t that you? Yeah. Me nodding. The man who spoke to me knew me. I didn''t know the name on the other side, but I recognized the uniform. It''s the uniform of the buyer, "Tsubame''s Grace". When I saw it, I spoke to him. ''What''s holding you back?'' Oh no, I didn''t expect that. We can''t even get into the city as it is. ......? Seeing the man''s expression, which was a mixture of bitterness and lack of expectation, I tilted my head questioningly. The entrance to the city of TetraMin. Me and Celeste who came, and Tsubame''s repayment of my kindness and the other buyers who followed us. As I stood at the entrance, I immediately understood the situation. TetraMin wasn''t an environment where people could live. The whole city is a slight hellscape with monsters wandering around. ''''How could this happen?'''' Maybe they ran out of money to run the city. Celeste said, almost assertively, though she prefaced it with maybe. ''We can''t take care of the garbage anymore,'' You know, I''ve seen a lot of Frankenstein. ''Frankenstein, you''re a huggable guy who hatches out of garbage in this world. ''Well, Celeste used to work for a garbage disposal company. ''Yeah. When the city stops paying us, we can''t just work for free either, so that''s what happens. I see. Until I came here, I had imagined the desolation of a provincial shuttered town, like a shopping mall with all the shutters down. In reality, it''s quite different from what I imagined, and that''s what happens when a town becomes desolate in this world. I glanced behind me. There were no fighters among them who had come to do business. So I couldn''t get into the city. Celeste, noticing my gaze, said. ''Maybe they didn''t imagine the devastation they''d have to go through to get to this point. ''I see. No, but can you do a land buyout ...... without actually coming in? That''s exactly what you could do by simply moving the papers from right to left on your desk. ''Then I guess we''d better start by clearing this out. Let me help you. Okay, give me support, and you''re going to help me take a shit. Okay, so-- are you not going to use the gun? Yeah. I nodded and walked off in a natural manner. I walked carelessly and plunged into the crowd of haggledy things. ''Repetition.'' The strongest round trip magic, Repetition. A spell that kills monsters you''ve defeated once, no questions asked. When you use this magic, the second time you use it on the same monster, it''s the same as "seeing the results". As I proceeded, I didn''t check anything, but shot Repetition anyway. The monsters disappear one by one. Frankenstein and the other monsters I had defeated disappeared one by one. Monsters that I had never defeated and never disappeared. ''Irruption!'' Celeste clears them away with great magic. Some of the monsters I ignored might be stronger than others, but still. I decided to leave it completely up to Celeste, who is much stronger than when I met her. It was like a detergent that I dropped on a grease stain. ''''Ooohhhh!'''' Me and Celeste wiped out the hagglers nestled in the tetramine in admiration. 263. Split dungeon "Low level, empty. I didn''t see anyone in this house either. I raised an eyebrow when I heard both Eve and Celeste''s reports when they returned. I looked around the city after clearing out the tetramine, hagremonts, but there wasn''t a single resident. I looked for buildings here and there, but not a single person was there. ''We don''t want them there,'' Eve says quietly. That''s for sure. It was a biohazardous situation with hagremonos strolling around the city. It would be counterintuitive to be told that the residents were hiding in their homes in this situation. ''But it''s funny, if this is the kind of situation we''re in, then the way they asked for help from Ryota-san should be different. I was thinking the same thing. I look around, after the battle with the Hagremonos, the tetramine looks like a ruin. Dale asked me to move my headquarters to him. So Neptune said, "It''s for your tax dollars," and I agreed. "I guess in this situation it''s more straightforward, save the city from monsters. And there''s no need for a lower level. Eve''s dialogue is spot on, too. The reason she looks grumpy is probably because I''ve been called in and her carrots are down. ''''Well, it''s just a matter of asking ordinary adventurers to exterminate the monsters because they''re overflowing,'''' she said. On this scale--a hundred men could be thrown in for a day. What''s going on? I soon found out why. The monsters had been wiped out, and the troopers from Cyclo were in town, bickering, when Dale and the other city residents returned. ''Thank you!Thank you! When Dale heard that we were the ones who cleaned up the place, he thanked us all in unison with the city''s residents, over and over again. ''Better yet, explain it to me. Why did you ask us to do that under these circumstances?If monsters were taking over the city, I wouldn''t have refused them, not really. It''s not! Dale hurriedly explained in a way that sounded too flustered to sound like a good excuse. ''I was doing it just in time, the dungeons were coming out(,) poorly. But we kept the city looking presentable until I left for Cyclo. So, you''re saying that since you left, things have changed? ''Yes ...... my subordinate ...... the man who was the vice chairman of the ...... subordinate ran off with all the money in the city that was left. While I wasn''t there, ....... ...... So the city''s money came through, and I was walking a tightrope when I got here. It all broke down at once. Dale nodded. The people in the city behind him nodded as well. It doesn''t sound like they''re lying. Even if one or two people can lie, it''s impossible for hundreds of people to tell the same lie. As the number of people involved in the lie increases, the probability of being found out increases at an accelerated rate. The more people involved in a lie, the more likely it is that one person will be exposed, and that''s it. That''s not how it feels, what you just said is true. All we need to do is get out of town, and we need to get everyone out of there and away from the monsters. The faces of the exhausted city people were strong and convincing. I''m just looking for all sorts of benefits, but thanks to Ciclo''s people coming in, we got to go around the city for now. Putting the city aside for now, Celeste, Eve, and I entered the dungeon. Let''s let the city go, and let''s check out the dungeon first. Plumbum Dungeon, first basement level. ''''Mmm, this is ......'''' I''m in the water!Why! Me and Celeste were surprised at the first dungeon we entered. The inside of the dungeon looked like it was submerged. Water plants drifted around, and our body movements were extremely sluggish due to the resistance of the water. ''Huh?But you can breathe. You''re right. So there''s that. ''Eve?You''ve been here before? Eve gave a small nod. ''The last time I was at a party before,'' You''ve been to a lot of parties. ''There were. But we always split up over dungeoniness. So I don''t know if it''s like a difference in musicality, which is what I thought the last time I was there. It''s just that I feel like I''m in water, but I can breathe normally. You''re right. Celeste took out her magic tool, a bicorn horn, and shook it. A bicorn horn that could use a fireball at infinity, it shot out a ball of fire normally. ''I can do this normally, it''s underwater, so the flames aren''t going to be weakened or anything. Okay, so this one''s okay then? I pulled out my gun, loaded it with infinite lightning rounds, and shot it into the wall. It lands and spreads electricity around me, but it doesn''t seem to conduct electricity to me just because it''s underwater. It looks like it''s underwater, but it''s not underwater. Such a strange dungeon, Plumbum. Well, the monster was at ...... I quickly found a monster. It''s an underwater looking monster that looks like a fish swimming in the air. The size of the monster is large, similar to dolphins in an aquarium. But his face is fierce, with fangs like an ogre coming out of his mouth. "Killer fish, rabbit, I hate this. Killer fish, huh? I reverted from infinite lightning bullets to growth bullets and shot at the Killer Fish as it swam in the air in a thingy manner. The bullets caught the killer fish and penetrated vertically, though. BOOM. After a deafening noise, the Killer Fish split in two. ''Nah!'' ''There''s two of them!'' ''Such a monster. I''m going to burn one of them with magic. All right!Bicorn Horn! Celeste sent the fireball flying. The fireball caught the killer fish tightly, though, and set it on fire. ''There''s more of them!'' The burned Killer Fish split into two bodies again. The first one increased to three in two attacks. ''''These things, if you don''t take them down, they will increase with every attack. Eve approached and slammed a chop into one of the Killer Fish. Boooooooooo. After the loudest noise of the day, the number of Killer Fish increased by more than twenty at once. ''It happens.'' Stop with the multiple hits! Eve''s chop looks like a single shot, but it''s actually the type of move that you can hit a hundred times a second or so. I did that and the killer fish went through the roof. ''This is the kind of thing that makes rabbits hate these guys. I''m not talking about that!There''s too much of it, you know-- Celeste panicked. I loaded the bullets and fired wildly after a deep breath. I increased my firepower and took down the killer fish with a barrage of penetrating bullets. The Killer Fish, which had increased to more than twenty, were defeated in one go. ''''--and it was okay. That''s great, Ryota-san.'''' ''You''re so cocky for a low level.'' I realized there was more to it than their compliments. ''I see,'' What do you mean, "Oh, yeah? Here. I pointed to an object floating in the air. It was a white thing, a white thing floating in the water. Judging by the smell, it was probably milk. Yes, Prumbum, first floor, the drop is milk. You can retrieve it slowly from the water. I didn''t realize how useful this dungeon is. Celeste was right. The milk wasn''t in a container, but it was there, like a droplet of water floating in weightless space, not mixing with anything else. ''This is useful, though,'' he said. ''On the other hand, it''s deadly.'' ''What?What''s fatal? Don''t you notice?How many I just killed. ''What?I think it was about twenty? No. What? One. I said, puking and floating and pointing at the milk. ''One.'' ...... eh, jeez. Celeste is puzzled. Just as another Killer Fish swam in, I gave it a light poke or two and split the Killer Fish with a weak attack. This time I did it myself, so I counted them. When I got to just 100, I took them all out again with another random shot. Celeste cheered again, "Wow," but I was shocked shortly after. The 100 Killer Fish were gone and only dropped milk for one of them. The more you let them split up, the worse the laboriousness felt. This was the reason why Plumbum was getting lonely. 264. A man feared by spirits Let''s take a look at the hierarchy. I want to know what''s going on. Yeah, that''s more like it. "Hm. Celeste and Eve both seemed to be following us. We went down Plumbum one floor at a time. All the dungeons were the same "breathable water" as the first floor. It was hard to fight because of the slowdown in movement, but wizards like Celeste weren''t really affected by it. By the way, the gun''s bullet speed was reduced. It was roughly half of its normal speed. Furthermore, if I started moving at full speed from the beginning, the resistance was so great that it would drain my strength considerably. It''s best to keep moving slowly and always at the same pace. It''s like walking in a pool. The monsters were all "fish". They could be dolphins with tusks, goldfish with horns, or whales with wings even though they''re underwater. All were monsters with the appearance of a fish. Their characteristics are the same, if you don''t take them down in one hit, they''ll split. Even if you try your best to take them down in a single hit, my movement and ammunition speed are so slow that I often miss the fatal blow just in time. It''s a tricky one. "The problem here is the monster''s split attribute. As he proceeded, Celeste accurately mentioned the problem. ''Yes,'' I wish I could change that, but how can you change the characteristics of a monster? You could try breeding them to see if they work. The monster itself has changed. Then I''ll get a couple of guys from the house. You''ll be fine. Eve flipped out?He tilted his head slightly. ''It''s a cyclo rule that breeding is more than two people with a genie. Tetramine probably hasn''t been ratified, or rather introduced. "Low-level enough for one person: ...... Is it just me? He chuckled bitterly and plunged in. ''You can do it at a lower level. I believe in rabbits.'' That''s okay, I''ll take care of it, but if you need help, I''ll help you. I''ll give you a carrots if you need it. The rabbit''s motivation is sky-high. Cheap or not, Eve''s cooperation was installed for now, whether it was cheap or not. The group of three, making half-small talk, went down to the lower and lower floors, defeating monsters as they went. Prumbum, the lowest level. Breathtaking water with dungeon snow falling. This is the last one. That''s the hierarchy I heard about. The monsters are together. The fish are doing the doggy paddle. It''s a strange sight, isn''t it? Eve''s explanation was right on target. The bottom level monster is a fish, but it has arms and legs. Its hands are densely hairy and its feet are wearing net tights. They are swimming with their hands and feet doing doggy paddling - a strange sight in the world. ''A fish, in a manner of speaking, in the same lineage, right? Yeah. I think so. ''Well, let''s take one down for bookmarks. I raised my gun. Whether I used it or not, I was going to take it down once so that the Repetition would be in a situation where I could use it. I loaded the gun with tracking rounds. After trying various things, I found that in this "underwater" situation, where the bullet speed is messed up due to the nature of the gun as a weapon, tracking rounds with homing ability can do the most damage. Of course, as I get used to it, I''ll be able to use other bullets as well, but for now, I''m just going to bookmark it. I hold the gun up and put my finger on the trigger-- "Huh? It''s gone! Me and Celeste are surprised. The monster in my sights, the one I had been aiming at, had suddenly disappeared. ''Low level, take a closer look.'' ...... all gone? When Eve pointed it out to me, I looked again and noticed that the monsters had completely disappeared. Earlier, the monsters had been swimming here and there, dog-whistling, like in a normal dungeon, but they were completely gone. ''The dungeon master is out! I see. We can''t afford to have the Dungeon Master rampaging around now, let''s just find him and beat him. Yeah. I can''t help it. At any rate, it didn''t seem to be on this level, so we took the stairs back to the one floor above us. ''Huh?'' The situation in front of me was astounding. One floor up, the fish monsters were swimming normally, as if nothing had happened. ''There are monsters?Aren''t you the dungeon master? That would be the case: "That''s what happens when you get ...... dungeon masters and the monsters disappear in all levels. The rules of this world are surprisingly rigid. Drop S, there are few "exceptions" to the fact that my unique skills are not involved. Once the Dungeon Master is out, the monsters disappear from all levels of that dungeon, this is a no brainer. I''ll go back down. Yeah. Celeste nodded, Eve silent. I went back to the bottom level with the two of them. There were no monsters. Only dungeon snow poured down, and the landscape was as lonely as it could get. ''What''s going on here?'' Rabbit, I''m going to check with the people in town. Eve said, then turned and went up the stairs. After a few minutes of waiting, Eve returned. ''How did it go?'' No one knows, it''s never happened before. It''s a curious phenomenon. As soon as Ryota-san raised his gun, this happened. Yeah, that''s right. It''s as if he didn''t want Mr. Lyota to take him down. "...... didn''t want me to take you down?Here? Yeah, ....... Huffing, Celeste, she noticed too. There''s another reason why the other levels are good and the bottom level is not. Spirits. The path that leads to the spirits is one of its main premises. Sometimes you have to kill monsters at the bottom level of a dungeon. I''m a drop S, and I can open that path much easier than a normal adventurer. But still. It''s a very flexible world. Even if it''s drop S, you can''t do anything about it until you defeat the monster. If there were no monsters like there are now, even I can''t go see the spirits. And I can control it. ''Spirit here, Prumbum. Don''t you want to meet me? ''It makes sense when you think about it. The spirits control the monsters and drops in the dungeon, just as Aulum did. There''s no reason to keep the monsters out. If it''s set up to produce a monster, a low level might accidentally break through. So why don''t you just get rid of the monster itself? Huh? The two friends and I would argue the situation with each other as if we were trying to answer each other''s questions. The more we said it, the more we were convinced it was the right thing to do. ''But what should we do? I''m glad you''re wary of Mr. Lyota, but I can''t help it without the monster. No, it''s not a problem. What? "Eve. ''Low levels are rough with people.'' Eve turned herself around once more and climbed the stairs. ''What''s the meaning of this, Mr Lyota?'' The junk potato. ''Scraps: ...... Oh, bring me the drops from this level. ''''Yes, we can hatch the drop items in this level and knock them down. Hagremonos will just revert to normal dropping monsters once they hatch in the original tier. I see. But I wonder if it will work that well. It takes a lot of times for even Lyota-san to pave the way. And if you''re going to do that in the flesh, isn''t it hard to get the numbers you need? ...... No, I''m fine. I was feeling a certainty. A dungeon spirit that avoided me. So hardline that the moment I pointed my gun at it, it would obliterate all the monsters. I''m sure that''s-- ''''Here you go.'''' I waited for a while, and then Eve came back with a bottle of white liquid. ''Are these the drops on this floor?'' Yeah, goat milk. I only had two bottles left. Only two?I see, tetramine is hard to find people for, so the production volume is ...... okay, Lyota. Yeah, I''ll take care of it--I think one will be enough. I took the goat''s milk, set it on the ground and got some distance from it, along with two of my friends. We waited for a while, and a limbed, dogpile fish hatched. He sets up his gun, fires a tracking round, and takes the fish down. Then the path was paved. The same thing we''ve done a few times before. And it wasn''t just goat''s milk, it was a path that led us all the way to the next level. ''I turned it off right away because I was afraid it would open up so easily. ''I see!That''s amazing, Mr. Lyota. Well, let''s go. The open road, the spirit that tried to run away from me. If nothing else, I would have gone through or put it off, but when they get to this point, I''ll have to come see them once. 265. Double turtle Well, I''m off. What can I do for you? Celeste asked me in front of the stairs leading to the spirits. The only one who can go down is me, having defeated the monster and brought out the stairs. The two of us can''t go, but Celeste still looked at me, wanting to help somehow. ''''Well, ...... it would be helpful if one of you could run a quick run to the mansion, just in case.'''' The mansion? The gate is open. Eve''s tone is flat as usual. Since he was known as a veteran adventurer before he joined the family, he''s quick to talk in these situations. You''ll be able to open the transporter room and this Plumbum when you get back to the mansion. Then I can easily return to the mansion. It will come in handy when you can''t solve the problem just once or on my own. I see. That''s exactly what happened with Emily. ''Yeah, we can aim for the same thing we did with Emily when we helped Arsenik achieve the Moon Reproduction (drop doubling). ''All right, leave that to me and Eve. One of us will go. Please. I said goodbye to the two of them with a look, and I went down the stairs leading to the genie''s room. It''s not like I can get to the genie''s room right away. If this is the pattern we''ve been following so far, another difficult enemy should be waiting for us. As expected, the first thing we did was go into a completely white, empty space. The space was modestly small. It wasn''t even half the size of a tennis court. There was a turtle curled up in the center of that space. Surprisingly, it looked like a free turtle. Its limbs were curled up, hidden inside its shell. I pulled out my gun, first firing the growth bullets I was raising for a small check. Darn!Kakin! A metallic sound rang out and the bullet was bounced off the shell. I see, it''s as hard as it looks - and that''s when I thought. The turtle split into two bodies. Apparently, it seems that it splits just like a normal monster. Then it''s no good doing a small check, you have to defeat it with a big move. I pulled out both pistols, loaded them both with blue flame bullets, and fired them at the same time to make them into fusion bullets. A fusion of blue flame bullets, flameless bullets. The invisible flames burned one of the turtles. ''''What!'''' I raised my voice. The shimmering sunshine flickered, the flameless bullets were definitely made. But the turtle didn''t falter. The bullets that had burned everything up until now didn''t work as if. And then - another split. The two turtles split into four, each of them splitting apart. ''Flameless bullets don''t work either: ...... I''ll have to be very careful with this one. I was pondering what to do, though. The four turtles split further apart, making it eight! Nah! It''s an eye-opening sight, and I''m immensely disappointed by the sight in front of me. I didn''t do anything and the turtle was even more divided. No, before that. All the splits we''ve seen so far. It was splitting even when it wasn''t attacking the turtle. And then I was like, "What the hell does that mean--" and then they split. We''ve gone from eight to 16. "Shall we play a game of doubles? I watched with bated breath, and after a few seconds, it split even more and became thirty-two bodies. He waited for a few more seconds, and from now on, there would be sixty-four bodies. At this point, I couldn''t even tread on them anymore. Is it at least a relief that the turtles are hiding in their shells and not attacking me - no, no! I realize. I realized that I was in a pinch like never before. The turtles aren''t attacking me, that''s probably for sure. I get the same feeling from these turtles that I get from the Arsenic rocks, that they are not willing to fight. They just double in size every few seconds. That''s all, but this room was surprisingly small, and there was no way out. As soon as I came down, the stairs disappeared. At this pace - in less than thirty seconds, the splitting turtle will fill the room - and I''ll be crushed to death. ''''d*mn!'''' He put the gun away and hit the turtle at his feet. Force SS, if this was it - it was no good. Even if I hit it with all my strength, the turtle''s shell didn''t even crack. And then split further. The turtle, which was all over the floor, doubled in size, and the floor itself rose up a notch. I got impatient and kept hitting it as hard as I could, but it wasn''t working. But it didn''t work. At this rate, I had two more, and less than ten seconds left. "Accelerated fire! Quickly, I shot an accelerated bullet at myself to buy myself some time. In an accelerated world, the proliferation of turtles slows down in the experience. I must defeat the turtles at any cost. I grit my teeth. From the response, it''s not an attack disablement or anything like that. It''s just that it''s extremely hard. A tremendously hard tortoise shell, where neither physics nor magic works. Then we have no choice but to hit it with an attack that surpasses it. I grabbed one of the turtles, striking it with all my strength. Don!Don!Don!Don!Don-- Each blow, delivered by the force SS, was a special-grade punch that slammed into the turtle''s shell in rapid succession. Doubling up even more, half the room is filled. One more, only a few seconds left in real time. More pounding, pounding as hard as I can. I slam it so hard that my knuckles crack and my bones creak. ''Whoa!'' Beep! The turtle''s shell cracked. The cracked shell shattered as it was, emitting light. ''There''s no time--Repetition! In the accelerated time, I repetitioned from one end to the other. Once I took down a turtle, the repetition worked. I shot frantically and eliminated them at a high pace. Doubled down even more on the way! But the amount of space I erased with the repetition didn''t go as far as to fill it 100%, leaving enough room for one of me to fit. As long as I don''t die, I can handle it. While shooting infinite recovery rounds, I fired a barrage of Repetition in the accelerating world. Doubling up was bad, but the accelerated bullets plus the Repetition were just barely enough to surpass it. The turtles were multiplied twice during the course of the game, but I managed to kill all of them. The entrance to the room that leads to the spirit appeared. 266. Believe me There was a girl in the room at the bottom of the stairs. She looks young, close to Alice, and is about fourteen or five years old. Her hair is long enough to hang down to the ground, and her clothes are "Japanese" - close to twelve. A dolphin doll or an old Japanese princess. A girl who looks like that. ''Prumbum?'' The human ...... has come to dabble in mistresses again. That girl - the girl from Spirit Purumbum, no doubt in terms of location - was staring at me with hostility bared in her eyes. But then I understood one thing. Plumbum didn''t lose the monster to avoid me. He did it to reject humans. ''Trickery?Did something happen to you with humans in the past? What are you doing? Plumbum raised his hand. A moment later, a wind pressure hits me. I cross my arms and stay on my feet - but. ''''Gaha!'''' Pain shot through every part of my body. I looked over and saw that the fish-type monsters that had existed in the Plumbum dungeons so far had appeared out of nowhere and were hitting me in the body. ''''Wait!My story-- Leave!You have nothing to talk to a human being about! Prumbum, still in a rage, waved his hands in the air further. The second attack, I instantly switched my attention to my surroundings. Multiple monsters came out in all directions and surrounded me. Kicking the ground and flying backwards, I draw my two pistols and fire a growth round and a normal round. I intercept and knock down the monsters that hit me physically. ''You did it. ......'' d*mn! This is not going to end well. He fires special bullets on the spot. The shot was a restraining round. A rope of light restrained Plumbum. Plumbum tried to raise his hands, but they didn''t move, and he stared at me with more intense and angry eyes. It''s a look with a pretty intense will to reject. I stare back into those eyes, which would normally make me feel depressed, and ask. ''What happened to you?Let me hear it. I might be able to help you in some cases. "Don''t be coy, man, no matter how nice they may be to you, in the end they will betray you. ...... betrayed you? Yes! He''s even more agitated, and he opens his eyes so wide that he looks like he''s going to blow fire out of them. ''Tell me that story.'' ...... Very well. If you insist, you will be acquainted with the sins of man. Plumbum spoke with his furious eyes, in response to my questions. Once, a man came to my mistress. He was a strong and brave man. So she''s a seasoned adventurer. That''s the first time I''ve had any contact with a human. The man told her many things about humans, and showed her a world she had never known. He told her many things about humans, and showed her a world that she had never seen before. And in return, he gave her a power that she can only display here in Plumbum. You gave him a genie with a spirit. The man said he was leaving. Yeah? What''s the wind up of the ...... story? I said I''d be back. I promised her I''d be back. She believed it, and sent him off... but! Purrumbum raging, the wind pressure in sync with the anger assaulting me. He never came back. He used all the power that straw gave him and never came back - until he died. ...... recently dead. That''s right. The power she gave you has returned. Do you understand now?You are a man of few words, then. That''s not true. What''s the difference! ''The man couldn''t come back even if he wanted to. People have a very hard time coming here. "Bullshit!He said, ''I could have come if I''d done it normally.'' They just don''t know it was a lucky break-- Don''t say that! Plumbumbum''s anger bolstered more and more. She wasn''t lying, but it irritated her to the contrary. ''Even if that person was, I wouldn''t do that. What I''m going to say is absolutely--'' Don''t ever be tricked again by a mortal. Plumbum raised his hand. He quickly braced himself. The monster didn''t fly, but instead a turtle appeared in front of Plumbum. ''Repetition!'' The most powerful lap magic, Repetition. The strongest magic to defeat monsters once defeated unconditionally - but it didn''t work. I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any of them. Is it a different monster? It''s a different monster, but its abilities were similar. The turtle multiplied faster than the guy from earlier, doubling in size at a rate of one per second. It shoots guns, and its hardness is no less than that of a winner. This is unstoppable--that''s when I thought. A staircase appeared in front of me. The stairs back to the top appeared in a doubled-up turtle. ''Get out of my mistress''s sight!The "human -Oh! Repetition doesn''t work, the tortoise is equally hard and multiplies at about five times the rate. The consequences of what that meant--. I gritted my teeth and ran up the stairs that Plumbum gave me. When I got out of the stairs, I walked out of the dungeon. I''m going to pull up and plan a countermeasure for now. With that in mind, I turned myself around and walked out with my back to the dungeon - but. ...... Stay, stay. Just turn your head and look at the dungeon. It''s ...... no good. Plumbum feels betrayed by the humans. If she backed down here, she would really think, "See, I was right. I can''t back down, I have to go to see her. I have to make her understand. I went back to the dungeon. All at once, I ran through the Plumbum dungeon and came to the lowest level. I put down the only two bottles of goat''s milk left in the city, and since I''d used one, I put down the milk that was now a legitimate last bottle. The hagremonos hatched and the repetition killed them instantly. The stairs were out. I went down, and there was a turtle that multiplied, but Repetition killed that too, in the blink of an eye. I came back to Prunbhum''s place. "What do you think you''re doing? Listen to me. Yeah, shut up! Plumbum brought out the turtles again. Turtles that couldn''t be taken down immediately, turtles that doubled in size at a tremendous rate. The stairs were still out. ''Leave!'' I''m not leaving. I said quietly, but clearly. Plumbum flinched, I could see his hesitation. All the while, the turtles continued to multiply, filling Plumbum''s room. Stone of Absolute Rock, and HP and Strength SS. I decided to activate the invincibility mode and endure it. Mitchi--. An unpleasant sound could be heard from my body''s core. Invincibility Mode + HP SS + Strength SS. Even so, the pressure was enough to make my body creak. ''''Gaha.'''' I coughed up blood. The taste of iron filled my mouth. ''Nah, why are you there ......'' Prumbum exclaims. ''I can''t overlook someone like you. "Wow, like a mistress ......? ''I''m forced to be in this place, not seeing the people I want to see, being forced to be in an unfortunate environment where our differences hurt my heart. I look straight at Prumbum. I can''t let that happen. -Oh! So I''ll deal with it. This is nothing compared to that-- The words are cut off. My eyes become hazy and distant, distant in consciousness. The turtle continues to multiply all the while, and I can feel the pressure growing stronger. Plumbum is unaffected, of course, but the pressure hits me in such a way that my body feels like it''s going to be messed up. The limit comes, I let go of my consciousness--. Gili! I grit my teeth. I gather up all my energy and hold on to my consciousness. You have to trust me. "-Oh! The moment I finished, I wandered off and lost the feeling in my feet. I''ve gone over the edge, I thought - so far. ''...... really?'' I can hear Plumbum''s feeble voice. ''Huh?'' Are you sure you can trust him? ...... Yeah. Come to see me again? I''ll come. There may be some days I won''t be able to come, but when I do, I''ll have my guys come. Inside. Yeah, or I''ll take you out of here if you want. That''s not ...... but it''s ...... That''s what Prumbum mumbles. She seems similar to Aulum, but a bit different. She seems to have little interest in the outside world. Someone is coming to visit her. That''s all she wants, it seems. ...... wow. What? I''ll trust you at ....... ...... Yeah, trust me. I struggled to stay on my wobbly feet and said strongly to Prumbum. She gave me a smile, as if the snow had melted. She smiled at me, as if the snow had melted. 267. The spirit in love Well, ...... The ice in Plumbum''s heart melted. She had long hair and a twelve-piece dress. She came out like a Japanese princess of old, and although her appearance was the same, she looked far more beautiful than when I met her. I thought that the way she was smiling calmly was her true form. The key word "original" reminded me of that. ''Hey, can I ask you one question?'' What is it?Is that something you can answer to a mistress? ''Yeah, you should know better than anyone else in the world. Plumbum was always a dungeon where monsters split up? Ugh. ...... Prumbum looks at a loss for words and looks embarrassed. My guess is right. TetraMin, the city with the Prumbum dungeon. It hasn''t been long since we arrived, and it''s already pretty desolate, but the city''s construction made me think that it must have once been prosperous. There was a boom time in TetraMin too - in other words, I''m sure it wasn''t a divisive and dreary dungeon like it is now. So I asked her, and the look on Plumbum''s face said it all. She was downcast, looking up at me with the face of a child who''d been scolded by her parents. ''I felt betrayed by that man,'' she said. Something black was going through my mind, and I thought, look at the humans - and then it happened. ...... I see. Can you turn it back on? Ugh. ...... Prumbum is at a loss for words again. ''Is it hard?'' ''Honestly ....... My mistress doesn''t really know how you did it either. ''Yeah, well, that''s fine. Then it''s up to you to use the Dungeon Master to do it. That''s ...... and I don''t think that''s possible. What? ''We''re talking about changing the type of monster in the dungeon master, aren''t we?'' Yeah. What the mistress has done is make the monsters in this dungeon split. No matter how you change them, they will only split. ...... That''s troubling. I''ve been told that there''s no point in using a dungeon master. But I see what you mean. I''ve used Dungeon Master a few times now and the only thing that has changed is the content of the drops. Even though the content has changed, the lanterns, for example, are still booze, and the silicon is still vegetables. The original properties of the dungeon have not been altered. The only people who can do this are spirits that are higher than the Dungeon Master. And since Prunbhum doesn''t know how he did it, he says there''s no way to bring it back or stop it. ''''Hmm.'''' How''s this for a change? What? A weapon made from straw body parts would keep the division down. Plumbum said and summoned the turtle in front of him. He tore the turtle apart with a hand blade with fingers lined up like a white fish, but the turtle did not split apart. ''Like this,'' I see. So, in this case, it''s ...... hair. In the case of stories that use body parts to make weapons, the most common pattern is to use hair. Plumbum in particular is a woman. I''ve heard that a woman''s hair has a mysterious power, and that''s also common in the real world where I was from. In addition, in real life, hair can be continually removed and re-grown, making it easier to produce weapons. The best thing to do is to knead Plumbum''s hair into iron, for example, and use the iron to make weapons. ''All right.'' With an entirely undeterred hand, Plumbum grabbed a handful of long, cascading, beautiful hair that reached to the ground and grabbed it in a bunch at the base of his neck and tried to trim it off with his hand sword. ''Wait, wait, wait!'' I called out quickly, and I grabbed her sword - her wrist. ''What''s the matter with you, eh?'' It''s ....... As expected, it was depressing. Prumbum tried to cut off his long hair without a second thought. Hair is a woman''s life, those words popped into his head and he thought, "This is not going to happen. ''Doesn''t she need her mistress''s hair? ''That''s true, though. It would be too good a waste to bash off that beautiful hair. Beautiful...... Prumbum''s eyes widen and harden. I furrow my brow and think for a moment. ''Just one .......'' I suggested. Yeah, just one. That''s two birds with one stone (). "Yeah, is that enough? It''s not enough, but just give me one a day. That way you don''t have to cut your beautiful hair. A bottle a day: ...... You come to see me every day and that''s good enough for me. ...... Plumbumbum slumped again and looked me up and down. The same gesture as before, but this time why? After a moment, Prumbum opens his mouth with a moist air. ''Thank you.'' What? ''Strawberries aren''t that stupid. You''re going to give me the peace of mind that you''re going to come see me every day at one ......, right? It''s embarrassing to be told so clearly. I was really embarrassed, and I almost blew fire out of my face. I would come to get one a day. This way, Plumbum wouldn''t have to cut her beautiful hair, and she could spend her time in the peace of mind and expectation that she would come back tomorrow to get one. One accelerated bullet a day, something I came up with from my experience of going to the monster village of Lyota to get it. So, two birds with one stone. I was embarrassed to have that pointed out to me. ''Thanks ......'' Plumbum looks so happy that it was nothing, much to my slight embarrassment. The spirit room, after Ryota was gone. Alone, Prumbum combed his hair through his fingers. ''He complimented me on my hair ...... beautiful. Her cheeks tinted and she murmured happily, embarrassed. ''......'' Suddenly, she looked up and looked at the ceiling. The Ryota who had left, the Ryota who had promised to come back tomorrow. Thinking about that Ryota. ''Will the genie be able to watch with ...... people?'' It had been less than a day since they met. Prumbum was intensely attracted to Ryota. 268. Plumbum filter Next day. Ground floor of Plumbum, I waited for a while and then the gate opened. Eve came out of the gate and stood in front of me. "Here you are. Thank you. Carrots are the way to go. I''ll have a bunch of them for you tonight. "Hm. Eve nodded in satisfaction, took my hand, and together we walked through the gate. After a dazzling light, I was in the mansion''s transporter room. The gate that Eve had opened for me. It allowed me to get to all levels of Plumbum. Then... Eve turned herself around and turned to leave. ''Yeah, do you want to go too, Eve?I''m going to introduce you to her. I''m not interested in that dungeon. Is that so? I was hoping for it, but there was no rabbit''s milk. Hmm? After saying what she wanted to say, Eve stuttered away this time. Rabbit milk--does that mean rabbit milk? There''s no such thing - no. "Rabbits are ...... mammals, right? I remember when I was on the breeding committee in elementary school, taking care of the rabbit hutch. Rabbits have milk and they do nurse their children, although ....... You don''t want that in your drop items. I''m sorry for Eve, who I thought she was expecting, but I''m glad I didn''t. I got my mind back on track and used the transporter room. The mansion''s transfer room, which can be unconditionally accessed in any dungeon level I''ve mentioned once. I designated Plumbum''s room, made sure the light vortex was made as usual, and jumped into it. The distance that would take more than a day if I did it normally, was transferred in an instant. ''Good morning,'' It''s really here: ...... You promised me. ...... Mm. Plumbum smiled happily. She looks best when she''s smiling, after all. ''Noh, noh.'' Yeah? I''d love to hear more about you at ....... Me? That''s right, it was ......, for example. You endured it when the mistress tried to crush you. Oh, yeah. I took out one of the items I always carry with me for dungeon attacks, the Absolute Rock stone. This is what I used. The Absolute Rock is an item dropped from a monster, and when you use it, your invincibility mode ...... defense power increases tremendously. So the turtle didn''t crush you? Yes. ''Oh my goodness, ...... that should have been under tremendous pressure. ...... It''s multiplied. Didn''t I shoot something, by the way? Plumbum''s "Yona" ending was so nice to my ears that I fell in love with it for a bit. The old-fashioned noblemanlike way she spoke made me want to listen to it forever. I answered her questions one by one. Prumbum seemed really interested in me, and she asked me one after another. Hmmm, that''s the first time I''ve heard of it. He always looked straight at me and nodded seriously at what I answered, sometimes with exaggerated surprise. His reactions were loud and easy to talk to. ''Well, I think it''s time for me to leave you alone. Already? I''ll be back tomorrow. Don''t worry. I''m worried about you. ...... Plumbum''s cheeks were stained, and he would look away from me, and then he would stare at me again. Yes, I know you''re a man of your word. Thank you. I''ll see you tomorrow. Mm, I''ll see you tomorrow. We said goodbye to each other, and I got a strand of hair from her and left the dungeon. The next day. The first thing I did was deliver Plumbum''s hair to Orton the custom cart-maker. I asked him to put it in a weapon. Orton is very good at processing parts of monsters or themselves into tools. First, I asked him to make a prototype of the weapon. He listened to me and gave me a test weapon, a normal bullet with Plumbum''s hair. I''ll use this first. I decided to test it out. After doing so, I returned to the mansion, and once I was transferred to the first floor of Plumbum, I went to TetraMin. Plumbum Weapons, a countermeasure to the split, will be distributed or sold to adventurers in the future. I tried to find some merchants who would take care of that. But the moment I stepped out of the dungeon into TetraMin. ''Ah!Lord Lyota! Yeah? I turned at the sound of impatient voices and saw Dale, the head of the Tetra-Ming Association, there. He was sweating and running up to me with a frantic look on his face. ''What''s going on?'' ''It''s out!The dungeon master! What? ''They''re running amok in the dungeon. If we attack them, they might split up, so no one will be able to help. All right. I''ll go. I went back into Plumbum, which I just got out of. I hadn''t noticed it earlier, but it definitely had the aura of a dungeon master, and there were no other monsters in sight. I didn''t want to do this, and I ran down the dungeon. I ran down one after another, until I came to the 15th floor underground, where I ran into that guy. "Go to ......? I sounded dumb. If I had a mirror in front of me, I probably would have been able to see the face of a man with an incredibly dumb face. The dungeon master in front of me was humanoid. He was an adult male, wearing a protector and jacket and carrying two pistols. He looks like me, but ....... ''I don''t have a rose on my back or glitter on my back ....... I mumbled as I was disempowered. Alice''s summoning magic summoned me in the same way as Ryouchin, but the direction was like a different direction. Rhyochin has an appearance that I deformed like a plush toy. That makes him charming and doesn''t make me feel weird when I look at him. But this dungeon master is different. In a word, he''s not a shoujo manga protagonist. He''s like an all-powerful superhuman male who falls for the heroine in some way or another. She''s got a lot of sparkle, and she''s carrying a rose on her back. What a world of different art styles. There''s no time to worry about why this is happening - and so on. The dungeon master held up his gun and shot a bullet at me. A straight shot, nondescript bullet flying straight at me. When he flicked it off, he stepped in this time and challenged me to a fleshy, close encounter. I was a bit relieved. If you were as strong as I was, it would have been tricky with the split, but your speed and power weren''t too bad. In terms of status, it''s an all-A. This is about as good as it gets. I restrained the dungeon master to the extent that it didn''t become an attack, and after having only one bullet made, I put a prototype bullet, a Plumbum bullet, into his brain. ...... ugh. It''s not very interesting to watch a handsome guy with a self-like face, shoujo manga style, take a bullet to the brain and fall down. But I was able to defeat him. The dungeon master who looks like me dropped a key. It''s a rusty key. I pick it up for now and put it in my pocket. The dungeon master collapsed, and the normal monster returned to the dungeon again. I left the dungeon and reported to Dale, who was waiting for me at the entrance. ''It''s all right now,'' ''Oh!As expected of Lyota-sama. Thank you for defeating the Dungeon Master in this moment! ''Don''t worry about it. I''d rather talk to you about something more than that. I told Dale about the weapon. I told him that the Plumbum weapon would stop the monsters from splitting up. ''My God!Such a weapon! I''ll be here tomorrow with the first prototype. I used the plumbum bullets earlier, but the real prototype, meaning that it can be used by other adventurers, will be tomorrow. ''So, I have someone to ask for the distribution and management of the weapons, can you do that? When I asked, Dale responded, for some reason, Gene, sounding impressed. ''Leave it to me!I''ll take care of it responsibly! Really? ''Yes!I can''t believe Master Lyota can count on me to do this for him: ...... I''ll definitely do something about it. All right. All right. This is all over for now. Now let''s go to Plumbum''s place again today. I went downstairs to the basement level and used the transporter gate that brought me here to get back to the mansion and then transferred directly to Plumbum''s room. ''''Good morning, I''m here again today. I called out to him, but there was no response. When I looked closer, I saw that Plumbum was writing something with a single mind. I wondered what he was writing, so I approached him and looked over his shoulder. ''Whoa!'' For the second time today, I heard a strange voice. It was me, the one Plumbum wrote about. To be exact, I''m the handsome, shoujo manga-style hottie. In other words, I''m the dungeon master from earlier. After she single-mindedly wrote it off. ''No, don''t ...... himself is better looking than that ...... No, I don''t think so! What? I surprised Plumbum with a grand plunge. But I dare say. That''s not true, you know. Apparently, Plumbum''s (super-beautiful) image of me has remade the Dungeon Master''s image. 269. Spirit ○ Time ○ Room The basement of the mansion at night. After dinner, I sneak into the basement alone. At the far end of the basement, at the far end of the basement, I put the key out of my pocket in a remote place. The key dropped by Prumbum''s dungeon master, a guy who looks like me that she (Prumbum) has beautified by 10000%. I''ve tried many things since then, but it didn''t work as an item at all. Then I decided to discard the normal effect and try to strengthen and regenerate it by making it into a haggler with drop S. So I came to the basement by myself. Sneaking around, avoiding my friends. Because--. ''Ah, Lyota, there you are. ''What are you doing, Emily has baked cookies. Come on, let''s get back to the salon and have some tea. The jovial duo, Alice and Aulum, showed up. Ever since Aulum teamed up with Meeke and their actions were no longer restricted, they''ve been working together more often than not. Both have a jovial, upright personality, yet they both carry around adorable monsters. They''ve become like sisters, or maybe even best friends for years. The two of them came looking for me - at the worst possible time. A rusty key in the back hatched into a haggler over time. "Wow, what''s in the air? Dungeon Master. You''ve come to the wrong place at the wrong time. The two of them felt the air and made an apologetic expression - but only for a moment. ''Whatever it is, hahahahahaha,'' ''Pfft ...... Lyota?It''s Lyota. ''Lyota''s sparkling, she''s carrying a rose on her back. Geehahahahaha. Don''t laugh: "Don''t laugh. ...... Pfft. The two of them laughed hugely when they got a clear view of the dungeon master, me, a 10000% beautiful me, and the dungeon master. ''''Ah funny ...... ri-ching! For some reason, Alice used the summoning magic ''All Might'' to call Ree-chin. At this moment, a total of three people, me and my two pathetic bodies, existed in the basement. This scene of all three of us meeting together is quite intense. "What''s the matter with you, calling that girl out of the blue? Hey, this girl over here looks like a real ryo-chin, right? Yeah, for all intents and purposes, you look like a ''ryo-chin''. Alice and Aurum get on well with each other. It looks like they have the same naming sense. I''m not sure what kind of face it is to have a "ryochin" face, but it''s not hard to understand. So I was wondering what the name was. Of course it''s ....... Yeah. Alice and Aulum, they nodded meaningfully to each other, then. ''''Ryou-sama.'''' Unisoned. It''s like oops ....... I knew this was going to happen, so I had to sneak it in, and then I ended up being found and messed with. Lippetishon ...... I got discouraged and defeated Ryou-sama with my strongest round-robin magic. Hagremon Ryo-sama disappeared and dropped a golden key. It was the same shape as the first rusty key, but its color had turned golden and was glittering. ''''Oh no, I beat it. ''I wanted to see some more. Hey, come to think of it, could Ryota use summoning magic or something? ''What?I don''t know, why? If you can use it, you can call up a white horse at ...... and ride it, doesn''t it look good on you? ''I''m in!Oh--there''s the bicorn! The White Bicorn!Ryo-sama and the bicorn. Nice, looks good on you. Please don''t. I''m getting more and more discouraged. The excitement of the two of us is hard to take right now. ''It would look so picturesque without the white horse, though. Hey, I''d like to invite a famous painter to paint. Oh, maybe a statue or something. Car-- ha! I ran out in a flash. I ran out of the basement and down the hallway. "-- There was a cell outside the window. His eyes met mine and he ran off like, Shubba-baba, and I was like. ''...... seriously?'' I was desperate, and I gave up. The family that controls the minting rights in this world, even more so. Sel Sel Stema. He''s an incredibly important man, but for some reason he''s a big fan of mine, and he has a statue or figure of my "exploits" at every turn. I think I''ve been seen. Ryo-sama, he''s going to be a figure! What a rambunctious announcement came into my head. I slumped my shoulders and trudged back to the basement. ''Welcome back, what''s up?'' Let''s go to ....... That means she''s going to be a statue! Why do you look so happy: ...... Giving up reached the finish line and we laughed as we circled around. We can''t do anything about that one, let''s just forget about it. Let''s just forget about this one - let''s forget about Alice and Aurum, too. They''re friends of mine ...... so let''s forget about them. More importantly, it''s a drop. I took out the golden key that Master Ryo dropped. "That''s the item you dropped, right? Yeah. What''s it all about? ''''I don''t know. I''m guessing it''s powered up because it''s changed from a rusty key to a golden one, but I don''t even know the original ....... I kind of took the key and twisted it as if to unlock the door. Then - a door appeared. A door appeared in the basement of a large, empty house. "What is this!It''s like a secret room! Alice was very excited, and the monsters on her shoulders were adorably excited. I, on the other hand, took a closer look at the door. A door that stood in the middle of the room, dawning like a sample product. There was a number on the door that read ''01'' in calculator-like typeface. I wonder what 01...... means? I guess that means only one of us can come in. ''Or I''ll just put it in once--usually one of those two things. Let''s go in. Wait. Awlum can wait. Why not? ''It''s possible that the door is a dungeon attribute. Even though Meeke is there, there could be a risk in that case. ...... Aurum''s lips twitched, but she withdrew with good listening. Dungeon attribute is a term I just made up, but he knows very well that she, as a spirit, disappears when she enters and leaves the dungeon, so he understood it right away. ''So it''s me or Lyota, then. Yeah. Okay, I''ll do it. Are you sure? ''Yes!Something about ...... smells really exciting. I see. I knew it was a dungeon attribute. Alice, who was born in a dungeon, can wade through many things in a dungeon with a different "smell". Because she says so, there''s a good chance that the other side of the door is a dungeon or similar space. So let me go. All right. Have a good day. ''Yes!Well then, Aurum, go ahead. If you''re okay, I''m next. I love you!Here you go! Alice opened the door and walked in, keeping the tension high. As soon as she entered and the door closed automatically. ''01'' turned into ''00''. ''That''s down,'' I don''t know if it''s the number of people or the number of times, but if it''s 01 and 00, can it be increased, how? Like, do you want to repeat the ''cat-and-mouse'' thing, Master Ryo? I don''t know if I have a choice, but-- While poking around, I thought it was one of the possibilities. Defeat that dungeon master and increase the number of people with more keys to increase the maximum number of people. Other than that, it''s the passage of days. A pattern where the number increases and recovers, like 1 or 2 every day. We''ll need to examine that area in detail as well... Justadaima! About a minute after she walked in the door, Alice returned in high spirits. ''That was fast, how was it?'' Yeah, well, you know, how long have I been in there? How long: ...... ...... for a minute or so? I looked at Aulum and each other and nodded at each other. ''Hmph.'' When Alice heard that, she became more and more hyped up. ''''My God!I''ve been in there all day! Alice put her hands on her hips and stuck out her other hand to make the V-sign. -- and a day inside? What''s going on? I found an explanation inside. It said something about a day inside being a minute outside. Hmmm, not sure. ...... No. I know exactly what you mean. It''s a dreamy, dreamy room that a boy my age would dream of at least once. And there''s a number on the door that says "00". This door, this room. I want to know more about it, I thought strongly. 270. Ryotas bromide The next day, using the mansion''s transporter room, he came to Prumbum''s place. ''Good morning,'' Ah, ....... When I called out to him, Plumbum, who had been looking down and drawing something, looked up. When he saw me, he smiled happily. ''I''ve been waiting for you,'' Draw what ...... ah. I smiled bitterly as I approached and looked into her hand. It was me that Plumbum was drawing. It''s me, but it''s ...... me, not me. Ryou-sama. It''s Master Ryo, the dungeon master, named by Aurum and Alice. "While you were away, I used it to keep my mind occupied. Yeah. That''s the thing, though, I need a favor. What is it?I will do whatever you, of all people, ask of me, and I will do whatever I can for you. Smiling Prumbum. It pains me to say so, but it helps to say so. I haven''t directly confirmed the cause and effect, but I''m probably sure of it. The dungeon master''s appearance has changed to ''Ryo-sama'' due to the influence of her being a dungeon spirit and drawing like this. Then you can change my appearance as she draws it. I''d rather be Dungeon Master Sato Ryota than Dungeon Master Ryo-sama. It''s not a problem. I''d like to see you draw something more normal. I asked her to pick my words. ''Normal?I''m just drawing it as it appears, though? Huh? I was so surprised that I sounded weird. You''re drawing it as it looks: ...... as it looks? I looked again at the Ryou-sama (me) she had drawn. The smooth hair, the sparkling eyes. Not just behind her back, but also in her mouth, with a rose in her mouth, and this is just as it looks! ...... Yeah, right. In that moment, I knew. Yeah, this is a pattern that I can''t do anything about, I thought. I''ll just let her do what she wants. "Hmm. ...... After all, Plumbum looks happy to be comparing me to her own drawing of "me" in turn. It''s a much better look than the cursory and desperate moment when we first met. Then there''s no stopping him. Is that what a request is supposed to be? Yeah, that''s fine. Then do me a favor this time, or I''ll do you a favor. What? Let me hold your hand ....... Hands? I stared at my hand first, then offered it to her. Do you want to shake her hand?Or is it a finger-linked lover''s hug? I expected it to unfold, but it was neither. Plumbum tried to grip and tease my hand, as if to check it. As if to check its shape. ''What are you doing?'' To tell you the truth, I can''t draw well with my hands. That''s why I wanted to touch your hand and see if I could learn to draw with it. ''I see. It''s definitely hard to get your hands on. I''m not much of a drawer. I''ve doodled in the corners of textbooks and in notebooks since childhood and adolescence, but when I draw people, my hands are always crossed in my pockets or behind my back. I don''t put my hands on them at all, I''d say. That''s why I could really relate to Plumbum''s statement that hands are difficult. Prumbum checked the shape of my hand for a while, and then he started to draw again. I glanced at it, this time it was my hand, not my whole body. That''s okay, I thought, I''ll let him draw whatever he wants. I thought to myself. ''It''s done.'' So s*xy! Plumbum draws (maybe) my hands were very s*xy. Wrinkled fingertips, the balance of joints and flesh. It''s just a hand, but it exuded a certain s*xiness. To be frank, it''s s*xy. Hmm, I was able to draw the real thing. ...... I could only chuckle at a satisfied Prumbum. First floor of Plumbum in the afternoon. Me, Dale, the head of the TetraMin Society, and representatives of the various buyers and merchant associations. All of them gathered to watch what one adventurer was about to do. A young female adventurer, equipped with revealing bikini armor, a typical female swordsman. As such, she carries a single longsword. A brand new longsword. Wielding it, she slashes the fish-type monsters that swim in the air. The slashed Plumbum monster was not defeated, but it did not split up either. ''''Ooohhhh!'''' The crowd cheered. Everyone in the room cheered for not splitting up. Dale, who was standing closest and closest to me, took my hand. ''Thank you!Thank you, Lord Lyota! It''s only a prototype, but it works so well, I''ll have it mass-produced like this. ''Yes!Thank you! Dale is so impressed that his hand tightens its grip on me. The woman warrior is using a prototype of the Plumbum weapon that Orton had me make. Using Plumbum''s hair as a material, it has the effect of preventing the monster division of this dungeon. It was a weapon that would improve the efficiency of the dungeon so far. With this weapon, Plumbum can hunt with the same level of efficiency as a normal dungeon. ''With this, ...... tetramine will be as good as it used to be: ...... No, I think it will be more than it was. ''What?Wh-Why? I pointed behind him to Dale, who wondered. ''There''s nothing there but .......'' That''s why. I mean, there were merchants there earlier. Oh, ...... everyone is gone. ''They all started moving all at once because they were convinced it was going to be money. Maybe they''re ready for it, but they''re stopping it, and they went to move it all together because of this result. I see! There is no race more sensitive to seeing a plane than the merchants, but in this case, it was a relief. Dale was clearly relieved to see. ''Thank you so much.'' ''Don''t worry about it. I just did what I wanted to do. Maybe I''m the one who should be rather grateful. If Dale hadn''t come along, there''s a good chance that Plumbum would still be wielding a vendetta in that space. I want to thank Dale for giving me the opportunity to manage that. ''''Ah. What''s going on? Suddenly, the female warrior, who had been trying out the prototype longsword, spoke up. She bent down and picked up something, but she had a troubled look on her face when she saw it. I approached her to see what it was all about. ''Here: ......'' This is a ...... bu, bromide! The warrior woman showed me a photo-sized drawing. It was me - no, no. No, no, it''s a bromide with Master Ryo on it. "What''s this? I killed a monster and it dropped. This? The name is "The Glory of Lyota." ...... The female warrior, still holding the bromide, gave a huff. Did the fact that she held it in her hand make her feel something? Immediately after, she "used" the bromide. Then the bromide disappeared and ''Ryo-sama'' appeared in its place. "Nah-- Dungeon Master Ryo-sama. I quickly stuck out my hand and tried to apply a repetition - but I noticed. The monster is still present in the dungeon, and it''s not the Dungeon Master''s air. What does that mean?I was wondering why, when Ryo-sama moved. I attacked the nearest fish that was swimming in the air. Using me as a base, Ryo-sama''s attack was far more powerful than that of a female warrior, and he buried the monster with a single blow. The monster disappeared and dropped, and Ryo-sama disappeared as well. ''''Ah ...... I see.'''' What''s this all about, Master Lyota? It''s a one-time consumption item. I try to recreate the situation while explaining it to Dale, who is alone and unable to swallow the situation. I repetition on all the remaining fish on the floor and take them down in batches. When I''ve killed about thirty of them, I get one bromide. I pick up the bromide, the name ''Lyota''s Prestige'', a consumption item, popped into my head. I used it. Ryou-sama with a very s*xy hand appeared and took out a nearby monster with a single blow, and the entire bromide was gone. ''Something like this,'' ''Wow!If it''s going out like this, it''s because Ryota-sama has been recognized by the spirits. That''s the head of the Lyota family! Dale and the female warrior, they both look at me with respect. It''s true that this is what happened after the spirits recognized me. ...... I''ve been called "amazing" and "impressive" many times since I moved to another world. I''ve never had such an embarrassing "wow" before. The fact that ...... two people are serious about saying that added to the embarrassment. 271. Always better than expected One day, on my way back from visiting Plumbum, I came across the city of TetraMin. Since the creation of the Plumbum weapon, many merchants have come to TetraMin, but the number of adventurers seems to have increased. I''m not sure why, I wondered, as I tilted my head through the bustling streets of TetraMin. ''Lyota-sama,'' Dale, or is he ...... busy with something? Dale was sweating when he spoke to me. His slightly frayed hair was sticking to his forehead, how busy he looked at work. ''Yes!Thanks to this, more adventurers are moving to Tetramin. We''re going to have another meeting today to discuss the expansion of the residential section of the city. Wow, more applicants. It''s all thanks to Lyota-sama. Plumbum Weapon. No, no, that''s not all. Yeah? What do you mean?I nodded my head. Dale looked at me with nothing but respect, like a fan waiting for his idol to show up. ''It''s Lyota''s prestige. I found out that if you use that thing to defeat a monster, it drops 100%.'''' I didn''t know that. I see, so that''s what I look like to Prumbum. ''''Roughly, once you kill 30 monsters, it comes with one definite drop. That''s what made the efficiency of the Plumbum dungeon one of the highest of all dungeons. That''s why people wanted to transfer in. Well, that''s a bargain. I tried to imagine the feeling. If you get hit once every 30 times on average, you''re going to be more efficient, but also more excited. ''I''d accumulate and accumulate and accumulate dozens of cards and spend them all at once. There are some adventurers like that, it seems. Yeah. I know more about the feeling over there. I see, that''s why it''s so popular. ''''So it''s really thanks to Lyota-sama. Thank you so much!'''' Dale bucked his hips ninety degrees and bowed deeply. ''Ta-oh my God!'' Suddenly, a man came running from a distance. When the man spotted Dale, he ran at once. ''What''s up, Pierre?'' It''s the dungeon master, the dungeon master is out! What? I''m out. I said and ran off towards the Plumbum dungeon I had just emerged from. The sooner I beat the dungeon master, the better. I''ve already defeated him, and if I go, it''ll be one repetition shot, so I thought I''d do it. I enter the Plumbum dungeon, going down the dungeon with no monster in sight. Then I saw an extraordinary sight. The sight of Dungeon Master Ryo-sama just getting hit. The ones who did it were the adventurers - or rather, the adventurers'' use of ''Ryota''s Prestige''. There were more than a dozen bromide summoned ''Ryou-sama'' and they were beating up Dungeon Master Ryou-sama, a very strange sight. The Dungeon Master''s version of Ryo-sama is a little stronger, but he''s outnumbered. That fellow was killed by a large number of bromide Ryou-sama, quite simply. I heard it was a preproduction prototype versus a production army. The saloon of the mansion at night. Neptune, who came to visit, said happily. What''s that robot-animation expression. You''re the dungeon master and you''re the one who defeated it. But the real you isn''t there. Isn''t it strange? ''Come to think of it, it might as well be.'' ''''I want to thank you as well. That one thing has further boosted Plumbum''s reputation. ''I see, because you were invested in tetramine. But why did it go up? ''It''s because it''s one of the rare dungeons where the Dungeon Master isn''t a threat. When the dungeon master appears, there''s no need to send people to defeat him, because the system is designed so that local people can deal with him. A safe and stable dungeon to get around. ...... That''s going to be very popular. But you''re amazing. Yeah? Every time, you end up doing more than what''s required of you, every time. Neptune laughed even more happily. 272. New uses for bromide ''Huh?Isn''t that Margaret? On this day, as I walked out of Plumbum''s room towards the dungeon, I encountered a familiar face. Her golden fluffy hair and neat red ribbon, a pure white dress that suited her ladylike appearance very well. She is waving a large white ribbon at her waist, waving a large sword and tossing the monster in the air. Margaret. She is the leader of the Margaret Family, under the Lyota Family, which is the most similar to me in this world. "Lyota-sama! The moment she noticed me and turned around, Margaret ran up to me with a florid expression. Behind her, as usual, the four knights guarding the princess were following her. As I recall, their names were - Lat, Socha, Pray, and Builder. ...... I don''t actually know exactly who they are. I think it''s because they are intentionally trying to "protect the princess from the shadows" and erase the individuality of each of them. It''s been a while! ''Long time no see. I didn''t know you were in Prumbum. Yes, I''ve heard the rumors. I knew I had to come and see you. ''Rumours?What''s the rumor that would make Margaret come? I''ve been heavily involved in Plumbum Dungeon and TetraMin lately, but I don''t have any idea what it looks like. Princess Margaret, an idle adventurer who has made air cans and touring rights a commodity. Milk--I''m sure she''s not related to the livestock dungeon pulumbum. ''It''s--'' Your Highness, the next monster has arrived. I''m sorry, that was close. I would like to have a dewdrop. One of the knights - I don''t remember which name it was, but the one who acted like the leader of the four of us every time - bowed his head reverently. ''''Please wait a moment.'''' That''s fine. Wondering what was going on, Margaret and the others went towards the monster. It was still a perfect battle strategy. The four knights ahead of them attacked and weakened the monster. Their discernment was perfect. The four of them attacked with a fierce onslaught, and then at a certain moment the attacker''s hands stopped. The attacked monster is a crippled, desperate and dying monster that everyone can see. That''s when Margaret takes it a step further and twirls her big sword around. The first piece of the ability is all F, the weakest of all adventurers. But the second drop is all A, the strongest drop rate among all adventurers. Margaret is an adventurer who shines by "specializing in tome". The big sword cut through the dying monster and the item dropped. It''s not milk, it''s a Ryou-sama bromide. Yay!It''s out! Congratulations to Margaret was overjoyed to have the bromide in her hand. In response, the four knights quickly got down on one knee and hung their heads. As usual, the ''princesses and knights'' are still a beautifully complete family. ''''What, was that what you were after?'''' Yes, I do. Margaret tucked the Master Ryo bromide away carefully. ''You''re not going to use it?'' ''No!There''s no way I''m going to use it now! Is that so? Then I wondered when they would use it. ''Yes!Now let''s go on and on and on. Rato, Socha, Play, Builder. haha So, Mr. Lyota, I''m sorry to say: ...... Yeah, I''m sorry to bother you. I''ll see you around. Yes, sir. I watched Margaret leave. ''Really, why wouldn''t I use it?'' I''ve developed a trend that I haven''t been using lately. I was surprised when he suddenly called out to me from the side. Dale was beside me before I knew it. I was a little surprised, but I quickly calmed down and asked him back. ''Why don''t you use it?'' As more and more adventurers used it, one property was discovered. The summoned Lyota-sama-- It''s Ryo-sama, though. I pouted in my mind. It''s embarrassing to be told that that shoujo manga chick is straight up me. With ''Ryo-sama'', I can still insist that it''s a different character. ''''-- is a blow to the closest monster and then disappears right afterwards.If the monster isn''t there, it won''t attack or disappear, and it will stand on the spot on a stick. Oh, really? There''s a movement to take advantage of that and convert it to security use. ...... Yeah. I''m convinced. Master Ryo is not an item. A bromide is an item, but Master Ryo is not. The original floating fish monster hatches from the bromide, but Master Ryo doesn''t hatch into a haggler. And because of its massive attack power, it can stand on its feet until the monster appears and then attack the moment it finds it, it can be used as an automatic security robot. That''s why the bromides themselves are selling for quite a bit of money, and more and more people are redeeming them without using them. ''I see, and so does Margaret. I was somehow convinced that she had put it away without using it. We went through the gate and returned to the mansion. Now, I''ll have to go through Aulum next and collect the accelerated bullets at Lyota''s village. What a thought. ''Thanks!Mr. Celeste. ''I don''t need to be thanked. I''m being paid well. Yes, thank you. I could hear my companion''s voice from a distance. It was a very familiar voice and I immediately recognized who it was. It was Celeste, and Elsa. Curious about what they were talking about, I left the transporter room and went towards the voices. Elsa was in the room at the back of the mansion, the sub-branch of "Swallow''s Grace". It seemed like Celeste had already gone somewhere else, and Erza was alone in the room. Pong, a drop item was transferred to her. It''s a mountain of flowers. It''s probably Emily''s drop items, which were transferred via the magic cart. I''m going to be able to get the numbers written down in the ledger. The "Swallow''s Benefit" sub-branch. The Lyota family''s harvest is transferred here through a custom magic cart, and Erza, who was sent here exclusively to count them. Come to think of it, I haven''t seen many places for Elsa to work. The rest of her friends sometimes go to dungeons with her, so I can usually figure out what they do. Elsa doesn''t, so I don''t know much about her. I wonder what she usually does? I was curious about that, so I waited a while for him to call out to me, and then I thought I''d observe. --but. ''Mr. Lyota,'' ''Wow!And Celeste. You''re still here. Celeste suddenly appeared from behind me. ''''Yes, more importantly, Lyota-san, I have a little favor to ask you. What are you asking for?Okay, what? Come with me. I couldn''t say no when my friends asked me to do so. I took Celeste up on her offer, turned myself around and left the place with her. ''''It''s a warrior''s mercy ...... no after-sales service,'''' What''s the matter with you, Celeste? Turn around and mumble. No, it''s nothing. Let''s go. Yeah. Once again, I walked away from this place with Celeste. Stars After Ryota and Celeste left, the ''Tsubame''s Benefit'' sub-branch. Erza didn''t know that she had been seen just before, and once the transfer was over, she took out the items she had gotten from Celeste. The most popular and hottest product right now. A Ryou-sama bromide, made in Prumbum. ''Ryota-san: ......'' Elsa used the bromide, staining her cheeks and feeling ashamed. Ryota with a girl''s manga touch--Ryo-sama was summoned. After being summoned, Ryou-sama would stand on a stick if there were no monsters around. The sub-branch of "Tsubame''s Grace". Naturally, there were no monsters, and Ryou-sama, with a flower in the background, was shimmering and unmoving. ''''Ufufu......'''' Looking at Ryou-sama, Erza smiles even more ashamedly at her. She gently sits Ryou-sama down and sits down beside her, too. Alone at work, Elsa swooned as she gave Ryou-sama a lap pillow. A growing number of people among a very small section of the population are using Ryou-sama in this way. ...... 273. Aise with Purumbum The branch of "Tsubame''s Grace" in the city of Tetramine. Various milk from Plumbum were brought in one after another. The store was extremely crowded with these purchases and adventurers. ''''Yes, 20,000 piro of the purchase price.'''' One of the clerks handed the adventurer some money and accepted a weapon in exchange. ''What''s that?'' I asked Dale, the head of the Tetra Min Dungeon Association, who was standing beside me, looking at the scene in front of us together. ''''The weapons that Lyota-sama prepared for us, we''ve decided to only rent them for a while. Since there are still a few of them, there are days when the owners won''t go to the dungeon if we buy them back. Oh, I see. You want to rent it out and then return it when you buy it. Dale nodded clearly. ''At first it was just a band-aid for the low weapon count, but since this works as a license as well, I''m thinking of going with it from now on. I see. I nodded. ''I''m glad it''s working in the right direction. ''Feng, I''ve earned it again today. Let''s go get a drink. ''Oh!Let''s go to a nice little place today. Aye. A group of adventurers slipped past us and walked out of the store. The exchange was extremely economical. ''Oh ...... a scene that was so unimaginable not long ago ......'' Dale was thrilled to hear that. ''Good for you,'' ''Yes!In fact, we received some great stories yesterday. Great story? I''ve been approached by a bank that wants to open a branch in this town. Yeah, that''s great. I was frankly impressed. Among the many merchants, no one is as straightforwardly sensitive to the smell of money as the bank. The fact that it has its eye on this town is probably because it''s convinced of TetraMin''s further development. At the very least, there is no doubt that the flow of money will increase. That should be enough for now. "Ryota-sama. Yeah? ''Really!Thank you so much! Dale took my hand, squeezed it forcefully, and bowed his head over and over again. It wasn''t exactly what Dale asked me to do, but I guess the tetramine is all right now. Plumbum''s room, which came via the transporter room. ''Oh, good to see you. As usual, Plumbum, who was writing something with his gaze down at hand, looked up and welcomed me with a smile. ''How did you know I was here?'' Of course. What is natural? In the beginning, I called out to them. When I called out to him, he looked up ...... a natural sight. I''m not going to be able to tell you what to do with it. I''m not sure if they are able to tell by the sound of your footsteps or not. I''m sure you''ll find that your presence will not be missed, even if the heavens and the earth are turned upside down. Don''t you think you''re exaggerating a bit? No, it''s not! Plumbum insisted. Just to feel your presence is enough to make me feel warm and fuzzy. How could I have missed such a sweet thing? ''Right. More importantly, ...... what are you drawing today? Yes, you are an adventurer, aren''t you? Yeah. I nodded. ''I hear you''ve been to various dungeons and solved all sorts of difficult cases. That''s about right. I write them down. I don''t know of any other dungeons, so I mostly supplement them with my imagination. Heh, let''s see. ...... is a cartoon. Oh, you call this a comic book? ''And he''s good at it!I''ve never seen someone spend so much on their own. What Plumbumbum was writing was a raw manuscript that was as good as any professional cartoonist''s. Not just one or two sheets, but quite a lot of raw manuscripts. A mountain of both quality and quantity, a mountain of manuscripts that could be turned into a manga once printed and bound. ''Oh, I''m just as good-looking as I am, aren''t I? The me drawn in the manga was the same as the main character in the girl''s manga. I''ve told you many times, I''m just drawing you as I see you. Oh, yeah? ......This is ...... you? Mm-hmm. Plumbum nodded slightly, his cheeks coloring. The heroine who had appeared in the manga was Prumbum herself. This one was drawn almost exactly as she was, without any adaptation. It''s a good thing that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about the fact that you''re not going to have to worry about it. "Hoho ...... could this be ...... a story about Emily? Hmm. I wrote down the story you told me. I see. It was kind of funny. The manga is the story of how me and Emily met. It started with my transition to another world, which I said was apparently dropped from a slime, and the story of how I borrowed a bamboo spear from Emily and desperately earned money in dungeons to rent my first apartment. It was a rare experience where what I did became a comic book, and it was kind of fun. Huh? The comics go as far as Emily asking me to come live with her and so on. The story ends here, this episode only tells Plumbum so far. And yet, there''s the next page in the manuscript. ''What kind of--'' ''Wow!'' Prumbum yelled out and snatched the manuscript from my hand. ''W-what''s the matter?'' It''s nothing. Really?So let''s continue with that comic-- You can''t do this. What? I can''t do this. Plumbum stared at me with an incredibly scary look on his face. It reminds me of when we first met, a misanthropic, intruder-killing, man-crushing look. "Oh, okay, okay, I backed off. There''s no point in forcing it if he doesn''t like it that much. You can''t help but wonder what''s going to happen when you''re about to read a manga, but it''s inevitable. ...... I can''t show you this. If people find out that you are this kind of shameless woman, they will hate you. ...... Prumbum was mumbling something to himself. ''What''s wrong, are you okay?'' I''m fine!I could have told you more than that. Yeah?Yeah, right. I sat down across from her. I stared straight at her, trying not to look at the manuscript. ''What are you going to tell me today? ''Well ......, in that order, the next step is where you''ll meet Aulum. Auldurm ...... is a spirit just like her. Yeah. How did you do that? You were supposed to tell me! Plumbumbum was crowding me. The sparkling eyes, the excited expression on her face. I couldn''t imagine her looking so lively the first time I saw her. I''m so happy for you. ...... Dale had invited me to join him, and I was so glad I was here. I was satisfied and spent a moment with a happy, smiling Prunbhum. 274. Portrait rights and royalties Oh, my God, Mr. Lyota! I was relaxing in the salon during the day, after the Plumbum one, trying to make it a day off, when Elsa rushed in. ''What''s going on?'' Mr. Lyota, do you owe someone a magic cart? ''Magic cart?No, I''m sure you don''t owe me anything. What''s going on? ''Well, ...... um!Come here for a moment. I don''t know what it''s about, but since Elsa''s condition isn''t just a matter of time, I decided to follow along anyway. We came together to the mansion''s hall, the place that is the sub-branch of "Tsubame''s Benefit". Once inside, Elsa ran in front of one of the terminals at a small run. An item transporter, using Master Lock and Slay Block. It''s a transporter connected to my magic cart. ''''Look! I immediately understood why Elsa was upset. Because the money popped out of there - and was forwarded to me. ''500 pillow balls ...... why?'' I don''t know. It''s a transfer from Lyota''s magic cart, here. So, Ryota-san, I was wondering if you knew anything about it. "Hmm. I picked my jaw and thought about it. I have no idea what''s going on. I stayed where I was for a bit and looked at it. Then the money was transferred one by one. All five hundred pillow balls, and they kept popping up at irregular intervals. It''s like a hammer being hammered out. Low level, there you are. Eve, what does it mean? Eve came into the office with one of the Ryou-sama. A bunny rabbit in a bunny suit and the main character, Ryo-sama, in a shoujo manga style. The combination was quite surreal. ''''This low-level piece of shit is defective and useless. "Defective? Carrot crap. ............ Oh, you tried to hunt carrots with the bromide in the dungeon. Eve gave a small nod. ''I tried to produce Ryota carrots on my own, but the bromide summoner, Ryota-sama, isn''t a drop S, so you don''t like that carrot because it doesn''t taste as good as the one you aimed for. ''I''m surprised you used it first,'' The rabbit would do anything for a carrot. He really seems to do everything. As I said, Eve chopped at Ryo-sama in a huff. Since there are no monsters, Ryo-sama receives the chop without resistance. He is knocked down with a single blow and disappears. ''Ryota-san!The money! What? I turned around at the sound of Elsa''s voice and saw a single 500-pillow ball come flying out of the transporter. ''The timing, you don''t think it''s that one?'' What can we do, Mr. Lyota? Do you have a bromide? Yes, I bought from Celeste today. I''ll take one. Take the money out of my account. Yes! Elsa went back to her desk once, wrote things down, processed them, and came back with one of the bromides. She takes it and summons Ryou-sama. He immediately defeats it. Then. Mr. Ryota!There it is again. ...... the moment this goes off. I bought another bromide, and this time, after summoning it, I hatched a slime haglemono from a sprout and let it attack me, while I was at it. Ryou-sama disappeared after taking out the slime with a single blow, and then produced another 500 pillow ball. ''''Looks like there''s no doubt about it,'''' ''Yes, but why: ......'' Hmm. Me and Elsa looked at each other and twisted our heads together. Even though I thought about it, I couldn''t understand it at all - in that situation. It''s a good idea. Prumbum is an interesting kid. Another companion, Alice, arrived at the business office. She came in, cheerful as always, with her fellow monster on her shoulder. ''Alice, did you just say Plumbum?'' ''Yes!I went out for a little while. Mela and Plumbum got along great with each other. Melamella. One of the monsters on Alice''s shoulder, a deformed human spirit-like monster. Its true identity is the spirit of the Phosphorus Dungeon, Phosphorus himself. "A hit it off?Oh yeah, spirit to spirit. ''Yes!So Meramela and Purrumbum joined forces. Alice said and took out the bromide. With a much more familiar hand, she summoned Ryo-sama. The deformed monsters attacked Ryo-sama and beat him. Again, 500 pillow balls were transferred. ''This is Ryota''s - Ryota-sama, right? Every time it was used, Ryota would be paid a fee for its use. Shosoken?I don''t know, she said that we shouldn''t use it for free, Mela Mela. ...... so... Fosforus. A dungeon spirit that drops gold. That Fosforus and Plumbum worked together to evolve a bromide. ''''Wow, wow!Here and there, Ryota--no, no, I mean Ryo-sama is being used. Alice clapped her hands and was happy to see the 500 pillow balls that were still being forwarded to her a little bit now and then. It''s more than the fact that every time Ryo-sama is used, a fee is paid to me for the use of the ball - it''s more than that. ''Isn''t this the first time in history that spirits have joined forces with each other? ''Yes, mela mela--oh, I see! I knew it. Ryo-sama bromide. Unbeknownst to me, it was the first time in history that I had accomplished this feat. 275. Complete unearned income Shouldn''t you go back to work today? Purumbum''s visit has become a daily routine. When we were making idle chit-chat as usual, Purumbum suddenly asked me about it. It seems that the fact that we stayed longer than usual was bothering him. ''''Yeah, I''m taking today off work, so it''s fine.'''' Rest ...... yeah? Yeah. I was, as I declared, in full relaxation mode. Before I transitioned to this world, I had worked at a place that 100 out of 100 people would admit was a black company, and I was overworked and beaten down. I''ve done that much and nothing rewarded me, so I switched to a moderately restful style in this world. So, I''ll be here for a while longer today. Well, ...... it''s nice to know. Prumbum has no hesitation (...). She always speaks her mind. She''s a very honest woman. I''ve heard that you had a run-in with Phosphorus the other day. Yes, you''re a curious-looking man. Do you want to see the other spirits? No. Plumbum denied it, but his eyes stared straight at me. ''As long as you''re here, that''s all that matters. Yeah. So you want to come home?Like Fosforus, Aulum is in our house. No. This invitation, too, was immediately rejected by Prumbum. ''I would like you to come and see me,'' Okay. If that''s what she wanted to do, there was nothing more to say. I thought maybe she''d actually be with Fosforus and change her mind about getting out of the dungeon, but that wasn''t the case. That''s fine. When I come to see her, she smiles with a real smile on her face. Then that''s fine. I decided to make it a day off and I truly relaxed and had a moment of peace with Prumbum. ...... Huh? I found myself falling asleep. My head was blurry, and I looked up at the ceiling, a blank white ceiling with nothing in particular. ''You''re awake?'' Plumbum: ...... Huh? She peeked over the top of me, and I felt an awfully soft sensation on the back of my head even more. My sleepy head wakes up at once and I jump up in a flash. Zsa Zsa Zsa and I get a distance from her. The position of her body peeking in from above, the soft touch on the back of her head, her sitting upright. The word "knee pillow" - the word "knee pillow" came into my head. ''Am I ...... sleeping?'' Mmm, you look so peaceful, sleeping like a baby. "Mmm ...... that''s embarrassing. The mistress is happy. Plumbum smiled serenely, as if he was sincerely happy as his words. It''s a gentle, compassionate smile that reminds me of my mother. She has no words, she looks really happy. Do you want to get some more rest? Uh, ...... no good. As expected, it was embarrassing to do that intentionally. I felt incredibly embarrassed to think that I had been exposing my unprotected sleeping face, and there was no way I could say, "Well, please. Fluffy: ...... I yawned, startled and bright-eyed, and the sleepiness came back. It was as if I was in the beautiful spring weather. I lay down on the spot. Can I stay up a little longer? You can do it on your mistress''s lap. Why don''t you just lie down with me? Together? Yes. ...... Yes, if it''s you. Plumbum said, and then he came over to me and laid down the same way. ''It''s kind of like being in a field,'' Really? ''...... No, it''s an image. I''ve never done that before either. When I was over there, my life was so busy with work. I never had a picnic or anything like that. But it was comforting. It was like taking a nap in the sunshine, which I knew only from knowledge. Before I knew it, I had begun to slumber again. I left Plumbum''s room at night and returned to the mansion. The sun is completely out of sight. I didn''t do anything today. Not only did I work, I didn''t do anything that wasn''t directly connected to work, like collecting accelerated ammunition or anything like that. It''s just a perfectly restful day. Oh, you''re on your way home, Yoda. I''m home, Emily. Elsa was looking for you. Elsa? Yes, sir. She wants to know the total for today. Tallying. I didn''t do my job. I chuckled and went with Emily to Elsa''s place. Tsubame''s grateful sub-branch, Elsa was waiting for me there. ''I''m home, Elsa.'' Welcome home. You mean the tally? ''Yes. Here''s Lyota''s income report for today. "Hmm. I didn''t listen to him at all. After all, I didn''t have a job. There''s a fee for Master Ryo''s use, but that''s about it. ''Well, it was 1.21 million piro in total. ...... Huh? 1.2 million? What do you mean?Why so much?You weren''t supposed to be working today. Well, Elsa said, looking at the note in her hand. ''Taxes from Aulum, Arsenic''s share, the top payment from Lyota''s village, and the bromide fee. All together, it''s 1.21 million piro. It''s not going to be that bad: ...... It''s amazing, Yoda. That''s what Emily says, and I''m inwardly tongue-tied, "Wow. It''s all I''ve ever built up, though. Even if you don''t do anything, you''re making 1.2 million a day ...... amazing. 276. Upper limit up Mr. Lyota! The mansion''s own room, I was getting ready to go off to my next job when Celeste rushed in. ''What''s going on?'' ''There''s a dungeon master in Prumbum. Can you take him down? Okay--yeah? I agreed and was about to leave the room and head to the transporter room when I suddenly remembered something. ''What''s going on?'' ''Didn''t everyone take down Plumbum''s dungeon master quickly before ...... ''''Yes, we all used one bromide each to beat it. But lately the use of bromides is being researched more and more, and that''s why they''re getting more expensive: ...... Doesn''t anyone use it casually anymore? ...... Celeste gave a small nod. ''Well, I can understand. When I was playing the game in my former world, I had the elixir-unavailability syndrome, too. I can understand why you''d want to spare the expensive items. ''Okay, I''m probably the best person for that sort of thing. I walked off at a quick pace and headed for the transporter room. ''What''s the hierarchy?'' He was on the third floor when I came back. Okay. I''ve stepped through all the levels of Plumbum, so I can transfer anywhere. I designated the destination as the third floor of Plumbum in the transfer room, opened the gate and jumped in immediately. The air changed in an instant, the air with the Dungeon Master. I looked around - and there he was. Inside the dungeon, after the other monsters were gone and the adventurers had evacuated, Dungeon Master Ryo-sama was there. ''''...................'''' I don''t know if it''s my imagination, but Ryo-sama''s head and body have risen. He has roughly nine heads, and is already a perfect shoujo manga protagonist no matter where you look at him. The ............ coolness is also up, which is incredibly complicated. He''s a shoujo manga-like character, but he''s also a normal, good-looking protagonist, even from my male eyes. The appearance of Ryo-sama looks exactly like the drawings Pulumbum writes - which means Pulumbum''s drawing skills have improved again. ''Oops!'' Ryo-sama noticed me and raised his gun. By the way, a horizontal horizontal strike, also very cool. Repetition. I was curious to see how Ryo-sama, who had become better looking, would move, but the dungeon master would lose all the adventurers for that time if he was left alone, so he quickly defeated him with a repetition. My body becomes weak. Repetition consumes varying amounts of MP depending on the strength of the enemy, and Dungeon Master class is empty with a single MP shot, even with SS. I shoot infinite recovery bullets into myself like an injection to recover my MP. ''''Whoa, the key.'''' The missing Master Ryo had dropped a rusty key. I picked up the key and used the gate to get back to the mansion. Celeste, who was waiting for me in the transporter room, greeted me. ''Welcome home.'' I''m back. I just knocked him down. Thank you, I knew I could count on you, Ryota. ''What''s Celeste going to do now?Are you going back? Yeah. Yeah. I don''t want you to have to worry about it, but be careful. It''s partly because Ryou-sama is like that, but unlike other dungeons, I feel like the monsters in Plumbum are growing - or evolving - unlike other dungeons. And I feel like the dungeon masters are appearing more frequently. Maybe those all depend on Prumbum''s mood. It''s possible that one day the regular monsters will evolve from fish and the dungeon will be filled with monsters that look like me. ...... You''re overthinking it, yeah. Well, that''s why I said something like that to Celeste, just in case the monsters might get stronger. ''Thanks, I''ll be careful,'' Celeste''s cheeks turned cherry red as she used the gate to the transporter room to return to Plumbum with a mature smile on her face. Well, I''m going to go to the basement. I wanted to change my plans and do some testing (,). But first I''ve got to turn this rusty key into a gold key. I''m going to walk down the hallway to the basement. As I walked past Celeste''s room, I noticed that the door was half open. ''You''re careless: ...... He mumbled and put his hand on the doorknob to close the door. Suddenly, I could see the room through the skimmer. A surprisingly girly room that hadn''t changed since Celeste moved in. There was still a variety of stuffed animals on display - but it wasn''t just the same. Among the array of stuffed animals, there, glimpsed through the gaps in the door, stood two Ryou-sama. The stick-standing Ryo-sama, and the bromide summoned and there were no enemies, so Ryo-sama didn''t move like a mannequin. Why was Ryou-sama-- Let''s pretend we didn''t see ...... The moment all sorts of imaginations ran through my head, I decided to do it. I don''t know what Celeste is doing that for, though. ''So you''ve been going to Plumbum lately, and you''ve let me know about the Dungeon Master. Yeah, I got it. I shut the door tightly and came to the basement. I put the rusty key at the back of the basement and keep my distance. Then, the moment Dungeon Master Ryo-sama hatches, I don''t let him do anything but beat him with an instant repetition. The rusty key became the golden key. This is the second one. I take out the first one I took before, the first one, and twist the golden key while holding the two keys. Then a door appears, a door that leads to the room in the example. The word "02" appeared on the door. I knew it was a mechanism where the number increases by one per key. And the rest is what this number means. I left the basement and shouted inside the house. Hello? Is anybody out there? Yes, sir. Then Emily popped up from the salon. ''You''re here, Emily?'' Yes, sir. We''re cleaning house today. Okay. I''m sorry, but I need you to come with me to the test. ''Of course it''s okay. What do you want me to do? Here. Then he twisted the key. The example door appears between me and Emily. ''Wow, you scared me,'' I need you to get in here. Okay. Without any hesitation, Emily opened the door and walked in. It was too easy to say too much in time to say a lot of things. Oh well, more importantly, the numbers. The number on the door went from ''02'' to ''01'' as Emily entered. ''Did you call for me, Mr. Lyota?'' This time, Elsa, who is always in this mansion due to her job, showed up. ''''Elsa, I''m sorry, but will you go with me to the test?'''' ''Yes. Do you want me to do something at that door? ''Thanks for talking so quickly, just get inside. I''ve already made sure Alice is safe. I understand. Make sure Emily is inside. Yes, sir. He readily accepted, but he didn''t jump in as quickly as Emily did, so I gave him a heads up. Like Emily, I opened the door and went in. Then the number changed from "01" to "00". Apparently, the number = the number of keys seemed to be the number of people using the door at the same time. 277. Experience point mass production The next day, I used the golden key again in the saloon of the mansion. The door leading to that room appeared, and the number that had been ''00'' yesterday was back to ''02''. ''''Oh, it''s back,'''' So it''s back to normal every day. Emily and Elsa were in the salon and they were excited to help me with the test yesterday. ''Seems so, the number of keys is the number of people you can get in for a day. Once you get in--'' I could have stayed here all day. ''There was a clock inside. We didn''t get out until a full day after we got in. I nodded at their explanation. I hadn''t gone in yet myself, but along with Alice''s explanation before, I found out that apparently once you go in, you can spend a day''s worth of time inside, but you can''t come back here until a day has passed. And. ''So a day inside is about a minute outside. That''s useful, That''s a great help when you have a deadline to meet or a deadline to meet. I nodded clearly at Elsa''s words and showed my agreement. Looking at that Elsa, I was reminded of something. Elsa, the seconded clerk of the buyback shop "Swallow''s Benefit". The manager of the buying sub-branch, which is connected to our magic cart with a transfer function. I''m not sure how to transfer the magic cart. Can we use it to get in and out? I''m going to try. Well, let''s test it out. Yes, sir. I''ll go, then. Are you sure? I have something I want to do, too. I see. I don''t know what I want to do, but if Emily says so, I''ll leave it to her. I handed her one of the keys. ''Then I''ll go get the magic cart or something ready. She took the keys, thumped her slippers and walked out of the salon. She waits there for a while, though. ...... not coming back. ''Yes, ...... No, I think I''m already in.'' ''What?It''s true. The number is ''01''. We looked at the door in front of us together. The number that had been ''02'' earlier had been reduced by one to ''01''. ''I see. ...... If you have the key, you can get in from anywhere. Is it connected inside? We were connected. I came in later yesterday, and I got to meet Emily. "Hmmm ...... would be ...... one for each of us. After putting together a list of performance data, I decided I''m going to give it to all my people, and I''m going to give them a key to get in from anywhere. In case we need to use it to get together. I''d better get the keys until we have one of each. When you say that, boom!I heard a sound from a distance. ''This sound is ......'' A sub-branch. Well, if you''re not coming back, what''s the point of waiting here in the first place? The magic cart will transport you to the sub-branch. Yes. I headed to the sub-branch with Elsa, who nodded. Then there was Emily''s hammer there. The hammer popped out of Emily''s magic cart transfer port and lay on the ground. ''''I''m home.'''' After we entered the sub-branch, Emily came in a little later - or almost at the same time. ''You''re fast ...... or has it been a minute already?'' Yes, I''ve been inside all day - it''s a strange feeling. Emily entered the sub-branch and lifted her hammer with a flourish. She''s 6''3" and yet she nimbly carried a giant hammer, still with tremendous power. ''Indeed, this one just left us a minute ago, and from Emily''s point of view, it''s been a day. Yes, sir. Couldn''t you have come out with a magic cart? It didn''t work, sir. I just need to get the stuff to work. I see. ...... I was hoping to be able to come and go as I please, but it doesn''t seem to work out that way. ............ Nope. ''I''m gonna go run some tests, you two stay here and watch. Yes, sir. I understand. I left the sub-branch and went to get my own magic cart, then used the other key I had at hand to get out the door, which was ''01''. I opened that door and walked in with the magic cart. ''Whoa!'' I was so grandly surprised that I felt like I was going to turn over. Behind the door, in the empty space, there was a temple-like vibration. It was bright and warm. A very peaceful space. I know this feeling - I know it! Emily ...... cleaned up and went? First the ramshackle apartment, then the two bedrooms, and now the mansion. In the same way that everything had become a peaceful space when Emily took charge of the house, this place had become an amazing thing. So what I wanted to do was to clean. ''But ...... is awesome, Emily. I was a little bit impressed by the scene in front of me. Oops, I can''t just be impressed, now it''s time for a test. I stopped the magic cart that pushed me and put a lot of normal bullets away. Then I kept my distance and waited. After a while, a slime hatched from normal bullets. Regular bullets made from sprouts, which hatched into more slime. The slime attacked, I shot it out with a growth bullet. Then the slime dropped the original normal bullets - and a crystal. The ring on his right hand, the ring dropped by the dungeon master of Nihonium. An item that, when equipped, has the effect of embodying the excess experience value into a crystal after a level canst. You can use it to "save" experience and pass it on to others. I threw the dropped regular bullets into a pile of regular bullets at a distance, put the crystals into a magic cart, and transferred them. More slime hatched, attacked, shot out and made into regular bullets and crystals. I put the regular bullets back, put the crystals in the magic cart and transferred them. ...... It''s going to be a long shot. I smiled, regained my composure, and raised my gun. Emily and Elsa stayed behind at the sub-branch after Ryota left. As they looked on, crystals flew out of the transporter connected to Ryota''s magic cart. One, two, three - at a terrific high pace, they flew out without pause. ''''Wow, that was amazing!'''' Mr. Ryota, you''re in mass production over there, aren''t you? ...... I get it, it''s endless with slime and regular bullets. ''I see, you won''t get more bullets, but you''ll gain experience for an endless amount of time! ''Yes, sir!It''s just like Yoda to come up with that in an instant. For the next minute, the two women waiting at the sub-branch continued to marvel at Ryota''s quick decisions and ideas. 278. In a doubly accelerated world When I woke up from my sleep, I was still in that room. A room where the flow of time is different from the outside. Once I entered the room, I couldn''t leave for 24 hours, at first I was mass-producing experience crystals, but gradually I became tired and sleepy. Since the space was still empty, I slept with an arm pillow on the ground, but it was a surprisingly good night''s sleep. ''It must have been Emily''s fault,'' This room she tended to is warm and bright and still emits temple-like vibrations. I could sleep there, either directly on the floor or with my arms bent as a pillow. I woke up feeling completely exhausted and refreshed without any physical pain. ''Well,'' I stood up and looked up above me. The clock was there, the one my friends had told me about. The clock started at zero when I entered and will soon be circling back around. It''s almost 24 hours old. I did some light work on the production of experience crystals, from bullets to slime, just to exercise my sleep. I wonder how much I had earned in a whole day, including breaks. One minute of real time in the outside world. I was suddenly looking forward to going outside to see how much I had earned in that one minute. The clock spun further and there was one minute left. ''Oops.'' The door appeared in front of me. The door that had disappeared right after I entered the room, the door that hadn''t come out no matter how much I used the key, reappeared with a minute left. He put his hand on the knob and opened the door. I could see the room on the other side, the room of the original world. The sun was shining through the trees on the floor, and the shadows of the trees in the garden were swaying at a very slow pace. Twenty-four hours over here is one minute over there. By simple calculation, there is a difference of 1,440 times the flow of time. The shadows were swaying at a frighteningly slow pace. In the meantime, the time remaining on the clock was less than 30 seconds. ''It''s early, but I want to make sure we get out, or even if we can get out at this stage. While muttering this, I tried to step over the door - at that moment. A white lightning went through my head. I felt a swooping sensation, like a newcomer to a robot animation. Thirty seconds. A different stream of time. Accelerated bullets. I took out an accelerator bullet from my belongings. A bullet that would accelerate the opponent that was struck into it for thirty seconds, making them able to move. When you''re in the room, if you go there, it''s 1440 times more accelerated. Why don''t we shoot even more accelerated bullets in that state? Let''s try ....... I loaded the bullet and shot the accelerator bullet into myself. The world accelerates. The clock in the room slows down. I''m in an accelerated room, and I''m accelerating even more. That means that the world outside has slowed down even more. The shadows have almost stopped moving, just like when I saw the super slow motion camera, the shadows sometimes move a little bit as if they remembered. It''s kind of funny, I thought to myself, ....... a?--! The suddenness of the thing made me strain my eyes. Right in front of me, on the other side of the door, something popped up for a second and then poof, it was gone. It was impossible. Now I''m looking at a world that has been slowed down to, let''s say, thousands of times. It''s impossible to appear and disappear in that super slow motion. It''s not possible ...... is. I stare at it with my eyes, concentrate my consciousness and look at it. It was there. That "something" kept flickering, floating there and then disappearing. Somehow, I thought. It could be that it had been there all along and I just hadn''t seen it. I wondered if it was only after this double acceleration that I noticed it. When I thought about it, I wanted to know what it was. Staring, observing. The intervals were constant. I concentrated even more, and reached for the next one in the double-accelerated world at the right time - the next time I reached for it. ''There it is!'' I feel a sensation, almost a spinal reflex to grab it. The moment he grabbed it, it flickered before, but it took on a distinct form. It is a sword. An ornamental sword, old-fashioned and ceremonial. Is it entirely intuitive, or was it inspired? Two figures appeared in my mind: a mirror and a gemstone. "The Kusanagi Sword: ...... Either I''ve been looking for it all along, or this guy has been with me all along. The last key to Nihonium was now in my hands. 279. Nihonium, 9th basement floor Nifonium, seventh floor underground. A floor crawling with electricity-clad mammies. This is the level where flame bombs were a special effect, but now there are upper compatible attacks. A fusion of blue flame bullets, flameless bullets. A bullet that creates an ultra-hot flame that becomes invisible after it is launched. Shoot it out, induce the electric mummy, defeat it one after another in power-saving mode, and drop the spirit seed. Defeat it, drop it, and raise its spirit stake by 1. Defeat it, drop it, and raise its Spirit Steady 1. Repeat the process, and when you reach the point where you feel your stats are about to go up, check your ability on the Portable Now Board. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous F Luck S --------- ... The spirit that had been canned at S has gone up to SS. Same as before. When I got the mirror, my HP, strength and speed limits went from S to SS. When I got the Magatama, my strength, MP and intelligence went to SS. And the sword I got with the double acceleration. That unlocked my spirit first. Next was luck. Nifonium, 8th floor underground. I went downstairs in a floor crawling with three-headed dog zombies. I have to choose between the three options, so I''ll just shoot the tracking rounds. At the same time, you close in on the dog-zombie and shoot the two heads that aren''t the heads that the tracking rounds are aiming at, and then you shoot a growth round into one of them. The head is blown off, the dog zombie disappears, and a seed of luck drops. Take it and raise your luck by one. Then you shoot a tracking round at the next dog-zombie, flesh it out the same way, and blow off one of its two remaining heads. This time it didn''t work, and the dog zombies were pinned down. Three choice necks, a trait that doesn''t go down unless you hit the right one. The two choices are the two choices that peeked at the most dangerous neck with the tracking rounds, and I go around to guess the one-in-two chance. I kept guessing one in two. If it''s a repetition, you don''t have to do this. If I used it, the dog zombies would go down. Still, I would take them down in a straight line. I''m in a hurry to get to my target, but in this kind of situation, you have to keep your mind to the beginning. If you get distracted and push hard, a lot of things will get messy and you''ll fail unintentionally. This world is like a game, and I made that mistake many times in my original game. It''s times like these that you need to be careful and go back to the drawing board. I kept guessing straight-up two halves, and I thought "Okay" by experience. Using the portable now board, I checked the status. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous F Luck SS --------- ... Luck, too, had gone from S to SS. This brings me up to 8 out of 9 to SS. Only one left, dexterity. Now it''s time to go. I went down to the ninth basement floor. As the dungeon snow fell, I saw a huge monster. A dragon. It was a huge body with four legs, about the size of a two-story house. Its body was rotten in many places and it was emitting a miasma-like substance. There were many undead monsters in the ninth floor of the Nifonium dungeon. The monster was a dragon zombie. You can see at a glance that the monster is strong, but that''s not all. "3...... what do you mean by that? The number ''3'' appeared above Dragon Zombie''s head. ''In the meantime, check ...... small hand! He readied his gun and fired a growth bullet that had completely grown to a mainstay. There''s something - the bullet blows off a part of the dragon zombie''s body, contrary to my expectations. I was wondering if there was anything in particular ....... The number went from "3" to "2". I thought about it for a minute. I was upstairs getting my focus upstairs and I didn''t lose it, so it hit me right away. The number is the number of possible attacks. The question is, what happens after the attack is over? Will I no longer be able to attack? Dragon zombies gone and wasted bones with no drops? I''m going to be sent out of the dungeon? I imagined all sorts of possibilities based on my experience and knowledge. An attack that could see it in one hand and be ...... and able to respond to subsequent developments. My taut concentration gave me the answer. I pull out two pistols, loading the same bullets on both sides. Pulling the trigger, he launches a fusion bullet. Two blue flame bullets - right after I fired, the dragon zombie''s number went from ''2'' to ''0''. It was still the number of attacks. And even though I loaded the bullets afterwards, the bullets didn''t come out when I pulled the trigger. ''Window cutter!'' I also tried magic, it didn''t activate. I tried swinging my fist, and it turned out to be a nebulous punch that didn''t feel like an attack. The number is the number of times it can be attacked, and that seems to be the correct number. Flameless bullets to deal with that possibility, I hit the jackpot. I can''t attack, but I can evade. While I evaded, I guided the dragon zombie into the flameless bullets, damaging it little by little and burning it to death. The dragon zombie fell and the seed dropped. I suppress my inclination to deviate and carefully pick up the seed. --Dexterity has gone up 1. ''--Okay! The joy came out in a gut-wrenching way, even if I held back. The road to the All-SS was in sight. 280. There is a way Ninth floor of Nihonium basement. I was hiding here today to attack. In the dungeon, a dragon zombie clad in miasma was quietly standing there. Unlike previous monsters, it rarely acted before the battle. The miasma of the huge body and the miasma that it wears is combined with the miasma. I''m not going to be able to get a good deal more than a few hours of sleep. I''m going to have to brace myself and go to one of them. ''''Mm.'''' Just as he was about to attack, he realized something and stopped moving. ''''Goooooooooh!'''' There''s a gap!As if to say, the dragon zombie that hadn''t moved before attacked. Sludgy body fluids glowed, and it opened its huge mouth to bite me. ''''d*mn!'''' I kicked the ground and jumped down, but the dragon zombie''s movements stretched out even further, and gah!And then he bites into my body. My fangs dug into my skin, my whole body creaking as they tightened like a vise. ''U...... oh!'' I took a deep breath and strengthened my arms and legs to counter the force of the biting dragon zombies. Mischief!Immediately after I heard the sound of "I''m not going to be able to do anything about it," my body turned into a large figure for a moment and released the bite of the dragon zombie. I landed as it was, and this time I kicked the ground and jumped back down. And look. I wasn''t mistaken. Even though he hadn''t attacked yet, the number above the dragon zombie''s head indicated ''2''. ...... No way. I ran away from the dragon zombie in front of me to check the knot that came to mind. I ran away and shook it off to face another dragon zombie that I quickly encountered. This time it was a "4". I didn''t attack, but looked for yet another dragon zombie. I looked around for it and checked the numbers above my head. They were scattered. The numbers for each individual varied from 2 to 5 and were not constant. ''''It''s hard to get around .......'''' Immediately I realized what it meant and what was going to happen next, and the words unintentionally spilled out of my mouth like a complaint. The key to lapses is to pattern your behavior. How simple and less shaky it is to make it into a routine is a good circumference pattern. But if the number of possible attacks is uneven, that is also difficult. ''No, I can set up a pattern that allows me to take them down in two moves? So I think about that for a minute. Yeah, I do. I thought about it hard for a moment, but even if the numbers vary from 2 to 5, you can think of them all as the smallest 2. If you have a grace period of 5, you can beat it in two moves and you''re good to go. Speaking of two moves, I''d like to see ...... the fusion of blue flame bombs and flameless bombs that I did on the first guy I defeated. Okay, let''s give it a try. I''m going to be able to pull out two pistols and firmly reload each of them with flaming bullets. I was determined to be a dragon zombie, but... "I didn''t know there was one! We reopened and the first dragon zombie we encountered was the number "1" above our heads. I was completely taken out of the game. You can''t use flameless bullets if you have 1. Just to be sure, I shot an azure bullet and fused them together to create a flameless bullet. I guided the dragon zombies whose number had reached 0 to that point, but it didn''t work at all. I knew it would be invincible when it reached 0. Speaking of which, ....... ''Repetition!'' I tried shooting the strongest lap spell at a dragon zombie that was at 0. This didn''t work either. It''s the strongest lap magic repetition, but it''s a magic that was originally in this world. In other words, it''s a magic in the rules of the world. The dragon zombies that became 0 are invincible, therefore Repetition doesn''t work either. And you can''t use repetition even during a magic storm where you can''t use magic. The tension was a bit low because I thought it might be a surprise to find out that the number was not a happy one. There''s no way to defeat a dragon zombie whose number has reached 0, so I started running away from that one for now. Even if I started my rounds at this point, I''d still be haphazard and inefficient. Okay, let''s split up and investigate first. I went around the ninth floor without attacking and checked the numbers of the dragon zombies. I went around for about an hour without attacking and checked it. The counts, the number of times they could attack ranged from 1 to 5. The most common was 3, with 1 and 2 and 4 and 5 being roughly the same. Other than that, there were none. In other words, in order to do a brain-dead lap, you had to take them out in one move. Dragon zombies that were quite strong, and when it came to reliably defeating them in one move, ....... ''Repetition, right?'' I mumbled and sighed. I put Repetition on all kinds of dragon zombies, from 1 to 5, to try it out. I was able to defeat them all in one hit. That''s not surprising. If it''s not 0, Repetition works. I was able to repetition them to make a stable lap. It''s ...... not so much. Repetition is the easiest way to go around, no matter what kind of enemies you have, but that''s why you don''t want to choose it. I don''t want to be that lopsided and brain-dead in my laps so that I can exert my power in case something goes wrong. Now, what to do: ...... I shot all sorts of bullets at the dragon zombies without thinking about defeating them. Regular bullets, freezer bullets, flame bullets, lightning bullets, strapped bullets, tracking bullets, scrap bullets, slashing bullets, and triple bullets. And just in case it''s a zombie, there''s also a recovery round. I tried to shoot them all, but none of them worked. Same with the accelerated bullets, even in the accelerated world, if I attacked, the dragon zombie count would instantly decrease and it didn''t make sense. The fusion bullet didn''t even try it. It couldn''t be used to start the count one in two moves. Is there any other way to do it, something? With that in mind, I checked the various items besides the special bullets and checked their effects one by one. ''...... Whoa?'' Among the items, I found a certain item that I hadn''t used in over a year that I missed. I take it and think about it. Yeah, it probably works. I take it, and I stand in front of the dragon zombies. The count is two, just like that. "Here''s the test, I''ll take a count to save time. He mumbled to himself and shot the dragon zombie with an acceleration round. I''m not going to shoot myself, I''m going to shoot the dragon zombie with an accelerator round that will make the opponent go very fast. The moment the dragon zombie''s count went from 2 to 1--. ''''--! The dragon zombie''s figure disappeared, and with a thud, a shock came to his entire body. It accelerated. The thing accelerated and attacked me with an unseen movement. I''m in a guard stance, with my entire body getting pummeled, and I''m using my HP and strength SS to hold on. The stormy onslaught of dragon zombies is endured. Soon, poof, the dragon zombie''s attack abruptly ceased. The figure disappeared and a dexterity seed dropped in front of me instead. ''''--Okay! A small gut-punch, right on target. I saw an item I hadn''t put out in a long time. The High Guts Slime Gem. An item that, when equipped, reflects the damage you take back to your opponent. I usually don''t use it because it takes time, and it''s dusty, but it was useful. The dragon zombie count is only the number of damage from you, not the reflection. I used the accelerated bullets because I wanted to know the results right away, but even without them, you can still take out a dragon zombie on count 1 with this. Although this method would take a long time, I was still satisfied with the fact that I had been able to find it, that I had grabbed the possibility of going around without re-petitioning. But it''s not enough. "I''m going to have to think about it more and pack it in. For the first time in a long time, I was feeling challenged. 281. Rare mass production The basement of the mansion. I came here alone for my next test. Special Bullets. I wanted to know what kind of special bullets would be dropped by the dragon zombies, the haglemono hatched by the seed of dexterity. There was no doubt that special bullets would drop from the seeds. If I think about the laws up to now, 99.99% of the time that''s what happens. The rest is just a matter of what kind of special ammunition it will be. On the ninth floor of the Nifonium basement, I put the dexterity seeds I had collected using the pouch in the corner of the basement and wait for them to hatch from a distance. Incidentally, I''ve been separated from Leia, who can use Revive recently. It was Leia''s idea. For some reason, she now goes to Seren''s place every day. With the genie, Leia Seren. That''s what she goes to Seren, the genie. I don''t think Leia would say that for any reason, so I let her have her way. So now I''m waiting for the haggling over time, just like in the old days. In normal time, a dragon zombie haglemono hatched from the seed of dexterity. ''Repetition.'' I test my way around the dungeon, looking for ways to beat them without laying down as much as possible, but I try to beat the basement of the mansion with the safest repetition. There are friends living above you, you can''t do anything wrong. I always take them down with the safest and fastest repetition. The dragon zombie haggle is defeated by Repetition and a new bullet is dropped. I approach it, pick it up, and observe it seriously. It looks distinctly different from the bullets I''ve seen before, but I know I can''t guess the effect from its appearance. You won''t know until you try to shoot it, it''s a bullet dropped from a monster. You can put those special bullets into the gun. I scatter the sprouts I''ve prepared in advance to my test opponent, where they hatch. Keep your distance and wait for the haggler. The moment the bean sprouts hatch into slime, I take aim with the new bullets and shoot them firmly through the middle. The shot out slime flew off and dropped a normal bullet with a pop. ''''Hm?...... double what you usually do, you mean? There are two normal bullets on the ground, twice as many as usual. I hatched the slime with sprouts again just to be sure, and this time I shoot it out with growth bullets. There was only one normal bullet that dropped. The result was clear, there had never been two normal bullets dropped before in the first place. Is that the Dragon Zombie''s, a special bullet that doubles the drop? Unlike the accelerated and recovery bullets, I knew that it was the type of bullets that would have an effect by shooting at the enemy. In order to examine it more closely, I changed all the remaining seeds into special bullets with Repetition. This time I used the transporter room to go to the dungeon. Tellurium basement level, almost my home ground. Amidst a large group of adventurers, I shot through the slime that hit me with my new special bullets. The bean sprouts dropped, twice as many as usual. ''Wow, what was that?'' ''Slime drops so much?'' Wow, Ryota, you''re really something. The adventurers around me who witnessed the scene marveled aloud. A large number of drops at drop S, even more than double that. Compared to the average drop C in this tier, that''s roughly 10 times as many drops per time. No wonder the adventurers are amazed. This is the end of what I wanted to try here. Once I got back to the mansion with the gate I had transferred to, I went to various dungeons I''d been to from there. I beat monsters with my new special bullets. Vegetables, meat, and minerals. Every possible drop was doubled. By the way, thanks to Emily, Arsenic, which is always doubling its monthly reproduction--drops, was quadrupled. A bullet that doubles the drop, apparently that''s the correct one. By the way, the firepower itself is weak. It''s just as weak as a normal bullet. I''ll shave it off with other bullets and use it as a lure to double the drop. Hmm, it''s strong, but isn''t it subtle? What a thought. In the midst of the Plumbum dungeon, where milk also dropped at double, the air suddenly changes. The air with the dungeon master--. ''''----! I jumped to my side as quickly as I could, and a bullet was fired into the place where I had been standing. I didn''t have time to react, and the murderous atmosphere came even closer to me. While dodging, I saw my opponent. Dungeon Master Ryo-sama. As usual, the rate of appearance of dungeon masters in this dungeon is higher than in other dungeons. He appears at least once every few days, more than ten times more often than other dungeons. Dodging the onslaught of such shoujo manga-style handsome men (model me), I reflexively point my gun at them and pull the trigger. ''Oh, please.'' I immediately noticed the failure. The gun is loaded with a new special bullet. It doubles the drop, but it''s just as powerful as regular bullets. It''s clearly not powerful enough to defeat Dungeon Master Ryo-sama. Sure enough, the bullet hit the target, but it didn''t do much damage. Ryo-sama is pinging and getting into position for his next attack. What a waste of time--I''m thinking. ''''Eh?Dropped! I was surprised. I was so surprised that I said it out loud. It''s just as well. The moment the bullet hit him, the rusty key of the example dropped, even though Ryou-sama was still alive. ''...... if.'' My brain spun at high speed and I arrived at a possibility. I loaded all the new special bullets I had left and fired at Ryo-sama. Four rounds left, I fired in rapid succession and all the bullets hit, and. Four keys dropped. Ryo-sama didn''t do much damage, but kept attacking me. While taunting him, I pick up the keys. ''Not double the drops?Was it a forced drop or was the effect like ...... ''stealing''? If so. Even from rare monsters that appear in the game, you can mass produce items that are incredibly powerful. 282. A man who exceeds the limit I sat cross-legged in the basement of the mansion and stared at the new bullet in my hand. Considering the effect, I named it a forced drop bullet for now - I shrunk it down a bit more and called it a drop bullet. When you shoot this bullet, the monster opponent you hit will make one drop S standard drop. Regardless of whether you defeat it or not, each bullet drops one Drop S. The effect is the same no matter what kind of opponent you use it against, but I thought the real value of this bullet is only against rare monsters. I take out a rusty key from my pocket. In total, seven of them. That''s the amount of bullets dropped from one dungeon master Ryo-sama. Six dropped bullets plus the usual topknot, for a total of seven. Since Ryo-sama''s appearance rate is high, though, I don''t appreciate these seven keys at the moment. This is, for example, assuming Selenium has a Dungeon Master Bicorn. If I took a hundred drop bullets, a hundred easily prepared bullets, I could collect a hundred bicorn horns, in a matter of seconds. It would be most powerful against rare monsters that were hard to appear like this. Now that we know the performance of the drop bullets, we have a good idea of what we''ll be using them for. Thinking in a corner of my mind about what else I could do, I changed all seven rusty keys into golden keys via Hagremonos and Repetition before leaving the basement. It''s evening outside, and it''s almost time for my friends to return. When they return, I will give the key to everyone. The key to that room, I had decided to give each of my friends a key to that room. "-- Suddenly, I heard a good mood humming in the distance. The humming invited me to go over and I found Emily''s back as I entered the kitchen. ''Oh ......,'' Oh, you''re home. Emily turned to me when she noticed the voice that had leaked out of her mind. She''s petite, like a child at six feet, but the sight of her in the kitchen in the sunset wearing an apron is warm and divine. I couldn''t help but gawk at him, even though we''d been living together for over a year. ''What''s wrong, Yoda-san?'' ''What?Oh no, ...... its I thought about it for a moment, and then said my previous comment in a flash. "You''re really good with a knife. Thank you, sir. Emily smiled happily and turned forward again. A knife danced on the chopping board, shredding the cabbage on the chopping board in a quiet dance. ''You''re a master,'' When I looked at it again, that impression came out of my mouth naturally. The knife handling flowing, a quick glance at it doesn''t feel fast at all, but the cabbage strips are cut one after another and piled fluffily into the bowl on the side. In battle manga style, it''s the sword of stillness, the realm of clear water. With super-skilled movements, Emily cuts the cabbage into strips. ''Thanks for always making everyone''s food, right? I love to cook. Well, thank you. Emily chuckled, and this time began to prepare the potatoes. ''Potatoes, huh?'' Yes, sir. Freshly picked potatoes. You mean, you think Emily got it? It reminds me of breakfast. A report, not so much a report, but at breakfast before I left for work, everyone somehow declared that they were going to go somewhere today. I don''t think anyone said they were going to the potato growing region (hierarchy) today. ''Yes, sir. I took everyone''s portion from the father and son slime. Emily said, then smiled with a troubled look on her face. ''I need to get a little stronger. If I get a few more companions, the hardness of the parent and child slime to make it enough for the amount of slime I have will increase and I won''t be able to defeat it.'''' Oh, you were such a monster. Parent and Child Slime. A monster that lives on the sixth floor below Telluride John. Its name is "Parent and Child", but it''s actually one monster. The more ''children'' it defeats first, the more drops it gets when it defeats its ''parent'' at the end. However, the harder the ''parent'' is, or rather, the more defense it has. The key to attacking and circling the 6th floor of the tellurium is to adjust the number of children until they are just barely hard enough to be defeated. ...... Mm? Mr. Yoda, how can I help you? ...... Mr. Yoda? Emily tilts her head to look into my face. I didn''t even have time to react to Emily, but something in my head flashed through my mind, a scene. As soon as the scene came together clearly, I flipped myself around and started to run. ''Yoda-san!'' Leaving Emily behind, he ran down the hallway and into the transporter room. I activate the transporter gate, designating the sixth floor below Tellurium. It''s the entrance to practically every dungeon, so I pushed the magic cart parked here, jumped into the gate in the shape of a light vortex, and flew to the desired level in an instant. In the sixth floor of the tellurium, there were many adventurers and a lot of father and son slimes. I caught a free father and son slime among them and entered the battle. First, I fired a series of growth bullets, killing all the "children" and maximizing the drop and hardness of the "parents". Next, I shot a restraining round, and easily restrained the parent slime, whose strength and spirit--defense was equivalent to S-class, but other abilities were unchanged. I push the magic cart and lay it on the parent slime. As it is, I push the two pistols against it - firing continuously from zero distance. I alternately fired a series of drop bullets and recovery bullets. I shot the drop bullets - I shot the drop bullets that made it drop without knocking it down, and the potatoes were dropped by the maximum amount. Drop S + maximum hardness parent slime. A mountain of potatoes dropped and transferred directly to the mansion''s sub-branch with a side-by-side magic cart. I fired a recovery round. Heals a parent slime that has taken a small amount of damage, about the size of a normal bullet. More drop bullets were shot, a mountain of potatoes dropped in almost no time. Transferred it to the mansion. More recovery bullets--. I fire a series of drop bullets and recovery bullets alternately, sending a mountain of potatoes to the sub-branch with a magic cart. Recovery from the forced drop, and then repeat the process. By my estimate--I produced several dozen kilos of potatoes per second. I was usually thinking of "other ways" to do things without getting sidetracked, so this was the way I had a flash of inspiration. I got excited, and I started to pick up the pace. ''Yoda-san!You have to wait a minute! Emily?What''s going on? Emily appears out of nowhere and stops me. She may have rushed after me from the kitchen, but she''s still wearing her apron. ''It''s too soon, Elsa-san has a flat tire. Ah, ....... Emily''s restraint, a scene that instantly came to mind, made me chuckle. Apparently the rate of production was too fast and exceeded the upper limit of Elsa''s processing speed, who was in charge of buying the entire family. It was the first time I''d ever done this, and I was pleased with this approach I''d been inspired to take. 283. Seconded staff increase I''m glad to have you here today. The mansion in the daytime, the ''Tsubame''s Benefit'' sub-branch. Ena was there, wearing the same uniform as Erza. Her head was lowered and she was feeling respectful. But when she raised her head, she was already back to her usual self. ''''That''s great, Ryota-san, you have two exclusive secondees. Are you happy?Hey, happy? She came up to me and poked me with her elbow, "Uri-Uri," she said. ''I''m not happy and I still don''t quite understand what''s going on: ...... After breakfast, I was about to go to the dungeon when she suddenly came to visit me. So, out of the blue, she went from "Thanks for your help" to "Are you happy? Combo. I don''t know what''s going on, I just don''t know what''s going on. You see, Ryota-san did a great job yesterday. ''The great one yesterday ......?Oh. I smiled, turned to Elsa and bobbed my head to the point of bailing, holding up my sword to the point of bailing. "Sorry, did I bother you? No. ''Yeah, yeah, it''s not like it''s annoying or anything. It''s just awesome. Oh, man, I wish I could''ve seen it. Elsa, I heard you were drowning in a sea of potatoes. I''m sorry for the inconvenience you''re going through, physically. ''Sorry,'' he said, bowing his head once more. I transferred them all to the head office to save Elsa, and some of them drowned there too. Everyone was so surprised that they couldn''t keep their mouths shut. They were impressed and sighed and sighing and were so impressed that they were the only ones who could do this, What was that last one?Well, I''m sure Ena is exaggerating. ''And that''s your decision?Just because Elsa hasn''t gotten around to it. Well, we''ve been talking about getting more people here for a while now. Ina winked at me when she said "Hey. Ina has been consistently friendly since we met. The gesture suits her well. ''Is that so?'' ''I mean, one Elsa would be enough for the day-to-day operations, but you know, Lyota-san, there''s a lot of things that aren''t everyday, right? Ah, ...... yes. I couldn''t help but chuckle at this, because I''m aware of it myself. Yes, I have a lot of events that aren''t everyday. Whenever I see something, I want to get involved in it, someone like Cell will come to me with a request, and someone will come to me who is in trouble for overdoing it. Ena is right, there''s a lot of things that aren''t routine for me. ''That''s why. I want to send another person out here to deal with that kind of situation. There''s that thing from yesterday. I giggled again. A series of drop bullets fired at the highest hardness parent and child slime. It produced and transferred at tens of kilometers per second, and when I heard about it later, I heard that it was a scene like a slot machine jackpot. I got a little excited myself when I tried to imagine it. So that''s why I was sent out today. I see, but how come it''s Ena? What? Ena is upset for some reason, as if she''s been struck by a falsehood. ''''In my image, you''re sent to a lot of places every time there''s something wrong. You''re in a lot of places, right? Ummm, well, ...... yeah. For some reason, Ena was crisp and looked away. She wondered, but continued further. ''''So I think it''s quite a force in ''Returning the Swallow''s Grace''. Wouldn''t it be a shame to keep those things fixed in one place? Yeah, that''s ...... that''s the one. ...... Yeah? He stutters further. Is it that hard to answer the question? Yeah, well, my family''s always been very good to me. For some reason, Ena suddenly speaks as if she just remembered. I see, it''s not hard to see why. Her family''s home, the grocery store, still regularly delivers Lyota watermelon to her family. "And also-- Where was the crispness from earlier? Ina laughed with a smirk. ''I''ve met Ryota-san here and there, so it''s easier to do things with familiar faces. It''s true. In Return of the Swallow''s Grace, after Elsa, this Ena is the next closest person to be involved in the story. Intimacy?If you''re deciding who to send out on loan based on target factors, then certainly Ena is the right person for the job. She''s already a ...... liar. Yeah?Elsa, what did you just say? No, it''s nothing. Really? Well, I hope it''s nothing. Well, ...... if that''s the case. I peeked out of the entrance to the sub-branch and called out loud. "Emily, are you there? I called out, and I heard a flurry of footsteps in the distance, along with a "Yes sir". I made a face and waited for Emily to come over. ''Hey, what''s a liar?'' A liar is a liar. I know that. I don''t know what you''re talking about. ''I don''t like the way you''re playing it. It''s not like I blame you. ...... It''s subtle, still. I''m not even sure it is. ...... Yeah, okay. Behind me, Elsa and Ena were saying something to each other. The "awareness" of the conversation is complete between them and each other. I didn''t mind, deciding that they were co-workers and best friends and that it was probably small talk. After a while, Emily came over and asked her for a room for Ena. Regardless of whether she lived there or not, it would be nice to have a room to use for a break or something. Personal space is important. Yeah. Ena, can you wait a minute? Yeah?That''s fine, but what? Hang on. I made Ena wait and ran out of the sub-branch. I jumped into the basement of the mansion and duplicated the golden key with drop bullets. The enhanced version of the item dropped after I made it into a haglemono once, it only drops the same item when I re-haglemono it. They don''t enhance further, nor do they degrade. Well, it''s just the "outside" of the dungeon and the "inside" of the dungeon, that''s all that separates it. In this case, the "inside" is the rusty key and the "outside" is the golden key. I made the golden key into a Hagremono-Ryo-sama, increased it to two with drop bullets and repetition, and duplicated it. I come back with it and give it to Ina, who looks like a fox has pinched her. ''Here you go,'' What''s this? I''ll show you how to use it, just like a duplicate key. Oh, the duplicate key: ...... Ina looked a little confused and her face turned a little red with feelings. ''''It''s not like that''s a possibility. For some reason, Elsa was a bit dumbfounded by the side. 284. The last barrier When I woke up in the morning and left my room, I bumped into Ena. She blushed a little awkwardly as she bumped into me. ''Oh, good morning,'' Morning. You stayed the night? Yeah, I was going to start out as a commuter. Ena said and looked around the corridor, or rather the mansion. ''It''s bright here, and it''s warm. It''s comfortable and I can''t help it. What can I say, it''s like, once you''re in here, you can''t get out. Yeah! Wow. Ena was surprised that I had bitten off more than I could chew. ''It''s all because of Emily. It''s all because of Emily, all the comfort and coziness you''ll get stuck in once you live here. Okay. I start walking down the hallway, talking to Ena. ''Come to think of it, is the rumor true?'' "Rumor? Tellurian dungeons have been cleaned out so badly, they say they took a nap with the slime. It''s true. I know what I saw. I stumbled upon the scene when I went to pick up Emily from the dungeon a long time ago. After I cleaned the dungeon to make it as bright and warm as this mansion, a space that emitted pure vibrations like a temple. I witnessed the scene where the slime gathered around Emily, who was so tired that she began to doze off and started to sleep with them. I thought at the time that I was a dungeon master in a different way, following the dungeon. ''''Haha ...... that''s awesome,'''' That''s great. People might think I''m the greatest person in the world, but Emily is the greatest person in the family. I know something about it. Ryota-san''s amazing performance must have come from having this house back. Really! I got excited. I said, "Yes," and then stopped and turned her body toward me. ''So I''m going to stay here, and I look forward to working with you. Once again, Ina does so well and bows her head. This is how she came to live in the mansion. Nifonium dungeon, ninth floor underground. Fighting that way, circling the dragon zombies, looking for that optimization. It''s not going very well: ...... I can take it down for up to two moves, definitively. It can be defeated with the Blue Flame Bullet Fusion Bullet, a flameless bullet that I found fairly early on. By the way, that flameless bullet. After fusing them together, they stay in place and become a source of sustained damage, but even if you just lead the dragon zombie to it, the count goes down by two. Attacked, not a movement. It looks like it''s sensing the count on the attack itself. That''s why you can''t use flameless bullets on a 1-count dragon zombie anyway. It''s not so easy, I thought at that moment. "99? A new dragon zombie appeared in front of me, and the number on its head was 99, which I had never seen before. Everything so far had been from 1 to 5. After going around for a few days and killing hundreds of them, this is the first time I''ve encountered a count of 99. It''s obvious that its appearance rate is less than 1%, which means-- ''That''s rare.'' I found myself saying that my eyes would have gleamed. I held my gun up and fired a few regular rounds to check it out. The count was solid and reduced by the amount of attacks I made. I invited the dragon zombies to attack. A tail swing from a bite, a scratching with a paw claw, and a miasma spitting out a miasma to make it harder for us to fight. All the attacks I know, the style is exactly the same as the previous dragon zombies. ''''As far as dragon zombies go, they''re the same?--Repetition When I used Repetition to confirm this, the dragon zombie collapsed. The fact that they can be defeated by the Repetition means that they are still ordinary dragon zombies. The count is 99, but other than that, it''s no different than a normal dragon zombie - it''s not. What a surprise. The stairs appeared. After the dragon zombies disappeared, instead of dropping dexterity seeds, a staircase leading down appeared. ''''It''s finally happening.'''' I thought it was going to be a little longer, but surprisingly the moment came quickly. I took a deep breath and went down the stairs. A white space, as usual, leading to the spirit room, one room in front of it. There was a huge block there. Rather than a block, it might be better to call it a single building. It was like a giant dice, five meters square. The material was somewhat creepy. A pulsating mass of flesh. A block that looked like a visceral dungeon, like a dungeon of internal organs, with the occasional motif of a creature''s interior, like in a game or something. However, it was rotten. It''s like a zombie-like crumbling flesh, that''s what it is. The message was clear: Defeat it, destroy it, like the Nifongnium we''ve seen so far. The message was clear. I fired the first attack, a flame round and a freezing round, making it an annihilation round of fusion bullets. The extinction round hit - but nothing happened. The five-meter square chunk of flesh didn''t get a scratch. I tried shooting every bullet I could, getting in close and punching and kicking and pushing with all my might. But nothing worked. No matter what I tried, I didn''t feel like I could break it. The mass of flesh is completely unharmed, and it just keeps pulsating erratically. I feel like it''s different somehow. It''s different from any monster I''ve ever seen. There''s no point in doing anything in a straightforward manner, I thought to myself intuitively. In that case, I circled the flesh mass halfway around and found what looked like a now-boat on the back side. ''......'' Wary, I approached it and followed the familiar procedure. Then. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous E Luck SS --------- ... As usual, I got my status. My status at the moment. Immediately afterwards, the Now Board glowed. HP SS The topmost number glowed first. As if in response, a chunk of flesh snapped and cracked in response. MP SS The second number glowed, the chunk of meat glowing one more level. One by one, the statuses lit up, and with them, the meat chunks disintegrated. However. Dexterity E It was a dexterous place, and it was "pinched" to see. The light was the smallest I''ve ever seen, and the chunk of meat didn''t break. The light was the smallest I''ve ever seen, and the chunk of flesh didn''t break, but the whole board disappeared. There would be nothing, just white space. ''I see.'' There were many tricks in various dungeons after the transfer, but this is one of the easiest of them. A mirror, a grenade, and a sword. Those three are the SS statuses that will be unlocked. And a status that isn''t SS and is an obvious failure. Dexterity should also be raised to SS, I could clearly see that. ''Let''s give it to you. I returned the kibisu and walked back up the stairs to the ninth floor. 285. Hurry around Check the current status on the portable nowboat. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous D Luck SS --------- ... I took out the dragon zombies in a row and raised my Dexterity value to a D, one rank higher. The count 1 guy was there, so I wasn''t very efficient, and I noticed that it was evening, my usual time to go home. Now that I have a clearer idea of how to go to meet the spirit of Nifonium, I should go one more step--'''' ''''--No, let''s not,'''' I quickly changed my mind. Let''s not push it. That''s the reason why you fell down when you were at the company in the first place. Let''s not make the same mistake as that time. Besides--. The next morning, after breakfast, I came to see Prumbum. ''Oh, I''ve been waiting for you,'' Prumbum, who was drawing me as usual, looked up and smiled happily. The reason I didn''t push myself yesterday is also because I promised Purumbum that I''d come to see him every day. If I was reckless and stayed up all night or something to raise the stakes, I''d get too absorbed in it and it would definitely make me stand up. To prevent that from happening, I rounded up yesterday at a normal time so that I could come and see her properly. I had made a similar promise to Aulum, but in Aulum''s case, he was curious, but not because he''d been betrayed. Prumbum is different, he feels betrayed once, and he wants to keep this promise to prevent that from happening again. I sat down beside her, happy that Prumbum smiled again today, which made me happy too. ''......'' Why are you staring at me like that? You can go to ...... and see what''s going on. What? You look different than usual. Different? Plumbum told me to touch my face in a sticky way. It''s quite normal, although it feels like my usual face. ''What''s bothering you, huh? What makes you think that? Do not underestimate her. I''ve seen it all my life, I know that much. Plumbum''s straightforward dialogue, the kind of dialogue that would make me embarrassed. I see. Yeah, I''m definitely troubled by one thing - or should I say troubled? What is it? Let''s talk to the mistress. But ...... The mistress... Yeah? It makes me feel better just talking to you about nothing. Okay. I''m glad I came today. I''ve never said that to her, so this is something that comes from the Prumbum experience. If talking to me would make things easier for her, then I''m glad I''ve been here and I''m glad I came today. ''Actually--'' I told her that I was in trouble, that I was having trouble with the dragon zombie count one. She didn''t ask for help, she just wanted me to talk to her. After listening to the end of it in silence, Plumbum stood up with a start and waved his hands carelessly. A tortoise appeared in the air. It was so big that an adult could ride on it, and the surface of its carapace had a strange pattern on it that made you think of outer space. ''''What''s this?'''' One of the rare monsters in my dungeon is called the Chronotator. The Chronotator. ''Try to beat this one. Its shell is hard enough to repel all attacks, but it''s always the most fragile where it shines the brightest. With the dungeon''s spirits directly telling me the weaknesses of the dungeon, I pulled out my gun and launched the growth bullets into the spot I was taught. The effect was great, the Chronoturtle was shot out with a single shot and dropped a liquid that floated puka-puka in the air, just like the other monsters in the Plumbum Dungeon. ''''What is this?'''' "The humans have named it ''A Drop in Time''. "A drop of time? Plumbum said, and with another wave of his hand, he summoned the same Chronoturtle. He sprinkled a drop of time on that Chronotator. Then the turtle changed colors and froze in place. ''Frozen ......?No, because of the name - has time stopped? Hmm. A small but clear nod. It is an item that stops the time of the person you call. It can be used against these dragon zombies, can''t it? ......! Ninth floor of Nihonium basement. I came here from Plumbum''s place, and I walked around the dungeon, looking for a dragon zombie on count one. I soon found the one I was looking for. I gently approached him and sprayed the dragon zombie with a drop of time. Just like the Chrono Turtle before, the dragon zombie stopped. It faded and stopped moving. The count remained at 1. I fired a series of bullets at it. Even after firing all the bullets in the two pistols, the count remained at one. "Yes. I was gutted. I decided to try further. The dragon zombie, which was stopped in time, was shot with a flameless projectile that couldn''t be used for count 1 before. The fused and invisible karma flames burned the dragon zombie with a count of 1. Even though its body was half-burned, the dragon zombie did not move, just before it could stop time. Soon, time began to move. Pong, a dexterity seed was dropped. A drop of time, worked on the dragon zombies on count one. I decided to try it again because I was uncertain about it once. I walked around the dungeon and ignored all the dragon zombies from 2 to 5, looking for only 1. ''Mmm,'' I found one - but two of them came out at the same time. I don''t want to have more than one of them when I''m testing, and I''ll just let one of them get away with it - so I get my gun up. ...... He stopped moving. My eyes stopped on the gun at the ready. Something flashed through my head. A flash of inspiration. I can do this!I can only know that, but the content is still a blur. I try desperately to scoop up something that looks like water spilling through my fingers. After a few moments of concentrated thought, it becomes clearer. I took out a drop of time and sprayed it on my gun. The beloved pistol faded and time stopped, as if it had frozen. I pulled out the same stalled bullets from the gun that had stopped time, and reloaded it with new regular bullets. I fire it in rapid succession. I fire a series of shots at the dragon zombie on the count of 1. The count remains--1. The count didn''t decrease even if I fired with the gun that was sprayed with a drop of time! 286. Over Legend In the morning, you get up and leave your room. I stretched out, taking in the morning sunshine streaming in through the window, and walked by the salon. In the salon, Celeste was leaning limply against the armrest of the sofa. ''What''s going on, Celeste?'' ''Ah ...... Lyota. It''s nothing, just a magic storm. Yeah. Magic Storm. It''s a type of weather in this world, and when it''s out, people within the range will not be able to use magic at all. Depending on the person, you can get sick during a magic storm. Celeste is exactly like that. ''Are you okay?'' ''Yeah, it''s all right, it''s always the same and I''m not sick. It''s a bit longer this time, so that''s all the more depressing. Have you been here long? Yeah, the forecast says it''s supposed to last five days. That''s a long time! I was a bit surprised. It''s probably the longest I''ve ever seen ...... that it''s lasted five days. ''It''s that kind of season, I can''t help it.'' It''s like the rainy season. Is Ryota-san the one who''s doing all right? Yeah? ''Your face is so serious lately. I thought you were up to something important. I touched my face in a sticky way. I was certainly on the verge of meeting Nihonium, which is why I''ve been motivated lately. Did they see through that? ''I doubt it,'' Do you need help? Celeste straightened up. A serious look. I was grateful for that, and I was glad. ''It''s okay, I''ll figure it out.'' ...... Well, I''m sure Mr. Lyota can handle it. Celeste leaned back against the armrest again. I had to trust him. To repay that trust, I decided to head back to Nifongnium today. Stars After breakfast, we went to Prunbhum''s place first and made a round of small talk. The Ryo-sama she showed me had become even more powerful. His face is getting more and more handsome, and the clothes he''s wearing are getting more and more sophisticated. I thought that if we went to the missive together or something like that, I would be a complete loser. With that in mind, I left Plumbum and came to Nihonium. I took down the dragon zombies and went around. Basically, I take them down with flameless bullets, but only when I''m on count 1, I use the Time Drop to take them down with a random shot. From the middle of the game, I don''t use flameless bullets above the count of 3, and I use a combination of growth bullets and annihilation bullets to defeat them. Then you''ll find a way to do it. Hurry up and go around. If you take the long way around on counts 3 and above, you might get some inspiration from it. Just because it''s 3, it''s 2 flameless bullets - I''m not going to get sidetracked. That''s how I beat them one by one, increasing my dexterity value with dexterity seeds. I got a little throbbing headache in the middle. I''m also a bit affected by the magic storm. MP, intelligence, and spirit. All of my statuses for using magic are SS, so my physical condition is affected, though not as much as Celeste''s during the magic storm. Most importantly-- "Repetition. I cast a spell, but it was unsuccessful. Strongest Circumference Magic Repetition. Even though it''s the strongest magic in circumference, it''s magic. It''s completely useless on the day of the magic storm. A count 1 dragon zombie appeared. Spray it with drops of time and shoot it down. I got a dexterous seed - and was relieved. I''m really glad I didn''t lie down and incorporate the Repetition into my laps. If I had, I would have been forced to put everything off due to the magical storm that lasted for five days. "Let''s have one or two more options after all. The pattern at 3. Pattern at 4. The pattern you used in 5. Patterns that are few and far between, but I dared to use as many as 99. I decided to try them all. Crackle, I heard clapping. I turned around, a little surprised, because hardly anyone came after the basement two floors of Nifonium. He turned around and was followed by Neptune and his two girls, Lil and Ran, his companions. ''Wow, you''re circling this place steadily. And in the middle of a magical storm. What''s going on?I can''t believe you''re here. ''Haha, I heard that someone completely completed the dungeon I retired from in the middle of. Retirement ......? You see, when Nihonium was born, we went in to check it out. ............ Oh. It surfaced from the depths of my memory and clapped its hands with a snap. It was over a year ago. When me and Emily were still working hard on the first or second floor of the tellurian, and my ability was all F. I''d heard rumors, come to think of it, that Nihonium had been ''spawned'' and that the Neptune family had been investigated. ''Oh, yeah, I forgot all about it. To tell you the truth. Yeah? I used to retire from this place. Retire?Come to think of it, you said something like that earlier. ''I investigated all the upper floors, but I couldn''t investigate counts one and two on this floor. We couldn''t take them out in one hit no matter how hard we tried. Really? Yeah. Lil'' Lan. "Okay, okay, I know what to do. I''ll hold on. The two girls began to follow him, behind him, cuddling up. One of the dragon zombies went by. The count was three. Lil and Ran, they chanted as they sang. "God Press! "Devilkers! Two spells, black and white, took hold of Neptune. Two lights engulfed him, creating wings of white and black. The count was reduced by two at once to one. Neptune shook his fist carelessly. A powerful blow, one that still had a lot of power left in it, blew the dragon zombie away. ''''As you can see, this is my trump card, I can easily get to three, but I can''t beat one and two. Oh, I see. Neptune''s special move we''ve seen before. There''s still plenty of room for pure firepower, but it''s too incompatible. ''''But you''ve been an adventurer for a long time too, so you know what I mean. Even if you can''t confirm that you only beat him on this floor on count one. Well, it doesn''t matter, does it? When I replied, Neptune nodded clearly. The rules are rather stubborn in this world. Any event that doesn''t involve "Drop S" doesn''t create exceptions, to say the least 100%. Even if Neptune had been investigating all the way from the first floor and only gave up and retired on counts 1 and 2 on this ninth floor, there''s nothing wrong with that. The Dungeon Society - or was Clint the president at the time - would have been satisfied with an honest report. ''That''s why I''m here, to see the faces of those who easily surpassed what I couldn''t surpass. Okay. You''re amazing. Hey, you wanna join me. You''re not going to ask me out again. How many times have you done this? Yeah, because I like you so much. ''Come to think of it, you keep saying that too: ...... bad.'' That''s too bad. Then-- Yeah? I''d like to be in your group. You know, Cliff and Margaret, like that one. What about ......? The Lyota family owns the Neptune family. I don''t know. Neptune''s eyes were very serious as he spoke so. It was, but. ''...... seriously?'' "Look, look. The nod was light, but apparently serious, and the evidence of that was the buzzing of Lil and Ran behind him. It''s a look that says, "Why would Neptune be under someone else''s thumb? At least he seems to be serious - seriously? 287. A large amount of bonus ...... I don''t know. You won''t be harmed. Hmmm, no thanks. "-Oh! The more colorful and beautiful of the two behind Neptune - Lil got angry with her eyebrows upside down. It''s a sword fight that is about to eat me, but Neptune held up her hand to stop it. Neptune himself, as before, asked with the same smiling face as usual. ''I wonder why, would you be happy to tell me why? You''re not going to back down unless I let you. Yeah, because I''m really serious about this one. I sigh one. ''You''re not in trouble,'' Do you have to be in trouble? I''ll tell you what''s no good: ...... I don''t want to hear that back with a straight face. It''s certainly something I do consciously, but when I hear it back, it''s ....... Since I transitioned to this world, I''ve mostly worked to help people. People who have tried their best but have not been rewarded. People who have been exploited by someone else. Seeing them reminds me of my old self, and I''ve helped those people. Going by that, I don''t think Neptune needs help. He''s not an unrewarding person, nor is he an exploited person. In fact, he''s the exact opposite. So I said no. That''s fine. What? I''m in so much trouble. Neptune chuckled, smiling his usual gentle smile. ''Tennysin,'' I said. ''117?'' Yeah? No, I''m talking about this one: ...... the new dungeon. At my mumbling, Lil and Ran''s eyes widened and they looked at me like they couldn''t believe what they were seeing. Neptune didn''t, but on the contrary, he was smiling more and more. ''Haha, you''re still an amazing person. It''s amazing that you already know about a new dungeon that has not been announced anywhere, and that only a few people know about. ...... I may have been careless. Number 117, Tennysin. Named at the same time as Nihonium, so I knew it. I didn''t know its origins on this side of the world, I just knew the name, so I reacted, but that reaction was careless. I''m in charge of researching it now," he said. "I''ve been tasked with investigating it right now, just like I did with the nihonium. It''s amazing. And I''m in a very tight spot. To be honest, I don''t know what I can do. I''m a bit under the influence of a curse. So I need your help. Are we in a bind? Yeah, honestly, you''re the only person I know who can help me. You''re the only person in the world who''s more than me." ...... I stared at Neptune, trying to find out his true intentions, which were difficult to understand - but it didn''t make much sense. ''You''re sly,'' Yeah? Neptune blurting out, it''s hard to judge if he''s alone, but the expressions on the faces of Lil and Ran, who are always hanging out with him, were more eloquent than anything else. Lil has an angry look on his face, saying he''ll kill me if I don''t take the job, and Ran has a sad look on his face, saying, "If you can''t handle Neptune, I''ll be ...... too. Both of them are more worried about him than he is. It''s not fair of ...... to bring them to this place. "...... is... okay. Are you sure? Yeah. ''Thank you!Lil, run. Okay! Humph, ......, I''m sure you''ll do what I say. Lil and Ran, they turned themselves around in unison and ran out the way they came. ''What are we doing?'' ''Prep, first of all, we have to advertise that I, Neptune, have joined the Lyota family. Is that really necessary? ...... Yeah. Hey, what''s the big deal? Don''t tell me those two were an act, too? Ha-ha, oh no. In a tight spot, I don''t want to take advantage of it or anything like that to get you on board. It''s so refreshing. I''m going to go in as hard as I can, and I''m starting to regret it a little bit. However. Neptune became more serious than ever. ''Thank you so much ...... for helping me out. ...... you''re really sneaky. Sturdy or not. After that, Neptune said that he would come back when he was ready and walked away from Nifonium. I regained my composure and raised my Dexterity value to a B before returning to the mansion. ''Oh, my God, Lyota-san,'' What''s the matter, Ina, you are in such a hurry. Outside. Look out! Outside? I looked out the window, just as Ena had told me to. ''Whoa!What''s with that crowd? ...... There are over a hundred people in that crowd. They''re all adventurers, all under Neptune. "Neptune? My eyebrows furrowed, I had a bad feeling. ''When they heard that Neptune joined the Lyota family, they wanted us to add ourselves to it. A number of people have already come to us saying things like, ''I''ll follow Lyota''s animator for the rest of my life.'' ...... My eyebrows furrowed, I think I''m getting a headache. I''m eagerly sought after, but as expected, there''s no end to what I can do if I accept these guys as well. With that in mind, I turned them away for a while. A few days later, the Neptune Family under the Lyota Family, and even more so, the Neptune Family under the Lyota Family. A mountain of tertiary organizations were born, and I wanted to get my head around it all the more. 288. Nihonium, face-to-face He wanted to help Neptune, first of all, to break the retrospect. I knew I had to complete the attack on Nihonium. While keeping my promise to Plumbum, I holed up in Nihonium and left on time in the evening. I repeated the process for three days. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... "Oh, ...... When I saw the status on the portable nowboard, I shuddered with emotion. It reminded me of my first days. I''d measured after Emily and despaired at all F''s, and now I''d grown up to be an all-SS cheat character. As I''ve been steadily building up the seeds one by one, I''m more than impressed. Now, this will work. Finally, we''ll be able to meet Nifongnium. Come to think of it, it was also Nifongnium who taught me the magic fruit for the repetition. Once I returned to the mansion, I used the transporter room to fly to the room in front of one of the spirit rooms. A five-meter square cube, a block of pulsating rotting flesh. The creepy object was still there, unchanged. I went around behind it and manipulated something that looked like a now-board. The abilities appear one after another, glowing every time the SS appears. HP-SS. MP-SS Power--SS Strength-SS Intelligence-SS Spirit-SS Speed-SS Dexterous-SS Luck--SS After the whole thing showed up in SS, the chunks of meat melted down. It melts down into a sludge and then gets sucked into the ground and disappears. I kept my distance and waited for it all to melt away. ''Another dragon zombie! After all the flesh disappeared, a dragon zombie appeared in the place where it had been. It looks exactly the same as the one on the ninth floor, in terms of size, presence, and the miasma emitted from its body. The only pattern I''ve seen before is the count on its head, which is "9", but apart from that it''s the usual dragon zombie. I thought this would lead to a path leading to Nifonium''s room, but I was a bit shrugged off. ''Either way, let''s take them down first, since there''s a nine count, and in nine moves--'' Instantly, an alarm buzzed in my head. Intuition is the only way to describe it. Total instantaneous judgment based on extensive experience - I think of it as "gut feeling" or "intuition". My previous experience has made me stop attacking. I''ve recently been increasing the number of attacks to match the count of dragon zombies in order to develop my judgment, so I thought for a moment that I''d take this guy down on the count of 9 as well. Nine. There''s no way I can get that count for any reason here. There''s no way that nine came out in this room, which should be called a summation, on the entire ninth floor of Nifonium, and it can''t mean anything. It''s bad, probably very bad, to beat it with nine moves. ...... Repetition! I used the strongest round-robin magic, representative of a move, to defeat the dragon zombies. The count was reduced by one, and the three-headed dog zombie appeared right after that. The three-headed dog zombie''s count was 8. ''''I knew it! Organize the situation while dodging the dog zombies'' bites. Nine floors, nine different monsters with a nine count. When you kill one, the count decreases by one and the next one comes up. Defeat them all in one hit and show me how much you''ve grown so far. I felt like that''s what I was told. ''Then--'' ''Hey!'' I tried to take down the three-necked dog zombie with two choices of attack, after firing a tracking round, but I realized right before I shot that it would take two moves in itself. Putting a drop of time on the dog zombie and then fleshing it out after firing a tracking round. The blown up head was correct, count one less, and the dog zombie was gone. Count 7, Electric Mummy. Count 6, Poison Zombie. Count 5, Red Skelton. This area was safely killed in the blink of an eye. Count 4--Mummy. ''Oh, yeah, this one needed two moves too! I apply a drop of time like the dog zombies and take them down with one fairly grown-up growth bullet, then burn the remaining bandages on the ground to make them disappear. Finally, with the Mummy, Zombie, and Skeleton. On a count of nine, I killed all nine monsters. After waiting for a while, an entrance appeared. The long-awaited entrance, this time leading to the location of Nihonium (). The air changed. Intuitively, I''m sure it''s all right now. I take a deep breath and step over the long-awaited entrance. ''We''ve been expecting you, sir.'' There was a woman there in a life-size clasp sleeve. That woman I had met many times in miniature size. There was the spirit, Nihonium. 289. Pay-it-forward of Ryota Various: ...... Yeah? ''I''ve been thinking a lot about what my first words would be when I met you. I think I''m going to end up with these words. Nihonium smiled, smiling serenely. ''That''s impressive.'' I said. ''What?'' Do you remember giving you the repetition? Yeah. The first time I could see you in front of me?They picked a magic fruit to be a repetition in a drawing. It seems so long ago now. I was in my favorite item store, and I was seriously choosing a magic fruit that cost three million piro, which was not cheap to me at the time, when Nihonium appeared and showed me how good it was. The magic of the moment was Repetition. ''Yes. I had to give that magic to you, I really had to give it to you. Normally, you wouldn''t be able to get here without it. ...... sure, if it weren''t for the Repetition, I wouldn''t have been able to defeat nine of them within a nine count. The three-headed dog was just a matter of luck and a few redoes, but the mammy was a definite two moves. ''''Yes, that''s why I gave that to you. No matter how strong you are in status, no matter how much training you''ve accumulated, you wouldn''t have been able to come here ...... without the repetition. This time it''s Nifonium who smiles lustrously and s*xily. A Japanese style beauty in a kimono, that smile. It was very s*xy. ''You''ve made it this far without Repetition, you''ve gained that much strength. He''s ...... an amazing, amazing person, far beyond my imagination. He quietly called me "amazing". It''s a word that is usually said a little bit, but it has a different flavor ...... gladness when said by Nihonium. ''More importantly, why did you call me? You have a reason, don''t you? ...... Nihonium smiled sadly. A forlorn smile, different from the smile he had smiled earlier. ''''Please don''t smile.'''' Yeah. I nodded clearly, looked straight at Nihonium and waited for the words to come out. ''Needed and wanted to be done. ...... ''I don''t need to dare tell you anymore, but ...... I don''t need anyone in this world to tell me that I''m not wanted by anyone. ''There''s Margaret: ...... No, not that one either.'' Yes, it doesn''t have to be me. There''s no one else coming here but you. It was inevitable. This world where all kinds of things are dropped from dungeons. The dungeons are fields, mines, factories and so on. Among them, Nihonium doesn''t drop anything. No matter what you do, it''s a dungeon that doesn''t drop anything, even if an advanced adventurer with drop status A stays caged in all the time. It''s a barren land where nothing grows for sure, so to speak, and that''s the Nihonium dungeon. It''s not surprising, given the system of this world, that no one comes and is not needed. ''It''s getting harder and harder to sustain human life. What do you mean? ''Monsters usually have a lifespan. A monster that is not defeated and wanders around the dungeon will reach the end of its life and disappear. ...... No one knows this anymore, though. ...... That''s right. I don''t normally leave monsters to their lifetimes. Nihonium nods at my words, and continues further. ''And the monsters that disappear in their lifetimes become air. None of them come to us, and the Nifonium Undates continue to automatically create air day and night. ............ oxygen, the air humans breathe? Nihonium nodded further. The gentle smile disappeared. There was an exhausted woman there. ''I keep maintaining the air that everyone needs, and yet no one needs or appreciates me. Then it turns into a smile of self-mockery. ''The repetition of it has worn me out. ...... I understand now. She''s-- she''s me. She''s exactly the same as I was before I came to this world. I worked hard, tried my hardest, even to the point of scraping myself off, and endured. And yet, she is forced to spend her days unappreciated and unrewarded. She''s me. No, ...... you are in a more unrewarding situation than I am. So I need you to ...... help me. ...... I''ve been told this before. The words came down to me like a revelation. The words that made me step into a new life back then. I handed them to Nihonium as they were. ''Hard work always pays off. There''s a difference between early and late, but those who work hard will always be rewarded. Is that so? Yeah. I nodded without hesitation. Then he laughed. ''Because I am. So.'' So? I''m gonna turn you into the dungeon everyone needs to be in. You sure you want me to trust you? Tears are stored in the niphonium''s blinds. ''It''s not like I believe it or anything,'' Eh, ....... It''s confirmed. It''s not a matter of believing or not believing. People who work hard get rewarded for their efforts, and with me on board, it''s a given. This is an oath. To further solidify my resolve, I used strong words that I wouldn''t normally say. Surprise, confusion, and - joy. After all the emotions came and went on Nihonium''s face. "--Yes! The third smile she showed me. It was the smile of a human being who had found hope and was reaching out to me from the depths of hell. 290. Ryotas achievements After a while, the niftonium began to calm down a lot. It looks like I''ve gathered up all the stuff that had accumulated and spit it out, and I''m feeling a little better. Of course, nothing has been resolved, so it''s only calmed down for the moment. ''Well, good luck with that. I''ll be here, waiting for the good news. ...... "Wait a minute. Yes, I''m waiting for you forever. I left my slightly misunderstood nihonium behind and went up to the ninth basement floor. I decided that I should move first rather than explain. From the ninth basement floor, I used the gate to get back to the mansion, and this time I flew to Aulum''s room in the transporter room. ''Huh?What''s up, Ryota? It''s been a while since you''ve been here. Aulum nodded her head at my visit. Lately, she''s been able to move around freely and see me every day at the mansion, so I rarely come here anymore. ''Sorry Aulum, I have to borrow Meeke for a bit. I''ll have her back in a minute. I don''t need to ask you what''s going on, though. Aulum smiled and offered me Meeke, who had become a complete partner, always hugging me like a doll. ''Yes, sir. Go be of service to Lyota properly. Of course! He took the enthusiastic Meeke and used the gate to relay the transporter room, and now he came to Nihonium''s room, which allowed him to fly directly. ''Huh?Here we go again: ...... What''s going on? I said, "Give me a minute. ''Yes, but I didn''t expect you back so soon. What is the matter with you? Yes, sir. I hold out Meeke. ''Who is this girl?'' You just hold him and you''ll be out of the dungeon. What? Come to my house for a while. But I''m in this dungeon ...... no. As he was about to say it, Nihonium kept his mouth shut forlornly. ''There''s no point in staying here, is there? I thought I heard a secondary voice saying that no one was coming anyway. I''ll work that out in the future, so I let it pass for now. I don''t know what to do now, but I know it''s not a good idea to leave her here, that much I know. So I tried to take her out. ''Okay, I''ll go with you,'' Hold him tight, then. Yes, sir. Nice to meet you. He walked through the gate and back to the mansion, with Nihonium holding Meeke in his arms. ''Terrible man,'' Yeah? ''''No one in the long history of the world has ever taken a spirit out of a dungeon without a hitch like this. And that''s what you are. It doesn''t matter. He gently takes Meeke from Nifonium. ''Thank you, thank you for saving me, Meeke.'' Can I go back to Master Aulum? Yeah, you say hi to him. Yes! With that, Meeke used the transporter room under his own power to get back to Aulum. After seeing them off, he left the transporter room with Nihonium. ''Now, I need you to get your room ready--'' Welcome home, Mr. Yoda. I hear Emily''s voice from across the hallway. There was the sound of footsteps flapping and slippering, and then she came trotting over. ''Just in time, Emily, she--'' ...... Introductions, and please. I was about to do that, but Emily stared at Nihonium. She stared at me with a straight face, as if she couldn''t hear me at all. Immediately after, Emily gently held Nihonium in her arms. ''Ah ......'' A puzzled nihonium. It was a familiar sight. I used to have it too. The warm embrace, the enveloping warmth of Emily. Emily, of course, intuitively sensed the warmth of Nikkonium''s (...). And it seems that Nihonium also felt something. Gently, she put her arms around Emily''s back. On the face of it, one of them looked like an atmospheric innkeeper and the other was a child. But in reality, appearances were reversed from position to position, and Emily was gently caring and soothing Nihonium. After doing so for a while, Emily looked up with a flash. ''Miss Yoda!'' Oh, yeah. He''s going to be staying with us for a while. Yeah, that''s what I thought. Look after them. Yes, sir! Emily was extremely enthusiastic, and she pulled Nihonium''s hand away and took him away. Nihonium still looked a bit confused, but she did as Emily made her do and took her away quietly. To me, who saw it off. Mr. Ryota, who is that man? Is this Mr. Lyota''s? Two of the dispatchers, Elsa and Ena, emerged from Swallow''s grateful sub-branch. Elsa nodded her head and listened, while Ena made the classic gesture of raising her little finger with a grin. ''No, she''s a nihonium.'' Nihonium: ...... No way. Another genie? Yeah, I''ll be staying here for a while. I''ll see you both soon. Yeah, yeah. Yes. ...... Elsa and Ena, they looked at each other with a "wow" look on their faces. Maybe I should have realized it at this time. No, maybe I should have kept my mouth shut. After everything that had happened, and considering the affiliation of both Elsa and Ena, I should have kept my mouth shut about Nihonium. The next day, as soon as possible. The story was conveyed to the Tsubame''s Benefit Head Office via the two of them. Various merchants and speculations flooded that dungeon all at once over the future of Nihonium. 291. Ryota carrying the fate of the world Nifonium Dungeon, first basement floor. Defeat the attacking skeletons by shooting a single growth round exactly. The skeletons I defeated didn''t drop the HP seeds that they would normally drop. Due to the lack of Nifonium in the dungeon, I would have dropped an ability-boosting seed, but I didn''t even get that. No, that''s not the problem. The problem is the regular drops in this dungeon (). In order to make Nihonium a "required" dungeon, we need to make it a normal drop for normal adventurers. When I thought about how to do this, the first thing that came up was "breeding". It''s a way to change the monsters and the drops themselves by using a dungeon master to change the biology of the dungeon, but you can''t use that with Nihonium. To be precise, it''s "too damaging to use". ...... rumor has it what it is. The air changed and the Dungeon Master of Nihonium appeared. He was six feet tall and looked like a woman. Her hair was about two meters long, and it hung down to the ground. The bare figure has a strange air about it, coupled with the length of her hair. The expressionless, pale skin, and the phosphorescence that radiates just a hint of phosphorescence. It''s an appearance that makes me think that it''s of the same nature as the Andet type in this dungeon. I went towards it. A counter aimed at the crochet-shaped palm that was released as soon as it approached. I could feel the flesh tearing into my fist. The Dungeon Master of Nihonium. Normally it is insubstantial, but it only materializes the moment it attacks. The only way to attack it is to aim for it. It used to be a lot of trouble, but now that you''ve mastered all abilities, it''s not a problem. I was hitting counter after counter in the instant it materialized as it attacked, and I was able to defeat it as early as the fifth shot. The dungeon master disappears and the air returns. I didn''t pull - the reason I can''t pull on the breed is because when this guy is out, not only does the Nihonium stop dropping, but the entire Cyclo area stops dropping when he''s out. Originally, when the Dungeon Master was out, the other monsters would disappear. In the case of Nihonium, it''s even more widespread and affects the entire Cyclo region. If you take the time to improve the breed, it will stop all Cyclo production in the meantime. As you can see ...... is not possible. That''s why I killed this guy who just happened to appear on the scene in the blink of an eye. It would be a curse. Cyclodungeon Association, president''s office. When Cell heard my explanation of my visit, he said a few words. ''You think so ......?'' From what Satou-sama has told me, I can assume that the mental structures of spirits and humans are very similar. If that''s the case, it''s quite natural to assume this. After a beat, Cell says with a straight face. ''It would be the ability of the dungeon master of Nihonium to embody that feeling - my own suffering - to others. ...... I see. I don''t know, it''s not hard to understand, it''s the feeling that you''re in pain and you want them to be in pain as well. Some people may blame you for that, but I understand this feeling better. "If that''s what Satou-sama wants. Yeah? How about I stop the production of cyclo for a day with my authority? You''d be in big trouble if you did that. A stronger solar eclipse should be no problem. And, And? Satou-sama has been underestimating himself too much. Satou-sama is now regarded as a dungeon factory. If he''s doing it for the sake of Nifongnium, no one will complain. You''re lifting it too high. I chuckled. ''Not really, I''m sure Master Sato knows that various people flocked to Nihonium early on. That much? It''s coming, I knew it was starting, but from the way Cell talks about it, it sounds like it''s going to be quite something. ''Animals, plants, minerals, magic, idiosyncrasies. People from all walks of life are looking at it. There''s more than just plants--Cyclo? ''Nihonium has not dropped anything so far. Is it any wonder that we''re expecting more possibilities other than plants? I see. It''s more of a ...... trait. The seeds of ability boosts are the ones that aren''t classified because they''re the ones that don''t drop on people from this world, but they''re classified in my mind as an idiosyncratic system. It''s quite possible that Dungeon-Drop will become an idiosyncratic type after we get Nihonium back on its feet. ''We''ve been talking to the rest of the world. What? Some people are trying to get their hands on Satou-sama''s girl. He asked me to intercede. I''ll give you a girl. He sounded so flat that I was surprised at myself. I knew what it meant, but it wasn''t realistic about me. ''I''m talking about immensely beautiful women, one of every race, and all of them are pure maidens. It''s too big. That''s what people say about you, Lord Sato. Cel grinned. ''You should realize that Satou-sama is no longer in such a position and prestige that he can move the world with every move he makes. That''s why I think you''re giving him too much credit. ''''It''s very Satou-sama-like to say such things with the fate of the spirits and the world on your shoulders so plainly. The world? If Master Sato fails... Cell grinned more and more, even more than before. ''How is it possible that a discarded bowl of nihonium could make the drop disappear from the world? ...... Oh. If you ask me, yes, it''s possible. Even now, they''ve even stopped producing cyclo in Dungeon Master. It''s certainly possible that''s what will happen if Nihonium gets burned out. ''The idea was a bit naive,'' I don''t see the problem. Satou-sama will get it right in the end anyway. So you''re lifting it up. ...... Phew. The corner of his mouth lifts up and he hooks a smile. What does that mean?I was thinking, "I''m sorry," when there was a knock on the door of the chairman''s office. "Excuse me for interrupting your conversation. Satou-sama''s landlord is here to see you. Me? Lyota! It was Alice who ran into the Chairman''s office. She had a fellow monster on her shoulder, breathing on her shoulder. Her breathing is so heavy that the monsters are about to be shaken off if they don''t cling to her tightly. ''What''s up, Alice?'' Oh, my God. Oh, my God. I got something for you. "Present: ...... Glancing at the cell, he''s getting good at it, "See? But. The situation was better than I expected. ''They''re coming from so many different places, the mansion is going to be filled. That''s too much! How much of a gift is enough to fill that mansion? 292. Spiritual trust When I returned to the mansion with Alice, I found a scene beyond what I had imagined. The pile of gifts overflowed to the outside of the mansion. The portion that didn''t make it into the mansion is also placed in the yard with the entire wagon off the horse. Each one is neatly wrapped and in some sort of luxurious treasure chest, but when they''re piled up to this level of mess-- It''s going to look like a dump. What do I do now? Yeah. Do you want me to take her to my place? Yeah?Aulum. The one who suggested from the side was Aulum holding Meeke. The master of the Aulum dungeon, a demonic looking girl, was completely acclimated to the mansion and stood beside me as if it was natural. ''''What do you mean by keeping it?'''' It''s true. My room is practically infinite in size. Aroom of Auldurm: "Aroom of Auldurm: ...... The genie''s room. Aurum nodded. I see, so that''s where it is. I had never cared about the size in the different space of the spirits'' room, but I see, that''s how it is. ''''If we just throw them over there for now, the mansion can be used as normal, right? ...... No, that''s not good. ''You don''t have to be shy, okay?Me and Lyota, right? No, I''m not afraid of you. What do you mean by that? Aurum tilted his head slightly. He tried to explain why - but there was no need to. DAWN! More proof than debate - and an explosion occurred on the other side of the mansion, as if to say. ''What do you mean?'' ''Ah!It''s a monster, it''s a haggard thing, Lyota. Alice, who was born in the dungeon, noticed it first. Right after Alice hurriedly told me, a monster jumped out of the back of the mansion. A giant eyeballed monster, not only that, but a monster with even more tentacles extending from its eyeballs and a small eyeball attached to it. Emily and Celeste jumped out from the other side of the mansion to chase after it and pounced on the monster. Emily jumped at it while spinning a hammer that was bigger than her own body in a circle, and Celeste chanted great magic while holding the bicorn horn up like a magic wand. ''I knew this would happen. You can''t pile too many things on top of each other. If you pile too much on top of it, you''ll create a place where humans can''t reach (). Oh, so that''s why I''ve got a Hagrete: ...... ''That''s what I mean. You could throw the whole thing into Aulum''s room, but if you haggle it over there, it''s going to be a disaster. It''s the Great Monster War. Okay. Regardless of what you''re doing, I''m going out for a bit. Gazer, a monster I''ve never seen before. Celeste and Emily, both of whom were struggling. Seeing and analyzing their struggles. ''Emily, Celeste,'' Mr. Yoda! Mr. Lyota! I''ll take care of it. Yes, sir! Yeah! Emily and Celeste, both facing Gazer, stepped back in a combat ready and alert state. I joined the fight instead. I looked at the two of them and analyzed the battle and pointed the muzzle of a special bullet on Gazer''s weak point. You must be Nifongnium. "What ...... you are ......? Inside the mansion, Aulum came to Nihonium, who was watching the battle in a daze. The inside of the saloon where the Lyota family gathered in their spare time was also filled with gifts, and Nihonium was sitting alone in the middle of it. Aulum came in front of Nihonium. ''Aulum,'' he said, ''you''ll know it when you say it. ...... you. It''s amazing. I never thought I''d ever see the day we''d get together. ...... Yeah, right. I just saw it out the window and thought I had it all wrong. What''s with the depressed look on your face? Aulum flapped Nihonium''s head with a peck. He held the battered head down and gave his head a "? Nihonium stares back at Aulum with a strange look on his face, as if he''s made a bunch of funny marks. ''I''ve heard you. I know how you feel.'' ...... ''Arsenic, Selenium, Prumbum, Phosphorus, and Aulum. Do you know what this is about? ......? ''The name of the dungeon Lyota has managed to get into. Lyota is amazing, you see. Aulum raised her hand and pointed. With her pointing point, she had easily killed the first monster Lyota had ever encountered, Gazer, in a blink of an eye. A wealth of combat experience, a high ability value, and numerous powerful items that she owned. With the use of these, Ryota was able to defeat Gazer with minimal damage - to the extent that part of the mansion was destroyed. I''m not going to be able to do it if Lyota is willing to do it. Your problems will be solved in a little bit of time, so just wait and relax. Do you believe in ...... so much? ...... Yeah, come with me for a minute. ''What?Which way? I''m going to see him, and you should have Arsenic, or Seren, or Plumbum. Oh, you want to meet?How can you ...... no, what do you do with the meeting in the first place-- Get him mad. What? ''I''m going to get everyone mad at the tease bug for not trusting Lyota with a face like that after asking Lyota for help. Meeke, you can go to everyone with the transfer, right? I asked him to take it all in once. Okay, let''s go. Aulum said, and forced himself to pull Nihonium away. A mountain of gifts is trust from the human side. Aulum pulling the nihonium is trust from the spirit side. Not only from the humans, Lyota was strongly trusted by the spirits as well. 293. Two choices I asked the cell to get rid of a mountain of gifts. The battle with Hagremonos messed up a lot of things, and some of them were sent anonymously in the first place. It became impossible to poke back at all of them, so I decided to get rid of them and redeem them. I thought about getting "Tsubame''s Benefit" to do something about it via Elsa Ena, but that place specializes in vegetable-related items and can''t handle expensive gifts. It''s not exactly something I can''t handle, though. ''''It would be trespassing on the territory of another place. Elsa told me. It''s true that if a vegetable shop gobbles up something else just because it''s profitable, it wouldn''t be a good image for the minds of their peers. That''s why the cell is an aristocrat and has all kinds of connections. All they sent were expensive items, and there''s nothing else that goes together as well as "expensive" and "nobleman". So I threw the whole thing to the cell. After that was all done, and the inside and outside of the mansion returned to normal, I relaxed in the salon. That''s where Aulum came in. ''Can I talk to you for a moment?'' Yeah?What is it? He''s talking about Nifongnium. "Hmm. I leaned back deeply against the slightly tired couch - almost throwing my arms and legs out and slouching - and then straightened up and returned to a normal sitting position. He locked eye level with Aulum, who was holding his partner, Meeke, and stared straight back at him, asking. ''What''s wrong with Nihonium?'' Lyota, of course you''re going to help that woman. ''Well ...... yeah. I''m going to do what I''ve always done. Aulum was one of the people who had been ''saved'' by me, so I figured that was all I needed to say. ''Can you give me a moment to do that?'' Yeah?Why? ...... I''m going to take him around the various dungeons for a while. What do you think? Aurum''s face was more serious than usual. She''s the same type as Alice, the type that lives her days with ease. The fact that Aulum is more serious than ever is worrisome. ''I think that guy needs to look out for a moment. Is that so? I''m happy to be out there. Okay. I nodded, and Aulum looked a little surprised to see me. ''That was easy, right? You have an idea? Yes. ''Then I''ll leave it up to you, or rather, spirit to spirit, if you have your own ideas. Thanks. What if... Wow! Huh! Me and Aulum were so startled that we were both flipped over at the same time. A man suddenly interrupted the conversation from right beside me. ''Do me first!'' A calm tone of voice, a look that never ceases to make me smile. Neptune. ''When did you get here?'' H-mi-tsu. ...... those two aren''t there? Ha-ha, I don''t spend all day with you. Okay. I''m the least of your worries. Tenesin, you promised me you''d do something about it. That''s right-- Master Sato. Whoa! What, not again? I was surprised again with Aulum. This time Cell appeared from the other side. ''What''s the matter, Cell?'' I need you to fulfill your promise to me. With you?Yeah, he''s going to do something about the minting dungeon. Hmm. Have you cleared something political? You''re a good man. I see. Neptune and Cell. The promise I made to both of them, and they demanded that I fulfill it at the same time. In that case, thank God for Auld Lang Syne. "Please, you''re the only person I can think of who can help me. This is a story that will affect the world in a big way, and I would love to have Satou-sama''s help. They both looked at me hard and asked me to do it. Now, which one to go first. Neptune, and then Cell. I looked at them both in turn, then. ''Where''s Tennysin?'' I said. Thank you. You coming in here is pretty much a done deal. At that moment, Neptune was happy with a big smile on his face, and Cell made a face as he bit down on a bitter bug. I''m sorry for Cell, but I''m curious. This had never happened before, Neptune''s appearance that wasn''t Lil and Ran together. That bothered me, so I chose Neptune. Tennesin, what kind of dungeon is this? 294. Tennessine, first floor Half a day in a carriage arranged by the cell, Neptune took me to Tennesin. A tall tower that draws long, long shadows in the darkened wilderness. The top is not visible, and it extends beyond the clouds. ''This is Tenesin?'' Yeah, I guess so. You''re going up. Is this your first time in a non-underground dungeon? I gave a small nod. ''I see, well, it happens sometimes, these things.'' Okay. I wasn''t really surprised. It''s always been that way, but dungeons aren''t just about going underground. It''s only natural that there are types of dungeons that go up. I looked around. ''There''s nothing here. There''s no village or town?'''' No, there are multiple interests at play, so it depends on the outcome of the investigation. ''I see. ...... Who are your enemies, by the way?What''s the drop? I don''t know what the drop is. Don''t you get it? Neptune smiled. ''I told you it depends on the outcome of the investigation. But you know what the drop is. The monster here is stronger than me. I might have been the only one to win the first time, but I missed my chance. Stronger than you ...... only the first time? You''ll know it when you get in there. You''re stronger than me, by the way. Neptune repeated the same words as before. His face was truly imminent. ''''Don''t let your guard down. ...... Got it. I know Neptune''s power, I know the world''s opinion of him and his reputation. This is the dungeon that makes Neptune say this much. I steeled myself and went to the dungeon. ''Take care of the carriage. For now, I just need to clear the first floor and get back to Cyclo. To keep my promise to meet with Prumbum every day. ''I''ve got it, I''ve got it.'' Neptune sent me out and I stepped into the Tennesin dungeon. Tennesin, first floor. The dungeon looked like a tower from the outside, and the interior was the tower itself. The interior looked like it was made of stone bricks, and there were windows to let the sun shine through. Of all the dungeons I''ve ever entered, this is the most physically bright dungeon. The atmosphere is not a bad place to be. Well, the monster--. "Huh?What''s the matter, Neptune, I thought you weren''t going in? ...... Neptune stalked over from the other side. ''''I mean, I didn''t know there was an entrance there too--'''' I reacted quickly and jumped to the side. Neptune, who was stalwartly approaching me, clenched his fist and threw a punch at me. Buhhhh!And a punch that grazed the tip of my nose with a roar that tore the air apart. It stabbed into the ground after I had dodged it, and the ground blasted to pieces as if it had exploded. ''What the hell do you think you''re doing, Neptune! ...... If it''s not ...... himself? I''m confused, and then Neptune steps in further and throws the same punch as before. I stepped in with a goof and threw a punch to intercept him. ----! An unmentionable popping sound echoed through the tower. The tower shook with the shockwave, and both me and Neptune took three steps back from each other. Evenly matched. I remembered that tavern when I first met Neptune. It was like a replay of that time, punching and hitting each other from the same movement. We could say that our movements are exactly the same as they were then. ''And yet we''re evenly matched: ...... My power has increased even more since then. In contrast, Neptune, who has been reigning as a famous adventurer for many years, his level was normally canned at that point in time. This Neptune has become even stronger than that time. It''s even with my even higher power SS. The word "fake," flashed through my mind. The movements are exactly the same, so it should have something to do with his doppelganger or something, but his power is overwhelmingly greater than his. The Neptune spooks attacked further. He used a barrage of regular bullets to get a distance, and a fusion of blue flame bullets to set up flameless bullets in a trap. However, Neptune Doubt quickly avoided it and rushed at me at breakneck speed. Pah! I guarded a strong punch with my crossed arms, and while being blown up, I grabbed Neptune Doubt''s arm and used the momentum against it to throw him away. The Neptune goes swiftly and dives into the wall of the tower with a roar. In the midst of the falling debris and dust, Neptune is leisurely coming towards you. ''Are you unharmed? I was a bit stunned. There is dust on the ground, but there is no indication of injury. ''Then!'' I shot an accelerator round at myself. The world accelerates. In a world that has become dozens of times faster, I rushed into Neptune''s pseudo-world. He effortlessly dodged the slow-motion heavy punches, grabbed it by the throat and thrust it all the way through Neptune Moby in the train path. He pushed into the wall and fired a series of growth and infinite lightning bullets at zero distance. ''Can you make it?'' It was such a series of shots that even the dungeon master class died a few times. Even after receiving it, Neptune''s dumbass was only grazed, and he fought back even more. I was stunned by its toughness, but it wasn''t completely ineffective. It''s not like I have to do anything special. He''s one of the strongest adventurers in humanity, several times stronger than Neptune. That''s all, it seems. The effects of the accelerated bullets are still there. Grabbing my slow-motion gutsy arms and throwing them to the ground, zero-range scrap bullets to my large limbs. A scrap bullet of a nature that slowly goes straight ahead without being able to push it away, even with my power. It strikes the limbs and crucifies the Neptune monster to the ground. I struggled, but I couldn''t move. There was more continuous firing, zero-range continuous firing while mounting. I put a lot of fire into it, and I put it right up to the edge of the accelerated ammunition effect. Finally, the Neptune flies down and drops with a pop. The one that dropped. It''s a matsutake mushroom. It''s just that this world''s dungeons are all about primary production. Neptune, one of the five strongest monsters I''ve ever encountered, dropped a matsutake mushroom, a high-grade ingredient. I''d say it''s great, and if it''s not worth it, it''s not worth it. It''s not a mistake to say that it''s typical of this world. Such a matsutake mushroom. When I picked it up, I found out that it was a matsutake mushroom. "They''re all here. The Neptune monster that I had worked so hard to defeat, now three of them appeared and slithered toward me from afar. When they were a certain distance away, all three of them were already charging at me. A trinity attack, normally unavoidable. ''''Repetition!'''' He released a repetition. All three Neptune pseudo-soldiers fell easily and each dropped a shaped matsutake. The repetition works, too, and it''s looking more and more like ''just messed up and strong''. ''Hmmm, this could be a tricky dungeon. Let''s go back and talk to that guy about why he''s Neptune. 295. Countdown I walked out of the dungeon and met up with Neptune, who was waiting for me. We got into the carriage and headed back to Cyclo as planned for now. On the way there, Neptune asked me. ''How did it go?'' He was strong. Yeah, I didn''t stand a chance at all. He was more powerful than you. What was that? It wasn''t always so. I gave a small nod. A dungeon, a monster that looked like a human. I imagined a number of possible patterns with it, but they all had one thing in common. They all had the appearance of a normal monster in the original. ''A shadow-type, a slime type, a gas-type. Which one is it? Shadows. Neptune answered immediately. How do you know?There''s no need to ask or answer the question "why?". Both me and Neptune have a lot of dungeon ''experience''. Neptune has been an adventurer for many years, and I have the added knowledge of the game from my original world. We''re both familiar with the dungeons, so we''re not surprised or mystified. When we first entered the game, everything was shadowy monsters. While I was defeating them, I got hit by one of their attacks. And that''s what happened. Who''s better than you? Hypothetical, okay? I nodded. ''That''s my limit.'' "Boundaries? ''I guess I should call it the limit of my talent. When you get to a certain point, you''ll know where you''re going to settle in your power. Yeah, sort of. With the occasional exception. ''Yeah, there are exceptions sometimes. And that''s what I think, my marginal strength. So of course I''m stronger than I am now. ''I see. ...... I think I''ve learned to say that I can''t help myself.'' Neptune is still smiling as ever. ''''By the way, the second and third floors are Lil and Ran, respectively. That one''s not much stronger.'''' Is that so? They both specialize in being my backup. It''s like that without me. ...... For a moment, he remembered Leia. I was human, but I remembered Leia being modified to do whatever she wanted. ...... did you do something weird? I''m not doing what you think I''m doing. What have you done? I found my eyes narrowed. It''s not what I thought I was doing ...... I knew I did something. ''Kissing and s*x,'' What about ............? Now I''m so shocked. What does he mean by that? "So, the kiss and the c-- ''Dwaaah!So what are you talking about? Ran and Lil and I were bound by fate, if that''s the form of love. Yeah, I get it. I almost had a headache and held up my hand to stop Neptune from explaining it to me. It certainly wasn''t what I thought it was. It was ...... these guys were H2O to begin with. ''All right. Four floors and up? I haven''t touched it. Okay. Also, be careful what you wish for, because if a shadow sees you-- oh. What''s going on? Look. Neptune rolled up his sleeves. A row of "stars" marks lined the inside of his arms. I counted them and there were eight in all. ''What about it?'' I had twelve just now. Twelve all the way through, by the way. "Four are gone: ...... I killed four monsters. I see. Neptune smiling, I nodded. This, too, I knew, didn''t need to be surprised or wondering. ''''I suppose that''s what it means.'''' Yeah, I think so. I didn''t even dare to say it, but we agreed on it. I took down four of them, so that''s four less ''stars''. Zero is definitely not good. It''s not good. On the contrary... I think I can make it through to the first. We nodded at each other. ''Yeah, I''m glad I asked you to help me out after all. I wouldn''t have been able to figure this out on my own. I''ll take care of the rest. You can cut back on the last two. If it gets worse, you''ll let me know. Ha-ha, you''re not doing one for the other. You would have done the same. I don''t know. Yeah, I knew you were a great guy. ''In case you were wondering. Lil and Ran both have twelve, too. Yeah, I''ll keep it down until there are two. Yeah. So, go to ...... and ask for it. Neptune, who spoke like that, had more serious eyes than before because of the decrease in stars--. ''''What''s the reason you don''t do--? Ha-ha, you''re the one who''s gonna do it, so why should I bother? Neptune trusted me completely. 296. H women By the time I returned to the mansion, it was already nighttime. ''You''re home, sir. Emily pattered to the front door. ''I''m home. Sorry, I''m late. It''s some time after sunset. The time for dinner has passed and it''s time to enjoy a prime-time program. What do you want to do for dinner? I''m getting some rest. Then, with a breeze, I let out the air in my lungs. Just being back in the warm, bright mansion that Emily maintains, warm and bright even at night, feels like a cure for my exhaustion. ''Miss Yoda,'' Yeah?--eh. To my surprise, Emily hugged me without warning. I was standing, and naturally I sat down on the spot and got into a position where Emily held my head in her arms. ''Thanks for your help,'' Not really. How hard is the new dungeon? Hmm, yeah. That could be a problem. After all, the monster on the ground floor is dressed as Neptune and is stronger than Neptune. It''s a big deal. Emily said and gently nudged the back of my head. I calmed down. I calmed down and my exhaustion was completely blown away. ''I don''t want you to be too reckless, Yoda,'' ...... Did he look funny? Mr. Yoda is very kind. Emily didn''t answer directly, but I figured that might be the case. Neptune is in trouble, and I want to help it. In order to do that, we need to capture Tennysin, but that Tennysin is not a straightforward task. Still, I have to do it - and I was just thinking about it in the carriage on the way home. ''It''s the same face as Yoda''s when we met,'' That was worrisome. Mr. Yoda will be fine, but I don''t want you to do anything rash. Okay, I''ll keep that in mind. Yes, sir. I stayed in that pose for a while, and then Emily gently released my head. After we got some distance, Emily was her usual calm smile. The next day, I went to Prumbum''s place to make small talk for a while, and then came to the first floor of Tennesin via the transporter room. There are a lot of signs, and Neptune and the like are crawling around in the dungeon. You can defeat them by repetition, but you can''t beat them recklessly because of what happened to the Stars. Let''s go up to the top floor, aiming for the fourth floor. Feel the presence of the monsters, then run away from them as you go through the tower. I met a Neptune monster on the way, but I fired a straitjacket of reinforced bullets and escaped in the meantime. I was in a bit of a hurry. Even the best-enhanced straitjacket was only able to hold it for about three seconds. I''m afraid of Neptune''s limits. Then I climbed up the stairs that I reached, the second floor of Tennesin. A monster immediately appeared. A pretty girl with green hair. It''s a monster with the appearance of Neptune''s companion, Ran Hydrogen. The Lan pseudo disappeared (,). I''m fast! Quickly, he rolled across the floor and avoided it right next to him. A pickaxe swung down by a runner and knocked the floor. ''Is that your weapon of choice when you''re fighting yourself? Power and speed. The runners pounced on him with more than he expected. He swung his pickaxe down to stand and tried to smash his head. The simple move was a threat, backed by high power and speed. If it''s a basic spec, it''s Dungeon Master level. ''''But! He stepped in as he stepped in, and in turn, closed the distance and dove deep into the pickaxe. He raised his arm to guard the handle of the pickaxe. ''Emily can smash it with the hilt alone. Remembering my friends who use similar weapons, I took another step further and held the gun to them and fired a series of growth bullets. It''s a growth bullet that has grown to a one-hit kill level, but the defense of the run-o-meter is also very impressive. It''s as if it''s a prying machine, firing many rounds into the same spot and finally penetrating. That''s the only thing that kept me from falling. He pushes me away with a kick and swings the pickaxe out horizontally. I avoided the pointed tip with just a sway, and then stuck around for more and fired a series of bullets. After a total of ten rounds were slammed into it, the orchid finally collapsed. It drops with a clunk. The one that came out. ''A black watermelon, here''s another unusual one. What the orchid dropped was a round watermelon with a slippery surface and shiny black color. It''s a watermelon, but it''s a very expensive one, and one ball would cost 10,000 yen. I''ve never seen one in this world before, but it was probably about the same price. Is Tennessee a specialty food store with matsutake mushrooms on the first floor? I took that watermelon and went downstairs first. I used the transfer gate to get back to the mansion, then left the watermelon behind and went back upstairs to Tennysin. The condition of the transfer room is that you can go to the floor you''ve been to before, but when you go back, you can''t go back to the floor you were transferred to. That also means you can''t go back to a new level immediately. The orchid was formidable. Just in case of emergency, I''d like to make sure that I can escape from the floor I''m challenging by moving up the transfer gate like this. By the way, I brought back the black ball watermelon to bring it back to Elsa and Ena later. Use the transfer gate to get to the second floor of Tennesin. I can''t take down the rungs too much and reduce the number of stars, so I avoided and avoided them and went up to the next floor. On the third floor of Tenesin, I came out and saw a beautiful woman with long pink hair. She is dressed in a bondage costume and is holding a whip. She looks like a queen. Lil Hydrogen. It comes with a genie approved by the genie of the same hydrogen dungeon as Ran. She''s an ally of Neptune. "d*mn! I was late to the party. One moment I thought Lil''s hand was bludgeoned, and the next moment something wrapped around my neck. I quickly cracked my arm in. It was a whip that came wrapped around me. The whip wielded by the Lil guy wriggled like a living thing and wrapped around my neck. I managed to keep my neck from being strangled because of the arm I quickly put in. The lil guy pulled back, my body was being pulled away. ''You''ve got power too!'' While screaming, he shot a growth bullet at the whip. The whip itself wasn''t very strong, and I shot through it with one shot and tore it off. It landed with a half-turn in the air, but more whips flew in front of me. As it was, I dodged it by crawling on all fours with a bang and quickly kicked the ground to get away from it. The whip held by the lil guy had regenerated before I knew it. Change the bullets and put in a fireball. I shoot a tracking round and hit the whip of Lil''s whip. The whip was shot out and torn off, but it quickly regenerated again. ''I see, so that''s the kind of weapon you have. More whips flew, this time shooting both the whip and the lil'' whip. The whip was shot at the Lil'' worm and the whip was torn off again. The whip''s strength is not so great. And. ''You can''t move while it''s regenerating. Do it three times and you''ll see the trend. As long as he''s regenerating the whip, Lil is barely able to move, standing on a stick. The power and technique of the lil guy is great, but his weapons aren''t up to the task. I aimed at the whip. I shot at the whip just before it was ready to regenerate, and tore it open. I kept the whip torn off for a long time, and the lil'' guy kept standing on his feet. While holding it back like that, I shot Lil'' body with growth bombs. It was just as tough as the Rangmodo, but since it was standing on a stick, it was easy to defeat it. And so it dropped. ...... caviar? Tennesin, it still sounds like a high quality food dungeon. 297. SSS enemy Tennesin, fourth floor. Having defeated both Ran and Lil, I drove the remainder of the way up to the fourth floor. ''''You''re here as soon as possible. The one that appeared in front of me was a monster that seemed to have a floating shadow. The guy as I heard from Neptune, I decided to defeat this guy first. The shadows are getting fleshierce, the speed is reasonable. If I were to talk about status, I''d say it''s a C speed. I''m going to be able to avoid it, and shoot the mainstay of the growth bullet from the side. Then the shadow was easily shot through by the growth bullet without much resistance and disappeared. The drop is--. "None, huh? If it''s going to drop with this, we''ll be able to talk about it sooner. I chuckled, wondering if it wouldn''t work out that way. The shadow state is quite weak. It''s weak to the extent that you can run a stable lap without doing anything. But it didn''t drop. Drop all S. The reason why I''m the only one in this world who doesn''t drop with this ability is because I don''t meet the conditions to drop. For example, a child slime of a parent and child slime. No matter how many child slimes you kill, they won''t drop. It''s the same with this shadow, and it probably won''t drop unless it changes its shape. I walked for a bit and wandered through the tower and immediately encountered the next shadow. This time I go into a defensive stance. HP, strength and spirit all SS, invincibility mode is activated with the stone of Absolute Rock, and the muzzle loaded with infinite recovery bullets can be hit at any time by hitting myself. In that state, I waited for the shadow to attack. The shadow attacked as soon as it came towards me. Right after taking a shot at it. I''m not going to be able to get a good idea of what I''m going to do with it. The shadow changed into the shape of me. A pseudo me holding the same two guns. For all intents and purposes, it was me, far more me than Ryo-sama. The only thing I can say is that my face is expressionless, and I look so much like him that I think I''m looking in the mirror. That''s why I''m going to be the first to get close to you. You''re fast! I crossed my arms and guarded them, and with each guard, I was blown away in invincible mode. It has power, and as a bonus, it also shoots magic that I don''t usually use, and the power of that magic is very powerful. It''s also very powerful. The damage came through Absolute Lock''s invincibility mode. ''''Of course!'''' I spit it out and keep my distance. I''m the one who once defeated Absolute Rock, and if you''re me, you can at least penetrate invincible mode. I deactivate invincible mode because it''s too slow to fight back. I raise my gun and counterattack, blinding myself with a series of tricky trajectory tracking rounds, while I slip into the bosom of my fellow man and clench my fists. ''What!'' The moment I was about to swing my fist out of the air, the figure of me disappeared. Where did it go - and the moment my consciousness turned to search for it, a shock went through my body. I lost all sense of up and down, and blood pooled in my fingertips. That''s what it felt like to be blown up at high speed. ''''Phew!'''' He repositioned himself in a circle in the air and shot a scrap round to kill his momentum with it. As I landed, a flop, flop, and something spilled out onto the ground. It''s my blood. My blood spilling out of my mouth, the damage done by the blow that knocked me off my feet. There''s no doubt about it. The power and speed of the guy is higher than me. As Neptune says, the guy is even stronger than I am... Seeing that, I laughed. I lifted the corners of my mouth and laughed, enough to make it clear to myself. ''Thanks--Tenesin.'' I don''t know if you can hear me or not, but I released a word of thanks to the spirits of this dungeon. Moyo''s identity, Neptune decided that it was "my talent limit". I agree, because I''m still a halfway decent ''SS''. I can still be strong. The guy who was me started to give chase. He raised his gun and fired two bullets at the same time. The bullets fused together to form penetrating rounds. I made a decision. A fight with the big boys, and the decision was instantaneous. I put the muzzle on myself and fired before the round hit. An accelerated bullet. The next moment, I stepped into the accelerated world. Even faster than I was, I ducked out of the way of the bullet and dove into its bosom. ''Yada yada yada!'' I could see that I was about to put the muzzle on myself. Even in an accelerated world, it''s about as fast as a normal human''s normal movement. With the speed of its reaction, it was planning to fire an accelerated round at itself to counter it in the accelerated world. I paid it off. I dispelled the muzzle. The accelerator went off and hit the ceiling. And then it hit me. It hits me, and I wipe out, and I grab the guy by the arm and hold him back. I know this because I do it a lot, I did it before. When you''re getting blown up, it''s a precious time when you can rebuild things with a bullet. So I held him back, if he put an accelerator round in me while I was blowing up, I was in trouble. I grabbed him, paid off the muzzle, and punched him. I grabbed it, paid off the muzzle, and punched it. I repeated the process, accumulating damage--. ''Chi!'' I got a counterattack from the meanie. Even though I was accelerating, a well-aimed counter grazed my cheek. It would have been awful if it wasn''t for the difference in acceleration, but that''s as far as it goes. I''m going to concentrate even more and use my acceleration advantage to take down my guy one-sidedly. I tried to go into invincible mode along the way, but I stopped that too. For a stormy 30 seconds, I managed to beat up a tougher fellow with more HP and strength than me. I managed to beat myself, which Neptune hadn''t been able to match. 298. Start countdown The mansion at night, inside the saloon. Neptune came to visit near midnight. I rolled up my arms and showed him. My arm has 11 "star" bruises on it. Like Neptune, it''s a bruise with a max of 12 stars. That''s only 11 because I''ve defeated one of my own. That''s amazing, no really. Neptune marveled at the seriousness of his face, which was rare. Until now, he had always been aloof, even if he asked for help, there was something spare about him, and he had always been aloof. Now, it seemed that he was honestly impressed. ''''Really?'''' ''I''m not surprised that you beat my fake, but it''s amazing that you beat your own fake. You were strong, weren''t you? ''Yeah, it was strong. It was a touch off. This is true. If they put an accelerator round in the other side first, I''d be the one who got hit. "Ha-ha, that''s right. It''s always a fine line between very high-level battles. I see. I don''t know. Also, I''ve got permission, but I took out Lil and Ran once each. ''Yeah, I''ve included that in my statement, so don''t worry about it. But more importantly, what have you noticed? Those two are strong, too. ''Yeah, and that''s why you thought it was a talent? What do you mean? Neptune smiled smugly. ''''Assuming the difference in strength between the fake and me is a hundred to ninety. Well, that''s about it. With Lil and Ran, it''s about 100 to 1. Why so much? ''So talent. We''ve both abandoned the idea of developing direct combat. You would have developed a different ability if you hadn''t become an adventurer. ...... Right. I chuckled. If I hadn''t become an adventurer - no. I wouldn''t have come to another world. I''d probably still be a company man, on a daily death march. I''d be eating more efficiently and the dark circles under my eyes would have grown. ...... It''s a lot simpler than that. I''d like to use the extreme swing of power and a little bit of magic as well, although I''m mainly physical. It''s just a different training policy like that. ''''Then that''s what''s up there. Yeah, I think if you specialize in direct combat--I guess. They''re monsters. I see. Are you going back tomorrow? "Yeah, I''m going to go up a couple more floors. I''ll be transferring in, so I won''t lose any more stars because I''ll skip the lower floors. Ha-ha, I''m glad I called you for help. What a relief. I think that''s what all the people you''ve helped so far have felt like. I don''t know. I don''t know about that. Gong - and I heard the sound of bells from outside the mansion. The sound of the bell indicating that the date has changed. ''Well, it''s late and I''m going home now. I''ll call you as soon as I know anything. Yeah, and when I find out what I can do to help. Yeah, I need some help. "Ha-ha, you''re my boss now, so do it. Yes, yes, that''s fine, just do it. We''re not that kind of family. I guess so. After exchanging a rambling exchange, Neptune turns to leave the mansion. Concon. Before he could leave, there was a knock at the door. The door opened and Emily entered - and was pushed away from behind as she came in. ''Emily!'' Aww! The one who pushed Emily aside to appear was Lil and Ran. They are a Neptune duo - or rather a trio of them. ''''Are you okay, Emily?'''' Oh, my God, Nay-kun! What''s going on, Lil, Ran? Look at this. Lil said, rolling up her sleeve and showing her arm to Neptune. She had a bruise on her arm, just like me and Neptune have a bruise on her arm, too. I know, but witnessing it in person makes me more aware of the gravity of the situation. But this was where the seriousness began. ''Less?'' Yes, I''m running low. I''m running low on mine. Here. Ran showed his arm as well. ''What do you mean ...... mmmm.'' "What''s the matter, Neptune? Mine is running low. What? I looked at Neptune''s arm. He was right, the bruises on the Stars had diminished. Is that one less ...... than the number of times you beat him? Yeah, same with Lil and Ran. I''m not... less. I looked at my arm in a hurry, but this one wasn''t reduced. Me and Neptune, we both thought about it at the same time. Eventually, I looked up at about the same time. ''Was the decrease due to the date change?'' Was it just the days that went by? Answers. Both me and Neptune quickly analyzed the current situation from our vast experience. Then we nodded to each other and admitted that the other''s guess was surely correct. ''''The question is, is it one less for what we''ve done so far? Or is this where we start, and it''s going to get less and less every day? We nodded at each other again. The answer came 24 hours later, after the next day''s bell rang. The three bruises on Neptune and the other three were automatically reduced by one more. I was horrified as the uncontrollable countdown began. 299. The end of the star Tennesin, fifth floor. I waited in vain on my first level. My friends would come to me. A short time later, the transporter gate opened and Meeke, a mini-sage unique monster, returned from the vortex of light (). Meeke carried the slime, which was almost as big as his own body, in his arms - or rather, it was more like a transport. The slime struggled, but it couldn''t escape Meeke. ''Here you go, I caught it from Tellurium. Thank you. Saying that, while receiving the slime from Meeke, he shoots a restraining round without a pause. As he said he caught it from Tellurian, Meeke is the only being in the world that can make him and the monsters he touches cross the dungeon''s hierarchy. Unique Monsters. A monster that has evolved from a monster to become an individual with its own unique abilities. Meeke is the only monster that has gained the ability to enter and leave a dungeon, something neither dungeon masters nor dungeon spirits can do, and he is always with Aurum because of this ability. It is also accompanied by a spirit named Meeke Aurum. I asked such Meeke to bring one of the slimes here. ''''Lyota-sama, what are you going to do with this boy?'''' See. I put the restrained slime in its place, added more restraints just in case, and then took Meeke with me and left the place. When I was sneaking around in the shadows to see what was going on, one of the shadows, a Tennessee monster, appeared and waveringly approached the slime. The slime tried to jump to counterattack, but it was bound by the restraining bullets and couldn''t move at all. On the contrary, the shadow attacked the slime. The slime was weak, he fired a series of recovery rounds at the slime at the same time as the shadow''s attack to avoid being hit by a single shot. With the follow-up of the recovery bullets, the slime somehow survived the shadow''s blow. Immediately after, the shadow began to transform. The bare shadow will turn into the form of the attacker it started attacking, huh? "Meeke, take care of the slime. Keep it where I can see it. Okay, sir, I''ll take care of it! I stepped out of the shadows and left the slime to Meeke. The shadows transformed into slime, and 12 "star" bruises formed on the original slime''s body. Today is a test to see what happens if all these 12 stars disappear. In addition, it was also a test to see what would happen if a slime that dropped bean sprouts turned into a pseudo-slime. You''ll have to confirm that a star appears on a monster before it turns into a slime pose... Guho! I was hit by a tremendous rush and my eyes flickered as I wobbled. The shadow was a monster slime, its rush was fast and heavy, and it was hit in the split second I looked away. The speed and weight were both considerable, not as strong as Neptune''s, but both were still strong enough to have an A. Even with the same notation, there is a difference in the fine numbers - is not something people in this world are very aware of, but I know that I''ve been raising them by 1 in Nifonium. I shoot a growth round and shake off the slime monster. Once it got far enough away, it jumped up to the height of a person''s head, sucked in a breath, and its body swelled up like a balloon nearly twice as high. Immediately afterwards, the slime pseudo blew fire. Like a dragon, it coughed out a flame breath from its mouth. ''''Kook!'''' Two pistols quickly fire a series of frozen bullets, and the cold air prevents the flame breath. Flames and ice collide, and water vapor spreads explosively. Anticipating this, I kicked the ground and rushed forward, fleshing out the water vapor into a smokescreen of slime. I knew the power and speed, I wanted to figure out the defense. I clenched my fist instead of my gun and struck the slime monster. To feel it in my skin. It was hard, the original slime would have burst apart with a single blow, and the slime worm was just blown up and kelchy from the punch that would have sent it flying apart. It''s like hitting a hard rubber ball. I''d give it a B strength, but it''s tricky. The slime pseudo-slime that landed on the ground was dented where it had been hit, but it was covered in a glittering light and began to recover. Being able to recover is a frightening thing for a slime to be able to do. Well, it''s no surprise to me that a slime would become stronger if it grew to its limit, since it''s a commonplace story in my mind. After I finished looking at all the abilities, I got serious. I used two pistols to put up a barrage of bullets with normal bullets, while using them as a cover for a rush. I got close to the slime and fired scrap bullets simultaneously from eight directions at close range. The way I found it a while ago. The slime pseudo-slime, which was hardened by the scrap bullets from all directions, couldn''t move, and its body gradually crumpled up. It takes a lot of work, but it''s a higher level version of a straitjacket. The straitjacket has been torn off before, but the advance of the scrap bullets has never been stopped. It''s like crucifixion with eight nails that never come off. Its duration of effect is shorter than that of a straitjacket, but it''s definitely more effective. I defeated the restrained slime monster with ease. The drop item is a lump of something white. With the battle over, Meeke slowly approached. ''''What is that?'''' What is it: ...... Oh, the truffles. I''ve only seen it online, and I''ve never seen the original (...) shape in the first place, so I didn''t recognize it for a moment. I guessed it was a white, fragrant mushroom, plus a high-grade food dungeon. ''''What about the stars?'''' There''s one down. Okay, you can follow me from here. I understand! I took Meeke and walked around the fifth floor of Tennesin. We used Repetition to kill the encumbering slime monster. As known here, every time I killed one of them, the number of Stars decreased by one. After defeating 11 of them smoothly, I was down to the last one. ''Repetition. I defeated the last slime pseudo-slime with a repetition of the last number of targets and got zero slime stars. ...... ...... I was prepared for what was going to happen, but nothing happened. I waited and waited, but nothing happened, and then another slime monster came along, which I defeated with a repetition, but still nothing happened. ...... Bluff, was it? I guess so. Hmmm, it''s not like nothing is going to happen. It''s a little hard to believe that there''s nothing over the top about this. Meaningful number of 12, the number decreases by 1 for every one beaten, and the phenomenon that it counts down further when the progress is stopped by the passage of days. It''s unbelievable that there''s nothing even if it becomes 0 when the situation is so well arranged. There''s something, I''m sure of it. I thought so strongly. "Nothing''s going to change. Meeke, let go of that slime. I understand. The slime, away from Meeke, attacks me with an angry look on its face. I guard it, my attack power remains the same, I''m still a tellurian slime. ''What''s going on?'' Um, what do we do about this slime-- oh. The slime took advantage of Meeke''s momentary gap to get at me and ran away. ''''Wait!'''' Meeke hurried after him. I followed him too. As I followed Meeke and Slime, the two bodies, there was a staircase that led down to the fourth floor, and Slime was hitting the body there. They hit the body over and over again, and then bounced back. It would bounce back at the stairs leading down, as if there was an invisible wall. Meeke is surprised at the sight, and I catch up with him, but I decide to watch without catching him. ''Could it be ......?'' What? When all the stars disappear, the original becomes a dungeon''s captive princess: ...... or something? I guessed that when I saw the slime I couldn''t get out. 300. Peace of mind I say to Meeke as I look at the slime as it repeatedly hits the bottom of the stairs. ''Can you try and see if you can''t take that guy out with you? I understand! Meeke tottered off. He takes firm custody of himself while dodging the interception of the slime that he noticed approaching. In that state, I try to go down the stairs, but. ''''No, Ryota-sama, I can''t go down. He reported with a slightly troubled look on his face. Meeke himself went down a few flights of stairs, but the slime caught him at the border and he couldn''t go down any further. ''What kind of feeling is that?'' Well, it''s like the slime is stuck in an invisible wall here. I see. Yeah, I wonder how the transfer gate works. Oh, I''ll try ....... Meeke tottered up the stairs to the gate that led to the light vortex he had used when he came in, the gate that led to the mansion''s transporter room. He tried to jump in there with the slime secured, but even there. ''It''s still no good, Ryota-sama, it feels exactly the same. Okay. I''m done. I said, and Meeke came back to me with the slime in his grasp. I checked one last time. I take the slime from Meeke and catch it struggling and take it to the stairs. I push it against an invisible wall, unable to get through. It was a bit of a strange sensation when my hand slipped and I was pinned down by the fact that my hand could get through. I shot a scrap round at the slime, which often helped me in these situations. It was a bullet that ignored all interference and went straight ahead slowly, at its own pace anyway. The slime pushed by the scrap bullets transformed its body to the point that it was dented, but it still couldn''t get to the bottom floor. ''''Ah, .......'''' I heard a pong. I had overdone it. I misjudged the pull and the slime burst past its limit, caught between the scrap bullets and the wall. ''Ta, I knocked it down.'' You''re f*cked. I chuckle. ''What would happen in this case?'' Speaking of which. The slime has been copied and we''re stuck in this hierarchy. With that slime defeated, what happens to the slime sham? Meeke pointed it out to me and I was curious, so I joined him and walked around the tower of Tennysin. We soon found out what was going on. A shadow appeared in front of us. Not a slime, but a shadow. ''Apparently, when you get hit by ...... it goes back to normal. I guess so. Let''s try again. I''ll go get another one then. No, it''s faster. I took out a round of normal ammunition and took Meeke with me on the ground and kept my distance. After a while, it hatched into a slime haggle. I caught that slime and walked around further, and when it encountered the shadow, I threw the slime into the shadow. I was going to make the slime thing again and test it - I was going to test it again. ''No change.'' That hasn''t changed. I''m covering up with recovery rounds, but when the shadows attacked, they didn''t turn into slime like they did earlier. This is ...... if. Star. Wow, you''re really something. On the third round of the test, amidst a bunch of cocrosstime freaks, Neptune, who came to visit, suddenly said something like that. ''''It has to be the original monster, and if it''s a haggler, you can''t fake it. That''s something you''d never know if you did it normally. You''ll never find out that you can fake a monster in the first place. If not me, then Meeke will. He wouldn''t have been born if it wasn''t for you. Neptune said, smiling. Meeke is the child who became a unique monster in Bodley Lyota. She wouldn''t have been born without me, if you ask me, she might as well have been. ''So, it sounds like you''re running a lot of tests, have you found out anything additional? In response to Neptune''s question, I put all the information so far together in my head for a moment and then told Neptune. ''A human and an original monster. When one of them is attacked by a shadow, a shadowy one (...) is created. If you kill 12 of the shadows and reduce the number of ''Stars'' to zero, the originals will be trapped on this level. What if I''m not on this level? Neptune raised the question. Naturally, it''s a possibility I''ve considered as well - the four of us still trapped on the first to fourth floors () are the most important thing I''m concerned about right now. After the spider was formed, Meeke took me back to the mansion, and if I kill a dozen of them, I''ll be forced to summon them here. You have to. But because it was a monster, it disappeared the moment it arrived. ''I see, so it''s just as well that you''re not allowed to cross dungeons or other layers of hierarchy. ''If all the Stars are gone, I think we''ll just be stuck here. Maybe it''s too early to conclude. If that''s true. Yeah? We need to recruit people who are willing to take permanent jobs in the dungeon in the future. Yeah?Oh, I see. I hadn''t thought of that idea. I was here in Tennysin to help Neptune (and myself), while Neptune was here to investigate the specs of the dungeon as a production site. The difference in their positions manifested itself in the difference in ideas. ''''Well, if it''s all we''ve got so far, then we can hire someone who is less capable of fighting and is willing to continue living in the dungeon. That''s a bit of a stretch, but it''s a high-grade food dungeon, and you can promise a high salary. In that case, you''ll be stuck in the hierarchy, so you''ll have to guarantee your comfort as well. This dungeon can take a lot of tax money, so whatever you want to do there: ---- I opened my eyes. My eyes widened so much that I could see myself ripping open my blinds. ''What''s wrong?'' I started to move silently. An inspiration emerged in my head, to see if it was right. I''ll take out the original cocrosstime that Meeke has secured in a safe place, and then I''ll bring the fifth floor monster back to the shadows once it''s in the shadows. Then bring in the sleeping slime we have separately and throw it out in front of the shadows. It will attack you and all the shadows will be transformed into a sleeping slime. Kill 6 of the Sleeping Slimes and reduce the number of original Stars by half. "Meeke, bring me that sleeping slime. I understand. What are you going to do? Neptune came along beside me. As if I hadn''t noticed, Neptune, who still has dungeon investigation on his mind, didn''t notice that. With Neptune and Meeke in tow, I went up to the sixth floor. The sixth floor of Tennesin, where Dungeonsnow is descending. He throws out a sleeping slime in front of the shadows that quickly appear, follows up, and turns the shadows on the sixth floor into sleeping slime. The original Sleeping Slime, which had been reduced to 6 Stars, now had 12 Stars. It''s a max of 12. ''''Could it be! Yeah. I return to the fifth floor with Neptune. I was a sleeping slime earlier, and now I''m back in the shadows. ''Wow, that''s great, Kimi.'' Neptune spluttered. There''s nothing I can do about it once the Stars have been reduced, but I can reset them on another level before that happens. I was a little relieved to learn that. 301. Miracle in the basement First floor of Tennesin, I get attacked by a shadow at the end and reset the "Stars". I beat the shadow on the first floor, which was also me, with a repetition, and dropped a matsutake. Me, Neptune, Lil and Ran. We took turns getting attacked by the new shadows and resetting the Stars on our arms. Now the three of us have 12 stars, and I''ve just reduced one, so we have 11. You''re a lifesaver. Neptune said with a smile. Behind him, Lil and Ran are back to their usual tone, staring only at Neptune. They are the usual two people who only see Neptune. ''I don''t know what would have happened if you weren''t there. Once the stars completely disappear, we''d be stuck in a bind. Yeah. I smiled and gave a small nod, smiling. I tried to kerf the shadow haggle I brought from another floor on the test slime that was trapped on the floor with the Stars completely gone, but the Stars didn''t reset. To begin with, shadows only show their abilities on that floor(...). Even if you take them to another floor with Hagremonos, they didn''t create a monster. That''s why I''m so grateful. Hey, Lil, Ran. Neptune spoke to the two girls. Even if he said that, these two - I thought they wouldn''t thank me for it. ''Thank you, Lyota,'' I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. ............ Poof, I was puzzled. If I took a picture of my face now and titled it "Stunned", I could win a prize in a competition or something. That''s how puzzled I was. What''s so surprising? Lil, who usually has a lot of twang in me, went back to twang for a bit. That was a strange relief. ''Oh no, I wasn''t expecting a straightforward thank you. I really appreciate it. ''Yes, if it wasn''t for you, we would have been torn apart from him forever. ''Yes!So thank you so much ...... for that. Oh, I see. I agreed and was relieved again. Two people who usually only see Neptune and don''t care about me. If the sincere gratitude was for saving my future with Neptune, then it was the most understandable thing in the world. For the first time, I liked the two of them, because they didn''t blur. Well, we''d better be going. You''re leaving? Yeah. After my previous experience, we have a lot of time before it starts to dwindle naturally. I''m going to have a really relieving day with you two for the first time in a long time. Okay. Call me if you hear anything else. And of course, if you need any help-- boss. The two women again exude discomfort at Neptune, who jokingly but emphatically says "boss". In particular, Lil throws me a look that could kill a man. ''Don''t be the boss,'' Ha-ha, see you later. I looked away from Neptune and the two girls as they walked away, laughing. Ran stopped once and waved at me, and Lil only gave me an eye salute over her shoulder. There was still some pending business, but the thaw in their attitudes gave me a sense of satisfaction. It''s not completely resolved, but it''s a reprieve for now. I also decided to go home and relax for the time being today. I used the transfer gate I came through and returned to the mansion. ''Kyah!'' The moment I left the transporter room, I bumped into Alice. She fell on her butt and her fellow monsters on her shoulder were also thrown to the floor. ''Ow-tee-tee-tee ...... is everyone okay?'' The SD-sized monsters use their adorable body language to tell her it''s okay, and then one (one) and another (one) jump on Alice''s shoulder. After making sure they are all on her shoulders, Alice stands up. ''I''m sorry Lyota,'' No, me too. Did you hurt yourself? ''It''s okay, everyone else does too - I mean, honehoney, that''s funny! One of my fellow monsters, the skeleton''s honeone eyes - a matsutake mushroom was stuck in the eye of the hole in the skeleton because it was a bone. "Sorry, that''s mine. The last one I dropped and brought back. Spong!And there was a sound of air as Alice pulled the matsutake mushroom out of the honehone. ''Hahaha, spong!Because it''s Spong! Alice giggled and laughed, and her fellow monsters also expressed their laughter with their small bodies with body language. Among the fellow monsters were Gau Gau, a master dragon, and Mela Mela, a Phosporous Spirit. A dungeon master class monster and the dungeon spirit itself. Even the two of them had the same giggle as Alice. It''s such a hilarious laugh that in a manga, laugh lines (...) would fly over your head. ''''Is that what those two have in common? Yeah?You mean Gau Gau and Mela Mela? Yeah. Yeah. Alice replied matter-of-factly. No, you''re not ......, I tsk-tsked. Gau Gau, of course, but definitely not Phospho-Las. I vaguely thought it was something like this - children come to look like their parents. Yes, here. Thank you. I accepted the matsutake mushroom that Alice offered me. ''A drop?It''s rare that you don''t transfer it to Elsa''s. Are you going to eat that? No, no, I''m not saying that. Mmm-hmm. So you''re gonna have to do something bad. What? ''Because most of the things that aren''t eaten or exchanged for cash are usually haggled over and made into different items, right?Lyota. I see. ...... Hagremoney. Fear of the Stars, or perhaps impatience. That kind of thing existed just a few moments ago, so I haven''t done any drop conversions yet with the haglemono conversion of Tennesin''s product. When I was testing to see if Hagremono could create a shadow-like effect, it didn''t, so Neptune just beat it. I haven''t defeated Tenesin''s Hagremonos yet. Well, let''s give it a shot. I''m going to look around. Alice raised her hand as if to raise it and followed me. We came together to the basement of the mansion. I put the matsutake on the edge and kept my distance. After a while, I was hatched. ''Ooh, Ryou-sama!Not Lyota? For a moment, Alice thought it was Ryo-sama from Prombum, but she tilted her head slightly. Unlike Ryou-sama, the handsome, shoujo-style handsome guy, and unlike All Might Summoning Norichin. This one is completely me in appearance. I killed it instantly with Repetition. In the basement, I always use Repetition to blink away the mansion so as not to destroy it. This time I''m even more so. I concluded that it couldn''t be Hagremonos (), but in case it wasn''t and Alice got attacked, it would be complicated. So I used Repetition with even more of a bite than usual. I was defeated in an instant and was gone, though. ''Huh?You''re not dropping anything. I don''t: ...... Funny, I don''t remember this ever happening to me. Not that I can remember. Hmm, that''s funny. ...... I twisted my head, wondering what that meant. It''s never happened before that I didn''t drop something. It''s my unique skill "Drop S" that drops something even when I defeat Hagremonog, and that''s why it doesn''t drop. It''s a bit odd that it didn''t drop. I don''t know what''s going on, so I''ll have to try again with the matsutake mushroom. And I was thinking about that. ''Huh?What''s the matter, Melanie? Alice listened back to the phosophorous Melamela, on her shoulder. A ball of fire, a human soul-like appearance, Melamela flickered its flames. That''s the way Melamela speaks ...... and once again Alice and Melamela felt the bond between Alice and Melamela. ''''Oh no!Oh, it''s true. What''s up, Alice? Lyota, look at my arm. Arm? I looked at my arm just like you asked and was surprised. "It''s gone: ...... Earlier, the arm with twelve stars was gone as if nothing had happened. 302. Last attack "Repetition. Outside of Tennesin, in the wilderness where the city has not yet been built. Neptune and Lil and Rann, who watch Neptune with a harried look on their faces. In front of the three of them, I blinked my newly created () haggle of me to death with a repetition. ''How''s that?'' No, there''s still 11 stars. How about Lil'' and Ran? No. I''m the same way. Yeah. A second challenge to erase the Stars. Yesterday, I erased all the Stars for me beating a haggle of me, so I told Neptune about it, and today I was challenging him to erase his in the morning. ''Does this mean that this is still the worst possible thing that could happen?'' In fact, there were several possible possibilities, and they were in order. Defeat a normal shadow haglemono in front of him. Defeat the Neptune dude in front of him. Make a new one of me and defeat it in front of him. In all of them, Neptune''s Stars didn''t disappear. Technically, I beat them one at a time, so yesterday''s reset was 12 to 1, which is 11. What happened to yours? It''s gone. I went back into Tenesin to try it out with the I-mono, and made a new I-mono. Then the twelve stars on again, and the countdown disappeared again, having defeated the melee. Facing Neptune, we gave each other a small nod. The two of us with the highest experience in the dungeon, we already knew the terms clearly. ''''So that means I''ll have to defeat my own fake by myself, right? That''s what I thought. That''s a problem. Neptune laughed happily, "Haha. ''How can you laugh?'' I mean, isn''t it just a funny situation? "...... sort of. It''s not hard to understand the feeling. In the first place, the reason why Neptune asked me for help is because the Tennesin monster has become a Neptune sham and that guy is so strong that he''s going to the upper limit of his talent value that he can''t handle it. And yet, in order to solve the problem completely, you have to defeat that self-doubt. ''''So we''re neatly back to square one. No, not really. What? I looked at Neptune to see what it was all about. He was smiling as usual. ''If it weren''t for you, I wouldn''t have known that I had to defeat my own fake, that haglemono. I don''t even have the idea of turning it into a haglemono, and I wouldn''t have to beat it to make it a haglemono in the first place. I see. So it was you. I was right to ask you for help. If it wasn''t for you, we wouldn''t have gotten anywhere. Be that as it may, Pulling the topic back somewhat forcefully. ''I''m going to take you down,'' Hmmm, I don''t know what to do. If I could beat you, I wouldn''t have asked you for help in the first place. You''ll probably only have a momentary ...... chance to support me, so don''t miss it. Okay. Neptune answered immediately without hesitation. He''s still a competent person around here. He''s always in the dungeon, so he knows that if there''s even a moment of hesitation in a pinch, it can be fatal. Neptune always makes quick decisions. There''s no so-called "demododatte" at all. I set the black ball watermelon on the ground away from me. Changed from the matsutake, changed to reset, a drop of Neptune. The Neptunes moved away, I moved away. I kept my distance and waited for the Neptune Hagremon to hatch. After a while, a black ball watermelon turned into a haglemono with a pop--! Let''s go! The moment it hatched, I shot an acceleration round into myself. I stepped into the accelerating world faster than Hagremonos could fully reveal themselves, and I stepped into it in an instant. I thrust my two pistols at it, and where I had hit it beforehand, I fired a large amount of scrap bullets, which I had prepared in large quantities again. Neptune is strong. The strongest class of adventurers, the boss of the Neptune family, with a spirit. Realizing its talent limit, Neptune Doubt is the strongest class of monster, surpassing even the Dungeon Master. So, he was careful. I shot scrap bullets to cover the Neptune monster''s entire body. I shot the scrap bullets that were advancing straight ahead no matter what, to cover the whole body. From the side, it looks like it''s wearing lead plate armor. The scrap shell armor restrains (...) Neptune, who can''t move at all. Then, he made a single hole in the scrap bullets armor. In the center of its body, almost to the heart. That''s the only place where it made a gaping hole. I looked at Neptune. "Now! I didn''t say that. I can''t reach him because he''s accelerating, and he doesn''t need to say it in the first place. He was already in attack position. Lil and Ran began to sing behind him, and Neptune began to rush forward with his two wings on his back. I chuckled. It rushes forward - normally it''s a messy, fast step, but Neptune looks slow to me with his acceleration. So I could even see that mouth movement clearly. -- thank you. It''s too much. I smiled bitterly and watched Neptune penetrate the last of the blows (,,) with a blow. 303. Dungeon City Tennessine The saloon at the mansion at night. I was relaxing with my friends for the first time in a long time after a big day of work. Emily space. Despite the fact that it''s nighttime, the space is warm and bright, and just by being there you can heal your fatigue. ''''Oh, thank you for your hard work, Lyota-san. Elsa. Here you go. Ina, too. Two of my best friends, who were part of Tsubame''s gratitude business trip group, arrived. When I handed Ena her glass, Elsa quickly drank her beer. I''m sorry. Nope. Oh, I tried chilling this beer like Ryota-san taught me before, how do you like it? Oh? The beer that was poured was indeed very cold. To tell the truth, we don''t have the custom of drinking beer chilled in this world. You can order a beer at a restaurant and have it chilled, but usually we drink it as it is. The beer itself is good, and I''d half given up on it, thinking it was European style. ''They chilled it for me,'' Yes! "She bought a magic fruit for this one, and she learned ice magic for this one-- ''Wow!Wah-wah! Elsa shouted out, interrupting Ena''s words. Elsa''s face was bright red and Ena had a teasing little devilish look on her face. ''Magic fruit?For this? Yeah, the one that mentions that ice magic is a sure thing. That''s just not how it works. Such a thing: ...... No, it''s not. Elsa''s lips twitched and she tried to deny it with a sulking look, but Aulum interrupted the conversation from the side. Aulum is attached to Nihonium and Meeke with both hugging each other. Lately I''ve been seeing the trio together a lot, but Meeke tends to be more reserved with Ahrum, or rather, with Ahrum standing up, while Nifonium is still a bit occupied, so it''s Ahrum that''s talking. Ena tilts her head at Aulum and asks him back. ''Is that so?'' Yeah, you know Lyota. Aulum said, and pushed the hugging Nifonium in front of me. Tou nihonium remains closed-mouthed with a troubled expression, but ...... sure. ''I see,'' Is that so, Mr. Lyota? ''Yeah, I''ve done some pinpoint magic decisive work once, thanks to Nifonium. Well, that wasn''t all that much of a lie. It''s not true. Huh? Aulum missed the ladder immediately when he thought he was about to follow up. Ena raised her bare voice. ''You just said it could be a lie. It''s possible, but we''re the only ones who can do it. Oh, I see. A non-spiritual, ordinary human being is impossible. I see. When Aurum nodded, Erza had to agree. What a spirit says in this world is close to ''absolute''. It doesn''t have the same compulsion as a god, but it''s more persuasive for that reason. ''''That''s because. You''re going to learn the lesson from this and stop messing around with the bad stuff. There''s no such thing as a badge of honor: ...... The love spell I keep in my window... ''Wow!Wah-wah-wah. For the second time today, Elsa interrupted her words with a loud voice. She closed in on her best friend, Ena, with tears in her eyes. ''Ena!'' Hahahaha, sorry, sorry. Already ....... Elsa''s cheeks puff out and she turns away. She''s competent and firm when she''s at work, but when she''s off hours, she has this cute side to her. I''m kind of happy to see that more often since I''ve been dispatched and come to live in the mansion. The corners of my eyes dropped out of my head, so I made sure they didn''t extend to the bottom of my nose. ''Low level,'' What''s up, Eve? This time it was Eve who spoke to me. She has her own rabbit ears and a stuffed rabbit. She has two patterns of clothing. A bunny suit, a battle suit for going to dungeons, and this stuffed rabbit as loungewear. And this stuffed rabbit that serves as her loungewear. The double rabbit ears, both her own and the hood, are a bit interesting and quite cute. Pita. Without warning, such Eve slammed a hand sword into my head. ''''What''s up with that all of a sudden?'''' Carrot Loss. Yeah. When will the low-level carrots resume? I''m sorry, I''m taking a break and I''ll go back tomorrow and get it for you. Really? ''True. But then again, you really like carrots. I want to live in a dungeon with a low level. It''s a slightly unsettling line from the other women, but Eve is the only one who doesn''t have a hint of s*x appeal. "You sound like you''re going to a deserted island with a knife. ...... fully automatic knife? ''Convenient!Or rather, deny the knife crap. Chuckling bitterly, I drink the beer Elsa has poured for me. ''''Eve-chan, would you like some carrot juice?'''' "Swallow!Even if the heavens and the earth were turned upside down and the moon and the stars were swallowed up by the sun, and all the dungeons died out, the rabbit would still drink. You''re killing us! Aulum, the spirit of the dungeon, the dungeon itself, protested with a laugh. ''Please, sir,'' Emily smiled serenely and handed Eve the carrot juice, which was probably freshly squeezed. I''d been rushing in every time I''d heard Eve get talkative in front of the carrot at first, but now I was so used to it that I was no longer tsking. Celeste seemed to be staring at her notes or something from a little distance, so I walked up to her and asked over my shoulder. ''What''s that?'' ''Hi!Nah, what the hell, it was you, Ryota. Don''t freak me out. I''m sorry. What''s more important, what is that? I''ve been compiling a notebook with all the information Mr. Lyota has given me about Tennessee. Oh, did I mention you asked about that? ''Yes, I thought it would be good to have a proper summary eventually. When I''m around, I can answer the questions if you ask. Celeste is a wizard. She''s the top of the family in terms of instantaneous annihilation with her high level range magic, but she also has a great knowledge of dungeons. She says that she has all the dungeons in Cyclo, and all the other dungeons I''ve been to in her head. That Celeste sums up her knowledge of dungeons. It''s like an examination notebook, and it''s a very easy to understand notebook for the top of the grade. Wow, that''s amazing. You are very good at putting it all together. Oh, it''s not just in Tennessee, is it? I have all the information I need to know. Yeah, great. That''s my boy. ...... How long have you been around? I became aghast. It was Neptune who had naturally joined the conversation. If you look closely, he wasn''t the only one, his H2O friends Lil and Ran were there too. The two girls were a little ways away, drinking the carrot juice Emily had offered them. ''Haha, this place is nice. It''s beautiful and you can relax just by being here. Oh, thank you, Great Mom. You''re welcome, sir. Neptune himself got a drink from Emily and thanked her for it. ''What?''That Great Mum is. That''s her second name, don''t you know?Emily, the Great Mom, the backboss of the Lyota family, is a very famous person. "I know you''re famous, but I can''t help but think of you at ...... He turned to Emily, she giggled in embarrassment. He seemed to know what he was talking about. ''I''ve never heard those two names before,'' But it fits. Yeah. I nodded clearly. This mansion, or rather the space Emily tends and maintains, is always warm, bright, and, no joke, emits a soothing vibration like a temple. It only makes sense that she would be called by that name. I''d rather be called Godmam. ''It''s a nice place, and it''s an amazing place, isn''t it?'' Great? Not only are you and all the other adventurers amazing, but it''s a little hard to believe that you have two spirits. No, no. Alice, who had been playing with her fellow monsters at a distance, came over. ''No?'' Mellameters. Yeah? Neptune tilts his head slightly as he looks at the Meramera that Alice held out to him in her hand. ''''What''s a melamella too?'''' ...... Hmm? It''s phosphorous. ...... Yeah. Neptune ponged, and hit his hand. ''I knew about Alice Phosphorus, but I didn''t know the genie was supposed to look like that. We''ve been friends since we were born. I guess so. It''s all thanks to Lyota. Hey Mela Mela. Melamella glowed with the glow of fire, the meaning of the affirmation clearly readable. ''Oh no, it''s getting more and more amazing.'' As he spoke, Neptune''s expression had a hint of something in it. I recognized the expression on his face, so I asked him. "What''s wrong? What''s going on? Ha-ha, your eyes can''t fool me. I''m just trying to get a few things right. I''d like to make a suggestion. Proposition? Yeah, it''s a lot to take in, combined with a lot of other things that only you can do. And we''ll make it happen. The way you''re lifting it up scares me. Don''t worry. It''s not dangerous this time. I promise you that. That scares me more and more: "What is it ......? "Would you like to buy Tenesin?Just me and you. A moment later, the inside of the salon went silent. My friends and Neptune''s friends all closed their mouths and stared at us. By the way, there was one person who didn''t seem to be interested. It was Eve. ''What happened?'' After my client heard the report, I thought I''d find a way to put up a column. ...... Seriously? Pillar of Man. With that word, I immediately understood what was going on. Because I was the one who had solved the mystery of Tennesin. No, it''s because it''s us. Black corporate bastards, their upwardly mobile counterparts are this time the ''human pillar''. Well, that''s just not gonna happen. I thought the only way to stop it was to buy the Tennessean itself. I see. I thought for a minute. As my friends looked on, I thought. Suddenly, I caught sight of Eve. I remembered the conversation I had with her earlier. That conversation made me think of one possibility. I put that possibility into a realistic place and think about it for a moment. ''I don''t know,'' More than that. Yeah? Let''s build a city. The city? Yeah, there''s a city in Tennessee. Was the answer so unexpected? Neptune was stunned. After a few moments, he returned to his usual smile. ''''You''re still an amazing person,'''' He said. 304. Take the dungeon hostage Neptune and I went out into the yard together. I left my friends over here and two of Neptune''s friends in the mansion. There are two reasons for this. One, because the story will be a little heavy going forward. ''So, what exactly is your employer ...... going to do about it?'' Remember when we used father and son slime in our experiments? Yeah, it was tricky, so I only did it once. So what about it? ''Even with all the children gone, they were still alive in Tennysin, and the fakes were frolicking with their children. I gave a small nod. The parent-child slime is a monster with a special way of defeating it. Although it''s called a parent-child, it''s a single slime, although it seems to be more like an individual that''s "separated" from each other. The "child" of a parent and child is practically a limb-like position. I experimented to see what that would actually do in Tennessee, and Neptune was right about the results. It was an experiment I was doing on my own, but Neptune would do the reporting, so I was telling him about it. When I told him, he said, "Well, you could do the same thing with humans... I feel nauseous. Me too. Neptune smiling, as usual. Her eyes, however, were not smiling. ''As expected, that ain''t it, it would have been more convincing if you had told me you''d still drug me to sleep. I''m not so sure about that either. Agreed. That''s why I''m bringing this up to you. I figured you''d be on board. Neptune''s right. There''s no way I''m going to overlook that. To be robbed of everything, to be kept alive just for the sake of the dungeon, to be exploited. There''s no way I''m going to overlook that. "It''s a good thing the dungeon isn''t up and running yet, isn''t it? I nodded. Neptune, who had finished explaining the situation in a nutshell, came staring at me, as if it was your turn now. ''''Well. Tennesin--what exactly do you mean by building a city in the dungeon? Yeah, I think I''m about to-- For Sato-sama, we''ll go to the wind. With a line of dialogue I''d never heard before, but which no longer surprised me, the cell appeared. The second reason. Because if I spoke here, Cell would hear me. ''Cell stem?Why? I figured if I talked to you in here, I''d get some hell-ears. I see. That was enough to convince Neptune. That''s okay, so. ...... Let''s not say that talking about it inside the mansion would have made the cell appear divine. If I did, I''d imagine it so clearly that I''d be horrified. "I''ve been listened to. Did you hear me? I''ve heard all about Master Sato. All of them? I ask back, raising an eyebrow. ''Mm!Depending on the content of the story, the movement of the muscles, the wrinkles in the clothing, and even the aura itself will change. That''s what I have to keep in mind when I''m building a statue of Lord Sato. ...... Neptune looked at me with his "that''s a lot of work" eyes. There were a few things that Cell talked about that were new to me, but they were all "this guy would do it" things, so I wasn''t surprised now. I was a little baffled, though. I cleared my throat one cough, got myself together and asked Cell. If you''ve been listening, then you''re quick to talk, my idea is that ''that person'' is the village leader and there''s a village for each floor, but is it possible? Of course. It''s a quick answer. Neptune is slightly surprised. ''They''ve already done something similar in the Cyclo dungeon. Oh, the rest stop. Haha Neptune. I don''t use it myself, so I guess I was out of ideas. Yes, since Cell arrived, all of Cyclo''s dungeons had resting places except for Nihonium. It was like having an inn in the dungeon, and if the adventurers got into trouble, they could run there to rest their bodies and recover their HP and MP. They have a track record of protecting that resting place from monsters and running it. I don''t know exactly what they do and how they do it, but I thought I could use it to talk to Cell. ''Are you sure?'' It''s no trouble. How do you negotiate with Neptune''s employer? This is another reason why I approached Cell to talk to him. Neptune said that we could buy the dungeon together and put up the money to buy it, but buying a dungeon isn''t that simple. We might be able to do it in the future, but right now we don''t have that much money to do it. But the cell is different. It''s a no-brainer. Sure enough, Cell replied simply. ''Then can you ask?'' I would like to ask for Mr. Sato''s help. I''d like to smooth the negotiation process. Tell me, if there''s anything I can do to help, I''ll do it. Only Satou-sama can do that. Only Satou-sama can do that. Cell grinned and gave an evil smile. ''I''m going to need you to let Satou-sama take care of the Tenensin''s sham monster until the negotiations are over. Cell said, and me and Neptune huffed almost simultaneously. ''Hostages,'' ''Holding a dungeon hostage is certainly something only you can do. ''Then let''s take it downstairs, we shouldn''t even let it in properly. Thank God. Cell said, and the three of us chuckled at each other, including me and Neptune. 305. Emily, Celest VS Ryota-like Tennesin, first floor. The shadow deliberately attacked me and turned the monster into me. It looks like me, and its abilities are higher than mine now, my talent limit. That''s what I am, and I''m going to confront it as it slowly comes towards me. "Then, please... Yes, sir! Yeah, I''ll try my best. The ones who responded were Emily and Celeste. I asked the experts who specialize in the vanguard and rearguard respectively among my companions to attack the first floor of Tennesin when it became my own. "Exit, please. The two nodded, and we started to move forward in a formation in the front and rear guard. I was a little farther away, not touching them, but enough to help them out at any time. By the way, I''ve taught you the structure of the Tennesin dungeon and tower. This is also a simulation. The pattern was based on the assumption that an ordinary adventurer, with some knowledge, would go through the first floor and go up to the second floor. An experiment to see if two people can get out of that pattern. ''''The first move is the first one--that is! Emily jumped fluffily and swung the hammer around above her head and slammed it into me. Boom! Wobbling-- A shockwave washed over me that made the hem of my pants tingle. I was able to catch Emily''s hammer with one hand. My footing cracked into a spider''s web. I was unharmed. It''s not that it''s not powerful, it''s just that I''m even stronger than that. ''Let''s go, Emily! Yes, sir! Emily giggled some more!He put in a lot of force, and the recoil made him jump up directly above the ground softly. The fluffy leap with the giant hammer of over two meters looked even beautiful. I also look up, holding my pistol and pointing the muzzle upwards. ''''Inferno [Continuity]! Celeste quickly chanted her magic. Flames erupted from underneath my feet and engulfed me. I''m not going to be the only one who has a problem with that. I''m not sure I''d have been able to find a solution to this problem. I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to get my hands on any of them, but if I do, I''ll be able to jump up and grab Emily''s ankle and throw her towards Celeste. And then he held up his gun. I knew immediately what I was aiming for, since I''m just like me. I had a plan to hit Celeste and then take them both out together while they were tangled up and stopped moving. Emily wouldn''t let that happen. ''I''m not done yet! In the middle of being swooped off, Emily threw the hammer to the ground. As soon as she killed her momentum with the impaled hammer, she flew fluffily again right beside it. Not only that, she also pulled out the impaled hammer and leapt. It''s a super advanced technique. ''''I''m going for the little one!'''' Yes, sir! Celeste took out the bicorn horn. A bicorn horn, a magical tool that launches a beginner level magic fireball, and a bicorn horn that is dropped by the defiler of purity, the bicorn. Celeste took it out ''a lot''. He lined up the retrieved items in the air and fired the fireball. The fireballs are fired in rapid succession with the power of a machine gun, or even a Gatling gun. I thought it was no longer a magic tool, but a weapon of sorts. When did you get it all together ...... No, I didn''t have that idea. I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to get the best out of it, but I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to get the best out of it. As a result, a barrage of bullets hit me, blocking all of my vision. I''m not going to be the only one who can do this. ''''It''s ...... back! Emily swooped three times and launched a wildly reflective fireball back at me. It''s like a wall or a ward. What Celeste shot, Emily hit back. With the combination of the two of them, countless balls of fire concentrated on me. The firepower is such that even a dungeon master can be scorched black by a beehive - but.... ''''Kyah!'''' The meanie rushed through the barrage. With a cloud of black smoke, I rushed at Celeste. I swung my fist at Celeste, and with a cracking sound, Celeste was blown away. I chased after him. I kicked the ground and accelerated, flying through the air as if in mid-flight. I close in on Celeste with that momentum. Not good, this is as far as it goes. I held up my hand and tried to intervene with repetition - but. ''I can''t believe this is the only way after all. That''s Yoda for you, sir. The intervention stopped, because I noticed that their eyes weren''t giving up at all. Celeste, and even Emily''s eyes, seem to have a clear ''aim'' in mind. I stop my hand and watch. Emily closes in on me as I rush forward, and she swings the hammer in a full, chasing motion from behind. If I had been hit from behind while advancing, I would have done the same thing, and so I kick Emily''s hammer to further accelerate. I grabbed Celeste by the throat of the fleshy Celeste and rushed forward to drag her along. ''''Woo!'''' Even I could see that my complexion had changed. The direction in which Celeste had swooped, and the direction in which she kicked Emily''s hammer and accelerated. It was the stairs leading to the second floor of Tennessee. If she kept up the momentum, she would go up to the second floor, pushing Celeste up to the second floor. Up to the second floor. It''s a simple act for Celeste, but that''s all it takes for me, a monster, to die instantly. What would I have done, flying in the air - there''s only one thing to do. Shoot a scrap shell and stop it. That''s what I did. I reloaded and shot the scrap metal-- And then I reloaded and shot the scrap-- "I''ll be waiting. Celeste blurted out, and stuck her finger into the muzzle of the gun as I caught up with her. That''s when my body changed. Absolute lock invincibility mode. As far as the ease of force is concerned, first the scrap bullets won''t accept anything, and then Absolute Lock''s invincible mode does most of the work. I''m only human-based with a high level of ability, so when I''m in the air, I''m vulnerable to the force vector. As a result, the gun with its muzzle plunged into invincible mode spun around in a circle, and I was thrown out, halfway around, accelerating further like a pitching machine. This time I couldn''t do anything about it, and I was sent upstairs, and I was instantly obliterated. Emily and Celeste, a technical victory for both of us. ''That was tough. ...... Yoda, you are too strong: ...... Undeniably victorious, the two of them slumped to the ground, feeling exhausted and exhausted. ''Thanks, that''s awesome, you two.'' I nursed my two friends. I was convinced that if the monster was so bad that even these two had to do this, a normal adventurer wouldn''t even be able to break through. 306. Win without fighting Good job. Thank you, Emily, Celeste. I thanked the two of them while recovering from the fierce battle with recovery bullets. ''''You''re welcome,'''' Did I make it right? Celeste sits on the ground and looks up at me. I reach out to her and make her stand. ''''Yeah, enough is enough. If it''s difficult enough for the two of us to have to fight like that, most of us wouldn''t even be able to get through this place before we went around. That''s a hard push, yes. What''s going on here? Emily, who reached out her hand to make her stand as well, asks Celeste back with a curious look on her face. ''Alice,'' I see, so you can get out of the dungeon without encountering a dungeon birth. Celeste gave a small nod. Dungeon-born. As the name suggests, it refers to people born in dungeons. Alice, Rebecca Neon, and others are examples of this. You can feel the "presence" (the expression changes depending on the person) of the dungeon as its characteristic. You can sense the structure of the first dungeon you enter, the location of monsters, the timing and points of new monsters, and the best time to drop them. If you use it well, you can completely avoid monsters in dungeons. That''s dungeon born. ''''You don''t have to deal with that one?'''' ''Yes. I should, but I honestly don''t think I could do without. Why is that? "If you want to do something with a few elites to get out of the way, just ask a dungeon birth to guide you through the dungeon. But this time, the goal is to build a barricade here to make it more difficult to get around. It''s practically impossible to guide a large number of adventurers on a daily basis with just dungeon births. Okay, that''s true. Celeste agreed. However, I''ll think about it, just in case. I''ll have Alice come with me later and ask her for her opinion from a dungeon-spawned perspective. It''s not necessary for anything, but it''s better if we have it, so it might be better to do it. Well, let''s get out of here. Yes, sir. Yeah, you two, get behind me. If I''m on the way, I''ll take you down. Are you sure?Knock me down. There are twelve stars. I said and flipped up my sleeve to show him. ''It''s okay if it''s a little less ...... No, if it''s less, we''ll come back later to reset it. I admonish myself for being too proud to do so. Whenever something happens, it''s from this kind of pride that a crack in the wall comes out. I''ll do the best I can and always try to keep it at 12 stars. With that in mind, I take the two of them and head in the direction of the gate that came from the transporter room. I''ll cook this for you when I get back. Is that the one from the matsutake ......? Yes, sir. I picked it up. Good. Emily and her fancy food. I''m just so excited. Me too. Steamed earthenware, cooked rice, and baked goods. ...... You''re drooling, Lyota. I have some unfortunate news. What is it? I don''t think you noticed, but Celeste is drooling, too. What--? Celeste hurriedly wiped her own mouth, I wiped it slowly. Celeste said "Emily + high quality food", there''s nothing wrong with drooling over that, it''s rather normal, so I didn''t mind at all. We talked about matsutake mushrooms, and the group of three headed for the gate. So this is Tenesin. So, what are we going to do? We''ll just go to the top floor and put up the flag. Why? I''m just showing him that I''m serious about my employer. Before I reached the gate, I heard them talking from a distance. It seemed to be a couple of guys. I give Celeste and Emily a look and they nod and follow me. The three of us quietly make our way towards the voices. The adventurers came at just the right time. From the content of the conversation, they must be adventurers hired by the other side. If that''s the case, I want to see how they can fight and get out of it with me. I approach with Emily and Celeste and sneak a peek at the two adventurers from behind the pillars of the tower. Two young men, just as I''m about to encounter mine. ''This is ...... Lyota Sato! No, the monster. The monster in the form of Ryota Sato. ''I thought you''d already put everything back together. ''d*mn!Can you beat it? I''m out! One of the two immediately turned himself around and ran away. ''Hey!What do you do? You better get the hell out of here!Lyota Sato is involved, and she''s over there!It makes us look bad in the eyes of the public. -Oh! In no time at all, the other one escaped and they were both gone from Tennysin. ...... Unexpectedly, I chuckle. But the two companions I''m with. ''That''s Yoda for you. A lot of prestige and trust. Each of them looked at me with admiring eyes with their own words. 307. Nihoniums determination Hey. Villa Diechee in the evening. He said he was coming for a drink with Emily and Celeste to thank them for their help. A slightly weak, adventurous-looking man spoke to me. ''Yeah?What is it? I just want to make sure that the ...... thing in Tennessee, that was you, wasn''t it? I thought for a moment and nodded lightly. ''Yeah,'' Oh, yeah. Okay, thanks. The adventurer was convinced and returned to his friends waiting at the table three doors down. ''How did it go?'' It''s Lyota''s choice. I knew it. That means they''re being unreasonable in some way. ''Yes. Kuwa-Bara. I consciously listened carefully and caught their conversation. ''You''re right on target,'' It''s going to be better than I expected. Celeste smiled and took a swig of her beer. ''More than you aimed for?'' ''Quite a few people were listening in when Mr. Lyota and that person talked earlier. I see. I looked around. A few looked away hurriedly, a few smiled affectionately. ''I see, I''m sure they heard you. Maybe tomorrow ...... No, I''m sure it will spread by the end of the night. It''s all over the news. Yeah. If it stops the pillars, I have no problem with that. I dared to say that because I knew he was listening, and I knew that he was listening. I didn''t say it especially loudly or with emphasis. They''d still be listening, and if I said this, the rumors would spread on their own. Sure enough, a different kind of whispering could be heard in the tavern-viradiche than the usual din. We did what we could with this. ''Once again. Emily, Celeste. Thank you for your help.'' You''re welcome, sir. ''That''s watery. We''re family mates, and we don''t need that kind of formal thanks to help you. Well, thank you, then. Celeste seems to want it that way, so I thrust out a jockey of beer while saying a more lighthearted thank you. Celeste and Emily both smile and match the jockey with a click. And then they do so again. I thanked them in a different way, and secretly from the bottom of my heart. You''re late.What do you call it?Master of the morning, right? Aulum and Nihonium. When I returned to the mansion, I ran into two spirits in the corridor. They seemed to be coming off of a bath, and both of them were uptight and looked much more flirtatious than usual. In particular, Nihonium, with her hair up and pulled back in a bun, exuded a mature s*xuality that the rest of the family didn''t have. He has no intention of blaming Aulum for telling him that he is Master of the Morning, and seems to enjoy the very act of talking about it. ''''You''ve been taking a bath?'''' Yeah. It''s a nice thing to do, isn''t it, taking a bath? I should have left the dungeon earlier if I wanted to do this. Well, I didn''t get out until Ryota came. ''The baths are nice, of course, but in case you''re wondering, it''s because it''s Emily. This mansion is an Emily space, so every facility is better than the rest. Okay. Aulum pops his hand and is convinced. Meanwhile, Nihonium remains attached to Aulum and doesn''t speak. I took him out of the dungeon, but he hasn''t spoken much since I left him with Aulum. Aulum says he''ll take care of it, but I wonder if it''s okay. ...... I''ll tell you what. If you''ve had a drink, then the whole Tennysin thing went well. I''ve done all I can do, for now. Briefly, in a nutshell, he lightly explained the situation to Aulum. Aulum listens to the end while giving a small, cheery counterbalance. ''''Don''t you want to erase the drop or something?'''' "Drop? See, that''s what I did when I was a kid. ...... Yeah. I remember when Aulum told me to do that. Aulum dungeon in Indor, there were adventurers who were overworked and falling over, so I had Aulum restrict the nighttime drops and reform the working hours. That went around and led to Aulum being here. ''I see, to the spirits - if we were in Tennesin and convinced them to do without the drops, it would be more reliable? Shit. They won''t be able to do anything about it, right? Fuumu: ...... I picked my chin and considered the possibility. Sure, it works. There is, though. ''It''s going to be complicated when they meet Tennysin, too. The best way to get out of the ground floor now, for free, is to be born in a dungeon. It''s going to be a pain in the ass if there''s an adventurer like Rebecca Neon who can not only get through, but also meet you easily. What if... Aulum pushed Nihonium, who was hiding behind his own back and remaining reticent, in front of me. ''What?'' Why don''t you get Nikhonium to do it? In Nihonium? Have you forgotten what he can do?That one that I''m so good at that I''m attached to the dungeon master. ...... Yeah. Aulum reminded me of this when he told me. Dungeon Master of Nihonium. Normal dungeon masters lose all the monsters in that dungeon while they are out, meaning they lose all the drops. Nifonium''s Dungeon Master goes a step further than that and loses all the drops in the cyclo while he''s out. That''s the darkness that Nihonium has to deal with. In other words, Nihonium can stop the Tennysin drops regardless of the Tennysin. And since it''s not Tennesin, it doesn''t change anything, even if the adventurer is in Tennesin''s spirit. ''Indeed, it''s an effective move. Right? Aulum was proud of his chest. He was a little shaken up by the thin clothes after the hot water ...... gohon. An effective move, that''s for sure. But. ''Let''s not do that.'' ...... Huh? Why not? I gave a disgruntled Aulum a light deco pin. She suppresses her forehead and looks at me with even more resentment. ''Have you forgotten what happened in the first place?I want to get rid of her, and she''s not going to get rid of it. So why are you using your powers to do it? Ah, ....... Haha Aulum, I think I remembered. Yes, that''s exactly what''s wrong. You say you want to solve it, but on the other hand, you don''t want to make it useful. That''s a no-no at ....... I want to get that part right. Maybe it''s even more so because I put it off long enough to leave it in Aulum''s hands while I''m in front of it. I want to do right by Nifongnium. Sorry, I beat you to it. I don''t owe you an apology. With a gulp, he indicated Nihonium with his chin. Aulum gave a small nod. ''I''m sorry.'' ...... No. Nihonium gently closes her eyes and gives a small shake of her head. He smiles calmly, as if to say he doesn''t care. At best, it''s a mature smile, at worst, it''s an unhappy smile. I still want to help her get rid of that. And that''s when I thought. ''Let me, let me do it.'' ...... Huh? I''m surprised by the unexpected offer from Nifongnium, who turns to me, and I''m struck by the emptiness of the offer. Nihonium keeps smiling at me. ''''Thank you,'''' He said a heartfelt, heavy(...) thank you. ''That''s why,'' After I thought I heard a voice say. Let me, please. Nihonium said with a determined look in his eyes. 308. Nihonium great success I stared at Nihonium. She stared straight back at me and didn''t take a step back. Her expression was as calm as usual, but her eyes were serious. ''Okay.'' So ......? I nodded back and thought for a moment. If I''m going to ask, I shouldn''t be shy. If I won''t do it, I won''t do it, and if I do, I''ll do it. It''s definitely better that way. It''s good that I folded and asked for it, but it''s not best to remain reserved in its content either. If Nifornium volunteered to do it, even more so. In light of those things, I dare to step in - and after thinking about it for a bit, I tell Nihonium. ''I want to make it obvious just by looking.'' What does that mean? Aulum asked curiously. ''The monster on the first floor of Tennesin is now a meanie. Just to show off my involvement. Yeah. "What Nifornium is going to do is get rid of the drop. Then I want to make it obvious at a glance that I''m involved in that too. Instead of ''Hey, that''s funny,'' it''s ''This is Lyota too! It''s like. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, mm-hmm. Aulum nodded and agreed. She turned to Nihonium and asked. ''I hear that means, can you do that?'' Yeah. Nihonium nodded almost no time. It was a no-brainer. He answered immediately, as if to say, "It''s not made up. Star. Good things come first, so we came to Tenesin. The first floor of Tennesin where we came through the transfer gate. Me, Aulum, Nihonium, and Meeke, who let the two spirits go through the gate as a matter of course. The four of us landed on the ground floor of Tennesin. ''So what are we going to do?'' It''s over. Don''t you understand? Yeah?What do you mean? ...... I understand. What?What do you really mean by that? Aulum turns his head, saying he doesn''t understand it at all. If you look closely, Meeke has a similar reaction. Monsters, can''t the spirits understand?Or is this one of Nihonium''s exceptions? I don''t know that, but I explained it to them both. ''It''s a sign of the Dungeon Master,'' Oh, have you already done that? Yeah. You and the dungeon master are out of here. But that doesn''t mean Lyota''s involved, does it? No, I understand. Why? ''...... Yeah, you know what I mean. And this is egregious. So what are you talking about-- Aulum turned to me and made a jittery sound. Looking at me, Aulum looked out of my line of sight. There were several meanies there. It wasn''t just any meanie. All of them are ridiculous guys who give off signs of being dungeon masters. Not just one, all of them. All of them give off the vibe of a dungeon master. This means that ...... ''Yes. I''ve put the Dungeon Master''s attributes on everything. That''s all. That''s all I''m saying-- oh, my God, let''s run. I shoved Nihonium, Aulum, and Meeke inside the gate and rushed back to the compound. I don''t know how far the Dungeon Master''s attributes are (), but it doesn''t make me weak in ten ways. I''m just a strong guy, and if the Dungeon Master''s attributes were to be strengthened by adding on top of that, it''s safe to say that place is already hell. That''s why I hurriedly pushed the three of them into the gate and came back. When I got back and calmed down, I turned to Nihonium. ''Thank you!'' He said. Nihonium smiled serenely. The next day, the president''s office of the Cyclodungeon Association. I came to see Cell, and he and I were alone in the president''s office, face to face. The business was, of course, about Tenesin - but.... The closet or locker or whatever it is in the corner of the room is stuffed so tightly with stuff that it looks like it''s going to swell up and pop out of the closet at any moment. It''s the same uneasy feeling you get when you stuff things into a closet and open it up, an avalanche of stuff. ''What''s wrong with that?'' What are you talking about? Cell blurted out - but Pow! I heard a popping of the hinges, the door came off a bit, revealing what was inside. A head popped out of the corner of my eye. A statue of me. ...... Cell stood up silently and shoved my statue into it, which jumped out of the room silently, and squeezed it with all his might. Then he came back and sat down across from me. ''It''s a good day for a dungeon, isn''t it?'' You''re not actually trying to hide anything! I went into it big time. The fact that this room is usually filled with my statue. I''m here, so they hurriedly pushed it in and made it up. "...... Gohon I cleared my throat and re-partitioned. That''s always the thing with cells, it''s not worth rushing into. So I went through it and cut to the business I came to. ''How are the negotiations going with the other side? It''s only a matter of time before it''s too late. Are you okay? I would never say anything I couldn''t. A confident cell. He''s a super competent person, except for that (,) hobby, so his current return looked rather cool. ''''No need to hide it from Satou-sama, but we''re already in the process of negotiating a price. Okay, then it''s really only a matter of time. The additional explanations made sense to me. It''s a cell with a family full of minting dungeons, they won''t screw up financially. The worst thing you can do is slap him in the face with a wad of cash. ''The problem is, though, in building a city in Tennysin. What''s the matter with you? This is the information Mr. Sato gathered for me. With that, Cell put the paper papers on the low table. ''Speaking in conclusion, none of us should be attacked during the construction of the city. ...... Right. Thinking about it for a moment, I understood why. Not only would the shadows become stronger when they were attacked, the shadows would be stronger, but it would take a lot of work to bring them back. ''If someone gets attacked, that''s enough to stop the construction for days at a time. ''I see. Yeah, if you ask me, none of us should be attacked during construction. That''s a tall order, it''s not a straightforward approach, and we''re looking for something else to do. You''ll be fine. What? Tennesin, upstairs. I brought the cell here via the transporter room in the mansion. I staggered ahead. "Wait a minute, Master Sato, I am not equipped to fight... You''ll be fine. What? I proceed further stasis, taking the cell with me as I go. I''m not born in a dungeon and I come to a staircase that goes up to the third floor with no encounters. ''Is this ...... no monster?'' There you are. It''s pretty straightforward. What''s the meaning of this? "By the way... Instead of answering, I walked up the stairs, and Cell followed me. The third floor is also an empty shell with no monsters. It''s just like that. Yeah, same thing upstairs. What''s this about ......? ''I''ve enlisted the help of Nihonium to make me a dungeon master. Only on the first floor. In Nihonium? Cell is astonished. Of course, if they say it''s not Tennysin, but Nihonium, then so be it. But it''s only for a moment. Cell immediately becomes unconcerned and laughs with a huff. ''That''s as good as Satou-sama.'' ''So this is a byproduct of doing this and coming up with it, so to speak, but let''s put a dungeon master outside the tower for the actual construction. If it''s a large area of Nifonium, we can stay outside and still have no monsters on all levels. Oh! Cell exclaims in admiration. ''''I''m impressed that you''ve already taken measures, Satou-sama. Boom! The hinges popped twice and the smug face of "me" peeked out again. 309. Summoning spirits "Repetition. Outside of Tennesin, near the entrance, I hatched a haggler''s meanie from a matsutake and defeated it with a repetition in no time. ''Nifonium, please.'' Yes, sir. Nihonium, who had Meeke clinging to her feet, nodded shakily. She closed her eyes once, as if reminding herself of something. Almost without a pause, a dungeon master appeared at a distance. It wasn''t me, but that ghostly dungeon master who was originally in Nihonium. ''It''s all right now, the monster inside should be gone. Thank you. I''m not going to attack this guy or anything: ...... That''s okay, I said. For example-- Nihonium held out his hand to the Dungeon Master with a swoosh. The ghostly, that creepy dungeon master began to do push-ups on the spot. It was a very surreal sight. ''''Oooohhhh!'''' Multiple cheers went up at the sight of it. The carpenters, who had been waiting some distance away from me and Nifonium, cheered. They all marveled at the control of the Nifonium. ''Cell,'' The preparations are done, he called out to the cell, this time on the other side. He nodded quietly and went to the carpenters. A single quiet word, and one by one the carpenters entered the tower. ''That''s Master Spirit, isn''t it?'' You''re like the genie from Nifongnium. What''s the genie doing helping the humans? That''s what Lyota Sato managed to do, right? Yeah. With various voices, the carpenters brought tools and piles of building materials to Tenesin one after another. The negotiations in the cell were over and the building of the city in the dungeon had finally begun. ''Thank you Nihonium. For letting me help you with something unrelated. Nihonium shook his head slowly. ''Never mind.'' Well, thank you. I was thinking, "I''ll have to get this nihonium thing sorted out soon. The cell came back to me. ''Thank you, Lady Sato: ...... and Nifonium.'' Cell said to me and Nihonium respectively. I feel like he''s more cocky than me, mind you. ''Speaking of which, Nihonium will stop the monsters while they''re building, but what happens when the actual operation starts?Will the monsters attack the ''village''? ''No problem then. We''ll use the Tree of Beginnings, as well as the resting place at Cyclo. "The Beginning Tree? I''ve never heard that term before. The tree of beginnings was first created when this world was born, according to one theory. It is the only thing that can be created outside of a dungeon. "Huh? ''It''s a mythical theory, but realistically the tree of beginnings seems to mean ''out'' to the monster. If you touch it, it will disappear just as quickly as if you had left the dungeon. I see, so if you build a city out of it, it will be like a warding for the monsters. Cell nodded clearly. But is there such a thing? The tree of beginnings, hey ....... I walked off into Tennesin. A village in a dungeon being built by the Tree of Beginnings. I was a little curious to see what it would look like. Cell followed along and the conversation continued. ''''The selection of the ''village chief'' is in progress. Are you okay?No pressure. It''s Satou-sama. Cel interrupted my words with a bite and said, staring right into my eyes from the side. ''What will I do when I ruin the ideals I was trying to uphold? ...... bad. And we can''t have Satou-sama''s gun pointed at us. This time he said it ludicrously. Perhaps it was unusual for him to tell a joke like this. "Back to the point. I''m going to change my name to ''village chief'' or ''floor master'', but that is currently under review. The compensation will be in line with the taxes, and we''ll do everything we can with the money to deliver it. These are the two main conditions we''re working on. You mean a percentage. How much. I''m assuming about 100 to 300 million pirouette a year. I see. No freedom, but you''re guaranteed 300 million a year until you die. And you''re free to spend that 300 million and have everything you want delivered. Yeah, that sounds fair. I''d gladly take the bait on those terms, and it''s a world out there, but I know roughly three people who would. That''s a lot healthier than being a human pillar. While I was talking to Cell about various things regarding Tennesin, I stepped into the ground floor of Tennesin. It''s a very good idea to be able to have a good time with your friends. ''''But it''s a strange sight, I never thought I''d end up building a village in a dungeon. It''s a great step for mankind. It''s a great step for mankind, and we owe it all to you, Sato-sama. I just smiled and didn''t say anything, since I was getting pretty used to lifting the cell. More importantly, I''m glad that Tenesin seems to have gotten things over with. If the person in charge is Cell, he won''t be forcing adventurers and floor masters to be unreasonable. Now it''s settled. Satou-sama! Suddenly, Cell made an impatient noise. I wondered what was going on, and my body started to glow. It wasn''t just Cell, the carpenters around me started to buzz as well. The light emanated from the top of my head and enveloped my entire body. A strange light, with no pain or suffering. As it enveloped me completely, the cell and the carpenters'' voices gradually faded away. My lost vision gradually returns as the light subsides. ''Human. You are the first human I have been invited to meet. A man appeared in front of me. No, I was summoned to the man - and I instantly understood. And I knew who I was dealing with. ''Tennesin ......'' Yes. He called out to me and the man in front of me was the spirit of this dungeon. It was Tennesin. 310. Choroin The man in front of me was a gruff, handsome man. He had blond hair and a leather jacket, a somewhat intimidating appearance if you''re a handsome man. I look at the handsome man and the space around him. I know the space well, the type of space I''ve been to many times. It''s a spirit room. Then so is this guy in front of me. "Tennesin, huh? Thank you, human. You are the first human ever to be invited by a spirit. Really? Yes. Yes. We, the great spirits, did not need to invite the humans over for anything. I doubt it. More importantly, why did you invite me here? I''m just trying to give you some advice. Then Tennysin glared at me with a guillotine. ''Advice?'' I hear you''ve got a lot going on inside of me. Yeah. I''m in the dungeon building a city right now. Who do you have permission from to do what you want? That''s: ...... Sorry. There were no other words, and I apologized for my honesty. That''s certainly true. Building a city in Tennesin, that is essentially the owner - or is it the person himself?I had to ask permission from the I apologize to him for being out of line. "I''m sorry I went off on you, man. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. Hm, I don''t care about that. It doesn''t matter. I chuckled a bit. ''What do you mean, I''ve called you out so far and you don''t care? ''But I warned you. I''ll allow you to do what you want this time, but not the next time. Okay, I''ll keep that in mind. ...... ...... The conversation was cut short. A silence drifted, and the air became strange. ''Um--'' How about my drop? What? Just as I was about to ask, Tennysin said in a covered voice. ''''By drop, you mean the drop you get when you kill a monster?'''' What else is there? Guillory stared at me again. ''You''re a difficult spirit. ''Great, but?The matsutake mushrooms on the first floor, for example, the shape and smell are all excellent, as is the drop itself," he said. You mean this one? Tennesin held out his hand, palm upward. There''s a matsutake on it, the most magnificent shaped matsutake I''ve ever seen. ''Yes, it smells great, too. Yes, it smells great too. It''s the best matsutake. Is this what people want to see on ......? Yeah?Well, yeah. Hm!People are crazy to want this garbage. I don''t want this stuff, you can throw it away. Tennesin said and shoved the matsutake mushrooms at me. I don''t want to get them now ...... or have Emily cook them for me later. ...... ...... There is silence again. It''s time to-- What was the next best thing to that? Tennysin said again, covered up. ''What?''Yeah, like ...... caviar or something. I''ve never had it before, but it''s so good-- You mean this one? He held it out to me with his palms facing upward, just like before. There was a mountain of caviar on a plate. ''Oh, yes,'' Humans are so grateful for these fish eggs. Haha. ...... I don''t need this stuff, so you can throw it away. Tennesin said, and shoved it at me as well as the matsutake. ''......'' ...... Three times, silence. I''m going home-- What else do you have in mind? ...... You are. Anyone who''s been put on three times would know something was wrong. The moment I cut off to leave, Tennysin covers me and stretches the story forcibly. So you belittle what you put out there, but you throw it at me. And the Stars. The phenomenon of being trapped in a dungeon after the Stars had completely disappeared. All of those things put together made one possibility emerge. "Are you lonely? I... Tennesin''s face instantly turned bright red. He was dripping with sweat and began a desperate denial. ''Miss me!Silly thing, who do you think I am? One of the spirits that support this world, and one of the few that govern the earthly dungeons, this Lord Tennesin, is lonely and evil! This is why humans are so stupid and dumb and dumb to try to measure spirits by their own standards and-- Wow. What a mess, it was so easy to understand. It''s rather pitiful to point out that Tennesin, who speaks up so quickly, is so easy to understand. ''I get it. I''m sorry I said the weirdest thing. Hmm. All right. ...... Hey, I need you to do one thing for me, okay? Request?A human being can''t be so rude as to ask a spirit for a favor. But I''m generous, so I''ll just listen to them. Oh, oh. Resisting the urge to laugh bitterly, I gave Tennysin a ''please''. ''Oh!Master Sato. A worried cell greeted me as I walked back out of the Tennesin dungeon. ''Are you okay?'' It''s okay, I just got called into Tennessee for a little while. What? ""Oh, oh, oh!" The carpenters around them marveled. ''Invited by the spirits, so that''s why. Cell calmed down rapidly with my safe return. He asked in his usual calm tone. ''Yeah, so I''ve made good on my promise. "Promise? Floor master, I hear they''re going to replace you once a year. ''My God!As expected of Satou-sama. How did you manage to convince the spirits? I made it my business to go snitching on you every day for fancy food. What about ......? You''ll be able to see that Cell''s face looks like he doesn''t know what he''s talking about. Well, if I was in Cell''s shoes. If I hadn''t seen Tennesin in person, I''d be like that. 311. Tennessine did it overnight The first floor of Tennesin. He watched with Cell as the construction of the Dungeon Village progressed smoothly. ''It''s like sim*tty!'' Never heard of it. What''s it about? Yes, ...... it''s like that one. I pointed to a model of the village design that stood far away from me. There is a pedestal and on it is a model of the village that has been scaled down to a few hundredth of its size. When I was a student, I used to see my architecture classmates make such models, so this made me feel nostalgic. It would be much easier to make such a model. It''s quite interesting to watch them being built in real time. That''s my girl, Satou-sama. He knows a lot of things I don''t. That''s fine, though: ...... I approached the model with a troubled look on my face and took away my statue, a figure-sized statue of me sitting in the middle of the village. ''Let''s do without this one,'' Why? It is only because of Sato-sama''s efforts that we were able to build a village here. It is imperative that you know that. You don''t have to know. There''s a village named after you, Lord Sato, and I don''t want to hear about statues anymore. That would be fine in a normal village. I looked at the cell with a straight face. ''This is a pre-requisite for the Floor Master to leave the village, and even now, he''s still not allowed to leave for a year. If they''re going to build one, they should build a statue of the floormaster in charge, not a statue of me. Mmm. Cell grunts. He has a dissatisfied look on his face, saying he''s not happy about not being able to put my statue there. But that''s where Cell doesn''t try to force an opinion. ...... is exactly what Mr. Sato said. It''s a good idea to make sure that all of the statues are on display in my mansion. You''ve already made it! It was tweaked, but it was also typical of him that he built the statue ahead of time. Once again, I look at the construction. It''s going well. The construction itself. What''s the matter with you? I asked him back, curious. It''s rare for Cell to say things like this with things stuck in his back teeth. ''There''s a story about how the floormaster won''t get out until after a year, so that one''s fine,'' "?...... Yeah, normal time in and out. Cell nodded. Like most dungeons, the stairs to get to the next floor in Tennysin were in different places on each floor. The stairs are far apart from each other. You can''t go up and down in one fell swoop. The floor master is in and out of the building once a year, which is fine, but for the rest of us, it''s just an inconvenience. The higher up you go, the more so. It''s not easy to get the mail order for the floor master on the top floor. It''s like a TV station. What''s that? ''Hmmm, isn''t the cell mansion or something like that structured?I''m spreading the stairs all over the place, not just one, to give the riffraff more time to get in. Cell nodded. I knew that''s how you end up making it when you get to a certain point. I only found out about that sort of thing because I saw it online in the original world. They said that TV stations dare to scatter the stairs around to make it harder to understand in order to prevent terrorists. That, not surprisingly, is the same situation we''re in now with Tennysin. And Tennessee doesn''t have to do that. So it''s just an inconvenience, says Sell. ''If the stairs were solidified in one place, we could just build a village there. I guess so: ...... Hi. He used the transporter room and came to Tennysin''s place. ....... Tennysin is astonished. The corners of her eyes widened in surprise as she looked like she was about to tear them open. ''You, how did you get here?'' Yeah?Was this a place where humans were never allowed to come? There''s no such thing as a "Hey, man, you can''t do that," but ...... is not something to be complimented. Okay, fine. It''s enough to know that it''s not that they can never come. In other words, it''s the same as the previous spirits. Even humans have a very low chance of coming. I''m a drop S. I''m a sure thing, and since I own the transfer room, I can come more normally. Tennesin is surprised, but I decide to go through with it. ''Oops, you were eating watermelon. Placed in front of the tenetsin is a black ball watermelon cut in half. It feels like only the middle of that watermelon has been gouged out with a spoon, and only one bite has been eaten. There are multiple of them - seven in total. I''m a little huffy. It''s the one I taught Tennysin about when I was here before. "What do you think, it tastes better if you only eat the inside of the watermelon with a spoon? My mother used to do that when I was a child. Whenever she cut up a watermelon, she would eat the sweetest part of it first with a spoon and then cut it into pieces. Whenever I, as a child, appealed to her to eat it too, she would say something incomprehensible that only adults were allowed to do this. I was happy to see that Tennesin had tried it and liked it so much that he kept trying it, even though I had taught him. Hmph. Not a bad idea for a human. Yeah. But that''s a waste of time. Let''s eat the rest of them too. I said, and reached for the watermelon, but Tennysin made it disappear before I could get to it. ''Huh?''No? ''Mmm ......, f*ck you!You''re embarrassing me. Shame? ''Yes!It''s a disgrace for a spirit to be able to eat what I eat here and for a human to eat what I eat. You''re over here. Strongly, Tennysin held up his hand and held out a watermelon. A black ball watermelon cut in half, with the fattest part of the cavity still intact - ten in total. Graciously, they''re all served with a spoon. "Are you sure? Hmm, just eat up! That''s nice, but it''s a lot. Oh, make more, or that nasty piece of shit will be coming after me too. Tenesin says so and turns away. But as I look closer, I see him glancing my way. I''ve only known him a short time, but I''ve gotten to know him a little better, so I scooped up all of the spoonfuls of watermelon from each of the ten black jade watermelons and ate them. When I did that, Tennesin looked secretly satisfied. ''Thanks for the food, it was really good,'' Hmm, of course. A little too much of a taste for humans. While saying that, Tennesin doesn''t seem to be going crazy. I''ll be able to do this, I said, and I told him the reason I came. Hey, I need to ask you for a favor. You want me to do it for you?Don''t be silly, don''t get all puffed up on me. No? Go to ...... and tell me, it''s not too late for you to get your shit together. Would you mind consolidating the stairs? Stairs? Yeah. Now the stairs are separated from the next one. That''s not very convenient, you know. It would be nice to have a single staircase - and it would make it easier for people to come. It''s easy for people to come to ...... He added that at the end. It should have been an effective word for Tenesin. Tenesin started to think about it, but then quickly huffed. ''Don''t be silly!If we do that, the humans will only get more upset. No? ''Of course!Get the hell out of here! Tennesin said, and dismissed me. On the contrary, I glanced at him. We hadn''t met long, but here''s where Tennesin said, "Huh, hmm!I stopped and glanced at him because I thought it was something he would do with "I''ll just have to do it, so I''ll do it," but he stopped and glanced at me. "What are you doing, turn it back! Contrary to my expectations, Tennysin tried to get rid of me without a second thought. Hmm, I guess I misread it. I thought Tenesin''s reaction so far would work, though. It''s no use, we''ll find another way. With that thought, I backed away. The next day. The next day, Cell came to the mansion in person. ''We''ve done it, Master Satou. There''s been a change in the Tennesin staircase. "Oh? We can now go directly from the ground floor to the top floor! I chuckle at Cell''s report. He did it after all, I thought. 312. Gourmet entertainment Hmm. Mr. Yoda, what''s going on? After the sun had gone down. I was groaning cooing in the saloon in the mansion when Emily spoke to me with concern. ''Emily. Nope, I was just thinking about Tennysin. Tennesin ......, is that you? Is it about the dungeon or the spirits? Emily decided it was the latter and asked. ''Yes, the genie. I thought about it after what we''ve been through and decided that I was missing people. So I asked her if she wanted to leave the dungeon, but she seriously refused. You''re serious? Yeah, I''m serious. He''s not going to leave the dungeon. So, ''Can I bring some of my people with me?'' I said, ''Don''t come!'' and this time it was the strong one. I was told. You want people to come? I guess so. I don''t plan to leave the dungeon. But I miss people, and I want more people to come to the dungeon. It''s very normal. "...... Huh?That''s what I''ve been told. Yes! I laughed with Emily. The fact that I had met Tenethin in person and actually witnessed his personality (tsundere) made it complicated, but when I thought about it, he was drastically normal for a dungeon spirit. ''But even so, it doesn''t change my worries. What was bothering you? I''m just trying to think of ways to get more people to Tennysin. The more the merrier, right? Yes, sir. ...... Oh, how about less taxes? I was going to do that. The cell, as usual, wanted to take a portion of the tax money from me, so I said I''d take zero, and then they''d lower the tax money for that. That''s Yoda for you, sir. Emily gave me a compliment. I don''t know why, but I''m a little happier than normal when Emily tells me that I''m a good sport. I was just wondering if there was anything else I could do. It''s ...... difficult to do. Yeah, that''s a tough one. Do you want to advertise in other dungeons and cities? Advertisement? Yes, sir. The ad or ....... I wonder if that''s a safe bet. Rather than waiting for it to spread by word of mouth, it''s probably better to advertise or something, that''s for sure. If I had to do it, Emily was right, it would be a dungeon. It''s not going to be able to attract more adventurers, like a local buyer or dungeon association. Neither of them are going to do anything to promote new dungeons or anything like that because the number of adventurers is directly related to their income. ''If you get someone with a strong voice to promote it, it will spread. Outspoken? ''Yes, sir!My mother used to say, ''This is a great place to drink,'' and a lot of people would come. ''I see. ...... So you''re a professional voice in the field, and you''re getting the stamp of approval.'' ....... ''Ah.'' Yes? Emily tilts her head back. I, for one, remembered the right person. Star. The first floor of Tennesin. I sacrificed a piece of slime away from the construction site, defeated a pseudo-slime, and brought out the matsutake mushroom. Emily, who accompanied me, started cooking the matsutake mushroom on the spot. We cooked them quickly and put a net on the fire to bake them there and lightly sprinkle salt on them. It was a simple procedure, but everything was at its best. And so the foul-smelling aroma filled the tower. ''''We are waiting for you,'''' Emily put the baked matsutake on a plate and offered it to the other man who accompanied her. A well-dressed, gentleman-like man. I''m Eric. He''s the most well known foodie I know, and he''s quite a celebrity in his field. So I invited Eric to come to Tennessee and have Emily cook and serve him some freshly dropped matsutake mushrooms. Eric stared at the matsutake for a moment, smelling its aroma. He took a mouthful of it with trepidation. ''''--! Suddenly, Eric''s eyes widen with a snap. His eyes are euphoric and his expression is how impressed he is. It''s such a touching reaction that for a moment, Eric looks completely naked. ''''This!It''s wonderful! I''ve never tasted a matsutake mushroom like this before. Is that so? Yes, cyclops also produce matsutake mushrooms, but compared to these, they''re like heaven and earth, the moon and a snake. They''re nothing compared to this. Well, is it good? ''Ummm, Tennessee Dungeon: ...... I never knew it could be as good as this one.'' Eric takes turns comparing the matsutake and the dungeon. ''The upstairs is amazing too,'' ''My God!You must!I''d love to show you around! I will. You can count on me, Emily. Yes, sir! We took Eric upstairs with us. Meeke brought additional slime and we used it to drop a series of high quality ingredients, cooked them and served them to Eric. Eric was very satisfied with the Tennesin food, before asking for it from us. ''''Such a splendid dungeon, I must make it known to the fullness of the sky! And he was eager to promote it. 313. The strongest interpersonal The number of people in Tennesin has increased even more. Eric''s publicity had gone well, and because it was a high quality food dungeon that he strongly recommended as a gourmet, even before the village in the dungeon was built, chefs who wanted to open a restaurant were coming one by one to preview the opening. And that''s not all. When you open a restaurant, you''ll need liquor, condiments, dishes, and all sorts of other things. And all sorts of other things as well. There were also more people to build up the logistics of things that Tennesin couldn''t cover, and more people in the non-production service industry. ''It''s going to be very popular very quickly,'' Hmm. Cell and I nodded to each other while looking at the ground floor site where construction was underway. ''''Since Satou-sama moved in, the number of people coming and going has doubled. Double. That must put Tennysin in a good mood. You in a good mood? Yeah. Yeah. His mouth is getting worse, though. I went over there a while ago, and he said, ''I''m in the way, I can''t even take a nap,'' "Law. And then he gave me this on his way out. "Ho, shark fin. Cell glanced at the shark fin I took out. After a quick glance as if he were a connoisseur. ''It''s a fine one. Quite a bit of value.'' Of course. By the way, he said, ''Take this dried up stuff out of the way, take it away.'' ''Some spirits are too old to be honest with you. I think it''s a personal quality. I usually wonder who benefits from a man''s twaddle, but as far as Tennysin is concerned, I''m the one who benefits so much. The super high quality ingredients we''ve been given recently have made our table look incredible. Alice is having a blast and her partner, Aulum, is trying to counteract it and put gold leaf in every dish, well, I digress. I put away the shark''s fin I brought up for the story and look at the construction site again. ''I guess it''s all right if we get this far,'' ''Mm, thanks to Satou-sama, we''re back on track. The snowball won''t stop once it starts rolling. Yeah. I could already see Tennesin growing and thriving. I was relieved to hear that. The sunset was setting and the construction of this day was over. I met up with Nihonium outside the dungeon. ''Good job. You saved me today too.'''' No, sir. I was just in here. Can you stay with me for a moment until Aulum and Meeke get here? What is this? I gingerly pointed to the other side of the dungeon and started to walk away. After all the carpenters had left the dungeon, Nifonium, who had broken Tennesin''s monster blockade, shuffled along. He stopped away from the dungeon, in an unpopular area, and placed a fine food item, foie gras, on the ground. ''What''s that?'' "The one I pimped out to Eric. I couldn''t get to the slime in time, but Eric was getting off on me, so I had to improvise on an emergency basis. Oh, I see. It was worth it, because Eric did his best to promote it. As I did so, I took Nihonium with me and distanced myself from the foie gras. Since I couldn''t return and stay with Nihonium anyway until Aulum and Meeke''s pick up and drop off, I decided to haggle and deactivate the Stars here, in order to avoid any mishaps (,) in the basement of the mansion. I''ll keep my distance and wait for a while - but. From behind the foie gras, a group of men with weapons appeared in a row. Not friendly by any stretch of the imagination, or even full of malice. ''Nihonium. Quickly, he hid her behind his back. In the meantime, the opponents all showed themselves. With the skills she had developed in the dungeon, she could determine the number of enemies in front of her in an instant. It''s a group of twenty people in total. ''''Who are they?'''' I was hired. The man standing in the middle, who looked like a leader, smirked. ''Hired?'' You know how much it hurts, right? "...... you''re allowed to mess with me? "Unreasonable behavior," you say?Ha. The man snickered, and everyone else laughed out loud in unison. It was as if they heard something very, very funny. I''ve never carried a genie in my life," he said. I''ve never carried a genie in my life. ...... I see. If you think about it, it''s no wonder. These days, people think that if I stop you from doing something unreasonable, you''re out of luck, but there are people who don''t give a d*mn. "I''m sorry, but I''m going to have to put you out of your misery. Will I be hurt? "Haha. The man looked even more amused. ''My client has suffered so much that he wants your head. Yeah. Hurt me and then kill me. That''s what I mean. Well, you think it was just bad luck. ...... I clenched my fists and braced myself. ''Don''t do it, don''t do it, you''re an adventurer, aren''t you?'' ? What''s the point of being an adventurer? "Dungeon adventurers are too used to be able to beat the same enemies over and over again. They''re no match for us. You specialize in people. I let go of my stance and just stood there like a natural. "What? Nifornium, who was covering up behind me, yelled in surprise. ''Why, why?'' It''s a-- Hey, kill them!Women are a bonus. At the man''s command, the twenty assailants attacked at once. I could tell by the signs that Nihonium had flinched and gulped. But thirty seconds later. ''Ugh. ......'' Ouch. ...... Ouch. ...... Baka, stupid, it''s not even working. ...... I used accelerated bullets, and I literally killed twenty assailants in the blink of an eye. Accelerated Bullets + Speed SS. Using the principle of looking like an afterimage, or alter ego. I didn''t move () and fought off the marauders. 314. Party drop I didn''t realize that''s what you were doing. Plumbum Dungeon, Plumbum''s Room. While I was involved in the Tennesin one, I kept my word and visited her every morning. Unlike Tenesin, this one is honestly happy and welcoming when I come. There are no cryptic phrases, so we can chat more easily. Today''s topic of conversation became Tenesin, which I''ve been spending a lot of time talking about lately. As I began to see a break in the Tenesin case, I casually told Prumbum. ''A lot of people, no, spirits too. Everyone has helped me. You are a man of virtue. If it weren''t for you, people wouldn''t have moved that far. I can leave this place if I am asked. ...... Fumbling plumbum. I feel like a maiden. Thank you. I may ask for your help if the next time the situation arises... You are in charge!Your request is a good request. Paah, and Purrumbum with a smile on his face. I was glad of that trust. ''But, nihonium kae. ''She was instrumental in the latter part of the construction. Come to think of it, you guys can control the Dungeon Master at will, right? Exactly. Most monsters don''t have much of a range to control, but when you''re a dungeon master, you''re right. Is that how it works? The evil of simplicity, I suppose you could say. Oh, I see. Whether it''s normal monsters, rare monsters, or dungeon masters, surely the spirits can manipulate them all perfectly. But because of its simple structure, there''s not much a normal monster can do to manipulate it. ''''Does it take something special, something extraordinarily powerful, to manipulate it? There is no such thing. They are just like arms and legs. And you can do whatever you want within reason. Reason? Hmm. For example, I can make it so that right now, you can have two or more people in the same drop to make the drop. ...... Hmmm... if you''re A, you''re talking about A-to-A and B-to-B parties only dropping. Hmm. Then you won''t be able to do it because you won''t drop it no matter what. Yeah. ....... ............. ................... I think I had an inspiration. Something that just popped up in my head for a moment. I try to tug at it. Sometimes when I act on an idea, I can remember it easily with its strings attached. I acted the moment I heard the story - I stared straight at Plumbum, staring at him. ''...... Pop!'' I remembered that the moment Plumbum''s cheeks colored and he looked down in embarrassment. This is ...... my good idea! Thank you! To his delight, he involuntarily grabbed Prumbum''s shoulder and looked at her from an even closer distance. ''Oh, .......'' Plumbum''s eyes trolled as he was impressed. Raid boss? Tenesin''s room. I came in and just let my excitement take over. I''m sorry, but there are things you can''t understand if you just use our terminology. You know: ...... Raid Boss. I chewed up the meaning of it and left out any explanations or examples along the way. I explained the core of it to Tennysin. "Can we pretend that the more people who attacked the monster, the more drops it got? The more the merrier? Yes. You know what, more people are going to come to the dungeon if you do that. ............ Tennysin is surprised when he snaps his eyes out of his head on the way out. That''s what I came up with. There was a system like this in an MMO I played when I was a student. When you beat a monster with a party of four people, you would get five times as many drops as if you had beaten it solo. Up to 4 times the number of players, there''s no advantage to this system since the share per player is the same even if you divide it by the number of players, but if it''s more than 5 times the number of players, it''s a different story. That experience led to this advice. Tennesin''s surprise is proof that the proposal itself is possible and that he thinks well of it. ''Hmph!If we do that, the humans will just get more and more annoying! This reaction is also the usual Tennysin. "I wouldn''t do that. I''m very disappointed in you, so get the hell out! When Tennesin kicked me out, I was convinced that he did exactly that, he kicked me out for the sake of doing it. This evening. I tested it in Tennesin after the construction was finished and I was able to confirm that the drop would increase in proportion to the number of people as soon as possible. 315. Capacity over First floor of Tennessee at night. I was working overtime, a rare occurrence in the Lyota family. Joining us was me, Emily, Celeste, Eve, and Alice. We''re a group of adventurers, earning our jobs in dungeons. ''Sorry to keep you company at this hour,'' I apologized to my friends, especially Emily. I''d made a promise to her not to work at night and go home, but instead of breaking it, I''d gotten everyone involved. ''Sometimes it''s nice to do that, right, Emily?'' ''Yes, sir. I know it''s not allowed during the daytime because of the construction. And it''s been a long time since we''ve been together, so it''s fun. Because of Lyota, I can go through the dungeon by myself. Thank you. Celeste winking at me, Emily with a smiling face. She thanks them both again and then turns around, this time turning to Eve and Alice. ''You two are bad too,'' ''Rabbits are no problem. We got a lot of fat, hard, sweet stuff from the low levels. "How to say it. Sounds like a fun field trip! Both Eve and Alice told me in their own words that they didn''t care. I''m very ...... grateful. ''''Well, let''s just do it quickly and go home. After we take out one or two of them, we should have enough to know what''s going on. Yes, sir. Emily complied, and all of her friends were in a combat stance. Emily with her trademark giant hammer. Celeste is increasing her magic power while lining up her bicorn horns, which are even more numerous. Alice is summoning all of her fellow monsters into battle-ready status. Eve is chewing on a carrot. ''Let''s go.'' I went towards the shadow that was far away, which I had stocked in advance with restraining bullets, and deliberately ate the attack. The shadow transformed into a shade of me. ''''Nah!'''' Almost at the same time I took a step back, Emily jumped at me, swinging her hammer. At the same time, Eve also put a carrot in her mouth and pounced on it with her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel. Hammer and hand sword, the two vanguards'' attacks hit. I guard, the blast diffuses. ''Go ahead, guys!'' At Alice''s command, Honehone and the other monsters all jumped on me at once. With Emily and Eve swapping places with me, all the monsters beat me to a pulp. In the air, Eve was looking at Emily with a surprised look on her face. I thought she mumbled to herself that she was getting stronger. On the other hand, I''m going to brush away the monsters who were about to make an all-out attack. Then, without a second thought, Celeste''s bicorn horn shot and "Inferno Heat Floor! A great magic burst forth. The ground of the dungeon was widely engulfed in flames, and the temperature of the entire area rose. There was no escape at all, it was a relentless great magic. The wave of my friends'' attacks pushed me to the ground. The last time it was Emily and Celeste, it was like a back-and-forth turn-based system, but this time it was completely pushed by me. Everyone''s attacks were cutting down on my strength. But there comes a time when any strong wave is cut off. This time especially so. As Eve looked at Emily, in a sense, it was all about a showcase for her friends to show themselves stronger, an impromptu collaboration. The linkage itself is easy to break. ''Repetition.'' When I saw that I was going to counterattack, I hit the strongest round-robin magic to quickly defeat it. I''m gone, and everyone does a cooldown. And six matsutake mushrooms were dropped. "Oh, six of them means--we did it, Ryota! Yeah. He nodded to Alice. There are five people over here. After they all attacked and took them all down, what dropped was six matsutake mushrooms. ''''This is going to go viral, the party attack. It''s safer, and that''s a good thing. I wish the carrots were like this. My companions each said their impressions. A party of five, a drop for six. I was relieved and satisfied to see that Tennesin had made my proposal come true. Stars. A few days later, one morning. Before I went to Prumbum''s place, Cell paid me a visit. ''What''s going on?'' Cell comes to visit me first thing in the morning. I asked him as I stood in the doorway, having imagined all sorts of bad things. ''Mmm,'' ...... What happened to you? I would like Mr. Sato''s permission to do one thing. My permission? Mm. I''d like to have a Tennessee license issued from the ground floor. Yeah? I nodded my head. Half shrugged, half wondered. "It''s not something I''d allow, but ...... yeah, it might upset Tennysin. Yeah, I''ll take care of that. Thank God. That''s fine, but what the hell happened? It''s too much. What? ''Satou-sama moved and made it a party drop. After word got out, the number of adventurers who wanted to transfer to Tennesin exploded. Explosively ...... how long is it? ''The multiplier for the lottery is ...... ten times as high as it would be at the moment. I can''t even imagine how far it would stretch. ...... I was speechless. I had expected the number to increase, but it was that much more. ''So that''s how you control all levels of licensing and numbers. "Mm. I finally understand the situation. If that''s the case, we need to manage something. Since we''re building a city in a dungeon this time, there is a clearer than usual capacity problem. It''s the part we need to get right. And if we do that, that''s what ...... cell expects. Tennesin''s license will be a platinum ticket, no doubt about it. ''I''m still underestimating the effect of Master Sato''s move, sorry. Cell made an apology that didn''t have to be made. 316.8.3% So we''re going to have to limit access. Tennesin''s room. I explained the cell''s policy to the spirit, Tennesin. The matter of restricting Tennesin''s entry by issuing a license because the number of adventurers flooded in and exceeded the capacity by a comfortable margin. This is commonplace in the human world and adventurer''s industry, but it doesn''t work that way in Tennysin. To be precise, I don''t know if I''m going or not, In fact, after hearing my explanation, Tennesin is looking at me in silence. No, she''s staring at me? Although he''s a man''s twat, Tennesin is a lonely man, and he''s happy to have more people around. I''m worried that it''s not a good idea to restrict Tenesin''s entry to such a place. With that anxiety, I wait patiently for Tenesin''s reaction. ''How long?'' What? How many? Unlike his usual ''bluster and strength'', Tennysin asked in a serious tone. ''''Well ...... we''re talking about 300 to 500 people per floor. Any more than that and you''ll be encroaching too much on the dungeon itself. Too much erosion? ''Monsters have their own biology. If we increase the size of the village any more than we already have, it might not be a good thing. ...... As soon as he hears my explanation, Tenesin goes silent again. I''m not sure what this silence means, but I''m not sure it''s subtle. The silence lasts for about five minutes. ...... hmm. Tennesin sniffed boringly. ''You''ve been licked, haven''t you? I didn''t realize that''s all they thought me and my dungeon were going to get in there. Does that mean there''s more to come in? I know. Don''t f*ck with me. "Well, ...... I''m sorry I got all worked up about it. I didn''t say I was sorry! Tennesin denied my words. Hmmm, which one is this? Do you think the admission restriction is a good thing or an annoyance? I''m not sure. "Uh, hey, Tenesin-- Yeah, no. Tennesin interrupted me mid-sentence with a slightly upturned voice. ''Dude, that woman''s got your strength. "That woman? She''s not a woman, she''s a nihonium! I was pissed at Tennesin. I see, it''s Nihonium that''s holding back the appearance of monsters in the Tennesin dungeon right now, and sure enough, if I say "that woman" here, it might be Nihonium ....... ''Yeah, sorry about that. I''m getting help. Not that way. What? ''Oh my God, I''m annoyed!'' Tennesin scratched his own head, looking annoyed, as he said. ''Listen to people. I said that I''m not trying to cooperate or anything, I said that that woman is helping me.'' I''ll get the power: ...... Yeah. That reminded me. Of my meeting with Nifonium. And the first time we had a conversation in her room. ''You mean the Repetition?'' Indeed, that magic is like something I got from Nihonium. ''What about it--'' I don''t like it. What? I don''t like the smell of that woman holding me back. Haha. ...... That being said, what should I do then? Can we just eliminate the smell ...... repetition? I mean, can you lose it? Well, that''s what you got, isn''t it? You mean this gun?Yeah, it shoots out all kinds of bullets. It''s kind of like magic in a way. And you''re thinking, "What about that? Give it to me! Tennesin took one of the two guns from him. Tenesin looks at the gun licking and fiddling with it, observing the loaded bullets. ''d*mn, this one belongs to that woman too, doesn''t it? Tennesin also swore at special bullets. Sure, most of the special bullets were dropped from the hagremonts from Nihonium. ''The: ......'' I called out to him fearfully. ''Humph.'' Tennesin sniffed as usual, tossed the gun to me and gave it back to me. ''Toto!'' As I hurried to catch it, something else came flying after the gun. I hurriedly caught it too. ''...... bullets?'' In my hand was a bullet I''d never seen before. A new special bullet, the thought of a new special bullet, crossed my mind. This is ...... you? Well, don''t get me wrong. I just happen to have one of those on hand. Yeah. Well, it can''t be a coincidence. This stuff, these bullets. I''m the only person in the world that uses it. You can''t just have it by accident. But since Tennessee insists on it, let''s say so. What is this thing, by the way? Twelve rounds. What? Twelve of those shots would kill any opponent. ...... Yeah. I remembered the "" thing. Tennesin''s - a curse, if you will. The shadow becomes a shadowy object, and if it is defeated 12 times, it gets trapped in the dungeon and can''t get out. That''s the motif of this special bullet. If you shoot it 12 times, you die, that means a fixed percentage damage of 8.33% for each shot. "I don''t need to have it, you use it. Yeah, thanks. But this one. I''ve already remembered the Repetition, which says that if you fire twelve rounds, any opponent will die, but I already remember the Repetition, which says that if you fire a shot, the opponent dies. This bullet - or should I say percentage bullet, this is a degraded version of repetition, isn''t it?I''m thinking. ...... No, no! Nah! ''Yes, yes, yes, yes! What''s wrong with you, man? You''re just all animated. ''Thank you!This will help you a lot, Tennessee! When I noticed the amazing effect of these bullets, I was so excited that I took Tennysin''s hand and buzzed it. Percentage bullets, eleven rounds of ammunition, and then ......? 317. Infinite percentage bullet Night, in the basement of the mansion. While all my friends are gathered in the saloon, I come here alone. I put some sprouts at a distance and wait. After a while, the slime hatches. The cute looking slime finds me and suddenly gets ready for battle. It quickly changed into a nasty face and flew at me while bouncing like a rubber ball. I avoided a body hit and shot a bullet as we passed each other. The slime that was hit by the bullet was blown wide open. It bounced repeatedly to the ground, the last bounce made me regain my stance, spin around in the air, and turn around to face me. The bullets were definitely in, but I''m pinned down. ''I think this might be the first time I''ve ever been in a damage system that didn''t go down in one shot. I muttered and looked at the gun. The slime flew further. Anger, or the will to fight. It rose with a thud and hit me even more fiercely with its body. This time, it held two pistols head-on and fired a series of bullets. Pan-pan-pan-pan--. Bullets struck like a counter. One, two, three bullets--. Together with the first one, when the total number of bullets was twelve, the slime popped!And then it disappeared and dropped a normal round of haglemono. Twelve rounds, Tennysin was right. Percentage bullets, or should I say infinite percentage bullets. A bullet that takes on Tenesin''s 12 Stars and requires 12 rounds to defeat the enemy. Purely speaking, it''s probably one twelfth of a round, or 8.3% percentage damage per round. ''I''d like to see if it''s really a percentage. If it''s true, I can grab all my buddies at ...... Margaret. Eleven shots will cause the enemy to die with less than 10% of their remaining HP. A reliable attack is quite valuable. This time I hatched a Dante Rock using a dandelion. Arsenic''s monster, the one that doesn''t attack at all. I''m not going to be able to get away with it. One ...... two ...... three rounds and so on. And after 11 rounds. ...... It''s hard to tell from the looks of it. Chuckling bitterly, he approaches Dante Rock. While the guy is staring at me, I lightly poke him with my fist. I lightly poke it with my fist as lightly as I can with my force SS. With a light sound, Dantelec cracks. Yeah, you''re on the verge of death. I bring out the Dante Rock again, just to be sure. I hit him with the same force, this time he didn''t go down. I fire 10 (,) percentage rounds and then poke him, he didn''t go down. ''Percentage damage is a given.'' I was pleased with the results of the experiment. Yes, what would happen if I put an enhanced bullet on it and shot it? Besides, what if we use fusion bullets? The properties of the proportional bullet sparked my desire for knowledge and curiosity. I was determined to get this new bullet naked as soon as possible. I worked hard all night to test it. Emily and Celeste watched Ryota''s test from the entrance to the basement, at the top of the stairs, as Emily and Celeste watched him. ''Are you sure?Let me do it. You''ve got his bad bug. ...... Emily laughed bitterly. Her feelings were so mixed that she couldn''t reply right away. ''I stopped when I started living with Yoda,'' ''I know the feeling, he, when you''re into something or doing something for someone else, it''s easy to lose sight of your surroundings. ''Yes, sir. Yoda, you had such amazing dark circles under your eyes back then. Emily used two fingers to indicate the size of the dark circles under her eyes. ''So much,'' They said the bear would have to be gone before it could take off. No, it''s her disposition. Celeste sighed. She was one of the people Ryota had helped. And she''s the oldest person in the Ryota family after Emily. Furthermore, she is always looking at Ryota because of her own thoughts. He knows very well that Ryota is a non-stop, broken-brake locomotive if he gets into it. So Celeste wants to stop Ryota if she can. That''s why he''s trying to get Emily involved. But that Emily. ''I can''t stop it, sir.'' Why? It''s not the same as it used to be, Yoda, he''s not about himself, he''s working hard for everyone else. ...... It wasn''t the first time. Yes, sir. It''s hard to stop Yoda nowadays. These days, spirits need to be able to take care of Yoda-san. ...... Right. I''ll be back in a minute. Emily said, turning herself around and walking down the hallway. ''Where are you going?'' I''m going to make some rice balls and send them to you. Yoda-san wants to, so I''ll help as long as I can without falling down. ...... Let me help you with that. Yes, sir. Celeste caught up with Emily and together they made their way to the kitchen. With the support of his friends'' thoughts, Ryota grew even stronger. 318. Margaret Noon, the outskirts of Cyclo. We dared to come to the empty wilderness. An experiment that went even further than yesterday, an experiment that was even more dangerous. I dared to come here so that my surroundings would not be affected. In front of me was Dungeon Master Bicorn. I paid a million pirouette for a set of 12 bicorn horns. The Bicorn Horn is one of the cheaper Dungeon Master drops, partly because it''s quite weak on its own. I used one of them to hatch and fight the Hagremonos. While dodging attacks, I also dodged the aura of the bicorn''s debuff, and shot the percentage bullets. It''s a test of proportional ammunition. There''s a reason why I chose the bicorn as my opponent. The bullets I fired were hit by an invisible barrier at the end of the horn. Yes, the bicorn has this barrier. It''s this barrier that can be broken by a saturation attack, but it''s quite strong. Despite being hit, I hit it further. ''Three, four, five, six. ......'' I count the number as I type, dodging and hitting. That''s how many I hit. Eventually, when the percentage of bullets played reached 12 - the bicorn fell down. ''It didn''t look like a single shot went through, but it still works? Does it penetrate the barrier?'''' Once more, I hatch the bicorn with the bicorn horn. This time, he fired exactly 11 percentage bullets, driving it to the brink of death, then changed the bullets to normal bullets and fired continuously. Even though it should be dying, the bicorn doesn''t seem to be falling at all, bouncing regular bullets one after another with the barrier. That barrage of normal bullets eventually broke through the bicorn''s barrier, and the bicorn fell with the slightest shot that hit it. I knew it. The percentage of bullets are effective in ignoring the barrier. However, the last shot must penetrate the barrier. Sometimes it happens in games. A character who is dying, but keeps playing with a barrier. There are a lot of enemy patterns that try to kill you, so it''s pretty useful when those are the characters you control. That''s just the way it is. Another thing I''ve learned about the characteristics of percentage bullets. ''Lyota-san. Yeah?Margaret. What''s going on here? It was Margaret who appeared in the wilderness. White armor in the typical princess knight style, a large sword so disproportionate that it dragged. All of her combat abilities were F, and all of her drop statuses were A. Margaret, whom I hadn''t seen in a long time, was as neat and elegant as ever. ''''I''ve been looking for you. The homeowner told us to be outdoors when we went to the mansion. ''Oh, I had some business to attend to. More importantly, what does Margaret want with me?" "She wanted to see Mr. Lyota. That''s it? That''s all. Okay. I was relieved. I knew Margaret was in trouble and I was prepared to do it if she asked me to. I was a little relieved to hear that she wasn''t. Speaking of which, I looked around her. ''Come to think of it, where are those people?'' Is this about Lat, Socha, Pray, or Builder? Margaret called out the four names of the four men in a disciplined manner, as she always did. The four ninja knights who protect Margaret. They are usually invisible, but they appear out of nowhere when she needs them. ''Ah.'' Yeah. Rato, Osha-- After all, Margaret called all the names in a disciplined manner. A moment later, I had an idea in my head and shot an accelerated bullet at myself. Thirty seconds of accelerated world. For those thirty seconds, I can move at super high speed, faster than all the others. Why I did this is because I want to know. How do the four of them manifest themselves in any way? Even if you miss it under normal conditions, if it''s in an accelerated state, it''s ....... ''Poo-raeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee'' Margaret''s voice, which stretches out so much in the accelerated world. Listening to it, I stare intently at it, trying not to miss anything. I''m determined not to miss any of the things that are about to happen. -Oh! I gulped. It was frightening. He should have been gone just before. Beyond and behind Margaret. Four knights who were definitely not there until the last one was called in appeared the next moment. It''s like warp, instantaneous movement. They seemed to appear in an instant, even in an accelerated world. That''s why I didn''t understand anything. "This mystery just keeps getting better and better. I had to sigh. Thirty seconds later, the acceleration was cut off, and I came back (...). Mr. Ryota?What''s wrong? Oh, I''m sorry, it''s nothing. I stood still with my mouth shut because I wasn''t able to talk during the acceleration. To Margaret, I would have looked like I was standing there stunned for thirty seconds. ''I''m sorry I ignored you,'' ''No, I don''t mind watching you do that ...... and watching Mr. Lyota do so, either. Speaking of which, have you changed your fighting style? I look at Margaret and see the four knights. The four of them follow Margaret without losing their posture of being loyal servants. ''Yes, the same as before. ''Ah, but. Rut and Socha are definitely stronger than before, both play and builders. Really? Yeah, you''re just being incredibly helpful. I''m sorry, thank you. The four of them, who hadn''t said anything before, all got down on one knee to Margaret at once. You''re the same as always. They are 100% loyal, and if it were a historical simulation, these four people have the status of never betraying you. But I see. It''s getting stronger. And the Margaret family is becoming more and more active. Thanks to Lat, Socha, Play, and the builders. Hm. ...... Hey, guys, can I ask you one thing about ......? The four of us all glance at Margaret for a moment. I chuckle. ''Listen, Margaret, if I ask them a question,'' ''Of course. What do you want to know, Mr. Lyota? When Margaret said this, the air between the four of us changed. Ask anything and answer anything. The air became that way. ''Every attack will be a percentage. Even if it''s a slime or a dungeon master, what if you can get into a body that you can''t defeat without hitting it exactly 12 times.'''' gladly The four of us answered immediately. Great, great. You understood what I meant right away, which was great. And, even then, your loyalty to Margaret was incredible. "Margaret Tennyson. What? Oh no. I looked at the percentage bullets. Somehow, I had a feeling that this was going to be a better fit for Margaret and her friends than for me. 319. Margaret Tennessine I said goodbye to Margaret and the others for a moment and ran to the Cyclo''s Dungeon Association and Cell''s place on my feet. In order to get the percentage bullets to Margaret and the others and not me, I told Cell about the strategy for doing so and what needed to be done to make it happen, and asked for his help. ''I don''t know,'' That in itself is not an easy thing to do. "But? Is that what you want, Sato-sama? ''Yeah, it would be put to better use if I gave it to Margaret, or more importantly to those four guys who protect her, than I have it. "Hmm. Cell nodded and agreed. ''As expected of you, Satou-sama, even if you''re powerful, you''ll hand it down when necessary. It''s truly the style of a champion.'''' For all intents and purposes, they can handle it better than I can. Those four ninja knights. If we can successfully hand them over to those four, Margaret will be able to be more active than she is now. That''s why we''re attacking Tennesin and helping Cell to do that. So, can you gather the people? I told you I wouldn''t mind. Even if heaven and earth were turned upside down, there is no way I could fail you, Sato-sama. I''m not a carrot. Cell''s mannerisms are well suited to his character, but for a moment, his figure overlapped with that of the talkative Eve. That said. ''Thank you for the help, thank you.'' When is the best time to make a decision? I''d like to give it to you as soon as I can, and when I can get it together. Master Sato doesn''t want to interfere with your daily life, even if it''s ''if possible.'' Well, yes. ''In light of that (), tomorrow after sunset'' Thank you. A cell that not only cooperates, but also takes care of you. All I could do was thank him. The next night, after sunset. After confirming that Nihonium had returned to the mansion with Meeke, I flew with Margaret to Tennysin''s room via the transporter room. Tennysin was surprised to see me bringing Margaret with me. I opened up. ''I''ve come up with a way to get more people in,'' f*ck off! Tennesin yelled at me. Meanwhile, he brought out a table and brought out a black ball watermelon that he had carved with the power of a spirit. What he''s doing is in hospitality mode while trying to talk me out of it. The first time she met this tsundere lonely person, Margaret was puzzled and looked at me as if she wanted me to save her. It''s a waste of the watermelon that was offered to us, so let''s eat it. Alright? Hm!It''s a pain in the ass to clean up, so why don''t you just eat the rest of it, a**h*le. He''s still foul-mouthed, and he''s still a twat. I recommended watermelon to Margaret, while I spoke up between the watermelon and the story - it didn''t have to end, but just in case it did, I spoke up. ''I''d like to introduce you to. Princess Margaret. She''s the most popular person in the outside world. Popular? ''Oh, how popular you are: ......'' I took out Margaret''s air box, which I had prepared. As far as "stuff" goes, it''s a box of air, that''s all. Margaret''s figure is labeled and attached to the box. That''s all there is to it. He opened it and showed it to Tennysin. ''There''s nothing in it. There was air in it. ''What?You''re making fun of me! I''ve been yelled at a lot by Tennysin in the past, but I thought that this one deserved to be yelled at the most. I opened the "it looks like" box and there was nothing, no air in it. If I didn''t know what was going on, even I would have been pissed off. I explained calmly, because I could understand that reaction as a matter of course, so I explained. ''No, no, no. This is an item that automatically takes the dropped item and prints the face of the dropper on the label. Like this, for example. I pulled out another box. My face was on the label, and when I opened it-- ''These must be Lyota''s matsutakes.'' Yeah, don''t talk like that. ? Margaret cocks her head, while I can feel the killing spirit from the empty space. It''s like four ninja knights are following me, as if it''s obvious. What do you want the princess to say. I thought I heard a voice from the killing air. I felt a dull cold sweat running down my back as I proceeded to talk to Tennysin. ''You know what I mean, don''t you?He said this is the one I dropped. Yeah. As well as this, the air Margaret dropped can be sold for more than just Margaret''s air--more than your dungeon drops, frankly. Stop screwing around! Tennysin slams the table and stands up in a rush. ''Yeah, that''s another correct reaction. It''s true. That''s how popular she is. ...... Tennesin looked at Margaret with suspicious eyes. She still has a look on her face that says, "I''m still skeptical. After a moment, Tennysin looked a little calmer and asked me. ''If this guy is so popular, so what?'' What''s a rare monster? ''What?The one that only lets you out in the dungeon every once in a while ()? ''Yeah, not normal, not a dungeon master, a rare monster.'' What about it? ''Can''t you make it look like her?And of course, don''t lock her in the dungeon. So this is it. Tennesin stared at me for a bit, then panned, clapped his hands and called out the monster. It''s a pseudo-Margaret, looking exactly like Margaret. ''Yes, that''s it. I''d like to have this in the dungeon every once in a while. How is this even possible to get people to come over here? Are you still not sure? What? What are you talking about?Tennysin makes a face, "I''m sorry. But right after that-- This is ...... crawling in. These guys are queuing up and stuff. They''re all very well behaved and disgusting! I think you''ve figured it out. And the cell seems to have done it right. I asked Cell for a demonstration - a sort of advance event. A Tennessee dungeon where you can interact with a rare monster, Margaret, who is also a rare monster. We advertised it and gathered fans of Margaret. I only had one day to advertise it - well, about half a day. Still, it attracted a lot of people. A lot of them, to the chagrin of Tenesin, it seems. "Hey, it''s over 10,000, and it''s still going to grow: ...... How many people are going to come, you son of a b*tc*! Tennysin yells at me. His face was the biggest grin I''ve ever seen on his face. ''This is what she attracts,'' ............ Tennesin grinned and stared at Margaret silently. Margaret pulled back a bit. Yeah, I know. I know, but Tennysin''s grin just means there are a lot of people entering. ''You can tell if it''s true by putting this in front of the people who come in. Hmph!I''m not going to do anything you say. As he said this, the Margaret-like figure in front of him disappeared. ''Cheers ...... why are you all worshipping, dude!And he''s starting to form his own line, man! And it seems to have properly put Margaret Doubleday in front of her fans in the dungeon. By the way, Margaret Doubleday is weak. She''s level 99, and even if she''s canned, she''s still at full ability F. She''s probably weak even if she reaches her talent limit in the Tennessee Dungeon''s Mokoku. The proof of this is that the cell that asked her to escort the fans and told her to let me know right away if anything happened has not said anything. She would be the perfect opponent for the fans to "pay a visit" to. Now you know how popular she is and how much of a crowd she attracts, right? Yeah, that''s a real thing. I can give you more of this. Hmph. There''ll be more humans if we do that. Tennysin glanced at me, whether he was being stubborn or turned away. I took out a proportional bullet and showed it to him. ''Here.'' That''s what you did to yourself. "Give the power to her, not to me. It''s for her, not me. You can name the dungeon, with a genie. The rare monster is a Margaret Pseudo, but if she herself becomes Margaret Tennesin with the powers of a dungeon and a genie, the Margaret Pseudo becomes real. That''s what idols and idols are for. In fact, it''s not completely real, it''s more like "90% real" or something like that, and there''s even the possibility that you could meet her more comfortably than the real thing. With that thought in mind, I further persuade Tennysin. ''If you do that, more of her fans will come. More to come: ...... Yeah, more than that. More ....... Me, who assures him, Tenesin who murmurs. Tenesin finds herself completely enthralled by the future I''ve shown her. 320. Top monopoly Oh, well, that''s just what I''m talking about. The mansion at night, inside the saloon. Neptune, who came to visit (Lil and Ran, who are following me as a matter of course, by the way), said that at the opening, with a deep sense of emotion. ''I didn''t realize it would be so great if I backed off. I should have swung the conversation to you from the beginning. ''Don''t come in here out of the blue and talk about something you don''t know the context for. What are you talking about? ''Huh?Didn''t Cell tell you that? So it has something to do with Tennessee. Neptune nodded. ''''It''s only reference data before it goes live, but since you''re doing all this stuff, you have an idea of how many adventurers will be in the dungeon when it actually goes live. Yeah, I''m rather trying to manage it. ''So, just for reference, we had the highest number of daily visitors per tier for all dungeons. Oh. I was irresistibly happy. Not only was I happy that what I had done was the result of what I had done, but I was also happy that I was able to make Tennysin''s wish for people to come to me come true. And that. ''A break, I suppose.'' That''s also what it means. We''ve done this and that, but I think that''s it for Tennessee now. But now we''ve got a sweep of the top three. What are you talking about, dominating the top three? ''I''m talking about that tier-by-tier admission number you just mentioned. Number one is Tennessee. Yeah. ''Second place is Arsenic, third place is Aulum. What do these have in common? Neptune smiled. ''...... dungeons I''ve done a lot of stuff in, huh?'' Beanpawn... You are so right. I didn''t know that was going to happen. Tennesin did a lot of work on this one. Arsenic wasn''t technically me, but thanks to Emily, it became a popular dungeon by becoming a constant mooncrop and joining the ranks of popular dungeons. Aulum was the first spirit that was there, and I put an entry time limit or something like that, but it did the opposite and increased the number of adventurers. ''''By the way, the lowest ranked one is also yours. ...... nihonium and phosphorus. When I heard the bottom line, I quickly associated it with "0 people" and the names of those two dungeons came up. Nihonium originally had no drops, and now no monsters due to the long absence of the spirit Nihonium. Fosforus said the direct drop of cash wasn''t good, so I took Fosforus out of the dungeon and made him monster-free after all. "So that''s it. You''ve got all the upper and lower levels involved. That''s amazing. That''s just the way it turned out ...... and that''s fine. Are you sure? Those two are staring at me like crazy. I pointed out, and Neptune laughed, "Haha. Lil and Ran are behind him as a matter of course. Lil looks like he''s looking at his parent''s enemy, while Ran is slightly more adorably puffed up. ''Don''t worry, it''s just backhanded.'' Do you hate me for this? Yeah, until your rise to prominence, the top two were Oxydin and Hydrogen. Oh H2O. Neptune Oxydin. Lil'' Hydrogen. Run Hydrogen. The three guys in front of me, also with spirits, probably did the same thing I did in the two dungeons of Oxydin and Hydrogen, and made more adventurers out of them. That''s why it was bursting at the seams, and that''s why Lil and Ran are buzzing. A few more years and the top 10 will be filled with the dungeons you control, and then the 24th position will be filled with dungeons that have nothing to do with you. A smiling Neptune, it sounded like it would be fun to do so. I wish it would be, too, I thought for a minute. Aulum, Prumbum, Tennesin, and Nihonium ....... The spirits all have some unrelieved thoughts, and they''re all alone in that spirit''s room, holding it in. That''s what it''s all about, getting rid of it - no, it''s a release. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to do that. 321. Tsundere Oh my God, oh my God, Mr. Lyota! It was near noon, and when I returned from Plumbum''s place, Elsa ran up to me as I came out of the transporter room. Although she says it''s hard work, she doesn''t look impatient or anything at all. She looks rather happy. ''What''s wrong, Elsa, you''re in such a hurry. ''I just received a call from the head of the association and he wants Mr Lyota to come over immediately. Me? And soon? I don''t know what he''s doing here ...... no. No. "If you''re having a hard time, does Elsa listen to you? Yes! Hoonsu!Elsa sniffs with the momentum of "I don''t know what to do. It''s the face you make when you want to talk about something and touch around. It doesn''t seem to be the impatient type of "hard work" after all. It''s like Tennessee''s hierarchy has been increased! The hierarchy? ''Yes!It''s like they''ve added another floor above the top floor we''ve been on. Yeah. I had only been in this world for about a year and a half, and I still didn''t understand how amazing that was. It''s almost unheard of. The top floor of the Tennesin dungeon. With the power of Nifonium at stake, there are no monsters here. And since it''s a newly created level, there are no carpenters from Tennesin Construction or anything like that. Maybe that''s why I feel strangely excited, just like when I was a child and hid in an abandoned building during construction. I was alone with Cell on such a completely uninhabited floor when he said with a tremendous, straight face, the most straight face I''ve ever seen. ''Unheard of?'' ''It''s about adding more layers of dungeons in this way,'' Don''t you? If you had, you wouldn''t have had to deal with Master Sato when Seren was in office. Seren Dungeon. There are ten levels in total, half of which drop vegetables and half of which drop meat. There was a dispute over ownership of the dungeon between the two cities, and I was sent to help. If there''s a way to increase the number of tiers, make it odd, and then vote with a majority, I wouldn''t have had a chance. Incidentally, I didn''t think anything of it at the time, but half meat and half vegetables reminded me of the term "two swords" after meeting that Seren in person. It''s just an evil complication and, well, I digress. ''I guess it''s all thanks to Satou-sama. I didn''t do anything. ''I need to talk to the genie once. Then we can see how it really is. He''s not exactly a straight shooter. Tennesin is a tsundere, and it''s a pretty obvious, legitimate tsundere. I wondered who would benefit from a man''s tsundere, but the adventurers of this world are getting a mess out of it. ''I''m going to be able to tell the difference between serious and shy. If the other person has feelings and we''re having a conversation. Cell, who just plainly says it. He always calls me an idiot, but I''m surprised he''s not more impressed with Cell. "If this place is permanent, I''ll have them start building right away. Cell is like that, eyes looking around the dungeon as if to price it out, but the words are directed at me. ''Okay, I''ll go check it out.'' It''s possible that I added a little more on a whim, so I had to confirm that with Tennysin himself first. I don''t know about that. When I listened to the story, I got the promised response from Tennysin. The irony, or rather the basics, of how to deal with a tsundere. The first word is a basic embarrassment and not a real one. So I asked more. ''Even if you say you don''t know, you''re actually getting one more floor. ''I don''t know what I don''t know. There were more before I knew it. Hmm. Hmm. Unlike usual, there was no delineation after the twang. Could it be that he really doesn''t know? Even though he''s a spirit, he doesn''t have complete control over the dungeon and his powers. He can do most things, but there are some things he can''t control. Like Arsenic, who is on the verge of starving to death, or Nihonium, who can''t get a drop out and takes a path to the others. I wonder if that''s what this one from Tennesin is about too. ''Right, okay. I''m sorry to hear that''s so weird. As long as he says he doesn''t understand, we''ll have to wait and see about the increased top floor for a while. It''s a waste of time, but Cell will understand and can put up with not doing anything. First of all, I tried to talk to Cell about it, and was about to return to the mansion at the transfer gate. Then. ''Hey, take this.'' Tennesin called out to me and offered me a black jade watermelon. ''What''s the matter with this?'' A leftover. Leftovers. Hm, I have more than enough to sell. Very much so. I''m talking about Tennesin, who let me bring him a watermelon as a gift in return for me coming to visit, that''s about it. There''s no mistake there, no matter how much of a tsundere he is, I''ve gotten a general idea of his character. At that moment, I accepted the watermelon, thinking that I would take it and make it into a design for after dinner. I felt a strange sensation on my fingertips as I held the watermelon. Ditch ......?I thought and flipped the watermelon around in a circle. Thanks. There was a pattern on the surface of the watermelon that looked like a letter. A clear thank you, and I look at Tennysin in surprise. ''......'' Tennesin looked right at him "for some reason". This watermelon: ...... It''s a handle. No, I haven''t even mentioned the pattern yet, but let''s go through that part. "Pattern? You''re an idiot. A watermelon with a handle. No, but there''s a pattern that could be written like this. It happens occasionally. It happens sometimes. It happens once in a while. If you drop 100,000,000 of them, it''ll be at least one. Tennesin was upset with me. You can''t argue that a cat like that could write Shakespeare on a keyboard. It was like Tenesin. It was very Tenesin. "And you know what? Yeah? I don''t want any more humans on this floor, because they''re a pain in the ass. Am I not allowed in? Yeah, don''t let him in. I promise. ...... Got it. I wondered what the chow club system was, but I didn''t go into it in depth because it''s also typical of Tennesin. He replied that he could eventually use it, Tennesin, and I''d have to fix my report to the cell. ''We will. Oh, yeah. I said as I remembered. The number of dungeon admissions Neptune told me about, and what I came up with based on the dungeon mentality that was at the top of the list. Probably the last piece of advice I would give to Tennysin. ''If there are too many people and it gets annoying,'' I''m always hyperventilating. The spinal reflex tsundere smiled through. ''You could adjust the drop by the number of people.'' Drop in numbers? ''The more drops, the more people want to come to the dungeon, and the fewer people, the fewer people. That''s what being an adventurer is all about. Some places are always mooncrawling - is that a word that goes along with spirits?Once the drops doubled all the time, we had more people. "...... Hmmm, I''ll cut it down when the humans are on a roll. It''s a good idea. It probably won''t decrease. In fact, it will probably increase in some cases. There will be more drops, and that will lead to more people entering the village illegally(,) too. It''s not something we can completely crack down on in that area, and since Tennesin will be happy about it, Cell said he''ll turn a blind eye to it to some extent. With that, most of what I could do for Tennesin was done. With that in mind, I was about to return to the mansion from the gate. ''Hey,'' Tennesin called out to me. I stop and turn around. Tenesin stares at me, but he doesn''t say anything. He wants to say something, but he won''t. Is there something else you''re worried about or something you need to worry about?So.... Oh, thank you. ............ Huh? I was getting comfortable with Tennesin and I thought I had been rewarded with a watermelon. It was the best thank you I''ve ever received, and I was taken by surprise and amused. 322. Amulet address Telldungeon, a resting place. A place of rest within the dungeon, set up on most levels of most dungeons when Cell Stem, a follower of Ryota, entered Cyclo. If you rested for a little while, you could recover and still be able to go on, and if you could rest in the dungeon rather than returning to the city once, it would be more efficient to see the whole thing through. There are more than a few cases like that, and this place was created to meet that demand. Many adventurers had gathered there today, as well, looking for a temporary respite. ''Hey Cruise!'' Suddenly, a man''s voice echoed inside the rest stop. The man is first generation, but a muscular warrior, he looks like a brave man of the past. The man was standing in human form, looking down at a young man who was sleeping on a bed in the rest stop - a rather fine bed to recover his strength. The young man, called Cruz, opened his eyes in disgust and sat up. ''What is it, Mr. Glenn?'' "Hey, come on in here and join the conversation, instead of sleeping. What''s the strategy? No, I''m not. I''m just making small talk. ...... Sorry, I''m really tired, let me rest. I''m exhausted after being hit with three big magic shots today. Cruz told Glenn, resisting the urge to sigh. If you look closely, you can see the dark circles under his eyes. MP has different properties than HP. If you had 100 MP, quantified, you could use a simple magic with a consumption of 1 100 times without any problems. However, if you can shoot 50 big magic twice, that''s not always the case. Magic power is distributed evenly throughout the body. If you use half of the upper limit at once, it will take a long time to gather up the rest. Celeste, who knows magic well, explained this phenomenon to Ryota like this. If you ate the jelly with a straw, you could easily suck up half of it at the first bite, but if you tried to eat all the other half at the second bite, it would often be difficult to suck it up because it would be scattered all over the place. I told him that if he divided it into a hundred portions, he could suck it out little by little with no problem. Incidentally, Ryota agreed with that and annoyed Celeste by saying, "That thing that heats up dry batteries and squeezes out the rest?" - that''s an aside. Cruise has used a large magic that consumes a lot of MP three times and is now resting his body in order to be able to use the remaining MP. ''''You should at least let me rest when I''m at the rest stop. What''s the matter with you, you talk to your party during breaks to communicate with them, that''s the basic principle of being an adventurer. "Yeah? ''We''re a party that''s selling ourselves at home. Come on, it''s a good time to talk. ''No, seriously, I hope you don''t: ...... He pulled me by the hand and lowered me off the bed. Cruz was dizzy on his feet and it was all he could do to hold on to keep from falling. ''Are you okay?'' Another man resting on the bed next to me became concerned. ''Oh, oh,'' Cruz replied live. It''s honestly hard, I''m so dazed and foggy in my head that I can''t even respond properly when I''m suddenly on my feet. When the man saw this, he sat up, stood up, and spoke to Glenn. You''re a wizard, right?Give him a break. Stay out of my people''s parties, brother. Glenn replied with a half-smile. ''I''m saying this with good intentions. Is it bad to try to fit in too quickly to a party, hmm? ...... The man didn''t answer, but turned his dumbfounded eyes to Glenn as hard as he could. After a few moments, the dizziness subsided and his eyes gradually came into focus as he said to Cruz, "You''re a wizard, aren''t you? ''You''re a wizard, aren''t you? Then I''ve got some good magic words for you. The magic word? ''Yeah, you can talk to yourself, or you can say. ''I''ll talk to Lyota Sato about it.'' ......? Nah! Cruz nods his head, saying he doesn''t know what it means, while Glenn is so surprised that he croaks. ''What does that mean?'' Just tweet it. Hey, relax, cruise. What? But I''m going out after break, okay? ''Oh, ah, ......'' He leaves in a hurry and goes back to his party mates who continue to chat. Cruz still looks like he doesn''t quite get it. ''Hey, wasn''t that the magic word?'' "I don''t know about you, but thank you for ....... Cruz thanked him and then told him to just get some rest and plopped down on the bed again. A tellurian rest stop, that ordinary day in the life of a tellurian rest stop. The staff at the rest stop watched it all in part. Hmm?Hmm?Hmmm? After the Tennesin one was taken care of, I came to Tellurian for the first time in a long time and decided to make some money, and I found a sight that caught my attention. Almost all of the adventurer''s magic carts have something on them. It''s every magic cart I''ve seen since a while ago, and I''m 100% sure it''s stuck on. I got up close and personal with an adventurer''s magic cart that was passing by. I felt a little nostalgic. The magnets that are often stuck on refrigerators and other things with the contact information for contractors to contact in case of plumbing or air conditioning work or something like that. Similar to that one that adventurers put on their magic carts. The content of the magnet is a map, a cyclo map, marked with a huge mark in one place. The location of the marker is our residence. What''s going on? "Amulet. Wow! Eve suddenly spoke to me from behind. ''Don''t talk to me out of the blue, I''ll be surprised. Okay, next time I call out to you, I''ll greet you with a carrot. What do you mean, "Greetings with a carrot? ''I''m going to exhale a carrot crappy breath from behind. That answer is too unexpected! I''d be happy to share my breath with you. If you''re going to share, you should share more! A big shove and then we''ll get back to the story What''s the amulet you mean by that? What we''ve been handing out at the rest stop lately, where to go if you need help. What''s that place you''re talking about, the house you live in? When you''re unreasonable, you can talk to the low level. ...... Oh. I see. It''s like a little story that''s been around for a while now, and it''s just the way it was formed. "A low-level address is a wardrobe malfunction. You''re the next best thing to a carrot. It''s like I didn''t know it was going to be interesting. 323. Newborn, Nihonium It was during the evening, after all my friends had gone back to their rooms. I''m on my way back to my room after getting out of the bath, and I walk by the salon and find Nifonium alone. She''s all alone, looking out the window. She''s sorrowful despite her back. ''What''s the matter,'' I walked into the salon, calling out to him. ''Lyota-san: ......'' You don''t look so happy. What''s going on with you? I was thinking about ...... Tennessee. After a pause of a breath or so, Nihonium answers. ''Tennesin?'' I''ve heard it''s great that you''re here. ''I''m being tsundere, though. Today I received another year''s worth of foie gras, ''It''s not like I''m thanking you or anything. I don''t know how it was calculated to be for a year. The only thing that doesn''t bother me about getting a year''s worth of anything at once is the mirror cakes, so both I, who received quite a bit of foie gras at once, and Emily, who actually cooks it, were in trouble. Still, they look happy. Thank you, ....... What? ''Thanks to Nihonium. If it wasn''t for you, I might not have been able to give Tennysin what he wanted. ...... ''It took the form of Margaret Tennysin, but it''s really so much better to be Nikhonium Tennysin. I swallowed the words, "That would be a recitation of the periodic table, though," deep in my throat. ''Will you do that to me?'' I will. I would if Aulum hadn''t stopped me now. You can''t go to ....... Nihonium smiled sadly. A smile like that, like he was mocking himself. ''Why?'' "While I was stopping the Tenesin monster, I thought about a lot of things, and I realized... ...... "I want people to suffer. I want them to suffer. And I''m sure that won''t change, no matter what. As he says it, Nihonium is slowly slumping down. Maybe he meant it, and I hate myself for thinking that. That''s what it looked like. ...... For example, what happens if you try to make me suffer? What? ''Let''s try it. I can change the dungeon to some extent by myself, can''t I? Then I''ll come in from the ground floor and we''ll try to make it harder for me. Aren''t you going to tell me to stop? I''ll get the girl. He said this, staring straight back at the curious Nifonium. Immediately after that, his expression changed, and he looked droll. ''There''s a last minute example, when we actually get into the dungeon, you might get a serviceable point for being a tsundere. Not really. I''m sorry to hear that. But even if it is, you know. "If so? Me first. You first? If I''m the one being tormented, I have no problem with that. ...... I shrug my shoulders and say in a frightening way. Nihonium looks at me for a moment, then. ''I don''t know what''s going to happen,'' I said, "I don''t care if I''m the only one who can suffer". Incidentally, his statement that "it wouldn''t matter if I was the only one who could be tormented," was angered by Emily, who happened to be passing by and sentenced him to a make-believe sentence. The next morning, the first floor of Nihonium. I followed Nihonium back to the dungeon first, and I didn''t go into the transporter room, but out the front door and out of the city, entering the dungeon through the proper entrance. ''Mmm,'' The air was different. Not the familiar nihonium air I was used to, different from the last time I was here. And my body was heavy. He opened and closed his hands and jerked them open and closed. I tried to figure out what the discomfort I was feeling in my body was. Punches, too late. I would do a boxing shadow, my movements were slow. He pulled out two pistols in a flash - and released them. ''There''s no .......'' I didn''t have two guns that had become so familiar to me that they had become my buddy and were no longer a part of my body. No, it wasn''t just the two guns. There were no bullets, either. There was no absolute rock and all the other equipment, either. Unarmed. There were none of the weapons or items I normally carry with me. ...... hello. Once I had my mind made up, I went outside. I had just entered, but I was soon outside the dungeon. The discomfort in my body was gone. Shush!He punched so fast that he couldn''t see, and when he moved as fast as he could, an afterimage formed. The two pistols, bullets, and other equipment were back before I knew it. ''A dungeon that initializes both abilities and items, or ......'' I know a lot of people who are like that. As Nihonium declared, though, he''s going to suffer so much that "I don''t know what''s going to happen. That''s worthwhile. I stepped into the dungeon once more. 324. Nihonium recapture Unarmed, I proceeded through the familiar Nifonium. It''s a limestone dungeon that should look familiar, but it''s more frightening than before, if it''s my imagination. There''s an ominous air in the air. ''Maybe it''s because my abilities have gone down. I think I was like this when my boss ordered me to come to work in spite of having the flu in the past. I didn''t like it because I was weak, even though the environment was the same as usual. ''Oh,'' I winced. A little further on, there was a now-board that wasn''t on the original Nihonium. He approached it and operated it with a familiar hand. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Then I got a status that I missed very much. It''s the status I had right after I met Emily, right before I came to Nihonium. Her abilities are all F, but her drop is all S. It was a very nostalgic feeling. ''''I see.'''' The question is, is this only in this nihonium or is it also true when you leave the dungeon? I just checked that. Currently, it''s the former. By the way, if it''s the latter - if it resets your abilities, that is, if it resets them back to normal after entering a dungeon, that''s something to use. Window Cutter. I used a magic I learned from the magic fruit that I don''t usually use. It''s a magic that can shoot one anyway, even if the MP is F. It didn''t activate. It''s a literal reset, and it looks like the magic fruit is reset too. If this is the case after you leave the dungeon, I''m sure there are plenty of adventurers who want to enter the dungeon. The magic fruit mess from a level canst, and the nihonium reset from failing to do so. In a world where 99.99% of adventurers are level-canned, the value of the experience is pretty low. If you can reset the magic fruit, there are plenty of adventurers who would be willing to start over at level 1 to get here. ...... at this point. Nihonium isn''t the Nihonium it once was, it''s going to be the adventurer that could be needed. I thought about that, but I decided to wait and see what happened. I left the Nowboard and walked around the dungeon. In a familiar place, another familiar monster appeared. It was a skeleton, a humanoid skull in clothes. I had eyes with the skeleton, no eyeballs on the other side, but I could clearly see it''s eyes. It was coming at me. It wobbled closer - and then it accelerated tremendously and stepped in an instant. The acceleration was far more intense than the skeleton I knew. I immediately flew right to the side to avoid it, but the white bones of my fingers gouged my side. Landing, blood spurted out at the same time. My side is burning hot, the feeling of heavy damage for the first time in a long time. First of all, let''s get some distance, when the skeleton is some distance away, its movements slow down and it goes into wandering mode--. ''''--Kuch! He grunted and jumped further away. Even though I was far enough away that I would normally start wandering around, the skeleton didn''t stop at all and came even closer. I was taken by surprise, and this time fresh blood flowed down my cheeks with a peck. The pattern of movement is different. It looks like the skeleton I know so well, but its movement pattern is completely different. "An experienced killer? I said as if to spit it out and try to get further away from him. But the skeleton doesn''t let up on its attacks and attacks even more. It''s moving much faster than I am. I have nothing now. My abilities are lousy, and I don''t have any guns, magic, or the various items I''ve collected over time. It''s just like the first time I came to Nihonium - no. Back then, we had a bamboo spear. Now we don''t even have that. The situation is even worse than the first time I came here. I didn''t think it was a good idea. It''s true that I have no abilities, no weapons or items. Instead, we have experience. It''s as if I''ve accumulated experience for this day. I''ve been trying to find ways to beat it and move it, even when I was able to do brain-dead laps, and I didn''t lie down. That experience is still there, my brain can remember. A skeleton that attacked me three times. This time I didn''t take the distance, rather I stepped in from this side. I ducked out of the skeleton''s sharp attacks with a single layer of skin, then ducked into his pocket and tackled him. Skeleton fell backwards with my weight and momentum. I took another step before he fell over. I take another step from being tackled to my waist and press down on the skeleton''s head - the skull - with both hands. As it is, I add my weight to the momentum of falling backwards. Veki!Mekhi Mekhi! With his weight, he crushed the skeleton''s head against the ground, crushing it. The movement has changed, but the hardness, or HP, doesn''t seem to have changed. The skeleton, whose skull was crushed into pieces, stopped moving again. After a while, he dropped 10 seeds, all at once. 325. Level down ticket I took the seed that appeared. -- Maximum HP has been raised by 1. It''s been a long time since I''ve heard an ability increase announcement. It was also heard for a number of minutes, exactly ten times. The feeling of a little strength in my body is the same as before. The only difference was that the drop was 10 at once. I don''t know what that means. Let''s get one down. He walked carefully through the dungeon, looking for the skeleton. Then the ceiling of the dungeon popped open and a skeleton emerged from it. A surprise attack. The occasional monster attack. I tried to deal with it, but--. "--Okay!My body can''t keep up! With the ability down to all F, your body can''t keep up with your senses and it''s hard to intercept. Fortunately, I was able to notice the surprise attack early, then I''ll have to guard well and then fight back. My HP has gone up by 10, if it''s a blow, I''ll be fine if I guard it well. With that in mind, I crossed my arms and guarded against the skeleton''s sharp bone attack. --The maximum HP has been raised by 1. ''''----! It took my breath away, I was surprised as hard as I could be. The only reason I didn''t panic was because somewhere in my head I knew this might happen. Nifonium had declared that he was going to make me suffer, then he might as well raise it and then drop it. That''s what I thought, so I didn''t panic. I''m inching down with my guard up. It dropped in speed, so it dropped at a normal speed. And humans are far slower to go down than they are to go forward. The skeleton caught up with me and took another hit. --My maximum HP has been raised by one. You can''t keep going like this, take three steps forward, two steps back. I take a deep breath and focus. I used my increased concentration to assess the skeletons that were chasing me, and countered with a dodge. I hit him, but the skeleton didn''t fall. ''''d*mn!'''' Swearing, I held the skeleton in my arms as it was and twisted it, putting all my weight on its neck. There was a loud thud, and I managed to knock the skeleton over. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. So the number isn''t fixed separately?'''' It''s a lot, though. Raise your max HP by another 7 and proceed through the dungeon. Every time you kill a monster, more seeds drop, but they drop when you get attacked. I went back to the beginning. Don''t take any damage so that your yield will be greater. Instead of going around the dungeon looking for them, I''d hide and look for them, and then take the skeletons down by surprise. In that way, little by little, I gradually increase my maximum HP. ''Six this time--gaha! As I was trying to pick up a dropped seed, I was hit in the head as hard as I could from the side. The impact was enough to blow my whole body off, and my eyes flickered in front of me. Still, I desperately regained my position. Letting go of consciousness in this situation of lowered ability would mean death. I roll with the momentum and get up and brace myself, rolling with a colossal roll to get some distance between us. ''That''s ...... different.'' What I could see was a monster that was completely different from the one I had seen before. It was a skeleton, a monster with only bones, a skeleton. It is the same. The clothes that it wears, though tattered, are different for each individual. It is also the same. The difference is the size. The skeleton was only about half the size of a normal skeleton. "It''s not a dungeon master. Rare? I considered fleeing after being hit in the head as hard as I could, but the idea that it might be rare eliminated the option to escape. As I braced myself, I measured the distance between me and the miniature skeleton. Jittery, jittery ....... When I got close to a certain point, the mini-skeleton pounced on me. ''''I can do it!'''' Its speed was about half that of a normal skeleton. After dodging with difficulty, the mini skeleton''s attack split the ground. I caught the Emily-like skeleton as it was and slammed it to the ground with my weight on it. Bones shattered into pieces and the mini-skeleton fell down. And. ''Oh, different one dropped. There were two large seeds that came out, which I had never seen before. They were about the size of a bulb. I picked them up excitedly, wondering what would come out of them. ....... ............. ................... Scene, and so on. Hee-oh-oh, and so on. There was nothing like hearing those sound effects. ''Isn''t that a seed for increased ability? What are you going to use it for? The moment I said I was going to use it, one of the seeds, which hadn''t happened before, soooo melted in the palm of my hand. -- Level has been raised by one. I hear the announcement again. A level lowered? I furrow my brow and move carefully to find the Nowboard. I come back to the first Nowboard I found and check my abilities. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP D MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... His HP had gone up with the money he had earned so far. On the other hand, the level of announcements hadn''t gone down. Well, it couldn''t go down, at 1. I thought I was probably okay, and yet I was relieved to find out that I was okay, properly. When I felt relieved, my whole body became weak. It seems that the battle with my abilities down was more draining than I thought. Let''s call it a day, I thought as I left Nihonium. The sun was still hot outside. It''s time to leave the office on time, or at least go home early. I was about to return to the mansion where my friends were waiting for me, thinking that it would be a good idea to do that once in a while. The seed ......? I noticed another seed left in my hand. A seed as big as a bulb, one that goes down a level. I had it, and I could bring it out without it melting in my palm. ''...... no way,'' I rushed back to the house. When I walked in the front door, I was greeted by Nifornium with Mieke in tow. ''Have you suffered? You didn''t go down a level, so I did, but if I wanted to-- Bad Niftonium-- No, come here. What? Nifongnium gets caught up in my swordplay. She followed me without knowing why. I came to the sub-branch with her in tow, repaying Tsubame''s kindness. "Welcome home, Lyota. You''re early. What''s going on? The swallow-grateful duo of Erza and Ena, who are handling the drops that their friends are transferring to them. I walked up to the girls and handed Elsa the seeds. ''''Is this ......?'''' Touch, or rather, hand it over. What''s going on, Mr. Lyota? I want you to buy this for me. Is it a drop? I''ve never seen this before. What is it? Every time I use it, it lowers my level by one. "...... huh? Elsa and Ena are scowling at my words. "How could I sell such a thing-- Nihonium muttered, half gasping, half mocking himself. ''Well, wait a minute! Elsa, I''m gonna take a run to the head office and ask around. Please. Elsa and Ena begin to move in a hurry, and Nihonium looks at them and scowls. After a while, Ena came back. ''He''s going to buy you out for five million piro. Nihonium became more and more puzzled by these figures, and was stunned, not knowing what had happened. 326. Examine the increase value "What the hell is ......? Nihonium is stunned, with a look on his face that says he just doesn''t understand what has happened. ''''I''m a little surprised too,'''' What? That''s what got us out of the dungeon and into the hands of others. ''Yeah, yeah. I thought I was doing it to make him suffer, and I got it. I see. The dungeon master and the underlying stuff are the same. The dungeon master of Nifonium just exists, and it obliterates not only Nifonium, but the monsters in nearby dungeons as well. It is born from the refraction of Nihonium. It''s hard on me, and you guys suffer. It''s the result of that kind of thinking. And it''s the same with this species. The lower the level, the harder it is, right?That''s how this seed was born. ''Mr Lyota, this is amazing. It''s revolutionary. Elsa and Ena, they said excitedly. ''Yeah, we''ve heard the story(,). It''s going to be a golden play for a while, though. Still, it''s amazing what you''ve been able to do. It''s great that we went from impossible to possible. I nodded. They were absolutely right. ''What the hell does ...... mean?'' Nihonium, on the other hand, still looks like he doesn''t understand what''s going on. ''I''d rather show you how to actually do it than explain it to you. Nihonium, can you get a lot of that stuff out of that thing you just did? ''What?Yes. ...... When Nihonium held out his hand, a large number of level-down seeds appeared. Not to mention, it''s a pile of seeds with a ...... market value of about five hundred million yen, lightly over 100 ...... not to mention counting. ''''The rest is ...... Emily''s right for the job?'''' I''ll get him! Elsa ran off quickly, heading in the direction of the transporter room. A few moments later, she returned with Emily pushing a magic cart. ''What happened?'' ''Sorry Emily, I''m at work. I need your help with something. Yes, sir. I''m at your service, Yoda. Thank you. As a matter of fact, I-- I gave Emily a soft earful. She nodded her head yes and listened. ''All right. That''s in storage.'' All right, let''s see what''s going on. Yes, sir. Emily walked out of the buyout and came right back in. When she returned, Emily had a portable now board in her hand. ''I''ll use it,'' Yeah. Emily checked her abilities on the portable now board. ---1/2--- Level: 40/40 HP A MP F Power A Strength A Intelligence F Spirit F Speed E Dexterous E Luck B --------- ... ''You''re a refreshing power fighter any time you see one. Yes, sir. All right. Now, I''m sorry. You guys wait right here. Yes, sir. I''m looking forward to it. Elsa and Ena sent me off with a smile, as if they could see what I was about to do. Nihonium, on the other hand, who doesn''t understand, has been scowling at me for a while now. ''What are you doing?'' I''ll be right back. I said and left the buyout with the seeds, taking Emily with me. About an hour or so later, me and Emily were back at the buyout place again. I''m home! That smile was a success. Emily smiled more and more as Ena said this. ''Yes Nah!'' It''s time for you to explain yourself. Nihonium has been waiting here for a long time while we were gone. She looked a little sad. ''I''m sorry, just leave me alone. ''Emily,'' Yes! Emily nodded and used the portable now-board she had brought with her again. ---1/2--- Level: 40/40 HP A MP F Power A Strength A Intelligence F Spirit F Speed D Dexterous D Luck A --------- ... Is this one up at ......? Nihonium is surprised, while Elsa and Ena are. ''Congratulations!'' ''That''s great. If this becomes public, it''ll fetch even more than it did earlier. He congratulated Emily with his mouth. ''What do you mean by that?'' What do you know about Sulphur? Yeah. Nihonium nodded. Sarfa is a restricted dungeon that appeared a while ago in Cyclo. One of the main features is that if you go in, you don''t have any weapons or tools, and you have to start over from level 1. It''s been mentioned a few times when my friends and I have been gathering in the salon, and Nihonium has heard about it. ''I''m the one who improved (...) it further. My seed stock is back. The sulphur was still there. I see, I knew you were referring to Sulphur. What about it? ''Yeah, there was some information that came up from an adventurer who joined Sulphur that said there would be a difference in the ability increase when you level up. Makes a difference ......? ''Going back to level one, the levels go up in the dungeon, but often times there is a difference in ability when you get to the same level. I''ve done some testing and found that there''s a subtle difference in the increase with each level up. What about it? If you always pull the maximum upside down, it makes a difference in the strength of the same level cant. Remember what happened to Tennysin last time? ...... original talent limit. A murmuring nihonium, me nodding. ''That''s what I mean. I''m sure there are other factors, but that''s the state we''re in when we level up and always subtract the maximum. And that''s what Emily is now. What? It''s this one. Emily held a different one in each hand and thrust it in front of Nifonium. Her left hand was a leveled down seed of Nihonium and her right hand was a crystal. ''What''s this?'' Experience crystals. I had no use for them until now and they were worth two bucks, so I had a bunch of them in storage. I say, and Emily uses her seeds to lower her level and use the portable now board. ''I''m at level 39,'' Immediately afterwards, I spend the required amount of experience crystals and use the portable now board again. ''''Now it''s up again--oh. Emily, who looked a little troubled, soon found out why. ---1/2--- Level: 40/40 HP A MP F Power A Strength A Intelligence F Spirit F Speed D Dexterous D Luck B --------- ... My luck went down a notch from the limits I''d arrived at after many examinations, and I was back to normal. If I couldn''t pull off a good one like this, I had to start over. Emily had to do it a few more times, and on the fifth time, she was able to pull a lucky A again. ''I can do this: ......'' Yes, I can. I stared straight at Nifonium. ''What you lower is rather pleasing to the eye, depending on how you use it. Nihonium''s eyes snapped open in disbelief. 327. 0 magic has been lost The next day. Nihonium - or let''s call it the back Nihonium, because it''s changed a lot from before and it''s different in nature. I came to the basement second floor of that back Nifonium. It was yesterday, and the Nifonium was shaking. Normally, it''s a "possibility opened up" story, but Nifonium was clearly upset about it. He tried to follow up, but when he got home, Aulum told him to "leave it to me," as he had done the other day, so he decided to leave it to him. I decided to leave Nihonium to Aulum for now and I decided to proceed with the attack on the back Nihonium today. I entered the dungeon and went around in circles on the first floor. There were no repetitions, so I fought carefully to get my HP up to C and then went downstairs. Safety first. I wandered near the stairs that connected the first and second floors so I could get away quickly. I encountered a zombie, coming from the other side. The encountered zombies look a little different than before. The tattered clothes, wounds here and there, and the rotting body are still the same, but the eyes are glowing red and bewitching. ''''d*mn!'''' Avoiding zombie attacks. His movements have changed from before, he''s just more agile. They aren''t super-accelerated like Red Skelton. Whereas the previous zombies were wandering around wobbling "uh-oh", the current zombies are just as agile. If you fight with the previous senses, the zombies that approach and attack with agility are likely to eat a painful counterattack. I took a step back, took a deep breath and regained my composure. The zombie chased after me. It''s like a boxer or wrestler in the ring, moving in an incremental way, but with agility. The first move is a preemptive strike. I lowered myself and rushed forward, tackling the zombie at the waist. I tangle with the zombie and try to mount it in a move I''ve simulated in my mind. The zombie fights back, agilely moving his neck to bite me. I avoided the bite by holding my shoulder as I''m mounted. There was a sharp rock on the ground beside me. Originally, the interior of Nihonium was a stalactite-like cave, with lots of sharp, barred and pillar-shaped rocks. I hadn''t used it before, but I snapped one of them off, grabbed it with both hands and swung it down on the zombie''s head. Slamming, smashing, and gunning down. Over and over and over and over and over and over and over. Anyway, he slammed down on the zombie''s head. ''''Haha ...... haha ......'''' My breath caught and my hands stopped. The zombie''s head goes into a state of being worse than mincemeat, and it stops moving. I get up and away from my mount. The zombie disappears and a bunch of seeds drop. --Power raised by 1. I heard the announcement nearly ten times in a row. Okay, next. Back Nifonium, where all of the abilities revert back to F. Even so, it would be a lot easier if HP and strength were raised. For that, first - and I continued to hang out near the stairs. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP C MP F Power C Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... Okay. I checked my abilities on the portable now board and gave a small gut punch. The zombies came just in time. The red-eyed zombie approached agilely, counter-punching as it bit me. The nose was crushed, the few remaining teeth were blown out, and the head itself was shattered. As expected, it gets easier once the power rises to a certain level. I can now take down zombies with my fists, too, instead of crushing them with stalactites or something. Now that my abilities are at a normal level to fight, I decided to start attacking them. I went from leveling up, hanging out in circles near the stairs, to exploring the basement second floor with a bit of an expedition. The goal wasn''t to raise my abilities, even if I did, I''d reset it when I went back in anyway. I avoided useless combat and focused on exploring the dungeon. I wandered around and only fought when I had no choice but to fight. Then, an hour later. ''There you are.'' I found a different kind of zombie than before. Same red eyes, but smaller. The skeleton on the ground floor, a child-sized zombie just like the skeleton that dropped the level-down seeds. They look the same, with the same red eyes--. Fast! Their agility is more than your average red-eyed zombie. It''s also the same with Red Skelton that''s different and faster. Red skeletons move at super speed anyway. On the other hand, the red-eyed zombies here are just as agile. The comical action is reminiscent of the world''s biggest stars that made it to Hollywood from Hong Kong. They''re fast, but if you look closely, you''ll see that they''re human-level agile. The mini red-eyed zombie grabbed a stalactite growing from the ceiling and kicked the wall to get behind me. ''There''s a zombie like you! He turns around and guards his bite from the blind spot. He grabs his head and prevents it, somehow managing to get his power up to a C. The mini red-eyed zombie tries to keep his distance - but. ''NiGa-san! I grab it and slam it to the ground, crushing my head as it flows. My speed is back to F. If I couldn''t do it now, it would have been a long game. I get up and wait for the drop. After a while, a single seed drops. Another seed I''m seeing for the first time. I pick it up, it doesn''t disappear automatically, the same as leveling down, it doesn''t get used. I gently hold it and remind it to use it, and then it finally disappears and is used. --0 magic lost. Oh? I heard an announcement. An announcement that I, with no magic, will lose 0 magic. So that''s the kind of magic you remember. So that''s the kind of thing you''re talking about. "...... could be great too, right? I was starting to get excited when a possibility came to me. 328. Infinite Gacha Night, in front of the transporter room. The transporter gate glowed and my mate Celeste returned. ''Welcome home.'' I''m home. What are you doing here? You''re not supposed to be here. I''ve been waiting for Celeste. Me? Celeste''s cheeks flushed slightly in surprise. ''Yeah, I need a favor from Celeste. I need your help. All right. Where is it? Shouldn''t you be asking me about it? I laughed at Celeste for answering too quickly, as expected. Even if she refused, I was going to bite back and somehow convince her, but this result was a bit surprising. ''''I trust you, Lyota-san,'''' Celeste smiled serenely. I was glad of that trust, which was why I felt I had to say it first. ''There may be a downside. There may not be, but there may be. I need your help to make sure that''s included. Yeah, I get it. Celeste still answered immediately. I don''t see an ounce of hesitation in it. You trust me that much ...... Honestly, there''s no chance that there will be any disadvantages, so I hesitated on the contrary. You saw through that. ''Mr. Lyota,'' What? ''I have received countless things from Lyota-san. If I hadn''t met Mr. Ryota, I probably wouldn''t be around anymore. I think back to the first time I met Celeste. She was wearing out and wobbling around in a job that was subtly unsuitable for her. She was like me when I was in my former world. It''s never an exaggeration to say that I may not be in this world. Celeste says she''s grateful for that. "...... Then I decided I wouldn''t hesitate. ''All right. If there''s a disadvantage, I''ll take care of it, too. So cooperate with me. Yes, sir. Celeste nodded, secretly happy. ''So, where do you want me to go?'' I like the fact that you can just bang out your magic without getting in the way. That''s a good point. It was nighttime on the outskirts of Cyclo, in the open air, away from the city, where there was nothing but darkness, and that was the only place where it was bright. He wondered why it was so bright, but as he got closer, he realized why. A rock. Rocks that emitted light, arranged in a circle, brightening the place. ''What is this?'' It''s Arsenic''s monster, Filament Rock. Oh, I see. A shiny rock. ''Yeah, it glows and doesn''t work, and I place it because people rarely come here. And that. Celeste points to a remote location. There was a plop, another rock-shaped monster that didn''t emit any light. ''''Is that ...... Absolute Rock?'''' Yeah. I see, so this is where you usually train. That''s what I''m talking about, Ryota-san. You''re easy to spot. Celeste smiles at me. Like Emily, Celeste is getting stronger and stronger after a while of not looking at her. That strength isn''t based on level and ability, but on skill and ideas, as well as repetitive training. I''ve been trying to avoid asking about intrusive things, so I didn''t know until now, but it seems that he was training here against that absolute rock. ''It doesn''t matter how much magic you use in here. Yeah. What does Mr. Lyota''s request have to do with that package? Yeah. I lowered the bag I''d brought from the mansion to the ground. I opened the bag like a potato party opener and showed Celeste what was inside. ''This is a magic fruit ...... so much.'' It cost me 30 million pounds. I didn''t want to waste time going to the dungeon to collect them, so I used the money I earned to scrounge up inventory all over Cyclo. ''And what''s this on the Podapurnau board ......?'' Celeste wondered about the small seed near the magic fruit. ''What she doesn''t know about, the knowledgeable one, is the seed I took with the back nihonium, the one that makes magic disappear. ''Try this one first,'' How? Hold and remind. Okay, I''ll go to ....... Celeste, who reminded me with the seeds in her hand as she was told, immediately huffed and turned her startled face to me. ''How did it go?'' She said the magic she made me learn once was gone. Oh, so you know what''s missing and not just the numbers. ...... I see that''s what you mean. Celeste understood my intentions. No more explanations seemed to enter the picture. Celeste took the magic fruit and ate it. ''Lightning, this is a level one lightning spell. ԤäƤ顢˥ݩ`֥ʥܩ`ɤȡäơΤޤʹä DDDDDD ٥룺 ȣС ͣС ֪ԡ 񡡣 ٤ á \ DDDDDDDDD 쥹Ȥʾ줿 ǰˤҊ󥹥ȤŮ һĉʤ g|Ŀ()ħΌgʤΤˡһĉäƤʤ ¤ϤΥ٥뤬¤äƤʤ Ф ȫ⤷Ƥ륻쥹ȤϷNʹäƥ饤ȥ˥󥰤ħΌgʹä եȥ󡢥٥룲ιħ͡ ơޤݩ`֥ʥܩ`ɤʹ DDDDDD ٥룺 ȣС ͣС ֪ԡ 񡡣 ٤ á \ DDDDDDDDD Ϥޤäͬ ħΌgԭtһʹʤ ĿԽħҙˡ٥󂎤¤롣 ¤뤫顢֥Ԥߤƌg|ʹʤΤ ŒgϿ˷ Y˥ۥ˥AΡħȥηN `󡢥򵱤ƤޤֱAФ衹 쥹ȤϥԤäθҙϤä` һޤΥ򡢵꤬ޤֱ롣 ʽMߺϤ碌 329. Romantic Cannon Celeste An outdoor field lit by filament rock. Celeste''s beautiful black hair flutters softly as her magic power increases. One by one, glowing balls appeared around her as she concentrated enough to close her eyes. Each one is about the size of a ping-pong ball and floats around Celeste as it wavers. It was like fireflies in the open air at night - and it only took a moment to admire the beauty of it. ''Hadron Beam.'' Crackling, Celeste''s eyes widened, and in response, a series of glowing balls were launched. The beams, which were in the air and went straight forward to the point of being beautiful, pierced Absolute Rock one after another. ''''Oh!'''' It was so powerful that he couldn''t help but applaud it. As the name implies, I remember having a hard time penetrating the ''ultimate grade'' defense of Absolute Rock, and its defense. Celeste''s magic that easily penetrated it. Each and every shot is a special killing grade power. The magic that was drawn from the magic gacha that was repeated by the combination of the fruit and the seed. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. ''''I didn''t know it could be this powerful: ...... He was most surprised. ''That''s great,'' Yes, thank you. Because it''s so d*mned powerful and shows no signs of running out of magic, I figured I could fire continuously. Yeah, it uses surprisingly little MP. Just less than inferno. It''s amazing. But you can only take out one of them per shot. He casts the Hadron Beam again, and the beam from the glowing ball pierces the filament lock. ''The beam is thin and goes straight through nicely,'' I could put it all together if it was neatly aligned. We don''t get to see that in real life. "Yeah. ...... Celeste. What''s going on? Do you have a rock of absolute rock? ''For yourself?Yes. Celeste nodded and took out an absolute lock stone from her pocket. ''It''s the equipment I let all my companions carry, to avoid danger. ''Let me borrow it.'' Yeah. I took Celeste''s and took out my own, as well as the one I had in reserve, for a total of only one absolute rock. I laid them out where Celeste had shot out the absolute target. I moved away and waited for a while. All three of the Absolute Rock stones hatched into hagglers and were now in a row. ''What''s this?'' "Let''s see how far we can go in a row. Maybe we can come up with a new strategy. You''ve lured a group of people into a narrow passage. Yeah. I nodded. Celeste is now a seasoned adventurer with a lot of real-world experience, too. He immediately understood the situation of what I said. ''I''ll give it a go.'' Celeste takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. Her black green hair fluttering in the windlessness. Her figure was divine and beautiful, lit up by filament rock. A single glowing ball spawned from the fantastic beauty. ''Hadron Beam!'' Now there''s just one. A ball of light made directly in front of my body turned into a beam that went straight ahead and penetrated. It''s indeed an absolute lock. The first one penetrated right away. The second one went through after the first three seconds. The last one penetrated after another five seconds. It stopped the beam of light speed, which gets weaker with each penetration, for nearly ten seconds. I did stop it, but if you only look at the results-- "You penetrated all three. Yeah, it''s amazing. That''s useful. You could use it. A magical beam that can penetrate three absolute locks. ''A normal monster could go through a hundred of them. It looks good. ''Don''t overwhelm me with your instantaneous maximum hunting efficiency under the right circumstances. Thank you, Lyota. Celeste smiles at me happily. With the magic she was able to pull from the magic gacha, she stepped into a world that was even one rank higher. 330. Celeste Solo Ciclo, an agricultural city. Over the past two years, the city has become richer and richer at an accelerated rate, and its population has exploded. On the outskirts of the city, a small incident has occurred. Haguremono!There''s a horde of kelpies out there! Evacuate the people!Don''t let them get into the center of town. Most of the inhabitants were on the run, with some people trying to guide the evacuation and control the damage somehow. Warehouses on the outskirts of the city were broken one by one, and a large number of monsters poured out of them. Haglemonization is a phenomenon in which dungeon drops revert back to their original form in unpopular locations, and this is a relatively common occurrence for a number of unimportant reasons, such as warehousemen skipping out. The bigger the city gets, the more prosperous it becomes, the more this phenomenon will become apparent. Even now, more than 100 monsters are rampaging out of multiple warehouses. ''''d*mn!It''s out of control! The warehouseman who was doing his job right is now struggling, and there will be more as time goes on! The men who were planning to stay on and do something about it look bitter and biting. It''s good that they gathered their courage to stay on, but the residents of the city have no ability to fight monsters. All they can do is pray. As luck would have it, an adventurer was passing through here, and his prayers were answered. ''Get out of the way.'' Pushing past the man, Celeste stepped forward. She is a beautiful woman with a red dress and green black hair that flutters, and eyes filled with a rational light. As she stepped forward, she increased her magical power. ''''Are you a wizard?With that many, it''s going to be a melee, it''s dangerous! The man was concerned about Celeste. It is common knowledge that it is dangerous for wizards to fight hordes of monsters without forming a party, even those who are not adventurers are well aware of that. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re going to do with your money. But. ''''Hadron Beam.'''' Celeste created several balls of light and fanned them out, sending multiple beams diagonally in front of them on either side. The beams stretched out to the point where the monster spread out. This is the perimeter of the spread like spilled water. The monsters stopped in front of the beam. Some of the monsters, unable to stop, were touched by the beam and their bodies were torn in half. A literal dead line, the borderline of death. The multiple beams were like ropes in a ring, trapping the monsters in range. ''Close.'' After muttering, Celeste released new beams one after another, reducing the angle of the fan shape with each new beam shot. With each new shot, the monsters are gradually gathered in the center of the fan. Nearly 200 monsters are in the center of the fan, directly in front of Celeste. After being pushed away in a dense cluster in one place, Celeste''s magic power increased even more. Her long hair spread out like a cloak, and her entire body became phosphorescent from the increased magic power. Then, she held up her hands. ''''Inferno Infinity!'''' A level 3 great magic, which is his specialty, and how to shoot variants of it. A wide range of narrowed-down industrial fire burns monsters in batches. The ground emits hellish fire, and around it, a brilliant beam of light that will split apart if touched. The monster, trapped in one place, couldn''t move and was annihilated. ''''S, awesome.'''' I didn''t know magic could be used like that. Celeste thought secretly as people around her marveled at her. You don''t just shoot magic, you devise it, use it, and release it effectively. That''s what Lyota does well. The Lyota family all work hard day and night to watch his back and be able to fight that way. Lyota not only gave his friends a lot of skills and magic, but in this way, he had a good influence on the way of life. 331. I want to stay with you forever Evening Salon. I came home a little early and was grabbed by Alice, who came back early as well. I was alone with Alice in the salon. The rest of my friends aren''t likely to return for the time being yet, because of the magic cart transfer, with Elsa and Ena still working. It was -- and it was awesome! Small talk with Alice in a break with her friends. Alice excitedly explained what she''d seen Celeste do today. ''Heh, that would have been nice to see,'' I''ll show you! Yeah?How. Alice stood up with an excited smile on her face and gave a command to her fellow monsters on her shoulder. All of her foodie-sized friends jumped off her shoulders at once. Bonbon waved his hands from side to side, gesturing to launch something out, and Honehone and Pru-Pru were pushed into the cunt in response. When they are gathered together, Meramela dives underneath and bakes them, and the two roasted bodies frolic comically. It''s easy to understand when you show it visually. It''s not so much about beating them all together like this, but... ''There is!Wouldn''t it feel better to take them all down together? You''re the one who squeezes them like a rag instead of squishing them one by one. What? He tilts his head with a carefree smile. ''Hang on a minute.'' I said that to Alice, and went back to my room to get it (,) which was precious to me. When I get back to the salon, I show it to Alice. "What''s this? It was dropped by Takara Bako before. Takarabako. A monster that looks similar to the Hagremono but is very different. As the name suggests, it''s a mimic-like monster with jagged edges in the shape of a treasure chest, and if you defeat it, it will drop a "worldly wonder (that doesn''t exist in this world)" object. I''ve encountered and defeated them a few times, and each time I''ve been defeated, unimportant things from the original world have dropped. One of them is this petite thing. ''What''s the thing for?'' This is how we pass the time. I crushed the popsicles and showed them to him. I felt a peace of mind, a peace I could do all night long. ''Heh,'' Want to try it? Yeah! Alice took it and began to crush the small bits and pieces. A wide sheet was partially spread out on the table, and her fellow monsters gathered around it, teasingly crushing them one by one with their little bodies. ''Ooh, hmmm, heh,'' Alice sounds impressed as she crushes it. She seems to like it, but not until she feels at ease. Alice said, "Speaking of which," and grabbed both ends of the sheet and started to do the "rag crushing" thing I mentioned. ''Hahaha, this is so funny! I knew it. There are a lot of people like that in the world. They are the type of people who accumulate and accumulate and then dissolve at once just to get rid of the scum. Alice seemed to be that type of person. ''''By the way, after I had burned all the monsters together, a stranger came along. Alice speaks as she squeezes a petite sheet. It took me a little while to realize that I was back to the rest of Celeste''s story. ''You don''t know him?'' Well... I''m home. Oh, is it just the two of you still alone? In the middle of Alice''s words, Celeste, the topic of conversation, came back and walked into the salon. ''Welcome back, hey hey, how did it go?'' How did I do it? Celeste tilts her head and asks back with a curious look. ''That thing you just did,'' Oh, did you see that? Yeah, scouts, headhunters. What? My voice leaked out and I looked at Celeste in surprise. Celeste chuckled and looked at me with a clich look on her face. ''The scouts are here?'' Yes. He asked me if I''d like to go out on my own so he could get money and people and everything else he needs. It''s amazing. That''s not what''s so great about it. Alice stood up, her hands on her hips and her chest heaving as she held the sheet to be squeezed. Why was Alice being so dignified?I thought. ''You''re going to give me 500 million a year. Five hundred million!Does that mean you can guarantee me a half a billion dollars a year? Yes, he said that. Did you have everything ready? I have everything ready. Celeste repeats the same words and nods quietly. That''s ...... amazing. He''s the most amazing guy in the story, whether he''s a sponsor or a gold owner or something like that. To be honest, it''s not a very good story unless it''s "backed by an oil tycoon". Oh yeah, ...... no, that''s right. That''s about as good as Celeste is right now. I wouldn''t be surprised if a story like that came along. "Okay, well, I''ll ask Emily to celebrate with you today-- I said no. Party of--whee! I was so surprised that I made a barefaced sound. ''Did you say no to this?'' Yeah. For such a good deal? Yeah. No, no, no. Alice kept her hand holding the squeezing bubble wrap on her hip while she held up a finger with her other hand and shook it, "Chitty-chitty," she said. ''Of course it is, hey,'' Yeah. I don''t know what''s natural and what''s not. I don''t know what''s going on, but Alice comes up to me and gives me a thump on the side with her elbow. "That''s great, honey. No, no, no. Is it all right? Obviously, I think we should get on with the story. I didn''t think the story was suspicious. The friends, especially Emily and Celeste, are so famous and strong that it wouldn''t be surprising if they were patrons or oil barons or something like that. If Emily tried to do some kind of crowdfunding thing like "making a new Emily hammer", she could raise millions of dollars in an hour. So I think it''s a good idea. ''No, of course not. I''m not leaving this place, no matter what you put in front of me. Yeah. Alice grinned, though. ''There''s that too, though,'' Celeste smiled back calmly and then looked straight at me. ''I''m not going to go to someone who comes by when I''m strong enough. ...... Oh. There were two emotions in Celeste''s eyes. One I''m not sure about, but one is clear. Strong gratitude. It''s a common look in the eyes of someone who is looking to give back. I met Celeste when she was at her lowest point. It''s only natural that she wouldn''t trust anyone who came after her. "Otherwise, I wouldn''t be going anywhere. I''m not going anywhere. Celeste, who was staring straight at me, looked like she was saying, "I''ll always be with you. I see. I was pretty happy about that. 332. Shrine maiden Sakuya On this day, I didn''t use the transporter room, but instead went into the city and headed for Tellurium. Lately I''ve had more time to live, and conversely, the days I don''t use the transporter room are gradually increasing. I finally did something I never did when I was in the office. My dad told me this story. My dad had always come home at different times. After he became a salaried worker, he must have been working late all the time, I thought, but I was wrong. One New Year''s Day when I came home to my parents'' house, they said to me, "You come home every day by a different route. "That''s because I take a different route home every day. I was told. It''s a completely different idea than the adventurers of this world. Adventurers think about how to make it routine and efficient to get around the dungeon. Dad is different. He said he kept himself fresh every day by taking a different road home. When he was a company employee, he didn''t understand that. Now I don''t know what it is, but I don''t understand it. It''s better to know what''s different and what you don''t know, because that''s what I''ve learned since I came to this world. So I was making sure I went to work in a different way tellurian (,). ...... Oh, maybe I should have done it sooner. Looking back, this might be the first time I''ve ever slowly seen Tellurian in the daytime in an everyday mood. Before I got the mansion, I was full of shakashiki, and after I got the mansion, I usually go out of town either directly to the tavern at night or to the dungeon society in the daytime. Thus, I rarely looked at the city in the daytime. So it was new. The city I was used to seeing looked completely different and fresh. If this was the case, it would have been sooner--. I got to get out of here. Get out of the way! The buzz of the city was suddenly overridden by an impatient voice. From afar, two men were carrying someone in a thangka. Blood was still dripping from the thangka, and I could tell that they were quite seriously injured. ''Injured!The road-- What''s wrong with him? The next thing I know, I''m running alongside a thangka. I see an injured man being carried by a thangka. A young woman, dressed in a thin, half-transparent priestess suit. She''s hurt pretty badly in the dungeon, and we''re on our way to get her to the healer. "In a dungeon. I look again, and sure enough, it''s an injury that looks like a monster attack. "Mom, that sister is hurt. ''That''s right. Your sister is risking her life to bring us food. That''s why you mustn''t leave any food behind. And the peppers? Your sister will be sad if you leave her alone. Yeah, ...... okay. A mother of a passerby was educating her children with an injured man as a dupe. I pulled out my gun, running alongside her. ''What are you doing?'' This is a serious matter of time. I''m on it. What are you... No, it''s Lyota Sato. ''What?Um! The man who was trying to stop me stopped in surprise when his partner, who was carrying me in a thangka, told him to stop. The thangka stopped and I fired an infinite number of recovery rounds at the woman. She was badly injured and needed two recovery rounds. That ...... The woman sat up and the men slowly lowered their thangkas to the ground. ''Holy crap, you''re back to normal in a second. You''re that Ryota Sato. I asked the woman as a couple of thangkas rolled their eyes. ''Are you all right now?Does it still hurt anywhere? No but ...... why? I''m just passing through. Thank God you''re okay. It''s a common story of being injured in a dungeon, and that injury has already healed. There''s nothing more to do. So long. Oh, thank you! I smiled back at the miko-dressed woman who thanked me, smiled back, and walked away, heading to the tellurian as planned. I see, it might be good to take a different route to work once in a while. Inside the salon at night. I was chatting with a group of friends who were coming home one by one. ''Yoda-san, we have a visitor. Cell? I asked Emily back as she walked into the salon. ''I thought it was some kind of trouble again,'' she said. ''No, sir, this is my first customer. First time? It''s a woman. Rattling. I heard a voice from a distance, and when I turned around, Celeste and Elsa, who were chatting, had fallen out of their chairs at the same time. ''What''s going on, are you okay?'' Yeah, yeah, I''m fine. Yes, I''m fine. Well, have a good day. As I said that to them, I stood up and turned to Emily. ''We''re all here, and I wonder if the parlor is free.'' I''m showing you around. Good job. I left the salon and headed for the parlor where Emily had let a customer through. I walked down the hallway, but I stopped and turned around when I felt a presence in the middle of the hallway. Quickly, I saw two people withdrawing from behind a corner. You can recognize the faces of your friends in a second, Celeste and Elsa. What''s the matter with you two? You may be acquainted with the two visitors? I came up with that possibility and asked him about it. Not once or twice did the incident come to me via my friends. I wouldn''t be surprised if Celeste and Elsa responded with something like "You''re here ......". Nya, nya ....... What? Cock-a-doodle-doo, cock-a-doodle-doo. No, no, no. I could hear their impersonation coming from around the corner. It was like a four-panel cartoon or a comedy. I''m curious about it, but I can''t help but tighten it up but I can''t do so, so I left it alone for now and headed for the parlor. "Sorry to keep you waiting--oh? When I walked in, the face I saw was there. Dark hair, dark eyes, and a light miko outfit. ''You, this morning ......'' My name is Sakuya. Thank you for that time. Yes. I nodded and sat down across from Sakuya. Yes, the miko girl I encountered this morning and healed her injuries on the spot. ''Is your body okay now?'' ''Yes, not at all anymore. I''m even better than I normally am. Really? With that name and outfit, are you from the East? I''ve heard of the East several times in conversation. Eastern spellcasters and things like that sometimes come up in the conversation. When I remembered that and asked, Sakuya nodded immediately. ''''Yes, it is. My name is Sakuya Konoe.'''' It''s pretty ostentatious. What? ''No, I''m talking about this one. I mean, Sakuya...... I''ve heard that name somewhere. Not in my world, of course, but in mine. Hey Celeste, you know what? I asked him at the door, and he rattled again!I heard a noise. I knew it was following me to the door. There was a gurgling cough on the other side of the door, and an answer came back as the door closed. ''Sakuya Konoe. She''s called the Sulphur Queen, one of the ten most famous people in Cyclo. The sulphur? The sulphur? Turning to Sakuya, she gave a small nod. The Sarfa dungeon, no matter how many people enter it, it''s a dungeon that splits you up and forces you to attack solo, and every time you enter, you''re forced to start over from level 1. You only get your level back inside the dungeon; it will return to normal once you get out. Even so, always having to start over from level 1 is dangerous. ''''Does it come with that sulfa spirit?'''' No, I just make more money in sulfa than everyone else. I see. Sulphur was good at ....... Sakuya slumped as she said this. ''What''s going on?'' Look at this. With that, Sakuya held out two sheets of paper on the table in front of me. ---1/2--- Level: 66/66 HP E MP F Power E Strength E Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous E Luck F --------- ... ---1/2--- Level: 66/66 HP A MP F Power B Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed A Dexterous B Luck F --------- ... They had different statuses. The only thing they had in common was that they were on the same level. ''''This is ......?'''' I didn''t know what that meant, so I asked Sakuya back. ''The low one over here is me now. "Hmm. This is me, the guy you see sometimes in the sulfa. ...... No way. I compared them both. Different abilities on the same level. There was a knock and Emily walked in. "Emily ...... Yes? Yes, Emily. Now that''s the opposite of Emily. ''You subtracted all the minimums from the leveling up: ...... Sakuya nodded with a somber look on her face. The Sulphur Queen, that must be the name of the wistfulness in full force that she got before she knew it when she went there to meet her ''real self''. And she had stayed in Sulphur until she was badly injured. ''I was looking for you and I heard about your level down!Please help me! Sakuya jumped off the couch and got down on her knees to me. 333. My own nihonium Hey, what''s going on? Emily is upset because she''s in the middle of the story and can''t swallow the story. Meanwhile, Sakuya continues to get down on his knees to the point of rubbing his forehead on the ground. ''Get up for now,'' Please! Okay, wake up. No, it won''t happen until you hear me out! I know how you feel. I know how you feel, but if you don''t wake up... There are all kinds of people in your group, and there are all kinds of people in your group that aren''t your friends. ''Wow, that''s the kind of guy I was. ''Hmmm, in a way I reviewed it. You''re very good at making a girl get down on her knees and take pleasure in it. ''Auldurm!Neptune! I thought someone would hear the commotion and come along for the ride. But of all things, I didn''t know that these two, the two people whose conversation could be most complicated in the direction of the day after tomorrow, would come. ''You''re reviewing it?'' It''s more fun to watch someone who''s a bit perverted and penetrating. It''s no fun to be a normal person. ''Yes!I''ve seen a lot of people too, but I want to see something out of the ordinary! You know. And by the way, you don''t know this, but it''s standard practice in this kind of situation to just stomp on the back of your head and lick your feet. Really? There!I''m not blowing weird stuff into Aulum! If you want, I can lick and suck your toes until they''re blistered! Sakuya looked up and said with determined eyes. ''Don''t lick it, don''t lick it,'' He had eyes that were too serious, like he was about to lick his foot or something worse than that and not say no. ''Emily, take care of those two,'' ''Yes, sir. Come on, Mr. Neptune, Mr. Aurum, I''ve prepared some sprouts and steaks for you over here. Really? ''My God!Is that the sprout steak that''s rumored to have turned the genie Arsenic into a hairpiece?This is a pattern I''ll regret forever if I miss it! Well, I''ve had it a thousand times. At Emily''s word, Aulum and Neptune were taken away. But after one difficulty, another difficulty. ''Mr. Lyota''s feet ......'' ''I don''t know if I can do it. No. If I can do it, it will give me a big lead in this race. ...... Across the hallway, Celeste and Elsa, who were peering at me with red faces, were mumbling something. They wondered what they should do - and then the God of salvation descended. ''Hiya!No, Ina!Don''t touch me a little bit, or rather, don''t rub me! Ena appeared from behind Elsa. She hugged Elsa from behind, rested her chin on her shoulder and whispered in her ear. ''If you go there, you''re done, Elsa.'' ''So, but ......'' ''Think about it, who do you think is a better man, him who wants it or him who has been unwanted? Ah, ....... Elsa huffed and glanced at me. Eventually, she seemed to agree. ''Yeah, that wouldn''t be too good, would it?'' ''Yeah, yeah, I''ll give him the right one anyway: ...... Yeah, okay. Elsa, convinced by Ena, left with a satisfied look on her face. And then I noticed that Celeste wasn''t there either. I wonder if she too has stopped listening to Ena''s persuasion. ''Satou-sama, I have an extra good idea--'' You''re the one who has to make the figures, for God''s sake! Cell showed up again, pushing him out of the room, which was definitely not a ''good idea'', and slamming the door shut. ''Feng ......'' I lock the door, lean back and let out a breath. ''Oh, um, .......'' I''m sorry, I''m kind of slammed. He came back in front of Sakuya, who was completely left behind and pouting. ''As for what I was saying earlier, level down,'' ''Yes!Where do I drop that thing? I haven''t announced it yet because I haven''t finished the whole attack, but it''s Nifonium. Nihonium! Sakuya was grandly surprised. That''s right, it''s Nifonium, which has been branded as a bad dungeon until now. That''s what I''d be surprised if you told me that''s it. ''''So, but ...... Yeah? Sakuya gave me a look that was hard to say, as if she was trying to get a look at me. ''Are you sure about that ......?'' Yeah. ''Really!Tell me the truth!Please! Gasp!And Sakuya gets down on his knees. ''No, no, no, get up, get up. Why are you so skeptical? Because everyone says it''s not nihonium. What? ''Lyota-san found this unidentified item out of the blue. Everyone was trying to guess where it was. "Guys? Most adventurers, ''Really?...... Yeah, and it''s money well spent. Or rather, it would be weird if it didn''t. Seeds of leveling down, seeds of magic elimination. Both are things that are almost guaranteed to be very expensive. It''s no wonder everyone wants to know the source. And. He knows I''ve been holed up in Nihonium for years. Yes, sir. So you went ahead and did it. Yes, but it didn''t change anything. Really? ......? Hey, what''s going on? Nothing has changed? Yes. I''ve been there. And the ...... monster? Yes, he was before. Follow me to ...... for a moment. I said and left the room. Sakuya hurriedly followed me. ''I''ll take her, but before that -'' ''It''s okay then,'' We met Neptune on the way. He''s leaning his back against the wall, holding a plate with a dish of sprouts on it. ''Are you okay?'' "Auldurm said to tell him ''I''ll take care of it.'' I see. Already at night, both Aulum and Nihonium are coming home. I asked Nihonium to go back to the dungeon to try and find them, but Aulum seems to have beaten me to it. ''They love you,'' I''m in good company. He returned Neptune''s teasing with a serious line and came to the transporter room, this time with a pouting Sakuya. I flew with her, wondering, to Nihonium at the gate. Back, first floor of Nihonium. ''Ko, is this ...... Nihonium?'' Yeah. Oh, good, you''re here quickly. A skeleton appeared in front of us. An agile skeleton, different from the previous one. I smoothly ducked as it attacked us. ''''Where am I? I was surprised when Sakuya looked at me. I knew it, I understood. ''I''m the only one who can go in here ......?'' 334. Jiu-jitsu shrine maiden While I was confused, the skeleton didn''t wait for me. They are agile enough to attack further with their movements. It''s inevitable, first I''ll have to defeat this guy and then slowly--that''s when I thought. I''m not going to be able to get it right. I''m not going to be able to get to the top of the list, but I''m going to be able to get to the bottom of the skeletons that are coming at me. I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to get it right, but I''m going to be able to get it right. Boom--Mekimek! The first sound was the sound of the joint breaking as it was fixed when I threw it. What immediately followed was the sound of the bone cracking as he immediately put his weight on the ribs after the throw and applied his body weight to the ribs. Judo - or is it closer to Jiu-Jitsu because he''s throwing while doing arthroscopic techniques? Jiu-Jitsu miko, dressed like a period piece and not so much. Sarfa Queen Sakuya. ''Is that your style?'' Yes, sir. ''There wasn''t any hesitation or anything, I knew I''d get used to it quickly because I''m the Sulphur Queen, but still, ''I''m with the Sulphur! And I thought for a moment I was confused. ''What?Same as Sulphur? What? The reaction surprised me. You mean ......, which I hadn''t even noticed? ''No, so it''s similar to Sulphur, in that when you go in here, your level reverts to one. Technically, the abilities that were raised by the seed also return to their initial values, but I didn''t say that because it was just me. ''''That''s right. The bad one I showed you earlier, there was an ability, right? Yeah, the one with all the E''s and F''s in a row. Sakuya nodded. ''Actually, that''s the same as it was at level 1. ''What?...... means you''re up to 66, and you''ve leveled up 65 times and haven''t improved a single ability. Yes, sir. ...... I was speechless. I remembered an incident that happened in a game a long time ago. Starting at about level 20, there is a magic that you have a 50% chance of dwelling on when you level up. I didn''t learn it until I got to the level where I completed the game - maybe 50 or so, and I didn''t learn it until I got that high. I remembered that I didn''t learn it until the very end. It was 50% hit and miss, and I kept pulling that miss, 30 times. The odds are - 0s lined up in front of 10. Even if you do a quick calculation, the odds are even lower than the 09 system of general-purpose humanoid decisive weapons. In the same way, Sakuya has been pulling a pattern that doesn''t improve his ability 65 times in a row. I gritted my teeth. It''s just bad luck, and frankly, it''s no one''s fault. It''s just Sakuya''s own bad luck. Still, I was frustrated to the point of gnashing my teeth. ''What''s wrong with that ......?'' ...... No, it''s nothing. It''s more than that. If I keep worrying about that one, I''m going to get pissed off with nowhere to go, so I deflected the conversation. ''That wasn''t the skeleton you saw in Nifonium, was it? ''Yes. It was more like walking around like this, ooohing and ahhh ...... and moaning. That''s the normal, conventional nihonium. Is it different here? Sakuya scurries around. ''Yeah. ...... I don''t know why, but it looks like I''m the only one who got in. I''m in it now. ''I can bring him to you using the mansion''s transporter room. I can take him to the spirit room if I want to. The genie''s room: ......? You know what a genie is, right?This is the room where you can see that spirit. ...... Sakuya paused. ''What''s the matter?'' Ah!I''m sorry!It''s amazing that you can do that. Okay. The transporter room has become a normal part of my friends'' lives and part of my daily routine, so Sakuya''s reaction was new to me. Well, that''s beside the point. ''By the way, when was the last time you went to Nihonium? Just before I came in. Okay. So that means I''m the only one who can enter this place I call the back, after all. I''ll confirm that with Nihonium later, but if I''ve made it this far, I''ll be able to defeat the mini-skeleton in the field and get some seeds, just one of them first. I thought I''d lower Sakuya''s level for one, to show him that there was hope and a possible future. On the other hand, there was the fact that the skeleton Sakuya had defeated didn''t drop. ''I''ll take it from here,'' I understand. I took the honest Sakuya around the first floor of the back Nihonium with him. I beat the skeleton as soon as I met it. It doesn''t go as smoothly as Sakuya''s, but I''ve already done it three times myself. Even though my abilities were low, I used that kind of technique to defeat the agile skeletons. ...... Suddenly, I noticed Sakuya staring at me. What''s going on? ''...... ha!I''m sorry! No, I''m not angry or anything. What''s going on, staring at me like that? Lyota, you''re back on the ...... level too. Hmmm, yeah. Technically, I''m in a state where I''m only down on my abilities, but if I say that, I''ll have to explain the original Nifonium, or if you want, the drop S. Sakuya knows Sarfa, and I decided to match the story with the flow of it. ''So what about it,'' Even though he was low on ability, he was able to take it down in many different ways. Well, usually you''re more stable. That was ...... really cool. I noticed that Sakuya''s eyes were feverish. 335. Sakuyas hope With Sakuya in tow, we proceeded further into the dungeon. I encountered a skeleton. The skeleton is more agile than a bad human, but I''m getting used to its movements. He ducked the first move and used the momentum of his attack to lose his balance and dropped onto his standing knees. He broke the skeleton''s hip bone in the manner of a baseball bat fold. The blow was fatal, and the skeleton was knocked down, dropping ten seeds after it disappeared. I asked Sakuya to pick them up. ''''Use this.'''' What''s this? It''s an item that, when touched, increases your maximum HP. What? ''Of course it''s only in the dungeon. Even Sulphur can level up, but only in dungeons. Oh, I see. Sakuya nodded immediately and readily agreed. She''s been going to the extent that she''s called the "Sulphur Queen," and she convinced me without a doubt that she''s only in the dungeon. It was easy for me to explain, since that''s what the back nihonium is. ''But the Sulphur Queen is amazing. You didn''t call yourself that, did you? Somehow, she''s just not that kind of person. There are some people who get fired up when they start gaining strength, but I don''t think Sakuya is that kind of person. Rather--. ''Yes, before I knew it, I got called up. So I''m in a bit of a bind. Yeah. You just want to meet your true self in sulfa, that''s all. Yes ...... Sakuya chuckled. ''Thanks ......'' I said. ''Thank you?'' I''m having a little trouble with that, but they don''t understand. Don''t you understand? It''s great that you''re called the queen. It''s cool. All my friends are like that. Okay. He looks complicated. He doesn''t say it, but I''m sure he''s "playing Kamatoto" or "bragging about your self-deprecating style? And I guess that''s the way it works, too. There are many "well-meaning" people who try to push the person into a conventional frame of reference without trying to understand his or her situation. You think, "Can''t I do something for him - I''ll do something for him. ''Ryota-san, look out!'' What? I was pondering, my reaction was delayed by a breath of air due to the fact that I was in the middle of thinking. A skeleton came out from the side of the room, splitting the wall. It''s an ambush! There''s no way around this. I''m going to have to take a shot and-- Ha! Sakuya interrupted me as I prepared myself. Not fast by any means, like E or F, speed that''s appropriate for the specs. But her lean movements seem to be faster than her status. As soon as I thought she interrupted me, she threw the exact same move as before, extremely throwing the joint and finally crushing the bone with a hit-and-run. The backgrounds and situations are different, but it''s as if it''s a replay. It''s a command RPG, and the characters are doing the exact same movements. That''s what it looked like. ''Are you okay?'' Oh, thank God. Thank goodness for ...... and the seeds. Relieved, Sakuya notices that one of the seeds has fallen at her feet. ''''Is that what the monster just dropped?'''' I guess so. Oh, I see. So the strength seeds in the back drop even if it''s not me? Sakuya used the seeds to raise her HP. I start walking through the dungeon again. I don''t think about anything else right now, my abilities are down and I''m focused. When I''m aware of that, I was able to defeat both the skeletons that I encountered and the skeletons that surprised me normally. And the mini-skeleton that encircled at the end of my search. ''''It''s a different monster!'''' That''s the guy we''re after. I''m on it. And I took it down normally on my own, without Sakuya''s help. After defeating the mini-skeleton, I came back with the dropped level down seeds and showed them to Sakuya. ''That''s it,'' Here''s ....... Let''s go back. Take Sakuya back to the gate and use it to return to the mansion. When you get back to the transporter room, I''ll give you the seeds. Use it. Yes. Do you understand? ''Yes!Level, level one down. "Hm. I nodded and held out the portable now-board I had prepared. I didn''t have it with me because you can''t bring items or weapons into the back Nifonium, but when I came back to the transporter room, I found it in my possessions. Sakuya takes it and uses it as soon as possible. ---1/2--- Level: 65/66 HP E MP F Power E Strength E Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous E Luck F --------- ... It''s gone. ...... is down! ''If you repeat the process, you can go back to level one. From there, you can see the pattern of leveling up from there and increasing your abilities. ''Yes!In sulfa! ''Then we''ll talk fast. As long as your ability goes up when you level up, good, and if it doesn''t, you can take the seed again with Nihonium, level down, and start over from the previous level. It''s practically a save and load. ...... Sakuya''s eyes widen in surprise. But his eyes were full of hope and expectation. ''If you do that, you can go to ......'' Yeah, why not? I nodded and looked at each other with Sakuya. The real me--. I thought I heard the voice in her mind saying, "I am the real me--". After taking a breath, she says further. ''It seems that you can''t go through the regular entrance over there earlier, so you can go from this room. You can stay here for a while. Really? Yeah. Thank you! Sakuya bowed deeply. Thus, she was going to stay for a while. The next morning, when I woke up, there was some kind of commotion outside my room. Wondering what was going on, I changed my clothes and went out of the room to head towards the commotion. Then I saw Sakuya and a man I didn''t know talking in the doorway. Sakuya looks annoyed and tries to say no, but the man is biting back. ''Good morning, sir.'' ''Good morning Emily. What was that about? Emily, who had been keeping an eye on things a little ways away from Sakuya, came over here and asked about the situation. ''It looks like the merchant who was buying Sakuya-san. Yeah. You''re a buyer. ''So I don''t want you to say that out of the blue. It would be hard to fill the hole if Mr. Sulphur Queen stopped suddenly. It''s understandable. Yeah, that''s ...... Sakuya looks troubled as the merchant pushes her. ''''It''s been like this since a while ago, Sakuya-san is in trouble because she said she doesn''t want to stop. That''s right: ...... I know how you feel, I know how you feel. It''s the path of hope that I finally found, and from Sakuya''s point of view, he wants to go there with all his might. I''ve been there myself, so I understand. Once I realized that my abilities would increase with the seeds, I raised my HP to S at once. After that, I did it slowly, but that''s because my HP was at S. Now that my HP was at S, the "potential" was clearly "real" and I had a clearer picture of what was possible, and I had a clearer mind. Sakuya is me now, before my HP became an S. She''s throwing everything away, but she wants to get back to level 1 first. Well, okay. So it''s business as usual... I''ll do it. I stepped forward and interrupted the conversation. "If you''re not involved, please stand down. I''ll do it. I can''t just fill the Sulphur Queen''s hole in the ground with a bunch of-- Mr. Lyota! Not-- Lyota! The merchant was sowing vigorously, but when he heard my name, his expression grew stronger. ''''Ryota, Ryota, is that Ryota Satou?'''' You came to the villa and you didn''t know it. Never mind. "You know my name, you''re a quick study. I''ll fill in for her for a while. You think this is enough?I would. That''s: ...... No! It was only for a moment that he clammed up. The merchant''s tone was crisp and unmistakable. ''''It''s all right now!'''' Are you okay? ''Yes!Now if you''ll excuse me. With that, the merchant turned and walked away from the mansion. ....... I''ve seen this trend before. A coworker once wanted to take a paid leave and was told by his boss to give him a reason for the paid leave. When that coworker replied "I''ll give the boss a reason for it too", it''s the same as when he took the paid leave without a reason. In short, the guy just wanted to annoy Sakuya, even if interpreted favorably, he wanted to stop Kanazuru from running away. That''s all. That''s all I know. I''m known to keep getting into things irrationally, and I left as quickly as I could. I don''t know if that kind of thing is still around ....... I was lightly annoyed with myself. "Well, thank you very much! Sakuya bowed his head in a flash. He bowed his head with such tremendous force that his waist was broken ninety degrees in the doorway. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with a light of hope and expectation. The light that I started to have yesterday was still there. I knew I was right to interrupt. 336. A series of surprises After the merchant left, I turned to Sakuya. Well, let''s have breakfast. Oh, ...... it''s been a great help to me, so no more. You didn''t have to do it, Emily. ''Yes, sir!I''ve prepared a breakfast. If you don''t eat breakfast properly, you won''t have the strength. Emily stuck her index finger on the tip of Sakuya''s nose and gave her a scolding feeling, "Meh. Ugh. ...... Sakuya flinched. Emily is only stating the obvious, but she''s pressured. No, maybe it''s not quite the same as being pressured. It''s not just Emily House, but Emily herself. There aren''t many people who can hold their nerve in front of the gentle, warm, homely air. At least this family has all caved in. ''Duh, it''s all right!I''m going. Sakuya, who was on the verge of caving in, gingerly held back and was stubborn. ''''I know how you feel, but there''s no point in going now. ''What?You say it doesn''t mean anything: ......? It''s a-- Hey. Good morning. Two women emerged from the depths of the mansion. One is a bright girl who looks like a demon tribe or succubus and is clad in gothic loli clothing. The other is a mature beauty who is calm and graceful and dressed in clasped sleeves. Both of them just woke up and came towards us from their own rooms. No, both of them didn''t need to sleep, so maybe they were up all the time. ''Aulum, Nihonium. Good morning. Niho, nium?And Aulum is ...... Sakuya paused when she heard me return the greeting to them. ''Yeah, Nihonium and Aulum. It''s the man himself. ''The person. What do you mean by ............? ''Well, that''s where I have to start explaining things. I explained the situation to Sakuya. I explained to Sakuya from the ground up that with the power of the unique monster mini-sage Meeke, the monsters were able to straddle the hierarchy, and by extension, the spirits in the dungeon were also able to go outside. ''''So they''re both spirits themselves. Whew! Sakuya immediately after raising her bare voice. ''''It''s really him! And I was like, "Oh," and I was like, "Wow, that''s amazing. ''Yeah. If the spirits aren''t in the dungeon, there won''t be any monsters in the first place. As long as Nihonium is here, there''s no point in going ahead. ''Nah, I see. ......'' Sakuya is surprised, but is convinced. ''Ooohayo. Auhu, what are you doing? Hi, actually. Now Alice came in. Along with a name she had never heard before, she went into standing chit-chat mode with her good friend Aulum. Meanwhile, Nihonium walked away in silence and made her way to the dining room. ''By the way, that''s Fosforus,'' What?What''s Fosforus, you know? The... You fluffy ...... spirits are so pretty and beautiful. ...... ...... No, Phosforus is the fireball-like guy on your shoulder. Yeah! Sakuya is surprised again. I knew I misunderstood that you were talking about Alice. I should have introduced her as Alice, but I guess I just assumed that she was actually--'' ''''What?But, um, she was introduced to me yesterday as Melamela. Yes, that''s what Alice calls it. I used a genie to shine a light under my face and play scary face yesterday with Alice. I didn''t know you were doing that. Or, surprisingly, is the earth a cheerful personality?I call Alice a girl. Well, if that''s the case, I wouldn''t worry about it. He''s a phosophorus, but he''s also a melamela, so there''s nothing wrong with being a melamela. ''So, but ...... you''re a genie! Hmm. At this rate, if I told you that I''d be interacting with Seren, Arsenic, Tennesin, and Plumbum besides, you''d probably have a stroke. "Ryota-san. Hmm?Good morning Elsa. It was Erza who interrupted me and Sakuya as we were talking, calling out to her. ''''Good morning. I''d like to ask you something.'''' What do you mean? ''''Yes, Master went to buy all the experience that Lyota-san has accumulated. Experience? It was Sakuya who voiced his doubts. It''s not a member of the family, it''s Sakuya who doesn''t know about it. After explaining to her that he crystallizes and stores the experience after canstering, and that he can use it at any time, she asks Elsa. Why is this so important? ''That hasn''t happened because no one has actually gotten their hands on it yet, but it''s because if leveled down items are normally available, the next thing to soar is the items that will be experienced. Yeah, that''s right. That''s why Master wants to buy it before it goes up. I see. I nodded and answered immediately. ''That''ll have to wait a while.'' Why? You''ll need her first. I pointed at Sakuya with my thumb. ''I''ll think about it after she''s done with her one. ''I understand. Then I''ll make sure Master is well informed. Are you okay? Yes. Ina, I''m really good at that. I see. After we finished talking, this time Elsa headed to the dining room as well. ''''Well, shall we go to the cafeteria too? Oh, um! Yeah? That ...... that ...... Sakuya squirmed. He hesitated for a full minute, then looked like he''d made up his mind. ''''Thank you! I said. I''ll leave it behind, but it''s something I''ve rarely had any value in before. It took me a little while to realize it was a case of experience. 337. Nihonium and Sakuya In the evening, after a day''s work, I returned to the mansion. I left the transporter room and walked towards the sound of people''s voices and came to the salon. Inside the salon, most of my friends were back, plus my guest Sakuya, who was going to stay for a while. ''Thank you so much for today!Master Nifongnium! Sakuya said, and bowed to Nihonium. A 90-degree bow, so vigorous that she might fall to her knees at any moment. Sakuya in her miko outfit and Nihonium in her clasped sleeve. ''Only that one corner is Japanese. What''s Japanese style? I''m home, Celeste. No, I''m talking to you. I smile back at Celeste, who notices me and speaks to me. ''Welcome back Lyota. By the way, is that good? Huh? That. Celeste pointed to Sakuya and Nifonium. Nifonium with his quiet demeanor and Sakuya with his excitement. Sakuya seems to be in a good mood, lifting Nifonium and so on. ''Thanks to you, I''ve dropped three levels today. I just heard Sakuya say. ''That,'' Celeste said. ''I''m sure Lyota would serve you a lot of it in a heartbeat if you asked. Just like you did with Emily. Yeah. Because I''m not one of them? No. So why? It''s a-- That''s when I was about to explain to Celeste why. ''Yes!Let me give you a massage as a thank you. Everyone who has received my massage has loved it, saying it makes them feel tired and rejuvenated! Instantly, there was a "clatter" from all over the salon. I heard a noise, and the ladies stood up suddenly and stared at Sakuya with serious faces. Elsa, Ena, Celeste, who was by my side, Margaret, who came to visit today, and Emily--... Emily? Even Emily, who doesn''t have much of a () image like that, responded to Sakuya''s "rejuvenated" line. The ladies, including Celeste who was by my side, all rushed to Sakuya at once. ''''Ho, are you really going to get younger?'''' How long?Do I have to do it every day? Will you pay me?How much? ''Aww!Oh, calm down ladies and gentlemen, even if you come all at once, you only have two hands. Sakuya tried desperately to push back as the women fumbled with her. ''What is that?'' Aulum came up beside me and asked me. ''Youth and beauty, those are the things that all women are chasing. Yeah, that''s the way it works. Aulum laughed with an amused look on her face, whether she understood or not. The only people in the women''s group who didn''t react were her and the Nifonium spirit duo. ''Hey!''Peck me, gawgaw. (munching) And then there was Alice, who wasn''t quite at that age yet, and Eve, who was nibbling on a carrot at her own pace as usual. In the meantime, the massage treatment by Sakuya began. It''s a 100% visually sound massage, with shoulder rubs, arm and waist rubs, and so on. ''You sound weird. Aurum nodded his head curiously. ''Do humans sound like that when you massage them?'' The women who were massaged by Sakuya let out a coquettish voice. They sounded so coquettish that I wondered if they were doing it on purpose. Aulum wondered about that. ''It''s the ...... romantic comedy promise.'' "Lovedome? ............ Stuck in Life, which I latched onto when I shortened it, is a romantic comedy. "Life: ...... Shit!It''s all about rejuvenation. That''s what I''m talking about. I lied quietly. Next to me, Nihonium came up beside me. She came quickly alongside me and stood by my side in silence. ''What''s up,'' He didn''t speak, so I asked him. Thank you ....... I just said. I didn''t miss my gaze being directed at Sakuya as I mumbled. As soon as he murmured that, Nihonium left quietly. As if to replace her, Celeste returned after the treatment. ''Oh ...... I feel so young again. ...... Here''s the thing. Huh? The natural relationship between Sakuya and Nihonium. Hopefully it will heal Nihonium''s wounded heart. I continued to watch Nihonium''s back as I walked away, despite Celeste''s wondering. 338. Milk riot When we left the cyclone for a bit, we found ourselves in an endless, empty wilderness. Nothing is not a metaphor or anything like that. Literally nothing, a wilderness where all kinds of flora and fauna do not exist at all. The first time I came to this world and left the city, I was surprised, but I''m used to it now. This is a world where everything is dropped from the dungeon -- this is a world where everything is dropped from the dungeon. It''s no wonder there''s nothing there. ...... Low level, it''s not. It was Eve who responded to my tweet. She was one of the family members wearing her own bunny ears and a s*xy bunny suit. She said it in her usual low key, carrot-free tone. I tilted my head and asked her back. ''Not what?'' Sometimes there''s something haggard out there. Someone''s trash or lost property. I see. When Eve told me that, I looked at the wilderness again. It''s still an endless wilderness. Even the horizon looks beautiful. It''s not so much a problem for a haggler or two as it is for such a large area. By the way, why are you following me? I got my mind back on track and asked Eve, who was walking beside me, as she should be. ''Rabbit, I think it''s about time,'' Ready? It''s about time I had a genie in my bonnet. "Huh? I was surprised enough to open my eyes. The city I''m going to now, and the dungeon. From what I''ve heard, it''s not a place that Eve, who has a carrot life, would be interested in. I don''t think that becoming a spirit in that dungeon will improve your carrot life. And yet, Eve was in a groove. It may look like a low-tension dilemma, but after a long time together, you can tell. Eve has never been in a better mood. I''ve been following you everywhere, so why now?How''s that blowing? ''Yes, the rabbit has wasted a lot of time so far. If we cooperated more with the lower levels, we''d be with the genie long ago. Well, ...... maybe so. There are a number of people in the family with a genie, and given what Eve has done so far, it''s not surprising that she would. ''If the rabbit becomes a genie on its own,'' Become? Low-level and I will be able to breed carrots. Oh, I see. In Cyclo and elsewhere, there are new rules about dungeons. Changing what you drop from monsters in the dungeon - you have to have two people with a spirit = two competent people participating to improve the breed. A lot of things happened, and as a result of all those things, those rules were made. ''I see, so that''s it.'' Yeah, so, But what if they don''t follow you now?We''re going back to the mansion at least once after the dungeon opens anyway. I also have a promise to Plumbum. Shouldn''t you have followed me after that? Eve shook her head in a pull. ''I''m all in this time.'' It''s very motivating. For the carrots. As usual. I was still motivated, but reassured by Eve''s unwavering commitment. I walked silently through the wilderness in pursuit of my destination. We came through the empty wilderness to a city called Hashemi. It''s not that big, but at a quick glance there are quite a few adventurers in the city. The elderly man who greeted us at the entrance of the city called out to us, "I''m Aaron Flame. I''m Aaron Flame, the president of the Hashemite Dungeon Association. I''m the president of this Hashemite dungeon society. Ryota Sato. Nice to meet you. I reached out my right hand and shook Aaron''s hand. Suddenly, I noticed that Eve was staring at me. ''What''s up,'' Should I shake the rabbit''s hand? Eve, the type of person who doesn''t pay any attention to these things, said this to herself. I introduced Eve to Aaron, "She''s Eve Kals leader. "This is Eve Kalsleader. She''s one of us. ''My God!Even that Beau Parvinnie. Aaron was surprised, two names I''d never heard before. I knew it was called Killing Rabbit. ''I feel like the two names are getting more vicious. I like the carrot-inoty rabbit best. Yeah, I know what I''m talking about. That''s the guy no one calls. Apparently it was a figurehead, Eve chopped me with a pout of her lips. I rubbed my forehead, which was a little sore, and turned to Aaron again. ''Tell me more about the story. Cell asked me for a reason, but I haven''t been given any of the details. Okay, so on the way to the Society... Mr. Aaron! A young man appeared in front of Aaron, who was going to explain to him as he walked. He''s well dressed, the image of a young businessman. ''Randall: ......'' Apparently his name is Randall, but Aaron looked very complicated when he called that name. The reason - I knew right away. "Is it true you''re giving up milk? Yeah, I can''t do this anymore. Why? "You hear that, Randall?The purchase price of milk is dropping every year, and already the adventurers in this city can''t even sustain a minimum standard of living. ''That doesn''t mean we''re going to lose it and switch to another drop product. Calcium-produced milk has been well received in every town it''s transported to. Just a little patience, and the price will come back directly. You say so, but when is it going to happen? I''ve been saying that for a long time, but when is that going to happen? It''s time for us to endure the pain together. If we get through this, I promise you... Oh, sorry. Randall, who was making a strong argument, and Aaron, who was giving up. I step in between them. "What about you? You''ve been consulted. I get it. What did you say? You''re the fence, aren''t you?Or someone in a position to be the head of a buyer in this town. What about it? Randall looked at me with the eyes of a suspicious person. I didn''t mind that look. ''The thing is, there''s no talk of raising the purchase price here, just the mentality of enduring the pain together. It''s a-- ''It''s commonplace for producers to cut unprofitable products and turn to other produce. So long! Aaron looked happy, like he had seen the God of salvation. ''Yeah, I get the story. I''ll take care of it. ''Thank you!Thank you, Lyota Sato-sama! Lyota Sato, right? Aaron was moved to tears and Randall was astonished. Thus I was contracted to improve the breed in the calcium dungeon. 339. Angels milk I left Aaron and the others and came to the entrance of the calcium dungeon. It''s in the middle of Hashemi, and the city of Hashemi is developing around it. It''s not a cyclic type of development with multiple dungeons, but an indole type of development with only one dungeon. If there''s only one dungeon, it''s a natural progression for the city to develop around it. ...... I see, not good. That''s what I thought as soon as I saw the adventurers standing at the entrance of the calcium dungeon, coming and going. Most of the adventurers pushing their magic carts into the dungeon looked tired. It''s not physical fatigue. The future is uncertain, and even though they are working, their lives are not getting better. It''s because their minds are exhausted under such circumstances. I remember that look too. I had to do something about it. Rabbit, what do you want me to do? Well, we need to get it open first. We might need some help from our friends. To that end, the first step is to open a direct route to the mansion. "Open? We''ll go downstairs and use the transporter room once we get back to the mansion. No, you don''t have to, but when we get back to the house anyway-- The rabbit will do it. Eve said and jumped into the dungeon. In less than three seconds, she came out as fast as she could. ''I''ll wait a bit,'' ''What?Wait a minute-- He raised his hand with a shrug and ran off like the wind. ''Then I''ll tell you. ''Huh?'' What does that mean?Where do you think you''re going? ''Well, ...... what do I do?Do we just wait and see? I don''t know, but it seemed like they told me to wait a bit anyway, so I decided to wait here. And so we wait, 10 minutes. ''Rabbit Finish'' Huh?Why did you come out of the dungeon? Eve was back, from inside the dungeon. ''What?Am I missing something?When did you find yourself in a dungeon? He came in from the transporter room. Go to ......? I didn''t understand what was said for a moment. I came in from the transfer room ...... eeeeeeeeee! Does this mean you''ve returned to the house in the meantime? Yes. Too soon, right?I was going hundreds of miles per hour! I heard the wind, but I will not allow anyone to stand in the way of the fate of the rabbit and the carrot. ''Long story short!I mean, isn''t that an amazing situation? So, what''s next? Eve looked at me with a straight face. My rabbit, who is not at all blunt. Everywhere she moves for the sake of the carrot. One sigh, I thought, summing up the situation. ''Eve saved me a lot of time, so let''s just attack the first floor for now. I''d like to have some idea of the situation. Okay. I step into the dungeon with Eve, who nods, and I step into the dungeon. Wow, it''s underground, but it''s like being outdoors-- Hey! As soon as I entered the dungeon, Eve rushed forward with an unstoppable movement and released a chop that looked slow. It hit the monster - and the milk poof!He dropped and smashed it to the ground. ''Too soon!I didn''t even see what kind of monster you were! No? Eve tilts her head back in a sort of, "Oh, my goodness," she says. So much enthusiasm, and he''s spinning with great vigor. I''m trying to figure out what to do with my enthusiasm. "I''m next. I''m going to have to take it down at least once so that I can use the repetition. "Hm. Eve, who was still at a level where she could listen to me, crossed her hands behind her back and followed behind me while I followed along. We walked through the dungeon, and here I finally had time to take a closer look at the internal structure of the dungeon. Even just before Eve started to move, she came into my consciousness, and even though the calcium dungeon was underground (ground floor), it looked like the open air. There was blue sky, white clouds, and the ground was like a grassy field. It''s a good place for a picnic. I''ll tell Emily and bring her there later. ...... Eve didn''t respond to my impressions. She''s apparently not interested in picnics under blue skies and white clouds. ''...... Emily would make a carrot dish to go with this. I''m going to tell you! "Wait, wait, wait, wait. I caught Eve, who literally tried to run out like a de-rabbit, and held her back. I was just in time to keep her back because she reacted as expected. ''We''ll get to that later,'' ...... Got it. I went around the dungeon with a depressed Eve. Then - a monster appeared. It was an angel. Long hair, beautiful wings, and armor that creates a brave face. Such an angel - or is it called a warrior maiden? It was that kind of monster. The angel attacked silently. He swung his drawn long sword and slashed at me as he rushed forward. ''''Don''t mess with it, Eve! I jumped sideways and ducked while reminding myself, Eve was distant, like she didn''t care. I pull out two guns, scattering normal bullets to check. The angels cut off the barrage of bullets and come even closer to flesh. ''Your basic specs are high! He fired a series of normal bullets at the sword blade while dodging the long sword of the side-nose with just a graze to the tip of the nose. The long sword was popped by the continuous impact, but You don''t have to destroy it, or at least get it back. Once flicked off, the sword returned to the angel''s hand as if it had a magnet on it. While returning fire with basic bullets such as normal bullets, flame bullets and freeze bullets, I tried to spec the angel. It was a bit strong there, but I noticed that its movements were pretty much a pattern. Most adventurers can make their own patterns after a day of going around. That''s how much of a pattern their movements are. After the angel''s attack, the same movement entered the third loop, I decided that there was nothing more to see. I load a growth bullet into the pistol and shoot it between the angel''s eyebrows while fleshing it out. A zero-range growth bullet. Shot out, the angel falls and drops. Pashaan, white milk that is splattered on the ground. ''So it''s the angel''s milk.'' If I do well, it should sell. I thought to myself. 340. It was bread bread In the evening, we returned to Ciclo''s mansion with the transporter gate that Eve had opened. From the calcium dungeon in Hashemi''s city to Ciclo''s mansion in an instant. It would take half a day to get there by the normal route, but I realized once again how powerful it was. ''''Is that it''s over for today?'''' Eve asked when we came back together. ''Yeah, I''ll see you in the morning. Okay. Eve, who had worked her heart out today, slowly walked away. ''Oh, welcome back, Lyota. Celeste, I didn''t know you were home. I didn''t know you were home already. Celeste came from the one with her own room. She''s not dressed for the dungeon, she''s dressed as she would be at home. ''Nope, I was home today. Home?There''s no magic storm ......, is there? Searching his memory, there was no magic storm in the "weather report" he saw last night. Both the morning and afternoon were normal weather for the wizard. So Celeste should be able to go to the dungeon normally. ''I was just putting together some information,'' Information? Yeah, the calcium information. "!I didn''t know you were doing that. I''m surprised, and Celeste smiles. ''Because I can''t lose to you, Eve. Is Celeste trying to get a genie with her? Not really. And if so?I nodded my head and asked back, but Celeste smiled and didn''t respond. I feel like I''m being sidetracked, but oh well. But now that we have some closure, I wonder if you''ll listen to me. Yeah. Forget it. Let''s go to the salon. Yeah. They moved shoulder to shoulder and moved into the salon. When I entered the salon, there was already a customer ahead of me. When we got home, Eve, who had changed into a rabbit costume as soon as she got home, was gobbling up carrots. She was so motivated when she was at the Calcium that she took one look at me and Celeste and didn''t say a word. There''s a big gap between what he''s interested in (carrots) and what he''s not (non-carrots). Well, it''s always been that way. Celeste knew that, too, and she went through Eve''s non-response and sat down on the couch. Across from it, she sat down to face her head-on. ''So, where did you get it all together?'' "Calcium dungeon. A place to drop all sorts of milk. Various? Yes, the most common is milk, followed by goat''s milk. There''s a lot more than that, but it''s all milk. I see. That means Calcium was a milk dungeon. "All the monsters are angels. All of them? Yes, the whole hierarchy is angelic. Oh, really? So, here''s the most important part. Yeah? Celeste turned a straight face. ''Calcium doesn''t have a maximum number of monsters. ''No ceiling? What do you mean? In a normal dungeon, you don''t have to kill monsters, but if you get to a certain number of monsters, new ones won''t show up. Right? ''Yeah. But they usually don''t go to the upper limit, though. Most of the time they''re continually beaten. Except Nihonium. That''s right. The adventurers don''t go there, and the lack of a tasty nihonium to go to always has monsters sticking to that maximum number. ''That''s what they say is missing from the calcium. That''s what''s causing the dungeon society in Hashemi and the exhaustion of the adventurers there right now. What do you mean? ''Drops that don''t make money, usually they cut back on production. Yeah. But calcium can''t do that. Because-- "-- the less you produce, the more monsters you will have. Endlessly. Celeste nodded. ''The amount of production--you could call it the amount of monsters swept up. When it goes below a certain number, the total number of monsters will increase. And since there''s no upper limit, the dungeon will gradually become full of monsters.'''' ...... I''ve thought about it. It''s not something I can take it easy on anymore. ''Monsters can''t cross tiers or go outside of dungeons, so even if they''re full, that doesn''t mean they''re going to be harmed. But they''re full, and their numbers keep growing. What do you mean? The more you have, the more they stock up. For example, if a dungeon is full, and the time for another 20 animals is added, the dungeon will be stocked. If you kill up to 20 of them, they will come back immediately. Don''t let me get into the ...... dungeon. ''That''s what I mean,'' said Celeste, nodding clearly. ''I mean, even if it doesn''t pay for itself, you always have to beat the natural resurrection. ...... egregious. All supplies in this world are dropped from the dungeon. It means that enough food will be produced from the dungeon to feed the entire human race. The amount of natural recovery in a dungeon is enough to feed the human race. It''s only natural that the association and its adventurers would be exhausted if they had to keep killing that amount of monsters. That''s another thing that could be improved if we can manage it. Yeah. The problem was a bit trickier than I imagined. The next day, after breakfast, Eve and I decided to head to Calcium in the transfer room. We walked into the transporter room and designated the calcium ground floor. ''Huh?'' Mr. Yoda, how can I help you? Emily, who was waiting her turn behind me, nodded her head curiously. ''No, the transfer to the dungeon won''t open. Did you pick the wrong dungeon? I don''t think so. I can''t even open the ...... rabbit. Eve, who accompanied me, tried, but the gate still wouldn''t open. Just to be sure-- "Nifonium, open. Tellurium, open. Prumbum, open. Calcium, it won''t open. I tried everything, but only the gate to calcium wouldn''t open. ''I was able to open it yesterday,'' Yes, the rabbit is open. "What do you mean: ...... No way! An imagination comes to mind. Pretty much the worst thing that could happen, bad idea. "Eve. I''m sorry, but you''re gonna have to take the normal route and run like hell. Okay. Rabbit Express. Eve took off at breakneck speed. If it was as it was yesterday, it would be back in thirty minutes or so. Thirty minutes ...... to this situation. What''s the meaning of this? To Emily, who asked, I explained the properties of the calcium dungeon that Celeste had told me about yesterday. ''Maybe the reason the gate doesn''t open is because there isn''t room to open it. It''s too tightly packed! I nodded reluctantly. I hoped it would come off, though. ''Rabbit Landing,'' Eve, who had been ducking into calcium, came back. ''How did it go?'' The place was packed. ...... The bad predictions came true. 341. Milk wave Eve and I hurriedly came to Hashemi by the normal route. When we entered the city, the atmosphere of the city was even worse than when we came yesterday. Adventurers are everywhere in the city, but all of them have a dark expression on their faces. ''''What''s going on?'''' I''m missing a carrot. What? I look at Eve to see what she''s doing in this situation. "I''m like the rabbit who was told he couldn''t eat carrots for a month. It was her signature expression, but it was actually a decent one. ''You mean they took something away from you?'' Yes. Let''s go to ...... and go to Aaron''s. Take Eve and head in a straight line to Hashemi''s Dungeon Society. We enter the building and head to the president''s office in a straight line. ''Aaron!'' Lord Lyota Sato! I know something''s wrong. I know what''s wrong. Aaron nodded disappointedly and said. ''Mr. Randall has declared that he won''t be buying any more milk. You don''t buy it? Yes, he said there would be no more milk for them. So I''m going to start a different business. ''Too soon!We don''t even know what''s going to happen yet. ''Yes ....... I declared it and actually stopped buying it, so none of the adventurers went into the dungeon anymore. So that''s why the monsters are everywhere. Yes ...... Aaron is disappointed again. ''Okay. Then I''ll buy him out. What? Aaron looks up from his nodding place with a quick look. ''Buying out ...... how much.'' All of them. Yeah, all of them? Aaron pokes his head in the air. ''Low level, that''s a lot of money.'' I''ve got the money saved. And I don''t care about the money. Randall''s "mean-spiritedness" lit me up. It''s too unreasonable to come up with something like that at this point in time, it pisses me off. It started out as a favor to me, but when it came down to it, I was determined to do something about Hashemi and the calcium dungeon. ''Nah, how can I thank you: ...... Don''t worry about it, I just want to do it. Thank you, ......, but we have one problem. What? ''All the adventurers have pulled up, so our monster stock is in trouble. At this rate, not a single adventurer will be able to enter the dungeon. It''s called stock. I''ll take care of that, too. Oh, thank you! A thrilled Aaron leaves him for the moment and turns to Eve. "Eve, you''re going to have to go back to the house. Rabbit, I''ll do anything. Eve, who''s enthusiastic, and I''m not sure if there''s a carrot involved and I''m short on words, says we''re going into a dungeon, not a mansion. I shake my head slowly. ''I want to keep the gate open. I''ll take care of the dungeon here, and you keep working on opening the gate, Eve. ...... Got it. Eve nodded, staring at my face for a moment and seriously thinking it was necessary. I ran out of the Chairman''s office. I headed in the opposite direction from her to the calcium dungeon. When you come to the outside of the dungeon, you can see how bad the situation is even worse. You see angels swarming at the entrance to the Calcium. Since they''re monsters, they can''t get out, so the angels are pressed and crammed against a wall that doesn''t look like a crowded train - a packed train with transparent glass doors. The first step is to get in. I pull out my gun and shoot a growth bullet. ''Mmm.'' The growth bullets were popped into an invisible wall, bordering the entrance. Can''t you do it from the outside? I move closer and push the muzzle of my pistol against the invisible wall. Strictly speaking, neither me nor my gun are restricted from entering or exiting the dungeon, so I pushed against it - and it was the body of an angel that I pushed away. It was very heavy - it was tightly packed. I pushed with both hands, and finally the muzzle was pushed back about an inch or so. I pulled the trigger immediately, and the angel shot out at zero distance, dropped the milk and disappeared. At that moment, a new angel appeared where the angel had been. The angel entered the vacant spot and the dropped milk was pushed out into the dungeon and blasted as if it was a bucket of it. I''d heard the stories, but I didn''t know that the surplus stock would be replenished so quickly. I need to increase my speed. I fired an accelerated round at myself and entered the accelerated world. I push the muzzle of the gun back an inch in the same way and shoot a growth round. The angel falls, milk drops. The milk is blasted in slow motion, still reappearing from the stock. Go inside, defeat the angel as fast as you can. The angel comes back again, milk drops - a lot of milk dropped. The first fallen stock is replenished here, and a huge amount of milk rushes into me. I was getting hit and slowed down in my eyes. Meanwhile, the second stock was also refilled - I was pushed out of the dungeon along with the milk. The force of the push was pretty strong, and I rolled around in a rumble, covered in milk. I got up and wiped the milk off my sleeve, reminding myself of what I''d just been hit with. The push of the stock was heavy, but not vigorous. On the other hand, the milk isn''t much heavier, but it''s a fierce momentum. The two combined to blow me away. And the calcium ground floor is still chock-full of angels. ''If it''s strong enough to thrust, it''s not.'' Take a deep breath and approach the entrance three times. With the accelerated bullets still in the air - a series of shots. I fired a series of scrap bullets. The scrap bullets were shot at the entrance as if it were a pointillist painting. The scrap bullets advance. It was as if it was a press, crushing angels as it went forward. The dungeon is full, and the stock is full, and the force of pressing the amount of material that appears is considerable, but that kind of thing is not comparable to scrap bullets. No matter what, the scrap bullets are pushing forward slowly, and they''re pushing against you. The wall of scrap bullets we made at the entrance. After advancing to the back of the wall, we fill the gap around it with more scrap bullets. If an angel comes in through the gap, everything is ruined. The accelerated bullets are gone. I kept hitting the scrap bullets that kept advancing to fill in the gaps. Eventually, hundreds of scrap bullets push the angels out of the way, creating a space for one person. I go inside, holding my gun in the space and time the scrap bullets created for me. The wall of the scrap bullets, but there are two holes in it. It''s a hole I left empty from the start. I shot a growth bullet with the highest single-unit firepower into one of the holes. I couldn''t see it, but I could feel the angel hit and fell in response. Immediately after, milk spewed out of the other hole. A water cannon - no, not that kind of raw stuff. A column of water for suppressing a riot. With a force comparable to that, the milk was squirted out of the hole and jumped out of the dungeon. Decompression. The amount of milk that I defeated - maybe for the first time, the large amount of milk that was dropped in this scene where the drop S had a negative effect on me - was being let out. If I didn''t do this, no matter how many angels I defeated, no matter how many scrap bullets I defeated, they would be pushed out of the milk just like before the moment the scrap bullets disappeared. In order to prevent that from happening, I set up a system where the milk was pushed out sequentially. I fired a series of growth bullets from one of the holes. As the angels fell one by one, the water pressure rose one by one, so much so that the water column was blown out 50 meters horizontally. ''''Sorry for the wait, low level.'''' The scrap bullets went further, and when there was enough space for two people, the gate opened and Eve was beamed in. ''''You''re here, Eve, it''s not safe--'''' Right after I said that - it was too late. The first scrap of bullets I fired ran out of time and disappeared. They disappeared all at once. The first one was fired in an accelerated state, so they all disappeared at once. A lot of momentum means a lot of milk. As soon as the wall of scrap bullets disappeared, a wave of milk came crashing down on us. A wave so large that even with the ability all SS couldn''t stay still. Me and Eve were swept away and pushed out of the dungeon. ''''Peh, peh, peh.'''' He hit me with a rabbit. No, no, With both of us on our asses, Eve expressed herself confusingly. That''s white, but it''s too much. To put it bluntly, it''s not even a little bit erotic. Too much and not very erotic. "Oh, What''s going on? ...... Eve silently reached out with a swoosh and pointed to the dungeon. I looked at the dungeon, too. You''re out of stock! In the still flowing milk, some of the angels were shimmering in the empty space! 342. Blind Spot Ummm: ...... Low level, what''s going on? No, I''m just wondering what I''m going to do with all this milk. ? Eve craning her neck. The view inside as seen from outside the dungeon. The space has been cleared a bit, but the milk is still flowing out of the dungeon from that empty space. ''We''ll have to figure out how to dispose of this milk, too. It''s garbage. We have to burn it. Don''t do it. If it doesn''t burn and it dries out, there''s hell to pay. Look around you, you can already foresee hell to come. Probably a byproduct of the milk byproducts that come out by the ton after this. When it all dries up and smells-- Buru. It was the most horrifying feeling I''ve had in another world, and I couldn''t stop shaking. I had goosebumps, so I rubbed my arm and thought about it. A moment later, an epiphany flashed through me. ''I wish I could get my ...... friends to help me. Or rather, they''re all better suited for it. More than a low level? Eve wondered suddenly. ''It''s rare that everyone is better suited to dungeons than I am for anything to do with dungeons,'' she said. ''Yeah, they''re all better at it. What do I do? I''ll get the magic cart from the mansion and run in by myself. Eve hmmmed and listened to me with much more seriousness than usual. ''So, I''m going to defeat the angel and send the dropped milk through the magic cart''s transfer function. I''ll take the Master Lock to an unpopular place to send it to. Like outdoors. Then it will be outdoors and haggle in the open air. We''ll beat that together. Yes. Garbage disposal in this world is "destroying" garbage with magic or something. In Celeste''s case, it''s inferno or some other range magic. But even then, you''ll get burned and leaks and stuff. Celeste once had a hard time with that. The only reason why they do it is because it''s safe. If you''re willing to take the risk, you can make the trash haggler, Frankenstein, and then defeat it perfectly and cleanly, with no drops. With that in mind, I send the milk out of the dungeon, transform it into a haglemono and have my friends beat it. My friends are a lot stronger now, but it''s still the same as before, no drop if you''re a haglemono outside the dungeon. If you do that, you can wipe them out without the milk stinking up the place. ''I get the story.'' Well, let''s go back to the house and gather some free men. They''ll let the rabbits do their thing. Eve came forward with a sense of motivation. ''Can I trust you to do this?'' You''re in charge. Okay. Okay, I''ll tell you what. I''ll formulate a more specific plan in my head and tell Eve. ''I''ll go in first and take out the angels. Meanwhile, Eve will return at the gate and deliver me the magic cart. I''ll ask for everyone over there and let you take care of the haggle. Okay. Eve nodded and the plan was set. She put her gun away and faced the dungeon. ''Let''s go then!'' I jumped into the dungeon first. I jumped into the small amount of space available and fired a series of Repetitions. The Repetition is more fast-paced than the gun. In no time at all, more space becomes available. There''s enough room for my magic cart. EVE! For the carrots. I jumped into the dungeon late and returned to the mansion at the gate I had just opened. "As many as possible during this time-- Here you go. Haha! I didn''t wait at all. Eve delivered my magic cart in less than three seconds. ''For the carrots,'' Oh, yeah. Once again, I''m reminded of Eve''s motivation this time around. ''When can I start transferring?'' Five seconds. I''m early!...... Okay, I''ll forward it to you in five seconds. "Hm. Eve used the gate again to return to the mansion. Five seconds, that''s how long it would take to transfer the master lock. I thought I could do it in five seconds ....... ''You can go to ......, right?'' Eve, with a carrot hanging over me, I''m convinced I can do it, I''m sure of it. After waiting for five seconds, I start sweeping the angel again. I pour all the milk into the magic cart as I defeat it with a repetition. Are you okay?Or so it seems. I don''t care about the pace and all that. Eve and her people are out there. No problem at all. I''d beat the angel and send the squeezed milk anyway. That''s all I focused on. The angels that filled the dungeon were slowly decreasing. The last lap magic Repetition, and the infinite recovery bullet that can recover MP. With the strongest combination, the angels were defeated. Repetition, which can be easily defeated by just thinking about it. Even so, it took time to wipe out the angels that had accumulated. In the end, it took me an hour to clean out the first floor. ''Fufu......'' I wipe the sweat off with the back of my hand and go around the first floor again. While sweeping up the spontaneous occurrences along the way, I''m confident that I''ll be fine now. And with that, I was about to return to the mansion. ''''Ah.'''' I suddenly realized that I had no way to leave. The gate is gone after Eve returns. It''s a system that disappears if the person who opened it uses it to return. So, what to do-- Hare, the comeback. The gate appeared and Eve came in. ''Just in time, but ...... what''s going on, Eve?'' We''re all set for milk. All of them?You''re early. As expected, this was unexpected. The speed of the sweep is theoretically the fastest in the world if you use the repetition without reservation, so the other side thought it would still take a long time. ''''Don''t lick the rabbit.'''' I don''t mean to lick you, but ......? What''s the matter, low level? Don''t lick the rabbit now. I did. ...... rabbits? The rabbit. ...... rabbit, only? Only the rabbit. I ask fearfully, and Eve continues to answer it immediately. ''You didn''t mean to do this all by yourself, did you?'' I did it alone. Eve''s chest heaved with pride. The ample breasts of her bunny suit shook beautifully. ''The bunny said, I''ll do my best this time.'' Hey, hey. "Dead or nothin''. That''s awesome: ...... Once again, I was impressed. When carrots weren''t involved, she was quiet and mysterious, so she wasn''t really noticeable, but her abilities were foldable, and she was Eve. Well, originally. She was a famous adventurer earlier than we were. ''But more importantly, thank you, low level.'' Thank you?No, that''s my line. I''m about to have to thank Eve for doing the milk disposal all by herself. Not at all, the low level gave the rabbit a chance to play an active role. Rabbits have to be out there this time. Yeah?What do you mean? I can''t see the story and I crane my neck. Eve squirms and looks at me with a grateful look in her eyes. ''We could have sent those two, the two animal F''s, to the dungeon and it would have been fine. ...... Huh? Animal F, you mean Emily and Celeste? No, that''s not what I''m talking about right now. ''But the low level of drop S dropped and sent them outside. That allowed the rabbit to work-- ...... After all this time, I realize. I was starting from the wrong place. Disposal of excess milk, disposal of garbage. I figured it out from there, and that''s why I did it this time. I should have gone back and thought about this case more. Emily, and Celeste. If the two animal drop F''s went into the dungeon from the beginning, they would hardly get any drops no matter how many they beat. Garbage was never created in the first place. 343. Saihai Emily and Celeste. The house at night, in the saloon. Where my companions were relaxing, I called these two men first. ''What''s the matter, Mr. Yoda?'' ''I can vaguely recognize that look. But in some cases it''s a sermon. Maybe so. There was something that passed between the two of them and they giggled at each other. I didn''t know what it was, so I decided not to think about it and asked the two of them first. ''About the calcium thing, I need you two''s help. What do you want me to do? I explained to them both. The dungeon is clogged with monsters and I want to clean them up, but if I do it normally, the disposal of the dropped milk is tricky. So I want to ask the two Animal F''s to help me. I''m sorry to hear that. I''m sure Celeste in particular is having a bad time with the F-final. But... Meh. "Huh? See, I knew this was a sermon. ''What?What? I''m confused by Emily and Celeste''s replies. ''What do you mean? ''Mr. Yoda, it''s watery. Does it smell like water? They are your friends, and you should feel free to turn to them when you need help. I can see that, but I''m not comfortable with the way it seems to take advantage of the two of you and your so-called ''no'': ...... That''s the least of our worries. Right? Yes, sir! Emily ...... Celeste ...... I stare at the two of them. Apparently they don''t really care - or rather, they''re more pissed off that I''m paying attention to them. ''I get it. Please! I''m on it. Yes, sir. Alice, and Eve. We got to talking, and now I called the two of them away. Alice was playing with a fellow monster and Eve was drinking something like soup. Alice came over as soon as they called her, but Eve continued to drink it at her own pace. So I take Alice and head over to Eve''s place. ''What are you drinking, Eve?'' Carrot Potage. ''Wow, that looks good. Emily made it? ''I don''t give a low level, this is a drop of life from a rabbit.'' I won''t take it. You talk about drops of life like it''s a bad drink. So, what can I do for you?I heard you talking about it, but aren''t me and Eve going to be of any help? Alice wonders. They''re both regular animal dropers. They can''t do what I asked Emily and Celeste to do. ''Yeah, I didn''t. After Emily and Celeste clean up (...), we''ll let the original adventurers in on the calcium for a while. Then we''ll have the dropped milk sent to our house with magic cart technology. ...... disposal? Eve said, and I nodded. Yes, disposal. Eve had done it once, so I understood immediately. ''I want you to turn it into a haggler and take it down. Then it will go away clean. ''I know!Okay, I''ll take care of it. Is that all the rabbit has to offer? Two people who are motivated, especially Eve, are more motivated than ever. I want to be with a genie for Carrots, and that''s why Eve was extremely positive about this case. ''That''s fine for now, because things could still change,'' N...... Eve nodded and returned her attention to the carrot potage as it was. ''Hey,'' Hmm?Aulum. Aurum, who had been far away, came over and spoke to me with a strange look on his face. ''Shouldn''t you be using her?'' "...... Nihonium, right? Aulum nods. Another spirit, Nihonium, who is not in the salon now. During Tennesin''s time, he used Nihonium''s help to keep the monsters out. Calcium, too, is fine in the extreme. But I don''t. My girlfriend is being stalked by her housemate Sakuya these days. A stalker, I mean, a necessity for Sakuya. I think Nihonium would be better off with Sakuya now. Okay. You thought it would be better for you, didn''t you? ''Yeah, that''s why I asked. I figured I''d stop you if you were going to ask me to do something. Okay. If it''s not there, fine, Aulum said, and left the salon. Now, that''s the end of the placement. Once Emily and Celeste have wiped out the stock monsters, we can finally get into the calcium breeding process in earnest. 344. Annual event Hashemi''s Dungeon Association, President''s Office. I came to visit Aaron, the owner of the room, with two of my friends, Emily and Celeste. When I told Aaron all about the dungeon cleaning and its plans, he looked at Emily and Celeste with a very surprised look on his face. ''''Well, I didn''t expect ''Our Lady'' to come all the way to the ''Queen of Hellfire''. Our Lady? I look at Emily. Emily looked troubled. ''The Queen of Hellfire?'' I look at Celeste. Celeste nodded quietly with a mature smile. ''Two aliases, huh?'' ''There''s more of Emily than me, though. ''The Little Giant,'' ''Our Lady of the Strong Arm,'' ''One Swing and the Rock Shattered, Seriously.'' There''s a lot going on. I''ve heard that one before. Well, I''m embarrassed to hear that. ''Well, that''s fine, it''s cool. Besides, ''Holy Mother'' is the kind of word that''s meant for Emily. If other statuses exist, Emily could just as easily be Cooking A, Kindness A, and Mom A. Mama A. That''s great. It''s more like Mama S. I wouldn''t say that''s the case with Aaron, an outsider. Emily is looking more and more troubled. It''s just the truth, but I don''t want to say any more because it would embarrass her. ''''So, if Emily and Celeste reduce their stock, throw in the adventurers that are always in there. I''ll buy the drop off. ''Okay--thank you! Aaron stood up and bowed deeply to us. We leave the Dungeon Society building and are in a deserted city. Me, Emily and Celeste face each other there. ''So I''m sorry, but please,'' I''ll take care of it. The forecast says there won''t be a magic storm for a week from now, so I''ll do what I can. Yes, thank you so much. That ...... Yoda. What''s going on? Someone''s been watching us. Emily as she spoke, her gaze wasn''t on me, but on the other side. When I looked in that direction, I saw a man in the shadows far away, staring at me. The man and his dark eyes were shrouded in darkness. ''Do you know each other?'' You don''t sound like that. It''s that guy Randall. Aaron introduced me to a young man, a buyer, when I first came to Hashemi. Now he''s staring at me with those dark eyes of his. "It''s hard to blame him. Mr. Yoda, are you all right? It''s okay, it''s been a handful of times before. More than that. I look from Randall to both Emily and Celeste. I stare straight at my two friends. ''I want to save this city. First, the dungeon. They looked at me and then at the deserted streets around us. ''Yes, this should be our priority. You''re in charge! They were both motivated by their own words. The city of Hashemi at night. We had come to a stall in a deserted corner of the city. We were given a seat in the corner and ordered some food. I look around before the food is brought to me. There were four men at a table away from me, playing a bet with dice. I''m not sure of the rules, but they are so enthusiastic about it, and the money on the table is coming and going. It may be a rather costly game. Sorry, sir, don''t you like that? I heard a voice from above my head. I looked and saw that the stall owner had just brought me the food I had ordered. ''No, not really. Just pure curiosity as to what he''s doing. I see. There isn''t much entertainment in this town to begin with. With the recent economic downturn, the people who provide us with entertainment have been the first to flee, not the first to leave. They''re gone? You have to be able to afford that kind of thing. There''s a chance that a bakery could be built in the cold village, but there''s no way you can build a cake shop. I see. The owner, with a bitter look on his face, left his food and went back to his stall. He looks at the customers who are betting on the dice. Hashemi''s situation, it''s not that bad, but I can''t see the future either. So that''s about it. I took a bite of my food, paid, and left the stall. I walked down the street of Hashemi where there was almost no light and came to a deserted place. There were a few people in front of me and a few behind me. Men hiding their identities with masked masks surrounded me. They were emitting a decent amount of murderous energy. I knew it. I''m a bit of a jerk. As soon as I saw Randall in daylight, I had a feeling this was going to happen. There have been a few stories before, where I''ve been in the way and they''ve been releasing assassins to try and make it go away. I expected that. So this is how I worked alone to lure them out. It''s tricky to get side-tracked after the calcium thing is going on. Clean it up, and if you want to intimidate me, it''s now. The assassin jumped at me silently. He might be quite professional in the sense that he doesn''t waste time on unnecessary exchanges. I steeled myself and drew my two pistols -- Pow! Boom! Gushyaaaah! In the next moment, instead of me, who wasn''t moving at all, someone interrupted and killed the assassins instantly. ''''--Eve! It was Eve, the ChemoMimi bunny girl. ''Why are you here. Well, Eve read it too. No. I had to wear a low level because of the carrots. ...... I see, you''re going to do it this time. Eve nods quietly. You stick with me, and when you need something, you get it. It''s amazing though, killing three people in the blink of an eye. No big deal, not even a .01 low level. I''m a unit? One carrot. ''Is that a lot or a little! Eve looked at the assassins lying on the ground, moaning. ''What do we do?'' Yeah? Should I do something about the rabbit? That ''something'' sounds terribly scary. Rabbits are cruel. ''I know!You''re going to chew out kids and stuff! It brought back the trauma of the breeding committee in elementary school. Hold back the tears for a second. "Fine, don''t do anything. Are you sure? ''It''s become an act of demonstration, so it doesn''t matter now. Right now it''s more about helping Hashemi and Calcium. Okay. Good luck with the rabbit. You can count on me. The City of Hashemi, Randall''s Buying House In that most luxurious room, Randall, after receiving a report from his men, Don!I hit the table. The fine table is dented and my hand is ripped open and bleeding. ''You''re trying to tell me it''s not even in your eyes ...... lick me. Randall''s blue muscles were twitching so much that his veins felt like they were going to bust. 345. Independence from swallow Inside the salon at night. I approached Elsa and Ena and called out to them. "Elsa, Ena. Can we talk? Yes, what is it? Are you asking me out on a date? Elsa replied normally, and Ena replied in jest. It''s a reply that shows their personalities well. Their clothing also reflects their personalities. While Elsa wears neat loungewear, Ena wears light, almost negligee-like clothing. ''''I need to talk to you about something.'''' This sounds so serious. Elsa and Ena, they looked at each other and nodded at each other. ''No, it''s not that big of a deal, I mean, it''s just the usual. Is this about Hassemi? Elsa, who answers immediately, seems to have hit the nail on the head. Yes. I''m a little unsure of the buyers that are currently monopolizing Hashemi, and I want you to go to a place where you can trust them. Oh, I see. I''ll go talk to him. Yeah, please--what? Elsa got up and ran out of the salon. ''No, I''m not in that much of a hurry, but I''ve already said ....... Ha-ha, she''s so motivated. Ena laughed happily. ''If it looks like that, I''ll be back soon, so you''ll have to keep me company in the meantime. Ena said and held out her glass. ''Are you drinking?'' I live in a place where it''s easy to get a good drink. Hmm? I took the glass from Ena and sipped it, craning my neck to see what it was all about. ''Oh, Bodley,'' That''s what I mean. Ena smiles at me. Bodley Lyota. A specialty of the Lantern Dungeon in the city of Filin. It''s a wine I created by improving it. It''s my business with Mr. Lyota, and I get an employee''s discount on it. If you wanted one of these, you could have told me. It''s meant to be branded and made scarce, and Bodley is narrowing down production and shipments according to the policy of Mao Mee, president of the Dungeon Association in Filin. Of those, only I, the one who has been improved and whose name is used, can take an unlimited number of them. I don''t usually do this, but I can always get as much as my people want to drink. Thanks, but I''ll be fine. Okay. Ena and I drink a bodhray together. She started drinking first, and she seems to be getting there, and she''s been squirming on me halfway through. The way she''s dressed makes me feel like I''m in a cabaret. ''Hey, what do you think of that girl?'' Is that Elsa? Yes. What? ...... What? There was no subject matter at all, and I didn''t know what I wanted to hear. ''It''s so dull, mooch-loo--'' We''re back! Elsa came back into the salon, interrupting Ena''s attempt to say something. ''Huh. ......'' Yes, but what''s wrong with you, Ena? Ena sighed and Elsa was puzzled. ''It was nothing. More importantly, how was it?'' ''Oh, yeah. That''s ....... Elsa looked troubled for some reason. ''What''s wrong?'' I''ve asked the master if I could open a branch in Hashemite. Yes. Me nodding. I asked Elsa, the usual story. ''And then you can''t do it now,'' Impossible? "We''ve got our hands full, we''ve been hiring for a while now, but we can''t keep up with the demand, and we can''t expand into a new town. Yeah. ''I''m so grateful for the story, but this time it''s ...... that ...... Elsa says apologetically, with a depressed look on her face. ''Don''t worry about it. But if it does, what do you think we should do, take the story to the cell? Hey. Ena interrupted my thoughts as I figured out my next move. ''Why don''t you let Elsa do it?'' ''What?No, the master can''t do it now. No, no, no. Hey, Elsa. Ena turns to Elsa. She looks at Elsa with a serious look on her face, the same person who had been drinking and plied me earlier, and it''s hard to believe that she''s the same person who had been drinking and plied me. ''Do you want to be independent?'' ''...... eeeeeeee!No, I can''t do that. Oh, I clapped my hands together. ''Even Lyota, oh my.'' No, it''s okay.Oh, right, so this is what Ena was saying earlier about ''what you think of Elsa''. Yes? For some reason, Ina raised her eyebrows and tilted her head, even though she was the one who started it. It was a bit of a snag, but I continued. I think Elsa is great. Before Ena came here, she was running the sub-branch by herself, and she still has a lot of energy. Unlike a businessman, I think a manager has to be dynamic to serve. Oh, yeah? ......? Elsa scowled and slumped. ''But I can''t,'' Why? Because if I''m going to be on my own, I need the money and... I''ll pay you. Yeah! You don''t need to keep a balance in the account. Elsa knows what she''s doing. Will it be enough to get you out on your own? I want to go to ...... That''s good. You''ll need something else-- As I was about to say it, I remembered the most important thing. We were going on one side of the conversation, and we were so excited that we forgot the most important thing. ''What do you think, Elsa?If it was feasible, would you want to try it? ...... Elsa stared at me for a moment. I couldn''t help but to be both flushed and put off. All that was said was gone, and she stared at me with a straight face. Then, after a moment. ''I do.'' I said. ''Yes.'' ''Ena will be with us, won''t she? We wouldn''t have been able to get it up and running at Indor without Ena. It''s no use. Ena shrugged her shoulders, but made a face that she wasn''t afraid of being needed. It was a surprising turn of events, but not a bad one. We decided to move forward with Elsa''s independence at the same time as Hashemi''s case. 346. Stone coins on Yap Island The next day, I was waiting in the salon instead of going out to the dungeon or something, when Erza and Ena, two of them, came back from outside. ''We''re back.'' Sorry to keep you waiting. How did it go? Yes, he told me to stop. ''Well, I know that if you don''t allow me the freedom to choose my profession, Lyota-san''s curse will fall on me, Master. Ena said teasingly. ''Oh, don''t say the word curse anymore, Ena,'' "Ha-ha, yes. An uncomfortable exchange between best friends. Elsa and Ena''s independence. In order to do so, they first need to stop repaying the Swallow''s Grace. At the same time, it would mean that the Lyota Family would almost stop doing business with Swallow''s Grace. I''ve checked with my friends, all of them are against letting anyone other than Erza and Ena into the new sub-branch. In other words, the business dealings with Tsubame''s favor using the sub-branch will be terminated for now. So I''m going to look for a new buyer ...... Well, as I''m sure I do, everyone is planning on making Elsa and Ena''s new buyer as well. I thought they would be reluctant to resign because of that, but it went surprisingly easily. ''''Well, let''s go next then.'''' Where do you want me to go? Hashemi. With that, he took the two of them and headed to the transporter room. Hashemi''s Dungeon Association, its president''s office. Me, Elsa and Ena are facing Aaron, the president. ''''So, I''d like you to bring the new buyer they''ve started up in this town. I don''t know. Huh. ...... It''s ...... Does it have to be a Randall exclusive? ''No, not at all. I''d rather trust the person you introduce me to. I will, but I will ....... Oh, God, it''s so annoying. Say it out loud! Ena pestered Aaron. ''That ...... credit,'' Trust? The two of you have no credibility as buyers. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to vouch for you? It''s ....... Aaron is in trouble again. ''''Although Satou-sama is a skilled adventurer, he is not a merchant. Without trust as a merchant, or some kind of collateral, it would be difficult to convince the other adventurers. Such as ....... "Hmm. So that''s the story. It''s obvious if you think about it. It''s difficult to get your clients to trust you even if you start up a company out of the blue, that''s a given. It would be good to have a guarantor for that, but I''m an adventurer and I''m out of my field, so it''s not enough. ''What kind of guarantee would you like?'' Ena asked bluntly. ''There''s no easy way to get funding with some backing. That''s the best guarantee I can give you. The funds don''t come easy: ...... I thought. "Let''s go with the stone coin from Yap Island: ...... What did you say? Aaron asks back, and I look up. ''I''ll bring you a guarantee.'' ''What?I mean, is that something you could bring in? Aaron is puzzled. From what I''ve heard so far, it''s true that he asked back, "Is it something that you can bring? He would be confused. ''Oh, wait a minute. Elsa and Ena will stay here as well. Yes! You''re in charge. Leaving them nodding, I left Aaron''s room. The next time I came back was after sunset. As expected, I couldn''t let him slip out in time (...), so this was the time. That person is ....... Aaron looked at the girl I''d brought in and was puzzled. ''I''d like to introduce you. She''s Aulum. Nice to meet you. That''s right, I brought in a girl with devilish horns on her head and a dress that looks like a gothic loli. It''s the spirit of the Aulum Dungeon, Aulum. "Haha ...... Aurum. Aaron couldn''t pinpoint it. It couldn''t be helped, normal humans don''t meet dungeon spirits, much less expect them to come out of the dungeon. So I decided to explain it to him straight away. ''''She is, as her name implies, a spirit of the Aulum Dungeon. ............ eeeeeeeeee! Aaron is surprised by the time difference, as he doesn''t immediately understand when I explain it to him. ''A genie is that genie?! Yeah. It''s a real Aulum. ''What?So, but ...... or even ...... ...... Clearly, I can see that Aaron is confused. On the other hand, Elsa and Ena, the two people who usually dealt with Aulum, were genuinely doubtful. ''''Um, Lyota-san, why is she?'''' Do you want her to vouch for you? No, no. Aurum, will you do that thing I asked you to do? Easy!We''ll see. Aulum nodded in high spirits and held up his hand. Then a golden statue appeared in the Chairman''s office, even though there was no omen at all. A golden statue that looked exactly the same as Aulum''s. ''''Whoa!'''' It''s amazing. Mmm, brilliant. Aaron was grandly surprised and Elsa and Ena were usually impressed. I said to Aaron. ''Here''s the collateral,'' What? ''''This itself is also pure gold, so it''s worth a high price, but it''s not. This is a golden statue of the person himself, given to me personally by the Golden Dungeon Spirit Aulum. ...... As expected of Aaron, who even became the head of the Dungeon Association, he immediately understood what I meant. Yes, if it''s just gold, it''s just an asset. It would be just as bad if I put all my assets into it. But if it''s the golden image given by Aulum himself, it''s a different story. That would be a "credit". It would be a credit that Aulum, the golden dungeon spirit, is an ass-holder (). I don''t know. ''Yes, sir!No problem at all. Aaron said, and I smiled at my friends. 347. natal We walked out front from the association and into the sunset. Elsa suddenly bowed to me. ''Mr. Lyota!Thank you! And thank you, Aurum. You''ve been very helpful. Ena, on the other hand, thanked Aulum in a friendly manner. Aulum snorted as she was told. ''''Was it good to be like that?'''' Yeah, that''s enough. You can''t give me money directly, but if you have the gold, you can change it, right? So... No, I''m fine! Before I could say no, Elsa declined Aulum''s proposal in a rash manner. ''Are you sure?'' Yes! ''Right. You can''t be that piggybacked, and it''s not worth it. Ena said with a knowing look on her face, while poking Elsa in the side with a mischievous smile. ''Everyone around you, Lyota-san, is amazing. You can''t afford to lose them. ''Yeah, that''s ...... that''s right, but ......'' Elsa blushes when her best friend teases her, and she glances at me with a depressed look on her face. Is everyone around me great? That''s true. From Emily, the first person I met, to Elsa and Ena, who is right in front of me now. They''re all so great (), and they''re all brilliant in some way or another. That''s true, but ...... what''s the significance of Ena''s teasing tone? Hmm. Well, I don''t really mind either way. On the other hand, Aulum, who was not particular about that, easily withdrew. Aurum, the spirit of the Aurum dungeon, from her ability, it would be the same no matter how much gold she gave out. When that Aulum said that, both Ena''s teasing and Elsa''s embarrassment. Both disappeared for a moment, and both of them gave Aulum another eye bow. ''Well, what''s next?'' Well, there''s the land and the building and the wholesale suppliers and the... People, that''s the main problem. Elsa nodded clearly at Ena''s words. ''''That''s right. We were also overextended and understaffed because of the swallow''s gratitude.'''' An employee. Let''s see what you can do. "...... Um, Mr. Lyota, Yeah? I was pulled back from getting into my thoughts and looked at Elsa. She was looking at me with a very serious face. ''What''s wrong,'' Let us take it from here. Are you okay? ''Yes!I''ll do it. You''ll see, Lyota (). Yeah, okay. I''m not sure, but I''m not sure if it was Elsa''s determination - or her enthusiasm. It was extremely strong, so I decided not to interrupt her any further. ''''Oh, let me help you with one thing. What is it? I glanced around. The streets were still deserted, but I didn''t feel the eyes on me. I decided that I wasn''t being watched or anything, so I broke the conversation off. ''I''ll have an escort. I''ll turn some of the unique monsters from Lyota''s village over to us. I don''t know what Randall might do to them. An escort, sir? ...... Elsa made a gesture of consideration. Then Ena was there. ''Come on, let''s have it that way. ...... Yes, well, can I ask then? Yeah. Wouldn''t it be better if I did that? Auld Lang Syne raised his hand. ''You?'' Yeah, you know, like that. When Aurum held up his hand, several small demons in the Aurum dungeon appeared. Unlike Alice''s bonbons, the forms in the dungeon are the same as they are in the dungeon. The difference between them and the ones in the dungeon was that they were still and not aggressive. That''s similar to what Nihonium did. ''Lyota''s town is a garbage disposal facility, right? It''s not a good idea to bring the stuff in from there. I''ll be able to make more of my stuff for that. ...... No, Aulum. That''s not the benefit. "Huh? What''s going on?Ahrum looks at me with a look on his face. The golden statue of Aulum can be forged if they wanted to, but the reason they are so cowering and completely obedient is because Aulum is on their side... and everyone thinks so. Along with the golden statue, that''s a double assurance. I hadn''t thought of that idea, but I like ....... Me, Elsa and Ena all agreed with this. ''''I see, so that''s what the guards are for then. We nodded, and that solved one more problem. We took another step toward Hashemi''s rebirth and-- ''''Satou-sama!'''' Aaron burst out of the dungeon society. ''What''s going on?So much hurry. I just got a call. ...... is out! What? ''Dungeon Master!It''s out. Oops. You''re here. The rebirth of Hassemi, the improvement of the breed. The emergence of a dungeon master is essential for that. We''ve been waiting for him to come out, burying the outside digs. ''This is where the real work begins, isn''t it?'' 348. Minotaur Calcium Dungeon, four underground levels. Eve and I proceeded through the dungeon, where the monsters had completely disappeared and the air was filled with a strange atmosphere. While descending the dungeon, we look for the dungeon master, and considering the purpose of this time, the preliminaries are a good place to start. ''''Huns!'''' Eve was very enthusiastic about things. Or rather, she''s snorting. Eve is motivated by this one, I can see that, but her motivation seems to be a bit different in quality than before. That bothered me, so I decided to ask her. ''What''s going on Eve? You''re more excited than usual. ''Rabbit, I heard about the dungeon master here. Yeah. I will never, ever forgive you. ''What?Why? It''s a-- Just when Eve was about to answer, the presence of the Dungeon Master in the dungeon became even thicker. Just when I thought it was coming, it came. The one that emerged from the bend in the corner had a bull''s head, a macho human body, and a huge double-edged axe as a weapon. The Minotaur. The name naturally popped into my head. This guy is the calcium dungeon master? ''''Tenchu!'''' What? Eve pounced on the minotaur as he rattled off lines that he would never normally utter. The chop that he released while fleshing out seemed to be the slowest thing he had ever done. Eve''s hand blade. It''s the same phenomenon as a fan blade slowing down in reverse; the slower it looks, the more powerful it is. Eve''s chop, which looks slower than ever before, struck the minotaur''s axe - and while shattering the axe, it was swung down even more, blowing the cow''s head straight off. ''''Huns!'''' Beside the giant body collapsed and shook the ground, Eve was snorting again. ''Oh come on, a blow?'' Of course, that''s divine retribution. As you said before, what''s the point of the Tenchu? "You''re a cow and you eat the flesh of humans you''ve beaten. I''ve heard of the Minotaur. It reminds me of the mythical Minotaur. It''s a pretty cool guy who kills and eats men and rapes women. Well, ninety-nine percent of the characters in myths are pretty cool. He is a herbivore and eats meat, even though he is a cow. You are a disgrace to herbivores. Oh, that''s the way it is. So that''s the Tenchu. Eve was sniffling, but defeating the minotaur seems to have lifted her spirits somewhat. He''s lounging on his chest next to the corpse of a fallen minotaur whose head has been blown off. ''But ...... a human body on a cow''s head? The teeth are an herbivore, but the digestive system would be an omnivore. Wouldn''t it be better to give them carrots or something to eat? As I looked at the corpse of the Minotaur, I tried to do a stiff examination of fantasy, with no dreams or hopes. Eve immediately countered that. ''Rabbits can eat the most carrots.'' ''Don''t give me a line like that nu*** type. I mean, I looked at the minotaur and suddenly associated it with the carrots that Eve is obsessed with. ''What about centaurs and such?She''s a horse-mate, so carrots are pretty good. Cupine. There was a strange sound, and Eve''s eyes flashed mysteriously. Oh, this is a matter that shouldn''t be delved into too deeply. I know I''m bringing it up myself, but let''s digress. Do you have a story to tell? So I looked around and down at the dead minotaur. "...... Huh?Funny. He''s a disgrace to himself and to everything else. No, it''s not that, it''s that ...... is not going away. What? Eve nodded her head, and that Eve turned to the minotaur, too. Yes, it''s not gone. I defeated it, but the minotaur didn''t disappear. It''s not just the headless, seemingly macho-men''s corpse that falls and doesn''t disappear. And the ...... presence is not gone either. It''s still the same as when the dungeon master was there. No way - the next moment I thought - the situation moved. The minotaur''s corpse slithered up. The neck grew back, the shattered axe was restored. As it was, he swung the axe and cleaved it with a tremendous force right beside him. ''''Eve!'''' It was Eve who was targeted. That Eve reacts and shoots a hand sword at the axe to intercept-- "Yikes! Hand and axe collided and the axe swung out as hard as it could. Eve was blown away by the liner trajectory and ran into the wall of the dungeon. ''Eve! Eve collapses to the ground limp and unconscious. There isn''t much in the way of external injuries, only damage from being smashed. The minotaur rushed forward with his axe at the ready to chase after that Eve. ''''Can you let me go! He pulls out his two pistols and fires a series of regular bullets to stop the rush. He flicks the bullets with his axe and intervenes between the minotaur and Eve, who have slowed down. I confront the minotaur head-on - I''m surprised. Before I knew it, it had grown a head - and not only that, but it was mechanized. It''s metallic in color in places, and it''s kind of sharp in some places. The new head that had been replaced looked like a cow at first glance, but it''s now completely mechanical itself. Mecha-Minotaur, that''s the word that came into my head. ''If I defeat it, it will transform?'' I tweeted, but the situation didn''t stop there. The Mecha-Minotaur roared up to the heavens with its axe in its hand. After a roar that shook the dungeon, something was summoned around it. What came out was a smaller minotaur. A lot of it. The same cow head and human body. Seven of them were men and seven of them were women. In total, 14 mini-minotaurs appeared. "You''re going to summon them? Firing a series of regular bullets to test it out. Quick fire & quick reload. In an instant, I fired dozens of bullets into the mecha minotaur. Most of them were bounced off the axe, but one shot grazed my macho arm, which was thicker than my thigh. The bicep ripped open and blood sprayed out. Even with the mini, the damage seems to go through the big book''s mecha minotaur. ''''-- Then! Ignore your surroundings and catch your head! I rushed in a straight line towards the mecha minotaur. The axe''s horizontal cleave comes. A blow that blew even Eve away, and even though it''s a force SS, it''s not a good idea to go along with a meatball fight. I shot a scrap round. A scrap shell in line with the trajectory of the mecha minotaur''s axe. A scrap shell that was not pushed by anything and just went straight, and played the axe of the Mecha-Minotaur. The axe bounced back loudly, as if it had been punched and bounced off a wall, and the mecha minotaur lost its stance. It dove into it at once. Slipping past the stick-standing mini, he ducked into his pocket and hit the two pistols and fired a series of zero-range shots! Countless bullets penetrated the body of the mecha minotaur. They messed up and blew it up. I immediately kick the ground to get a distance, and stand in front of it so that I can protect Eve. I look at it, the mechanical minotaur does not disappear. Instead, one of the minis approaches, and the mechaminotaur grabs it and bites it on the head. ''Hey, hey ......'' After munching on the mini, the mecha minotaur recovered to a completely unharmed state. However, the part I blew up is also mecha-ized. The 13 remaining units roar and roar as well - they resonate. I''m not going to be able to get out of it. Boom! The axe comes again, and is met with a scrap bullet. It''s played as well, but the shockwave from being played is bigger than before. ''More power too?'' I have thirteen more transformations left in me--or is that the kind of character you''re talking about? They get angry and attack. I shoot it and take it down. It eats another mini and revives & powers up. I tried attacking the minis in the meantime, but all my attacks were played. This one seems to be invincible. Every time I beat it, the mechanical minotaur powers up, its body gets more and more mechanized, and its defenses go up as well. It''s also getting stronger at an accelerated rate. If you''re only pushing for power! No matter how much the power increased, it was no match for the scrap bullets. I continued to play it with scrap bullets as I matched the trajectory of my axe. The power of the Mecha-Minotaur continued to rise, but the gap between it and the bullets increased dramatically. At the end, the momentum of being hit by the bullets was enough to make it spin itself in the air. Using a certain absolute defense of the scrap bullets, I knocked down the mechanical minotaur 14 times. ''''Well, how''s that?'''' The stock came on and could not be revived, and the mechanical minotaur disappeared completely. 349. Ryota soloing like a breath As the minotaur disappeared and the dungeon returned to normal air, I picked up what the minotaur had dropped. ''...... plastic?'' I expected it to be something substantial since it was dropped by the Dungeon Master Minotaur, but I was unexpectedly confused by the crappy thing I picked up. It''s a cow that fits in the palm of my hand and has a texture similar to plastic. In other words, a model of a cow. I held it in the palm of my hand and looked at it intently. This is like a bicorn, or the three sacred artifacts of nihonium, or something like that. I wonder if it has some origin in the same way as those things. The "change of body Whoa! A voice came from behind me, startling me enough to jump up and down. Before I knew it, Eve, who had passed out from the Minotaur, was up and standing right behind me. ''Are you awake, or are you okay?'' ...... Eve silently chopped me in the forehead. Normally the chop would have flown in with a set of "low level hate" but the silent one didn''t hurt as much as it surprised me. Somehow I thought it was best not to mention that, so I diverted the conversation. ''Come to think of it, what do you mean by a body swap?'' It''s very valuable. "Huh? If you have it, it will take on any attack once. Any attack? Eve nodded quietly with a persistent nod. ''If you have it, you''ll survive the end of the world. Oh, yeah? Any attack? If Yves'' explanation is true, then it means that they can get through even a so-called Armageddon class attack. That means. ''A straightforward attack would mean that the Minotaur would always have to be defeated 14 times. If a special item is dropped, such as an absolute rock stone or other special item, it may have the same or some of the original monster''s characteristics. But one thing is certain. The item has never been weaker than the original. In other words, it''s better to think of the minotaur''s life stock as being able to take anything with each shot. The strategy from this point forward was--what a thought. ''It''s very expensive to sell.'' Is that so? A year''s worth of carrots. Is that expensive? A year of rabbits. That''s a lot of money! Eve''s stomach turns into an extra-dimensional level of size only when it comes to carrots. When I secretly counted when it happened, I was able to hold 50 kilos of carrots in my stomach in one day. It''s more like an elephant than a rabbit. It''s quite a price to pay for a year''s worth of them, but it''s understandable. But I''m not going to use this as an item, and I''m not going to exchange it for cash. Let''s hatch it. ...... Eve nodded her head with a nod. It''s an expensive and powerful item, but right now my priority is to use it to get the dungeon master out at will. I place the cow model on the ground and keep my distance. I waited a little while and hatched into a new minotaur. It''s bellowing from the very beginning, bare of killing intent. It''s swinging its axe at me, charging towards me. Intercept. Scum bullets - no, let''s change the name already. I can play a physical attack perfectly - I shot an ironclad bullet into the trajectory of the swinging axe. The ironclad bullets completely played the axe swung down by the Minotaur''s powerful arms, and the ironclad bullets completely played the axe. All two pistols were packed with ironclad bullets. According to my physical estimation, I''d say power S and speed C. I read the trajectory of all of the minotaur''s attacks and put ironclad bullets on top of them. Every single attack was played, completely restricting the movement of the minotaur. Buying time. Stalling for time with the Dungeon Master out. Time passed with the powerful but physics-only minotaur completely sealed off. After waiting long enough for the monster to change, which I experienced a lot in Filin''s time. Repetition. I chanted. With a sense of emptiness that took most of my MPs, the minotaur disappeared and a model of a cow dropped. ''Yeah, I can wipe it out with this,'' I''m relieved that the repetition works, because I''ll have to beat it many times from now on, and it''s too much of a hassle to beat every single one of them 14 times. Only this time, I''ll be able to repetition the Minotaur. But more importantly, I''m going to have to deal with the consequences. With the Minotaur gone, I walked around the dungeon with the Minotaur back to normal air. ''There they are,'' Encountered with a monster. It''s still an angel, but it looks a little different from the previous one. I intercepted the angel''s attack with Repetition. The angel''s rush doesn''t stop, the repetition doesn''t work. I''ve defeated the angel once before, the fourth floor of calcium, but the Repetition doesn''t work. That was proof that the breed improvement had succeeded for the time being. That''s good, though. ...... Eve, who hadn''t been on duty, was buzzing behind me. 350. Rabbit and meat Inside Cyclo''s mansion, the buyout place. There, where the sign for the repayment of the swallow''s favor has been removed, I watch the actions of both Elsa and Ena. The two of them are appraising the milk I brought back. Checking it for color and taste and all that. We did a lot of things, looked up, made eye contact, and nodded at each other. Apparently, they''ve come to a conclusion. ''Here you go,'' What do you think, Elsa? Yes, it''s definitely a new milk that''s not what you''ve ever had in calcium: ...... Just. "Just? The taste is on the low side compared to what we have now: ...... Elsa said apologetically, and Ena added. ''It''s too high in fat, this tastes too dull to take. Not that there''s no use for it, though.'' ''Yeah. No, that''s okay. ''That''s true, too, because we can just improve it again. That''s part of it. "But? Ena tilted her head and asked back. ''I''d prefer it to be something other than milk if possible. About half the dungeon. To be frank, Hashemi''s problem is the overproduction of milk, right? Oh. I see. I need less milk on the floor. ''That''s what I mean,'' I nodded. Well, for now, we know that we can continue to make improvements as before. The only thing left to do is to improve it as often as possible. Calcium Dungeon, first basement floor. With the cow model in hand and the ability to call up minotaurs everywhere, I decided to take Eve and start on the ground floor. Do we alternate between the milk and non-milk floors, or do we divide the floors into blocks by type? I''ll think about that now, but either way, I''ve decided to change the ground floor to give it some symbolic meaning. I''ll put the model on that ground floor and take my distance with Eve. ''Low level,'' Yeah? I''ll let the rabbit do the rest. Eve is a Huns!I snorted. ''Leave it to you?'' The rabbit couldn''t do anything. Eve is stronger than usual, even her tone of voice is heartier than usual. For a moment I wondered what he was talking about ...... I see. I saw Eve glaring at the model of a cow waiting for hagremonos as if it were the avenger of her parents, and I had some idea. I''ve been saying for a while now that he''s going to be active this time, but I think he got blindsided by the Minotaur battle earlier. So that''s why you''re motivated to do it. Nevertheless, breeding is a long-term game. In order to do it on an ongoing basis, I''ll have to topple the minotaur and make it drop. So, speaking of things I can leave up to Eve. The only thing I can do is stall the minotaur, is that okay? Eve nodded as fast as she could. ''That''s the plan. Rabbits are the type of people who can figure out what they can do.'' Okay. I''m grateful for that. I''m thankful that I don''t have to convince them or worry about complications. That being the case, I won''t be out for a while. I let my guard down completely and went into spectator mode. After a while, the cow model hatched into a minotaur. The air in the dungeon was once again tinted with that of a dungeon master. The bellowing minotaur, the killing spirit pierced my skin with a tingle. Still, I didn''t move. Eve jumped out from the side. I trust Eve and leave it all to her. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. And - a hand sword. He slammed in the gentle looking hand sword that is synonymous with Eve. Slow, four at the same time. Quiet, fast and slow. Such a strange Eve''s special move. The Minotaur''s four limbs were blown off in an instant. The minotaur lost its four limbs and rolled on the ground. It immediately went into revival mode. A total of fourteen small minotaurs, seven males and seven females. As soon as they appeared, one of them was sacrificed and the minotaur''s limbs regenerated - almost at the same time as the minotaur''s limbs regenerated. ''The rabbits won''t allow it,'' Eve blew up her extremities again as fast as she could. I could tell she was concentrating on things, because she blew them up at almost the same time as the regeneration. I repeated the process. Together with the first one, I did it a total of fifteen times. All the stock was used up, and the minotaur rolled to the ground. ''Rabbit, mission complete.'' Yeah, good job. Eve let down her guard. After a while, the time needed to improve the breed passed, and I lightly shot a growth bullet into the stuck minotaur''s brow, knocking it down and finishing the improvement. Stars. ''Phew. ......'' Earlier in the evening, after defeating the angel and dropping the milk, I exhaled the breath that had accumulated in my lungs. The breath I exhaled with fatigue was chock full of two words: laborious. It had been improved nearly ten times since then, but the milk was still milk. For me, I wanted to be something other than milk, and that meant I was done with toil for the rest of the day. Well, it''s no use, let''s pull out for today. I still have some energy left with Eve''s help, but I''ve promised Emily that I won''t work at night. It''s going to be a long game this time, so more and more I decide not to work hard today. I spoke to Eve. ''Let''s call it a day.'' Is that it? Yeah. I''ll see you tomorrow. ...... Got it. Eve knocked me over and tucked the minotaur-dropped cow doll into the cleavage of her bunny suit. It was a decent-sized model, but it fit neatly into Eve''s chest, making it look one size larger. I gulped - and gulped down a gulp as my throat felt like it was going to ring. ''You''re taking that with you?'' I''ll have the rabbit. Eve nodded quietly. You don''t want to miss out on anything, do you? Well, it''s not that difficult to figure out, since she''s going to take care of you. Well, let''s go. The rabbit had to run an errand. Yeah?Okay, I''ll be home first then. Eve''s separation was the usual thing, so I didn''t really question it, and I went back to the mansion at the gate that opened when I came. The next morning. After getting up and getting ready, I came to the dining room. My friends are taking Emily''s breakfast. By the way, there''s only Alice and Emily left. Morning is not always a good time to get together. We go to work sequentially, starting with the ones that are ready, and the ones that are relatively ready are at night. So it''s a normal scene in a way that only two people are left: ....... ''No Eve?'' ''Eve?I''m not here? He hasn''t been home since yesterday. He''s not home? I asked back, and Emily nodded quietly. ''Yes, sir, he wasn''t there when I locked the door for the night or when I woke up in the morning. Yeah, they''re eating grass out there, aren''t they? Eve would say something like, ''Rabbits don''t eat grass, they only eat carrots.'' You''re gonna say it. Alice, Emily, and the three of us were laughing at each other. As they did so. ''Eve,'' Alice said, looking behind me. I turned around and saw Eve there. Her bunny ears were standing on end and her eyes were glazed over, but she had dark circles under her eyes. I wondered what was wrong with her, but I shook off the earlier story. ''By the looks of it, you didn''t come home yesterday?Where were you eating roadside grass? Rabbits only eat carrots. We giggled and smiled at the reply we thought we''d get - but we didn''t. ''So I don''t need this,'' Eve continued, tossing a chunk of meat onto the table. ''What''s this?'' Rabbits don''t eat beef. No, I can kind of see that it''s beef. Cows and pigs and chickens, the meats we eat most often, are somewhat recognizable at a glance. I get it, but I don''t. "Dropped. ...... where? The moment I heard the word "drop", I thought of what was going on in my head. As I listened back, my eyes stared at Eve''s breasts. The breasts are the same size as usual - the model isn''t there. What if--. ''Calcium ground floor.'' I knew it. And from that, I''m guessing. "You spent the night improving it. You''re too sensitive for your own good. Eve gave me the chop. There was one model, and Eve could only do it once. After that one time, Eve seemed to have made some improvements. 351. Upfront investment Calcium first floor. I entered the dungeon from the transporter room, and I immediately encountered a monster angel. She had wings on her back and was armed with a sword and shield. On the other hand, unlike before, the level of exposure has definitely increased. ''Repetition--is it normally no good?'' It''s obvious, so I quickly move on to my next move. I duck further beyond the sword slashing at me, grab my face and lunge at it, slamming it into the wall to stop it from moving, and then I make sure to make a zero-range headshot. The angel falls and a chunk of meat drops. It''s beef, but when I held it in my hand, the milky smell was on my nose. It looks like it needs to be improved again, but for now it''s more than that. ''You''re getting the meat right,'' Rabbit, I''m not gonna lie. Eve protested to me as she came into the dungeon late. ''Sorry, I don''t think you''re lying, until you''ve seen it for yourself properly. Still, it''s rude to be low. Sorry. When I looked her in the eye and apologized properly and firmly, Eve forgave me-- "A day''s worth of carrots. Okay. Formerly, he forgave me for the carrot. ''Well, it''s nice to be different, but I''m in a bit of a bind. What''s bothering you? I glanced at Eve''s breasts. Big, revealing breasts in a bunny suit. ''Boobs aren''t free,'' I''ll show you the carrots.No, that''s not what I''m talking about. ? Then what?Eve nodded her head in agreement. The improvement is a success, and that means you beat the Minotaur, right? "Bovines are not the enemy of rabbits. It''s good that you beat him, but you didn''t get the bovine doll.That means I can''t do the next one, so I''m not sure what to do about it. It can wait. I suppose I have no choice. In the meantime, I''m going to get some rabbit carrots. It''s just so godd*mn consistent. While smiling at Eve, I take the transporter gate back to the mansion. I''ll leave the improvements until the next minotaur comes out naturally. But I was itching to do it. Back in the mansion, I was itching to get back to the mansion. Eve and I split up and went into the saloon alone and sat down on the couch. I took a break, but the itch was getting stronger. I knew I could do it, and with Eve''s success, I knew it was possible to improve, or at least turn, from milk to meat. And yet it''s hard to do anything but wait. I feel like I''m waiting for stamina to recover naturally in a shaggy game. I''m sure I can complete it in one more time, and I can''t do it because I don''t have the stamina. That''s a very hard thing to do. I can''t stand still. No, I can''t wait. If I hadn''t seen the possibility at all, I might have been able to wait, but seriously, Eve''s success makes the itch too strong to wait. I got up from the couch and headed out of the salon to the buyout place. The sign out front had changed. It used to be "Tsubame''s Benefit", but now it''s a new sign that says "The Golden Tree". When I walked in, I saw only Ena was there, polishing the golden statue of Aulum. ''Yo,'' What?You''re early, Ryota. A bit. More importantly, do you have that golden statue from Hassemi? No, no. Elsa and I talked it over with Aurum, and we''ve decided that we''re going to have one of these in every one of our shops. ''I see, that''s good. Wouldn''t it be better to try a different pose or something anyway? Yeah, it''s a lot clearer when you know there''s more than one. ''''That''s true, and maybe eventually people will make a trip to all the golden statues, like a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Maybe we could make a stamp card or something in the shape of a golden statue for each branch. It''s basic to stir up a collection drive. I had some rambling chatter with Ena. Most of the ideas for the second half of the day, and most of the ideas were questionable as to whether they were really necessary for a buyer, but we got excited and got in the air to say the ideas when they came up anyway, so we continued. After a while, I started to explain again why I came. "I need to get some stuff for you. What? "Calcium Dungeon Master Drops. That''s it. Did you know about it from the beginning, or did you get the information because I''m involved in calcium now? Ena knew about it. ''That stuff is soooo expensive, and it''s not even available in the first place. Are they so rare? That''s true, too, but they buy it all up, the rich. Especially the non-adventurous rich. ...... I see, it''s a stock in life, isn''t it? Ena nodded clearly. ''It''s an amazing thing that money can protect you from bad luck. That''s true. Basically, it''s the kind of thing that you can''t buy, even if you have the money, and it''s always at market value when it comes out. Well: ...... I don''t know what''s going on. I''m rather annoyed that I can''t buy one even if I had the money. I guess I''ll have to wait after all: ......? ...... No. I just came up with one possibility. Stars Will it be enough? ...... I was so poked and prodded that I could see it for myself. The president''s office of the Cyclodungeon Society, and facing me there is the president, Cell Stema. Cell, who seems to have the most money of anyone I know, and looks like a nobleman. I figured he''d have it, so I came to ask him to lend it to me if he had it. By the way, the reason I say borrow it is because if I do it, I can get it back from the dungeon master, so I can return it after I''ve spent it. That''s what I thought, but as soon as Cell heard the story, he laid out a total of five of the cow models I wanted on the table. ''If that''s not enough, I''ll have them raided. No, no, no. I asked Cel back, trying to keep the melody from playing out in my head. ''Why did you have it ready?'' I know everything there is to know about Master Sato. Ah, ....... I''m pretty sure this guy is my stalker. So it''s not surprising that he knows. All right, I''ll take it. No, I''ll give that to Master Sato. You''re going to get it?I''ve heard this is very expensive. ''I know what Satou-sama is doing now. If it succeeds, it will create more benefits and possibilities than these five. I see. I don''t know what the profit is, but it certainly opens up possibilities. "Mr. Sato is the only one who can do it. It''s a far too cheap an investment. I''ve been lifted again. I don''t feel bad about it, but I''m starting to feel like I have to succeed at whatever it takes. ''Okay, I''ll take it.'' I accepted the model cow and decided to leave the association building at a quick pace and hurry to get to Calcium. 352. Rabbit, Animal A Calcium Basement Level 2. After defeating the unchanging () angel, the milk dropped and was splattered on the ground with a pash. ''Failed ......?'' I furrowed my brow. I looked like I''d bitten down on a bitter worm at the results in front of me. I spent the night in this basement level two, stopping the minotaur and defeating it after I felt plenty of signs of change, but the drop items were still milk. ''Eve, it''s a good thing it''s now, isn''t it?'' That''s what the rabbit did. Eve answered immediately without hesitation. Take out the Minotaur, leave it overnight, and defeat it. And yet the drop didn''t change much, like it did for Eve. I wonder what that means: ....... ''Rabbit, would you like to try again?'' ''Yeah, ...... we''ll take it down as soon as we change our minds this time. Maybe it''s Eve, so ......?The idea that I was going to be able to do this went through my head. Eve nodded without hesitation at the suggestion and suggested a slightly different approach for verification comparison. I placed it on the ground, prepared to consume one of the models entrusted to me by the cell, and waited at a distance. When the minotaur hatched, Eve dropped her limbs in the same flesh as before, letting it use up its stock of life and then left it alone. And then a change. I felt the signs change. ''Eve,'' "Omnivores must die, no mercy. Eve defeated the minotaur while running her mouth with words she had heard from somewhere else. The signs of the Dungeon Master disappeared and the normal dungeon returned. Naturally, there was no drop from the minotaur, and one model was consumed. And then the monster starts to appear again. ''''Mmm.'''' What''s going on? "The angels are ...... getting more exposed again. I found myself furrowing my brow more and more. It didn''t change when I was in () Angel''s clothes, Eve''s beaten down, changed to something more revealing. Same as on the ground floor. ''Defeat?'' Please. Eve intercepted the angel. She lightly avoids a slashing longsword and hits a chop on the counter. A chop that looks pretty quick, I can see that the angel doesn''t feel any resentment. Still, the angel''s head is cracked open like a pomegranate, and then it disappears just like that--. The meat, dropped. This time it''s mostly fatty meat, with few edible parts. But - meat. I knew it was Eve, so did it change?And you don''t have to wait overnight for it to change. Now, what does this mean? Is it bad because it''s me?Was it wrong because it was Eve? Would you be prepared to consume another model to carve it out? As I was thinking about all this, I saw Eve giggling and glaring at the dropped meat like it was her parent''s enemy. ''Hmm?What''s the matter, Eve, you look so grumpy. Again. Oh, that''s because it wasn''t a carrot. I knew immediately why Eve was in a bad mood. The usual reason. It didn''t matter now for the moment--. ''Rabbits hate this place. Rabbit status isn''t for this kind of thing.'' Status? Drop. Yeah, I''m pretty sure animals are much more expensive than plants: ......, right? I was about to say it, and I could see my eyes widen into a snap. ''Low level, weird face,'' "Hey, Eve, I need to see your status!It''s the drop guy. "Carrots-- I''ll give you all the food you want. "Hm. Eve put on a satisfied face and went to the nearby Nowboard. Calcium, which had been functioning properly a short time ago, and of course, the Now Board was equipped like a public service. When she went to one of them, Eve operated it with a familiar hand and produced a status. ---2/2--- Plants D Animal A Minerals E Magic C Characteristic C --------- ... It''s been a long time since I''ve seen Eve''s status, it was the same as before. I love carrots, but I only have a D for plants, and I''m a herbivore (he says he''s a herbivore), but my animal drop is an A, which is great. Big difference between me and () related to my current situation. It was one status that stood out. ...... No way. ''Yves, I''ll take care of it here.'' I said, and tossed the new cow model to Eve. ''Do I have to go back?'' ''No, just stop. I''ll bring you Tome (). The rabbit is a slave to the carrot and will do anything. Leaving the preparations to the enthusiastic Eve, I went back to the mansion once I got out of the transporter gate. Then I used the gate to fly to the silicon dungeon. Five floors below the silicon basement, I soon found the person I was looking for - Celeste. "Celeste. Mr. Ryota?What''s going on here? It''s very unusual for you to come to Silicon. I need your help. Yeah, all right. What do you want me to do? Celeste answers immediately, without hesitation or thought. ''Celeste''s using potions, isn''t she? Yes, the plant plus three. Potion. It was an item made to drop from a money haggle, the Wraith of the Wraith. In this world where everything is born from drops, even money is a dungeon drop. Both paper money and coins are dropped from monsters, and if left unattended, they return to the monsters. A potion dropped from a paper money haglemono gets a +3 drop if you drink it, and a drop from a coin haglemono is a +1. I mass-produce it and give it to my friends. In particular, that''s what Celeste, a drop-all F, F-final, makes the most use of. In other words, Celeste''s current status is--. ---2/2--- Plant C (+3) Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... Only plants stick out like this (). ''Celeste, drink the plant + 1''s.'' ''Okay, but it will be overwritten and you''ll get a plant E.'' It''s all good. Okay. Celeste nodded. He returned to the mansion with her, having taken the new potion, and came to the calcium second floor again via the transporter room. There, Eve had already conquered the minotaur. ''Here you are. Have you changed? Just now. Okay. Celeste, bring that thing down. Yeah. Celeste held up her hand and chanted her signature great magic, Inferno. Celeste''s inferno is characterized by the fact that she weaves one derivation pattern after another before she has seen it for a while, but her opponent has already driven Eve to her death. Celeste released a normal, bare (,) inferno. The industrial flame spread over a wide area and quickly burned the minotaur. The air returned, to normal dungeon stuff. And then the monster angels appeared. It had changed. From the revealing clothes, this time they were dressed in too much fabric. Even more than the original (,). I flesh out that angel as fast as I can, and shoot a growth bullet at zero distance. The angel that I defeated in an instant - dropped a radish. ''''Fail.'''' No, it''s a success! That''s because it''s not a carrot anyway!I''m going into Eve''s story, and a small gut punch. The breeding process was successful, and the breed itself had changed. Eve''s status was highest for animals, which made her meat. Celeste''s status, including potions, was slightly but highest for plants, which made her a radish. The only thing that didn''t change was me, all S. In other words--. ''Apparently, it''s going to change to the highest status. Celeste, I could use a little more help-- The rabbit does. What? Eve stepped in front of Celeste and stared straight at me. ''Rabbits get potions too, they can adjust their abilities. Hoonsu!And Eve, who snorts. For the sake of the carrots, to be with the genie it will come in handy. Eve has made a strong statement without saying a word that she''s not going to give this place away. 353. Relationships that enhance each other If they''re motivated, we''ll let them do as much as they want to. That''s my-- Lyota family policy. "Red Potion, Plant +1, Animal -1. After putting the equipment and items, and the full amount of it into Eve, I checked the capabilities on the Now Board. ---2/2--- Plant A (+3) Animal B (-1) Minerals E Magic C Characteristic C --------- ... The trend in the bare status was reversed, with plants being the highest. By the way, the reason I dared to add the Plant +1 equipment is because I know that there may be small differences in the same rank of Nifonium species. Maybe it''s the lower limit of A, so I''m going to put it at the upper limit of A just in case. "Rabbit, I''m a herbivore. It''s always been there. A true rabbit today. Hoonsu!Eve is very enthusiastic. She was originally very motivated this time around, but now that the status plants have surpassed the animals, she''s even more motivated. Dropped status doesn''t play a role in fighting ability at all, but it''s often the case that this kind of mental stuff makes the difference in actual performance. The best example of this is when Japan''s national team wears the Hinomaru flag and performs above and beyond their usual level. By the same token, I wouldn''t be surprised if Eve gets really strong, with "plants > animals" being a big driving force. ''Okay, then, let''s move on.'' I take out a model cow and place it on the ground. ''Mr Lyota, I''ll take care of this one. Celeste?No, but Yves is ...... I understand the situation. Then at least let me stop the minotaur. We can''t allow you to take away the rabbit''s cue. Here''s for you. Celeste held out a carrot to Eve. ''You brought them with you, you''re ready. ''You can''t bribe a rabbit with a single carrot. ''These aren''t just any carrots. Carrots produced by Mr. Lyota, that too. Yeah, and that too? Eve gulped and gulped raw, drinking in Celeste''s air. ''It was the highest quality one Elsa assessed. It''s Elsa''s best selection.'' "-Oh! Eve was greatly surprised. I saw a hallucination like a bolt of lightning in the background. "Low level, Elsa Best ...... gulp. ''Let me take care of this one time and I''ll give you this one. ''I''m not giving away the rabbit, I''m just going to stop obsessing about it. Thank you. Eve pulled back, accepted the carrot from Celeste and looked at it with rapt eyes. ''We''ve talked about it,'' ''Great, you''re backing down there. Does this mean that Eve approves of Elsa''s connoisseurship? That''s the way it is. There aren''t any kids around you that are completely useless. ''No, we all know it''s great. It''s just a little unexpected for that Eve to honestly admit it. ...... watch me too. Yeah?Yeah, go for it. For some reason, he nodded to Celeste, who was rather enthusiastic. Celeste faced the cow puppet she had left at a distance. After a short wait, the minotaur hatched. Celeste waved her arms and let her ten fingers dance as the air changed dramatically. What is it?What''s going on? And... your fingers are glowing. Almost at the same time as I wondered, a total of ten bicohorns flew from Celeste''s body towards the minotaur all at once. They flew straight at it - and then they scattered right before it and surrounded the minotaur. Surrounding the minotaur in all directions of three hundred and sixty degrees, a ball of fire was shot out towards the minotaur all at once. ''''Oh!'''' I cheered. A bicorn horn that moved like a living thing. When I looked at it, I wondered what the mechanism was-- "A string, huh? Celeste glanced over her shoulder at me and smiled slightly. It seemed to be a hit. Celeste''s white-fish-like fingers danced some more, and the threads glistening from her fingertips manipulated the bicorn horn in all directions. A ball of fire in all directions. The minotaur rushed forward while receiving it. Celeste avoided the attack of the minotaur, whose rush was slowed down by the barrage of flames, while providing cover fire herself. And then - chanting. A great magical inferno struck with a bang after firing from all directions. A new Celeste style. A turret that can handle close quarters combat as well. Perfect. I had that impression. Celeste overwhelmed the Minotaur. In addition to the all-range attack of the thread-controlled bicorn horn, it wasn''t fast, but it was a lean move backed by experience. And the even more grown-up firepower of the great magic of staying power. Celeste soloed, letting the minotaur use up his 14 life stock, then burned his limbs like Eve, just barely keeping him alive and neutralizing him. ''Fuu.'' Good job, Celeste. Yeah? The words are plain, but Celeste has a look of happiness on her face that she can''t hide. ''Yeah, every time I see it, it gets stronger and stronger. It''s amazing.'''' That''s because of you. What? A thud, and my heart fluttered. The way Celeste said it was like--. ''''Rii, it would be hilarious if a member of the Lyota family was weak. Celeste hurriedly reiterated. The moist tone and air of the last minute is cleared away. What, that''s what you mean. I thought I was ...... no no, it''s nothing. Celeste continued further. Before you know it, you''re back to your usual tone. ''The problem is that you''re getting too strong, Lyota. What do you mean? ''I''m too strong and no one can understand how strong I really am. So I''ll be the measure. I will be strong, on a level that everyone can understand. Then people will understand that Lyota-san is ''stronger than here.'' Hmm, you mean? I wasn''t quite sure, so I asked back. Then Celeste smiled and said, "Celeste is strong! ''Celeste strong!I hear Lyota is stronger than this!Seriously! After acting out some kind of exchange in a theatrical tone, now with a prankster''s smile. ''And that''s why it''s like this. Will it? I chuckled. ''Yes, because it''s true. You''re stronger than me. Celeste smiles even more. In order to repay her trust, I need to become even stronger, I thought somehow. 354. Rule elucidation Eve put a stop to the minotaur that Celeste had incapacitated. The minotaur disappeared and the air in the dungeon returned to normal. One after the other, angels in cloth-heavy clothing came out. Eve went at them as fast as she could, taking down one of them. The angel was cruelly cracked in the head over the guard and dropped what looked like fruit. Eve picked it up. ''Fail.'' So it works. He chopped in reverse and took the fruit away. Eve''s lips quirked up, a disgruntled look on her face. ''A pomegranate?'' It''s a plant, isn''t it? Yeah. I nodded to Celeste. ''Would you like to try again?'' Yeah. I want to try more than just plants and animals. Leave it to the rabbit. Eve moved quickly. With the ring on, she put on yet another ring, drank a potion, and checked her abilities on the Now Board. ---2/2--- Plants D Animal B (-1) Mineral A (+4) Magic C Characteristic C --------- ... The tendencies change drastically. It was as if he was a different person with different abilities. Meanwhile, Celeste was also moving. She took a model of a cow from me and placed it at a distance. Some angels came by on the way, but I took them down without difficulty with just the all-range attack of the bicorn horn, which I manipulated with strings. Celeste was stronger after all. He was able to defeat about a small fry monster without a hitch, and I could leave it to him to watch. After a while, the Minotaur hatched again. It feels exactly the same as before, stopping its movement with a string-operated bicorn horn and neutralizing it. ''That''s amazing Celeste,'' What? ''What you''re doing is the same as before, but the movements are different. It''s an improvised move. It seemed similar to the patterning for lapses that other adventurers were doing, but the essence of it was different. ''What are you talking about?'' Celeste''s eyes narrowed as if she was dumbfounded for some reason. ''This isn''t what Lyota-san taught me. Me? It''s what you always do. ...... I see. You could certainly say it''s similar to what I''m doing. I decide on a general direction, with a solid foundation and foundation and all that, and the rest is a certain amount of improvisation. Yeah, it''s the same thing, if you ask me. ''If you compliment me too much, you''ll be bragging about it. That would be embarrassing. I''ll give you a compliment if you don''t. There''s nowhere to run. I would be seriously embarrassed if someone I didn''t know well told me that, but that''s where we are, fellow kindred spirits. Celeste and I had an idle chat. Then the air changed again. Sensing this, Eve, without being told by anyone, jumped at the minotaur and buried it with a single blow. Eve seemed to be getting used to it a lot. The air has returned and the original calcium. What started to appear was--. "Oh my, your armor is so tight. It''s a bit of a warrior''s maiden, isn''t it? Where are my weaknesses? ...... butt, maybe. Yes? No, I''m just saying. Gohon, he cheated with a deliberate cough. I look at the monster again. An angel is an angel, but this time it was an angel fully armed with metallic armor. It''s an opponent that feels like that, so much so that I instantly get the impression that it''s a warrior maiden. If you just look at it, it''s the strongest angel I''ve ever seen - but it''s the strongest angel I''ve ever seen. ''No one can stop a rabbit. It was no match for the fully motivated Eve. Eve dove straight in and smashed the entire sword guard and armor - or even the main body - with her hand sword, taking it down in a single blow. And then dropped. ''Stone ...... sticking.'' The magnet or it. I picked up the dropped object in place of the puzzled Eve. Three metal rods, one centimeter in diameter and ten centimeters long, and three of them. Each of the three bars was attached to each other, and when I pulled them apart, they stuck together again. They were magnets, just as I thought they would be. And that was the result of mineral A. Now that we had a rough idea of what was going on, we tested it further. During the breeding process, the type changes to the highest drop of whoever defeated the Minotaur. Me and Celeste, All S and All F, the types remain the same and the status quo. And when there is more than one highest one. "Success--failure after all. Eve chews on a carrot and looks disgusted. ---2/2--- Plant A (+3) Animal A Minerals E Magic C Characteristic C --------- ... It seems like if two of them are the same high, it''s randomly chosen as one or the other. With the help of my two friends, we''ve figured out most of the rules. 355. From Celeste to Elsa Evening, saloon at the mansion. I had figured out the rules of calcium, and Eve and I were having a meeting for the next (,). "We''ll do that first, and then I''ll change the type of calcium in the middle of that type. This type change will be done by Eve. The rabbit will do it. Eve of motivation. That''s what she''s been doing all this time. To be honest, the type change is easier to adjust for all F, or F-final Celeste, but I decided to leave it up to Eve as long as she wants to do it so badly. ''''Sorry Celeste, I didn''t mean to call her out and only have her there. Oh, my God, do you have any reason to feel bad about me at all? What? ''My day-to-day life is something that I just didn''t ask for and it doesn''t change anything. Celeste smiles, smiling, and then smiling mischievously. If you ask me, that''s what I mean. ''Sorry, I had a weird misunderstanding,'' I apologize for that (...), Celeste smiled at me again. "Well, the question is what kind, or rather what we''re going to turn it into. I think I can handle that. Why? I don''t see any kids around you that are completely useless. ''I heard that when I was in the dungeon,'' So?I nodded my head and urged him to go ahead. ''And the girl who looks like me (...) has to be ahead of you. Does he look like Celeste? It''s probably one of your buddies, based on the story. Who''s ...... similar to Celeste among your friends? I was thinking about that. ''Ah, Lyota-san, you''re here. Elsa. It was Elsa who appeared in the salon and came in for a short run. She rushed over to us, holding a thick document under her chest. ''What''s the matter, you were looking for me?'' Yes, this is for Mr. Lyota. I take the document from Elsa''s hand and look at it. This is ...... individual revenue ranking?And the time income ......? For the past three years, I''ve been compiling the purchase amounts for each region. The revenue rankings are the revenue rankings of drops obtained by killing one monster and the revenue rankings of drops divided by the time it takes to go around the dungeon. You mean, the unit price of each? I was amazed. I flipped through the material, it was pretty massive and detailed data. ''What''s going on here?'' ''''Lyota-san, you said you were going to improve the lives of Hashemi''s adventurers, so if that''s the case, I''ve been collecting information on the most efficient drop items. ...... Oh. I was amazed and impressed. The fact that he had collected the data ahead of time, as well as his ability to collect and analyze this data, made my tongue roll. With a huff, I turned to Celeste. She had a scowl on her face before I knew it. ''That''s how it works,'' I didn''t know you were reading this. ''I told you, the girl who looks like me would move. I can read them because they look like me. I see. Celeste and Elsa. I''m not sure what the similarities are, but since he says so, there must be some similarities. ''I see, the top hourly wage for vegetables is cabbage and the top individual is shishito peppers. Yes, they''re both assumed to be drop C''s. Okay. That''s good, that''s a big help, Elsa. Ah, ....... Elsa scowled and slumped, her cheeks tinted. ''Rii, was it helpful to you, Lyota-san?'' Ah!It''s not even close to being useful. It''s a huge help. Thank goodness. ...... Elsa smiles happily while shying away. Such an Elsa is the most beautiful thing I''ve ever seen, and I couldn''t help but feel a twinge of surprise. ...... Gohon! I cheat with a cough and look down at the materials I''ve been given. With this, you can remodel your calcium into a ''lucrative dungeon''. 356. Calcium Calcium Basement Level 5. Today, Eve and I were still working on improvements. Summoning a minotaur from the model of a cow that I had arranged for an additional cow, stopping Eve, and improving it after adjusting its abilities. What came out after the Minotaur was defeated was an angel - not an angel, but a monster that could be called a fallen angel, whose hair color, clothing color, and even the color of its wings had turned black. The fallen angel''s sword was covered with a black aura. While avoiding it, he shot through it with a growth bullet. I defeated the Fallen Angel with a single blow, and the one that dropped. ''''Money.'''' A thousand pirogue notes. Yes, what dropped was a 1000 pillow note. It was the money itself that was dropped by the fallen angels that Eve had done with the ability adjustment, improved and changed by the trait, trait A. ''Fail.'' ...... Oh, this is a mistake. Unusual. I agree with the rabbit. That''s not the breakdown. I chuckled. It''s the same thing Eve always says about failure. It''s the Eve rule: failure because you''re not a carrot. I say failure because it''s the money that has changed. It''s a success in the sense that it changed into a trait. But it''s not a good idea to drop the gold itself. With the cell family''s centralized control and the way things have been going with the way they''ve been going with Phospho''s incapacitation, I don''t think it''s a good idea for the cash to drop directly into the system. But, well. It''s a trait, and then I can adjust within the same trait. What''s a rabbit supposed to do? Well, nothing. If the only quality of this fifth basement floor is cash, we''ll switch to another genre. Until then, we''ll wait. "Hm. Eve nodded with a satisfied look on her face, and out of nowhere she pulled out her lunchbox. It''s a bento made by Emily, with carrots as the main ingredient. It''s called a "rabbit bento" according to Eve. Since Emily once said to me, "Believe in the potential of carrots," as if it were a revelation, Eve has been eating only Emily''s food other than raw. The rabbit lunch looks delicious and Eve enjoys eating it. I get out my model of a fancy cow and get ready to change from one cash to another. So as I waited - something different () happened. Me and Eve, both of our bodies are engulfed in light. ''What is this?'' ''Is this ...... a summoning of the spirits! Really? To my surprise, Eve''s eyes sparkled as she threw her lunch away. I nod my head. I know this feeling after all. It''s the same feeling I had when I was summoned by that tsundere spirit at Tennesin. So that means--the next moment I thought--I was surrounded by an overflowing light. I was surrounded by an overflowing light, and my eyes went blank. And after the light subsided--. Hello. There was a fluffy-looking woman in front of me. She was petite, with a body that was closer to voluptuous(...). Her breasts are so large that you can see them even through her clothes, the largest of any person I''ve met since I came to the other world. She''s maternal in a different way than Emily. You''re the calcium. Yeah, I''m Calcium. It''s nice to meet you. It''s a spirit that speaks in a fluffy way. His personality is also clearly different from any other spirit in the past. "Do you drink milk? Say that and calcium don!And then he brought out the milk. The amount of milk - a poolful. There were no partitions, but the milk, which was made to keep its shape in a three-dimensional form about the size of a swimming pool, went out into the spirit''s room. ''I can''t drink that much,'' I''m going to take a bath, okay?I heard 300 years ago that humans like to take a milk bath! Because that''s only part of the human race. I never take a milk bath. In the first place, it becomes crispy when it hardens, and when it dries, it becomes stinky. It''s impossible to make a bath out of it. Hmmm, that''s annoying! Calcium put his index finger to his cheek and cocked his head slightly. He looked truly troubled, wrinkling between his thread-thin eyes. ''I''ll tell you what''s troubling me,'' Hoonsu!And then Eve came close to calcium. It''s just a matter of time. Considering Eve''s purpose, and that, now is the time to push Calcium clearly saying, "I''m in trouble. I want to thank you! "Thank you? Yeah, now, you know, calcium, I''ve conquered the whole genre. ''Conquering ......?Oh, come to think of it, I changed it to have all kinds. The status of the drop, its five types. Plants animals mineral sorcery characteristic I placed all five of those types on the first five floors of the calcium, one at a time. I haven''t told anyone, but it''s for Elsa''s sake. Celeste and Ena both speak highly of Elsa. I''m sure they''re right about that. Maybe Elsa''s ability as a buyer - a merchant - is very high. You should put a load on someone who is high on that. Ichiro, for example. A genius of that caliber should be sent to the majors, the highest stage in the world, instead of being consoled in Japanese baseball. If his talent and ability are overwhelming, creating a more difficult environment will definitely make him shine. In the same way, I had "all kinds" of calcium to load Elsa up with. And that''s what it''s all about - for calcium. It''s my first time. It''s all in one dungeon. Proudly twirling his chest!It seemed to be enough to put up a fight. ''Really?'' Yeah, it''s all just calcium. I''m very proud of that. So I want to thank you. I see. I nodded. ''I don''t know what that actually means, but I get the story. ''Well, then, with a genie. Allow Eve to take your name. Rabbits can be calcium! Are you sure you want to do this? Yeah. I nodded to myself.Eve snorts. ''Okay.'' Calcium readily accepted our offer. Thus, Eve became a genie. With a genie who could call himself Eve Calcium. 357.14 times carrot Now the rabbit has a genie in its bonnet. Eve snorted and puffed her chest out excitedly. ''Carrots, all you can make,'' Don''t do anything too bad. You know, we stop production at some point during the breeding season. No? I''m not saying no at all, but how about ...... every season? Per season? Eve nods her head. I''ve known her for quite a while, too. I think she missed me in the first place when she came over to my house and fed me Emily''s carrot noodles. Maybe that''s partly why I know how to handle them to some extent. ''Yeah, every season. Imagine, carrots only in the spring, carrots only in the summer, carrots only in the fall, carrots only in the winter. And then there''s ....... Yeah, and? Gulp, and Eve spits raw. It totally took. ''New Year''s--New Year''s Day Special Carrots'' ''Whoa! Eve''s eyes sparkle and her tensions explode. Eve''s love of carrots never changes, and her obsession never goes away. Then, if you let her go in that direction, she''s pretty much guaranteed to listen to you. They still do, and they generally responded as expected. ''Low level, can you help me?'' Yeah? "Special New Year''s Day Carrots. Yeah, sure. Me, who answers immediately. That''s about it - or something like that. Helping out for the New Year''s feast, we''re buddies, and I''m more than happy to oblige. "Ooh, ...... It worked so well that Eve looked more impressed than ever before. Now, let''s just say that Eve is a good thing. I turned to Calcium. ''Thanks.'' Well, thank you very much. Calcium replied in a laid-back, or rather calm, tone of voice, as usual. Speaking of which, since you''re allowed to use your name, did you gain any powers?You want to call it a blessing? ''Yes!The bunny over there. You know what I mean. Calcium pointed the water at Eve. ''You mean the rabbit fourteenth?'' Immediately after Eve said it plainly, it (,) happened. Fourteen two-headed characters dressed in bunny ears and bunny suits, the same as Eve, or mini-Eves as they should be called, appeared. The clothes are the exact same revealing bunny suits, but the eroticism is reduced to zero and the cuteness is increased by about 300% when the two-headed characters are dressed in their bunny suits. ''I see, so that''s what those minotaurs are capable of. Hmmm, it''s exactly the same ability. I don''t use this rabbit. Yeah?Yeah, that resurrection seems to be cannibalistic, and as expected, the one that looked like me-- "Rabbits don''t eat meat, they disgrace themselves. Go there! It was a grand plunge. It was Eve, who never blinked in any way. ''Doesn''t it mean much if you don''t use it to revive?Can those kids move? It works. There''s a link between the rabbit and the senses. "Yeah. ...... Hmm. What''s the matter, low level? The fact that our senses are linked makes me wonder what would happen if we ate our food in that state. "-Oh! Eve ran out. She turned herself around and suddenly ran off. She ran out and, realizing that the door was nowhere to be found, she ran back to Calcium. ''I''ll put the rabbit back in,'' You''re letting me out? Eve nodded her head in a chuckle. With no particular thought in his face, Calcium held up his hand, and Eve disappeared into the light and disappeared. She must have been brought back as requested. Because suddenly it was time to see what was going on. ''I''m sorry, you''ll have to put me back too, for once. I''ll be back. Are you coming? Yeah. Okay. All right. I held up my hand again, keeping a lazy tone. The light envelops me, and the next thing I know I''m back in the calcium dungeon. There''s a fallen angel, five floors below ground. I searched for a bit, but I couldn''t find Eve, so I took the transporter gate back to the mansion. I walked out of the transporter room and looked for Eve in the mansion. Then I found her in the kitchen. Eve and the fourteen mini-Eves. All of them were chewing on carrots. Fourteen of them were all happy and biting at the carrots they had stocked in their food supply. It''s an amazing sight. I mean, they''re doing it as soon as possible--. ''Low level!'' Oh, yeah? ''Wow, fourteen times as good as the carrots. Is that so? Yeah! Eve nodded clearly, unusually, and looked happy. ''It''s all good, good is fourteen times better.'' Well, that''s good. I congratulated myself for being so honest. I felt like it was a waste of my abilities, but this would be the happiest outcome for Eve, and I was okay with that. ''Thank you so much '' To say it was complicated is an understatement to say that it was the most incredible thank you I''ve received since I met Eve. 358. Two birds with one stone The next morning, in the town of Hashemi, the site of the planned opening of the Golden Tree. Carpenters were refurbishing the store for the opening, and I came in with Eve. ''Then you''ll take care of it,'' You''re in charge. The rabbit is a very stubborn woman. Eve said and used her ability on the spot. The ability to produce fourteen two-headed altered bodies with a calcium spirit. Eve''s main body and the fourteen alter egos sat in front of the store that was being renovated and all of them ate out the carrots in unison. Eve, whose stomach is fourteen times larger (technically, her alter ego isn''t even fourteen because it''s smaller) and who can eat carrots at the same time, has an extremely happy face. ''Oh, hey, look at that,'' The girl with the same face: ......? Hifumii...... fourteen, fourteen what?! One by one, the carpenters who were renovating the building and other passersby were surprised to see Eve''s appearance. ''Don''t tell me it''s the Minotaur''s?'' Yeah, that''s what the fourteenth is all about. I''ve heard that if you''re recognized by a dungeon spirit, you can use your dungeon-related abilities. So that means ...... genie user! I watched from afar, and my understanding grew as I expected. ''Does it come with a calcium genie: ......?'' It''s a Lyota family carrot junkie. ''What?Does that mean you''re related to this store? You mean Auldurm and Calcium ...... two dungeons recognized shops. The rumors spread completely predictably. I asked Eve to let me "just be" here for a while. It comes with a calcium genie, and I''m going to keep my alter ego out in front of the store so they can see it. It''s another trust-building exercise. Like the golden statue of Aulum, it''s a ploy to increase the credibility of the new buyer, the Golden Tree. That''s what I asked Eve to do--. "The rabbit works hard in the dungeon. At first he almost refused, but when I told him that building this credibility was the most important thing right now, he backed off. In addition, I told him that I would offer him as many carrots as he wanted when he was here, and he was quite enthusiastic about it. I turned off my alter ego, reset my alter ego Eve''s belly, and then Eve took out her alter ego again and started eating carrots. After the rumors spread, even the onlookers who had only heard the rumors gathered afterwards were able to see firsthand what Eve was capable of. Look at Eve, look at the onlookers around her. ...... I left the place quietly, thinking that this would work as expected. Stars. Evening, Ciclo''s mansion. As I was finalizing the arrangements for the opening of the buyer''s shop with Elsa, Eve came back via the transporter room. "The rabbit''s back! Evening. Are you okay? No problem. Rabbits are very stubborn women. A lunatic attacked me and I broke his head in a watermelon. ''What?Someone attacked Eve! Erza is surprised. Come to think of it, I remember when I first met Eve, Elsa was surprised. The famous Killing Rabbit, Carrot Junkie. I remember the first time I heard Eve''s alias from Elsa. ''How did you get attacked?'' ''I don''t know. Rabbit, I''m not interested in someone who doesn''t drop one of those carrots. Maybe it''s the hand Randall unleashed. What? This time, Erza looks at me. She turns her eyes on me, even more surprised than before. ''''Randall, the ...... Hashemi buyer?'''' Yeah. That kind of person is ....... An assassination, if you will. ...... Elsa''s surprise subsided a bit, and she had a gaining look on her face. The fact that she understands, and is convinced, so quickly. That kind of, that level of interference must be a common occurrence in the buyer''s area. That''s just as well, everything in this world is dropped from dungeons. And the first adventurer who produces a drop from a dungeon is the buyer who brings it in first. In other words, the buyer holds most of the concessions in this world. ''''This kind of thing is normal, and Randall''s resentment was great. I had Eve over there because I was sure she was going to interfere. For Eve? ''If Eve uses her calcium abilities over there, she''ll be able to foil the ''golden tree'' first, and kill anyone who gets in her way. ''Wow!That''s two birds with one stone. Me nodding. I hope this makes Randall give up or change his mind. ...... I wonder if that''s impossible. 359. Break the way to break pride In the city of Hashemi, in the buyer''s shop "The Golden Tree". Many adventurers visited this place that opened and brought in dropped goods. Elsa and Ena assessed them and bought them. Incidentally, a board in one corner of the store shows the calcium drops from the first to the fifth floor, the information on the monsters and the basic amount of money to buy them. For now, the breed improvement is kept to the first to fifth floors. If we do it all at once, the business will increase too much. We''re going to gradually and gradually improve the calcium breed, while also allowing Elsa and the others to break in. So it''s hard to say that calcium and this city are perfect yet, but... ''''It''s been a long time since I''ve gotten this much money. Come on, boys, let''s go get a drink. They''re looking for you. There''s a bar next door that''s open right now. Oh, no, I''m saving up. You can keep the money. You''ve got your own money. As some great guy says.He said it''s not much of a stretch to reach the end of abstinence. ''What the hell is that ...... but, well, you''re right! Two adventurers who looked like a duo walked out of the Golden Tree in high spirits. Just like the words I heard right before, they''re planning to go out to the tavern that''s opened next door. I was somehow curious, so I followed him out of the shop. There - the town was buzzing with activity around this "golden tree". It''s completely different from the Hasemi I just came from. Hashemi was more ''dead'' then, a town that had no connection to the vitality. Now, however, there are many bars and cafes that are commonly found in the entertainment district, such as the Golden Tree. It''s the economy, stupid. I am reminded of a phrase. It''s a phrase that came into vogue from an American president decades ago. Just like the meaning of that word, when the economy - that is, when adventurers earn more money - the whole city starts to turn around in a good way. I''m happy to see the city become more and more vibrant. ''Oh, you''re a dumbass,'' You are so incompetent! Crumbs!Um, ...... crap, crap, crap! Suddenly, a series of abuses popped up in my ears. It came from inside the store. I went back inside the store to see what was going on and found a group of adventurer parties. Eleven people in total. Up to ten people were in a circle, with one man standing on the outside of the circle who seemed to be the leader. ''Next, North. You didn''t reach your quota either. Ugh. ...... "Come in the cunt. At the leader''s man''s command, one man stepped out of the circle and stood in the center. ''Do it,'' Their leader gives the word, and then. ''You can''t!'' Ha, you should be ashamed of yourself! Crap, crap, crap! The others in the circle hurled abuse at the man in the center. The man in the center is slumped and wandering and shaking. The old way: ...... Excuse me, sir. I can''t believe you''re shouting at me here. It''s a way of doing things in the shop that has attracted a lot of attention. As expected, Elsa jumped out and said softly to the leader man. ''I''m sorry, but this kind of thing has to be done quickly or it goes bad. Immediately? ''Yes, they make you feel the pain of not meeting your quota. Um, ...... and that''s ...... Elsa looked troubled. At first glance, it makes sense - no, it doesn''t even make sense. Just a look of annoyance, and a look of not knowing what to say to a man who justified his brainwashing black company''s methods in the store. Elsa''s gaze swept over her gaze with a troubled look. My eyes met with Elsa''s. She had a look in her eyes that called for help - needless to say. There was no way I was going to let this kind of thing go unnoticed. I made my way to the center of the commotion. ''Don''t be like that.'' Strengthening his words, he said to the leader man. ''What are you?'' Apparently, they don''t know me. I ignored the man who was the leader of the group and asked the men who were his friends. "We need to get away from this guy. ""......" The men fell silent and silent. Most of them looked depressed and frustrated. One of them took a bite out of me. ''You don''t know anything, don''t you dare say anything!If I could stop, I would have done it a long time ago! Okay. Why can''t you stop? What? ''Why can''t I stop partying with a guy who has this brainwashing, personality-denying way of doing things?'' ''You can''t do anything about it if I tell you! The man spat, a hint of mockery in his voice. ''But. ''Oh.'' What? I''ll take care of it. ''Ha!How can you believe that? Tell me anyway. Shut up. The man who''d taken a bite out of me finally got a look of anger on his face. You don''t know anything. He looks like he''s going to throw those words at me again. And then another man - a naive man who could only say "crap" the entire time he was cursing - opens his mouth. "Contract, what is it? "Contract? ''I signed up for the party when I got it together, and if I stop within three years they make me pay a penalty. It''s ....... I giggled. ''What the f*ck!'' The guy from before took another bite. ''I''m sorry, that was my fault. I just thought it would be the easiest thing to do. What? Elsa, I know you''re in control of my account. Yes, Mr. Lyota. ""Mr. Lyota?" Several of the men at the Black Party responded to my name. I ignore that for the moment and proceed with the conversation. ''Enough for all of us, right?'' Of course. Elsa crossed her arms from earlier to the leader man who was watching the course of events with a half-cynical smile. ''''One hundred million piro, I''ll transfer it to your account. The man''s face changed, all of them. Both the man who was the leader and his friends who were being forced to be slaves. ''You know, ...... I''m not sure how to return it, me, for doing this ....... We''ll figure that out later. For now. I, too, turn to the man who is the leader. Straight up, with a challenge in his eyes. "Let''s just say no to this guy. I say, a beat behind. ''Oh, thank you,'' The simple man said. With that, the other men started thanking me. Suddenly, the leader man had a complicated look on his face until the end. 360. I''m going to set ten people free by shrugging off the penalties in the public eye. A pawn and 100 million piro, and for a complete stranger. I did something I wouldn''t normally do. Almost all of the buyers were taken aback. Even the adventurers who had once thanked me. "You''re free now. When I say again, "Free ......? I was starting to get confused. They weren''t the only ones confused. The man who was the leader of the Black Party and the other adventurers who had nothing to do with it. They were all taken aback. The only one who wasn''t. ''Then you must sign here. It''s a thing, so it''s proof of receipt. I applied for duty-free status. It was just the two of us, Elsa and Ena, who continue to deal with the rest of the paperwork. They''re my friends, so they''re used to this kind of () stuff, and they were able to move about as normal without being surprised or anything like that. The youngest of the ten people I helped, the one who had been stumbling around with a lack of vocabulary when blaming his friends, came to his senses first. "Oh, um... Thank you so much! Don''t worry about it. I''ll be indebted to you.I''ll pay you back or I''ll pay you back! Take your time. But you have to promise me one more thing. "Promise? The simple man nodded his head. He looked around at the other nine people in the room. ''It''s not just the man, they all are,'' he told them. ''Don''t be reckless. Take your time, yes, work about nine o''clock five o''clock.'' But then the money you paid me for... "Elsa. Yes, sir. Elsa, whose remaining work has been taken care of, responded to my call. The expression on her face says "I know," but she still doesn''t understand and waits for me to say it. ''Remember these people. You don''t have to buy them out if they''re recklessly holed up in a dungeon. I understand. I wish Mr. Lyota had turned the calcium into something like Aurum. With a mischievous smile, Ena pointed her thumb at the golden statue of Aurum on display in her shop and said with a sly smile, "It''s the same as Aurum''s. The same as the Aulum: ...... Oh, that thing that prevents monsters from coming out at night? The adventurer buzzed at the same time as I nodded my head in gain. ''Doesn''t the night of the Aulum Dungeon have any monsters?'' I''ve heard the rumors. Rumor has it he did it. I mean, ...... is that golden statue a real thing, too? ''You have that much influence over the spirits: ......'' I was buzzed and partially astonished. ''That depends on what happens in the future. Because I''m sure those who can work for Hashemi will want to work for a while.'' Hmmm, that''s a good point. The buzzing got louder and louder. I indirectly told them that they could do it if they wanted to, which caused the buzz to grow. I went through it and turned to the ten men. ''That''s why. I won''t take the money you earn from your recklessness, so keep that in mind. Just pay it back slowly, as long as it''s not reckless. The ten of them looked at each other and made a troubled face. Well, I guess so. I think I might be too lenient as well as interfering too much myself. But when I see a black party like this, I can''t help but get emotionally involved and want to do things more than I should. Thank you ....... ""Thank you!" The ten people I rescued, all agreed for the moment and thanked me. This matter is settled for now-- Mmm-hmm! Hmm? Suddenly, I heard laughter. When I turned to the voice, I saw the leader of the black party shaking his shoulders and laughing in a funny way. ''I got mocked too,'' No, you idiot. Another nearby, probably unrelated adventurer stopped him aloud, but the leader man snickered. ''You shouldn''t do anything unreasonable in front of Lyota Satou. Hmph!All those rumors are leading up to it, but we''ve never heard anything about what actually happened. ....... ''What''s the point?'' If you back off, you''ll be done for! The man leaps at me. He hit me with his clenched fists. A barrage of fist blows, a rush of punches that are a dozen times per second. A pretty good user - but not only that. His fists are subtly glittering. When I look into his eyes, I see that he''s wearing something that looks like a cuirass. Metal - or is it a diamond? I mean, it''s a pretty good rig. So he comes at me with a hostile, no, deadly intent. And I don''t panic, so I just pull out my pistol and fire off a bullet. An ironclad bullet. I read the trajectory of the opponent''s rush and placed ironclad bullets on all of them. Gaga-gaga-gaga--. The sound of continuous echoing blows, every single punch the man made was prevented. ''It''s about this!'' It''s best not to go any further. What? The man is astonished, he stops moving. Ironclad bullets, using the other end of the two guns, this one anticipates his direction of travel and aims at him. The iron wall bullets are progressing slowly. It is like a wall and ceiling approaching. If you move forward even a little bit, you''re going to be crushed by the iron wall bullets that completely stop even the dungeon master. The man understood that, he couldn''t even move a step. ''''Oooohhhh!'''' The bullets were fired for a moment, but the progress of the ironclad bullets was extremely slow. So all of the adventurers understood the situation. ''''You, stop right there.'''' Can''t you see I''m taking it easy on you? "Bonus luck." "Back off and enjoy the ride. One by one the adventurers chastised the man. He shook his shoulders, his face turning bright red. "d*mn it! Eventually he swore and walked away from the place to escape. 361. Only one At night, in the saloon of the mansion, after the day''s work was done. I folded my arms and pondered. ''What''s the matter, Mr. Yoda?'' Emily. Emily asked as she offered me another cup of tea, holding the tray to her chest. Just as well, I confided in her, asking for advice. ''Actually, I''ve run out of the minotaur dolls I got from Cell. We can''t breed the other levels at this rate. ''Can''t I just ask Mr. Cell to share again?It''s not a bad thing, Mr. Sell would be happy to help you, Yoda. I know, and I don''t think... I looked around and chuckled. ''I''m at the stage where I''m saying this, and the next thing I know, the cell is going to be here. Yes, sir. But, I made the first move to keep the cell from coming. ''Don''t rely on it too much. It''s like when you''re hiding in a dungeon, you don''t rely on it, you just need to see how far you can go on your own. I see. Just before, Cell could have shown up at any time, but once I say this, he refrains. That''s why if I make it clear that I want to think about it and make a move, he''ll go into watchful waiting mode. If you ask him, he can easily get you additional dolls this time, but if you keep repeating the same thing brain-dead, you won''t be able to think straight, so I thought first. "What about asking Calcium-san to do it? To calcium? ''Yes, sir. Like Nihonium-san, you should be able to produce a dungeon master at will, Spirit. I see. ...... You want me to do it again? I''m about to say it, and then I get an inspiration. I see a scene in my head. "Thank you, Emily, that''ll work. Yes, sir! Emily nodded at me with a gentle, motherly smile, like the mother of the family. The next day, the calcium room. I fly in using the transporter room, me and Eve. Calcium is a bit surprised to see us. "Wow, it''s really possible for you to come here normally. You''re an amazing person! Calcium looked surprised and truly impressed. ''I did you a favor today,'' Please? ''Oh,'' he nodded, then. ''I need you to give her another power, the ability to call monsters in the dungeon at will. Can we do that? I told her of my request to be straightforward. Call the monsters in the dungeon at will. My main goal was to be a dungeon master, but I asked her to go with that one, saying it would be better if I could call ordinary monsters at will as well. Calcium stared at me. After a few moments, I thought about something. ''Yeah, fine.'' Are you sure? If you do me one favor. I''m at your service. It''s a natural development. I don''t think it''s a buggy idea to get him to do what I say for free either. Equal value exchange and doing something in return is what I expected. "A little bit more... I wish you could make me and everyone else different. By everyone else, do you mean ...... taking other spirits? It''s more like a dungeon. I see. I nodded, I got the story. Originally, the reason Eve was made/recognized with a genie was because I made Calcium look different(,) from the other dungeons. I liked the fact that it was the only one in the world that had all kinds of drop statuses, so Calcium did me a favor and made Eve with a genie. It''s the same thing again this time. You want to be different, huh? I thought to myself, that''s a very human genie. ''I don''t know if I can...'' ''You should love carrots. He''s a genie who only eats carrots, and he''s the only one. Yeah, I think Eve needs to shut up for a minute. When I said that, Eve pouted her lips and chopped me, but it didn''t hurt () so I let her do what she wanted. I thought about it, after a bit of thought. ''Hold on a minute, I''m going to bring someone over.'' Okay. I used the transporter gate to get back to the mansion and went straight into town. In a sense, this is the only dungeon where you can''t use the gate. No, a dungeon that is practically unusable. It''s a relatively new dungeon that appeared in Sarfa and Ciclo. When you enter it, each adventurer is isolated from the others, so you can''t use the transfer gate to fly to a pinpoint location. I came to the Sarfa and Ciclo suburbs and waited for a while in front of the dungeon. The adventurers come out one by one. It''s a dungeon where you are forcibly ejected once per round. The adventurers will come out and enter the dungeon again. I watched them and waited for a while. "Huh?Lyota, right? I was waiting, my mate Alice came out of the dungeon. Alice Wonderland. He also has a genie-laden name, Fosforus, my companion. He has a maximum level of 2 and has little to no combat ability, and is a summoner who lets his fellow monsters fight exclusively on his shoulder. He''s often holed up here because he''s virtually unaffected and compatible with Sulphur, which forces him to be level 1 every time he enters a dungeon. ''What''s up, what''s going on?'' I have a favor to ask Alice. Say what you want. Alice responded immediately, looking happy. I told her about my interaction with Calcium. ''So, I''d like to ask Alice - Phosforus, to be precise. Could you be stationed over there? Melasma? Yeah, a dungeon with two spirits, and that''s always the only one. I see! Alice was convinced. From her shoulder, she placed her companion, Mela Mela, the spirit Phosforus, who looked like a human soul, in the palm of her hand and brought it in front of her face. ''I don''t know, Melamela.'' "-- The human spirit shakes and Alice nods, "Yeah, yeah. A conversation between the two seems to be taking place between them that no third party can understand. ''I see. ...... Mela Mela, she doesn''t want to leave me. I see. I guess I''ll just have to stay with the calcium. I''m not so sure about that either. Keep Alice locked in the spirit room all the time to allow Eve to call the dungeon master at will. Then you should ask the cell to get a doll for a number of times. ''I hope it''s only for the night, though. Yeah? You know, make my room a calcium room. You know, sleep in there at night. ...... Hmm. That may be the case. The question is whether the calcium will convince me--. Yay! As he spoke, Calcium''s eyes narrowed in delight as he spoke, his tone loose. ''Are you sure?Only when I go to bed at night, though. Yeah, but you''re still the only one. Okay. Part of me wonders if that''s okay, but I guess it''s okay because he looks happy. It''s good to see you. Nice to meet you. Alice and Calcium happily facing each other, and Melamella (Phosphorus) pulsing in her human soul state. I think Calcium is going to be Alice''s companion soon, like her name is Boingboin. Don''t you have ......? Just as I was thinking about that nonsense, Calcium spoke to me. I''ll give you the power then! Yes, with this, you can call any monster anywhere in the dungeon at any time! "I don''t know, Eve. "Kukuku. Eve held her mouth and laughed with a rare look of deviousness on her face. ''Dude, what''s wrong?'' ''Rabbit, I can feel the power. Now I can always call up that herbivore''s face and torment it. Oh, oh. Well, if you can call it that, so be it. That pretty much solves the calcium thing. If you can call it out at will, Eve can do the attribute changes on each floor without a problem, and I can do the adjustments afterwards without a problem. The calcium thing is almost as good as solved. ""--" Instantly, everyone present changed their blood color. Zunn! A strange feeling, hard to describe, the first time I''ve ever felt it, hit me all over. ''What is this?'' Ugh, that''s disgusting. ...... Me, Alice, and Eve. The three of us furrowed our brows tightly. ''Oh,'' On the other hand, Calcium has the same troubled look on his face, but his expression and reaction are relatively loose. ''Shinnin'' - no, no, you''ve been killed...'' Dead?Murdered? Yeah. Who? Erythronium. ...... genie? Calcium nodding. A slain spirit. It was like something extraordinary was happening without our knowledge. 362. Strong feelings He used the gate to fly to the transporter room and then ran out of the mansion as it was. ''Yoda-san! I heard Emily''s surprised voice behind me, but that wasn''t the point. I ran through the city at full speed and jumped into the Cyclo''s Dungeon Association. Ignoring the receptionist and association staff at the entrance, I ran into the back at once. ''''Cell!'''' Well, well, Satou-sama-- what''s wrong? I need you to find out something for me ASAP. Cell nodded quietly, but gravely, as if he could tell something from my appearance. ''It''s about erythronium,'' You mean the fake chrome? Fake chrome? ''It''s a dungeon that''s close to chrome, but it''s called a fake chrome because the quality, quantity, and difficulty of the drops are all inferior to chrome. I found myself squeezing my eyebrows together as I listened to Cell''s story. I didn''t like the story. ''Find out anyway,'' Okay. I didn''t say what, and I didn''t ask the cell. It was a big deal, a spirit killed, and I thought it would be better to have it checked out without any preconceptions. Cell was a cell, and from my swordsmanship, I''m sure he could sense something at least as much as "go and find out". The next day, the saloon at the mansion. Cell came in and had a serious look on his face. I could tell by the look on his face, so I went to the salon alone with him and listened to what he had to say. I knew it. Cell nodded. ''As per the information Satou-sama caught, the erythronium had disappeared. Disappearing. ''It''s suddenly gone, and even there they don''t know what happened. Does Satou-sama have it in his grasp? I heard directly from the spirits. He said Erislonium had been killed. Killed ...... Cell''s expression is finally becoming serious. ''You don''t know who did it or anything?'' ''Yeah. There''s a lot of confusing information on the ground as to why Erislonium disappeared in the first place. The only thing we know about is the death of the spirits and the disappearance of the dungeon. That''s all we know. I see. I thought for a moment and asked. ''What happens if the spirits die? I don''t really know much about it, since I stopped it with Arsenic. ''Knowledge of ancient documents, and only in the case of longevity. After prevaricating that it wasn''t a perfect match, Seru said, "It''s not a perfect match. ''If it''s a normal dungeon, with a few exceptions,'' Some exceptions--Phosphorus and Sulphur. ''If the spirit dies, the dungeon disappears. After a while, it appears somewhere else. Okay. And what happens to our memories, or rather our personalities. ''I don''t know. There is no memory of the same person meeting both before and after the death of a spirit. Well, that''s just as well. To begin with, the chance of meeting a spirit is only one in a few million. You can''t pass through that probability twice, and even more importantly, you can''t pass through the big event of a spirit''s death twice. Normally, this would be as hard as hanging a thread from several thousand meters above the ground and passing through two needle holes. It''s a good idea to ask someone who knows more than you do, rather than asking me. Do you know more? Speaking of recently reborn dungeons... --Awlum? Cell nodded quietly and clearly. Aurum dungeon, Spirit Room. It was during daytime working hours, so I came out here to talk to Aulum. At night, Aulum would come back to the mansion, but I couldn''t wait for that. ''Yeah, it''s very complicated around here. Aurum replied with a troubled look on his face. ''Complicated?'' Oh, man. I''m not sure if I have a memory or not. But it''s not my memory. The memories are there, but they''re not mine. While reciting Aulum''s explanation, I try to imagine the feeling. ''Oh, I was reading a book about the outside world a while back, and there was a story about a guy with amnesia. It was a line from that guy, and he was like, ''It''s definitely something I would have done, but I don''t remember it.'' I would do it, and I remember it. It''s like the other me that did it - oh my God! Halfway through, Aulum scratched his head in annoyance. ''I can''t say it right!It''s frustrating. ''No, I got some sense of it. I got the essence of it. "Essentially? It''s kind of like reincarnating with your memories. Mm-hmm, maybe. Aulum is convinced by the feeling I''ve put together. ''I''ll check, but your personality and memories are intact, right? Yeah. That''s what I was like before. Okay. So one more thing. This is the most important one. What? Do you know where you''ll be reborn? Hmm. Aurum crosses his arms and twists his head. ''Ah.'' Eventually, as if he remembered something, he clapped his hands with a pop, as if he remembered something. I was called in. Did he call for you? ''Yeah, come here - I need you...'' A human voice - not a human voice - called out to me, a feeling. The kind of emotion that needs me. ''...... I see. I see you''ve been called to a village that''s newly built but doesn''t have a dungeon. I see. I understand, and Ahrum clapped his hands again, to which I replied, "That''s the kind of village we want, isn''t it? I suppose that''s why they feel more strongly about us than they do about the village. Yeah. "But, Yeah? But you didn''t have to do it. I was the one who was asked to go, so I said yes. But it was fine to ignore it, and I was like ''stop asking me for help! And I could have been out in the middle of nowhere. ...... So that means it''s the whim of the genie. I see. Aulum laughed unbendingly at the conclusion I had further summarized. The reason I asked Cell and then Aulum about this was because I wondered if I could help Erislonium. The murdered Erislonium, I would save him if I could. That''s what I thought from the beginning, and I thought that more and more strongly after hearing Cell''s initial explanation. Fake chrome. Erislonium had been treated coldly with that kind of disdain. When you see someone like that, you can''t help but feel strongly that you want to do something about it. --Really? What? What''s going on? No, ...... has a voice. Voice?I didn''t fart or anything. No, it''s not like that: ...... Empty ears, I guess. I closed my eyes and craned my neck. I tried to listen carefully, but I couldn''t hear the voice. I guess I was just hearing things. ''Feng ...... thank you Aulum. You''re welcome. I thanked Aulum and used the gate to get back to the mansion. --Really, can you help me? The moment I transferred, I heard the voice again. This time it was clearer, and the words more specific than before. ''Who is it?'' It''s me. It was Emily who replied. She looked at me from the hallway, outside the transporter room, with a surprised look on her face. ''Emily. Was that Emily? ? It looks different. So now it''s ....... ''Oh, that''s not the point. It''s a big deal, Yoda. ''Oh?What''s the matter. Don''t tell me something happened to Arsenic? Emily Arsenick. One with a spirit, and I thought that in the current situation, Arsenick would have a demon''s hand in it - but I thought it was a demon. ''No,'' Really? I was so relieved. ''There''s a dungeon in the garden, sir. What? I''m surprised, right after. "If it''s true, you can help me out at ....... And now he heard a clear voice. 363. Level 1 is the strongest but you can enter He returned to the mansion from Aulum''s room and went out into the yard. ''Mr. Yoda!'' Low level, here we come. Emily and Eve, who were in the garden, turned to me at the same time. Emily has a troubled look on her face, but Eve is chewing on a carrot with her usual indifferent expression. Beyond them was the entrance to a dungeon that led underground. If you didn''t know anything about it, it would appear to be a hammock built in the garden of a vast mansion. But it is unmistakably a dungeon. It is the entrance to a dungeon that is more important than anything else in this world and gives birth to everything. The Dungeon of Erislonium: ...... What? Emily is surprised. Emily knows that it''s the "slain spirit erythronium" because she explained the whole situation to her friends last night after she asked Cell to do so. ''''This is it?'''' That''s what Aulum said. Spirit to spirit sensing, they say it''s a sure thing. I see. ...... So, what''s it like inside? That''s ....... I couldn''t get in. What? I looked at Emily and Eve in turn as they answered, surprised. ''At first I didn''t know what a dungeon was and tried to get in to see what was going on, but it seemed like there was an invisible wall that I couldn''t get into at all.'' Emily said, and headed towards the dungeon entrance. She couldn''t go on from the entrance, and the movement was like a pantomime, like touching an invisible wall. ''The rabbit didn''t make it either,'' This time, Eve, I say to Emily''s side and swing the chop down. It''s an incredibly slow - I mean almost an all-out chop. It sent out a blast and a shockwave, but was blocked by a wall that was as invisible as Emily''s. ''You can''t get past that much of an attack? I can feel the rejection. A voice from behind me turns me around. There are three people there, Nihonium, Meeke, and Sakuya. These are the three members of the Nihonium group who have been acting together a lot lately. Nihonium appears with them in the position and behavior of a polar wife. What do you mean by ''rejection''? ''I feel the dungeon, no spirit''s will strongly. A rejection that comes from fear. ...... I didn''t go into it any further because I thought I heard a secondary voice say, I can understand, and I didn''t go into it any further. It''s probably because it''s Nihonium, and it''s because it''s Nihonium that she knows that, and that''s why she left the dungeon to come here, even though it''s daytime. She also gave the dungeon master the ability of drop disappearance out of "will and refusal". I guess I understand those feelings. I''m convinced of that because I know the truth. The truth that Erislonium was killed just before. He was killed and born again, but that frightened me and I refused to allow humans to enter the dungeon. It was an obvious connection, and I was easily convinced. ''Although,'' Yeah? ''It''s impossible to reject them outright. You can only get in if you meet some conditions, or at least that much. Is that how it works? Nihonium nodded clearly. ''We can only enter one day a year. That''s the most stringent requirement imaginable.'' I see. Can''t even a spirit completely refuse entry to a human? Humans and dungeons - spirits. There''s still a lot I don''t know about the relationship between the two in this world, so I''m a little curious. I approached the entrance of the dungeon. If I can''t get in, that''s fine, but I''ve learned the inexcusable fact that Erislonium has been killed, and I hear a voice, though it may be empty, telling me to help. At the very least, I''d like to know the conditions of entry. With that in mind, I touched the invisible wall that Emily and Eve couldn''t get through. I was struck by the unexpectedness of what I thought was there - not what I thought was there. My hand cut the sky so grandly that I could hear a "squawk" sound, and I almost fell to my knees. I took a step forward and stayed on. ''What?'' I heard Emily''s voice. I turned around and saw her surprised outside the dungeon (). And I''m in the dungeon. ''I''m in: ......'' How did you do it? No, come on in, Emily. Hi. ...... I can''t get in. It''s exactly the same as before. Emily couldn''t get in after all, the walls were blocking me, and even with Emily''s power, I couldn''t move forward even a step. I made it out of the dungeon, I got out normally. I went in again, I got in normally. I went in and out, and in and out. I went in and out of the dungeon''s entrance borders like a repetitive side jump. I could get in and out with no problem at all. ''Low level, cocky,'' Aha! Eve is a bit grumpy as she gives me the chop when I get outside. It''s because I can''t get in, but... What? What''s going on? Eve, what did you say? ''I demand an apology and a carrot from the low level'' At least blur the words you say! It was a big shove. But it was still good. The words Eve had said - low level. A familiar word I''ve heard hundreds of thousands of times since I met her. Low level - level one. Killed ...... frightened ...... rejected ...... low level. ''A level-restricted dungeon?'' Erislonium admission restrictions. It was something that felt so fitting to say, that it was the only way it could be. 364. Blast of rejection No, Lyota. Okay. As her friends looked on, Alice tried to enter the dungeon, but was blocked at the entrance and couldn''t get in. Her level is 2. Her upper limit and current level are both 2, the second lowest level in the family''s adventurer group after me. ''''Well then, .......'''' I turn around and look at Elsa and Ena. ''It''s our turn, isn''t it?'' ''I''ve just checked, and she and I are both level one. Yes. I nodded and thanked them first with my eyes. The two members of the family''s non-adventurer group, Elsa and Ena. The two brainy guys, so to speak, did what I asked, and on top of that, they checked their level as a prelude. The two of them headed for the entrance with me--I''m in! They entered and came out immediately. ''I got in normally,'' Nothing seemed out of place. Okay. So that means it''s still a level limit, and a level 1 limit. Celeste, who had been watching the whole time, murmured, wrinkling her brow. ''''That''s what it comes down to. Are there any other level-restricted dungeons?'''' ''Huh?Didn''t you hear? What? From the cell. ...... Is the place where the gold drops also a level limit? Celeste nodded. I was surprised, and I agreed. I felt like I understood part of the reason why Cell was so obsessed with me. But that doesn''t matter now. For now, it''s this dungeon first. I have to do something about Erislonium. As if he could read my feelings, Celeste further analyzed the current situation. ''''If you''re talking about the level 1 limit, I don''t think there''s any problem if we leave it alone. There are less than five fingers of adventurers who are still at level 1 in the entire Dungeon Association''s grasp. ''...... Not zero?Besides me, of course. Yes, there were two, or maybe three. What are your abilities? ''''Unknown, but I''m an adventurer who can enter the dungeon at level 1: ...... Celeste and I both looked at Alice at the same time. She''s not a level 1 but a level 2, but she''s in the same lineage. Like I said, I''m also a level 1, but I was able to get here with a drop S. ''''You''d better consider that there''s a hidden depth to it. That means I can''t leave him alone. In fact, it''s dangerous. ...... Right. Celeste nodded with a bitter face. As long as there are other level 1 adventurers, I can''t leave them alone. ''''You want to capture it now? Emily asked, somewhat concerned. ''Yeah, I''ll be right in. ...... because I''m sure it''s no coincidence that you''ve pinpointed your appearance in the garden of this mansion. Okay. Can I come in? Alice offered. ''Alice?'' Yeah, I''m just gonna have one more, and then it''ll be one level down. I see. It''s something I thought about doing a long time ago. Every time I eat one magic fruit, I can learn one magic (or two if I handle it with my drop S). But after the second one, each time I eat it, the maximum level drops by one. Because of that limitation, the theory is usually to eat just one while you''re level-canned. However, Alice''s maximum level is 2, and it''s a samonar style, leaving combat to her fellow monsters. Even if she eats another one, her own abilities are almost the same - but. ''Can Honehone and the others get in? ''What?Ah. A huffed Alice, directing her fellow monsters. Skeleton''s companion, Honehone, jumps off her shoulder and heads towards the entrance of the Erislonium. Then - they are blocked. Just like the humans, they were blocked by an invisible wall. ''Aha.'' I knew it. I''m sorry I can''t help you. All right, yeah, just stand by for a moment. I''ll give you a signal when I need it. Okay! I''m not a fan of that, but it''s a guy like me who uses Alice''s magic "All Might" to summon people. You can summon him only once a day for 30 seconds, and he''s "exactly the same strength" as me. It''s probably level 1, but since the summoning time is 30 seconds, I decided to keep it for emergencies. Okay, ......, I''m off then. He circled his gaze around to his friends in the place and slowly entered the dungeon. Erislonium, the first basement floor. Once again, as I enter, it''s a place that doesn''t look like a dungeon in any way. Down there is a small island with grass, roughly 20 square meters in area. There are several islands of that size, with a babbling stream running between them. The islands are connected to each other by simple bridges, creating a sort of maze. In a way, it''s a dungeon, if you can call it that. ''It''s idyllic: ......'' It''s a place that feels so different from the dungeons I''ve been in that I couldn''t help but mutter that. If you don''t think about moving on, this is a place where you can spread out a blue sheet and have a picnic. However, that''s not an option. We find an island in the distance with stairs leading downward, and plan a route to the island and bridge to get there. ''Hmm?'' Suddenly, something fluffy drifted in. Balloons - or maybe soap bubbles? Floating around like that, fluffy, softball-sized fluff?It appeared to be like. I watched it for a while. The cotton wool was just flying fluffy and I didn''t feel any hostility or anything like that. I wondered if it was not a monster, but something like dungeon snow - I reached out my hand and touched it. Do-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o! The moment I touched it, there was a tremendous explosion. My eyes went blank and my ears keened from the explosion. My skin tingles. ''A bomb?!'' I blinked my eyes repeatedly as I tried desperately to restore my blank vision, trying to grasp the situation. Then my vision returns, but - surprise. The cotton wool - the same size, but bright red fluff was surrounding me before I knew it, and it was coming in an even straighter line. ''Poof!'' He reflexively crosses his arms and takes a defensive stance. Do-oh-oh! There was another explosion. ''Ouch! The second explosion seemed to do more damage than before. This is a guy you shouldn''t take. I kicked the ground and tried to dodge from a distance-- ''I''m heavy!'' I noticed something wrong right away, my body wasn''t moving as it should. And then he took another hit! I rolled on the ground and this time I got some distance. I knew one thing about the experience. The power, the speed, and the damage. Every time I ate it, my ability went up and the damage went up. So that means-- A debuff? I take the portable now board out of my luggage that I carry with me at all times for dungeon-catching and use it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP B (-3) MP B (-3) Force B (-3) Strength B (-3) Intelligence B (-3) Spirit B (-3) Speed B (-3) Instrument B (-3) Luck B (-3) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant S (-3) Animal S (-3) Minerals S (-3) Magic S(-3) Characteristic S (-3) --------- ... In an instant, I checked my abilities and dodged the red fluff that was coming at me further. Two things I understood. That with that one explosion, all of my abilities go down by one. And although my combat ability goes down, just like magic and potions, my drop ability doesn''t go down at all. ''''--then! I ducked and drew my gun and loaded it with infinite recovery rounds. I cast a magic - Quicksilver. I still use it on my friends in my daily routine. A magic that has become a routine at the level of washing my face and brushing my teeth, and I no longer dare to think about it. It consumes all of your magic power at one time, but instead raises any of your combat abilities by one rank. Fire it in rapid succession, alternating with infinite recovery bullets. I did it about twenty times, which would be enough in my experience, and confirmed it on the portable now board. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP A (-2) MP A (-2) Force A (-2) Strength A (-2) Intelligence A (-2) Spirit A (-2) Speed A (-2) Dexterous A (-2) Luck A (-2) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant S (-3) Animal S (-3) Minerals S (-3) Magic S(-3) Characteristic S (-3) --------- ... Yes! I went from B to A. Quicksilver is a magic that originally existed in this world, so I can''t get back to S, but I can get back to A as much as I want. I''ll eat it again and use Infinite Recovery Bullet and Quicksilver. I knew that both my physical and mental strength could withstand one shot with A, and that I could handle it with Quicksilver and recovery bullets. 365. Disarm We''ve figured out the monster''s attacks and characteristics, now let''s defeat it and see what it drops. Whether it''s from the bottom floor or summoned along the way, we''ll have to conquer the dungeon to some extent based on our previous experience. The monsters have to be defeated to some extent. I pull out my two pistols and aim at the fluff coming over the creek. Since there are just two of them flying at me, one of them is a growth bullet that has now grown to a one-hit kill-grade power, and one is a normal bullet that is now the weakest due to the inflation around it. I loaded each of them and used them differently and fired each of them as a means of checking the HP of the cotton hair. ''''Mph.'''' I was a little surprised to see that I was able to take out the cotton wool with a single shot, not to mention the growth bullets, but even with regular bullets. Is it still weak because of the fact that it''s a basement level? With this pattern, it''s possible that the power of self-destruction depends on the maximum HP or the remaining HP. I knew I had to be vigilant about that as well as the ability decline. The next moment, I was even more surprised. The two fluff that I defeated, each dropped an item. A rectangular piece of paper, fluttering down to the ground. It was a familiar one--a pillow bill! Do you drop money here too? I bent down to approach and picked it up, wondering with raised eyebrows - and then I picked it up. ''Hmm?'' I could see the wrinkles between his eyebrows getting deeper and deeper. The moment I bent down, I felt uncomfortable with the bills. Something was wrong, something was wrong. Just before I touched it, I stopped and stared at it, trying to figure out what the discomfort was. ''...... fake bills?'' The more I looked at it out loud, the more clearly I was convinced. The two fallen 10,000-piro notes look like that from a distance, but when you look closely at them up close, they look somehow fake. They appear to be poorly made color copies of children''s banknotes ...... or worse. Of course, I''ve never copied a banknote before, but it has none of the unique three-dimensional effect of printing that banknotes have. Instead, all that''s left is the flatness of the color copy. Why counterfeit bills? I wanted to understand it, so I picked up the bills to observe more. ''--!'' The moment I touched it, it was sucked into my palm as if it were melting. Nihonium seeds. It felt the same as that one, sucked into my hand. And - a feeling of weakness. A tremendous feeling of weakness washed over my entire body. As expected, I already knew, I checked it on the portable now board. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP B (-3) MP B (-3) Force B (-3) Strength B (-3) Intelligence B (-3) Spirit B (-3) Speed B (-3) Instrument B (-3) Luck B (-3) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant S (-4) Animal S (-4) Minerals S (-4) Magic S (-4) Characteristic S (-4) --------- ... All power has been taken down another notch! I pick up another one of the remaining cards. It feels exactly the same, sucked into the palm of my hand, with all of my combat abilities at C and all of my drops at S, but at -5. Booby Trap. The drop is cash - and if you pick it up in a woozy way, you''ll fall prey to even more ability loss. Self-destruction is also reduced in ability, and dropped booby traps are also reduced in ability. Consistent erythronium peculiarities. I can feel the maliciousness - and I thought. ''Help me: ......'' I heard that voice again. The exact same voice I heard when I was in the calcium room, and the same kind of content. The characteristics of a dungeon are greatly influenced by the spirit''s feelings and personality. Such as Nihonium''s "I want to make everyone around me unhappy too" and Seren''s "double swords". Erislonium''s peculiarities. He wants help, but more than that, he rejects all of them. A traumatized little child seeking salvation. Somehow, such an image popped into my head. ''...... means I just want to get rid of them.'' I''m more and more convinced of this in words. I turned myself around and left the dungeon once I was out of the dungeon. My friends were still waiting outside. ''Yoda-san!Are you okay? Yeah, I used a lot of portable now boards. Do you have any more? I''ll bring it to you. Emily dashes over to grab a new one from inside the mansion. So I check it out. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS (+1) MP SS (+1) Power SS (+1) Strength SS (+1) Intelligence SS (+1) Spirit SS (+1) Speed SS (+1) Dexterous SS (+1) Luck SS (+1) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... ''Huh?Mr. Yoda, did you use Quicksilver on yourself? Emily wonders. That''s just as well, because all of my friends know I didn''t have to use it on myself. They wondered why I used it. And that makes it all the clearer. Erislonium just wants to get rid of the intruders, and the debuff effect disappears when I leave the dungeon to reflect that. Only my Quicksilver is left. I still can''t leave ...... alone. ''I''ll wrap it up later, I''ll go again. Yes, sir. I stepped into the dungeon again. At that moment, another feeling of weakness hit my whole body. ''''I see.'''' ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP B (-3) MP B (-3) Force B (-3) Strength B (-3) Intelligence B (-3) Spirit B (-3) Speed B (-3) Instrument B (-3) Luck B (-3) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant S (-4) Animal S (-4) Minerals S (-4) Magic S (-4) Characteristic S (-4) --------- ... Checked with the portable now board I replenished, and when I came back, the debuff was back too. I don''t know if it''s like this all the time, or if it disappears over time or something. What I do know for sure, or rather, I''m even more sure of it, is that the nature of erythronium is that it''s a defense mechanism. The nature of erythronium is that it''s self-defense. ....... Which is to say. I thought maybe it was, I''m not sure, but maybe it is. The cotton wool fluttered across the river again. It''s coming at me in a straight line. I - I threw all the tools I had towards the entrance. I threw it outside. The two pistols, the portable now board, the stone of absolute rock and every other item. I threw it all out of the dungeon. Unarmed. I was now unarmed with no weapons or items at all. Disarmed. A gesture of non-hostile intent. Erislonium only eliminates enemies, and if that trait was true, it wouldn''t attack an unarmed opponent. And that was correct. Immediately after he became unarmed, the cotton wool stopped in place and only floated in a puffy fashion. My guess was right, and my resolve was even stronger. ''I''m coming,'' I remained unarmed and headed for the next floor. 366. Intuition and conviction My guess was correct. Erithlonium, second, third, and fourth floors underground. I descended the dungeon, which was structured with a stream running through the islands and a bridge connecting them, almost in a bare minimum of time. If I was unarmed and without the will to attack, the monsters didn''t attack me at all. The monsters are the same as those on the basement floor, all of them looking like fluffy fluff floating in the air. However, each level has a different color. I''m sure the effects are different, but I''m pretty sure that if you get hit by a self-destruct, "something goes down". That''s just a hunch, but in this case it was a near-certain hunch. I''ll come back later to confirm and collect the information if necessary. With that in mind, I went down to the fifth basement floor. "Wow, this is intense again. I mumbled aloud, and the scene unfolded in front of me to the point of wrinkling my brow. First of all, it was snowing. Red snow - dungeon snow. It was embodied in magical power, and it was falling incessantly from the sky. In addition to the familiar scene, the color of the river was also red. Not just red, but a sludgy, "heavy" and "hot" red. Blood. A river of blood. Those words came to my mind first. It was an idyllic scene from the first to the fifth floor, but from the sixth floor onwards, it turned into a horrific hellscape. I stepped into such a bloody pond of hell, and I was unconsciously upset, almost resisting, and unconsciously put my hands on my hips in search of something to hang on to. ...... Ah, so that''s what it''s all about. It''s a good thing I threw all my weapons out of the way. A thing to squirm with. To me now, it''s a series of weapons, including two pistols. It was normal behavior for me to be pressurized by the sight in front of me and put my hands on the weapons for self-defense. Fluffy fluff passed in front of me. If I''d had a weapon, I would have reacted now, and I would have self-destructed. Follow the monster with the terrain, that''s how it works. And even though it was a horrific hellish scene, the nature of the monster hadn''t changed. They didn''t react to me when I wasn''t in an attack position. I started to walk away. I crossed island after island by bridge, scowling at the river of blood. Six floors below ground, seven floors, eight floors, nine floors, ten floors - all of them. When he began to feel nauseated in the blood pool hell that was growing heavier and hotter, the environment changed completely again. The eleventh floor, this time it was magma. ''In a way it''s easier this way. I mumbled, chuckling. The basic structure is the same. There are islands, bridges to connect them, and fluff flying around. The magma is just hot, unlike the top, which is mentally crappy. Feeling a whole lot better, I moved on. I went down to the twelfth floor. "Huh? I winced again. First to fifth floor, sixth to tenth floor. I thought the magma would continue until the fifteenth floor, since each one was the same, but I was suddenly betrayed. The twelfth floor of the Erislonium. This time it was empty. A very strange sight. Islands floating in the sky, with bridges over them. The bottom is invisible at the bottom, a strange look like the sky. On one of the islands in the distance, you can clearly see a staircase leading downward. ''It''s a strange place,'' I tweet and go further. I don''t have a fear of heights, and I feel like I don''t have a fear of heights anymore once I''m up here. Maybe it''s the same feeling I get when I look down from the top of a building, but not when I look out of an airplane window. With that thought in mind, I crossed the islands and reached the stairs leading down. Going down there, I went back to Magma. It''s the same configuration as the eleventh floor, Magma and the islands. I went down, wondering what it was all about. The thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth floors... The fifteenth floor below Erislonium. There was no stairs leading down there when I came down. I crossed all the islands, circled around three times to be sure, and looked around from corner to corner. No, there are no stairs leading down. I mean. "So this is the bottom floor. Now, what to do. To be honest, I''m a bit stumped. After all this time, I realize that I only know how to get to the genie''s room. I only know of two ways to get to the genie''s room. One is to be summoned by the spirits, the other is to go to the bottom floor and defeat the monster to enter. Strictly speaking, you can use the transfer room after the second time, but that''s it. Those are the only two I know of, and I''ve come down to this point in Erislonium without the will to fight. Fluffy fluff floats around me. If I tried to fight and take them down, this would come at me all at once. Is it okay to fight in the first place? Considering what we''ve done so far, there''s more than a good chance that Erislonium won''t give us a path to the spirit room, no matter how many times we defeat it. No, it must be. ߤ˚졢֤֤g򡸾ܽ~Ƥ󥸥ˤʤä ֡餿Ƥؤʤ äɤ룿 Έֹޤäơ줳쿼Ƥߤ 𤨤ϳʤä ɤФΤ֤ʤ ߤʤҊ„Ƥߤ뤫 Ϥ˼äơһѳ¤ˤ ΤޤޤƤ ʮAʮAʮAʮADD á ޥޤiơՍuäݤʮAˑäƤ ФʡΘäơ ʤȤʤΈֹޤäMߤơϤ¤򽻻ơzࡣ ΤɤʤAʤäƤȤ˼ʤ Θʮʮˤʤ褦ؤ롣 ƥ󥸥ʮʮ˥󥹥`򵹤L`ɤ롣 ȤȤϡ ϤäƤФ΍uζˤäˤä ǤϤʤuζˤä ¤Τzࡣ ɤޤǤAա ʤȤ⡢ҊĿԤ1`ȥڤ˵椬Ҋʤۤɤθߤա ο _Ť˽ ϨDDwӽꤿ 夬󤰤٤Ƥ 뤰ؤäơƥӤҊӥ󥰤Τ褦ʄӤȻˤʤäƤ ơơAƩ``ʮ֡ KϤʤäƤ ޤӳΈܞQΘˡʤĿǰξɫäơϡǵäƤ ϺΤʤðפʿg 󥸥ä 둤βݤωʤʡ Ŀĵؤ{Ťȴ_Ť 367. Absolutely protect Creeping. A shuddering, deadly air went through my entire body. When I turned around to face the deadly air, I saw a woman there. No, it would be more accurate to say that it was a woman. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but it''s a good idea. I''m sure you''ll be able to find some sort of black miasma leaking out in some places. It''s a good thing that you''re able to get a glimpse of the eyes that can be seen through the long, disheveled bangs of your hair, because they are cloudy. ''''Ugh, uuahhhh. ......'''' A moan like an animal leaks out of his mouth. Is it a ghost, or even a grudge ghost? He seemed like the kind of guy who would do that. Are you erythronium? Ugh. ......? A female ghost moaning in agony. The head turned - and the neck turned sideways like a screw in one 360 degree turn. After a movement that would never be possible in a human body, both cloudy eyes caught me. Did you recognize me?-- and the next moment I thought. "Ah "ah "ah"!" With a growl that squeezes out of the back of my throat, he gapes his hands open and leaps at me. ''d*mn!'' Quickly, he flew right to the side and used his momentum to roll around the floor and keep his distance. ''Wait, listen to me! Uhhhh! The ghosts suffer more, scream and jump at you, as if calling out to you and calling itself a trigger. I catch both of its grasping hands and fight back--. ''''--! I stopped just before I got there and twisted my arm to keep my opponent off balance, only to slip out. Counterattack, I couldn''t do it. A murdered erythronium. A dungeon that eliminates humans to the extreme, a nasty series of dungeons. And the grudge spirits in the spirit room. Sorrow, anger. It wasn''t hard to understand those emotions as they manifested themselves in so many things before. So I couldn''t fight back. I couldn''t bear to do anything more to her. Three times, the grudge spirit jumped at me. Again, they teamed up stiffly. Then, they bit her on the shoulder. ''''Ugh!'''' The moment her sharp fangs dug into the flesh of her shoulder, an unprecedented amount of pain shot through her entire body. Pain so agonizing and writhing that it pierced the flesh and stirred the nerve directly with a finger to mess it up. A pain that completely disregarded all statuses, penetrating all defenses and pouring only "pain" directly into the body. Somehow, it might be a one-sided assumption because that''s the situation. It felt like this was her pain. So. ''I''m fine now.'' She bit me and shook her head like a beast, fangs gouging her flesh, I put my hand around the back of her head and laid it on top of hers to gently touch her. ''I''m not your enemy, I would never do anything terrible to you. ...... never. The words didn''t get through. She continued to bite me and shook her head, trying to bite off the meat. ''......'' But did the action get through. I continue to offer no resistance, and gradually her movements slow and eventually stop, her mouth gradually leaving mine. From biting, we stare at each other at close range, as if we could kiss. The light of reason returns in her eyes. ''Really ......?'' Yeah, really. "Really? ...... Really? He''s like a child. A child, hurt, shrinking in the corner of the room. I looked straight into her eyes and said to her, without hesitation and clearly. ''It''s true. I won''t do anything, I promise. I stare at her. No, she stared at me. Poppycock, she stares at me. Speechless, I just stare at her, just staring at me. Eventually, the tears flowed. With a pouting face, the tears flowed out of both eyes like a waterfall. Collapse. That''s the word that came into my head. In a different way than before, my whole body was militant. It''s still much better to be crying out (). Tears like a waterfall while I was stunned. What on earth happened to her, what was done to her? Just thinking about it made my whole body turn milky at the thought of it. "Mamoru. Yeah, I''ll be there. "You''ll be fine. She repeats the same words. Her ghostly body thins even further as her expressionless, tearless body grows even thinner. Gradually, gradually. It became thinner and thinner - and then she was gone. And there, where she disappeared, there was still an egg that hadn''t been there before. An egg as big as toilet paper, barely fit in the palm of your hand. I picked it up and held it carefully in both hands. No matter what happens, I will protect you. I mumbled an oath in the unoccupied genie''s room. 368. Parent bird I took my egg carefully and left the spirit room. Strangely enough, I was in free fall when I came, but when I exited through the exit that appeared before I knew it, I was enveloped in light for a moment, and then I was standing on one of the countless islands in the twelve underground floors. Well, I''ve experienced a lot of things in dungeons here and there. It doesn''t matter how strange this level of wonder is now. By the way, the reason I didn''t hesitate to go up the stairs even though I had an egg in my hand is because the stairs appeared right after I got the egg. Spirits, like monsters, do not straddle the hierarchy. If you force them to do so, they disappear. I thought this egg had such a () possibility, but I thought it would be okay to straddle the staircase since it came out of the other side. Of course, I was cautious to some extent the moment I straddled it. With that cautious gait, I headed for the stairs back upstairs further up. ''''Mmm ...... ah ......'''' Meanwhile, the self-destructing fluff was gathering. I braced myself for a moment and tried to take a stand and protect my egg, but I soon realized it was useless. The cotton wool just floated fluffily around me. If I go forward, they go forward, and if they go down, they go down with me. It was clear, I felt the will, protecting the egg. ''That''s right,'' I puffed out at my own stupidity. There is no need to protect the egg from these fluff. I refuse hostile intruders; I''m the one who protects the egg. I guarded the egg carefully, but not unnecessarily tightly, as I left the dungeon in the midst of the fluffy pathway. ''Mr Yoda!'' When I stepped out of the dungeon, my friends were still there. The sun had already gone down completely outside, and people were building fires here and there, chatting in groups. When they saw me, they were all coming towards me at full speed, and Emily was the first one to run up to me, calling my name. ''Are you okay?'' No problem at all. ''Good: ...... Oh, that''s what you got from the genie?'' It''s a complicated place. Aurum, nihonium, and melamella. With almost all my friends assembled, I called out to the three spirits. ''What do you think of this?'' Then, with the egg in my hands, I ask the three of them. To find out what''s really going on, they don''t say any information that could lead to preconceived notions. Aulum and Nihonium were on their feet, while Melamela flew away from Alice and came wavering towards them. The three of them stood in front of the egg, staring at it for a few seconds. ''''Genie,'''' Aulum and Nifonium said that with their mouths, and Melamela''s body momentarily swelled and flickered. The fact that Alice, who is a bit farther away, is nodding, suggests that Melamela is saying the same thing as the other two. ''I see, so it''s the spirit itself. Hmmm, maybe not. Right after I came to my conclusion, Aulum waited. "We''re essentially the same in nature, but we''re different. Don''t you think so? ''I agree. I know it''s a spirit, but it''s something I''ve never seen before. Nihonium uttered similar words. ''Hmmm. What do you mean Melamella came out of the dungeon with it?I''m listening. When Alice interpreted for her companion Mela Mela, everyone in the room - especially Aulum and Nifonium - were flabbergasted. ''Yes, how did you manage to get out of the dungeon normally if you''re a spirit?'' Mr. Lyota, do you have the same ability as Meeke? No, it''s not supposed to be. So I decided to check it out, and once I did, I went into the erythronium. The cotton wools gathered in the straw to protect the egg. I gently touched one of them - I took it, which didn''t explode when I touched it, and left the dungeon. Then the fluff disappeared. It disappeared in the normal way that monsters do when they come out of a dungeon. ''I knew it was different.'' As everyone watched the cotton wool disappear, everyone was convinced of my actions and the results of the experiment. To be convinced of the experiment is to say that the egg''s existence is increasingly in doubt. Everyone present looked at the egg. ''What''s this all about?'' ''Hold on'', that''s all. That''s it? That''s it. He returned the nod and nodded. And then - there''s a surge of friends. "Oh, I see what''s going on. I don''t understand the logic, but that''s always been the case. I was asking Yoda for help. We''re here in the first place! The cause is still unknown, but we all agreed. I wondered if that was okay. ...... Well, all right. An egg in my possession, an egg in custody. When I looked at it, I felt like saying, "Well, I guess it''s OK. It is important to note that this egg is the one that the three of us have assured ourselves is the same spirit, and that he has entrusted it to us to "protect" us. Why the egg spans the dungeon is not important now. What''s important is how to protect it. Yes, Yoda. As if reading my decision, Emily held out her pistol with both hands. My partner, two guns that control special bullets at will. Emily held it out to me, smiling. Good luck, sir. Yeah. I kept the egg and received the gun and other items. The egg is carefully placed in my pocket. I giggle a bit, feeling like a baby bird. I''ll definitely protect you, I''ll have it on my person wherever I go. The next morning. There was a crushed shell in the futon. An awful little girl was clinging to me. 369. Frightened little girl Um, ....... I''ve been through a lot before, but as expected, my mind stopped for a moment in this situation. The girl clinging to me is, at a quick glance, about a kindergarten age child. It''s hard to tell at a glance because her hair is a bit long and covered her body, but she''s wearing a dress. I got the impression that she was a healthy, innocent child who looked like she could run barefoot across a grassy field at any moment. I found an eggshell near her. It was an erythronium egg that I had protected yesterday and wanted to keep with me. The egg was split in half from the middle. Normally, when you break an egg, you get a sticky residue inside, but this egg didn''t have that and the inside was clean. This is the reason why this child broke the egg and came out of the inside ......, but it''s hard to accept it at the moment. I don''t know what''s going on ....... N...... The girl let out a voice and gradually opened her eyes, probably because she flinched when she mumbled. I''m not sure if it''s because of the fact that I''ve been in the same situation. "....... Squeezing me, he held on to me. He clings to me pretty hard, even more so than when he was sleeping. The strength of the clinging makes me feel all kinds of fright and fear. Oh, she''s definitely an erythronium, I''m convinced. It''s a good morning--who is this girl? I left the room and came to the dining room, lured by the good smell, to find Emily making breakfast in the adjoining kitchen. Emily only turned around to face me, but when she noticed Erislonium hiding behind my legs, she stopped her hand and turned around completely. ''This is what it seems to be about,'' I held out the egg shell I''d brought with me. The egg of erythronium, the egg that all my friends saw last night and tatamago. Seeing it broken in half. ''Are you a genie?'' I think that''s the situation. I''m sure, in my opinion, but I''d like to have Aulum and Nihonium and the others check it out, just in case. Mr. Nifornium has already gone out. He''s been a great friend of Sakuya''s lately. Is that so? I often see them together, but all I can remember is the vague, unhappy part where Nihonium seems to be in a bad mood. ''Yes, sir, they are very, very good friends. ''I see. If Emily says so, then so be it. That''s true. What about Aulum? ''''Aurum-san is already in the dungeon too. There''s only one Meeke, so she has to go before Nihonium and the others. ''I see, the Nihoniums will move around the dungeon, but Aulum will just stay in the spirit room the whole time. And after Meeke sends Aulum, he''s going to be stuck to Nihonium. Yes, sir! So it''s all a bit of a mixed bag. Take her into the dungeon, no. I''m sure the girl is Erislonium herself, and if it''s the spirit herself, she''ll disappear if she straddles the borders of the dungeon or hierarchy without Meeke. I can ask Melamela to do it, or I can wait until nightfall. ''''Yoo-hoo, whoa-hoo! In the meantime, Alice walked into the dining room. Even though it''s the first thing in the morning, Alice is still high strung as usual. Perhaps frightened by that high tension, the girl clung to me. ''It''s okay,'' I used as gentle a tone of voice as I could. To reassure the younger and more frightened child, I spoke to her in a voice that was gentle to the limit, and gently stroked her head. ''That sis isn''t a bad person,'' The girl clings to me even tighter, burying her face in my thighs while she pulls and bobs her head. Her body is shaking in small increments. You must have had a really bad experience with ....... "It''s okay. I''ll be there for you. I''ve changed my approach. The fact that you''re clinging to me means I can handle it. So when I was there, I patted his head and patted him gently on the back. ''......'' It seemed to work this time. The girl clung to me, stopped shaking, and slowly looked up at me. I make a gentle smile, and the girl seems to be a little relieved when I do. Now, if I''m going to be this frightened, I''m going to have to ask Alice to refrain a bit. ''They haven''t all woken up yet. ''Just Emily alone?'' What? I couldn''t help but raise an eyebrow at Alice, who was going to say something crazy even though I was right next to her. But Alice wasn''t the only one who got funny. ''Yoda was there too ...... where did you go?'' Emily also scurried around with a strange look on her face. I''m rather surprised. The distance between me, Emily and Alice is less than two meters. If I take one step, I can reach them. And yet both Emily and Alice are pacing around, seemingly unable to find me. That''s when it happened. To my relief, the girls stopped clinging to me and quietly moved away, just hiding behind me the same way they did before. ''Heee!'' ''Wow!What''s that, Lyota? Where have you been hiding? Emily and Alice, both of them looked at me in grand surprise. The two of them were so startled that they yelled out, which startled the girls too, and they clung to me again. ''Miss Yoda?'' Gone?Where did you go? They scurried around again, looking for me. The two of them lost sight of me, and I was in the same situation earlier. The only thing I had in common then and now was that the girl was holding on to me. ...... No way. Frightened, and then rejected. I thought it was possible enough, considering what Erislonium had been showing me. Only when they''re clinging to me, neither of them seem to be visible to anyone else. ''......'' No, I touched Alice''s shoulder, but she didn''t notice. It could have been something more, something amazing. 370. Eri-chan I squatted down and locked eye level with the girl. She was still clinging to my leg, which made the position slightly uncomfortable, but I spoke softly to her, tripping her up so as not to scare her. ''Don''t worry, I''m here for you.'' ...... Even though she''s squatting, the girl is still about half a head shorter than me. Her eyes wavered anxiously as she looked up at me. I stroked her head. Wordlessly, I kept stroking her anyway. These aren''t words. I kept stroking her until she felt safe. I''m not good at baby-sitting, but I''m confident in my patience. I waited until the other side calmed down. ...... About three minutes. That''s how long it took for the girl to calm down. The girl stopped clinging to her leg and grabbed the hand I was stroking her head with, thumb and pinky. She grabbed each of the two fingers at the open end of the "par" with both hands. It was a childishly unpredictable action, but it was cute. ''Oh, it''s Yoda,'' It''s true. Where have you been? Can you see ......? Hi. Can you see it? Why do you have to say it''s been gone for so long? Alice nodded at Emily, who looked at me suspiciously. I thought about it. I started looking at her again, almost at the same time she stopped clinging to me. It was after I changed to grabbing my fingers. That thing from earlier. You can''t see it and you can''t recognize it''s existence only when you''re holding on to it?Or is it only when she''s scared? I wanted to make sure of that, but I didn''t want to figure it out, but I soon found out the truth. ''First of all, it''s going to be rice. My energy for the day is breakfast. Yeah. Yeah. Emily was right, whatever you do, you have to eat breakfast first - and when I got up, the girl clung to me again. It was a little different than before, not frightened. Don''t go, she said. Her eyes, wavering with accumulated tears, insisted. ''Huh?She''s gone again, Lyota. She''s not here either. Emily and Alice, they''ve lost track of us again. They look around for us. And unlike before, I''ve noticed something because for the second time I''m feeling a little more relaxed. The friends on Alice''s shoulders. Honeone, purr-purr, bong-bong, spiky, gawky, gawky - and melasma. Alice''s fellow monsters are scurrying around and looking for her as well. The monsters, too, and the same spirit, Meramela-phosphorus, are looking for us. They don''t seem to see us. While patting and fondling the girl''s head, I gave Melamela a deco pin. The human soul-like looking Melamela was blown away a bit by the decoupins, but she just looked at me in wonder. ''What''s wrong Melamela?'' Mr. Yoda: "Yoda, I''m ...... close by. ''What?Oh, I see, I''m going invisible. Emily''s words made Alice gasp. Strictly speaking - it''s not invisible. In any case, they wouldn''t even notice if I touched it. I suddenly became curious and looked at the window. Faintly, my image was reflected in the window. I''m not going to be able to get the same look as I did, and Emily and Alice are scurrying around. This is ...... a system that is not recognized for its very existence. Immediately after recognizing this, the girls again felt relieved and grabbed my fingers from their clutches. The reflection of the window didn''t change the scene I was seeing, but Emily and Alice and the others caught sight of me all at once and stared at me. So that means when they''re clinging to me, others can''t recognize my presence anymore, and when they''re not, they look normal. ''Hey, hey, what do you mean by that?Transparent?Are you invisible? Alice is extremely curious about it. Does that mean that Ryota can look into your bathroom as much as he wants? How did you get that idea? I chuckled at the idea of Alice. ''Ree-chin told me before that''s a man''s romance. ...... Mr. Yoda. Emily''s eyes had some darkness in them. Ryouchin, a copy of me calling out with the magic of All Might. The air was as if I had said such a thing. Well, I don''t quite understand the Invisible Man -> Looking into the Bath. It''s not at all hard to understand. ............ "I wouldn''t do that. Really? Yeah, it''s true. So good, he pats the girl''s head. If this was a special bullet effect, there''s a chance in all likelihood that it would be used for something like that, but not this. Clinging to me and activating the ability to be unrecognized by others. Completely, it''s an ability that is linked to this child''s - the lineage of the erythronium dungeon. Then it''s something I should use to protect this child. ''''Eh?Yes, mellifluous. I''m surprised to hear something from Melamela, who has Alice on her shoulder. I can guess what it is. ''Lyota, is that girl an erythronium?'' I knew it? I silently held out the eggshell. It''s the eggshell I brought back from erythronium that everyone had seen yesterday. If Melamela is like that, it means she is an erythronium. But this. "Let''s keep her being an erythronium secret from the others. Oh, yeah. I''m for it. I squatted down and brought my eyes level with the girl again. ''We''ll give her a temporary name. ''Eri, how about that?'' The girl looked at me often and then hugged me as if she were clinging to my neck. 371. Make it a waste dungeon The parlor of the mansion at night. I was face to face with Cell who had come to visit me. He had asked me to come because he had finished investigating my mansion, or in other words, the new dungeon that had been created in the city of Cyclo, and he wanted to report back to me. Cell nodded with a straight face when he heard that I was only allowed to enter as a level 1. ''''I see, so it''s a restricted entry level dungeon? Yeah, I hear you know more about that stuff than I do. So I''d like to ask you some questions, too. "Hmm? ''''Elythronium was only allowed to enter at level 1. I suppose it''s normal to have restrictions at the upper or lower level limit, but is there such a thing as only letting in certain levels? No, I''ve never heard of anything like that. ''Levels 10 and below, and levels 90 and above. Level-restricted dungeons are known to be around here. I see. I nodded. That easily made sense to me, since my knowledge of it was the same expectation. ''''So that place is a dungeon that''s below level 1, effectively level 1 only. That limits the number of people who can get in. Doesn''t mean he''s not there, though, right? I know about the dungeons that are dropping money, and on top of that, I can kind of imagine listening to the way Cell is talking right now. There are other people who can fight even at level 1. The most famous one - other than Satou-sama, of course - is Alex Mueller. A level 1 great mage who regularly eats magic fruits, taking advantage of the high MP he was born with. On a regular basis? Periodically. Celle nods in return for the oomph. I see. After the second magic fruit, each time you eat it, the maximum level drops by 1, but it doesn''t drop below 1, and the ability doesn''t drop at level 1. For example - well, if you consider lapses, a wizard''s practical level of MP is roughly a C. If you''re level 1 and your MP is a C, you can increase your strength in terms of the department store of skills by splitting it up and eating the magic fruit with a bang. I thought of a similar thing with Alice. She has a maximum level of 2, so the penalty after the second magic fruit is practically the same as not being penalized. However, since she has an MP of E and took the strongest all-mighty from the magic fruit using her "dungeon upbringing", she didn''t eat it after the second one. It''s kind of like Alice''s upward compatibility--no, it''s like a branching evolution. ''There are some amazing people - and there are three different looks of dungeon structures (...)'' Talk about looks. ''If you get attacked by a monster, all abilities are reduced by one level. Well, it''s only in the dungeon, so it won''t be fatal. No time limit? I had a pretty good guess that he''d be back after 24 hours like any other. I guess that wasn''t good enough for you, Satou-sama. Yeah, I went in this morning, but my abilities were still diminished. I see. Cell nodded again with a straight face. He''s probably calculating the value of the dungeon in his head. I chased after him further. ''So the drop item was a booby trap. All levels.'''' What do you mean? If you pick it up, you will suffer the same incapacitation as if you had been attacked. That''s tough. That''s it. I have to admit, it''s even worse than nihonium... The original erythronium wasn''t, though. What was the original? What do you know about chrome, Master Sato? Emily told me about it a long time ago. That''s when it was explained to me that both the air and water in this world are produced from dungeons. ''I hear the dungeon has good water,'' ''The same was true of erythronium. but it is generally considered to be of lower quality than chromium. I see. Chromium is known for its delicious water. Its backwards compatible with chrome. Somehow, it''s a no-name mineral water sold at a throwaway price. That''s the kind of image that popped up in my head. ''There was no level limit and the monsters weren''t that fiddly. You''re having a bad day. I told him all the general details in one go, and then I added the details. ''The more I hear, the more the lack of value is brought to light. It makes me wonder if dungeons like this really exist. I''m grateful for that. He showed up in the garden of the mansion. That way, no more adventurers will have to come to you. I see. Cell thought for a moment, looked at me with a straight face and asked. ''What are the chances of improving the breed?'' ...... I don''t want to do it. I thought about it for a moment and replied that. ''I''ll give you a reason for that. ''It''s such a nasty dungeon. I don''t want to spend a lot of time with the dungeon master. ...... reasonably. Then you can''t. Cell laughed with a huff. ''''A level 1 competitor or something like that can only fit in one hand. It''s a good thing that they''re mid-level players except for Sato-sama. If Satou-sama won''t do it, no one else can. Cell agreed with that. I look through the window at the back of the cell as it leaves. The result of carefully selecting the information he puts out and guiding his thoughts. With the information that Cell will bring back and release as the head of the Dungeon Association, probably no one will want to enter Erythronium. That''s good. I walked into the parlor after Cell left and looked down at Eri, who clung to my feet. This should have protected both her, the ''main body'', and the dungeon. 372. The sorrow of the patronage The next day in the afternoon. I didn''t go to the dungeon, I was in the saloon. The large mansion is just me and Eri right now. A while ago, Eliza and Ina were at the sub-branch of "Tsubame no Omiai" and the mansion would be reasonably busy even when everyone was working during the daytime, but since the two of us became independent and set up "The Golden Tree", the mansion''s daytime hours are basically deserted. It''s just the two of us, me and Eri, in the saloon of such a quiet mansion. I''m sitting on the sofa and Eri is squeezing my pants while I''m just sitting there. "Eri, don''t pause, why don''t you sit down? I recommended the couch, but Eli shook his head. He must still be fundamentally insecure somehow, so he can''t sit comfortably. That''s what I thought for some reason. ''Yeah, I guess so.'' He didn''t affirm or deny it, and his response was limited to a gentle pat on Eli''s head. As a child in form, and by extension, in behavior, I have to be more careful with him than with Nihonium. I thought to myself. ''''Somebody - is there anyone out there?'''' Hmm? Suddenly, I heard a voice from the doorway. A juvenile voice and a distinctive tone of voice. I stood up and left the salon. ''''.......'''' Eri followed behind me, fumbling and fuming. He follows me with a big wave of his short limbs, he''s in a hurry and looks like he''s about to fall down. "It''s okay, don''t panic, I stopped and waited for Eli. Eli caught up with me and still tugged at the hem of his pants to pinch it. ''This way when you walk.'' Then I hold out my hand. Eri hesitates for a bit, then grabs my index finger. There''s too much difference in the size of my hand and Eri''s hand to hold hands. Even if I hold out my hand, it will naturally take the form of one of my fingers being grabbed. With that situation, we head to the front door together. ''No one''s there?'' All right, I''m coming. Raise your voice, but keep your walking speed slow. I don''t lose my stance, which is to match Eri. It takes more than twice as long as usual to reach the front door. The person I had imagined from the voice and language was there. Mao Mee. She''s a girl of about the lower elementary school age, with childish limbs, a mature expression, and long twin-tails as tall as her height. At the same time, she is also a person with a high position as the head of the Filin Dungeon Association. ''''Long time no see, Mao.'''' It''s been a while. I came to visit you today. Mao says that in high spirits and hugs me around the waist. I don''t dislike skin-to-skin relationships that show affection. ...... At the same time, I could feel the little Mao breathing from even lower in the air. ''Oh, who is this girl?Are you possibly your illegitimate child? How come you''re the illegitimate one all of a sudden? He made a grand gesture in response to the sudden and massive blur. ''No?'' I''m here for a reason. Hmm, yeah. Mao pulled away from me and stared at Eri in the middle of the room. Eli hid behind my back in a panic, looking slightly frightened. ''Oh, you hid,'' Sorry, I''m a little shy. ''Yes. Mao is Mao Mee. In response to Mao''s friendly introductions, Eli, who''s hiding behind his back and clinging to him, just shakes his head in a pull. ''I''m really sorry. Anyway, just go to the salon and I''ll get you a drink.'' That''s okay. Mao said and headed towards the salon with a light step. He walked away from it and reached out to Eri. ''Let''s go.'' With Mao gone, Eli grabbed my fingers again, a little less nervous. We both head to the kitchen. We go into the kitchen and prepare our drinks. Mao Mee. She''s the head of the Philindungeon Association and works as a sake sommelier of sorts, but she''s not the usual "looks like a kid, brains like an adult" or the so-called Lolita hag. She was once a ''You don''t have to push yourself, Mao is as old as he looks, so you can do what you want with your language. He self-reported that he was 10 years old or so, if he was right. Hence, I use scent and appearance only to appraise the alcohol. Even so, I can judge it better than any adult, which is why I''m in the position of head of Filin''s Dungeon Association. I decided to prepare an orange juice for her. Emily squeezes Tellurian oranges and adds a twist to them. It looks, tastes and thirsts first-rate, and although it''s just a juice, it''s also strangely addictive and incredibly delicious. I pour it into a glass and put it on the tray. Then I noticed that Eri was staring at me. It''s the first look she''s shown me - curiosity. She''s looking at the juice I''ve poured on her with curious eyes. I take another smaller glass, pour the juice and offer it to Eri. ''Do you want to try it?'' ...... Eli was surprised and confused. She alternated between my face and the juice, looking lost in some way. I didn''t say anything, but waited in the pose where I held out the cup. I waited without hurrying, and eventually, Eri moved of her own volition and received the cup. I put my mouth on it and... ......! Paaaah, her face goes all over the place and she nods coyly at me. ''Right?Emily made the best juice in the world, right? (mmm-hmmm) Eri reacted in the most emotional way I''ve ever seen her react. I was a little relieved and happy to see that. It''s not just that she''s frightened, she can make this kind of expression. I became happy and hopeful. Just like that, I watched warmly as Eli drank his juice. ''Oh, it''s the juice!'' Mao appeared at the entrance to the kitchen. He must have been waiting and came to check on her. ''Mao don''t drink too!'' ......! Mao''s momentum freaked me out and Eli hid behind my back again. I can see that he''s trembling slightly. There''s no malice in that of Mao''s. She''s just fine. I hope that someday Eri will no longer be frightened by this energy. In order to do that--. Late night. After spending time with a group of friends who had come home and everyone had gone home to sleep in their respective rooms. I was in the salon. Eri, who had been clinging to me after everyone else came home, was tired and sleeping with me clinging to her. He''s sleeping quietly in my lap, a round stain of slobber bigger than a plate. I pat his head up, trying not to wake him up. After a moment. ''Good evening, sir.'' Margaret emerged from the dark corridor with an elegant demeanor. The Lyota family, the boss of the Margaret family. Margaret herself appeared without a sound. ''That was quick ().'' I''ve come as fast as you can, sir. She said and placed the bottle on the table. The bottle, placed quietly so as not to wake Eli, had her face painted on the label. ''New product?'' Yes, it''s the bottle version of Pandora''s Box. It''s got water in it. ''It''s going to be a more decent product than Margaret''s Mark drop water or an airbox. I picked it up and stared at it intently, then set it down on the table without making a sound as well. ''So, how did it go?--Chrome. The water in the bottle is chrome water. Dungeon Chrome, which produces delicious water. I asked Margaret, who is famous for her airbox, to go there. I asked Margaret, who could have shown up, to investigate. ''Um, ...... lat, sosha, play, builder.'' Margaret looked a little troubled, then softly read the names of the four ninja knights. Then something appeared out of the darkness and whispered in her ear. It was right on target. Even if Margaret herself couldn''t do it, the four ninja knights would still be able to find out for Margaret. Rather, Margaret could do nothing, just go get Margaret water. Eventually, the ears are done and Margaret answers my question. ''As you see it, Lyota. I''d like to see you lose interest in what you did to monopolize the chrome, knowing that the new erythronium won''t drop water. Well, that''s good. Perhaps they might go after the erythronium. I asked Margaret to move with that possibility in mind, though. Apparently, I won''t have to worry about that. 373. To protect yourself I''m in a bit of a bind. In the morning, in front of the transporter room. I''m being held onto by Eri. While my friends are using the transporter room one by one to go to work in the dungeon (...), Eri is clinging to me as I''m trying to use the transporter room as well. ''Eri.'' ...... (pulp) Clinging to his feet, Eli looks up at me, tears in his eyes. Don''t go to work, Dad. I can almost hear those hallucinations. I squat down and bring my gaze level with Eri. ''I''m just going to go for a minute. ''Do you know Eli, Prumbum? I have to go see her every day because I promised her I would. ...... Eli stared at me for a moment, then blubbered, tears welling up, and clung to me tighter. Oh boy. It''s nice to be needed, but this is not good enough. I can''t shake it off and go to see Plumbum, and I can''t just not go to see him. I''ve promised Prumbum that I''ll be there. I''ll just go for a quick visit while he''s asleep, like yesterday. ''Eri, why don''t we go take a nap in your room? ...... (pulp) I was being f*cked with a tremendous amount of force. If I hadn''t said anything, I might have been able to do it, but this situation, this situation, I''m putting him to sleep and in the meantime - he seems to have seen through it. I''ve seen kids in the same period of time do the same thing, for better or worse, and that means Eri is back to being a kid. If you''re a kid-- Mr. Yoda, what''s going on? Emily came carrying a huge hammer. It looks like she''s about to be in a dungeon too. ''Emily, could you ask for Eli for a moment? I''ll meet you in Prumbum and quickly tell you what''s going on. I see. Emily came up to us with her hammer up against the wall and squatted down beside Eli. ''Eli, you''re going to play with me for a little while,'' Emily Smile. Emily''s smile, full of motherhood and soothing just by being with her. I thought - this would be it. ...... (purpure) Eli, who still shakes his head and clings to me more. ''Not even Emily?'' Yes, but I can''t help it. Is that a problem? ''For Eli, Yoda''s side is the place in the world where he feels the safest and most secure. No one else can replace it. I see. Eri has made the dungeon itself dedicated to protecting himself. That''s where I left all hostility behind and reached the room of the spirits without regard to the danger. I''m the one who trusts me and entrusts me with my custody. I see, that''s what you mean. ...... "Yoda-san, I''m going to Nihonium-san''s place. Nihonium? ''I''m going to borrow Meeke for a bit. With Meeke''s help, Yoda will take Eri to Mr. Plumbum''s place. Well, I guess I''ll have to do that. I look at Eli. He hasn''t rejected the suggestion to go with me with Meeke''s help. He seems to think that if he''s with me, that''s fine. I go with Eri to Plumbum''s place - the dungeon. Combined with my own magic cart by the transporter room, I felt like a wolf with a child. ''''Then please,'''' Yes, sir. Emily used the transporter room that was left open to get to Nihonium. A transporter room that was left open because it was difficult to open the gate. After Emily entered, she waited with Eli. Soon Emily came back with Meeke. ''I''m sorry to keep you waiting,'' Emily told me about it, and I''ll do my best! Meeke, the unique monster mini-sage that Emily had brought back, was quite enthusiastic. ''Sorry, I asked you to do something extra for me,'' ''No!I''m so glad I can help! Meeke is getting more and more enthusiastic. ''All right, let''s go then. Eli, hold hands with Meeke. ...... Eri looked at me and Meeke in turn with a troubled look on her face. I can imagine what she''s thinking, so to reassure her, I hold her hand and put a little more force into it. ''I''ll keep you connected,'' ...... (nationally) The action I took to reassure her was working properly. Eli held hands with me and my other hand with Meeke. ''Thank you Emily, I''m off.'' Have a good day. A smiling Emily sent me off and I used the transporter room with Eli and Meeke. We set our destination in Plumbum''s room, and as we walked through the gate, we were surrounded by light, as usual, and flew to our destination in an instant. ''We''ve been waiting for you. Hmm, you have a big group here today. Plumbum looked at me and tilted his head slightly. I was surprised, but a little relieved to see that there was no rejection. "Thank you, Meeke. ''No!You''re welcome! Eli and Plumbum never met--what''s up with that? She tried to bring the spirits together, but she noticed that Eri was very surprised by things. She compares this space with Meeke in turn. ''Oh, you''re surprised that you''ve crossed the borders of a normal dungeon(,)'' ...... (nationally) ''This is Meeke''s ability. As long as I''m in contact with him, I can cross the border. ...... Eli was even more surprised, then turned his straight face and stared at Meeke. Eventually, he gently held out his hand and touched Meeke from Eli''s side. As I wondered what was going on, there was a visible change. Meeke''s body began to glow, and the light crossed over to Eli through the hand that touched it. It crossed, but Meeke''s body remained glowing. A copy. Circumstantial, the word popped into my head. ''What did you do, Eli?'' I ask, but Eli doesn''t answer, he clings to me. Clinging, I point to the gate that came, the light vortex. ''...... maybe. Sorry Prumbum, I''ll be back once. That''s all right. I''m looking for a familiar sight. I headed into the vortex with Eli as a laughing Prumbum sent me out. Then I stepped into the gate, rather hesitantly being taken by Eli, who jumped into the vortex without hesitation. I was surrounded by light, the next moment. ''You''re home - that?Meeke, are you not here? I came back to the mansion, and I saw Emily''s surprised face. I was surprised too, I looked at Eli. Eli clinging to me more and more. Immediately after, Meeke came back alone. ''...... did you copy that for your own safety?'' Several possibilities ran through my mind, and I tried to utter the conclusion that felt most correct. 374. Always by your side Terdungeon, basement level. As I push my magic cart forward, Eri sticks close to me. The way she trots along with me is a cute little thing that doesn''t look like a dungeon where all sorts of attacks are flying around and monsters are being born and killed. Out of the blue, he was taken by surprise! A slime spawned from in front of me and jumped at me. a?--! Eli freaked out and clung to my leg. There is total room for reaction time. I pull out my gun and shoot him with a growth bullet. The slime falls over and a lot of sprouts are dropped. ''Don''t worry, I''ve got you.'' ...... (smiling) Eri clung to my leg and smiled a heartfelt smile as she looked up at me. I patted Eri''s head as I patted her. ''''Since you dropped it, let''s pick it up. With that, I approach the sprouts. Normally, if it''s only a slime, I''ll guide it onto the magic cart, and once it''s down, I''ll make sure the dropped sprouts go straight into the cart. I could do that while protecting Eli and still be 100% out of harm''s way. But I didn''t do it. Because the longer the attack goes on, the more frightened Eri will be. I took it down as fast as I could anyway, so as not to frighten him, which resulted in a drop, which was all but gone these days, spread out on the ground of the dungeon. As I tried to pick it up, Eli left my leg and went at the sprouts. I picked it up and trotted back to it, holding the sprouts, which were a little too much for a child''s body. ...... Wordlessly holding it out to me. "Thank you. I thanked her and nodded my head again. Eli looked so happy. He looks like just a kid when he does this. I put the sprouts I received from Eli in my magic cart and start walking again. Downstairs, I come to where it leads upstairs and look at Eli. ''I''m going downstairs.'' ......(country) With Eli nodding, we headed downstairs together. Terdungeon, second floor. We descended to the level where our carrot junkie was appearing like the Grim Reaper. Eli was safe; nothing had happened. "You''re straddling the hierarchy. No, we knew when we were here without Meeke. The abilities I copied from Meeke are working properly. It''s still a copy, by the way. Meke made sure that the unique monster abilities were still in place before we got here, thanked us for our help, and returned them to Nifongnium. That''s exactly the same ability that''s on Eri. I copied the ability to protect myself. "That''s amazing. ......? Eri looks like he doesn''t really know what he''s talking about. He looked up at me with a big smile. I thought a lot of things in my head. Should I call it Eri''s ability? The ability to change yourself to protect yourself. There are many different monsters in Lyota''s village of unique monsters and many different abilities. I think about what Eri might be able to use. While thinking about it, he defeats the sleeping slime that flew in, puts the carrots in his cart, and presses the button with his quirk. The drop was transferred to Elsa and the others, to the ''Golden Tree''. ....... Eli was surprised to see it. ''Come to think of it, have you ever seen a transfer before? ...... (nationally) It''s a feature that allows me to get things back to Elsa and her friends in an instant. Then I showed him another try. This time I equip the pouch and shoot the sleeping slime in the distance with my gun. I put the carrots that the pouch retrieved into the magic cart and pressed the button again. The carrots in the cart disappeared and were transferred. ''Now it''s off to Elsa and the others. ...... Eli stared at it. What was wrong with her curious stare?-- I thought. Eli''s body flashed, and the magic cart glowed. Just like Meeke''s. A copy of the ability. The light from the magic cart settled into Eli''s body. ''You want to make the thing go away? ...... (pulp) Eli shook his head. He continued to move away from me in an ominous manner - and the next moment he was clinging to my leg. One moment she was back to me and clinging to my leg. ''Instantaneous movement ...... no.'' I was about to say it, and I knew it wasn''t. Eli is only-- Do you have the ability to get back to me in an instant? ...... (nationally) Eri nodded adorably as she clung to me. It doesn''t blur, and in a way, I thought it was amazing. 375. Princess Maker Tellurium basement floor. I held hands with Eli and followed Alice. ''This way, Lyota.'' Oh, yeah. Alice''s directions led me through the dungeon. I passed a few adventurers along the way. We exchanged only brief bids to the adventurers we knew, and then proceeded further. In front of the trident, Alice is comparing both of them. I''m sure you''ll find that if you take Eri-chan with you to the right, you''ll be slower than usual, so we''ll hit each other on the way. Do I walk a little faster? No, just go to the left. This way you won''t be born anew for a while. Okay. Follow Alice''s instructions and enter the left side of the trident. We walk through the familiar dungeon. It''s like a picnic, and I''m walking with Eri. From earlier, Eri grabs my little finger and walks with me. Immediately after entering the dungeon, I could clearly see that she was relieved to be with me, but she gradually became anxious. It''s no wonder. I''ve already been walking for nearly an hour in the basement level of the tellurian, but I haven''t encountered a single monster--slime. The situation of walking for an hour and not encountering a monster made Eri conversely uneasy. ''It''s okay, Eri.'' Alice noticed Eli''s anxiety as well. Leading the way, she turned around and approached Eli. ''The monsters are fine, I''m just avoiding them. ......? Eli tilts his head and then looks up at me. What does that mean?I''m looking at you. "Alice was born in a dungeon. She was born in a dungeon, so she knows the signs of the monsters in the dungeon. Where they are, when they are born. ''At first it was off sometimes, but lately I''m getting more experience and I know it perfectly. You''re good. Heh. The complimented Alice happily flutters and then starts walking again. I follow that Alice. I knew I didn''t encounter any monsters. The fact that the monsters have not disappeared is evident from the occasional adventurer who passes by and collects bean sprouts, which are drop items here. The monsters are there, but we don''t encounter them. I glanced at Eli. Eli is staring at Alice. You''re curious to know that the only reason you''re not encountering it is because Alice is leading the way. Then let''s move on to the next step. As I walked, I asked Alice a deliberate question. ''What''s it like to feel a monster?'' Yeah, it''s like there''s a map right here in your head. "Map. ''Yeah, a map of the dungeon. Is that map around here and all those places are bleeped out? Where the monster is now, or where it''s about to be born. I see. It''s an RPG map display, and it''s the type of map that shows the most detail, even using items and magic. It seems to have evolved further from what we''ve heard before. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. This--and I looked at Eri. Eri stared at Alice. I stared at her with a difficult face - or so I thought. He pulled me - walked faster, and pulled and caught up with Alice. ''You''re here - I thought - and I stopped Alice. ''Wait. ''Alice,'' What? ...... Eli, standing in front of Alice, randomly reaches out and touches her. Eventually, the spot that was touched started to glow. ''Wow, what is this?'' I''ll be fine. Really? I was surprised when my own body lit up, but when I told her to, she kept her cool and watched what Eli did. The light from Alice''s body gradually transferred to Eri''s body. A copy of the ability. The same thing I did to Meeke, I''m doing to Alice. After a while, the light moved completely into Eri - copied. ''I don''t know,'' ...... (nationally) Eli nods adorably a few times. ''Do you always know where I am now?'' ...... (nationally) Then ...... close your eyes. I''m going to circle around you and you can turn around and look at me. ...... (pulp) ''Don''t worry, if I''m about to go away, just open your eyes right away. ......(country) At my persuasion, Eli let go of my hand and closed his eyes. I muffled the signs and footsteps and walked a couple of meters away from her and then came around directly behind Eli. Eli kept his eyes closed and slowly turned to me. This time I moved 90 degrees to the left. I almost turned to look at him. I moved another 90 degrees, intersecting with Alice and looking out for her, and asked Alice to move to the other side of the room with her footsteps. Not at all confused by that, Eri turned firmly towards me. Alice, born in a dungeon, and Eri copied that ability to the extent necessary. It seems that at any moment, she has the ability to feel my location like a radar. I''m not going to be able to get to the bottom of it. While patting Eri''s head like that, I turn to Alice. ''Thank you Alice, I got to copy your abilities. ''Wow, I''ve heard so much about you, but you really can copy it. ''Yeah. I''m relieved to see that you''ve done your math and copied it. Really? Yeah. But, Eri-chan, I heard you got the warp ability to fly to Lyota at any time. With that, you don''t need my powers, do you? No, it''s important for me to feel like I belong. Why? ''When you feel a little more at ease, with this ability, you''ll be able to play away from me in the mansion, won''t you? Oh. I want to be with Eri as much as possible if she wants to, but even so, if she can get away from me and work with her trusted friends, her life will be broadened(,) if she can get away from me. At least that''s what I want to do in the mansion. ''Shucks ...... that''s awesome. Lyota. Yeah? Normally, if you had someone like Eri-chan, you''d raise her in a more convenient way. I don''t think Eli would miss someone like that. ''I have a feeling we''re going to do well, don''t I?I mean, sticking to Lyota is a prerequisite, but when you''re sticking to her, you can double the drop or something. I see. I hadn''t thought about it, but I think I can. Although, I''m not going to do so even if I''m reminded of it again. I answer Alice while squeezing Eri''s hand back. ''Anyway, I want Eri to live at home in peace. That''s all I want for now. That''s great, Ryota. I smile back at Alice, who compliments me, and I think further. Eri can copy various abilities and remake the erythronium dungeon with the basic premise that she''ll feel safe with me. I wondered if there was something more I could do to make Eri feel more secure. I kept thinking about it. 376. Adult secret base The evening saloon, the time of day when my friends gathered. I was sitting on the sofa, talking to Erza and Ena, two of them. ''I feel like it''s been a very long time since I''ve had that girl attached to Lyota-san. We''ve been attached to each other in our sleep for a while now, haven''t we? ''Copying Alice''s ability was a big deal. As soon as she could feel my presence, she seemed to be able to stay away for a bit. Shortly after I spoke, Emily and Eli came in from outside the salon. Emily is pushing a wagon for serving, and there''s cake and tea on it. Beside Emily, who pushes it lightly, Eli is pushing the wagon as hard as she can with her small body, as if she were helping. ''It''s an after-dinner dessert,'' We''ve been waiting for you! What''s on the cake today? The duo of Alice and Aulum were the first to jump on Emily''s wagon. When I was in elementary school, there was always a boy in my class who would be the first to jump to serve the school lunch, and the Aulum duo looked like those boys. Eri, on the other hand, came trotting toward me from the wagon with a cake on a white plate. ''...... (smirk)'' Is this for me? ...... (nationally) He doesn''t speak, but his body language is bigger for it. Eli held out a plate and looked like he wanted me to take it. When he took it, Eli smiled very happily. He trotted back to the wagon again and took a smaller plate and cake that looked like his own. This time, he teleported back. He was back on my lap in a flash with his own. Wow, that''s a lot of power. Spirits are really amazing. ''But they''re cute. They always are, but when you see them like this, they''re really close to each other. Ena and Elsa each gave their thoughts. ''''I really miss them. Looking at it this way, it''s hard to believe it''s a spirit.'' Celeste came behind the sofa, holding a teacup and saucer. ''I can''t see you. Maybe it''s a disguise, but I think it''s more of a disguise, that you don''t look like a spirit and you''re not attacked in this form. I''m sure there were dungeon-born people like Alice in Erislonium, so they know that this appearance is more ....... So this is where it already started. On the other hand, I hate the people who killed the last erythronium that made me go that far. Just thinking about it makes the pit of my stomach churn. The look, the dungeon, and a series of copies of Eli''s abilities. All of them are consistent with the basic premise of "protect yourself". Something happened to me that was so bad that I had to go that far, perhaps something of a traumatic nature. I have no idea what exactly was done to me, but I can only imagine the severity of it from Eri''s actions, and that''s going to make my guts boil over. ''Well ......'' It''s the other way around. I heard Celeste''s and Ena''s voices, a bit of fun. I tried to return it to them to see what it was all about - and there was a piece of cake in front of me. Eli held a piece of cake in front of my mouth, sticking it into the fork. ''Eri?'' ...... (nationally) He still didn''t talk, but I could tell he noticed something wrong with my face and was trying to comfort me, to comfort me. I felt a pang in my chest. Good girl. I crunch down on my cake and pat Eri''s head. ''Thank you, it''s delicious,'' ...... (smiling) Eli returns to his position with his back to my stomach again. Her appearance is reassuring. Then Alice''s monsters arrived. Hone hone. Pulling. Bonbons. Prickly... Gougougou. Melamella. The little plush-sized monsters gathered around Eri. Eri wasn''t intimidated by them. Perhaps it was a human who had done something terrible to her. Or do the monsters see her as a kindred spirit? The monsters didn''t stop the monsters from getting on Eri''s lap, but rather poked at him happily, as Eri himself didn''t stop them. ''Good for you, Ryota-san. ''Yeah, it''s a relief to have this much routine. What are you going to do now? ''I''m going to go to the dungeon with you for a while. I''ve copied my abilities from Meeke, and I know you won''t feel safe yet without me by your side. I looked at Eli, and Celeste, Elsa, and Ena around me nodded at almost the same time. It''s still the same now. They''re playing happily with their fellow monsters, but if I look closely, they don''t want to move away from me at all. Like Eri does with me, Hone Hone grabs Eri''s fingers and makes a gesture like "play over there", but Eri pulls and shakes her head and won''t respond. It looks like they''ll have to stay together for a while yet. ''Speaking of which,'' Suddenly, Celeste said as she remembered. ''But it was good,'' Did you like it? It''s nice to be separated from your parents, but if they did it now, there wouldn''t be any room. ...... Oh. I''m reminded of this when I was told. The layout of this mansion is like a spellbinding 10LLSDK floor plan. When we moved in, there were five of us, so the mansion had plenty of room for us. ''Me, Emily, Celeste, Eve and Alice. That''s the members you had when you moved in. And then there''s me, Elsa, and the humanoid spirits Aulum and Nifonium, and Sakuya. Ena takes over and tells them to count. The number of people using the room now is exactly ten. When did the room fill up? It was a long time ago. Celeste replied with a bitter smile. ''I didn''t notice that at all. ''So, in terms of timing, it was ...... when Sakuya became a housemate? I see. I see. ...... Well, I still have my old room, which I''ll use when I need it. We could build an extension. ...... (gui) Right after I mumbled, Eri, who was playing with the monsters, tugged at my sleeve. ''Hmm?What''s going on, Eli? Eli jumps off my lap. Then, using his fingers, he tries to pull and walk away. ''What''s the matter, Eli?'' ...... (nationally) You want me to follow you? My friends and I exchanged curious looks with each other as we chatted. I''m not sure, but I decided to follow them anyway. Eri and I walked out into the hallway and out the front door. It was bright outside at night. Emily House. A house that is always warm and bright. Its dominant domain () extended to the garden as well. The lights here and there were bright enough not to be too bright, and it warmed my body and soul. I walked through such a garden with Eri. I''m going to be able to see the entrance to the dungeon, the one that Eri has brought me to. The dungeon that appeared in the garden of the mansion, Eri''s dungeon, Erislonium. ''What''s wrong with the dungeon?'' ...... (nationally) Eri doesn''t say anything and tries to take me into the dungeon. Without understanding, I entered the dungeon with Eri--. ''''Eh?'''' I was surprised. I don''t know how surprised I was, but it was the most surprising thing I''ve seen all year. I entered the Ellislonium, so I was expecting that idyllic, picnic-ready basement level of the Ellislonium. But it wasn''t. That''s not it. I was standing in the foyer. The front door of a mansion. The reason it wasn''t the mansion itself was because that was just the front door, and there was no hallway or room door leading to it at all. But that''s as far as it goes. As Eri walked away from me, tottering along, the space stretched out, creating a hallway beyond the front door. I made the hallway(,) and then Eli comes back to me. He grabs my fingers and looks up at me. ''...... Are you saying that maybe we can make this a home?'' ...... (nationally) Eli looked at me, smiling. I was surprised, but on second thought, maybe it wasn''t worth the surprise. Eli has copied many abilities, compared to that. Maybe it''s as natural as remodeling your own dungeon. Inside the dungeon, at the entrance of the mansion, which has a sense of a secret base. ''''It''s kind of nice.'''' The excitement grew rapidly. 377. Secret base of spirits Is it because it''s my home turf or because they can feel me? Eli let go of my hand and trudged through the doorway and stood in front of the empty wall. I felt a pudgy little hand touch the wall, and then the door formed. Eli trotted back again, grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the door. I reached the door. ''Do you want me to open it?'' ...... (nationally) I opened the door as I was told. Then - I was surprised. It was my room inside. It was exactly the same as my room in the mansion. The layout and furnishings are exactly the same. The difference is the ...... air. There''s something about the odor of your own floating in a familiar room that you''re used to living in. It''s the air that comes to your mind as soon as you get home, but after you get back to your room, you don''t even notice it anymore. Without that, I know that this place is very well done and different from my room. ''Did Eli just make this?'' ...... (nationally) Wow, ...... can you make another one? ...... (nationally) Eli nodded, went to the empty wall, touched it lightly with his hand again, and made the door. I could tell before I entered, this was the door to the saloon. I opened the door and walked in, I knew it was that saloon. It''s the same salon where your friends get together and relax. It''s amazing ...... a space like a mansion in a dungeon. It''s like a secret base or hideout. A secret base and a hiding place. As soon as I said those words, my excitement grew even higher. ''Hey Eli, can we move this salon to a new location?'' ...... (nationally) Eri nodded happily for some reason and turned off the door to the saloon to the right of my room and moved it to the left. I open the door and it''s a proper sarong inside, I can go in. ''That''s great, Eri,'' ...... (smiling) Eli smiles happily and grabs my fingers, this time going into my room. He sat me down on the bed and himself on my lap. The next thing I know, an awful lot of monsters show up at the door I leave open. They''re those fluffy things that blow themselves up in response to hostility. It''s getting more and more like a secret base or hideout. Yeah, right. I look at Eri. Eli is on my lap, looking up at me and looking at me with an expectant look on his face. ''You don''t want to please me, but rather you want me to move here. ......(country) Eli nodded. That''s ...... right. Eri feels safe at my side. Before that, this dungeon was a stronghold to protect me. If I move my base of operations here, this means that Eri can feel doubly secure. It''s truly a win-win situation. If that''s the case, my room is getting full, so I''ll just move over here. Then there''s one problem: the ...... transfer room. It''s on the same property, so if you want to say that you can just use the transfer room over there, that might be fine. I''m reminded of something that actually happened a long time ago. When tablets became popular, I bought a cheap one with no communication capabilities. I thought I could just tether from my phone to communicate - share the communication. That wasn''t usually a problem, but the fact that I had to carry two electronic devices with me at all times, that I had to watch out for both batteries, and most importantly, that I had to take two or three more steps before I could communicate. The combination of all of these things made it increasingly inconvenient, and eventually I stopped using the tablet itself. It''s the same with this one. You should bring the transfer room over here if you can. I want to cut down on the steps as much as possible, just the important stuff. "Can Eli build a transporter room? ...... (pulp) I see. So you can change the inside of the dungeon at will, but not the ones that affect the outside of the dungeon? Well, yeah. Well, then--. . A familiar real estate agent in a cyclo city. I hadn''t been here in a while, and I told him why I came to Antonio. ''I see. ......'' Don''t you know what that looks like? ''As a matter of fact, sir, I looked into it afterwards. Satou-sama told me about it. "Law. ''Then there was no evidence that the previous owner had made it work that way. What? To begin with: ...... Antonio made a difficult face. ''Something like that ...... is completely new to me. It doesn''t exist in the world.'' ...... I see. That''s for sure. It''s been quite a while since I transferred to this world, but I''ve never heard of any other transfer room. In the first place, if there were, the distance between spirits and humans would be closer than it is. If so, why? Why the transporter room? "If anything has changed before or after Master Sato moved in, Before and after I got in: ...... I put my hand to my chin and thought about it. I tried to remember what had happened then. A mansion that refused to be broken into, with the help of a scrap ball and Emily--. ''Reject Crystal!'' The reject crystal that caused them to refuse to enter at that time. ''That''s a monster, isn''t it?'' Yes, it''s a great idea. I mean ....... A reject crystal haggle. You know, a drop product? 378. Iron wall relay I''m guessing, but it''s extremely possible. The only way to find out is to get the reject crystal again and try to defeat it. ''''What kind of item is the reject crystal a haggle from?'''' I don''t understand it. ''What?Why? Because the rejected crystals themselves are an extinct species. An extinct species. It was the first word that came out of Antonio''s mouth that he had heard since he came to this world. ''What do you mean by that?'' That''s because they''re a problem for adventurers. And depending on the point at which it exists, it''s the only monster that will keep you out of the dungeon. ...... That''s right. I remembered how hard it was to get that mansion. Me and Emily worked together, and on top of that, we finally defeated it with an ironclad bullet that defies all power vectors - what we called a scum bullet at the time. It''s obvious that the average adventurer is going to be a handful. The monster that was born after the Dungeon Master''s rampage, it''s said to have disappeared within a week due to its nasty nature. Breed improvement. Antonio nodded clearly. It was too tricky, and they turned it off fast. It would have been a case that would have come to me if I was around then. That''s fine, but an extinct species. I don''t know. ...... Cyclo at dusk. He goes home with Eli, holding hands with him. I went to Cell''s place after that, but he said it was impossible for him to get it, too. But at Cell''s place, I got some information. The reject crystal, the drop item is a fruit, durian. I''m not going to be the only one who can do this, but I''m not going to be the only one. I''m not sure if this is a tool-based drop, there''s a possibility that there is one left, but the chances of it being a fruit drop are zero. Especially in this world. If it''s the world you were in, there''s a chance that there''s rotten remnants of it, but in this world, if there''s no one around the thing, it will hatch into something haggler. If it''s a wreckage, it will be Frankenstein as garbage. The only possibility that the reject crystal durian is still around today is "someone who lives with a rotting durian around all the time". No such thing is possible. It''s not zero in theory, but anyone can see that it''s not possible. ''Oh, crap.'' ......(?) I noticed that Eri was looking up at me with a blank stare. She looks slightly worried. It''s probably because of the deep sigh I gave a deep sigh right before. ''Sorry Eri, I just sighed because it looks like I won''t be able to get the reject crystal. ...... Eri tilts his head, he doesn''t seem to understand it well, so I explained it a bit more. ''That''s the name of the monster, a monster with the ability to push every human out of its territory just by being there. That''s what I wanted, though. What can we do without? So what should we do? Are we going to expand that house? Or do we build an extension and incorporate the erythronium dungeon in the garden? There''s a dungeon in the mansion and a lair in the dungeon. That doesn''t seem like a bad idea. ...... (gui) Yeah, what''s up, Eli? ...... (giggle) Eli grabbed my fingers and started walking away, pulling me along. I''d only just arrived right beside her before, but whatever she was thinking, she started leading me completely. ''Oh, hey. What''s going on, Eri? Eli didn''t answer and just went on. But it''s Eri in her young form. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make the most of it. You''ll be able to get a good idea of what you''re looking for. Eli pulled me back to the mansion. I didn''t go into the building, but went straight into the Erislonium dungeon. The Erislonium basement level, the place that is the entrance hall of the mansion. Eli took his hand away from me there and headed to the center of the hall. There, I closed my eyes and held out my hands. Light floods in and it gathers together to form a monster. It''s the very monster I''ve seen so far, the very cotton wool of the erythronium - a monster. Whoa! In a moment, a tremendous repulsion was applied to me. I couldn''t hold on - in fact, I was blown away by the tremendous force. The next thing I knew, I found myself falling on my butt outside the dungeon. What''s going on? ...... (smiling) Eli comes over to me at warp and hugs me and looks up at me. He''s smiling, he looks like he wants a compliment. ''Did Eli make that?'' ...... (nationally) Oh, I see. Eri, who heard the story from me, created a monster that mimics the characteristics of the Reject Crystal. A monster with the ability to eliminate foreign objects. If you think about it, I''m in good hands with Eri now. After all, the current momentum far exceeds that of the Reject Crystal. ''''I see, thanks Eri. When I said that and patted her head, Eli looked extremely happy, and she hugged me and thrashed her cheek. It''s cute and gratifying. I continued to nudge him for a while. ''Good. Eli, just wait here. I''m going to go beat that monster. ....... Eli was motivated. I guess that means he''s going to beat me instead. ''Thanks, but I have to do this one. Will you support me instead? ...... (nationally) After convincing Eli, I entered the dungeon. As soon as I entered, the force to push out hit me. Refuse, the force to play is more than a reject crystal. As expected of Eri. But it''s no problem. I''m stronger than I was then, too, and I know exactly what I have to do, so I''m thinking about countermeasures. The absolute rock stone, and ironclad bullets. I''m frozen stiff and invincible, and I grab the ironclad bullet I shot. An ironclad bullet is a slow-moving bullet that ignores all forces. It advanced normally without being defeated by the repulsive force of Eri''s monsters. Besides, the stone of Absolute Rock froze me, grabbed me and pulled me forward by the ironclad bullets. The ironclad bullet can only advance a little. When it''s about to disappear, I shoot a new ironclad and grab it. It''s an ironclad relay. You shoot a bullet, grab it, and go forward. Before it''s about to disappear, you shoot a new one and go further. I repeat the process and get to the fluff. I fired a series of ironclad bullets from zero distance, just to be sure. Poof!And then the fluff popped and disappeared. ''Good!'' I was gutted that we were able to take it down as per the simulation. 379. Rent 100 million pillows Repetition! Erislonium dungeon, basement level two. Just down the entrance hall, I blinked away a cotton-wool haggle with a repetition. The cotton wool bounced off and turned into light, enveloping the entire floor. ''''Please specify the dungeon and hierarchy.'''' Oh, that worked. I heard the same voice as when I first entered the transporter room in the mansion. It was the voice announcing the transporter room. It was good that I had recreated the characteristics of the reject crystal, but I was slightly worried about whether it would be a proper transporter room. However, it seems to work. ''Let''s just fly for now. Eli, where do you want to go? ...... (pulp) Eli shook his head and clung to me as he buried his face in my leg. ''We''re not leaving. I''m talking about coming with you. ...... I stopped clinging to him, relieved, but instead nodded my head. He gave me a look that said he''d thought about it, but hadn''t thought of it. ''Then I''ll decide. It doesn''t matter where I go. It''s a test, you know. Anyway, let''s go to tellurium. I thought so, and I specified the tellurium''s basement floor. "Huh?Nothing happens. When I specified that it was a transfer room in the mansion, the light vortex came up immediately, but this one didn''t respond at all. ''Please specify the dungeon and hierarchy.'' Instead, I just heard the same voice again. What is it, are the conditions different or something? Various things to try, I specified other dungeons. Silicon, Arsenic, Selenium, Aulum, Nihonium-- I tried to designate the dungeon from one side to the other, but it didn''t say a word. I thought it was still no good, but the moment I designated the first floor of Erislonium, the same transfer gate as the one in the mansion appeared. It looked like the same light vortex. ''Why only Erislonium?...... elevator replacement? With that in mind, I entered the vortex for now. Then I came back to one floor above, to the first floor of Erislonium, which is the entrance hall of the mansion. The transporter seems to be working for now, though. ''...... Eli, does Eli''s room, the spirit room, still exist?'' ...... (nationally) Okay. I jumped into the vortex of light and returned to the basement level two. ''Please specify the dungeon and hierarchy. "Erythronium, Genie''s Room ....... ............. There was no response. ''Eli, can you build three basement floors for a bit?'' ...... (nationally) Eli grabbed my pants and squatted down to touch the ground. Don!At the moment I felt a sensation of "I''m sorry, I don''t know what I''m going to do" coming across the ground, a staircase leading down appeared. ''Thank you--to the Erislonium basement third floor. He patted Eli''s head and designated the room as the destination of the transfer. Just like before, he didn''t respond. This was clear - but I checked to be sure. I went downstairs and came right back up, designating the transfer room as the third basement floor. This time the gate showed up properly. ''I knew it. I guess it simply means I need to bookmark a new one. I was able to get to the first basement floor of Erislonium, which I was in right before. I couldn''t get into the other dungeons, the spirit room in Erislonium, or the third floor, but I was able to use it once I stepped into the third floor and came right back in. It''s like they just want me to start the bookmarks of the transfer destination from scratch. If that''s the case - I''d say the problem was solved. I left the dungeon to call it a day, since the transporter room is now open, and I ran into Cell, who had just come to visit. In the dusk, Cell was about to head towards the mansion, but he spotted me and came over here. "Conquer the dungeon, Satou-sama. Clinging to me - I glanced at Eri, who was a bit frightened by the appearance of the cell and hid behind her back, and asked. ''No, reform, I guess you could say,'' Remodeling. I briefly explained the current situation to Cell. I summarily explained that the rooms in the mansion were full and that I was trying to see if I could do the Erislonium dungeon instead. Cell listened to this in silence, but he gave me a subtle look. ''What''s the matter,'' ''Although Satou-sama''s report has prevented adventurers from entering, the dungeon is the property of the city. Geez! Eli''s clinging strength grew stronger as he heard Cell''s words. ''I don''t like it a bit when you make it personal. I see. ''''And when Satou-sama and the others are in and out all the time, other adventurers may start going in to see what''s going on--'''' Only people I approve of are allowed in Eri. Cell''s words were interrupted. Eli''s fright and rejection. I know all about it. I can''t let the bad guys in until Eli blows it out of the water. ''Mmm,'' I would do anything for that. If you''re at ......, you''ll have to take the form of a dungeon lease. "Lease? From the Dungeon Association''s, or the city''s, standpoint, it''s a question of being able to take the tax money. Yeah. "You pay the prospective tax on that dungeon and you get a monopoly for the duration in the form of a rental. Well, I''d rather get a fixed amount no matter what, so the city is in good hands. Cell nodded clearly. ''''For example, silicon. The amount of production there would clearly change depending on the magic storm. Even if you burst out of the prospective taxes, the actual taxes will be less than that if there are more magic storms. Dungeons and adventurers are complicated by many more variable factors. As for the Dungeon Association, this is how it works. ''''However, the annual estimate for erythronium is 1.5 billion--'''' "Put it out. I answered immediately. Without hesitation, I looked at the cell and answered immediately. ''''...... It''s as good as Satou-sama. I didn''t think you''d answer this amount immediately. It''s not about the money. All right, we''ll deal with it that way. Cel said, returned the kibisu and walked away. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. I looked down and met Eli''s eyes as he looked up at me. Eri''s eyes glazed over, and then she buried her face in my leg again. Thank you. I felt like she told me that. I patted Eli''s head like that. 1.5 billion a year, a little over 100 million a month. It''s a bit high for rent, but if it gives Eri peace of mind, it''s totally worth it. 380. Family meeting That''s why I''m thinking of moving into Elythronium. The evening salon, where the friends had gathered, declared clearly in front of everyone. Everyone, who had been enjoying the evening''s fun and relaxation, froze together and were speechless. Then Alice was the first to come to herself. ''Is that erythronium in the garden?Can you live there? Yeah, I''ll get Eli to help me make this a real house. Let''s go, everyone. Melamela is taking Erieli away! Without hearing the end of the story, Alice ran out of the salon. Eri, who was on my lap, was followed by Melamela, who flew over and pushed me back with her body. I''m puzzled, but there''s no resistance or fright, because Melamela is a spirit just like me. It''s probably because she''s a spirit Phosporus. You''re in a groove though, Alice. He didn''t even hear the end of the story and ran off. ''I was born in a dungeon. Dungeons are more like home than Indore, right? It was Aulum who responded to my tweet. Due to the closeness of their personalities and normal tensions, the two of them have a good relationship, like a duo. ''''I see, that''s right, Alice,'''' Maybe everyone else would be more comfortable in a dungeon. ''Hmm. Is it the same with Melamela? Even though she''s a spirit, isn''t the other spirits'' dungeons like a stranger''s house? Hmm. Aurum crossed his arms and thought for a moment. ''Still, it''s better than a normal house. What is it, in human terms, an ordinary inn and a luxury inn?'' ''I see, that makes sense. Is Aulum moving on? I''m up to Emily. And so is Nihonium. ...... Yeah. Nihonium nodded hesitantly, but clearly. ''You didn''t have to be so shy anymore. ''Shy?What do you mean? I look at Aulum and Nihonium in turn. Aulum teasing them, and Nihonium looking embarrassed as she teases them. ''It''s just that Emily mom''s space is so comfortable, it''s even more comfortable than my own (dungeon),'' Well, there''s no such thing as ......, okay? Haha, what. That''s just the way it is. Hey, Nihonium is embarrassed, and Aulum is laughing at each other. I was reminded of the awesome power of the mysterious power of Emily''s space that captivates even spirits. Well, that''s the reason why it''s up to Emily to take care of us. Okay. What about Emily? I turn around and turn to Emily, who is making tea. Placed on the table in front of Emily is a miniature garden tea ceremony that looks like a miniature garden, like the Silvaxxa family. It''s fun to watch the water that heats the tea bowl flow from high to low in a tiered stream, and it''s a recent trend that Alice has found, with her fellow monsters enjoying a waterslide-like experience while Emily is brewing tea in it. When she pointed the water at Emily, who was hanging on it, she looked up and smiled at her, smiling. ''I''m going with you, Yoda,'' Are you sure? ''Yes, sir. I''ve decided that we''ve been together ever since Yoda asked me to join him. Emily smiles serenely. I didn''t dare to say that we were rather invited, though. ''''Then we''ll be there too,'''' Nice to meet you. The ...... I am ....... Aulum and Nihonium continue to express themselves. Sakuya, who has been attached to Nihonium all these years, asks fearfully. ''Of course. Of course, if you want a room with Nifongnium, that''s fine, or you can have another room with Eri, since she says she can make an almost unlimited number of rooms. Thank you! Where''s Celeste? Of course I''ll be there. That was quick. I have no reason to refuse. You might as well get the rent this time. I''ve heard. The Erislonium lease is worth 1.5 billion pounds a year. Well, don''t worry about it. But... So serious. Ena shrugged from behind Celeste. She blew a whoosh in her ear and Celeste let out a rather cute scream, "Hiya! Nah, nah nah ...... Celeste jumps up and down, holding her ears and looking at Ena with a bright red face. ''Oh my god, it''s so cute.'' Come on, you gotta be kidding me, Ena. My best friend Elsa chastises Ena. ''I''m not kidding. Instead, I''m warning you. You can''t embarrass a man''s pride at a time like this. Right? Ena said and gave me a wink. ''I don''t want to assert my manly pride, but Eli thinks I''m responsible for making it work. A billion dollars a year for that? Yeah. You weren''t even related to him a while ago. It doesn''t matter. Hey. For some reason, Ena suddenly changed direction and asked Celeste for her consent. Celeste was blushing when she breathed in her ear, though. ''Yes.'' I nodded quietly, completely calm and quietly. I''m not sure why he''s suddenly calmed down, but if he''s convinced, so be it. ''What about Elsa and Ena?'' Wow, are we good to go? One condition. What? I want her room by your room. Ena! Me?That''s ......, unless you want Elsa to do it. Of course you can, okay? Ummm, yeah, ....... Elsa turns her head and frowns. ''Then I''ll take the other side, then. Then Celeste entered the fray. I don''t know why he''s standing next to me. Oh, well. "Okay, now we''re all agreed. I''ll move in with you. But it''s a terrible idea. Aurum suddenly said something. ''Yeah?'' ''''Just living in a dungeon is amazing, but we have four spirits with us. If it''s like this, why don''t you bring Plumbum too? ''I''ll ask her. She''ll say no, though. Gulp. He tugged on my sleeve. Did Eli come back?But then I realized it wasn''t Eli, it was Eve. Not in an outer bunny suit, but in a stuffed rabbit in my room clothes. ''What''s up,'' The rabbit didn''t agree. I''ll bring the carrots in that way. Okay. Eve pulled back quickly. It was so obvious that everyone in the room went into a thud. The sound of laughter echoed through the salon today. 381. Eris present My new room in the Erislonium dungeon. I''m sitting on the bed and Eri is clinging to me tightly. She''s clinging to me with the same intensity she did when we met, burying her face in my face. ''Wow, there are no monsters at all and no signs of being born. I wonder if Erieli did it. I can hear Alice''s voice and the sound of flapping from outside the room. It''s the voices of my friends who are moving into Erislonium. And that''s why Eli is clinging so tightly to me. The Erislonium dungeon has become a dungeon that refuses all but level 1''s since it appeared in the garden. I couldn''t move out of there if I didn''t, so I asked Eri to let me in and only let my friends in. That''s why Eri is a bit frightened and is clinging to me. I gently stroked Eri like that. ''Don''t be scared, you all know him.'' ...... (geez) Besides, none of my people will bully Eli. I guarantee it. ...... Eli clung to me, only looking up at me. Are those lurid eyes really?That''s a look. Really, so don''t worry. Eli clung to me again. Honestly ...... difficult. The secret base feeling got me going too, and it didn''t take long for me to get excited and talk about it, but moving here would mean letting someone other than me into the Erislonium dungeon again. No wonder Eli was scared. On the other hand, the person who made this place look like a mansion and pulled me in was none other than Eri himself. That''s also why it''s increasingly difficult to talk about it. I feel like it''s not the same as saying, "Let''s stop then," unilaterally. In fact. Do you want to go back over there? ...... (pulp) When I ask him if he''s going to stop moving, Eli shakes his head and refuses. ''I knew it would be hard,'' Knock knock. "Who? Me!Hey, do you have a minute? Okay. When Alice came to visit me, I got up and tried to open the door. But Eri clung to me tighter and tighter. Then I took Eri in my arms. While holding her in my arms, I got up and opened the door. ''What''s wrong?'' I don''t have a bath, but I was wondering if Elijah could make one for me. It''s amazing. Is it good? It''s amazing. It''s a slide and everything. It''s already an attraction. But Melamela said I could make one if I drew up a drawing or something. Yeah. Melamella-Phosphorus. It''s Alice''s fellow monster and a spirit like Eri. If Melamela says so, that''s something that can be done. "I don''t know, Eli. ...... (country) Eli nodded. There doesn''t seem to be any problems at all when it comes to making a new room, as far as I''m concerned. Or is it a big deal to have your companion (,) Mela Mela, on Alice''s shoulder in front of her? I''m not sure about that, but it doesn''t sound like he''s nodding reluctantly. Then- First the drawing, I think, and then Eli notices something and jumps off the floor from the one I''m holding. He runs out of the room pacing as it is. ''What''s going on?'' Come on. Alice and I nodded our heads and followed Eli. We came to the entrance hall. That''s where I saw Eri looking around and popping up. ''What''s wrong?'' Emily, who was cleaning the front door, noticed Eli and stopped to speak softly to her. Eli looked at Emily while pointing around. ''What''s wrong with your room?'' ''You know, I''m asking if it was Emily who cleaned this place. Alice approached the two of them and interpreted via Melamella. Eli nodded his head. I looked around the front door too. Oh, I see. The front door had already been transformed. It looks the same, the very same entrance that Eli had created, almost identical to the mansion. But it''s warm and bright. It was quickly transformed into a calm and gentle Emily space. Eli is surprised by that. ''Yes, sir. We''re still in the middle of cleaning it up.'' ............ Eli''s eyes widened in surprise as much as he could. After a while, Totally Totally comes back to me and points to Emily while pulling his pants on gingerly. ''You know what--'' Yeah, it''s great, Emily. I''m so proud of you. I didn''t need Alice to translate for me to understand what Eli was trying to say. He''s amazing! Clearly, I thought I heard it in my voice. Eli looked at Emily with respect as she returned to her position clinging to my pants. ''That''s great Emily, the spirits respect you so much. What do you mean? He didn''t put the details into words, so from Emily''s point of view, she wouldn''t know what he was complimenting her on. It''s so obvious to her that she wouldn''t understand unless she told me. Eli stared at Emily for a long moment, then pulled away from me and tottered up to Emily, stopping in front of her. I held out my hands in a position to look up at her, and the space between my hands glowed with a blur, and water appeared there. It was water, but it was floating in the air. It''s like the water floating in zero gravity as seen on TV. "Yes? ...... Eli offered more of that water to Emily. Emily was annoyed and asked Alice to translate. ''Alice, what are you talking about?'' You can have it. I see... thank you. Emily took it and Eli came back to me as if to escape again and clung to his pants. ''Haha, Emily is amazing, but I guess it has to be Lyota,'' I feel safest when I''m with Yoda. I''m glad you feel that way. More importantly, Emily, what do you want to do with that water?Would you like a drink? Yes. Can I have a drink? Emily asked, and Eli nodded timidly. The person who brought it out said so, so Emily took it and gently brought the water floating on her hand to her mouth. Without leaving a single drop of it, she carried it into her mouth. Very...... very....... Emily''s throat went up and down a few degrees and the water was completely drained. ''Well?Is it good? Ah, ....... What''s going on? Water. Water? I think the water''s gone. ''The water''s not working?You mean ...... tolerance? To my surprise, Emily nodded clearly. 382. Gold stick to the demon That''s a big deal if it''s true. I''m going to have to give it a try. We need help from someone who can work water magic. ''Yes, it''s dangerous to deal with monsters out of the blue. But water magic or ....... I was wondering if I knew anyone: ....... ''I''ll take care of that!'' Alice, who had been working as an interpreter until then, suddenly came forward. ''Leave it to me, what do you mean?Alice can''t do that kind of magic, can she? Well, I''m not, but my gow-gow is. Gawgaw? One of the fellow monsters on Alice''s shoulder, Gau Gau. Only one of them exists at a time in the lowest level of the Bismuth dungeon, an existence that is as close to rare as possible for a normal monster. That Gau Gau grew in response to Alice''s instructions. A huge dragon - but its form remains adorable. It''s back to looking like an insanely large stuffed dragon, something like that. ''Can I do it?'' Yes, sir. Emily did so, and moved into a position relative to Gaugau, so as not to involve the other humans. Immediately after, Gaugau opens his mouth. A magic circle formed just in front of his mouth, and several fluid water arrows flew towards Emily. Emily did not defend or evade. The water arrows hit Emily - and burst away. The arrows didn''t penetrate and Emily''s body didn''t even get wet at all. ''More gusto, gawgaw,'' Gaugau gave a small nod, and this time he created two magic circles in front of his body. The magic that was unleashed at the same time created a column of water at the same time from under Emily''s feet and above her head, crushing her up and down. The water column, an image of giant teeth biting down, hit and popped in the same way. In the midst of all this, Emily was still undamaged and not even wet. ''Oh, great.'' Yes, sir. ...... Emily herself is surprised. ''Okay, then, it''s the back of the line. Go on, Gow Gow.'' Immediately after Alice gave the order, a huge magic circle appeared at Gau Gau''s feet. Even just a huge Gau Gau, even bigger than its huge body, a huge magic circle that covered the entire entrance hall. Immediately after, a tsunami appeared out of nowhere and struck Emily. In the midst of the overwhelming amount of water and pressure, Emily stood at her original position with a look of surprise on her face. After the water receded, I approached Emily with Alice, taking the clinging Eli with me. ''Wow, you''re completely disabled. Your body isn''t even wet at all. Yes, sir. You''re not wet at all. Full deactivation would come in handy in many ways. Yeah. Emily is originally a power single spear in combat, for better or worse. That''s her greatest strength, but of course it''s also a weakness. There are naturally few dungeons that an adventurer with only power can go to, and Emily is mainly active in Arsenic right now. However, if there is a skill that completely nullifies the water attribute, then the range of activities should expand. That Emily, for some reason, is pondering with her head in her hands. ''What''s the matter Emily, is there something on your mind?'' ''Yes, sir. ...... Eli.'' Emily crouched down on the spot and locked eye level with Eli. ''Why can''t you just use another ability instead of this one? What? It was me, no one else, who raised my voice. I''m honestly ...... surprised. I didn''t know Emily was going to say these things. It''s quite surprising that she would make an order for something she received. Eri is troubled as well as me, or is she going to cry slightly? The feeling is palpable. I was so impressed with the Emily space that I gave her abilities from my own hand, but Emily insisted on a change in it. With Eli''s mental age right now, I can understand why he wants to cry. ''What kind of thing do you want?'' I asked that first, trying to be as horned up as possible. ''I would like some water from Eri-chan.'' Water? Yes. It''s the water that comes out of Eri-chan''s dungeon. ......? Eli was puzzled and held out his hand, palm upward. There, water appeared. It was fluid water, but it was clumped together like a single individual in the air. ''Wait a moment.'' Emily took it. Some mysterious force is at work, and the water doesn''t crumble away from Eli''s hand, and Emily takes it away. We watch Emily as she flutters away. ''What''s going on Emily?'' Now, what do you do with that water? A few moments later, Emily came back. She''s pushing a wagon, and there''s a pot of steam rising above it. She puts the contents of the pot into a bowl that she brought with her as well, then offers it to us. ''This is ...... sprout soup,'' Yes, sir, I''ll just have a drink. I don''t know what your intentions are, but Emily''s soup is delicious, so let''s try it. I took a sip of it thinking that - and my eyes widened instantly. Yum! Yes, sir. ''The best I''ve ever had!We''ll know for sure. ''Right!It''s soooo good! ...... (nationally!) Alice and, by golly, Eri were both as surprised as I was to see their eyes widen. ''What do you mean?'' When I asked Eri-chan to let me drink your water earlier, I thought, it''s a normal water to drink as it is, but it goes great with food. You mean to tell me you''re more powerful when you''re cooking? Yes, sir! ''I''m surprised: ...... I know there are things like that, but it''s not like this.'' I sipped the bean sprout soup again, admiring it. Yes, I knew it was different. My surprise was diminished because it was my second bite, but it was still extremely delicious. ''If it''s Eri-chan''s strength, I''d like to be able to use this water whenever I want. Yeah!I''m asking you to do the same--or rather, Mera Mera! Alice gave Melamela a cup of soup as well, then thrust it in front of Eli. ''Persuasion Go!'' Mela Mela''s body''s flame momentum increased and decreased at a tremendous rate. Boh!Boom!Boom! It''s as if he''s making a powerful statement about something. It''s amazing, the deliciousness that can be passed on to the spirits - or is Eri herself surprised by the difference in taste in the first place? Hone Honehone and Puru Puru, who didn''t participate in the persuasion, crowded into the pot at once. ''''Please!'''' When Emily asked for more, Eli nodded in amazement as she asked for more, but she nodded in persistence. He held up his hand and, as he had done when he had given her the ability to disable it, he made some water and offered it to Emily. Emily drank it down. ''''Thank you!'''' He hugged Eli. Eli was puzzled, but did not avoid it. Thus, with an unexpected turn of events, the grade of our family''s food went up a notch. That made everyone take an even greater leap forward, and the yearly earnings went up another notch. 383. One in the world (2) Telldungeon, first basement level. It''s been a long time since I''ve had a chance to earn money in a dungeon after a lot of things have been settled. I''m going around the main earning dungeon, Tellurium, with Eri in tow. Encountering, I guide the slime that attacked me and shoot it out on the magic cart. The dropped sprouts go straight into the cart, which is what I''m used to so far, but now it''s a little different than before. ''Oops, the cart is full again. Eli, hit the switch. ...... (click here) I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s in the contents of the cart by pressing the switch and sending the contents of the cart to Elsa and her friends'' place in the gold tree. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the best way to get the most out of this new collection. I''m right beside her, defeating the monsters that have attacked her with fluid movements and tossing the dropped items into the cart. It''s like a father and son shopping at the supermarket. ''Thanks, Eri,'' ...... (smiling) I patted his head and Eli smiled happily. She went from just clinging to me to helping out. Maybe in a little while she''ll start doing things for herself. Until then, I''m just going to take one more breath--. No, no, no. Let''s be careful. If we''re not careful, we''re dead in the water. ......? Eli, I want you to be careful. You don''t want to get hit by a monster attack. After a quick deception, Eli gave a small gut-punch and got into it. She doesn''t show any fear or trauma at all at the mention of being attacked by a monster. Rather, there is even a positive attitude to confront it. I was once again convinced that it was humans who killed the previous Eri--Erisronium, after all. ''''Okay, well, let''s go for another set and then we''ll go home.'''' ......(country) Go down to the second basement floor with Eli pushing the cart. Earn a cartful of carrots from the sleeping slime on the second floor and send them to the third basement floor, and then follow that footsteps down to the third floor. Earn a cartful of carrots from the cocrosstalk slime on the third floor and send them up to the fourth floor--then you''ll be on your way. After repeating that and going around the one set of levels I''d set for the circuitous course, I returned to the mansion at the transfer gate. Inside the new mansion, the Erislonium dungeon. When I returned there--. ''''----! Eli suddenly freaked out and threw the cart out and clung to me. ''What''s going on?'' ...... (pulp) Eli buries his face in my pants and shakes his head. What the hell. ''Mr. Yoda, you''re home, we''re all waiting outside. Guys? We''ve got carbons, aldehydes, arenes, and a whole bunch of other associations here. I''ve heard that name before: ...... Not an elemental name, but a city name if that''s what you mean? Hi. He was here last year. Last year? These are the people I''m asking Yoda to move in with. ...... Yeah. Finally, I remembered. Just last year at this time, people from various dungeon societies came to say hello, either in person or via "Swallow''s Grace". They wanted my tax revenue, and they wanted me to move in. They weren''t in any particular need of help, so after exchanging pleasantries, I asked them to return. ''Here you are again. It''s ...... and you''re freaking out about Eli. Eli clings to me and glances through the wall in the direction of the outside. ''Hi, we can only let people in here with Eli''s permission, so we''re making everyone wait in the mansion over there. I see. But it was just right, and I wouldn''t have gone in before I moved in. ''Not in?Yeah, you said there were other things. Hi. All 13 of them. ''Thirteen!Why so much? ''Huh?Mr. Yoda, don''t you know that yet? What? This year''s buyout rankings have been released, Mr. Yoda, and you''re number one. ...... oh. Pong, clap your hands. Come to think of it, was there such a story? In the evening, I finally sent all the visitors back to the salon in the erythronium. ''Welcome back,'' As I walked into the salon where everyone was relaxing, Eli tackled me and clung to me, joined by Alice''s jovial voice. ''I''m home. ''Eli too. Everyone''s gone now, I''m fine. ...... (country) Eli nodded, but clung to me. I''m still afraid of humans. ...... I take Eri with me to my usual seat and sit on my lap. ''''It''s good to see you,'''' Thank you, Emily. It was a lot of work. You could have just said no. Alice asked curiously. ''That''s why. ''It''s an advanced technique to say no without setting horns.'' Even when I was on the other side of the world, I wasn''t very good at that. ''Would it have been better if this had been, "Guys, we''re in trouble, help us out? ''Well, it''s still easier that way. It''s the only way to ''do'' it. Well, I wouldn''t say that to the rest of the world. They''ll be more interested in taking advantage of you. Celeste said. ''Yes,'' "At low levels, the rabbit suffered from carrot-depleted rabbit hypofunction syndrome. "Hm. I took out the carrots I had stored on the porch and handed them to Eve. ''Umauma.'' Eve looks happy as she takes it and starts biting into it as soon as she can. ''You''re being used so quickly. We can''t help it, can we?Lyota''s carrots, Eve, have an addictive quality to them. ''What?Sometimes I shake, and that was it! That really stinks! I plunge into Emily''s words. At the end of the day, salon time, with my friends. As she did so, the stiffness gradually disappeared from Eli''s body. ''Ah, yes, Lyota-san. What''s the matter, Elsa? ''Lyota-san won first place, can I use it to promote our company? ''The Golden Tree''?...... Is it worth the publicity? ''Yes!It would be outstanding if it was the number one place in the world to patronize. I''ve already asked the other three to do the same for me, and then it''s just Lyota. Ena said, and I nodded my head. ''The other three?'' ''You didn''t know this either. Alice is in tenth place, Emily is in ninth, and Celeste is in sixth. ...... eeeeeeee! Surprised, I turned quickly to the three of them. Emily and Celeste looked embarrassed, and Alice gave me the V-sign with a look of pride on her face. ''Are you sure?'' "Mochi. That''s awesome: ...... ''The great thing is Emily. She doesn''t neglect her housework - no, she does more housework than anyone else in the world, and she''s number nine. And then you know what happens when you''re released from that. No, it''s not. Wow, that''s impressive. They were all in the top ten? ''Yeah, so we''ve had invitations coming our way. Not as much as Ryota-san, though. Oh, I was happy. I was more than happy for my friends to do well. Next year will be even better, though. What is this all about, Ena? ''For the past week, specifically since the change in food, everyone''s earnings have increased by 30 percent. "Rice ...... ah? Pong, clap your hands. It''s Eli''s water. It''s been almost a week since Emily''s rice was replaced with Eli''s water, that''s the thing. ''Is it really a 30% increase?'' Yeah, that''s about it. Ena took a piece of paper from the table and handed it to me. It was a graph of how much Emily and the others earned. When I looked at it, I saw that it had indeed gone up a gulp for the past week. You''re right. It''ll go up next year. My prediction is that the three of us should be competing for two slots. Two slots for three? Second and third place, because the first place will be the same, Ena says and sends me a wink. ''Next year, huh?'' ......? Eli squeezes my clothes and tilts his head back to look up at me. ''We''re talking about eating Emily''s delicious food and working hard for another year. ...... (nationally) Eli''s eyes lit up when he heard it was Emily''s meal. I hoped that by this time next year, she would have a better smile. I secretly wished that this time next year I would have a better smile. 384. Black history The diner at night. While my friends are moving one by one to the saloon, I stay behind in the cafeteria. Emily is cleaning up after dinner, and Eri is helping her in a friendly way. It''s dangerous to watch her help at such a young age, but it also makes me smile. We''re like a real father and son! Alice, who was the only one other than the cleanup group who hadn''t moved to the salon, said something like that to me. ''We''re only sisters in appearance, though. Chitty, I''m not ready for that yet, Ryota. In your mind''s eye, in your mind''s eye, you see... Alice closed her eyes and said with a scowl. ''You look like a very happy mother and daughter. ''I don''t need to be told that with skills I don''t have,'' I chuckled, but Alice protested strongly. ''Disrespect!This is a dungeon and Eririn is a spirit. Even if I close my eyes, I can still see Erilin! ''Come to think of it, did you have a dungeon-born skill: ......, and yet the only one you can see is Eli. ...... tee-hee. Alice, Pe-chan, please, closed one eye and flicked her tongue out. ''Mmm,'' What''s going on? No, you look like a mother and daughter over there and you''re a little Emily.I thought it was cute because I could kind of see Emily as a little girl. ''I see. ...... I wonder when they started being able to hold that hammer. I feel like I could have had it since I was about the same age as Erilyn. ...... is very clear. Now Eri, if you told me that he''s been twirling that hammer around far more than 100 kilos since he was about three years old, I would honestly believe you. ''So, you know, I was wondering what kind of kid Lyota was. Oh, I see. When I was a kid. I don''t remember much. How does it look? I wonder how it went: ...... I try to remember, but my memory of what I looked like as a child is so fuzzy that I seem to remember it. ''Hmmm, can''t you do something like that with ri-ching?'' It''s a summoning spell called Lyotin, All Might. It''s a magic that summons an alter ego that has the same ability as mine, and the one I summoned looks like a stuffed animal, so I call it Alice Rilichin. Do you want to try it? ''Yeah, I''ll try it in the dungeon tomorrow.'' By the way, that''s a limit of one per day, and you''ve already used it today. Ah. What have you done now? There''s a monster in the bathroom. "Monster? Me and Alice looked at Eri at the same time. Eli is still helping out in a bad way. When Ellislonium is converted into a mansion, Eli usually sets it up so that monsters don''t appear at all. There is no way they can appear. ''Let''s go have a look.'' I''m coming with you. We both left the diner and moved toward the bathroom. Then there was a box-shaped monster with jagged teeth on the edge. ''That''s Takara Bako!'' Unusual. Takarabako. A rather irregular existence in this world. They appear in dungeons and towns, and if you defeat them, they drop interesting things. They are said to be something that doesn''t exist in this world, or a reminder of something you defeated. Do you want to beat it? Yeah, we''re in a house and we can''t just let him run around. I stuck out my hand and chanted, "Repetition. A spell that instantly kills a monster that has been defeated once. Takarabako, which I had defeated a few times before, died instantly, unable to do anything about it. With a pop, something dropped and landed on the ground. ''''A book?'''' Alice cranes her neck and goes to the drop. She picks it up and flips through it. ''What''s this, there are all kinds of pictures.'' Let''s see. ...... is a grad student. Graduation? It stands for graduation album. And this is ...... from my elementary school days. I knew just from that page I opened. ''Well, ...... you mean?Lyota''s what? It''s something I remember from my childhood. I gave Alice, who didn''t even know what the picture was, a cursory explanation. ''Heh ...... that?'' What''s the matter now? Is this by any chance from Lyota''s childhood? ............ I kept my mouth shut. I didn''t want to admit it. The schoolboy in the picture there was holding a sword with three straws connected together and lengthened to make it look like a sword, or something like that. On top of that, there''s something that looks like a coat of arms handwritten on his palm. Black history. It''s a bad kind of black history. "No, this is-- Oh, right, when Lyota was a kid. No, that''s not it. Hey, guys, when Lyota was a kid, it was so funny. Alice ran off with her graduate certificate to the salon. ''Wait!No, you can''t!Give me that back. Liuchin! Alice turned around and used All Might. The plush, deformed me is summoned from a rift in space. ''''Wait!I thought you''d already used it! I didn''t say that. It''s just a waste of time. d*mn! I''m not going to be the only one who''s been in the same boat for a while. It''s a good idea to make sure that you''re not going to be able to get out of it. You''ll be able to find a lot more than just a handful of people in your area. ''''Hahahahaha,'''' It''s so cute! Mr. Lyota: "Mr. Lyota, ...... there was a time like this: ...... My friends were excited about the graduate that Alice brought in. There''s a lot of material to get excited about in that ...... graduate. d*mn, I can''t believe that stuff dropped. I made up my mind to be cautious the next time I saw another tacarabako. 385. Cell hesitation Dear Mr. Sato: "...... Cyclodungeon Association President''s Office. What I saw when I was called to talk to him and came in was a difficult looking cell stema. ''''Has something happened again?'''' I, on the other hand, was rather calm. The cell is calling me out, there''s something going on. I''m totally used to that process. ''There''s one difficult decision to make. "There''s one difficult decision to make, and it could be that it''s going to stain Satou-sama''s name. That''s a decision I can''t make. My name?It''s not a name that''s important enough to be tarnished, but ...... what''s going on? It''s time for another year of year-end awards. ''End of year awards?Oh, that. It''s been a long time since the story came out, and I''ve missed it. It''s a once-a-year story, so it''s only natural that it''s been a while. ''Satou-sama''s family is up-assessed across the board. The hammer and the sorcerer are 3 Stars, the magician is 2 Stars, and the princess, the ordinary man, the servant and the mini-wise man are both 1 Star. Oh, we''re all flying. A princess, an ordinary person, and who are the servants? Hmm?Let''s see, the names are, what, Margaret and Cliff? My servant is Leia. Oh! I clapped my hands with a pop. Oh, right, Margaret and Cliff. They each have their own family, but they''re treated as being under my umbrella in a manner of speaking. ''Those two will be honored too? Hmm. ''Huh?Where''s Eve? ''The rabbit is the only one down, down to four stars from last year''s five. What''s that? What''s wrong with it? You didn''t do anything about it. Hmmm, tough. It''s not that Eve didn''t do anything, either. Rather, she was recognized by Calcium as one of the genie in the bottle, Yves Calcium. But, well, ...... I guess you could say that I haven''t done anything worthwhile with my accomplishments. It''s notably less of an accomplishment than it was before I joined the team. I don''t blame him for the down assessment. He''s not going to care about that, though. ''I see, almost everyone is up. Mmmm: ...... ...... hmm? I noticed that Cell had a very complicated look on his face. ''Oh yeah, I remember when difficult decisions were the first thing we talked about. What do you mean, ...... that you''re going to sully my name? I had forgotten all about it in the good news of my friends, but that''s what I was called to the cell for in the first place. I asked Cell so again. ''''Actually, Satou-sama will be called a Star 7 again this year. Okay. However, considering the achievements that Satou-sama has made over the past year, this is no longer a problem for me. Seren''s case, breeding in Filin. Creating a unique monster village and disposing of garbage. The handling of Phosporus. Plumbum''s cage and bromides. The building of the dungeon city of Tennesin. The regeneration of Hashemi and Calcium. And erythronium. Ooh, ....... I count up the cells without hesitation. I''ve done a lot of things in the past year. And many other small things. I''m going to be able to say that Satou-sama''s existence is now a deterrent to inexcusable. For such a Satou-sama, a seven star rating would be considered rude. ''You don''t mind, do you?If it''s going to stay on the ceiling, that''s what it is. But there are seven other stars. But there are other 7 Stars, but their achievements are child''s play compared to Sato-sama''s. I''d like to give Mr. Sato a separate award. Separately? New 8 Stars or Hall of Fame? Yeah. That''s what you were thinking. ...... both dissatisfied, you mean? No, I''m just saying that you can do whatever you want with either of them. I didn''t have to do it for that. The cell read out my accomplishments for the year. Mostly, I just did it because I was unreasonable or in need of salvation. I didn''t do it to get an award or to differentiate myself from others. ''Do what you want, I don''t care what it is. Yeah, if it''s anything, you don''t have to make the selection. What? Isn''t it a special thing not to dare?You''re worried about breaking the rules, the new 8 Stars, aren''t you? ...... Mm. Well, I''ll turn it down myself. And if I get an award, we won''t tell them how many stars I got. Will you be able to do that? ...... I see, so secrecy increases the mystique. That''s one aspect of it. ...... You really don''t care about that, Master Sato? ''Yeah, I don''t care about those things. I don''t do it for fame, you know. All right, I''m sorry. I''m sorry for saying that. I feel like I''m out of the woods. No, no, it''s just that it''s always nice to have you around. I stood up and put my hand out for him to shake. ''I''d appreciate it if you''d keep up the good work. You''re welcome. Cell honestly grabbed my hand back. I went over to see what was going on, and I was glad that nothing was wrong. But a few days later, on the published list of awards, I was the only newly established 8 Star on the list. I looked at the list and chuckled a little bit, wondering if I''d been blown up that way. 386. A new life starting from garbage Nah, sir! Seren Dungeon, basement level two. Emily''s hammer drove deep into the bicorn''s brain. The third attack, Emily''s blow snapped the bicorn''s two horns as planned. He wobbled and fell. The bicorn''s figure disappeared from the dungeon. ''That was a great strike, Emily, that was a great strike. It''s all because of the support of Yoda. ''''No, no. He dives in from outside the bicorn''s territory in one go and hits it all at once, turning the pre-decay force into velocity and potential energy. Fine play. I was able to do it because I''m always thinking about taking a page out of Yoda''s book. Me and Emily praising each other. By the way, Eri is still clinging to my leg today. She didn''t want to be afraid of being a dungeon master, she didn''t want to be separated from me, so she stuck with me. That''s also why I let Emily take down the bicorn. While Emily and I were chatting after the battle, adventurers were moving one by one in the dungeon. A dungeon master bicorn that would stop all other monsters from appearing when it appeared. We had come to defeat him, but the adventurers were waiting here and there in the dungeon, expecting to defeat him early. That''s why, less than three minutes after the bicorn''s fall, production of drops has already resumed here and there. Now, let''s go home. I''m going to stop by Plumbum''s place on the way. I''m going to Arsenic. All right. I''ll be home at the usual time in the evening. As soon as I said that, I was about to say goodbye. Don, I bumped into someone. ''Oh, I''m sorry,'' He was an adventurer''s man. The man bows his head to me, apologizes, and turns to walk past. ''Wait a minute, you dropped this.'' ''What?Oh, I''m sorry. He picks up the object he dropped when he bumped into it and hands it to the man, who takes it with an apologetic look on his face. But the receiving process goes wrong and he takes it down. The thing that had been put together in a bag is blown up and scattered on the ground. It was trash. Mostly food leftovers, food scraps with a lot of things mixed in. ''Sorry!I''ll clean it up now. If you leave it alone, it''s going to be a haggler. With that, the man repackaged the trash into a bag and shoved it into the backpack he was carrying. He bowed his head to me again, thanked me for teaching him what he''d lost, and then walked away. ''...... Sorry Emily, I have a few things to do.'' Yes, sir. I''ll see you later. He left Emily and took Eli, who was still clinging to him, and went after the man. The man I caught up with was struggling with the monster torrents. His body movements were sluggish to watch, not unlike the adventure producers of this world whose motto was ''safe laps''. I watched it for a while, but the man couldn''t beat Trent, and in turn, he was pinned down. He was blown up and slammed back against the wall, and Trent gave him the final chase. Darn! He drew his gun and blew away the tentacles of the chase. As it was, he intervened between the man and Trent. ''Oh, you''re ......'' I''m glad you came after me. I''ll apologize later for the side slap. He refuses to say a word to the man and shoots a fireball at Trent. The flames with special effects envelop Trent''s entire body and set him on fire. ''You said you were chasing me ...... What, why?'' You know, that garbage. Garbage?I''m sorry about that-- That''s not true. You can''t go home, can you? ''Yes, but ......'' A man who makes a face like that. I knew it. When I used to work at the company, I often saw this scene. People who worked a lot of overtime and didn''t get to go home, had their desks littered with trash that gave them a sense of life. A rice ball from the convenience store, the wrapping paper of the sandwich, the drunk coffee can, and so on. The garbage in this world is worse than that. After all, it becomes a monster if it is left alone. In this world where the rule is to dispose of trash immediately, carrying around trash as your luggage, I can only imagine that you''ve been staying in the dungeon for days on end. If you look closely, you can see that the stunned man has quite dark circles under his eyes. ''''Work, is it hard?'''' ''What?No, well, ...... quota is a bit of a quota. I can''t bother my family. Family? ''I don''t mean blood family, I mean family. We''re a family where home is the name of the game, so we''re all family. ...... Yeah. My eyebrows jerked, jerked, and twitched at a rate that I couldn''t stop myself. ''How long is your quota?'' We''re only halfway through the day before yesterday. For the day before yesterday? More and more my eyebrows jumped up and down. ''We''ll fill that in first today, and then if we work hard at night and make up for yesterday, it''ll be a little easier tomorrow. Wouldn''t it be better to get some rest than that? No, my family won''t be bothered... The man tried to repeat the same words, and I interrupted him. ''If you''re family, wouldn''t it be more annoying if you fell over recklessly? Ugh. ...... You''re not going to be much of a bother if you''re late and then you get knocked down even more. That''s ...... yes, but ...... The guy is wavering. I don''t know how much of this kind of black party and brainwashing (,) so I decided to persuade him not to stimulate him for now, with a flow that doesn''t deny his point of view. That''s why the man was almost persuaded, though. ''''Are you sure that''s what you want to do?'''' Another woman''s voice interrupted our conversation. She''s a woman in her early 30s with glasses, and her short, cropped hair and crooked eyes give her a tight look. The woman didn''t give me a second glance after she appeared, but stalked up to the man, took his hand and looked him straight in the eye. "You''re betraying everyone in your family who''s ever accepted you. Ugh. ...... Your family found you with nowhere to go. Don''t you think you should be grateful that you get to work for them? Yeah, that''s ...... ''It''s a fool''s errand to listen to the ravings of outsiders. Look at this. This is: ...... The man is surprised to see the paper the woman offers him. ''Yes, your grades. Your grades." "Yes, your grades...they''re going up slightly. Now you''re gaining momentum. It''s all thanks to your family''s support. Don''t you think? Yeah, that''s true. ''In the first place, do you think you''ll be able to pass yourself off as an adventurer when you rest like that? ...... Yeah, I know, I''m a f*cking slug, so I''ll have to work twice as hard as the rest of you. ''I''m glad you understand. I''m looking forward to your further growth. Yeah, we''ll see! ...... What a brilliant brainwashing. I''m not sure I''ve ever seen such a thing. However, I couldn''t just leave him there. There''s nothing but tragedy in the destination of whiplash and further work from this situation. We have to stop it somehow. ...... hmm? What is this? It smells good. ...... Everyone present noticed something strange. A nice scent that tickled their nostrils, this scent! When I turned around, I saw Emily was cooking over the fire. The scent is the warmth of Emily''s cooking, coming from inside the pot. ''What''s going on Emily, here in the middle of nowhere?'' ''I know what you mean by trash. I used to live in a dungeon myself. Ah, ....... Before she met me, Emily lived in a dungeon. In a different way than I did, but she knew the other guy lived in the dungeon from the fact that she had trash with her. Emily poured out a bowl of nice smelling soup and offered it to the man. ''Yes, here you are.'' What? You don''t need to rest, but you''ll feel better if you stay warm. ''Yeah, right. At least a cup of soup: ...... The man said, glanced at the woman with a sidelong glance, then sipped his soup with trepidation. ''Oh, ......'' The man''s face suddenly relaxed. The moment he sipped on Emily''s soup, his face went from scared and scared, to hollow-eyed with exhaustion, to a warm, happy expression. I held the warm soup in both hands and slowly drank it down, blowing on it over and over again. ''Thank you ......'' You can have another one, sir. Yeah, thanks ....... The man thanked Emily repeatedly, accepted a new bowl of soup, and sat down to drink the soup out of it. ''Thanks, you two. I guess I''m out of my mind. The man is impressed, and then, lured by the aroma of the soup, adventurers come up to him one by one. "Oh, what, what, is that your cooking, Emily?Can we get a little invitation too? Of course it is. That''s it. So, here''s some more for you. A chicken I just picked up. This one is a pig. I''m gonna go upstairs and get some vegetables. One by one, adventurers gather around Emily and receive her soup in exchange for the ingredients. Emily cooks more of the ingredients and serves them to everyone, and more adventurers and new ingredients gather around her, attracted by the aroma of the food--a little party, a kind of perpetual motion. It was a bit of a party, a kind of perpetual motion. ''''Speaking of which, you,'''' What? A man who has been working hard is confused when water is suddenly turned on him. "Don''t try to do it alone, man. Just say you''re going through a tough time and ask for help. ''No, but ......, it''s such a nuisance for a stranger.'' It doesn''t bother me, I''d rather you fall down with your roots too deep. ''Well, I don''t mind. It''s things like this that get me into Emily''s cooking. ''Don''t be a tsundere, man. I saw you follow this guy yesterday. What...That wasn''t a follow-up, though! A boisterous adventurer, a pompous, hard-working man. In the blink of an eye, Emily took control of the Seren basement level two, and it seemed like there was no more room for me. But I knew this was the right thing to do. Because although the man''s expression started out as surprise, he gradually accepted everyone''s words and ended up in tears of admiration. ''''Tsk.'''' When any brainwashing no longer worked, the woman walked away in silence, leaving an irritated tongue in full force. 387. Im a little happy The city of Cyclo, my favorite tavern, Villadiche. Elsa, Ena, and Eli. The four of us were seated in a corner facing the wall. The main reason I came here was to rehabilitate Eri. Lately, she''s gotten into the wind that she''s fine in the dungeon as long as she clings to me, and in places where other adventurers are coming and going, so I went a little further and brought her to the tavern. The tavern is twice as noisy as the dungeon. He wouldn''t leave my lap, but he wasn''t frightened any more than he had to be. At the end of the day, he clings to me and falls asleep. It''s a good trend. ''Another year is going to be over, isn''t it? Elsa murmured sincerely as she tipped her glass. ''Time goes by so fast, doesn''t it?'' ''Yes, even though I only met Lyota-san just recently. Hmm, I wonder if it took me rather long to get here? It was Ena who spoke, sending a sinking look to Elsa as she said, "I don''t know. ''Is that so?'' ''Oh, you''ve grown so much that you don''t even know it. Where''s that sweet little girl who had her fill of inviting Lyota-san to dinner? Ena is like, "Yo, yo, yo," and cries a lie. ''Well, enough about that! ''I''m sorry, I''m sorry, but I was here back then - I''ve only been in Cyclo for a short time, so I didn''t have the luxury of knowing what to expect. ''It''s not Lyota''s fault!Rather, it''s ......, so ....... Goggling, Elsa sips into the glass and mutters something. I can''t hear what she''s saying at all. You look at Ena, tilting your head and pointing at Elsa, who is babbling on about her beer. Ena beckons you to come over and say a few words, so you lean forward to listen. ''Huw.'' Hi! He blew on my ear! What the f*ck are you doing? Ha-ha, thank you. Thank you. Ena says it in such an inflammatory way that it has a solid heart mark at the end of the word. ''Oh, thank you?'' Well, now that you''re here, Lyota, we can have the restaurant we''ve always wanted. So I''m grateful. ''Oh ...... I see. Then you don''t have to blow on it. Oh, maybe I should have hummed my ears. That kind of teasing is a bit annoying. I''m a stiff as ever. Ina lets out a sigh and pokes me in the chest with my chest plate. She''s usually more of a skinny girl like this, but the tendency to do so becomes more and more pronounced when alcohol is involved. It''s a good drink. It''s time for me to stop doing this kind of thing. ''What?What''s going on, Ena? Are you going away? Me and Elsa are surprised by Ena''s meaningful statement. ''''Hmmm. It''s not like that, it''s just that Lyota-san-- ''Um!You''re Ryota Sato! Hmm? I heard a familiar but slightly upbeat voice in the tavern. I turned around to see a young adventurer standing in front of me, still looking a bit juvenile in his face. His hands were stuck to the sides of his thighs with his fingers tightly together. You can see the tension in his face for some reason. ''''Yeah, but?'''' ''I knew it!Hey!Do you mind if I shake your hand? A handshake? Suddenly, I thought, what the heck, but the young man''s eager eyes pushed me away and I held out my hand timidly. ''Oh, I''m so impressed!I can''t believe that Satou-san can shake my hand. Do you know who I am? ''Of course!He''s the first person ever to be based in an agricultural city and be the world''s number one taxpayer!It''s a dream come true for us! Oh, really? ...... Us? When I looked closer, I noticed that beyond the youngsters, there were a few more people at the table, but they were all looking at me enthusiastically. I want to talk to them as much as they do, but I can''t find the courage to do so, it seems. They can''t seem to come from there, so we turn the water on them. "Is that one of them over there? Yes! I brought up the subject, and my fellow youngsters over there came in droves. ''Um, we''re on ...... too.'' Do you mind if I shake your hand? Yeah. I shook hands with all the young people who requested it. A group of college students shook hands one after another with the same intensity as if they had suddenly met a celebrity. After one handshake, the young people went back to their table. When I turned around, I saw that Elsa was impressed and Ena had a prankish smile on her face. ''Here''s the thing. You''re a celebrity, and it''s going to be hard to drink in an open place like this.'' I chuckled as I connected with the conversation we were having right up until now. ''This is a coincidence--'' Hi. May I have a word with you? Huh? This time his voice was calmer. When I turned around, an old man with white hair and wrinkled hair was standing in front of me. ''Satou-san, is it?'' Yes ...... My grandmother is a big fan. Could you sign this for me? Saying that, the old man held out a bromide to me. It''s the "Ryo-sama''s Majesty" from Plumbum, a super handsome guy who looks like me when he uses it, who can summon Ryo-sama. The old man asked for my signature on it. ''''Wow, okay ...... yes.'''' He said it out of the blue, and all I could do was sign my name when I wrote it on the delivery slip anyway. ''Thank you, your grandmother will be happy to see you.'' The grandfather thanked her with a happy, serene smile and left. When I turned around, I saw Ena grinning more and more. ''I guess it wasn''t a coincidence,'' Mmm. What''s the matter with you? You should know better than to realize that you''re a celebrity, Ryota. I guess so. Mmm. Not all that bad. Mmm. Honestly ...... well, its ....... ...... kinda makes me happy, maybe. I was a little embarrassed, but it wasn''t a bad feeling, I thought. 388. Eri and Erythronium Plumbum Dungeon, Spirit Room. When I flew in the transporter room, Eri, who had been clinging to me until then, tottered away from me. ''''Eri?'''' ...... (smiling) Eli still didn''t talk, but I felt like he was somehow telling me to go for it. ''Good luck with what?'' What are you working on? The owner of the room, the spirit Prumbum, responded to my mumbling. ''Come on, I had a feeling Eri had told me that. ''I see. I guess our hearts are in sync. I hope so. I can''t relax until I can completely heal Eli''s wounded heart. ''''But you''re a different person than when you first arrived. I was relieved to see your face, but that didn''t stop me from becoming you. I interpreted it as "spirits are my friends, so I''m safe, but I''m afraid of the spirits'' room because of the bad memories: ...... I see. He comes here every day to make small talk, so Prumbum understands Eli''s situation. ''This is another step forward for you today, isn''t it? Yeah, we''re making some progress. You live at Elythronium now, don''t you? ''Yeah, because you modified the dungeon for me. It''s not uncommon for people to live in dungeons, but I''ve never seen anyone convert a dungeon into a home. ''There were people living in Plumbum''s place too?'' Like Aulum, Prumbum didn''t know much about anything other than his own dungeon. It was mostly first-hand experience, except for what he heard from me. ''There''s that. I''ve heard it all before. Adventurers, unlike others, can''t help but get into it (). Do you "get into it? It''ll be harder for me to work. ...... Yeah. What do you mean? He didn''t ask you why? I''d like to hear your interpretation. Nikoli and a smiling Prumbum. It''s her first-class sweetness. No matter how boring the story is, no matter how much you''ve already heard. She wants to hear it from me, even if it''s from me. She wants to hear it from my mouth, again, twice, even three times - from mine. Once I knew she enjoyed playing that kind of game, I decided to tell her everything in front of her. ''An adventurer makes money on a single arm, and the more monsters you kill, the more you earn. Especially if you''re doing it on your own. I see. Even with a premise I''ve heard before, Prumbum smiles and looks like he''s never heard it before. ''People can work hard when the thing is that if you work hard, you''re sure to get more in return. And some humans can work harder than their limits. Do you think you can push the envelope? Oh, the limitations of others. Someone else''s? It''s not a limit for that person, but it goes way over the edge for most people. ...... Our president was like that. I''ve heard of you before. I''m the head of your organization. I nodded. ''Unlike back then, I''m able to step away and look at it with a cooler eye. ''Now that I think about it, it was a black company and the middle managers were all jerks, but the boss was the only one who worked harder than we did. I could do it, I could do it, why can''t you guys do it?on the ground. "Mmm-hmm. "Godzilla said, ''If you breathe in and breathe out, you''ll get radiant heat rays, right? But people are like, ''No, no, you can''t do that.'' That''s the way it should be, isn''t it? Prunbhum doesn''t go into my metaphor, he just counters it with a flowing response. He''s a good listener, and I can''t help but talk about things too. Before I knew it, several hours had passed. ...... Eli came over to my side and tugged on my sleeve. ''What''s going on?'' Eli silently points to the transporter gate. ''Do you want to leave?'' ...... (click here) ''Right. Sorry Plumbum, I''ll pull up today. Thanks again. I''ll see you tomorrow. Let''s go, Eli. I pull Eli''s hand away and stand up. ''Noh.'' Hmm? Prumbum, who had just said goodbye, spoke to me. ''What''s up,'' The word "eri" stands for erythronium, doesn''t it? Yeah, but? I''ve heard of the boy. They''re calling you a fake. Yeah. So you didn''t think about giving it a different name? ''More than that?You don''t take eli from erythronium, you mean something completely different. Hmm. I see. Prumbum has a point. But that''s what Eli didn''t ask for - he didn''t ask for it. ...... (geez!) He grabbed me by the hem pretty hard. When I looked at Eli, I saw him looking at me with his eyes, which were incredibly strong, something that appealed to me very strongly. ''Shouldn''t it be Eli?'' ...... (Kok Kok Kok) I see. ...... A name that isn''t erythronium. Not a nickname, a name. You want me to give it to you? 389. Ryotas humanity What are you wondering about? I was wondering if it was okay for me to wear it. That''s what he wants, isn''t it? Plumbum tells me to look at Eli. He clings to me and stares up at me. Strong ...... pretty strong pleading eyes. ''Yes, let''s do that,'' ...... (paaa) Good for you. ...... (Kok Kok Kok) A name worthy of Eli, who wants to be named: ...... It''s a big responsibility. I returned to the mansion from Plumbum and walked out with Eli in tow. The city of Cyclo is bustling with activity at the end of the year, adventurers and non-adventurers alike, all smiling and full of life. While looking at it, though, I headed straight to the Dungeon Society. ''''I''m sorry. The chairman is currently out of town. ...... I came to see the cell, but the receptionist, who I knew, replied with an apologetic look on her face. ''You''re not here, when are you coming home?'' He said it was for a while... ...... What. ''He also told me to contact you about Satou-sama at once. Could you come back tomorrow so I can contact you? Oh, no. It''s okay. I''ll come back when I''m back. With that, I left the dungeon society. If I told him I was looking for him, Cell would be quick to swoop in, but it''s hard to get him to do that much. And I''m not in a hurry. I walked out of the dungeon society and spoke to Eli. ''Sorry Eli, give me a few days to think about it. In return, I''ll give it some serious thought. ...... (pulp) Eri shakes her head. It doesn''t mean no, but it appears to be a look that says, "Don''t worry about it. ''Thanks, Eri. If only those takarabako that came out a while ago had come out now. ......? I just need to look up some things. Takarabako, a special monster that exists outside of the dungeon and drops "things not of this world" if you defeat it. I''ve defeated them a few times, and they all dropped things from the world I was from. What I want now is a book on chemistry. To be honest, I don''t know that much about erythronium. I knew it was an element the moment I heard about it because it''s ____um. There''s aluminum, magnesium, and some of my friends have nihonium in Aulum. But I don''t know much more than that. I don''t know anything about the element erythronium at all. If you''re going to give it a name, I think you should know it right. ''When Cell comes back, I''ll come back and ask him to collect some tacarabones. ...... (smiling) With Eri smiling and nodding, I decided to go back out for a moment. ''Good morning, Mr Yoda, good morning, Mr Yoda.'' The next morning, Emily''s gentle voice wakes me up. ''Good morning, Emily,'' Good morning, Mr. Yoda. We have a visitor. Customer? Yes, sir. Who would it be? ....... I get out of bed. Eli, who still sleeps attached to me at night, is like a small animal, curled up in a small ball on the bed. Coupled with his stubby pajamas, it''s adorable and makes me want to watch him forever. ''Mr. Yoda,'' Oh. So, where are the customers? It''s Mr. Neptune. ''Neptune?...... Are Ran and Lil together? I''m with you. Okay. I''m a little relieved. I''m reading the three of them as the H2O trio. Neptune Oxydin. Run Hydrogen. Lil'' Hydrogen. With the spirits of Oxydin and Hydrogen, respectively. I always imagine the three of them together and never leave no matter what, but the last time Neptune was the only one who came in, both Ran and Lil were in a pinch, and from there it developed into one of Tennysin''s cases. That was one of the reasons why I had to check to see if they were there first. I got dressed and left the room, heading to the parlor in my usual sense. ''We don''t have a ....... There''s a parlor over here. After about ten steps, I realize this. Inside my new mansion, the Ellislonium Dungeon. Eli, who refuses to let anyone but me and my people into the dungeon, doesn''t allow strangers into the dungeon, and therefore doesn''t need a guest room. That''s why I didn''t make it. ''Well, Emily, where''s Neptune?'' It''s in the parlor over there. Okay. He nodded and left the dungeon and returned to his original residence. Usually, when you move in, the room is completely different, the air and everything else is different. The most obvious thing is that all the furniture is gone and the voices become very loud. We don''t have that in this house. Even if all of my friends move out, this one will still be an Emily space - it will still be bright and warm. I walk down that bright hallway and into the guest room. Neptune is sitting on the sofa, with Ran and Lil standing behind him, as usual. A beautiful woman and a beautiful girl of opposite types, when they are standing on Neptune''s back, they are as natural as an angel and a pair of wings. As he sat down across from Neptune, he gave her the refreshing smile that had become so familiar to him. ''Hey, good morning,'' What''s going on here this morning? Yeah, I just came to deliver this. Ran, lil. Okay. ''Totally, why would I do this for a guy like this: ...... Ran responds with a smile, and Lil mumbles. They lifted something from behind Neptune and went around and placed it between us. ''This is ......,'' "Takara Bako. Neptune smiling at me. The thing placed between us, it was a monster tacarabako. It has a distinctive look with an open lid with a rim of jagged teeth, but right now its mouth(,) is tied to a chain and can''t open. He rattled around trying to wriggle out of it. ''What''s the matter with it?'' You tweeted yesterday that you were looking for the tacarabako. Yesterday? Did you see ...... differently on the street? No, ......, that''s ...... A murmur, yeah. It''s probably about the exchange with Eli. I told Eri to wait until I found the tacarabako. Sure, it''s a nuanced statement about looking for the tacarabako. ''That''s what an acquaintance of mine told me, that''s why I''ve been looking for it. Have you been looking for it? I owe you. Return the favor. ''Because of you, I was able to stay with both Lan and Lil'' So, at least I can return the favor. Yeah. Thanks, that''s honestly very helpful. It would be rude to say that such a thing is fine. To Neptune, being able to be with the two of you is that important, and I''m sure your gratitude to me for holding it together is pretty big. So I decided to take it in stride. What are you going to do with it?Are you going to power up again? I''m just looking for something. ''Well, if you still need it, feel free to let me know. I''m not as good as you, but I''ve got my own handlers. Yeah, thanks. Neptune gets up and walks off with Ran and Lil in tow. Ran bowed his head to me, and Lil looked frustrated as usual, but only threw me an eye salute. Two different types of people, and I briefly wondered if I''d like to ask Neptune about his familiarity if I had the chance. The moment that Neptune put his hand on the doorknob and opened the door. ''Hiya!'' Emily was on the other side of the door, her hand teasingly knocking. ''Oops, this was bad timing,'' It''s okay. What''s going on, Emily? Mr. Yoda has a visitor. Again?Who is it this time? They''re all out there. Guys? I went out into the hallway and looked out the window. There were a lot of people in the courtyard of the mansion. ''What the hell is that?'' ''Most of the faces that say ....... People who are treated under the umbrella, such as Cliff and Margaret, just for a quick glance. Not only that, but Eric, the gourmand, and Mao Mee, the head of the Filin Dungeon Association. All the people I''ve been involved with were there. ''Huh, looks like I was the first to arrive. First in line? I look at Neptune, who has come alongside me. ''What?Okay, guys: ....... Yeah. Look at the feet. ''...... Really!They''re all getting takarabako! Word must have gotten around. ''My tweets?Why again? ''There are quite a few faces I know, and of course I know my episodes with you. Aren''t they all returning the favor? ...... That reminds me. All the faces in the yard are people I''ve helped in some way. They''ve all caught some kind of plantain. There are more than ten of them, if you count them roughly. So this is your moral compass. 390. Voice of Ellisronium I thanked everyone for their cooperation and for capturing the tacarabako, and after they left. Eri and I were alone with a mountain of tacarabako. ''Well, let''s try one first,'' When I mumbled, Eli gently distanced himself and gave me a small gut-punch, cheering me on. ''Yeah, I''ll do my best,'' He smiles back at Eri and holds his gun up. He shoots out one tacarabako that is placed directly on the ground. A growth bullet. Bullets that increase in power with each hit you shoot. It''s grown to the point where it can kill 99% of the normal monsters with a single shot. It''s a very powerful one-hit kill weapon, but compared to the Repetition, it''s a bit half-hearted, and for the same reason as the Repetition, you don''t want to get a taste for it when you need it. I''m shooting for further growth as well, since Takarabako is now restrained and my sights are on that end. The shot out Takarabako burst out and dropped what looked like an iron box with a clatter. ''''This is an oven ...... or maybe a microwave oven. I approach the box and open the vertical door. It''s a high-functioning type of microwave with no spinning dish. ''......'' Eli came over to me, tugged on my sleeve and nodded his head. ''Yeah, it''s a handy appliance right where I was. It''s the most powerful thing you''ll ever have with electricity. Here. I answer Eli and then look at the range again. It''s been a while since I''ve been in this world. Emily''s superhuman housekeeping skills don''t give me much to realize, but I''m reminded that microwaves are actually a great thing. With the flick of a switch, it heats up food and can even bring up water if you want it to (although it''s dangerous after that). You can cook the noodles in a bag without burning them, so it was very useful. Well, it''s just a box now. ......? You can''t use it without electricity. Well, Japan is the only country in the world that has a stable AC power supply. Eli''s head remains tilted. It''s not something I''m going to go into and explain, so I stand up, clunking the microwave, which is just a box. I looked at the remaining pile of tacarabcos. ''I knew it wouldn''t work if I didn''t ...... guess. A lot of tacarabaco that everyone has been collecting, not a small number, but not enough to be able to "pull it until it comes out" either. I''ll have to figure out something else to do. Ask Alice. ...... (giggle) Hmm?What''s the matter, Eli? Eli puffed out his chest. ''You mean you''re going to go get Alice?'' ...... (nationally) Okay. Thank you, Eli. Please. Eri, with a flourish, ran out happily with a pah-- and jumped into the erythronium dungeon-- the new mansion. The sight of her made me a little happy. I was happy to see Eri moving to call out to me, even if it was my companions against me. As I was soaking up the feeling, Eri soon returned with Alice. ''Wow!Oh, my God!What''s wrong with this? Everyone got together for Eli. For the sake of elaboration. So, let me ask you something. Alice knows when to drop, right? Yes. What does that feel like? Alice puts her index finger on her chin and thinks, "Mmmmmm". And then, this time, she crossed her arms and began to groan, "Mmmmmmmm. ''Hmmm, I have a box.'' Box? Well, you know, like there''s a few boxes, and then there''s just one in there. Yeah. I nodded and tried to imagine the situation Alice was talking about. ''So, you know, when I look at it, it''s like the outside of the box has ''around'' written on it? I see. It''s a feeling I don''t quite understand, but I know one thing. ''I can''t do that. It is. I was born in a dungeon, you know. To begin with, me and Takara Bako are not the best match for each other. ''What?How? ''My ability is purely that I drop 100% and that my quality goes up. My ability to drop ...... even if they don''t really drop, ''Yeah--Oh, I see. Takarabako does drop outside the dungeon, right? ''Yeah, so it''s incompatible ...... or it doesn''t make sense. There''s no advantage to something like Takarabako. I see. ...... Hmm. Alice started to grunt again. I look at the pile of tacarabako, close up and stare at the individual items, or away and look at the whole thing. ''...... No!I don''t know. That''s what Lyota wants.I''m looking at them as a reminder that they all look the same. Well, ...... hmmm. I asked for a no-no, but I guess it didn''t work. I shoot another one through the takarabako to try it out. The takarabako that I defeated with a single shot dropped-- Table? The kotatsu. It''s the best thing about winter, but there''s no electricity. It was still no good. I don''t feel like I''m going to hit it at all by guessing. ''Is there any other way? I''d like to make a big decision here for Eli''s sake. ''Gamba, Lyota!But it''s an awfully high level of concern. A high level? ''It''s not like most people can be bothered with helping spirits instead of helping people. It doesn''t make much difference, though. In my mind. In my case, it was partly because Mela Mela helped me out, but ...... eliery, is there anything I can do to help Lyota with eliery? I''m trying to help him, so why would I ask him to do that? What''s up, Lyota? Wait a minute! I held up my hand, interrupting Alice''s words and desperately fumbling through the memories. Now, for a moment, something came to me. It flashed. I tried desperately to groping for what it was, which flashed, but went by so fast. At times like this, I repeat the same action and remember it by association. I play the action backwards. I look at Alice, then at the dropped kotatsu, then at the pile of takarabako. I pull out my gun and stick it out - a growth bullet! No, it''s a repetition! In practical terms, it is almost the upper compatible of growth bullets, Repetition. The strongest magic to kill monsters once defeated unconditionally and instantly. It''s what I gave to Nihonium. It''s the magic she gave me, guiding me to meet Nihonium, the magic I needed to meet Nihonium. The genie, for the genie himself. ''Eli!Follow me. ......(country) Taking Eli''s hand, I jumped into the dungeon and warped into Nihonium''s room in the transporter room. The woman in the clasped sleeve stood in the middle of the room, quietly. ''What''s going on?Mr. Lyota. Tell me, Nifornium, how did you lead me to the Repetition? Repetition time? ''Yeah, you needed me to lead you to the repetition for that, didn''t you?How did you do that? You''re doing this for her, aren''t you? Nihonium looked at Eli. The fact that he had brought her with him made it easier for her to understand the situation. ''It''s hard to explain. So, With that, Nihonium held out his hand, palm upward, to Eli. Eli took the hand of his kindred spirit, Nihonium, without any hesitation at all. I don''t know what''s going on, but something is going on, I''m sure of it. I waited patiently, and I waited, prepared to wait forever - forever. "--Yes. What? I heard a voice. A voice that wasn''t a physical object, a voice that was close to empty ears. It''s a voice I''ve heard before. ''This way.'' As I listened closely, I could hear it clearly. It''s the voice of Eli - or rather Erislonium - who once called out to me for help. Guided by the voice, I run out of the gate, back into the mansion and out into the garden. ''Whoa!'' Alice, who was still there, is surprised-- ''Here it is: ......'' I saw one of the takarabako. I saw a small woman - a small woman standing on top of it, like Eri as an adult. 391. Vanadium What can you see? Yeah. Erieli? It''s just the way it used to be. Oh, yeah, hey, here? From my gaze, a vision of erythronium?Alice figures out where the She was exactly right, pointing to the tacarabaco where Erythronium was. ''Ah, there it is.'' Right, hey, can you see the melasma? The melamella perched on Alice''s shoulder wavered. Doesn''t it look like a kindred spirit, Phosphorus? I''m not sure. I''m not sure I''ll be able to find it. But I know you''re there. Yeah. Then let''s take it down in a flash. For Erieli. I look down and meet eyes with Eli, who is still by my side. ''Yes, ......, wait a bit longer.'' ......(country) Nodding, Eli, I drew my gun and set my sights on the takarabako with the illusion of erythronium on it. The phantom smiling at me, Nikoli. ''''Thank you.'''' With that, she disappears. Pulling the trigger, a growth bullet shot through Takarabako. The defeated Takarabako dropped a thick book. ''''Um, what''s this?'''' Alice runs up to me as soon as she can, but she can''t read the words on the cover and gives me a troubled look. I slowly head over with Eli and pick up the book. ''The World''s Most Powerful Elemental Book ...... so?'' Written in Japanese, it''s definitely an over there (...) book. What do I do with it? There''s a clue in here about Eli''s new name. Really? Yeah. He opened the rather thick and heavy illustrated book, using another tacarabako as a desk, and opened it up. ''Let''s start with Erythronium, the periodic table, I suppose. "A scorecard? "Sailor Liebe, my ship: ...... I worked hard to memorize it when I was in school, so I open the page with the periodic table of familiar shapes and find the one I''m looking for. It''s erythronium, so I guess it''s "Er". I looked for it and found it at ....... Er, the atomic number 68, and I open the page for it. ''What!'' What, what, what, what? ''Erbium ...... No, it''s certainly an Er, too, but ...... is that El then?There is no ....... Hey, what the hell is going on?Can you teach me how to do that? There''s no erythronium. No? Ah. To put it plainly, this is a table with all 118 spirits'' names on it: number 15, Phosporus (P); number 79, Aurum (Au); and number 113, Nihonium (Nh). He goes on to name the spirits who live with him now, who leave their own dungeon and live in the mansion at night. Tellurium, Silicon, Arsenic, Selenium, Prumbum, and Sarfa: ...... Furthermore, he goes on to name the dungeons and spirits he has been involved with, although he doesn''t live with them. ''It''s all there, but only Erislonium is missing. Why is that? "I don''t know, it''s ...... ****nium and it''s not supposed to be there, but ...... ''Hey, do you think it''s possible that somewhere in there is the name of Elieli?'' Well, let''s do it another way instead of the periodic table. Now I open the index. A way to look up dictionaries and illustrated books that I''ve rarely done since I went from using a computer to a smartphone and a device with a search function. ''Err ...... erythronium erythronium ...... not ......'' No? Yeah. Is there another way to write it? Another way to write it? See, is Melamella phosphorus or something like that? That''s not exactly what''s written on the website: ...... I let my thoughts run through my mind to see if there is anything else. Eli, I dig up things about erythronium from my memory. ''...... fake chrome'' ...... (freaky) The moment he mumbled, Eli freaked out. ''Sorry!That''s not what I meant, I just meant that''s what you called me. ......(country) A small nod and Eli clings to me again. That was a stupid move, a word I shouldn''t have said even if I''d thought about it. I don''t think such a word is in the illustrated book, but I pull it up in the index for a moment. Then I looked up the word. ''There was .......'' What? You''re kidding me. You have one? Really?Did you find it? Oh, wait a minute. Turn to the page that says there is fake chrome. Number 23, vanadium (V). Discovered in the 18th century and once named erythronium, it was first identified as chromium. Later, after the element vanadium was found, it was determined to be the same as the former erythronium. In other words, erythronium was vanadium. ''Hey, hey, what was it?'' "Vanadium. What? I say to Eri, who is still holding onto my sleeve, not Alice, who is pestering me. At first I wondered if I should name the elements after them. Eli from Erythronium, I wondered if I should change that pretty name and re-name it after the elements. ''Your name is Vanadium. A beautiful metal named after the beauty goddess Freya''s alias Vanadys. ......! Vanadium, that''s your real name. The moment I told him that, Eli''s--Vanadium''s body and the dungeon a short distance away began to shine at the same time! 392. A little more together The light of both, the dungeon and the girl, rose as if in resonance. The two lights increased, mingled, and enveloped me. ''''--! He held his hands in front of his face to guard the light. The light that enveloped his entire body rose to an extreme and then slowly settled down. And after the light subsided. ''''Eh?'''' A startling situation, so startling that my voice comes out, is right in front of me. Not the garden of the mansion I was in just a moment ago, but an empty space, like a spirit room. In that space, a woman and a girl were standing in front of me. It''s vanadium, modified by Eli, and the old erythronium. ''What kind of ......'' Thank you. The adult woman, the old erythronium, smiled serenely and thanked me. ''Thank you for protecting me. Besides, you even gave me a name. Is this the right thing to do? ''Yeah, it feels really good ....... I can see now that this is my real name. The old erythronium - the adult Vanadium put his hands on his chest. A gesture that seemed to hold something important there. ''I see, that''s good,'' I''m relieved by her reaction. I looked at the kid''s vanadium. He looked at me and smiled at me, smiling at me. I smile back too, and then I ask the adult vanadium. Hey, what did they do to you? I won''t say. Vanadium answered immediately. Without the slightest hesitation, he said quietly but forcefully. ''Why?'' ''I found out after being with you for a while. You help a lot of people. That''s what you can do. ...... (nationally) I can''t have you doing anything like that for revenge. That''s not what anyone wants. So you''re not going to tell me. ''Shit, I can''t make you do something so unsuitable. So I won''t tell you. The adult Vanadium smiled at that. It was kind of complicated, but if she wanted it to be. ''Thank you so much,'' ...... (country by country) I decided to let it go. You''re welcome. "So, ......, um... ...... For a change, the adult vanadium began to squirm. Seeing this, the child Vanadium grabbed his hem and made a fist with his little hand, gesturing towards the adult to encourage him. ''Uh-huh!You know, I could stay with you a little longer!...... Okay, is it? ''Yes, of course. You can stay with me for as long as you want--I''m more of the one asking you to let me stay, since I''m renting the dungeon between us. "--Hey!Thank you! The two vanadiums, adults and children alike, rejoiced at the same time. Then they joined hands, and once again, the light shot out of their bodies. The two lights mingled and swelled up - and swallowed me up just as they had before. I close my eyes in the glare and turn my face away--. ''Lyota!Ryota, hold on! I hear Alice''s voice. She shakes my shoulder, calling me in a slightly impatient voice. I open my eyes. ''Do you think a swat would help?Q... "Why are you hitting me like this, I''m going to die! He stopped Alice, who was about to chant All Might. ''Oh, I noticed. What''s up, Lyota? You said you noticed ...... I was here the whole time? ''Yes!I was so surprised when I suddenly passed out. ''Oh, right. ...... Oh!Where''s the vanadium?! With a huff, I look around me. Then I see the unconscious child Vanadium, holding hands with me. "As a child, huh? What does that mean? Wondering, I told Alice everything that had just happened. ''I said we''d be together, and now I''m wondering if you''re still in this form. What do you mean? What? What do you mean?I looked at Alice as I thought to myself, and she put the melamella in the palm of her hand and held it out for me to see. ''You''re the same as Melamella, right?I look my best for being together. Eliezer is just doing the same thing... Oh, ...... I see. Melamellar-phosphorus. He was actually a more majestic and proper looking spirit, but when he became Alice''s companion monster, he changed to a comical and deformed look, just like the rest of his fellow monsters. ''Does that mean Vanadium thinks that this look is the most appropriate way to be with me,'' I see. Okay. I was relieved. I was still concerned that he didn''t say what was done to adult vanadium, but that being said, I was relieved that he insisted on being there for me in his child form. I''d be worried if he was just gumming it up, but if he''s insisting on this, I''m relieved because it means he''s not just forcing himself to gum it up. ''Huh?'' What''s going on now? There''s something between his hand and the vanadium. Once I settled in, I could clearly feel a foreign body. There''s something hard between the child Vanadium and the hand I''m connecting to. I let go of the hand I''m carefully connecting to so as not to wake it up. ''This is ......,'' That''s Lyota''s bullet. Yeah. It''s empty and has a two-color speckled tip. ...... New bullets? Perhaps, I thought, it was a new special bullet given to vanadium. 393. Ryochin, hit It''s empty. I don''t know if they''re gonna fill it up with anything. The only thing you can stuff in a bullet is gunpowder, but it doesn''t look like that kind of stuff. To begin with, the bullets I have have have nothing to do with gunpowder or anything else. It has nothing to do with firebombs, frozen bullets, or just gunpowder pretty early on. ''Would you like to ask Erieli?'' No, I''ll try it myself. I''m the kind of guy who doesn''t look at the strategy site until I''ve cleared it once. So I put this one in my pocket along with the other bullets for now to try it out later. ''Lyota!'' Alice suddenly shouted out loud. Her gaze is staring at my chest. My chest - deep within it. The bosom where I had just put away my bullets was glowing. I put my hand in my pocket and take out the shiny object. "It''s the one from before. Yeah. The light is subsiding: ...... mmm. There''s a little bit of light in one side. Alice said, and I nodded. One of the two colored tips was emitting a calming light. It looked distinctly different from earlier. ''It''s buried inside too,'' Let''s see ...... It''s true. It was empty a minute ago, but now it''s half full of this stuff, like really clear jelly. Alice''s metaphor was accurate. ''What do you mean by that?'' Hey, what''s going on with the others? ''What?Oh. I put my hand in my pocket again and pulled out the bullets. I take out all the bullets in my hand and line them up on the ground. ''Mmm,'' What''s going on? We''re one round short of an accelerator. Not enough? Riddle my pockets, it wasn''t there. Once again, I counted the number of accelerated bullets ...... still not enough. Not a mistake or anything? No, accelerated bombs are a rare thing that occurs once a day in Lyota''s village. It''s a bargaining chip in a pinch and I know how many there are. ''I see. That''s all there is to it, that''s all there is to it. ''The others are indeed unknown. Infinite lightning bullets, recovery bullets and growth bullets. I know only the one shot around here. Okay. We both tilted our heads in front of the bullets. Suddenly, Alice glanced at the sleeping vanadium, and then he took one of the bullets - a flaming bullet and brought it closer to the new bullet in the vortex. Then--. ''Whoa!I was sucked in! Alice is surprised, and I quickly brace myself to protect the vanadium. The flaming bullets emit a light as they are sucked into a new bullet. The same light as when it was in my bosom. The light twinkled blindingly for a moment, then gradually subsided. ''It''s buried, isn''t it?'' You''re buried. We nodded at each other. The other end of the new bullet also started to glow slightly after inhaling the flaming bullet. ''''The half that was empty is also buried ...... which means that the one before sucked in an accelerated bullet, right? That''s what it comes down to. I guess the third one''s out. It''s buried for all we know. "Hey, hey, come on, let''s shoot at it. That''s what you use with Lyota''s gun, right? It. ''Well, let''s give it a try. You can get an ogre or a snake: ...... Okay, I''ll just wait. Alice said and stood up and piled up like Mumu Mumu ...... and then thrust her hands up to the heavens. ''''Rietin!'''' Summoning magic, All Might. Space was split open, and a stuffed-up guy that looks like me appeared from a crack in the dimension. It''s a magic that summons the strongest existence Alice thinks is possible - an existence with exactly the same abilities as me. The ability of the summoned being is exactly the same as mine. It''s exactly the same as mine, except it''s once a day and has a time limit of 30 seconds. Why did you summon Liuchin? ''Just in case. You never know what''s going to happen, and wouldn''t it be safer with two Lyotha''s around? I see. Try shooting at Liuchin then. Alice snapped her fingers with a snap, and Ryochin moved away - about 20 meters away - and stunned. I loaded the bullet into the gun and took aim. Questions and answers later, Li-ching only has 30 seconds a day. First, a test. With that thought, I pulled the trigger. ''Whoa!The hotel is on fire!Awesome!What the hell was that?I didn''t see anything. You are so incredibly surprised. I couldn''t see it either. That''s why I couldn''t avoid the same ability as me. I''m going to have to get my hands on some ...... firebombs. You''re going to have to go really fast ......? 394. Super Gaugau Awesome! If Ryotan wasn''t good, that means Ryota wasn''t good either, right? That''s what I thought. Well, I wouldn''t have been able to dodge it. I couldn''t see it. But that''s not the point. If you use accelerator bullets to enter the accelerated world beforehand, you might be able to do something about it. Amazing. What''s that?But isn''t this just what Lyota usually does? I''m going to try. He pulls the bullet out of the handgun. After shooting it, it''s back to the empty state it was in right after I got it again. And I let it touch first the flaming bullets, followed by the frozen bullets. Just like the accelerated bullets earlier, both were sucked in and the warheads started to glow in two colors again. ''''What do we do with this?'''' ''A flame round and a frozen round, if you shoot it with two pistols and make it a fusion round, it will be an annihilation round. Let''s see if they''re the same. ''I see!So... oh... I can feel it. It''s past summoning time. ''Can''t help it, then, gawgaw. Alice called out her fellow monsters on her shoulder. Gawgaw, the master dragon, is the size of a small plush toy when it''s on my shoulder. When it''s like that, it looks charming - but - at Alice''s request - "Gahngaugh! I made a face. It''s about as surprising as three lines coming down from the top of my head. No, that''s a terrible idea. Don''t worry, Gow-Gow, you can do it. And besides, they won''t die if I''m okay. ''No, I don''t think that''s the point: ...... See, you''re getting teary-eyed. As I pointed out, a loud and teary-eyed gauzy gauzy. ''''Well, what should we do then? Do you want to use that Takara Bako? Why don''t you just bring in the regular trash? We don''t have any trash. "Huh? Emily always cleans up, so there''s no mess. ''Oh ...... that''s great Emily,'' I know the mansion is always warm and bright, but you''re getting rid of the garbage itself right away. ''Well, let''s use this .......'' I take out one of the regular bullets and leave it at a distance. After a while, the regular round hatches into a slime. I shoot the bullet in testing at that slime. The bullet hit the slime and burst into flames. ''''It burned--wow! Alice is startled and slumps over. The slime caught her on fire and slammed into her. Alice dodged it on the spur of the moment. ''I can move while it''s burning. The grass around ...... isn''t burning. ''What?Oh, it''s true. The slime landed once the attack was off. Despite the burning, the grass around me - the neatly trimmed lawn in the garden - wasn''t on fire, and there was no sign of burning. More flying slime, I caught it. I caught it with one hand outstretched, which I often do on my laps in the tellurian. ''Oops.'' What are you talking about? Not hot. ''Really!Really, it''s rather the right temperature. That''s about as cold as human skin. A cold flame. "Reien? That''s what''s going on with these super cold flames. The phosphorus in the human bone ignites. That''s how they misidentified the souls in earlier times, I guess. What do you mean? Phosphorus, we''re talking about Phosphorus. This one. ''Mell-mell?Oh, I see, and Meramela isn''t usually hot either. ''That''s what I mean. It''s a combination of cold rounds and flaming bullets, producing a super cold flame. It''s not a normal fusion bullet. What can I use it for? Yeah. I nodded clearly. ''We''ll see what the combination is now, but it means the cards we have on hand have genuinely more than doubled in size. Definitely useful, it''ll come into use someday. "I see. Ah! What? Hey, hey. Try that one again. "Cold flames?That''s fine, but ...... Take down the haglemono slime and load the fire and freeze bullets again. He loaded them into the gun. ''Good!This time, Gawgaw, get ready for battle. Gowgaw went gaunt again. ''Trust me, Gow-Gow.'' Shocked, but still unable to disobey the confidently persuading Master, Gau Gau returned to his original form. A very cute version of Master Dragon - a very cute version of Master Dragon. It''s the same size, but it looks very deformed, just like Ryochin. If the original was a Master Dragon, this one is more of a "Machutadora-Gon" type of guy. "Okay, shoot at Gow-Gow. Okay. I wondered what he was going to do, but I saw with my own eyes that cold flames can''t be damaging, so I shot without hesitation. The cold flame bullet hits GauGau - the moment. GauGau''s huge body was engulfed in flames. The flames, which are about the size of body heat, are lingering in GauGau''s entire body. ''''Hahaha, wow!Gawgaw cool! Well, you look like a do-gooder. Gawgaw, with an aura emanating from his entire body, looked good looking even to my eyes. 395. Im always thinking about you The evening salon, a lively time when friends gather after they return home. ''With Lyota!Emily''s!Combined Cookin''! Alice makes it grand, like she''s going to show off something. I point my muzzle at the soup that Emily has prepared for me after we discussed it beforehand, and I pull the trigger. The next moment, the entire bowl of soup goes up in flames. ''''Oh, it''s a strange flame.'''' It was Celeste who instantly noticed the change. She was the family''s best at flame magic, and for that matter, she was quite an expert among all adventurers, and she noticed it immediately. Cold flames. She noticed as soon as she saw it that the flame was just a little higher than human skin. ''''Touch it.'''' Yes. ...... You''re warm. Perhaps because she knew, Celeste touched the flaming bowl without any hesitation at all. ''Flaming soup, isn''t that kind of cool?'' Is it cool? Soup is nice, but wouldn''t a drink be better for that? It was Aulum who pointed it out. Horns sprouting from her head in a jet black dress. The princess of the demon tribe, a spirit with an appearance that looks like a princess of the demon tribe, here and there, a smile of old age appeared on her childish face. ''''It''s definitely more windy to moonlight with burning liquor. Oh, my goodness. Emily, can I get a lukewarm drink? Yes, sir. Ena tuned in to Aulum and Emily ran to the kitchen with a pat on the back. In almost no time at all, Emily returned with a tray of lukewarm sake cups and a choko set. ''Yoda-san,'' Yeah. I re-pack the flaming and freezing bullets and hit the cold flame on the chopper. Emily pours the liquor into it and Aulum and Ena get it and sip it. Aurum in a dress and Ena with a rich adult s*x appeal. ''You two are giving off an overwhelming sense of strength. I told you that. It''s a good one, and I like it a lot, and I like it a lot. They drank the burning liquor with satisfaction. Some dishes dare to use a high alcohol content and see perfection by setting it on fire and letting the alcohol content go, but it seems to have a different kind of goodness to it. Aurum and Ena are enjoying the mature taste while Celeste stares at my hand and the gun in her hand. ''You just loaded two bullets, didn''t you? Yeah. It''s not like fusion bullets? No, you''re not. Is there anything else you can put together? ''I''ve tried a whole bunch of them, but this was the most fun. I said, taking out two accelerated rounds and loading them into the vanadium bullets and pointing the muzzle at Celeste. ''You''re going to shoot at me, aren''t you?'' Yeah. I''ve got about ten seconds. ...... I get it. I tilted my head slightly, but Celeste quickly nodded her head. She correctly received my silent message that she would understand if she did it. I pulled the trigger toward Celeste. The moment it hit, Celeste disappeared. ''''What?What, now? Mr. Celeste is gone, sir. Surprised, Alice and Emily. Immediately after, Celeste opens the door and comes back into the salon from the hallway. ''What?Were you out in the hallway? What''s going on here? Celeste already knows that, doesn''t she? ...... Are you sure about that? Celeste has a look on her face that says she still can''t believe what she''s actually experienced. ''I was ready for some kind of prank, though. You couldn''t do anything in ten seconds. It was too fast. So that''s it. Hey, hey, what''s going on? Alice asked for an answer. Emily looked straight at me, too. ''Time stoppage, I suppose. The doubling of accelerated bullets - or maybe it''s self-squared. The resulting time halt. Yeah! Oh, you can do that? I was surprised when I did it the first time, too. But, well, they say that 90% of time stopping porn is imposters, so I guess time stopping isn''t that surprising. Yes. ...... Mr. Yoda just keeps getting better and better. I chuckled, a little sad. I kind of blurted it out, but I couldn''t get through to the original world stuff at all, and I was starting to feel embarrassed about it. ''Hey, hey, Ryota. Again, give me that one more time. Okay. Wondering why I was so excited, I loaded another two accelerated rounds, this time at Alice. ''Huh?'' Awwww. You''re a quick learner. Celeste raising her voice and me smiling. Celeste is turned around and the tray Emily was holding is placed on top of her head. The gun I had been holding in my right hand was being held in my left. Time stopping prank, for ten seconds, Alice seemed to be enjoying herself to the fullest. ''Awesome, this is awesome, Lyota,'' You''re a quick learner. Hmmm, I don''t think about Lyota every day. "What? Surprised, Celeste. Clattering and knocking over the chair, Elsa. They were both upset at the same time, and in a big way. "Well, he thinks about it every day. Maybe Alice, you can go to ...... too? Too? Alice tilted her head slightly in response. ''''Isn''t it?'''' What do you mean, you''re thinking? ''It''s Lyotha. In order to use Lyotha well, you have to think about her and know her properly, right? ''Oh, ah, ......'' So that''s what happened: ...... Celeste, and Elsa was relieved to see. But, yeah. Ryouchin. You''re always thinking about me - how to fight, so you were able to take advantage of the time stoppage right away. I have to say, I''m a lot stronger now. Thanks, Ryota. Alice laughs innocently and thanks me for my help. ''Tell Vanadium to thank me. ''I know!Thanks Erieli. All right, mela mela tackle. Alice commanded Melamela to jostle with Vanadium, who was still clinging to me. I wasn''t the only one. I was reminded once again that Alice was getting stronger too, and I was more and more happy to see that she was getting stronger too. 396. I want to be stronger than myself Erislonium modified, the third floor of the Vanadium basement. There, with the ability to change the terrain in the dungeon of the spirit itself, it was remade into a space that was almost identical to the garden of the mansion, and I was facing Alice. A short distance away, Emily was standing alongside Vanadium, watching us with a serious expression on her face. ''Let''s go then,'' Please. Okay, ......, go ahead, Ree-chin! Snap!And Alice snaps her fingers. Magic, all-mighty, summoned by Ritin. From the rift in space, an entity that could be called my alter ego was summoned. I took the first move. Before Ryouchin came out completely, I fired a series of normal bullets with my right hand pistol and put up a barrage of bullets. I used that barrage as a wall and rushed towards Liuchin. Da da da da da da da da! Ryouchin also fired his gun in rapid succession. He was greeted with the same regular bullets. The bullets hit each other in the air, sparking and bouncing off. From there, I took a step further, ducked into Liuchin''s bosom, and swept him off his feet from a low position. Ryouchin quickly jumps a small jump to pull his feet back, and then reloads the gun in his right hand and puts the muzzle of the gun to my head. I twist my body to dodge. The bullet that was shot out hit the ground and formed an icicle. With the momentum, I turn my body another half-turn, kicking the icicle and sending it flying towards Ryochin. Dogon! A tremor that made the air tremble. The kicks we fired at each other at the icicle smashed the icicle at the same time, and the kicks and kicks collided with each other. As a result, the icicle exploded, and we were flung out of each other''s space by the recoil. ''''Yes ......, you''re still amazing Ryota,'''' Yes, sir. ''But why aren''t you two using your left-handed guns? There''s a new round in there. A killing blow is a very large window of opportunity. "Huh? ''''I used to get attacked by slime and hit it where it slowed down. If we were as strong as we were, the gaps after the attack would be more deadly. Nah. You think that''s what we''re both going for. Emily and Alice joined me at a distance. Their words fell on deaf ears. I didn''t have the luxury of time to do so, dealing with Riuchin in front of me and Riuchin, who was exactly the same strength as me. Both me and Liuchin lacked decisiveness. And neither of us are going to shoot the gun in our left hand. It''s clear that what''s in there is a trump card for both of us. An exchange of bullets and meatballs at close range. We have seen each other try to pull the trigger and the act of pulling the trigger itself is prevented. The trump card is in a state of rivalry, where there is an extremely high probability that the attempt to shoot will go unexploded. Time is ticking away. My left hand moved reflexively. After thirty seconds, Baryochin will disappear when the time is up, so I have to settle this matter before then. If you run away from your Ryouchin opponent until your time is up, you''ll feel defeated. So my left hand moved a little - while I warned myself that it was still too early. That created a momentary opening, and Ryochin didn''t miss it, but thrust the muzzle of his left gun at himself. Time stop. He tried to shoot the time stopping bullet using the double accelerator bullet into himself. If you can stop time, you are sure to lose, that''s Garryochin''s trump card. And that''s what I was waiting for. Ryouchin''s attention was retracted from me to me. Less than a hundredth of a second. But sure enough, Ree-chin''s attention was off me. I pulled the trigger of my left hand. I was able to pull the trigger at the same time as Li-ching. I was reading it. I knew that he was going to stop time, so I decided on a spinal level to pull the trigger when Liuchin shot left, and I did the same. So I was able to pull at the same time. And then Liuchin''s left hand flew off. The time-stopping bullet released from the gun hit the ground and didn''t produce any effect. ''''It''s a combination of acceleration and ironclad. An accelerator bullet that gives you speed, and an ironclad bullet that penetrates the slowest of all bullets without interference from anything. When those two were put into a vanadium bullet, the speed disappeared (). Neither fast nor slow. Velocity is gone and gone, leaving only the result of a hit. The bullet that exceeded the speed of light bounced off the gun before the time stopping bullet was struck at close range. It was as I had read up to this point, I quickly stepped in and put the muzzle of the gun against Ryochin''s forehead. ''Checkmate.'' ...... Ryouchin chuckled dexterously with his plush face and raised his hands in a pose of surrender. And thirty seconds. Time was up, and Ryochin disappeared. ''''Fufu...... oops!'''' ...... (smiling)! As soon as the battle was over, Vanadium promptly hugged me and smiled at me. With that, Alice and Emily come closer. ''That''s great Yoda, I didn''t understand half of the battle.'' ''Thanks, we managed to win. It was a fine line of paper, though. Maybe next time, he''ll use it, too. ''Either read and deal with the back of it or read the back of it. It''s tricky having the same specs as you. But you won. Sort of. Alice. Hmm? From now on, every day that you don''t use your marijuana, I need to borrow it. Ok. But Li-ching is your trump card, so be sorry the day you use it. Of course. I somehow managed to triumph over myself using the vanadium bullets. I patted the young Vanadium''s head. Ryouchin is big to Alice, but he''s becoming more important to me, more difficult to get. Stronger than I am now, just a little bit more. Always a little bit more than I am, just a little bit. That''s how you grow. I was also trying to develop my strength to keep kids like Vanadium from appearing, I thought. 397. Two girls Well, I''m off. Have a good day. Emily sees me off and we walk out of the new mansion/vanadium dungeon to the ground. We walked out into the yard and looked at the little girl next to us. Vanadium. The little girl is pushing a magic cart that''s bigger than her body in a good, good way. ''Are you okay?Isn''t it heavy? ...... (coke-pull) I giggled a bit at the mixed replies, both okay and not so heavy. ''Let''s go, then.'' ...... (nationally) I take Vanadium out of the garden of the mansion and walk through the streets of Cyclo. Early in the morning, Cyclo is almost empty and the scene is quiet. ''It''s an ideal city, isn''t it?'' ......? In this world, trash is so easy to haggle with, so the city is always clean and free of trash. It''s even more noticeable in the early morning when it''s not as popular. The streets are messy, but there is no trash at all. Even in Japan, there is far less trash than in other countries. In Europe and the United States, there is dirt on the street and high heels were born to avoid stepping on it. Japan is also quite clean, but still, there are small garbage and cigarette butts here and there. In this world, in a city where there are many people, there is no trash at all. If there was trash, it would be a haggler, and monsters would attack the city. Well, that''s what I''m saying. High heels to avoid stepping on filth, and a city with zero garbage to avoid being attacked by monsters. Maybe the essence of both is the same. I walked with Vanadium through such a clean and unpopular city to Terdungeon. It''s for Vanadium''s rehabilitation. As Vanadium''s people-phobia slowly subsided, I decided to walk through the city with him and head to the dungeon instead of the transporter room. When I came up with the idea and suggested it, I wondered what would happen, but our Vanadium is happy to be able to help me, or maybe he''s pushing his little body in a yo-yo-yo manner, but his face has a happy smile on it. ''Thank you,'' ...... (smiling) I patted him on the head and he smiled back. As I did so, we walked slowly together to work at Terdungeon. The first floor of Terdungeon in the morning. The less popular one to begin with, it was particularly quiet there. ''Good morning,'' Oh, good morning. Mr. Lord. The man who spoke to us as we entered the dungeon was a short, gray-haired old man. The deep wrinkles etched into his face make him look like he''s easily over eighty years old. ''It''s another day, isn''t it?'' Then I saw the () slime that Grandpa Lord was playing with. Mr. Lord is taunting the attacking slime with a movement like tai chi in kung fu. He taunts it, taunts it, and taunts it incessantly. He doesn''t beat it, he just taunts it. Torment the charming but very angry-looking slime in the dungeon. The dungeon with the slime looked like a morning exercise in the park. This is what Mr. Lord does every day. He comes and does it early in the morning when it is less popular. Among some, he is recognized as a famous old man. He says, "If I don''t move my body, I''ll go out of shape. If you can move this much, can''t you still make it on the job? No, no, no, no. An old man like me shouldn''t be taking a chance on a young man. I don''t think so. There''s no motivation. An unmotivated person shouldn''t occupy a place forever. If a person occupies a private room in the bathroom without doing his or her business, he or she will not feel good. It''s a unique metaphor. At first glance, Lord-san, who talks while playing with the slime, looks like a good-natured old man. However, if he can do nothing more than tame the slime for 30 minutes, and sometimes as long as an hour, he''s undoubtedly a very capable adventurer as well. That way of life intrigued me a bit. ''''By the way, what about that boy over there?Are you Lyota''s daughter? Oh, no. It''s a little girl named Vanadium who lives with me for a few reasons. Yeah. Yeah, Vanadium, do you want a candy bar? Mr. Lord taunted the rushing slime, and with his momentum, he swept it a long way (), then reached into his pocket and pulled out some individual candy balls and offered them to Vanadium. Vanadium looked at them for a moment and then looked up at me. ''Huh?'' I cringed. The eyes that Vanadium looked up at me weren''t the same as they were when we met for salvation. ''Are you sure you can have it?'' You look at me like I''m asking you. Of course you can have it. ...... (nikko!) Vanadium nodded, got a candy ball, and smiled back at Lord-san. After Mr. Lord finished his gymnastics and left the dungeon, I sat down on the ground of the dungeon with Vanadium. As I sat cross-legged on my knees, Vanadium sat on my lap, ripped open the wrapping with a fumbling hand and popped a piece of candy into my mouth. I wondered if it tasted so good, and he started to smile in no time. I get a candy from a stranger (Mr. Lord). I was a little happy to see another step forward today. ''Ah, there you are! Hmm?Isn''t that Mao? I looked up at a young voice that sounded familiar and saw the Filin Dungeon Association Head, Mao Mee, there. Probably the youngest of all the association heads, Mao. Despite this, she had an unrivaled skill at tasting wine by smell. That Mao came in front of me in a flash. "What''s the matter with you, coming here? I went to the mansion and you weren''t there, or rather, I couldn''t get into the mansion, so I thought I''d meet you outside to find you. I see. Is that Mao''s seat? What? All of a sudden, I wondered what he was going to say, but Mao sat on the other side of Vanadium, on his other empty knee. I sat cross-legged, and both Vanadium and Mao were on his lap. ''You don''t have to compete for anything,'' Me smiling bitterly. Come to think of it, he''s been sitting on my lap since the first time I met Mao. ''I''m not competing. I sit in place when I meet you, that''s all. Okay. It''s not like she''s competing or being stubborn. Normally she''s mature, but as she looks, she''s a young Mao, so she''s a little bit of a kook at her behavior. Vanadium looked at Mao like that, and after a few moments, he thought about something. ''''......(sic)'''' I put one of the candy balls I got earlier in my hand and offered it to Mao in the palm of my hand. ''''Huh?'''' How can I help Mao? ...... (nationally) Ugh. ...... I guess there was a part of him that was being stubborn, after all. Innocently, Vanadium held out the candy, and Mao was clearly upset. Vanadium tilted his head slightly as he held it out. Prompted by this, Mao reluctantly accepted the candy balls. ''...... good boy,'' Hmm? What? No, it''s not!...... Don''t think you''ve won this one! Mao jumped up in a flash and ran away like a de-rabbit, leaving behind a discarded line. ''...... No, no,'' Mao''s reaction made me smile. I, on the other hand, patted Vanadium''s head. ''Great job,'' ...... (smiling) He strokes my head, tickling me, but pressing his head against me in a way that feels good. Thanks to Mao, I guess. I don''t know what kind of transition of thought it was, but it felt like Mao was another step forward in Vanadium''s rehabilitation, thanks to Mao. As I did so, I was stroking Vanadium and thinking that I''d have to thank Mao later - when she came back. ''What''s up, what''s still--'' Thank you! He said this with a red face and Mao ran off again. I chuckled. Let''s go see her later, I thought. 398. Practice The vanadium dungeon, at the far end of the first basement floor. A large, empty space that I had created beyond the living space, modeled after the basement of my former residence. There, I was alone with Vanadium. I hold the gun in my right hand and launch a cold flame round. I shift the cylinder without waiting for it to land. The vanadium bullet that launched the cold flame falls headfirst with a bang. With my left hand, which I had held beforehand with a flame round and a frozen round between my fingers, I strike the vanadium round from below with an upper hand. As soon as I touched them, the flaming and freezing bullets were loaded (and disappeared). With the momentum of the poke from underneath, the vanadium bullet rises upward on its original trajectory and is sucked directly into the cylinder. You snap your wrist, attach the cylinder, pull the trigger, and fire a series of cold rounds. Fufu...... less than a second, so to speak. There''s no timer, but I''ll guess that''s about right. With only one vanadium round, I''m sure there will be times in the future when I''ll need to fire continuously. It takes about half the time it takes to reload all the rounds after firing off all the regular rounds. I''d like to practice until I can get to that same level of speed, considering the actual battle. Besides, ...... And the hit rate: ...... He smiles bitterly at the two cold flames that continue to burn at the end of the shot. The two are quite far apart. They are lightly spaced a meter apart. I thought I shot at the same spot, but at any rate, this is too far away. ''In a real battle, the enemy moves, so it''s even more so ...... No, is it wrong because there''s no target?We could slime it out and target it. Almost at the same time as I mumbled that, the hem of my pants was tugged languidly. Vanadium. Beside me, he''s pulling on the hem of his trousers and looking up at me. ''What''s going on?'' ...... (ssss) Vanadium raised a young - slightly pudgy, cute hand and pointed in the direction of the cold flame bullet. Immediately afterwards, a cotton wool appeared between the cold-flame bullets a meter away. Floating in the air, a ball-shaped fluff of a size there, floating in the air. It''s a monster from the Vanadium Dungeon. ''''You want me to target that?'''' ...... (nationally) Well, thank you, Vanadium. I thanked him and nodded my head, and Vanadium''s eyes narrowed happily. ''I''ll take advantage of your kindness,'' I thought, though I stuck the muzzle of the gun to the cotton wool. ''...... Hey Vanadium, can you move that thing around a bit?"Like fluffy. Then I used my left hand and showed it to it, using my left hand to do an erratic movement that felt like wobbling and fluffy. Then Vanadium quickly nodded and the fluff began to drift fluffily into the air, just as I had requested. A completely erratic trajectory. The dust dancing in the air that you see when strong sunlight shines into a room. That exact same, unreadable, fluffy trajectory. ''Thank you!I''m happy about this. He nodded his head further in appreciation. Vanadium clasped his hands behind his back and squinted his eyes more and more happily. After a moment''s petting, he picks up the muzzle and sets his sights. He pulls the trigger. He pulls the vanadium round out of the cylinder, loads it and loads it into the gun in a flowing motion, sights and fires. ''Oops.'' This time it hit. Both cold flame bullets hit the fluff. Although they were equal to no offensive power, the cold flaming bullets continued to burn as they hit. Therefore, I could clearly observe that both bullets had hit. Crackle. That''s amazing. Auldurm. It was Aulum who came clapping and clapping. ''You''re back already?'' It''s almost night. I built a basement on the first floor of the Vanadium for her and Nihonium. Unlike Meeke, and Vanadium, who copied their abilities, Aulum and Nihonium are unable to cross the hierarchy on their own. All of the rooms in the mansion asked Vanadium to make them on the ''basement floor''. Hence, Aulum was able to come into the former ''basement'' without a care in the world. ''Now that''s great. It''s cool to move and you''re guessing correctly. I missed it earlier. I knew it had to be as close to a real battle as possible. A battle-hardened man, that''s getting better and better. Thank you. ...... (nationally) Vanadium grabbed my hand and shook his head like his head was going to be torn off. I think so too. It''s a gesture that says, "I''m sorry. ''Thank you.'' Come on, show me some more. I''m not busy until they get home. Yeah. Vanadium, take care of the target. ...... (nationally) With Aulum and Vanadium watching over me, I''m immersed in practicing my vanadium bullets until it''s time for dinner. Arum and Vanadium are always complimenting me, so I wanted to show them how good I am - and I think I''ve improved a lot. 399. Drunk adventurer Evening, on the way back from Tellurium. I took Vanadium, who is getting used to it, for a long walk through the streets of Ciclo. ...... Suddenly, I saw something, and Vanadium tugged on my sleeve and pointed to a place a little further away. There was a magic cart shop there, and a young kid who looked like a kid from the shop was on top of a magic cart. Vanadium sees it and looks at the magic cart I''m pushing on the way home. ''Maybe you want a ride?'' ...... (nationally) Vanadium nods, then I pick her up and put her on the magic cart. With Vanadium on it, I push the magic cart and start walking again. That''s all it took, but Vanadium''s eyes started to light up. ''You''re a good dad,'' Whoa! It was Neptune who came alongside and spoke to me in a friendly manner. He is still a handsome man with a sweet mask, and he has two of his own, Ran and Lil. We walked together through the evening streets together, pushing a magic cart, shoulder to shoulder with the Neptune family. ''''Why are you so surprised?'''' It''s a bit of a shock to see someone talking to you out of the blue. ''Hmm, I guess when you talk to me outside of a rendezvous, it''s basically out of the blue. That''s true, though. It''s kind of like, in the case of Neptune, he appears like a godsend. It''s like that startles me more than it should. But, are you hearing what I''m saying? What are you talking about? I got a little defensive. ''I heard there''s a new dungeon spawned near Seren. "Huh? I felt my vigilance quickly fade away. If the ''example'' was vanadium-related, I would have been wary, but if it was a new dungeon being spawned, it had nothing to do with us. ''It''s called Carbon, and it''s a huge dungeon with more than 100 levels, apparently. Carbon. You''re over 100, though, which is amazing. It''s being investigated by a bunch of adventurers, but I hear it''s pretty cool. Yeah. You don''t sound very interested. ''If the other adventurers are investigating, that''s all that matters, isn''t it?And if it''s ''pretty funny,'' that means the investigation is going pretty well. That''s true, though. Neptune folded his arms and twisted his head with a neat face. ''What kind of dungeon is this, and so on. I''m gonna go bash out and find out what it''s all about!Or not? I''m all about the vanadium right now. He reaches out and strokes the head of the sparkling-eyed vanadium. ''Huh?Have you changed your name? He didn''t want to be called anything else. Yeah, I see. Oh, well, that''s just the way it is. Neptune shrugs, palms up. I haven''t told him the details of what happened in Vanadium--the old Erythronium dungeon, but he has the look on his face that he knows everything. Although he''s under the umbrella of the Lyota Family, Neptune thinks he''s as good as me. When I was transferred (dropped) to this world, he was doing research on Nihonium and other things, and he''s the one who was in my current position. I''m sure he knows about what happened in the old Erythronium by some route or another. But I don''t hear about it either. Not because Vanadium himself is here now, but because I don''t want to know as much as possible about what happened to Vanadium and the others(,) to the point of trauma. I think it would be too uncomfortable. "Well, you won''t have to do that this time, will you? Is that so? ''Yeah, you''ve been doing a great job lately. So this time it seems that they''ve thrown in quite a few skilled adventurers at once. To be specific, I''m going to put together about 100 people with 2 or 3 stars or something like that. It''s amazing. When it comes to 2 or 3 stars, it''s about the same as Emily, Alice, and Celeste. It''s frankly pretty amazing to have nearly 100 people in that class. I''m sure the details of the dungeons will be laid bare in the near future as well. ''It''s a good thing. More places for everyone to make money. You still seem to be holed up in the shallow ranks of the tellurian hierarchy, so how about this as an opportunity to move on to a new place? I''ll think about it. He wandered around the city at random, making idle small talk with Neptune. I don''t know what I thought, but Ran, the innocent-looking girl out of the two Neptune has with her, bought a candy from a nearby store and gave it to Vanadium. It was a sliced apple coated in candy, sweet and beautiful, just the kind of thing a child would love. When Ran held it out to me, Vanadium''s eyes twinkled even more for a moment, but he looked at me fearfully. ''I can''t say thank you--I can''t say thank you, so take it with a smile. ...... (nationally) Vanadium received the candy from Ran with a big smile on his face, just like I told him to. Ran looks very happy as I handed him the candy, and he smiles too. ''Do you like kids, girlfriend?'' ''It seems so. By the way, Lil''s the one who wants to be cute but can''t move honestly and glances at what Ran does. Yo, keep your mouth shut! Lil protested with a bright red face when the secret (not so much) was revealed. The three of them are as close as ever, I thought. In that situation. ''Yoda-san!'' A familiar voice, but you can clearly read the impatience in the tone of his voice. . Emily came running in with an extremely panicked look. What''s up, Emily? I''m in trouble! What happened? The new dungeon entrance is missing. What? What? Beside me, Neptune also raised an eyebrow. ''''The people who entered the dungeon, they''re not all coming back. Is that all of you? Yes, sir! Emily nodded at Neptune''s question. Neptune looked at me. All of them. He said earlier that there were nearly 100 high-ranking adventurers in the investigation. That''s all of them. The news that an impatient Emily brought me. It seemed to be a bigger deal than I expected. 400. Thank you spirits What do you want to do? Neptune asked. ''I''ll head there for now. I need to know what''s going on.'' All right. I''ll come with you. I''ll meet you there to get everything ready. Yeah. It would be reassuring if Neptune could come too. I left him on the spot and listened to him along the way as he and Emily returned to the mansion. ''What''s the situation?Just let me know if Emily knows, tell me. ''I''m not sure either, just that Mr. Celeste is there too. Celeste? Yes, I had just met Yoda near Serenity, so I just went to check on him. Well: ...... A new dungeon was built. Many adventurers entered there to investigate, but the entrance has disappeared. One of them is Celeste. It''s a big deal, and if Celeste is also in distress (or something like that), I can''t overlook it even more. In the meantime, we returned to the mansion. We enter the grounds and go into the vanadium dungeon with them, which is their new home. ''Emily, stay at home. Explain the situation to her when everyone returns. All right. I''ll be ready whenever you are, sir. Celeste is also the oldest member of the family, and Emily doesn''t seem to be at peace with the fact that she''s lost. You''ll be able to take care of the rest. Let''s go, Vanadium. ......(country) I took Vanadium and used the transfer room in the new mansion to transfer him to the first floor of Seren for now. The carbon dungeon is close to Seren, so we used the first floor of Seren as a relay point. There are a few fewer adventurers than usual on the first floor of Ceren, and everyone is somewhat upbeat about the situation. ''''Hey, let''s round up for today. Yeah, well, you never know when you''re gonna have an accident. Let''s get home early today. From the leaked conversations of the adventurers alone, it was clear that the incident and its effects were spreading. I ran out of Seren with Vanadium. Outside, even more so than inside the dungeon, the effects were clearly visible. A short distance away, a group of onlookers had gathered, and there was an unrest covering them. As I approached it and weaved my way through the crowd to get to the center of the commotion, I found another dungeon there. The entrance to the dungeon, the part of the dungeon that rises above the ground that is often found in underground dungeons. It''s similar to the nearby Seren. However, it doesn''t have an entrance. There is a now board in place, and from the direction of the onlookers'' gazes, I can guess where the entrance would have been, but there''s nothing there, it''s just a rock wall. ''Really, the entrance has disappeared: ...... It''s been a long time since I was sent to this world. I know that Nowboards are quite special and valuable, and their locations are pretty much fixed. Even in dungeons, they tend to be placed in the same place - a safe point away from the monsters, and the ones at the entrance of dungeons are placed in the same place almost everywhere. I''m sure it''s the same here. So it''s really weird that there isn''t an entrance to the game that should be there, as determined by the now board. It''s as uncomfortable as the first step to step onto a stopped escalator. "Mr. Lyota. A man''s voice called out to me. I turned around and saw a familiar face there. ''Cliff, you''re here too?'' Yes, with a group of friends. Really? ...... He nodded and looked around at Cliff. Cliff, the man who once misjudged himself and took advantage of it, and was hobbled to a black party for a very thin salary of thirty thousand piro. When he couldn''t see that, he broke his brainwashing and recommended that he should be better off with Aurum because it''s mineral C, not tellurian, plant E, but mineral C. After that, he woke up and became independent with his friends, who were also scraping by, and now operates as the Cliff Family, under the Lyota Family. That, his friends are nowhere to be found. And I didn''t miss Cliff''s expression shifting from impatience to relief. "Hey, guys, are you in there? "Yes, ...... while I''m just out with the drops once I''m out with the ....... Well, ......, did you notice anything unusual about it? He''s a valuable guy who knows what''s going on inside. I asked him to get some information. ''No, it was a pretty normal dungeon. No level changes, no terrain changes, no restrictions or anything like that, it was very orthodox. Well: ...... So there are no omens or anything like that. d*mn it, what the hell is going on inside? ''Is there any way to do it?Vanadium, do you know what it is? ...... (pulp) Vanadium shook his head with an apologetic look on his face, and then, just like that, he slumped down. I took a deep breath and patted Vanadium''s head, mending my expression. ''I''m sorry. It''s not your fault. That made Vanadium look relieved. However, we can''t just sit on our hands like this. Something--. ''''Kyaaaaaah!'''' A woman''s scream went up, a breath of air delayed and a murmur broke out. I looked around to see what was going on and saw that all the onlookers around me were looking at the same spot. I followed their gazes, and when I did, I saw an adventurer lying in a pool of blood where the entrance seemed to be. ''''d*mn!'''' He approaches the adventurer, draws his gun, and fires an infinite number of recovery rounds. The bloody adventurer''s injuries heal in no time at all. ''Oh, ......'' You were seriously injured, but in a heartbeat. Lyota, Lyota, Satou? Someone called my name, and immediately afterwards, a cheer erupted. I guess the cheers are meant to imply that a savior has appeared in this situation, but the situation is not good. ''Is this the person who entered the dungeon? Then I look around. Then, one of the onlookers. ''I know him, he''s staying at our inn and he''s a wizard who''s been in the dungeon since this morning. Okay. Was the person inside kicked out? Cliff asks me. ''Maybe so, but it gets worse than that. Well, is it bad? Do you have a buyer in mind? I''m from The Swallow Repayment, Mr. Sato. One of the men from the crowd of onlookers replied. ''Are the drops being sent out of the dungeon?'' I was the first to use and popularize the magic cart drop item transfer. It''s now quite popular among adventurers, although it''s a luxury item. A lot of star-carrying adventurers would definitely bring in a magic cart with a transfer. ''''No, we don''t have those either.'''' Okay. What''s going on here, Mr. Lyota? ''The adventurers are trapped in the dungeon, and as long as they can''t get out, we have to defeat the monsters to ensure their safety. Yes. ''But the drops can''t get out. Then the drop items from the monsters you defeat will continue to accumulate. If it increases beyond a certain point, it will be out of the human realm () and hatch into hagglers from one end to the other. As a result, the dungeon will always be full to the maximum number of monsters in the dungeon. The people around me buzzed even more when they heard my analysis. ''Then the trapped adventurers won''t be able to rest properly, they''ll be brought into a war of attrition. What can I do? You mean, someone like this guy who gets hurt so badly? ...... Will you be thrown out with a serious injury, or will you run out of power and fall inside ...... Let''s tear down that wall and pry open the way out! Cliff says, and a few adventurers try to move around him. Some of them will have friends inside just like Cliff, they must be in a hurry. ''Wait!'' Don''t stop me, Mr. Lyota. It''s Mr. Lyota''s idea that his people are in danger inside. We can''t destroy that thing and hope it opens the door. I just need you to give me a little leeway. I''ll give you five minutes. Five minutes? Yeah, there''s one thing I want to make sure of. As he said this, he stopped trying to force an exit. ''If that Lyota Satou says so,'' Yeah. Maybe for five minutes. For now, it looks like we''ve been stopped. ''Cliff, stay here and watch everyone. Vanadium, let''s go! He ran out with Vanadium in tow. When Seren arrived, he ran in at full speed and returned to the mansion once he got there. Five minutes later, I returned to the front of the carbon dungeon with a new Niftonium in tow. A group of onlookers were whispering to each other about the identity of the human I had brought back. I''m here, Nihonium. Can you do it? Do I have to stop you? Yeah. Please. ...... One thing I''ll say no to, though. Nihonium glanced around. It was a cold stare, somehow. ''I don''t care about the humans. I am you, so I will help you.'' Thank you. That''s very helpful. ...... With a complicated look on her face, Nihonium held up her hand and called out to the monster. Nihonium''s dungeon master, a ghostly woman. It stood in front of Nihonium. Instantly, the presence of the Dungeon Master enveloped the surroundings. The adventurers reflexively braced themselves, and the non-adventurers shuddered in confusion. ''''How''s it going?'''' You''re not supposed to be here. Well, thank you! I took Nihonium''s hand and thanked him. Nihonium is bemused and confused. Now, I have to explain what just happened and reassure everyone-- ''It''s Tennysin!That''s the girl who was there all the time at Tennesin! Someone shouted out loud. It was like someone who knew what happened then. Amidst the murmur, the situation spread like a ripple around that person. In the construction of the dungeon city of Tennesin, the nihonium that had held back the monsters in the construction of the dungeon city. The dungeon master''s ability to make even the monsters in nearby dungeons disappear. In other words, the monsters in the carbon also disappeared. ''''Selenium''s monsters will also disappear, but that can''t be helped--'''' Thank you. What? Nihonium is amused by the voice that arrives from the other side of me. She turns around fearfully. ''Thank you!'' You''re safe! You''re a goddess of salvation! The assembled onlookers praised Nihonium with their mouths full of praise. Unaccustomed to being praised, Nifongnium gave me a puzzled look and asked me for help. I just smiled and watched. 401. Pry open the entrance I sat down in front of Carbon''s vanishing entrance. Crossing my legs, I sat on the ground and stared at the doorway with no entrance. There were much fewer people around. Things weren''t resolved, but the nihonium had at least lulled them into a lull. That led to the onlookers slowly leaving. Vanadium, by the way, sensed something, and sat down beside me, a bit too close to touch or not to touch. ''''What are you thinking about?'''' Nihonium came up beside me and asked in a calm tone. ''How do we get in, or open the doorway? That''s what I''m trying to figure out. Aren''t you supposed to be okay now? I''m just getting out of this for the time being. First of all, since we''ve also stopped Seren''s drop, we have to solve this problem quickly. Ten floors worth of dungeons will affect more than ten times that many adventurers, and when you consider the merchants and consumers beyond, the impact will be in the thousands, or even tens of thousands if we''re not good enough. ''Yes. ....... And? What? You said "first. Yeah, that''s right. Now there''s no way to get out of Carbon. It''s a kind of extreme situation. When people are in that kind of extreme situation for a long time, their minds stop working. Worst case scenario: ...... Worse? It''s really the worst of the worst, but there''s a chance the adventurers will start killing each other. No escape, isolated from the outside world, and with no way out. That''s the kind of situation Carbon is supposed to be in right now. And that can actually be a negative, too. Then, a ghostly woman standing at a distance. She pointed to the dungeon master of Nihonium that Nihonium had put out. ''What do you mean?'' ''The people inside can''t see what''s going on outside, maybe. That''s why the people inside think ''the monster has disappeared for unknown reasons''. Humans are most scared of unexplained anomalies. How could it be me? ''''Cyclo''s dungeons can do that, your dungeon is right around the corner and that kind of situation has happened before. But even though this place is under Cyclo''s jurisdiction, it''s a long way from the city of Cyclo. ''What are the chances of Celeste explaining this?She''s got a good look at you (), so I guess she could associate you with that, right? ''That''s dangerous, and if you bring it up when the adventurers are panicking, you could be hung as a heretic. You''re desperate. ''d*mn, if only the transporter room had been a ____ door. I could have flown to places I''ve never been. There''s also a lot of hoarding of things that aren''t there and, incidentally, an escape from reality. I can see it in myself, and I grit my teeth in frustration. ''Maybe I just wish I had the ability to fly to where your significant other is instead of the land. Yeah, ...... I''ve got bullets that fly to the person I''m aiming at, though. He took out one of the tracking rounds, holed it up in his gun and shot it into the air. My target was Celeste. Celeste, who is now trapped in the carbon. But the tracking rounds didn''t work. It went straight up, reached the top and fell straight down. ''It''s no good. What if there were two? What? What? "...... Vanadium bullets. My eyes snapped open. Vanadium bullets. It is a special bullet that is produced after the two bullets are fused together in advance. Its effect is to dramatically improve the characteristics of the combined bullets. The two accelerated bullets made it possible to stop time, the ultimate in acceleration. If you want to use those two tracking bullets, you can go to ......? I take out the vanadium bullets, load the two tracking rounds, and hold the gun up. It doesn''t feel like you were shooting at random earlier. It''s a serious way to shoot, with the hand holding the gun straight out and the other hand as an aid. ...... please. I took my mind along with me and pulled the trigger. The double tracking rounds that were shot out flew straight away. ''No?'' No. Nihonium denies it. Immediately after, Palin!There was a sound like the breaking of glass. It was a double tracking round that broke. It flew straight up and proceeded further, breaking it as if there was glass in the empty air. A small rift was created in the air, and beyond it, I could see a landscape like I had never seen before. ''It''s a dungeon!'' Carbon. It''s not working, it''s closing. I''m fine! It was the first time I''d ever pried open a doorway that didn''t have one, so I was troubled earlier, but I''ve had experience with keeping things that close open. I loaded my two pistols with ironclad bullets and shot them outward from inside the gaping hole in the closing space. No matter what, I just keep moving forward. A scrap bullet that is extremely slow, but splashes everything and moves forward. ''''--Okay! The closing space was maintained openings by ironclad bullets. 402. All rescued The hole in the entrance that you smashed through is made larger. The ironclad bullets advance at the same fast-paced slowness as usual, no matter if the opponent is a rift in space or not. Shoot it at the four corners of the quadrangle, and when you''re about to run out of time, shoot it at the same spot and relay it. As a result of firing ironclad bullets at all four corners, the entrance rift is now about as wide as a room door, enough for one person to get through. ''I''m going to go.'' Be careful. Nodding back to Nihonium, I walked through the entrance. Inside Carbon was an underground dungeon with a low ceiling, like a pile of stones. The stones glowed with a pale light in places, and it was the quietest, most eerie-looking dungeon I''d ever seen. ''''Ryota-san,'''' Celeste! When I walked in, I immediately saw Celeste. She spotted me and happily ran up to me. I ran up to her too. ''Are you okay?'' Yeah. Not really. Yeah. The other adventurers were-- Relieved that Celeste was safe, I looked around - and was surprised. Most of the adventurers were sitting on the ground in the blue-white light, relaxing on the ground. Some are having a feast with ingredients that seem to have been dropped in carbon. ''''...... What is this?'''' What? ''Me, I was imagining something more impatient. Why are you so laid back? It''s all thanks to you, Sato-san. A young man joined the conversation. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about the best way to get the most out of your newborn baby. ''''What about you?'''' I''m the Elliotts'' acro. Elliott Family, Acro: ...... The name sounds familiar, but I couldn''t remember it right away. That acro kept a friendly smile on his face and continued on without regard to my doubts. It was an emergency. I''m sorry to hear that, but the guy who got hit is gone. The level of emergency has gone up a whole lot. If so, aren''t you supposed to be more impatient and panicked? That''s true, but someone just blurted it out. If it''s this bad, Lyota will be here. Oh, oh ......? I''m coming ......? If it''s a bad case, Satou-san is coming, so it''s just a matter of time before we get rescued. That''s why we were able to fight endlessly against the monsters that we could not stop beating. And then the monster just disappeared. And everyone thought, "Oh, Lyota, you''re here. Celeste explained as she took over Acro''s words. ''I see,'' I had a bit of mixed feelings. I was happy that they trusted me that much, but I also shrugged my shoulders, guessing that I was in an enclosed space and in an extreme situation inside. ...... Well, I''m glad it''s not as important as it seems. Mr. Lyota! Hmm?Oops. Celeste, panicked, followed her gaze and saw that one of the ironclad bullets had disappeared and the square had collapsed into a long, right-angled triangle. She hurriedly fired an ironclad round to extend the diagonal side, and then fired additional ironclad rounds at the corners. I administered first aid and turned to Celeste and the others. ''Let''s go outside for now. Celeste, go ahead. I''m staying. I''ll be there if something goes wrong. ''No, Celeste, go outside. I''d appreciate the possibility that I might be able to use the transporter room in a pinch more than my strength. ...... I see. I understand. Celeste is convinced, but looks somewhat backed up. I wondered if she wanted to stay that long. ''Let''s go, this stalemate can''t last forever. Yeah. Acro, go let everyone know. I''ll keep this entrance open. Okay. They each started to move. Celeste was the first to pass through the entrance and waited just outside. Acro ran to the back of the dungeon to communicate to the adventurers who were relaxing and feasting. ''''We can get out, but it''s unstable, so we have to hurry. Perhaps because he actually saw the entrance closed, Acro''s tone was truly imminent. In response to Acro''s call, adventurers came in one by one, trickling in. ''''Thank you.'''' You''re safe. Every time I walk past me, the adventurers say thank you. Of course, not all of them are like that, there are a lot of talented veterans with a lot of stars in here, and they have a reasonable amount of pride. ''I''ll pay you back what I owe you,'' I also said. While looking away from it, we maintained the entrance with ironclad bullets. The entrance was narrow and only one person could pass through at a time. Hence, a long line of adventurers had naturally formed. ''''......'''' What''s up, Mr. Lyota? Celeste asks just outside the entrance. ''Maybe it''s not enough,'' With that said, I fired an additional set of ironclad bullets that were about to run out of time. It would take four ironclad bullets in one set to maintain a smooth passage through the entrance. The number of those sets, the duration of their effects, and the rest of the human line. About a third of them are going to be left behind. I suppose that means we need to split it up into two parts. I don''t want that. Why is that? I swipe my hand out and point at Nifonium. ''The carbon is quiet right now because the Nifonium is holding it back. But to stock up on extra ironclad bullets, we''ll have to go back to Nifonium and take out the Poison Zombies. ...... No, no, we can get Nihonium to give us Poison Zombies now. No. Celeste countered with a pause for a breath, and I took no time to argue with her. I''m already thinking about that. ''This isn''t the place to be,'' ...... Apparently, Celeste noticed it too. The iron wall bullets are Poison Zombie''s--a drop item from Hagremonos. The fact that it can be dropped from Hagremonos by Drop S is a secret among the companions to begin with. There may be people who are aware of it, but I still don''t want to show it clearly. That''s why we want to leave this place for a while to stock up on ironclad bullets. "We''re going to leave, which means we''re going to close this portal, and I''d like to avoid that if I can. I don''t want to change the situation when it''s stable. I saw a simulation in my head of what would happen if the ironclad bullets disappeared. First, I''d go to an unpopulated area, and with the help of Nifornium, I''d refill the iron bullets and return here. That should easily open the entrance again, but if that doesn''t work, I''ll go back to the mansion as fast as I can and use the transporter gate to fly to the Carbon basement level. Worst-case scenario, you can''t use the transporter. Considering that possibility, I still want to keep this entrance in its current state. That''s overthinking it, though. ''''Thank you!Thank you for the help! A young adventurer thanking me and leaving the carbon. Gratitude, and trust. I want to avoid the current state of affairs where those things are being sent to me and the uncertainty. "Let''s check out ....... What? Watch. In any case, it''s never going to be enough as it is. Then it''s one set - or maybe two sets. Even if it''s a waste of time, it''s worth a try. With that in mind, I took out the vanadium bullets, loaded two ironclad bullets and then started shooting them with the gun. Double ironclad bullets in place of the disappearing ironclad bullets. Then. ''You''re too late.'' Yeah, it''s not moving at all. The W ironclad bullets were even slower than the ironclad bullets. When I looked closely at it, I had the illusion that it was moving, but when I looked closely at it, it was still so slow that it wasn''t moving. The W ironclad bullets maintained the corner of one of the entrances. In the meantime, the other three were about to disappear, so I fired a normal ironclad bullet. I watched closely, and the regular ironclad bullets started to disappear again, so I added - but the W ironclad bullets didn''t change. Two sets of regular ironclad bullets advanced the three horns slightly, but the W ironclad bullets didn''t move at all, nor did they disappear. That made the entrance a bit distorted and trapezoidal-looking. One more set, one more set. Conveniently, four sets passed, but the W-wall bullets didn''t disappear. The double ironclad bullets fused with vanadium bullets were much slower and lasted much longer than normal. This would work! I replaced the other three horns with W ironclad bullets as well. The entrances were stabilized. It had felt like a slap in the face to maintain it, but the W ironclad bullets stabilized it all at once. ''Is it going to work?'' Yeah. However, I can''t get distracted. I concentrated until the end, staring at the entrance and the changes in the W iron wall bullets. I succeeded in rescuing all of the adventurers trapped in the carbon. 403. Advanced flirting The next day, outside the carbon dungeon. The rescued adventurers are scattered here and there. Half of the rescued adventurers who were rescued yesterday are scattered here and there, and half of them are in Seren. All of them have been withdrawn from Carbon in a primary manner. The adventurers of this world have one main principle that they must adhere to. It is to bring back the dropped items safely. The purpose of hiding in dungeons is to produce things, so it is a prerequisite that you return safely - in other words, that you have a way to return home that will never be broken. That''s where the "stable way around" comes from, too. When Carbon found out that it was a "no return" dungeon, we all went into wait-and-see mode. ''You''re here to stay,'' Neptune, who came here by the normal route, said with a smiling face. Behind him were Ran and Lil, as usual, and over here Celeste and Vanadium were with him. ''Me?'' It''s like, "Hey, let''s see what you got. People. I see. But it''s still amazing, son. It was solved before I arrived. Well, I thought it was going to happen. It''s ......, so it''s too late for that. I look at Neptune with a bitter smile. It wasn''t that far from Cyclo to Selenium Carbon. With a quick trip, Neptune would have been able to get there in no time. It came slowly, over night. ''You''ve had your eye on that end from the beginning. I looked at Celeste, who pointed out. ''Beyond that?'' ''I believe that Mr Lyota will help the trapped people. That''s why I''ve been thinking about where I''ve saved them. Well, we''ll have to investigate the dungeon after all. I see. Ha-ha, I''m not so sure. He''s still smiling, Neptune, the man who can''t eat. ''But I sense a bit of malice in you,'' Neptune said and looked at the carbon entrance. Me and Celeste also looked in that direction. The Carbon Dungeon, its entrance is usually open. When we came yesterday, there was no entrance anywhere. Even after forcing it open with W tracking rounds, we had a hard time maintaining the opening with the force of ironclad bullets. Now, it''s usually open now. ''I guess it''s more of a malicious intent or, well, an invitation. I got the same impression as Neptune. After rescuing all the adventurers, the entrance opened normally. It was as if nothing had happened. There were no adventurers to re-enter there. All of them were high-ranked adventurers with Stars, in our case, the same rank as Emily, Celeste, and Eve, who got serious. As expected, there was no one so careless as to rush in and say "Hey! The entrance is open!" in this situation. Combined with that, it makes Carbon''s entrance look more and more like an "invitation". "So what are you going to do? I''m going to check it out. Well, we''ll be there. Are you sure? ''Yeah. And it''s been a long time since I''ve seen Ran and Lil'' nice, too. ...... idiot. I''ll do my best. Two women who are always attached to each other and rarely show me an open mouth. Lil blushed happily and Ran was innocently enthusiastic. ''What about Celeste?'' ''I''m going back to the mansion for once. It''s better to open it up. ''Yes. The vanadium--well, yeah. ...... (Kok Kok Kok) The juvenile genie nodded in succession, squeezing the hem of my pants. Me, Vanadium, Neptune, Ran and Lil. The five of us decided to enter the dungeon again. We watched Celeste walk back to the mansion and then we entered the dungeon together. A dungeon made of hewn stones, blue-white glowing walls and ceiling. ''''It''s a strange place, isn''t it?'''' Yeah. What does it say about monsters? ''Come to think of it, I hadn''t heard of it. I didn''t even see it. You haven''t even seen it? I had to ask Nihonium to stop it. Neptune, who is relatively familiar with the inner workings of the family - or rather, he, in a manner of speaking, is under the umbrella of my Lyota family. I''m not going to be able to say it in a roundabout way, and I''m going to be able to explain it to you straightforwardly. "I see--oh. Neptune spotted something up ahead and stopped. I stopped and looked the same way. There was a bright white mannequin-like object. It had the shape of a person, but it had no hair, no face, and no clothes. It''s a sprawling, mannequin-like looking thing. ''Is this the monster?'' I suppose that''s what it means. Immediately after nodding to each other, the mannequin changed its shape. Its body shape gradually changed and its hair grew back. Not only that, but parts of its body melted away and changed into clothes. The mannequin was instantly transformed into a Lil'' lookalike. Lil''s impostor was slowly coming towards Neptune, radiating the color of the real thing. ''''Hmm.'''' Neptune gave a thin smile - immediately after. In an instant, he was fleshed out by Lil''s fake, and his outstretched right arm pierced through his opponent''s chest. Neptune looked somewhat unhappy. I wondered why. ''''Don''t give me a fake that doesn''t look like me, okay? Neptune had a smiling face and his usual aloof tone of voice. Lil, on the other hand, was beaming with happiness, and Ran put a finger to his lips in envy. ''......?'' Vanadium tugs on the hem of his pants and tilts his head slightly. I smirk. ''It''s advanced flirting,'' I told him. 404. Carbon fiber The fake lil'' thing Neptune had penetrated disappeared and a blue apple was dropped. Neptune picked it up. ''I guess the carbon first floor is the apple.'' Apparently so. Any pattern of different things dropping on the same floor? A rare monster. Oh, I see. It''s not on every floor, but every once in a while a dungeon will reveal a rare monster that''s different from the main monster on that level. ''So it''s only the rares that change the drops, right? That''s what I mean. Neptune nodded and chuckled. ''What''s wrong with you, you look so weird.'' Sort of. It''s kind of weird. "Egregious? Lil tilted her head in a strange way. ''What do you mean by egregious?It wasn''t strong, was it? Ran asked Neptune with the same curious look on his face. Both of them had just seen Neptune kill the fake in the blink of an eye. And it wasn''t a combination that the three of them were good at, they beat Neptune individually. Not strong enough, of course, to judge. ''''We''ll find out soon enough.'''' "......? Ran and Lil look at each other and crane their necks. What''s going on?We started walking again. For now, we explore the dungeon, trying to go around the basement floor a little more. After walking for a while, more than one monster appears. As soon as they encountered them, they changed their appearance in almost no time. The one that appeared in front of me was Emily, and Celeste''s fake. I glanced at Neptune, he thrust his hands palms upward. A gesture that meant, "Go ahead. I raised my gun and headed towards Emily and Celeste''s fakes. Emily''s fake intercepting me, swinging a hammer at me. Behind them, Celeste''s fake chants a spell while fluttering her long hair. She catches the hammer with one hand and fires a series of growth bullets. The bullets pierced straight through the two of them, each dropping a blue apple. It''s not that strong, it''s just that it''s about half the strength of the person himself. I still didn''t understand the meaning of the word "egregious" that Neptune calls it - that''s as far as I could go. I put my gun away and turned around and was startled. There were two vanadiums there. Two girls in a row. Their appearance, their clothes, and even their expressions were all two halves of the same person - they looked exactly the same. My hand reached for my gun, but it didn''t slip out. "...... egregious. I understand what Neptune said. I don''t know what the criteria are for changing to fake. If it''s someone who isn''t here, there''s no problem - no, that''s also something I have to be careful about when I''m doing actual laps, but at least I don''t have to worry about it this time when it''s just me and Neptune and the others here to investigate. But it''s a different story when you turn into one of the people here. If they look exactly the same, I don''t know which one to attack. "--No. Surprisingly, it wasn''t a problem. Two vanadiums, one of them cringing and the other one attacking me. I knock down the fake vanadium that was trying to attack me with a growth bullet. I take it down in one shot and drop a green apple. ''And that''s why,'' All right, so that''s how it goes. What? You mean you can''t tell us apart? Sing it to me and I''ll understand. Even if they could sing it, I''d recognize your songs. I''m not so sure about the looks. "...... hmm. Lil, who had seemed disgruntled earlier, turned away, but didn''t seem to be unhappy. That''s the important thing, between them. ''That''s fine, but it''s still egregious here. If we can''t make a move on him, we''ll have to intercept his attacker. ''I think it''s a solo recommendation. You could wear something on your entry and have them identify you by it. ''That''s dangerous. At least Emily''s hammer was the latest model. You''d better see that the equipment can be mimicked as well. Yeah. Me and Neptune, we''re going to have a debate about the carbon basement. What about you? "There''s only one way to identify it at 100% for me personally. But it has zero versatility. What do you mean? It''s a-- While I was saying that, the monsters showed up again. I was talking to Neptune, and it was a good thing I was taking my eyes off of Vanadium, and now there were five of them - a group of Vanadiums. ''Wow. These guys are learning, aren''t they? Neptune was right. Earlier, one of them had attacked me, so all I had to do was intercept it. But this time, Vanadium total of five, all of them were surprised and confused. ''''I see, so the monsters here are learning types. ''A learning curve?There''s no such thing. Sometimes. It''s a nasty type of dungeon. I know, So, will your 100% identification work in this situation? Yeah. He nodded and held out his hand to the five vanadiums. ''Repetition,'' he chanted. I''ve never defeated a vanadium, but I did defeat the monster on the first floor of Carbon earlier. The ultimate magic that instantly kills an opponent once defeated, but has no effect on those who aren''t. Four vanadiums out of five vanadiums disappear in an instant, leaving me with four green apples. ''''It goes like this.'''' That''s great. Yeah, and you''ve got that magic. ''We can get out of this for now, but we''ll have to come up with something. Yeah. Me and Neptune laughed at Carbon''s egregiousness, even though we were still on the ground floor. 405. Capture I circled around the basement level of Carbon, killing monsters and gathering information. After doing so for a while, I suddenly remembered something. ''Come to think of it, wasn''t Carbon somewhere else before?'' Yeah, there it is. ...... I knew the dungeon died and was reborn elsewhere? ''Not necessarily dead, but it''s mainly when they die that we need to investigate. What do you mean? For example, phosphorus. Melamellar. ''Oh, when it''s a dungeon that moves at will, like that, nothing changes when the location changes, but if the dungeon dies at the end of its life and then is reborn, it almost always changes. So that''s why we need to investigate? That''s what I mean. I don''t have a lot of information on why it changes, but according to the bits and pieces of information I''ve gleaned from the spirit''s company so far, it seems to depend on the cause of death. What do you mean? ''If you starve to death, you''ll have more monsters chewing up intruders or something like that. It''s like the theory of evolution, I thought that was ......, but then I saw the vanadium that was still grabbing my pants. And then I think of Nihonium, which is not here now. Vanadium - the old Erythronium was (probably) unreasonably killed and rejected anyone above level 2. And the dungeon is now full of monsters that react to hostility. Nihoniums don''t usually drop, and the Dungeon Master has the ability to eliminate monsters, not just drop them, but to affect other dungeons - even other dungeons. Furthermore, Plumbum, who isn''t dead, but has more "Ryou-sama cards" in his drops now that he''s known me. Taken together, those are rather evolutionary-like stories. I think ...... is correct. Huh. You''re sure about that? Yeah, of course, I''m not 100% sure. It''s better to keep that to yourself. Why? He chuckles as he looks at Neptune. ''With your current influence, the moment you say that, people might believe it and think that we should control the dungeon, and the spirits for good, the moment you say it. That would wreak havoc. Is this what you think it means to be abused? ''The only reason she''s at peace now is because she''s miraculously been by your side. So you understand, don''t you? Neptune said, pointing to Vanadium. He shouldn''t know much about Vanadium, but if he knew the rumors about the reincarnation of the dungeon, he could guess. ''Yeah, okay, I won''t tell anyone,'' That''s good. Neptune returned to his smiling face again. Suddenly, he saw Lil looking somewhat unhappy behind him. ''''What''s up ...... Lil?'''' Neptune turns around to follow my gaze, and I notice Lil''s expression as well. ''''What''s wrong?'''' Hey, it''s nothing. You don''t look like that, oh, I don''t know, maybe it''s because me and Lyota are getting along-- No, no!This is ...... Yes, it''s disgusting!Because his apples taste better than yours. Ha-ha, that''s just the way it is. Neptune laughed at Lil''s obvious good excuse. The apples I drop taste better than the apples I drop. Depending on the status of the drop, the quality or quantity of the drop depends on the status of the drop. Up to this point, both me and Neptune had a drop of 1 per monster, but my drops seem to be sweeter and tastier. There''s a wall there that can''t be crossed with drop S and Neptune''s A. Neptune soothed Lil who used that as an excuse, disguised as a tease, and Ran joined in, and the three of us started making out. After doing so for a while, and after Lil''s bad mood had subsided. ''Well, let''s go down another floor. Neptune suggested. ''Yeah, I''d like to know if they''re aligned by race or by trait. The dungeons are usually "aligned" with something. It''s usually a race of monsters. For example, it could be Tellurian slime, or Nihonium undead. Some places even have them aligned by traits. Or a debuff of the old erythronium. Carbon is either of those, and I suggest we go down another floor. We nodded to each other and went down to the second basement floor together. Just like the first floor, this dungeon has pale blue-white glowing walls made of piled up stones. After walking for a while, this time something white appeared as if it was melting away. The white clay or wax thing is slowly changing, just like the one on the first floor. We''re wary, we''re investigating, so we''re not going to attack first. We waited patiently for it to change, and then it appeared-- Bicorn! A two-horned white horse with a stagnant aura. Seren''s dungeon master, a bicorn. "This is not good. My powers are diminished. Me too. Me too. Neptune and the three others seem to have been affected by the bicorn''s special powers right away. "Repetition. I cast Repetition to see if it would help, but it didn''t work on the bicorn. So it''s a different monster. I guess so. The bicorn looked up to the heavens and whinnied, sticking out its two horns and rushing forward. Neptune and the others all dodged to the left, and I jumped to the right, holding the vexed Vanadium in my arms. ''What''s the performance over there?'' "Nearly as good as any I''ve seen on the rush. That''s a tough one. The bicorn took aim at Neptune and the others. Lil and Ran went into return fire mode. Neptune and the others'' combined moves, the two of them singing, empowering Neptune to unleash a great attack. It is debuffed, but it can be defeated. But. "Lead me in this direction. You have an idea. Okay. Lil and Ran sang more, and a pair of wings, black and white, grew on Neptune''s back. Neptune grabbed the two horns of the bicorn that rushed further and threw them over to us. ''It''s gone,'' Too much power! As I said that, I shot an iron wall bullet at the flying bicorn. Double ironclad bullets, bullets that are slower than ironclad bullets and have higher retention power. A net made up of W ironclad bullets on one side (,). The bicone hung on it and stopped. I, completely convinced of the characteristics of the W-wall bullets, turned around at about the same time as the bicone hit the W-wall bullets and shot the W-wall bullets behind me as well. Front and back, and left and right. I shot W-wall bullets there as well. And more and more W-wall bullets, filling in the gaps. He covered the bicorn''s entire body with the iron wall bullets that no longer even moved forward. As a result, the bicorn was completely blocked from moving. ''''Great, before I''ve seen it for a while, there''s another new technique. "...... hmm. ...... ugh. Neptune marveled. On the other hand, this time it wasn''t just Lil, even Ran got a bit grumpy. I quickly understood that he didn''t like the fact that I was playing an active role, not Neptune, I suppose. 406. Trauma avoidance Now what do we do with this thing? Have Neptune and the others ever fought a bicorn? No, I don''t. I didn''t expect that. I didn''t like the name. Your name? What do you mean?I turned my head to look at Neptune. Then he replied with his usual smiling face. ''The alias.'' The alias ...... ''The Defiler of Purity''? Yeah, that''s it. Fighting a guy with a name like that makes you feel like a cuckold, doesn''t it? I hadn''t thought of that. I was rather dismayed. Not going to happen, he thought. Neptune was smiling as he spoke, and Ran and Lil were staring at him, their cheeks blushing and their faces enraptured. I mean, it''s flirting. If I left them alone, they might start making out with even more advanced flirting, so I decided to proceed with the conversation. ''Right. If I''d known, I''d have asked your opinion and compared the differences between you and the original. ...... That sounds like something you could do. What? Neptune turned his gaze towards the day after tomorrow. Looking in the same direction, a new individual appears. A black sludge appears and turns into something else. ''I see.'' Well, one thing is clear to me anyway. ''Yeah, we can''t copy it down to the Dungeon Master''s peculiarities. He turned to the restraining bicorn and put the gun to its head and shot it with a growth bullet. Bicorn--Dungeon Master. The ability to prevent monsters in a dungeon from appearing when they are present. The ''Bicorn of Carbon'' can''t make the monsters of Carbon disappear. At least, that has been confirmed. On the other hand, the transformation of a new individual was completed. The giant dragon, which looked extremely cramped in the dungeon, looked up at the ceiling and roared. ''This is ......'' You are a master dragon. Master ...... gawgaw. You know, an original. Smiling, Neptune smiled. He nodded clearly and replied, knowing full well that Alice was dungeon-born and capable of bringing monsters into the fold. ''Oh yeah, I''ve never seen that one before over here. I''ve fought this guy a few times. A very nasty one. Is that so? "And I just noticed. I noticed earlier that your head was glowing vaguely pale. You weren''t imagining it. Yeah, that was you glowing. Me and Neptune nodding at each other. It was the same pale light that the dungeon itself emitted, and I''m starting to think it might be my imagination, even though the same phenomenon has been happening since a while ago. When the bicorn was glowing, I was glowing, and when the master dragon was glowing, Neptune was glowing. ''And one prediction can be made,'' Neptune glancing at me. A look as if he wanted an answer. I looked up at the fake Master Dragon, the still remaining W ironclad bullets that held the bicorn in place, and the ceiling. ''Upstairs is a trusted companion, and here is a strong enemy I''ve fought - a strong enemy I''ve fought - and I''m pulling it out of my memory, I guess. I think so. Neptune nodded. Apparently we''ve come to the same conclusion. Then you''re in big trouble. "Well, I''ll see what I can do. "Ran, Lil. Only when it suits you. You''re happy. Lil is complaining, and Ran is teasing him about it. And Neptune, smiling and ready to fight. It''s an interesting relationship, I thought to myself. Ran and Lil started to sing. Their song, like magic, turned into a rush of visualized power and clung to Neptune''s body. The power transformed into a pair of wings and Neptune leapt at the master dragon. At first, he put his hand on his gun and braced himself to enter the fray at any moment, but he quickly dropped his hand. The dungeon itself could be called cramped for the Master Dragon''s massive body, but Neptune was overwhelmed by his power in the first place. In terms of power and speed, Neptune is superior in both. Master Dragon was tossed around at the mercy of, and in the end, his neck was twisted off and he was knocked down. ''''Feng ...... hey, is the drop the same as this one?'''' Neptune came back with the master dragon fake dropped. I pick up the bicorn fake dropped as well and head towards him. ''Same thing,'' Oh, the mangoes. It''s a pretty expensive one, but it doesn''t look like it''s worth it: ...... ''...... No, some adventurers have only been to the same dungeon their entire lives. That''s the kind of thing that keeps you holed up on the first floor of the tellurian. For example, with Emily when we met. ''I see, if I only knew one kind of person, I''d be able to make some easy money here. ''The first floor was the same, and it''s a pretty selective dungeon for people. Maybe. ''Yeah, as a normal adventurer, you''re going to be tied to one level more than any other dungeon. Me and Neptune exchanging ideas with each other. Neptune, of course, and I''ve been in this world for a long time now, and I''ve come to understand the characteristics of the adventurers and what they want. Adventurers in this world do a puzzle thing in a way. The absolute requirement is to bring home a steady and sustained drop. That''s why there aren''t many adventurers who break through by brute force. It''s like a game where you need multiple magic and items to attack, and the order in which you use them is fixed. If the order is right, you can get through, but if you get even one of the steps wrong, you will fail. There are many adventurers of that type. ''''Now, shall we dive down another floor?I think if we had three layers of information, we''d have a clearer picture of the trend. Yeah. I was about to nod my head in agreement. A monster appeared a short distance away. A black sludge, beginning to transform. I looked around at the group, wondering whose it was this time. ''''--Hah!Repetition!!!! I used magic on that guy in the middle of his transformation and killed him instantly. Even if it''s a fake bicorn, it''s still treated as the monster it was before it transformed. That''s why I was able to defeat it before it could transform. Let''s go to ...... He said this to Neptune and turned back the way he had come, holding the stunned Vanadium''s hand. Neptune and the others followed me. ''What''s the matter with you, you are in such a hurry. That''s the vanadium in the glow. There''s this girl at ...... As expected of an intelligent Neptune, he understood the situation in an instant. The monster in the Carbon basement floor that turns into a troublesome enemy. For Vanadium - probably the one who killed her. It would be the one who killed her in a previous life and left her traumatized. That''s what I thought, and I killed her instantly before I transformed. Thanks to that, I didn''t provoke Vanadium''s trauma. ''I got one more thing going for me. And it''s huge. What? As if he read my mind, Neptune smiled as if he had read my mind. ''If you defeat it before it transforms, it won''t drop. This is super important. Ah, ....... While withdrawing, I turned around and looked at the spot where the monster had been. There was definitely no drop. Surely Neptune was right, that was big. ''''It!'''' On the way back to the first floor, he reappeared, and this time I defeated him before Neptune could transform. There was no drop. ''I knew it,'' Smiling Neptune, a satisfied look on his face. Under normal circumstances, that would be fine. But I''m a drop S. So I don''t drop ....... A new question arose in my mind. 407. Family seriousness Outside the carbon dungeon. Once on the ground, we were on the ground. A good number of adventurers were still there, watching from afar, and we talked about the future situation. ''You''re going back to your home base now, right?'' Yeah. I glanced at Vanadium. As usual, my eyes met with Vanadium, who grabbed my pants and looked up at me with a scowl on his face. ''Nothing happened (), but I''m going to leave for now,'' Yeah, that''s more like it. Isn''t that a bit naive? Lil complained from behind Neptune. ''That''s not true, Lil. Of course he''s being nice to me, but I dare say it''s disgusting, the boy is a bomb, he''s a bomb. A bomb? He''s a spirit. I can''t imagine what would happen in the equivalent of human panic. You could''ve gone to the store... It''s risky too. Neptune was ahead of the game. Yes, if you leave it behind, it could develop into something bad. Now Vanadium is a child. Even a limp like a normal kid could be a big deal. Of course, that means Vanadium is sad, which is why I want to avoid it. ...... so. Grudgingly, Lil agreed. After quieting her down, Neptune turned to me with her trademark smile on her face. ''''Then leave the rest to us. Once we get the information from the other adventurers, we''ll put it together with what we''ve found out. You know what to do when the doorway disappears. Of course. Neptune nodded clearly. We got in and out easily, but the trickiest part of this one is the loss of the dungeon entrance. That''s the information we need most. Once we know that, we''re done. Yeah, it''s just... Hmm? I hope it works. Neptune, speaking with a smiling face, looked like he was seeing something, something like that. Evening at the salon in Shinyashiki. It''s a relaxing time after the friends have gone home and gathered. Celeste was telling everyone else about her day. The moment she recognized me, the madness just vanished. I said, ''Celeste is here, then Lyota will be there, I knew it. That''s good to know. ''Wow!What''s that, I wanted to see that scene. That''s what I''m talking about. Of the companions, it was the combination of Alice and Aulum that had the biggest bite to them. Emily was smiling a relieved, peaceful smile at Celeste when she returned, and Eve was nibbling on a carrot as usual without concern for herself. Perhaps it''s because I''m in my own dungeon, or maybe it''s because I''m in my own dungeon, but Vanadium is away from me, doing something near Nifonium. Sakuya is there too, but he seems to be fine as long as he doesn''t make direct contact with her. ''I want to see it too, so I wonder if the humans could be trapped once. ''Why don''t you just do it in your own dungeon, Aucchan? As long as you can transform the dungeon so that you can never get to the exit, it''s okay. I didn''t know we had a plan! No, no. Aurum is eager to get on board with Alice''s fragile proposal. I could seriously do it, so I stopped ahead of time. ''Eh, but I''d like to,'' Why are you doing this again? I laugh bitterly. That''s because I want to see Our Lady of Lyota be a hit. "The world''s best in our village"? Alice and Aurum really hit it off, and they''ve tailored a reason why that sounds like it. ''I don''t know, but you really shouldn''t. Yes, sir. Shit. Alice Aulum duo reluctantly backs down after being told by me. If I just say this, it will be okay for now. I turn to Celeste. "Come to think of it, how many floors did Celeste go underground? They''re down to the third floor. Are you sure?I''ll see you later, help me open the transporter room. "Okay, but ...... on the third floor or so? I wouldn''t want to go through the upstairs if I could. So good, he glanced at the vanadium. Celeste nodded, understanding that it was for a reason. ''''All right, you''re welcome. Thank you. Are you going back tomorrow? Yeah, I figured we''d get the whole story out sooner rather than later. Okay, so... Celeste was about to say something when Vanadium flew in. He ran over to me from Nihonium''s place and hugged me. ''What''s going on?'' ...... (gui) Vanadium clung to me, grabbing my clothes and pulling them upwards. Above--ground. Pointing there, Vanadium''s expression returns to a worried look. "Who''s coming? ...... (nationally) Emily. I understand. Emily left the salon and went to see who the visitor was. A few moments later, Emily returned with a bitter look on her face. ''Mr. Yoda, .......'' What''s going on? Carbon is closed again, sir. ''What?What do you mean? Yoda and the others are back safe and sound, I thought it was safe to go, and then a couple of adventurers went into Carbon, and then it closed again. ...... Right. You''re in a hurry. Celeste let out a sigh. ''Are you going to help me?'' We''ll have to do that. Then you''ll have to wait until tomorrow. If you say now, there''s a good chance that the people inside probably don''t even know they''re locked in. It hasn''t even been half a day, and since it''s only been a couple of days, the rumors won''t spread. I see. There aren''t many of them, and they wouldn''t do anything for one night, so let''s just leave them alone to teach them a lesson. Consider Celeste''s suggestion for a moment. Yes, if there aren''t enough of them, then the chance of panic is zero. A Star-carrying adventurer would be fine for a night or so. ''''Besides, I had a plan to prevent anyone from getting ahead of themselves in the future. "Huh? Celeste suggests. Intrigued by the way he said it, we listened to Celeste''s suggestion. Stars. The next morning, outside the carbon dungeon. After breakfast, we dared to come through the first floor of Selenium in the transporter room. Me, Emily, and Alice. And Celeste and Eve. As an added bonus, Vanadium is attached to me. The adventurers who were watching around Carbon whispered to each other. ''Hey, look at that!'' The whole Lyota family is here. Is it really that much of a problem? That was the best I''ve ever felt in my life. I looked at Celeste with an impressed look on my face as I listened to the conversation around me. Celeste smiled with a look of pride on her face. Her "plan" was for the entire Ryota Family Adventurer Group to enter Carbon. The adventurers reentered Carbon because they were licking Carbon. To eliminate that, Celeste says, it would be effective to show that "even that Lyota Family got serious about it". I was skeptical that it would work, but it seems to work great. We pried open the carbon entrance again, keeping our serious faces to the end, as we had discussed beforehand, and plunged into the dungeon with the adventurers watching us. 408. Dungeon match Carbon basement floor. We all went in, and there was a transporter gate. I saw it, and I turned to Celeste. "Thank you. I said. I asked Celeste to do this for me. We flew from the mansion to the first floor of Carbon via the transfer gate. I took the ground route back to the mansion without using the gate and went straight into Carbon for a demonstration with the others. ''''I''ve secured the retreat route as you asked. What do we do now? Yes. ...... I look at the gate and Celeste and see the normal exit on the back. ''I thought the exit might disappear if we all went in, but it didn''t. Yeah. But it happened twice. Since it''s a recurrence, we need to find out what it is. Celeste, do you ever straddle the hierarchy when the entrance is closed? I did, and I was on the third floor when it happened. ''Right. Well, then, let''s keep the gate going and let''s all explore the carbon for a while. Yeah. Is that all right with you? It''s all right! That was the plan all along, wasn''t it? I get paid up front for my carrots. Rabbits are very well-behaved women. The friends who had followed us all nodded at me. With five people plus Vanadium, we decided to go around the first floor first. We already knew the monsters and drops on the first floor, but what we wanted to investigate now was the entrance vanishing phenomenon, so we were going to investigate this place again. I encountered one monster after another. The majority of the monsters, which will probably turn into one of my friends, turned into Emily. It was me again. I guess that means everyone trusts Emily. Is that what you''re saying? Maybe. You''ll have to examine the details of trust and affection, but I''m thinking that I''m going to transform into the person I''m thinking of in a positive vector. And, I might add, probably not a faith in power. I nodded at Celeste''s words. ''Yes, that would have to be me. Yes! Well, we don''t have to think too hard. We can find out on our own by canvassing adventurers who have been in later and gathering a few numbers of them to see what they think of the people they come up with. Well, it''s more of a doorway. Alice? It''s still open. Alice, who responded immediately, and one of her fellow monsters, who is always on her shoulder, is gone. The skeleton Hone Honehone. The Hone Honehone remains at the entrance to the building, keeping an eye on it. The fellow monsters and Alice were given a white feather because they can use some kind of telepathy. We confirm that the entrance is open and continue our search. Monsters appear one after another, but I didn''t have a chance to show up. Emily, Celeste and Alice. Most of the time, these three are the ones who beat them. At first I had a vague idea of what to expect, but gradually I realized that it was the three of us. That of the three of them isn''t a solo move, it''s a party move. Emily and Celeste were remarkable. One was a super-powered fighter wielding a giant hammer that was larger than her size, while the other was an attacking wizard who struck a huge blow with the awareness of keeping a distance anyway. Both of them are sharp types. Therefore, the usual way to fight is to move while eliminating such weaknesses. But it''s different now. You''ll be able to find a lot of people who will be able to help you. And now that we are a party, the other party will naturally follow us, and we will also casually follow their weaknesses. I''ve never seen the three of us move like this before, so it was refreshing. ''''You''ve been practicing these things?'''' No. No? I turned to Eve, who was quietly denying it. She now has a rabbit made out of green apples on each hand and is looking at it with a smile. By the way, the drop and the creation were both made by Emily, and it''s a gem that you''ll be wasting your time if you don''t eat it soon. It''s still awkward. That''s true. ''That''s just what I usually think, I can match it because I usually think it, but it''s awkward because it''s the first time. I see. "Dungeonicity Match. Hmm? I don''t think I''ve heard that word in a long time. ''We all want to go around with the low levels. I''m going through the motions and I''m soloing a lot, but in my heart I know that. ......, so you''re telling me that you''ve usually been thinking about party moves. Eve nods quietly. I look at the three men still fighting. Oh yeah, ....... Yeah, that''s fun too, isn''t it? Again, I look at Eve. ''Thank you, Eve, for teaching me. A rabbit is a very stubborn woman. Okay. She''s taking a step back, but she still probably sees more of everyone than I do. I''m suddenly grateful to Eve for that. 409. Matching three people Carbon basement three floors. Here came Emily, Alice and Eve. Of the three who had come down from the upper floor, Emily and Alice looked around. ''Yoda and the others are gone,'' ''Oops, they should have been here sooner. Has something happened at the house? I don''t know. Emily and Alice nodded their heads at each other. The girls, Ryota, Celeste, and Vanadium parted ways on the basement floor. The reason is because they didn''t want Vanadium to pass through the basement second floor. So, after separating at the first basement level, Ryota and the others, along with Celeste, were to use the transporter gate to fly back to the mansion once they got back to the third basement level. At that time, at Alice''s suggestion, the three of us were going to head to the third underground floor on foot. It was agreed to meet up with them on the third floor, but I couldn''t find Ryota and the others, who should have come earlier than using the transfer, but I couldn''t find them. But, you know, Ryota is here, so if anything happens, it won''t be a problem. We''ll just have to hunt it down on our own. Yes, sir. With their absolute trust in Ryota, neither Emily, Alice, nor, of course, Eve was worried about them. The three of them slowly walked out and made their way through the pale, glowing dungeon. ''But Emily''s trauma was strong, wasn''t it? That dragon, Gau Gau, was a good match for her. It still wasn''t as good as Emily, though. "When I met you so long ago, I had to run away. It was so traumatic. ...... Yes, sir. Okay. Alice nodded. ''So it made a lot of sense to me that Yoda-san didn''t want to take Vanadium-chan upstairs. Yeah, there it is again. The three of them encircled the monsters. Emily held her hammer at the ready and Alice stood up from her fellow monsters'' shoulders. The encounters were the same monsters as the two floors above. ''It''s Emily again this time?'' Before the monster transforms, the subject is known before the monster transforms. From there, the target transforms into the "thinker". It is easy to defeat the monster before it transforms, but it does not drop, so it is completely useless. The three of them took a precautionary approach and waited for the monster to transform. Yoda-san! ''Ugh!T.O.! It was Ryota''s appearance that the monster had turned into. Not just the family, but Sato Ryota, who was now one of the strongest class of all adventurers. Alice chanted All Might in a spinal reflex and summoned Ryochin. The moment Ryouchin emerged from the dimensional rift, he instantly killed False Ryota with a single blow. ''...... Huh?'' Low level two, we''re early. ''What?Ah. ''Yes, the monsters here can transform their appearance, but they are weaker than the originals. Even if they''re turned into low levels, they''re much weaker than the low levels. ''Oh, I see, I know, I knew that upstairs. I did it. I used my dick once a day. I can''t help it, I''m in a hurry to think of Yoda as a partner. With Emily comforting them, the three of them venture further into the dungeon. After a while, the monster appeared again, this time changing to deal with Alice. The monster''s transformed form was--. ''''It''s Yoda-san again.'''' Me too?All right, come on, gawgawd. Gau Gau--Master Dragon returned to his original size and bit False Ryota in the head with a gulp. Although weak, False Ryota resisted by firing a series of guns from zero distance, but when Gaugau put more force into his mouth, his head was chewed up with a gurgling sound. ''Low level here too.'' What? It''s Yoda the Third Eye! Alice and Emily are surprised when they turn around. The opponent Eve was fighting was once again False Ryota. Eve quickly took out the fake Ryota. The sword flashed sideways, and the neck of the fake Ryota parted from his body and cried. The monsters were settled and the dungeon was at peace for the time being. Are we all Lyota? It looks like it. What am I dealing with, a guy who thinks he''s a leader? I see. ''Huh?Are you guys alone? With a familiar voice, three members of the Neptune family appeared. ''Is he?'' It''s not here yet. Okay. It''s a nice place, though. What do you mean? It''s just-- oh, look at you. The monster appeared again. Neptune went towards it and approached it himself to become the target of the change. The monster changed. To my surprise, it took the form of two people, Ran and Lil. ''They are two! Yeah, what do you mean? I hear it can turn into your favorite person, here. ...... ...... Emily and Alice were speechless, and then they looked at each other, cheek to cheek, and smiled at each other. ''I see. ...... So that''s what it''s all about. I''m convinced. ''Huh?But then-- Alice turns around, remembering something. Eve should have been there just before, but - she wasn''t. Eve, who had become the object and changed into Ryota, had disappeared before she knew it. Emily and Alice looked at each other and laughed as they played along. 410. Everyone together Celeste, Vanadium, and I returned to the mansion using the transporter gate that Celeste had left open once we got back to the mansion. ''''Then, please,'''' I''ll give it to Celeste, who has been to the third floor of carbon. Because of the vanadium, we had to go around the basement to avoid the second floor. ...... Celeste? Will you wait for me here? Hmm?What do you mean? I''ll go and capture the third floor with the others and then come back and take Ryota-san to the fourth floor. Why would you do that?That''s going to add to the hassle of going from the third floor to the fourth floor and then coming back from the fourth floor to the third floor, no matter what you think. That''s true, but ...... For some reason, Celeste clammed up. What the hell is going on here? All right, let''s go. Celeste thought for a moment, then let out some kind of determined line in a whisper, "Yeah, if this is it," and then opened the gate to the transporter room. What in the world is this all about? Before we knew it well, the gate opened and the three of us were back in the dungeon again. Carbon Dungeon, third basement floor. It looks exactly the same as the first and second underground floors. It''s an underground labyrinth made of piled up stones, with walls, ceiling and floor glowing blue-white. As soon as they transferred in, a monster appeared. The monster tried to transform against Celeste--. ''''Inferno Ultimate! Instantly, magic power exploded out of Celeste''s body, and the monster before the transformation was burned away in an instant. It was the highest firepower - a super-serious blow - of Celeste''s magic that I had ever seen. ''''Celeste?'''' What is it? Something, that doesn''t make you drop anything. It''s okay. I''m not here to make money today. Yeah, I know, but it''s an investigation and all the more reason to-- Inferno Ultimate. Before I could finish speaking, Celeste cast another spell. Something went up in flames behind me. I turned around, a little freaked out by the suddenness of it all, and there the monster before it transformed was in flames. ''''Fuu.'''' ......, um, explanation. Let''s go. He doesn''t seem to have any intention of explaining. Celeste interrupted the conversation one way or another and walked off with a stutter. ''''...... (Guigui) I was a little puzzled, but Vanadium tugged at my sleeve. Won''t you go?I don''t know why, but I decided to follow Celeste for now, because I felt like she told me. Celeste is hiding something. It''s definitely about the monsters here - or the drop items. Otherwise, there''s no need to defeat it before the drop. Which would it be, I wondered for a moment. Thinking about it, I went after Celeste. Then I heard the sound of a heel clacking on the cobblestones with a click, click, click. The sound was gradually coming closer and closer to us. ''This voice is ...... ah.'' Celeste and us standing still. Eve came out of the corner. Eve came running in and braked in front of us. Sorry, did we make you wait?What about everyone else? ...... Eve? Eve looked up at me and didn''t speak. For some reason, that Eve''s face had a blush on it that I don''t usually see. ''What''s the matter - ouch! I was careless and ate it. Eve''s chop, a hand blade called Excalibur. It was pretty painful as it went right into my forehead. ''You''re low level and cocky,'' "Huh? "Cheeky. Repeating the same words twice, Eve hung up even more tremendously as she ran away. Just before she ran away, her face seemed to be getting redder and redder ....... ''What''s going on?'' I see. ''What?Celeste, do you know the cause? ...... I didn''t say anything. ''No, but ......'' ...... Well, okay. If you don''t tell me, I won''t pursue it. Celeste and Eve are both a bit out of the ordinary. That''s probably because of this carbon third floor. Then let''s get the hell out of here and head to the fourth floor. We''ll meet up with the others. Yeah. Celeste nods. He walks off, hand in hand with Vanadium. After a while, he joins everyone - but. ''''Huh?'''' I was puzzled. The remaining two who had joined us, Emily and Alice, were blushing as soon as they saw my face. ''You''re home ......'' Lyota Osoiyo. ...... The two of them are blushing and their tone of voice is more moist than usual. When I turn around with a huff, Celeste is in a similar situation. And for some reason Neptune is grinning a little further away. I thought it would be best not to get too deep into ......, I thought. 411. Black history Carbon dungeon, four underground levels. The four of us, me, Emily, Celeste and Alice came down. As I came down, I turned around and looked at the floor above. Neptune and the three of us stayed on the other side. I asked them why, and they said they had something they wanted to make sure about. What do you want to confirm? I know what it is if you want to be sure. ...... I mumbled curiously, and for some reason, my three friends were all in unison. ''''There''s a situation on the other side as well. Yeah, you shouldn''t be prying. No invasion of privacy, that''s for sure. He stuffed me with it. ''Oh, oh,'' I don''t know why the three of them are so desperate, and Vanadium, who is holding my hand, is looking very uncomfortable. Anyway, don''t touch that thing anymore. Also, from now on, when you go up to the third floor, take a solo. Yeah, that''s more like it. I''m for it. Emily and Celeste accept Alice''s proposal. That makes me feel more and more like I''m being pinched by a fox. I remember what Eve told me when I was on the first floor of Carbon. Everyone in the family had been trained to dive into the dungeon with everyone else in the family, group combat, and how to fight when they were in a party, but they all accepted the insistence that they wanted to go solo. It''s a situation I really don''t understand. ...... (gui) What''s up with the vanadium-- the enemy? I was tugged on my sleeve and looked to the other side to see a monster in the fourth basement that oozed sludgy from the pale dungeon walls. It targeted me and began to transform. ''''I wonder what it is this time?'''' I pulled out my gun and braced myself. I waited until the transformation was over, since there was a good chance I wouldn''t drop it even if I beat it before the transformation, based on my previous experience. ''...... eh?'' I froze for a moment when I saw the monster transformed. Her entire body is dressed in black. It''s coordinated with belts and chains everywhere, a bandage on his arm, an eye patch covering one eye, and an inverted cross on his back. And an upside down cross on his back. The transformation was-- "Young Mr. Yoda-- Success! Before Emily could finish, she shot an accelerated round at herself, destroying the black history (,) itself. The monster fell and dropped a tokka eggplant. ''Phew. ......'' Yo, Yoda? Why are you doing this? She''s a bit young, isn''t she? That''s enough. I closed in on Celeste and covered my mouth with the palm of my hand. ''You guys didn''t see anything, good.'' Celeste, whose mouth was covered, nodded with a persistent nod. So I let go of her hand, though. ''What do you mean by that?'' You know, it looks like a... What''s wrong with me? My friends are secretly wondering what I''m doing with this monster. Maybe this is a bad place to be, maybe it''s a little scary. Let''s just move on to the next-- "Celeste, you''re behind me. What--oh! Celeste turns around directly behind her at Emily''s suggestion. Then a new monster appears and begins to transform, targeting Celeste. Starting with Celeste, the three of us are ready for battle. I have a bit of a bad feeling about this, but I''m just going to watch for now. After the transformation was over, I made Celeste a size smaller, clever-looking girl. Huh?I thought the monsters here were meant to recreate black history (...)... ''''Geez! Instantly, a scream erupted from Celeste. Countless bicorn horns manipulated with strings went towards the young Celeste, surrounding her in all directions and firing a round of fireballs. The monster fell - and then the young Celeste dropped something. A notebook. ''Don''t look at it, eh! With more exclamations, all the bicorn horns fired at the notes in unison. The density of firepower was even greater than that of the monster itself. ''''Haha...... haha......'''' Hey, what''s going on? Are you face-deep in it? Hey, it''s nothing. They''re both worried, and Celeste covers it up with a dry laugh. I - pinged. I move closer to Celeste, in her ear. ''Is that a poem or something?'' I whispered. ''--?'' Celeste turned to me with a deathly surprised look on her face. ''Nah ...... nah nah ......'' Well, ...... and me earlier. Haha! I smiled bitterly and scratched my cheeks as I said it, and Celeste huffed at the reminder. ''Oh, so that''s how it works.'' That''s what it looks like. It''s dangerous. Very dangerous. Yeah, let''s get downstairs as fast as we can. Me and Celeste, in sync with each other, moving on. Emily and Alice follow behind us. What do you mean by dangerous? You two were kind of desperate, weren''t you? They were craning their necks together. We tried to go straight through the fourth floor to the fifth floor, but the wholesaler wasn''t so wholesome, so we encountered a monster on the way, and this time it was Emily. If I had calmed down, I could have asked Alice to show me the safe route, but because me and Celeste were ahead of him, we encountered it. But that''s why I was interested. Me and Celeste making eye contact. Emily''s black history. The mother of the family, the mother of the family, the Virgin and the angel. What is her black history? So we stopped and watched. And then the demon king appeared. "This ...... is me? Emily herself doesn''t know, the demon king Emily who transforms when she sees G. That guy went out of control, twirling his hammer around like a certain humanoid general-purpose battle weapon and started attacking indiscriminately. ''''It''s true, it''s dangerous.'''' Alice mumbles such thoughts while ducking the attack. No, that''s not what I''m talking about: ....... 412. Escape from resealing It''s not safe to be on this floor. Yeah, in more ways than one. I''d better get to the next one. Me, Alice, and Celeste were in agreement. Only Emily, the only one who didn''t recognize her black history as black history, turned her head and scowled. ''''Well then, let''s go downstairs as soon as possible. ''Yes. If you get out, Mr. Lyota. I''ll take him down before he transforms. I pounded my chest and took it on. Black history is - not necessarily one. It''s more likely to be drawn out in more than one, given your experience on the ground floor or upstairs. There are at least five or six more stories left that are objectively "funny" but subjectively "yikes, I want to die" as far as I can think of. Probably the same is true for Alice and Celeste. We hurried onward, so as not to peel off the scab of youthful indiscretion any further. Now that I understand the situation, I let Alice lead the way. A dungeon born skill, encounter avoidance and understanding of map structure. That should allow us to get to the lower floors almost without encounters. It''s not a hundred percent (never) though, so I was prepared to cast Repetition at any time. Luckily, I made it to the stairs leading down without encountering an encounter. ''Phew. ......'' I''m tired. Me too. That''s probably the most tired I''ve been since I started adventuring. ''In that case, would you like to take a break?I''ll bring you a cup of tea and a snack. Our angel (Emily) has made a fascinating proposal. Normally I would have gone along for the ride. ''No, let''s get off,'' Well, if you want to take a break, at least take it downstairs. Aye. Are you sure?Yoda said before. Just a little more, just one more floor, is a flag. Ugh. It''s a sore spot. Emily was right. It''s not uncommon for people to say, "Just a little more," and then misjudge the drawback and get it done. This idea has become more commonplace since the "Let''s go home so we can come back" revival boom a few years ago. ''But but!'' ''Sometimes people need to take a brave step.'' When was that?Now. Me, Celeste and Alice desperately pressed Emily, who suggested that we rest as per the theory. ''Wow, okay,'' As a result, Emily was unusually confused, and we decided not to rest, but to dive down to the fifth basement floor. A new floor. At the front is me with Vanadium. Then Celeste, Emily, and Alice, who is getting ready to yell at any moment for Morichin. We went down the stairs in that order. Carbon dungeon, fifth floor underground. ...... hmm? What''s up, Mr. Lyota? What''s wrong with ......? What? What''s the difference? Hmm. I think so. I don''t know what it is, but it''s different. Yeah. As soon as I came down, I thought, "Something''s different". Emily and Celeste didn''t seem to feel it, but the dungeon born Alice did. ''If that''s the way it is, even Alice is like that, then there''s something wrong with her. Yes. Do you have any idea what that is exactly? ''Hmm, I wonder. I know it''s somehow different. Alice and I both looked around the dungeon - the fifth floor below Carbon. A dungeon made of stone, a pale blue light that flickered and flickered repeatedly. It doesn''t look at all different from the floor above. ''Let''s take a look at it in turn.'' I''d do the same. I walked with Alice up the stairs and back to the fourth basement floor. I stared at it and imprinted the scene on the fourth floor, and then went back down the stairs to the fifth floor. Then I went down the stairs and returned to the fifth basement floor. ''Hmm. I don''t know. It''s stuck in my head. Me too. But... ''Yeah, something''s definitely different. That''s all the more reason to be sure. Me and Alice nodded at each other. Until a while ago, it was just "sort of". But since I came back after making a mental image of the situation to compare them, I''m convinced that they are definitely different, even though I don''t understand them all. If you don''t know, it''s all right. But we have to be careful. ''Yes, it''s the fifth floor, so it''s not surprising that something has changed. Even with the fluffy talk of sensation, the two of them believed us. ''All right, then, let''s proceed with caution. Yeah. Celeste complied, and both Alice and Emily nodded. Just when I thought that I would proceed with caution as I had declared--that''s when I thought. ''Ow, ow!'' Neptune came down the stairs, waving his hand in the air. He came in with Ran and Lil, as usual. ''What''s going on?'' What have you done?In the last ten minutes. ''These ten minutes?No, nothing. I was just rather stamping my feet. "Ummm, I see ...... so it''s not you guys either. It''s what we do? What do you mean? As a matter of fact. Neptune smiled, but with serious eyes. ''The portal has closed again.'' -Oh! I stopped exploring the fifth basement level for now and returned to the first basement level with the Neptune family. We made it back to the entrance of the dungeon. It was completely closed and just a wall. ''It''s really gone, isn''t it?'' ''Emily, try tapping there,'' Yes, sir! At Celeste''s urging, Emily rushed forward, twirling the hammer over her head and hitting the wall where the entrance had been, as hard as she could. The family''s best power fighter. Emily''s probably all-out blow, but the wall didn''t budge. ''It was hopeless at first, just like this, then. ''Well, Celeste was watching from the inside when she was first locked in. Yeah. I see, this is what happened: ...... What do you want to do? Let''s get out of here. I fill the vanadium bullets with ironclad bullets and woof them into the wall to open the entrance. We make it big enough for people to get through, then the Neptune family, then our friends over here, and finally me, in that order. Once we all get out, the entrance returns to its original position, leaving behind an iron wall bullet. ''One thing is confirmed,'' ''Yeah, the entrance goes back to normal when there are no more people inside. So there must be some kind of proper requirement to close it, then? Neptune and I nod to each other. The rules of this world are pretty tight when ''Drop S'' isn''t involved. ''Thanks to you, I think I''ve pretty much figured out what it was that you did for those ten minutes. Neptune smiles at me. Whether it''s because of me or not, I don''t know. If that''s the case, then let''s do some more validation that narrows down the possibilities. 413. Verification I''d like to be able to see the changes on the spot so I can verify them. You''re on the fifth floor, but you can still see the entrance. Celeste said and I nodded. ''That''s what I mean,'' I''ll take care of that for you. It was Alice who came forward. ''Can you make it?'' ''Yes!Me and the rest of you, we''re one in spirit, even though we''re apart! Alice said, and her fellow monsters started dancing on her shoulders in unison. As if to say, ''We''ll take care of it. ''I see, can we ask then?'' ''Yes!I''ll leave everyone at the entrance so they don''t miss the change. ''Do that. Emily, take care of Alice''s guard. Yes, sir! Celeste, I want you to reenact the action with me. Yeah, I get it. After the distribution of roles among the companions, I left Neptune and entered Carbon again. First, Alice, Emily and Celeste headed to the back of the dungeon. The gate to the transporter room was located on the third basement floor. The three of them were supposed to go there first and then return to the mansion once they got there. ''''Here you go. A few moments later, Celeste appeared at the gate. Celeste took me back to the mansion once I got there. Emily and Alice were waiting for me in the transporter room of the mansion. Emily and Alice go to the first floor. Continue on foot to the third floor. You''re building a gate downstairs. Yeah, please. Celeste will come with me straight to the third floor. Okay. First, we saw Emily and Alice off, then me, Celeste, and Vanadium went to the third basement floor of Carbon by gate. I avoided the basement second floor for Vanadium, and the procedure was to make a gate on the first basement floor as well, so that we could move easily for the future. I moved to the third basement floor and waited for a while to meet up with them. We took a detour, but we finally started the verification process. ''Celeste. How was this place earlier?When I wasn''t around. Let''s see, ...... all of us killed a monster once, I guess. All of them? ''Yes, all of us. Including the three of us, and Eve, who isn''t here right now. Speaking of which, you switched places with me, didn''t you, Eve? I think he''s still on this floor. I''m a little surprised at Alice''s point. ''Really?'' Yeah, it''s right up there. Can you sense the adventurer''s presence? ''Yes!Not as much as a monster, but it''s easy to understand, Eve. You''ve been in the same place for a while now and haven''t moved. I see. So can you guys take them down one at a time? ""......" Emily, Celeste and Alice looked at each other and gave each other a complicated look. I wondered what was wrong with them. ''...... Okay,'' Are you sure? One at a time. ...... I see. Okay. For some reason, the air was a bit serious. Like before, what kind of monster is this third underground floor? As I couldn''t plan for it, I walked off with Alice in the lead. I used Alice''s radar to look for the monster and encircled it from here. The monster I encountered started to transform against Celeste - and took on the form of me. Celeste easily killed the fake me instantly with her yarn manipulation bicorn horn. Then I start walking again. Thanks to Alice, I quickly recounted. This time, Emily was the other person''s transformation - it was me, after all. Emily glanced at me, then twirled her hammer around and crushed the fake me. ''You''re going to use your ri-chin,'' Alice declared as she left her fellow monsters behind. Encountering almost without pause, she summoned Alice Garryochin at the same time. ''Me again?'' Three times my fake appeared and Ree-chin blinked it away. "What do you mean by this-- There''s no change in the entrance. Bitingly, Alice interrupted me. ''Oh, oh?Okay, so there''s been no change. I don''t think it''s on this floor. Let''s go down to the fourth floor. Oh, oh ......? The three of us were somewhat nervous, and we wondered what was going on, but we came to the stairs and went down to the fourth basement floor without being able to listen. We came down to the fourth basement floor. Ugh. ...... My heart ached a bit when I remembered the memory from earlier. The monster on the fourth basement floor, the ridiculous one that turns into the black history of the person I''m targeting. ''''We have to do ...... here too. ...... That''s not good. Yeah. I''ll do my best. ...... Aside from Emily, Celeste should have been baptized with black history as well, but the part of her that didn''t like it seemed to have a brighter expression compared to earlier (third floor). We went around the fourth basement floor with Alice''s guidance. Me, Poemer Celeste, and Emily, the Demon King. We each defeated our respective black histories in order once more. ''''Well?'''' Not yet. It''s like nothing has changed. Right, then. Fifth floor. I went down to the fifth floor, this time with my friends who nodded at me. ''Yeah, still a bit different,'' The moment you descend, you feel the difference in the air. The air was slightly different between the fifth basement floor and the floors before it. Once again, I knew it wasn''t an illusion. ''Could it be because I entered here?'' No, it''s still open. ''Right, ......, well, what did I do here earlier?'' I''m sure you''ve been up and down the stairs to compare notes. It''s so true. It''s so true. It''s so true. Lyota! As soon as I got back to the fourth floor and then turned back further to the fifth floor, Alice called out to me in a tremendous rush. ''What''s up,'' The doorway is gone. Really? ''Yes!That was the moment Lyota came back this way. Which means: ...... So you turned around? I felt like I could see the answer. 414. Blossom We all went back to the basement level and came to the entrance. The fellow monsters who had been waiting there all climbed onto Alice''s shoulders at once. Just as the fellow monsters had told Alice, the entrance had disappeared. ''''It''s really gone, what does that mean?'''' I have a theory. Let''s test it first. So that means I have to get out for once. Yeah. He nodded and forced the entrance open with normal ironclad bullets. If it''s just my buddies, we''ll be fine with the normal amount. ''Let''s go out and reset the entrance once we''re out there. Yoda, Eve is still downstairs. ''That reminds me. I didn''t see you when you came back, where are you hiding? Even if we got out, the entrance is crappy. Alice, can you find Eve? Hmmm, why don''t we look for the missing monsters? I see. I can''t detect any sign of Eve, but I''m assuming she''s there, which means she''s probably in the same place where the monster disappeared. ''Don''t worry, you don''t have to go that far. Celeste waited on Alice. Her face was full of confidence. ''Do you have a better idea?'' Yeah, I''m on it. Celeste said and took a carrot out of her pack. Gently dropping it on the ground. I knew that since the carrot = Eve, I would do something with it, so I watched silently after that - but Celeste didn''t do anything more. What does that mean?And you think. Dodo dodo--Eve has appeared! She came running at a tremendous pace, kicking the ground with the same momentum of her rush and head sliding from ten meters away. She ran straight into it and picked up the carrot like she was snatching it up. ''''Hey.'''' No, no, no. ''Ah!You can''t just eat a dropped carrot as it is. Don''t worry. Carrots are on the 300-second rule. It wasn''t even three seconds ago! Celeste dropped the carrot, or rather, right after you put it down, it was already here. ''I mean, why now?'' Where there''s a carrot, there''s a rabbit. I''ve heard that line before! Like the third book in the popular series, The Great Demon King. Oh well, I''ll get to that first. Celeste, who had summoned the rabbit, took over for me as I ran into Eve, and finished the scene. We followed suit and got out one by one. Now that we were all out, the entrance had been restored. We entered the dungeon together again, which was back to normal. Eve followed with a bite of a carrot. ''Well then, same as before. Just follow Alice.'' Riley! Alice''s fellow monsters jumped off her shoulders again. ''Everyone watch the entrance. If there''s anything to close, I want you to watch the moment it closes. Okay, you know what I''m talking about. I''ll do my best! ...... After asking Celeste, Emily, and Eve to help me, I proceeded to the back of the dungeon with Alice, with Vanadium in tow. Alice guided me through the dungeon without encountering any encounters. I''m sure you''re not the only one who is afraid of that. Even when I was locked in, I was totally fine with it. I think it''s only people, I''m afraid. Okay. ''And isn''t it even safer in a dungeon? Even if it''s someone else''s dungeon. Yeah, I know what you mean. I''m relieved it''s not my dungeon. I think this is the happiest I''ve ever been in my life, using your dungeon as a house. Okay. I''ve never been particularly concerned about it, but it''s true that the situation we''re in now might be heavenly for Alice, who was born in a dungeon. As I was thinking this, I came to the stairs leading to the second basement level. ''Alice,'' Yeah! The three of us went down to the basement floor. I looked at Alice, who shook her head. This time we climbed the stairs and went back down to the basement floor. I look again, still shaking my head. And then, trying to get back upstairs again-- Lyota! One step, the moment I descended the stairs, Alice shouted. ''Closed?'' Yeah! I knew it was going to be ''stop coming back''. Stop going back? It''s just an expression of convenience. Don''t you usually go upstairs when you leave? Yeah, they usually stay on the same floor the whole time. "So it''s ''back'' to go upstairs, ''Oh, yeah, I kind of get it. Sometimes I feel like, ''I need to do some more,'' and that''s what I mean. All right. All right, I''ll join you guys and get this-- Instantly, the landscape changed. All at once, the ceiling, walls, and ground that had been glowing blue-white until then disappeared and became a pitch-black space. In the midst of all this, only one lane of the roadway could be seen underfoot. It wasn''t shiny, but it was clearly visible in the pitch black. What is this place? Oh, are you okay? ...... (pulp) Alice wasn''t there, but Vanadium was with her, holding her hand. Vanadium seemed to be frightened in some way, and his linked hands were shaking. ''It''s okay, we''re together,'' ......(country) Let''s just move on. We can''t stay here. We walked down the street, holding hands. It''s a strange feeling. There''s nothing around me, the road, too nicely done to compare. I''m walking, but I can''t feel whether I''m making progress or not, and I''m beginning to feel lightly intoxicated. Vanadium''s hands were still shaking. He was walking slow, and he was one step behind me, holding my hand. I hold it as tightly as I can without it hurting. I''ll stay with you, I''ll never let you go. With the message "I''m with you, I''m not letting you go. I want to take away as much of the fear as possible. I''m walking for a while, and then suddenly, a light appears in front of me. "Looks like a way out, you''re gonna be okay... I turned around to reassure him - at the moment, he stopped moving. As to why, the first thing I can say is that it was a hunch. I felt a tremendous sense of discomfort and danger on a hunch. After the movement stopped on a hunch, my head searched for the reason. An uncomfortable feeling. It was the trembling of vanadium. Fear of vanadium, why fear? Wasn''t she afraid of ...... people? Of course, it''s not impossible that this space could have something to do with the death of her in her previous life - Erythrolium. But ...... my gut was screaming that it wasn''t. ''......'' I stopped turning around and continued on with Vanadium''s hand in mine. When I came to the glowing area, I saw a stone statue there. A mountain of stone statues, many of them decayed and broken. I took a glance at them. They were all stone statues of the "moment I turned around". ''That''s a nasty trap,'' I tweeted and walked past the stone statue. A strange sensation develops. I feel something. It''s a sensation much clearer than intuition, a sensation similar to the five senses. If I were to use an analogy, I''d say that I feel a hot wind blowing on my skin, and it''s dangerous because it''s hot. That''s a clear sensation on a five-sense level. I was lured by these sensations, and I continued on my way. And then we stop on the road that goes on and on. Stopping - for more than ten seconds. The landscape popped off. It shattered like glass. ''Lyota!'' ......! Just as my eyes flashed in front of me, Alice''s voice and Vanadium''s impatience came through my connected hands. I look around, near the stairs on the second basement floor. There, Alice and Vanadium are looking into my face with concern. ''Am I the only one who went to ......?'' What are you talking about?Are you okay, Lyota? Yeah, I''m fine. More than that. I look around, scurrying around and pointing in the direction my ''senses'' are leading. ''That way, right, the stairs leading to the third floor?'' ''What?Yeah, yeah, I know. Okay. This was the moment I began to somehow understand Alice''s senses (). 415. Awakening Gradually your senses open up. When I''m walking in the city for the first time, I open the map and compare it with the real world. The map is in my mind, and it''s very clear. I see... I even know the structure of the dungeon itself. Yeah, you know what I mean! Alice nodded somewhat happily. ''There''s a big map and you can see where you are on it. You know what I mean. I know where the monsters are, and I know how to avoid them. I don''t recognize the monster at all. Is it? Alice tilts her head slightly this time. ''But maybe I was like that when I met Lyota. Alice squinted her eyes as if she was nostalgic for the long ago. I see... so this is where your abilities start to grow? I was. Okay. ......? The hand I''m holding with mine gets a little stronger. Vanadium looks up at me curiously and pats my head. ''It''s the vanadium.'' ......? Thank you, I mean. Vanadium still nodded her head curiously, but then she smiled. She had no way of knowing, but she helped me tremendously. If I hadn''t remembered my daily life with Vanadium, there''s a chance I wouldn''t have been able to come back here, let alone have the ability to do so. And for that, I can only thank her. ''Now, let''s get back to the others. Yes. Alice and Vanadium, along with two others, went back to their friends. They met up with their friends waiting at the closed entrance, prying open the entrance with an ironclad bullet and stepping outside. ''Hey, by the look on your face, it looks like you''ve had a good harvest. And the three Neptunes who were waiting outside. The man, who was always smiling and smiling, smiled even more. ''Yeah, maybe no doubt, but I think I know what caused the entrance to close. Great, as always. So why do you keep closing it? I politely explained to Neptune the conditions that had been discovered. "You''ll have to backtrack further on the way home, won''t you? That''s a tough one for an indecisive guy. You tell me that? Lil''s shove flew in from behind him. He was still relentless in his rushing. ''I''m not an indecisive person. It''s just that I like you guys. "...... hmm. Lil turned away, but her face was red. Hmmm, that''s a hell of a high level of flirting, isn''t it? ''We''re pulling out for now,'' Really? Yeah, as long as the entrance doesn''t disappear, we''ll let everyone else do the rest. I think it''s great that you can stand down there. Now, if things change again, call me. Yes. Leaving this place to Neptune, we entered the dungeon and took the transporter gate back to the mansion. All of us returned to the mansion, in front of the transporter room. ''''Thank you for your help,'''' Emily labored over us with a warm smile. Even though she was one of the members of the team that went out, Emily worked us with a compassionate smile. ''Good job Emily, and good job everyone else. I didn''t do much. Yeah, yeah, and it was fun. Bolybolyboly ...... ballyhoo! I''m going to prepare a meal, and everyone else can rest until then. Oh, no. Let''s go out and eat. I rolled up my arms and stopped Emily as she was about to head to the kitchen. The fact that I was the first to be labored over when I got home made me want to labor over Emily, too. ''Are you sure?'' Yeah. Emily is sure to quickly and painlessly cook a lavish and delicious meal for everyone. That''s Emily. But just because she can do it painlessly doesn''t mean she can''t express her gratitude. I looked straight at Emily and insisted that we go outside. ''I''m with you.'' It''s nice to be outside once in a while. Whether they knew what was on our chest or not, Alice and Celeste gave me cover. Eve was the only one who said "the store with carrots," which she always did, but she was ...... on board with the story, so maybe she was paying attention to that. ''...... yes,'' I showed a little hesitation, but Emily smiled and nodded at me. This is how we ended up eating out. My friends went back to their rooms once. Emily said she was going to go get ready for an outing, not a battle, as she left her hammer behind. I walked out the front door, hand in hand with Vanadium, and waited for everyone to come in. Outside the vanadium dungeon, in the garden of the old mansion. When I got out there, I was puzzled by the change (...) "It''s ......, Something that flows into the head rapidly. The senses are so strongly stimulated that it gives me a headache of sorts. No, I don''t have a headache. It just feels like it might hurt (). As I was puzzled by the sensation, it slowly, slowly subsided. Then - something new unfolded. ''Is this ...... cyclo city?'' It was almost as if he could feel the structure of the dungeon, and the streets of Cyclo, in much the same way that he could feel the structure of the dungeon. 416. Signs of tremendous familiarity It was nighttime and a strong wind was blowing. As my companions and I walked down the road at night, heading towards Villadiche, I was checking my newly awakened powers. As I walked, I jotted down the map of the city that came to my mind in the notepad Celeste offered me. The image of the after-image after seeing the strong light was superimposed on the paper and then written down. After writing it all down, Alice looked into it. ''Wow, I can really tell,'' Would you rather know Alice? ''Yes!Because here. Alice pointed to the one empty spot on my map. It was only torn down yesterday. It''s not on any map and Lyota was busy, so you don''t know about it. Well, you''ve got an update. Rather, how do you know that? Celeste questioned. ''You walk Kel every day, right? Kel-chan - Cerberus. He''s a monster haggler called Cerberus, a girl who has become a unique monster and is now my family dog. ''You''ve been taking a walk?'' Yeah! He goes to Lyota''s village every day. I''m sure he gets enough exercise. So I wasn''t thinking about the walk. ''Chitty-chitty, that''s sweet, Lyota. What''s with the tone? I''ll smirk and poke at it in an oyakshoku way. ''A walk with your dog has nothing to do with a lack of exercise. Walking with your dog has a positive effect on your dog''s mental well-being. There was that weird way of saying it again, though. ''I see, so that''s how it works. It''s just the way it is. I think so, too. From the side, Emily agreed with Alice. ''Do you want to go for a walk, even if it''s right after you come back from Yoda''s village?They get very excited when I ask them if they are interested. It''s not their bodies, it''s their minds. I see. ''Back to the point, it turns out that this is the latest, current map of the city that Lyota wrote, but the only thing I can see is the city? Yeah, just the city. I nodded towards Celeste, who organized the conversation. ''Can Alice write out a map like this, too? Can you do that? What about the monster? I can write well. Yeah. I guess I don''t recognize the monsters. But there aren''t any monsters in town, so that''s when I was in the dungeon. No, it''s not. What? There''s something wrong with the house. Look at the house. Alice pointed to the spot on my map where the house is supposed to be. ''There''s a slime haggler here. Really? ''Yeah. I don''t know if they''re still around today, but ...... there are quite a few hagglers with owners in the first place, right? That''s what I thought. From the beginning, there were people who had hagrems. That increased more and more after I got Cerberus. Cyclo is a pretty big city, and a human with a haglemono can''t fit in the fingers of both hands. ''Yeah, I still don''t get it.'' We''ll see, won''t we? Yeah. In the meantime, we arrived at the familiar tavern, Villadiche. We went in and had a party and a good time as usual at our usual table. I''m on my way home, feeling tipsy. All my buddies are fluffy in their steps and Vanadium is sleeping soundly on my back. My friends are all smiling. Emily, Celeste, and Alice are all smiling. Even Eve, who has been chewing on a carrot by herself since we left the store, seems to have enjoyed it somehow. When I was in my former world, I hated drinking parties because my boss''s lectures & bragging rights were so annoying, so I didn''t realize how much fun it was to drink with people who were on the same page. ''Hey, neeee Ryota,'' What? Can you feel this? Alice came smiling and came over and summoned and changed Honehone into her original form. A skeleton that was original in size, but deformed and lovable. It stood in front of me, facing backwards and walking at the same speed as me. ''I see, so it''s a continuation of what we were talking about before we went into the shop. Yeah. They''re not like normal monsters, are they? ''''Sure, if you get knocked down, you can revive it right away, and you can go in and out of dungeons and cross tiers, right? Shit. I know what''s going on and I can tell the difference. Is that so? It''s like a regular monster is a red dot and everyone else is a blue dot? I see. It''s an understandable and unintelligible story. ''But yeah, I''ll try. I closed my eyes and focused my attention on my new ability. I closed my eyes because I could feel them more clearly when I did so than when they were open. If you open your eyes, you can see things through your eyes too, so your concentration is inevitably dispersed. So I closed my eyes and tried to do it with the image of copying a map onto the back of my retina. I didn''t feel a hint of a honk - but. ''Huh?'' What''s going on? I stopped. Alice and Honehone, who were talking, stopped first, and soon after, Emily, Celeste, and Eve, who I noticed, stopped and turned around as well. They all came together and said, "What''s up? He looked at me with a look of "I''m sorry. I was looking at the map through everyone''s figure. An uncomfortable feeling, like a small bone caught in my throat, and it''s slowly growing. ''The vacant lot from earlier,'' That''s it? They were being torn down yesterday? Yeah, there''s something in that vacant lot. What do you mean by "something"? I don''t know, but it''s something. Not a monster, but something very familiar. Could it be: carrots? Not at all. I chuckle. It shouldn''t be such a pinpoint perception. ''Let''s go to ......,'' Thinking for a moment, Celeste suggested. ''I''m curious about Lyota''s ''something very familiar'' All right, let''s go. Alice agreed with Celeste''s opinion first, and she was the first to walk away. Without any other objections, they all followed Alice''s lead. They circled around the night road and followed Alice''s lead. After a while, we saw an open clearing at the end of the road - and then we saw a clearing. ''''Look at that!'''' Suddenly, Celeste let out a loud cry. The impatient voice, when I looked into the clearing she was pointing at to see what was going on, I saw a fallen bonsai tree there, and the bonsai tree was in the midst of being hatched into a hagre-monster. A stone giant about ten meters long and wide in size and wide in width. ''''It''s a golem!'''' Oh, shit, I''m about to burst. I''ll stop! Celeste goes into a magic chant. At the same time, Eve also pounces on her with a carrot in her mouth, holding a bishitsu-aligned hand sword at the ready. Alice summons her fellow monsters all at once and first surrounds the golem, surrounding it so that the attack doesn''t cause any damage to the city. In the midst of all this, Emily, who left her weapon at home, approaches me. ''Yoda-san, is this what you felt?'' Not exactly. It was that, but it wasn''t that. What''s going on here? "I think it was strictly ''haggler''s about to hatch'', I closed my eyes for a moment, sensing a presence, and then answered Emily. There was no sign of the golem in front of her, but she could feel the residue. The sign that felt familiar was the sign of a haggler hatching. Perhaps it''s because I''m the best witness to the moment of the haggler''s hatching in this world. ...... I thought to myself. In the meantime, the three friends defeated the golem. It was pretty strong, but it felt like it was pushed aside by the three of them in a quick attack. Still, because of the rampage, the ground in the clearing was battered. ''''With Yoda-san''s strength, there was no damage to the surroundings. Emily said, and Alice came back. ''What? You''re noticing that it''s this guy?That''s great, Ryota. There''s a difference, though. I chuckle and explain to my friends when they come back. I explain to them that it''s not Hagremonog itself, but a hint of the moment it hatches. And Alice says. "That''s getting more and more amazing! His eyes lit up. 417. Carbon sign The new mansion--the basement level of the Vanadium Dungeon, a hall that resembles a former basement. I was standing alone in the center of the hall, expanding my consciousness. Surrounding me - one of the signs I''m feeling swells up. I hold the gun I''ve already pulled out and shoot a normal round at it. A bullet that cuts through the air and flies through the air. A pong on its trajectory, and a haggler hatches. Slime. The monster in the first basement floor of Telluride John, the first monster I defeated, and the one I have a special place in my heart for. The slime, which is always ripped out for some kind of test, was shot out by a normal bullet as soon as it hatched. I look around. I''m the center of a circle of sprouts within the distance of the hagremonos hatching. The current slime also hatched from one of them. This time I gently close my eyelids. I caught a sign in the darkness. Unlike the slime from earlier, the atmosphere swelled at the same time. The sprouts you placed at the same time are about to hatch (...) one after another. I read the order in which they are hatching from the size of the signs, and I follow that order with my eyes closed, shooting normal bullets into them. Looks like a random shot, actually a sniper of the hatching order. When I opened my eyes, there wasn''t a single slime in sight, and the normal bullets from the haglemono slime drops were lying where the original sprouts were. ''Awesome, Lyota,'' Alice appeared with a crackle and a clap of her hands. With her fellow monsters on her shoulders, she walks in with a marveled look on her face and comes to my side. ''I was watching you.'' ''Yes!The timing was perfect. Almost as soon as I got to the haggle, I couldn''t do anything about it and it just shot out of there. Not only do I know where it was, I know the timing. Yeah, I think I get it. That''s great. Hey, guys, what do you see? Yeah, ...... traffic lights, I guess. A signal? I knew you couldn''t tell, or there wouldn''t be any traffic lights in this world. I decided to go into more detail. It''s kind of like everything has a signal. Blue is okay, yellow is almost dangerous. When it turns red, it''s like it never stops turning into something bad. Heh. Well, it''s a bit of a mixed bag at the moment, because it''s hard to know if it''s going to be of any use to you if it''s a haggle. Oh, come on. You''re doing great as you are. And you know what? And? With Lyota, I''m sure its power will only grow, or Lyota will come up with a really good use for it. Thank you. I was comfortable with Alice''s trust. I had originally intended to do so, but I was getting more and more inclined to do so. I was going to think of a better way to use this ability, I thought. Cyclodungeon Association, President''s Office. I was invited in, and I was facing the president''s cell. As soon as I sat down, Cell bowed lightly. ''I''ve been informed, thanks to Satou-sama, that the carbon crisis has been resolved. Yeah. Not only that, they''ve found out why. But the entrance has remained open ever since. That''s good to hear. I''ve been listening to the details. It was something that no one but Sato-sama could have solved. That''s one word for it. If it weren''t for Sato-sama, Cyclo would have been torn apart. That''s an exaggeration. I chuckled. For some reason, Cell, who''s making me sound like a believer, has an exaggeration in every word. ''No matter,'' But Cell shook his head clearly. ''If you imagine the worst-case scenario, that adventurer could have been wiped out when we were first trapped. That''s ...... right. In fact, that possibility was very high. Considering how I got this power(,) and how I got this power (,), that was a "lock me up until I die" kind of thing. I could sense that kind of awareness from the movement of the dungeon. ''As you know, there were a lot of star owners this time. There were a lot of leaders of each family. When they all disappeared at once-- Yeah, big deal. Somehow I imagined a situation where all the middle managers in the company were gone at once. It would definitely create a huge mess. Satou-sama, who prevented that from happening, is a literal savior. That''s why I said no. I could say that clearly this time. There will be some confusion, but not enough to call me a savior for that. Cell is still a cell, after all, and there''s a bit of a ''believer'' in it for nothing. ''''So, I need to talk to Satou-sama about something. "Consult? I would like permission to install a sign at the entrance to Carbon. A sign? A sign to publicize the ban on carbon and the rules that Master Sato has clarified for us. You don''t need to ask me about that. My instincts whispered, "Wait. That''s exactly what it is, "You don''t need to ask me that. Like the fact that Cell is the head of the dungeon society, he doesn''t need my permission to set that up. And yet you asked me. They came to ask for my permission. A pawn. As soon as those words crossed my mind, something popped into my mind. ''Hey, what kind of sign is that?'' ...... Cell didn''t answer, but looked away. That convinced me. ''You made it again, man.'' You know, I don''t know what you''re talking about. Something fell out of the bosom of my impatient, upset cell. It was my figure that fell to the floor with a thump. It''s a figure of me that Cell always makes. It''s a three-dimensional figure of me attacking Carbon. I pick it up and stare at it. Then, on the base of the figure, there was a pea-sized piece of writing on the base of the figure. ''The sign is tiny!'' Jeez, the real thing will be life-size, one-sixth scale, and the sign will be six times that size. ''It''s still small!It''s not a note in the contract. No one''s going to read it if it''s this small. But any louder than this and it will hamper Satou-sama''s courage. You''re losing your mind! Totally, he''d be a pretty fine person if it weren''t for places like this (): ....... Anyway, I don''t care about the statue, the sign should be twice as big as this one, or at least three times as big. As it is, it''s the size of a ''don''t pay attention''. Cell reluctantly accepted it, just say this and you''ll be fine. ''Satou-sama,'' Suddenly, Cell calls my name. I look at him again to see what''s going on, and I''m surprised to see that he has a very straight face for a change. ''Thank you,'' Finally, thank you for a straight face. It caught me off guard and I thought it was a bit unfair. 418. Further growth The next afternoon, after a morning visit to Prumbum''s place, I took Vanadium into town with me. We sat on the terrace of a street-corner caf, slowly sipping our coffee and watching the scene before us. Rather, it''s more of a training exercise. I thought that this ability to know the degree of progress - this ability to see the degree of haggling that has a precedent, Alice, could be improved if I trained. So I went out into the city and observed the progression of random people and the things they were affected by. If it''s best, I''ll narrow down my senses to cover the entire cyclo area and see only what I can see in front of me. That one isn''t progressing at all, this one is progressing a bit. As the owner of the grocery store goes back and forth in the store to serve customers, the degree of the safe behind the counter increases and decreases. Maybe it''s partly because I''ve narrowed down my senses, but gradually, I''ve come to understand the changes in attitudes in detail. At first there were three levels. In my senses, there were three stages like a traffic light, red, blue and yellow. Every time I looked at it, I gradually became able to recognize the change in detail, and now I can recognize it in about 100 steps, or percentages. The clothes of the passers-by who pass in front of me are 100%. The cup of coffee I ordered and the plate of cake that Vanadium is enjoying eating go back and forth between 100% and 99%, depending on whether I touch it or not. Two things I''ve learned since I''ve been able to see that much detail. First of all, it doesn''t affect whether or not it becomes a haggler, but there is a slight difference between humans touching it and not touching it. If you touch it, it goes back to 100%, but if you don''t touch it and leave it nearby, it only goes back to 99%. And one more thing, this one has a little bit to do with becoming a haggler. The ones that get away from people and gradually drop in percentage will recover when people approach or touch them again, but not all at once to 100%. It''s like a gradual, gradual recovery, just like charging your phone. By the way, it recovers faster when you touch it directly, and a little slower when you are near it. I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to get it right. I''ve been a victim of the Hagremonos several times. Almost everything I''ve seen has been stable in percentage terms. Some of them decrease and recover, but in the long run - in units of an hour or so - the percentages are not decreasing and are stable. In a world where everything is dropped from the dungeon, if there are no people, you''ll go back to haggle things - you''ll go back to being a monster. And don''t let that happen. Houses are made that way, things are put that way, people live that way. I could see even more clearly with my new ability, and this world became more and more interesting to me. Suddenly, I felt a presence approaching from behind me. I turned around with a flash and saw Emily and Cerberus. ''It''s Emily and the others. Taking a walk? ''Yes, sir. But I was surprised. Did you see us coming? Yeah, or rather, Hagremonos - I felt a hint of Cerberus. Is it mine, master? Yeah. Nodding, I nodded and patted the Cerberus. Its size is unstandardized, but its form and pretensions remain the same as a dog''s. His gestures of delight at being petted are also intact. On the other hand, Emily, who is holding the leash, thinks for a moment and asks with a surprised look on her face, "Yoda-san, Hagremonos? ''Yoda-san, have you learned to understand the haggle?'' ...... It was the first time I''d noticed it, too, when he pointed it out to me. ''Well, I only knew about it when I was a golem or until it hatched. ''Yes, sir. It''s great again! Emily blessed me with an angelic smile. I don''t know when it happened, maybe, but it was around the time I started to understand the percentages. I expanded my senses from before my eyes to a wide area - the entire Cyclo area. Then I began to understand the existence of haggledy things in various places, which I couldn''t before. Yes, I can tell. All the haguramono in the cyclone. It''s amazing! I guess all that practice wasn''t for nothing. Anyway, Emily, did you do some shopping while you were at it? I look at Emily''s hand. The hand opposite the one holding the lead is lowering the shopping bag. ''Yes, sir, we''re shopping for dinner. Thanks to little Cerberus, I got some good meat. Cerberus? I chose something that smelled good. Cerberus replies, I see, a doggie''s sense of smell. I lean forward and look in my shopping bag. ''A grocery store, then a butcher, then a grocery store, in that order. What? How can you tell? Emily is surprised again. I told her about my sense of percentages and how my recovery wasn''t going to be maxed out all at once, it was going to be gradual. ''So I looked at my recovery levels and it was veggies, meat, veggies,'' ''I see. I think that sounds like a very useful power. Well, let''s figure out what to do with it. Well. I got up. I reached out to Vanadium, who was finishing his cake and looking bored, and Vanadium took my hand. ''Shopping, I''ll come with you.'' Yes, sir! I walk alongside a happy Emily, who looks happy to see me. I hold hands with Vanadium and Emily takes the lead on Cerberus. An ideal family holiday, it feels like. All the while, I''m chatting with Emily, watching my surroundings carefully. Because I''m trying to nurture my growing abilities, more of them. Suddenly, I saw something that caught my attention and stopped me in my tracks. After going a bit further, Emily noticed me and stopped and turned around as well. ''What''s wrong, Yoda?'' That meat: "That meat: ...... I pointed to a delicious looking hunk of meat in the butcher''s showcase. It''s stuck at 50% and hasn''t recovered from that, despite the butcher''s owner being around the whole time. He''s stuck on the floor at 50%. ''Oh, visitor, this is it, your eyes are high.'' Noticing our gaze, the owner of the butcher shop spoke to me with a sales smile on his face. ''Is it a special kind of meat?'' Yes. It''s an extremely rare, five-turned-aged meat that just arrived today. Five turns of life come in about once a year. Would you like me to wrap it up for you? ''Did you get it from this one?That''s great, Mr. Yoda. Smiling back at the smiling Emily, I wondered what this was all about. 419. Bicorn horn +9 Terdungeon, basement level. I came here with Vanadium, and Alice and Eve. A dungeon I''ve been going to for a long time, I have a good grasp of the structure. We came to a cul-de-sac at the far end of the floor, where there were no monsters, and where no one would normally come. On the way, I caught one of the sleeping slimes with a straitjacket and brought it with me. ''''Then Alice, please.'''' Yeah, I''m on it. Put the sleeping slime at the far end of the cul-de-sac and leave. ''Hone hone, pull.'' Alice called out her name and pointed at the sleeping slime with a bleep. Immediately after, two monsters jumped out of its shoulder. A skeleton honehone and a slime pull. The two adorable bodies went towards the sleeping slime and struck it with a octopus. In no time at all, the sleeping slime was defeated and one of the carrots there dropped. With the carrot in its place, Hone Honehone and Pulle pulled up and came back. I stared at that carrot. The carrot that got away from us, the carrot, in my eyes, seems to decrease to 99%, 98%, 97%....... At the same time it reached 0%, a sleeping slime hatched from the carrot. Alice. ''Yes!Both of you, again! At Alice''s command, Hone Honehonen and Pru-Pru, who were heading towards him while giving off a somewhat hijinks feeling. There were no restraining bullets this time, but I still easily beat them with a octopus strike. Then the carrot dropped again. ''Pick it up and come back. Alice went and came back carrying a carrot with a hone hone and a puller like eh-eh-eh-eh. Alice takes them and shows them to me. ''Well?'' Yeah, 90%. I''m not going any further. Yeah. Yves, how does it taste? Alice goes straight to hand the carrot to Eve, who is waiting for it. Eve takes it and says, "Bally! Whenever I hear this, I want to say "No, you won''t," and I start biting into the carrot. It''s kind of tasty. I see. Well, it''s pretty obvious. Alice smiled and shrugged her shoulders a little bit. There''s a reason why I, who came here to test the reincarnation of drop items, asked Alice and Eve to help me. Alice is a dungeon-born special ability, and unlike her actual status, she can see "when to drop", so her quality is so-so, but her drop rate is almost a hundred percent. A hundred percent is easy to test, and if the quality is there, it''s easy to see if it''s increased. And to see if the quality went up, I asked Yves, the carrot sommelier, who never compromises on carrots at all. If this was me, I don''t think it would have worked out as subtly as it did. It reminds me of the New Year''s specials I used to watch every year before I came here. There''s one thing I keep thinking about after watching that. You can clearly see the difference between a $498 and $5,000 wine, but I don''t think there''s much difference between a $5,000 wine and a $100,000 wine. That''s what I meant by that, and I asked Alice for a 100% drop with a decent quality there. Let''s try some more. Yeah! Go get another sleeping slime and lock it in a cul-de-sac. Defeat it, hatch it, defeat it - and repeat. That made it clear. In the same way that the aged meat I saw in the city for the fifth incarnation is 50%, every time a carrot is reincarnated once, the maximum haggler degree (a number only I can see, so I tentatively named it) drops by 10%. On the fourth incarnation, Alice raised her voice when she saw the sleeping slime that had hatched. ''''Ah.'''' What''s going on? I don''t know, I can''t even catch the drop. ...... Has the slot turnover gone over the limit? I''ve been thinking about it since I first heard it. Alice''s that is like pushing the eye of the slot, so to speak. Even with Alice''s ability, it''s just barely four times, so it''s no wonder that five times reincarnated aged meat would be ''about once a year''. It might be as low as the odds of a normal adventurer meeting a spirit. ''Don''t worry, I expected that. I''ll take over the rest. I''m sorry. Okay. Oh, and I''m getting stronger by the way. Really? I pull out my gun and shoot the sleeping slime with regular bullets. Well, you''ll understand when you see it in action. When I pointed the gun at it, it reacted a little faster than the normal sleeping slime. Still, it''s only a sleeping slime, and I quickly fixed it and shot it out. Carrots are dropped, reincarnated five times. ''Oh, that''s great, Ryota. Let''s keep going. After declaring it, the carrot is reincarnated repeatedly. Five times, six times, seven times, eight times, nine times. With a drop S, I''m spinning a slot where everything is hit, so to speak, and I made nine reincarnated carrots without difficulty. The haggle degree was 10% as expected, and since I beat it at a long distance, it started to dwindle quickly, so I hurriedly approached it and picked it up. ''''10% or ...... what happens if I go again?'''' Let''s do it. I nodded and put the carrot back in its place and waited for it to become a haglemono. A carrot with a haglemono degree of 10% in nine reincarnations, immediately hatched into a sleeping slime. I shot it out and let it drop - the moment. The carrots were visible for a moment and then immediately turned into sleeping slime. ''Zero percent, huh?'' Zero percent. Me and Alice nodded at each other when we saw that. This is one of the patterns we had expected. So me and Alice both nodded in agreement. ''Carrots......'' Eve looked a bit wistful. What I could see for a moment was a phantom ten-turned carrot. I raise my gun again and take out my pouch. This pouch has the ability to suck items into this pouch the moment it is dropped. With it, I shoot the sleeping slime through it. After the sleeping slime was defeated and the carrot was visible for a moment, the pouch bulged. There was a carrot. I took it out. ''''Well?'''' Zero percent, that''s one percent. The moment I took it out, the carrot of the 10th or 11th incarnation, which was 0% the moment I took it out, went from 0% at the beginning to 1% while I had it. But it doesn''t grow beyond 1%. It stays at 1. That''s the best you can do. Yeah. "Low level, carrots for rabbits. It''s true. It''s true. Here. I hold out the carrot. I don''t want to go through a period where I don''t touch it for even a second, so I make sure Eve receives it before I let it go. Eve immediately nibbles on the carrot--. ''Wow!What''s up, Eve, you''re crying like crazy with a straight face. ...... low level. Yeah? ''Rabbit, I''m going to be a low-level kid. Was it that good? ''You can do what you want with the rabbit, more carrots. It''s really good. I guess. Well, now we know almost everything. The approximate specifications of the degree of haggling. I wondered if I could make use of this in any way, and reloaded the amount of normal ammunition I had just fired. Hmm. What''s going on? No, these bullets, there aren''t many, but some of them are 90%. ''Heh ...... Oh, you do Lyota sometimes, you do it from a bullet and back to slime and then another bullet.'' Yeah, yeah, yeah. If you ask me, I''ve certainly done that. In the very early days. I haven''t done it since then because there''s no need to, so I haven''t done it at all, but I guess it''s a remnant of those days. Well, it doesn''t matter if you know--" "Will this bullet get better? Is this bullet going to be better? Why don''t you shoot it and find out? That too. Two pistols, both loaded with conventional rounds. One is 100% normal ammo with 100% haggling, and the other is 90% (,) normal ammo with one change. When you shoot those two bullets at the wall at the same time. Yeah, it''s a little strong. It''s really subtle. ''This is ...... not enough to bother with. It''s consumable and given the hassle. Yeah. Oh, but... Alice remembered something and whispered an earful to me. ''Oh,'' Alice''s suggestion was very appealing. Stars Saloon at night, in front of everyone gathered. Celeste used two bicorn horns at the same time to shoot a ball of fire. One launched the usual ball of fire - and then the other, launched a little later, was so big that it swallowed the first ball of fire. Celeste looked at her, and her fellow gallery members were subtly impressed, "Oh. ''''Su, wow. Lyota, this is amazing! Celeste was surprised to the extent that she was piddling with the bicorn horn I gave her - the one with the nine reincarnations. Expendable bullets are useless if you think about the hassle, but the bicorn horn is different. The nine reincarnations I made at Alice''s suggestion - no. With the Bicorn Horn + 9 and the item with that name that came to mind, Celeste became even stronger. 420. Gorilla gun +10 You don''t feel any different?You know, like there''s something wrong with it when you use it. Yes, ....... Celeste tried holding and changing the bicorn horn +9 in different hands, which I handed to her, like a clomping cue. ''Nothing. It''s exactly the same as the original, including when I used it earlier. Well, that''s good news. Just so you know, it takes a little less time for them to hatch, so just be careful with that. ''Yes, I know. You''re fast (), the reincarnated ones. Me nodding. What I''m seeing is an indication of 10%, but it seems to be a known fact that items that are reincarnated tend to be haggled over. It''s a great idea. That''s right, hey, hey, Aucchan. Can you make reincarnations with your own items? Impressed, Alice turned to Aulum. ''I''ve never done it. Gold is gold anyway, right?'' That''s right: ......, so you''re a Melanie too? The body of Melamera-Phosphorus on Alice''s shoulder flickered. ''I see.'' Alice is disappointed and convinced. I don''t know what Melamela''s reply will be, but the content is easy to predict. Fosforus, a dungeon that drops cash when you kill a monster. Like the gold-dropping Aulum, reincarnation doesn''t make anything better. 10,000 Piro notes are 10,000 Piro, even if you reincarnate. If you want, even if the number increases with reincarnation, then the 100% non-reincarnated bills are a hundred times easier to use. Nihonium can be found at ....... I tried to talk to her about it. ''None. And it doesn''t drop to begin with. Yeah, of course. The vanadium... ......? Vanadium on my lap nodded his head a bit. I don''t think he understands what I''m talking about. Oh well. ''Oh my God. There are four spirits in my house and they''re all exceptions. Alice put her head in the air in an exaggerated way. It''s a good thing she can get away with a joke in these situations and the air doesn''t get too heavy. ''But if you think about it, there aren''t many places you can apply it. And Emily''s hammer. ''Yes, sir, this is a combination of several items. Haglemono is Frankenstein. Emily smiles slightly. A Frankenstein is a garbage haggle. And in this world, if a drop item is not "in its original form", it''s trash for classification purposes. Well, from a "world" perspective, it may be a different classification, but in a convenient human classification, trash is the most fitting. In other words, you can''t make an Emily Hammer + 9. ''''I don''t use weapons either, and neither does Evie. So the only thing left to do, Mr. Lyota. ''I''ve already thought about that. But bullets are expendable, so for the sake of time and effort, that would mean ....... Where''s your gun? What? Guns. ...... I poof, and my mouth opened wide like an idiot. ''...... Oh, right, a gun.'' ''Yeah, that''s the one that''s still in the drop, isn''t it?'' Yeah. Do you want to try it? It''s coming. I ran out of the salon and into my workshop, which I had built to resemble a former basement. Everyone waited in the saloon. My friends were there, and since I was in my own dungeon, the vanadium didn''t follow me. I would come to the workshop by myself and put the gun in the middle of the room. Then I move away and wait. A few moments later, that gorilla haggle that once half destroyed Cyclo hatched. "Repetition! I defeated it quickly and the gun dropped from the gorilla. The gun''s haglemono degree started at 90%--the gun +1. The +1 went from 90% to 0% and hatched into a haglemono. I defeated it with a fast repetition, and it became a gun +2 with an 80% haglemono degree start. I repeated it, endlessly. Finally, it became a +9 gun with a 10% start, the same +9 that I gave to Celeste. That''s it, I thought, I''ll pick it up and try it - and that''s when I thought. I stopped myself. I gave Celeste the +9, and the bicorn horn she uses is a little bit away from my hand. When she does an all-range attack with string manipulation, it leaves her hand, so a +10 of 0% is useless. But I''m not. I always have the gun with me. I keep it in my grip when I use it, and when I''m not using it, I keep it in my Grand Eater''s pocket and keep it under my skin. Besides, if it ever hatches, I can handle it myself with repetition. ...... yeah. My stomach is set. I stop dead in my tracks and take out my pouch. With little pause, I take out the haglemono gorilla that hatched from 10% to 0% with a repetition. The drop is sucked into the pouch. Just barely 1% remains, a gun +10. I load it with normal ammunition and shoot it appropriately--dogon''t! Just a regular bullet made an incredibly large hole in the wall. ...... Oh. The gun +10 seems to be immensely powerful, even with just regular bullets. 421. The weakest ability and the strongest weapon The next day. I didn''t go out to the dungeon today and continued testing. By the way, ask Vanadium to do it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F (-7) MP F (-7) Force F (-7) Strength F (-7) Intelligence F (-7) Spirit F (-7) Speed F (-7) Dexterous F (-7) Luck F (-7) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant S (-7) Animals S (-7) Minerals S (-7) Magic S (-7) Characteristic S (-7) --------- ... I had my abilities reduced to their limits. To test the effectiveness of the gun, I lowered my abilities to the same level as when I came to this world. The one that went up in seed went down, and the drop S''s didn''t go down when I tried to lower them. With that in mind, I pile up the various drop items I''ve scavenged over the night in a pile, and then wait at a distance. I''ve lined up all of the monster drop items I''ve defeated so far - most of them except for the pumpkins. They were piled up in a messy pile, with a slight difference in the decrease in the degree of haggling. As well as the individual differences, the different things are decreasing at a different pace. In such a situation, the first thing to hatch into a haggler was a potato - parent and child slime. Parent and child slime. A monster consisting of one ''parent'' and several ''children''. Although it''s called ''parent and child'', it''s actually a ''group'' of slime that won''t drop unless the ''parent'' is defeated. The drop and hardness of that parent has the property that the more children are defeated, the higher the drop and hardness of that parent will be. Coincidentally, it hatched at the nicest time. First, wipe out the child slime with a series of shots. After that, I load the gun +10 with just regular bullets and shoot the parent slime that should have been hardened to the limit - it bounced. The hardest parent and child slime, which should never be able to be defeated by normal bullets, could be shot through with just one normal bullet. After that, he continued to defeat various monsters. Tellurian slime types, Nihonium''s undead types, Seren''s little devil types, and so on. I fired conventional bullets at every one of them that appeared, and I was able to defeat them all in one hit. In the end, even dungeon masters such as bicorn, grand eater, and sanatakia could be defeated in a single hit. ''''This gun with +10 is strong. It was so strong, I couldn''t help but chuckle. At the same time, I doubted the validity of the test. All in one blow, I couldn''t tell how strong I was. I don''t want to confirm that I''m strong, I want to figure out how strong I am. I want to know exactly how well the tools I have are performing. There''s a difference between being able to do that and not being able to do that, when something goes wrong, there''s a difference in your ability to respond. Is there any way to do that? Would you let Haglemono have a stone of absolute rock? Yes, it might be possible to ask Alice to do that. Alice''s fellow monsters that can be re-summoned even if they fall down, if we let them have the Stone of Absolute Rock and try it with their defenses raised--buggh! I felt an impact as if I had been hit hard on the side, and my eyes flickered in front of me. I turned around to see what was going on, but it was Neptune''s doppelganger. It''s the tricky one among monsters, the monster of Tennesin. I don''t know why it''s still Neptune, I don''t have time to think about it because it hit me while I was in a daze. First, I get back up. I fly backwards, paying off my hands to the side, and keep my distance. I pay it off with the hand that''s holding the gun, and the moment the gun hits Neptune - it melts. It''s the first time I''ve felt it since I came to this world. It doesn''t feel like a response. The moment the barrel of the gun hit me, it melted like butter. "...... I paused, dropped my gaze and stared at the gun. An imagination came into my head. Does the gun +10 not only augment the bullets it launches, but it also increases its own blunt force as a blunt instrument? Checking the response, hitting the wall with the barrel of the gun. Do you feel a little weaker than when you fired the bullet? This one seemed to be easier to test. 422. Closed room, restraint, alone I''ve hatched a new haggler, parent and child slime. I want to test it out, so I approach it and put one potato on the other side so that nothing else I''m preparing will hatch. Then I fire a restraining shot at the hatched parent-child slime with my gun +10 to stop it from moving. My ability is now reduced to all F. It''s a bit of an unacceptable figure for close combat with the gun itself. So I fired a straitjacket to stop the mother and child slime. I approached the restrained father and son slime and hit the "child" first with the barrel of the gun. It was as if there was no response, as if I hadn''t been able to punch the air, and I took down the child slime. As it is, he wipes out the child slime and makes the parent slime the hardest of all. Then I hit it with the barrel of the gun again - still no response. ''Feeling ...... a little hard?'' What a tweet, but I''m not sure that''s honestly true. I don''t have the words to reply when people say that I know the hardness of parents who have wiped out their children, so that just gives me the illusion of hardness. That''s about as subtle as it gets. This time, I returned the Arsenic Monster. I didn''t move, even though I was a haggler, so I hit it with my gun without strapping it. But I was still able to defeat it with a single blow, one that had no response. Well, but one thing is clear. From the response, it''s less offensive than shooting a bullet. I''m sure of that - maybe. We didn''t know what it was after all. Whenever I came to this world and got a new power, I always checked it so that I could figure out what it was capable of, but it was too strong to test. ...... meh, strong is good. If you can''t check it, there''s a way to use it if you can''t. I left the workshop and used the transporter room to jump to the first floor of the calcium dungeon. From there, I went out to Hashemi and came to the buyer''s shop, The Golden Tree. There were a lot of adventurers who had brought in their purchases, and the place was quite crowded with adventurers waiting to buy. In the midst of all this, Elsa, who had finished her last minute purchase, found me and came running with a flurry of activity. ''''Lyota-san!What''s going on? Elsa, the buyer-master who was coming towards me while calling my name, her actions naturally attracted the attention of the adventurers. ''''Ryota, is that Ryota Satou?'''' Not as bad as they say, eh?That move, that ability is an E or F average move. All the time. That''s why it''s great, right?The achievements are real, you know. While the adventurers were gossiping about me, I walked side by side with Elsa, and while heading to the back of the store, I announced my intention to come to her. ''I need you to order something for me. I''m on it!What do you need? Tuna, that''s two heads. Well, ...... that gorilla at the time, so it''s okay? Elsa, who was near me when I got my gun, asked, naturally associating me with that one. Behind the counter, into the back room of the store, Elsa turned her head and asked me. ''I can get it right away, but ...... what''s going on?What happened to the gun? It''s too strong. Too strong? As I smiled bitterly, Elsa tilted her head slightly in kyoton and asked me back. ''Yeah, it was a gun from ten reincarnations, it was too strong, it was a blow to everything. Isn''t that a good thing? Essentially. But I''m usually the one who studies how to fight in case something goes wrong, right? Yes, oh, you''re too dependent on it. That''s what I meant. The firepower of the gun +10 was producing almost the same effect as when he used the Repetition. A one-shot kill of anything, super firepower even if you hit it with the barrel of a gun, which is not how it was originally used. ''''Haha ...... That''s amazing, Ryota-san. I didn''t expect such a reason to not use it on the contrary because it''s so strong. It''s not completely unused. For example--I''m sorry. I said, and fired a straitjacket at Elsa with my gun +10. ''Straitjackets, you know,'' Yes, sir. Perhaps it was partly due to his trust in me, but he seemed unconcerned with being shot with a restraining round. ''......'' ...... ...... ......? ...... ...... Um, Mr. Lyota? Yes. Is this all you have? Yeah, is it time to find out? ''It''s about time. ...... Huh?Come to think of it, the effects keep coming. Yes. I nodded. That''s what I was feeling earlier with the father and son slime. The restraining time of the restraining bullets has clearly increased compared to when I shot them with a normal gun. ''''Like this, a recovery bullet or a restraint bullet. When testing, the more effective it is, the better, I use this one (+10). It''s all about how to use it. ''I see!All right. Tuna, I''ll get that for you in a minute. Please. ...... ...... ...... ...... Um, Mr. Lyota. How long will this last? Um, ....... I scratched my cheek, come to think of it, I don''t know the duration of the effect. When I was a father and son slime, I defeated them in the middle. The straitjacket, if you defeat the other monster, of course the effect will be there as well. That''s why I don''t know. ''''This isn''t something I can arrange. ''Right. Let''s see if we can''t rip it off ....... I grabbed Elsa''s shoulders with one hand and grabbed the restraints with the other, trying to rip them off. ''''Gugu-nu ...... puh-uh!No, it''s not going to budge. So, I was a Force F right now. I don''t know what to do. I just need a few more minutes... Hey, Elsa, what are you doing? Ena, the co-owner of The Golden Tree, came into the room and stopped moving when she saw us. She looked at me and Elsa in turn, comparing us. ''Secret room, alone with you, restraints. ............ hmm. What?What''s that supposed to mean, "Hmmm there"? Hey, hey, hey, Enna? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Enjoy. Ena winked at us and walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. No it wasn''t! After that, the duration of the effect of the straitjacket fired at +10 lasted for twenty minutes. That delicate length of time made our defense look like a "desperate B". 423. + 10W iron wall bullet At the front of the carbon dungeon, towards the closed entrance, I used my newly acquired gun to shoot W ironclad bullets at the four corners, forcing the entrance open. ''Phew, thank God,'' Thank you! We''re going through a rough patch. One by one, the adventurers trapped in the dungeon escaped. As I watch the escaping adventurers, they pass by a cautionary sign set up next to the dungeon''s entrance - a statue of me set up by Cell. The warning sign firmly states that the dungeon entrance will close if they turn back. And yet, when I woke up this morning, an adventurer swooped in and asked me for help. Did they make another rule?What a thought. That ...... Satou. Hmm? My name was called and I turned around. Three adventurers were facing me. The woman who spoke to me and the two men behind her. In terms of equipment, it''s like an orthodox party of three, with the woman being a wizard and the two men using swords for melee combat. ''Excuse me, maybe we''re ......'' Oops. I was about to talk to him to figure out what was going on, when he came over to me. ''Did you turn back?'' "Well, uh, ......, that ......, how do I say it? The female wizard turned around and looked to her two companions for help. ''Wouldn''t it be better if we talked from the beginning?'' Yeah, it''s probably a dungeon trap over there too. Yeah, right. After getting their advice, the female wizard turned to me again. ''Well, the magic cart was full, so I was going back. Yeah. ''So I was going up the stairs and suddenly I heard Carl''s voice behind me. I turned around and saw Carl tripping and falling on the bottom step. Is that why you got off? I look at the two men. Carl must be one of the two. Sure enough, it was, and one of the two men answered. ''No, I was in front of Meena at the time. Our backs were close enough to touch. Hmm?So, does that mean you were in front of ...... and then you fell behind ...... before you knew it? Yes. Carl said, and the three of them nodded one by one. ''I was lost for a moment, but then I thought, oh, this is a trap, so I ignored it and went up the stairs. Then Carl, who was rolling around behind me, disappeared. "Hmm. And now the wall is there. It''s right in front of us. The wall? Yeah, I was blocked in front of the stairs and I couldn''t go up. I thought maybe I shouldn''t have ignored Carl, so I took a step back and-- I heard screaming and yelling upstairs. After hearing the story, I nodded. The screams and shouts are probably the reaction of the adventurers who were nearby the moment the dungeon entrance closed. The reason it''s a mixture of anger is probably because it''s already been ''done'' so many times I don''t know how many times. ''Then I slipped through the wall and another adventurer came from above. It was only then that I realized that it was just a visible wall. A trick. The three of them nodded in unison. But ...... I see. Now we know the story. You''ve been caught in a double-strung trap. I feel like I would have fallen for it too if I were in the same situation, and I''m sure other adventurers would have fallen for it too. I understand that I can''t blame the three of them in general. ''I understand the situation. Don''t worry too much about it. Thank you. I''m sorry, I''ll be more careful next time. I''m not falling for it. The three of them said and slipped away from the place. I looked at the open exit. Once the W Ironclad Bullets are coming out of the open exit, all adventurers are coming out to leave. Once closed, the carbon dungeon would remain closed until they all came out. Getting everyone out once to put it back together is a way of dealing with the experience of being closed a few times so far. ''Well,'' The W ironclad bullets are about to disappear, I rush closer, trying to shoot additional bullets. I stick my hand out to stop him and hold the gun up. The adventurer, who was just about to come out, stopped across the doorway with a smile on his face, as if he''d seen me do it before, and waited for me to take care of him. Suddenly, I get a flash of inspiration. I pull out only the W-barrel from my gun and tuck it into my grand-eater''s pocket, taking out the gun +10 instead. I load the W ironclad bullets into it and shoot. W ironclad bullets that shoot into the four corners of the entrance, it kept the entrance. Seeing that the process was over, the adventurers came out. One by one the adventurers escaped, and when they were the last one out, the entrance returned to its original state. The W iron wall bullets didn''t disappear, but remained in the four corners of the entrance. I stood there and stared as the adventurers returned to the back of the carbon one by one, while I stood there and stared. The W Iron Wall Bullet reduced the distance and increased the duration of the effect. If you shoot it with even more +10, you can shoot it with ......? I waited, I stared. The bullet was still there, and it showed no sign of disappearing. They waited until nightfall, but they continued to remain, and according to an adventurer I knew who asked me to observe them, they didn''t disappear until the next morning. It was an entire day of existence. 424. Clue I guess we''ll just have to let Satou-sama do something about it. The table of the carbon dungeon. Cell, the president of the Cyclo Dungeon Association, who came after hearing our story, said as he peered into the dungeon from the entrance. The entrance to Carbon has been restored, but since a new problem has been discovered, the veteran adventurers of the search pulled out of the dungeon again and watched Cell and I from a distance. ''Well, if we don''t do something about it soon, everyone won''t be able to earn money without worrying about it. It''s going to be a problem for everyone in the city. The dungeons of this world are lifelines. Not to mention rice, vegetables, meat and other commodities. At the end of the day, air and water are all made up of dungeon drops. If you let people play dungeons for no reason, the lives of the people living in this world will be squeezed for that amount of money. In order to prevent that from happening, we must capture this carbon as soon as possible. ''But what a nasty dungeon it is. ''That''s mean or ......, which is a nice way of putting it. ''Thanks to Satou-sama, I''ve gotten to know Tennesin in depth. I suppose the spirit''s character must be strongly involved here as well. That guess is ...... yeah, you''re probably right. Tenesin. In a word, he''s a lonely spirit, but he''s a tsundere spirit who won''t admit it. There was a gimmick in the Tenesin dungeon that trapped people who entered the dungeon and prevented them from leaving because of their loneliness and pining for people. When I found out about it, I suggested that we build a small village in each level of the Tennesin dungeon, and I asked Cell to do it. Tsundere Tennesin said, "Hmph!You''re all over the place, you''re a pain in the ass! But the look on his face when he said that is exactly the same as that of a grandfather dealing with his grandchildren. That''s partly why Tennesin is so crowded right now, and spirits and people coexist well together. The same goes for the others. Nihonium, Vanadium, and then Arsenic, if you think about it. The character of the spirits has a great deal to do with the characteristics of the dungeon. If you turn back further on your return journey, the exit is blocked, and there are a number of deceptions (,) to guide you through it. Without a doubt, the spirit''s will and character are strongly reflected in it. ''''If that''s the case, it''s now only in Satou-sama''s hands. I''ll take care of it. With that, I entered the carbon dungeon by myself. Vanadium is in the mansion - the Vanadium Dungeon. A magical storm is brewing today. Since Celeste is resting in the mansion, I''ve left Vanadium in charge of her. Vanadium is slowly opening up to me. If it''s with my companions, I''ve become okay with being with them. It''s been a while since I''ve explored a dungeon by myself, and I slowly make my way through the dungeon while thinking. When a monster appears, I defeat it before it finishes transforming. The entrance to the dungeon is blocked, and there are two steps you can take to resolve this situation. One, of course, is to meet the spirit. Most of the things I''ve done so far have been solved by meeting a genie. It doesn''t have to be a solution, but if you meet the person, you''ll get a clue. But that''s not so easy to do right now. It would be quicker if they summoned me like the wistful Tennessee, but there is no sign of that happening at the moment. You would normally do it by going to the lowest level, but Carbon is a huge dungeon with more than 100 floors. It''s a huge dungeon with over 100 floors. Considering how hard it is to get to the bottom, you''ll have to put it off. The other thing you have to do is find clues from the moment the dungeon entrance closes. This can be done between the first and second floors. In that order, I''ll start with this one. I came to the stairs that lead down to the second floor and went down to the second floor normally first. Then I return the kibisu and go up the stairs, stopping in the middle. This is where we start. If I turn myself around here, the entrance will close. I take out my vanadium bullets and pack two accelerator rounds. I fire a W acceleration round at myself. Beyond the acceleration, I enter a world where time is almost at a standstill. Then I turn myself around and step down a level. ''Mwah.'' I felt a new ability, a radar-like ability to see the structure of the dungeon. Now, in this moment. That the entrance had been closed again. It was a moment, really. In a blink of an eye, even in a world where time seemed to have almost stopped, the entrance had closed in a blink of an eye. I walked up the stairs and turned back to the entrance in the shortest possible distance. The entrance was closed in a stunning way. Other than that, there was nothing else. Nothing unusual. I guess I''ll just have to go to the lowest level after all and actually meet the spirits. So I waited for my W accelerator to run out of time, fired the iron wall bullets to open the entrance, and then went outside to reset the dungeon. When I was about to go back in, I saw that the regular bullets had disappeared. "...... Regular ironclad bullets disappear quickly. W ironclad bullets will last for a while. And remember. If you shoot more W ironclad bullets with the gun +10, they will last for a day. I''m in the carbon again, coming to the stairs in a straight line. I go downstairs and then pull back to the middle of the stairs. Then I shoot the W-accelerated round at myself with the gun +10. ''Whoa?'' I can see it clearly for myself, or I should say I can see it clearly because I shot at myself. No, it''s completely different. Even more so than the W-accelerated bullets. I just turned back. "Whoa! The radar in my head grabbed that the entrance wasn''t closed. I went down to the second floor and it didn''t close, I went back down to the first floor and then further down to the second floor and it didn''t close. ''This is ......,'' I ran up to the first floor and turned back to the entrance in the shortest possible distance. Then I see the entrance left open and a glowing vortex appearing diagonally above it. A moment later, the acceleration ends. The glowing vortex disappeared and the entrance closed. ''I''ve found it. I gave a small gut punch. 425. Two-stage acceleration Pry open the entrance with an iron wall bullet, and once you''re outside, reset the dungeon. Then immediately enter the dungeon again, kill the monsters on the way with Repetition and go down to the basement level again. Take a deep breath there. From here, it''s all about speed. The +10W accelerated bullets can stop time more completely compared to just accelerated bullets, but their effect time is shorter. Just a moment ago, the effect time expired right after I turned back to the entrance and arrived there, and the light vortex disappeared. You have to think about the fact that you have to counteract the light vortex as well, and you have to move briskly, or rather at full speed. So I took a deep breath, stretched, snapped my finger bones, and concentrated on - seriously - the real thing. ...... Okay. I load the +10 gun with W-accelerated bullets and shoot at myself. The air stops - time stops. I ritually walk up and down the stairs on the spot, ceremoniously fulfilling the conditions for the entrance to close, and then run up to the entrance at full speed. With a little bit of time to spare, I came back, the light vortex was properly there. I jumped straight into the vortex of light. A dazzling light enveloped my entire body. I hold my hands in front of my eyes and turn my face away. And the effect of the bullets wears off. ''''Eh--'''' I heard someone''s voice - a moment. My eyes were enveloped in more light. When the light subsided - to my surprise, I was outside the dungeon. I looked around. The adventurers looking at me from afar, and the statue of me sitting at the entrance of the dungeon. Definitely, right outside the carbon dungeon. ''What''s the matter, Master Satou?'' Then Cell, who was here again, spoke to me quizzically. ''The spirits have thrown me out.'' We''re getting there fast. That''s good. I got kicked out. He replied with a bitter smile. That voice, probably the spirit of the Carbon Dungeon, is definitely Carbon. Then that room over there through the light vortex is the spirit''s room. It''s the opposite of Tennesin. Tennesin invited me in, but Carbon kicked me out without a second thought. ''What are we going to do?'' I''ll be back. I entered the carbon dungeon and jumped into the transporter gate I''d put on a short distance away. Thanks to the transfer gate, I was back at the mansion (Vanadium) in an instant. As it was, I designated the destination to the transfer gate - Carbon''s spirit room. The transporter gate was activated. It was only for a moment, but the bookmarking still seemed to be successful. I jumped into the transporter gate. ''''Eek!I''m persistent! The next thing I knew, I was sent out of the carbon dungeon again. I put my hand to my chin and thought about it. Cell didn''t speak to me, probably because he saw that I was in my thoughts. It was a little bit of trouble. That he had used the transfer gate. At that moment, I could hear the other person''s voice all the way through, and then I was sent outside. That''s a momentary reprieve, unlike forcing the entrance to close. But even that reprieve is more than the normal me - speed SS. I''m not very good at it, but I can''t make it happen. And even if you want to shoot an accelerator round at yourself, it''s too fast to get there in time. "Let''s try to force ...... to do it. I enter the dungeon and head back to the basement level again, making plans. I use the same +10W acceleration round as before to run to the entrance and jump into the vortex of light. After that, I fire more accelerator rounds at myself, dodging as many as I can to duck the spirits'' eviction. It''s faster than the speed SS, but it''s not an overwhelming difference. It feels like an action game that asks for a tenth of a second of control, but it feels like you can do it after a few tries. The problem is that if you do it too many times, they''re likely to come up with something new: ...... Well, you''ll have to wait and see. Hungry, go to the carbon basement level again. Make a W-accelerated bullet with vanadium bullets and prepare a +10. Review the procedure. Enter with a +10W accelerator round, then add an accelerator round as soon as the effect time expires to avoid it. Combined with the short effect of the +10W accelerator round, I have to go more and more into concentration. I took a deep breath, straightened the joints in my shoulders and elbows, and thrust the muzzle of the gun at myself, trying to go for it. ''''--!'''' A moment later, a possibility flashed in my mind. I somehow fired a conventional round. The bullet flew straight at me and slammed into the wall. Then I fired a W-acceleration round at myself with my normal gun. He made another W-acceleration round and shot himself with the +10 gun. Then he shot again with his normal bullet. The bullets didn''t pop out, I expected them to, so I slowly pulled the gun back and the normal bullets stopped in mid-air. Due to the effect of the +10W accelerated bullets, the normal bullets stopped completely. After a while, the effect of the time stop wore off. Then, the normal bullets began to move sluggishly. It''s a slow-rolling, W-accelerated bullet that''s comparable to a steel wall bullet. ''I can do it! Good is quick, I repeated the same thing. I waited for the effect of the W-accelerated bullets to wear off completely and shot another W-accelerated bullet at myself, and then shot another +10W accelerated bullet on top of that. Closing the carbon entrance in a world that has come to a complete halt, I rush to the entrance, climbing up and down the stairs. We jump without hesitation into the vortex of light that has reappeared. There, the acceleration of the first stage () runs out of time. "Sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! The slow regeneration of the slow regeneration''s spaced out voice could be heard. Because the effect time is longer than normal accelerated bullets and +10W accelerated bullets, the voice is interrupted by the remaining effects. And the light that was poking at me also slowed down. I avoid it with all my might - relying on my voice to flesh out in a world blinding with white light. Halfway through, the effect of the accelerated bullets wore off and the other guy''s voice returned to normal. I grabbed their arm, and they tried to shake it off, but wouldn''t let go. Eventually the light subsided, but I could clearly see a woman in her thirties trying desperately to shake it off, but she didn''t let go of me. ...... Okay. The break-in was sure to be a success. 426. Three Ryota I observe the owner of the voice seriously. A girl with a petite appearance but mature body, her semi-long hair tied up in a ponytail. Right now she''s staring at me in astonishment, but normally she seems to be a beautiful girl with a slightly more mature version of Alice, a beautiful girl whose energy is attractive. ''''--! She blushed and let out a groan mixed with a tantrum that was hard to put into words, and then quickly disappeared from the scene. Instead, a monster appeared. It looked like a black blob, the same one in the Carbon Dungeon, and it was transforming. Zokuri. A chill ran down my spine. This air--a dungeon master! Almost by spinal reflex, I pulled out my gun and fired bullets cautiously. From the beginning, I shot in with growing bullets, flameless bullets and emphasis on firepower, but the bullets slipped through the black mass at every turn. ''''--! I pulled out my gun +10, loaded it with tracking rounds and shot - which also slipped through the same black mass without having any tracking effect. ''''No? ...... Don''t tell me you''re not going to be invincible after your transformation, right? With a sigh, the gun, various bullets, and all sorts of items. I readied myself to take any of them out of the Grand Eater''s pocket and use them immediately. Eventually - I(,) appeared. ''So that''s how--what! I''ve fought my own fakes and copies many times. At first glance, I thought, "Oh, it''s that one," but the next moment I was blown away. The dungeon master held out his hand and took out a hammer from the empty space. I''ve seen this hammer before, it''s an Emily hammer. The guy pounced on me while spinning the hammer around above my head just like Emily. "Guh! I crossed my arms over my head and caught the hammer. Mekki - and the sound of creaking bones could be heard from deep inside his body. The dungeon master''s attack wasn''t an ape imitation. It was Emily''s hammer itself, both in appearance and quality, and almost at the same time as I caught it, it spun around, and the second blow was struck where the impact of the first one had not yet passed. ''Guh!'' And - the third blow. The three blows of the hammer with rotation are Emily''s specialty. The dungeon master in the shape of me unleashed it. The power is more than Emily (the original), even if you look at it modestly. My whole body felt sore and my knees almost collapsed. Instantly, a hot wind rushed in. Balls of flame flew in from all directions. When I looked, I saw a threadbare () bicorn horn surround me and shoot a series of flaming balls at me. Inhaling deeply, I draw my two pistols and unleash them and intercept the flaming balls with frozen bullets. The fireballs struck each other, bouncing off and extinguishing both sides. A large amount of steam was created in the process, and a dungeon master in my form rushed in from behind the steam. He swung his hammer and slammed down on me. ''...... slow?'' The hammer was even slower than Emily''s when they first met, and she raised an eyebrow, wondering what it was all about. The guard, however, was glad not to be untied. As soon as the hammer is swung down and hits my crossed arms, countless impacts come crashing in like waves. Eve! Eve''s Excalibur. The dungeon master reenacts the chop of that phenomenon, which looks too fast and slow, with his hammer. I kick the ground and fly backwards, escaping into the air to escape the impact. The Dungeon Master chases after me, swinging his even slower () hammer down on me. He fires a steel wall bullet. The Excalibur hammer hit the steel bullets and made an explosion that sounded like a bomb. Finally, the Dungeon Master''s onslaught was averted for the time being, and I was able to get a handle on the situation. The dungeon master, transformed into me, used the special skills of my companions. Emily''s hammer, Celeste''s bicorn horn control, and Eve''s Excalibur. And he''s wielding them with my SS ability value. This is the most dangerous opponent in the world. Right after I wondered how to defeat it. The dungeon master poses like a special effects hero. It''s as if he''s flirting with Alice - Alice! After the biggest chill of the day ran up his spine, ''it'' appeared. From a crack in space, Li-ching emerged! Yabay, yabay, this is definitely a bad idea. I''m going to have to take on two opponents with the same level of ability as me, at the same time. This is not a bad place to be, there''s no way we''re going to win. At that moment, the thought of retreating has crossed my mind that we should start over again. Ryouchin takes the gun out of his pocket, processes and loads the bullet, and then points the muzzle at himself. ''''Oh no!'''' I put my hands in my pockets as quickly as I could--just in time! In the next moment, countless - at least five or six hundred bullets, if not more, all at once around my body, lost their power and fell to the ground. The moment I realized that I had somehow managed to get away, it was in the nick of time and my back was drenched in sweat. I don''t know anything subjective about it, but I do know that it was what I expected to happen. Ryouchin stopped time completely by firing a W-accelerated round at himself with his gun +10. In the meantime, Ryotin attacked me. Originally, this should have been the end of it. A +10W accelerated bullet with the same ability as me, a +10W accelerated bullet that completely stopped time. It was a dead end no matter how you look at it, but I made my final move before Ryouchin could accelerate. This is the item I branded "useless" after making a series of reincarnation items. It was Absolute Lock +10. The defense of the Absolute Lock reincarnation increases with each successive reincarnation, though. Instead, the duration of the effect decreases at an accelerated rate. With Absolute Lock +10, the effect time was less than a ten-thousandth of a second shorter, as measured by the accelerated bullets. Normally, it would be useless, but he matched it to Ryochin''s time stop. Time does not move forward during the time stoppage. The Stone of Absolute Rock +10, which had an effect, would continue to be effective for that period of time for an extended period of time. So, it completely blocked Ritin''s attack. ''''Now it''s our turn. Right after I blocked the attack, I was already moving. Like Ryouchin, a +10 W accelerated bullet. Full time stop. The Dungeon Master and Ryouchin stopped. Victory, it was confirmed. 427. Carbon There wasn''t much time to spare. I didn''t hesitate to close in on the dungeon master in his own form and shot countless bullets into his entire body at zero distance. I have no idea what works or where it works. Normal bullets, frozen bullets, flaming bullets, tracking bullets, growing bullets--. All kinds of bullets were shot into all kinds of places. And then time begins to move. The various bullets that had stopped on the surface of his body during the time stoppage began to move at once, piercing, burning, scraping and shattering the Dungeon Master. It was overkill. The Dungeon Master, shot with all sorts of offensive bullets, burst out of the dungeon master. The air returned to normal. I''m relieved that I was able to defeat it. By the way, Li-ching also disappeared. I found a ring on the ground where the dungeon master was. When I tried to pick it up as a drop item, the girl from earlier appeared on the spot, as if the transparency had snapped. ''''What the hell!'''' The girl holds up her hand, screaming in the same tantrum-like screeching voice as ever. Once again, the Dungeon Master appears. ''''Repetition!'''' As expected, there was no time to test this against this. I quickly cast the final lap magic Repetition. Earlier, I was invincible while transforming, but Repetition seemed to pass. The black mass before the transformation burst away. By the way, there was no drop this time. Repetition against a dungeon master, I felt a peculiar feeling of dizziness when my MP was wiped out with a single shot, but it was much better than dealing with a troublesome dungeon master. I filled my gun with infinite recovery rounds and fired at myself. ...... eh? Meanwhile, the girl was letting her voice trail off. The girl rolled her eyes as the dungeon master she was relying on was defeated before she could disappear again. After a while, the girl''s expression changed drastically, as if she finally understood the situation. ''What, what was that?How did you do it? And as if he was a changed person, he was friendly and curious. I was puzzled, but I didn''t have any malice or hostility in mind, so I decided to answer her. "Well, it''s that magic called repetition, "Repetition. Don''t you know?It''s a spell that can take down a monster once it''s defeated, unconditionally. ''Wow!Is there such a thing? Well, the more powerful the enemy, the higher the MP consumption-- Wow! A disadvantage, or perhaps a cost. I tried to explain that as well, but the girl didn''t hear that at all and only got more and more gleeful. ''''I''ve finally met you!'''' What? You''re the man of my dreams! ...... Huh? This time it was going to be me who was going to be scowling. All of a sudden?The man of the month? "Well, ......, that''s some kind of metaphorical expression-- Stay with me! No, no, you listen to me. The girl hugged me. It''s a complete change from the previous days, and it looks like pure, innocent favoritism. Is it true?And. What does that mean?So. The two combined and I was in a bit of a bind. ''Well, you can''t just stay here forever,'' Why? My friends are waiting for me at home. I have to come home like normal for the evening. No!I''ve finally found the one and only. I''ve finally found the One and Only who has overcome all the hardships and seven hardships that ''he'' told me to go through! Who is that guy ...... and it''s becoming more and more of a mystery. ''Well ...... I can''t stay here all the time, but do you want to come to my house instead?'' Your house? Yeah. Of course that''s impossible. I''m a genie. Oh, I knew it was a genie. Carbon? The girl - Carbon nodded clearly. She''s a girl with a clear body language, as well as the way she uses words and her expression changes all over the place. ''You can do it,'' No! ...... its hardship?What if I told you that you could also get over it? ''Really?How! What is your problem with ............? No, no, there''s just something special about the way you say it, yeah. ''Put me back to where I was earlier. Okay! It''s still crappy - and as I was thinking about it, a bright white light filled my eyes and I returned to the stairs in the second basement of the carbon dungeon. I used the gate - it was all right. I left the dungeon. I left the dungeon and dashed as fast as I could towards Cyclo. On the way there, when I became breathless and tired, I shot a recovery round at myself and ran while maintaining my speed. It was about evening when I reached Cyclo, and I ran back to the mansion in a straight line and ran into the vanadium dungeon. ''I''m home!'' You''re on your way home, sir. I heard Emily''s voice, in the kitchen. When I got there, I saw that Emily was prepping the food and Vanadium was helping her with the preparation. I''m home. Sorry Emily!Vanadium, can you come with me for a moment? ...... (country) Vanadium instantly nodded and stopped helping immediately, coming up to me and squeezing my sleeve. I still haven''t said a word to Emily (), but it''s okay now. ''Sorry Emily, I''m going to go for a few more.'' Yes, I''m making dinner and waiting for you. I''m off! Take Vanadium, head to the transporter room, set up the carbon spirit room, and go through the gate. Then. ''Here we go again!Huh?What!How did you do that?You''re not in the dungeon, are you! Carbon is surprised to see me show up again. ''And that boy ...... erythronium ...... that?Slightly different, eh, eh, eh! Now I''m surprised to see Vanadium. "Vanadium, hold her. I''ll bring her home. ...... (country) Just as Carbon can see that Vanadium is a genie, Vanadium can see that Carbon is the same as him. Vanadium doesn''t want to be a human, but he doesn''t refuse to take the genie back to his dungeon at all. With that, he grabbed Carbon''s hand and hauled him back to the dungeon. ''Alright, let''s go back.'' Vanadium, Carbon and I walked through the gate back to the mansion. ...... Where am I? Our home, well, in a dungeon of vanadium. ''What?Another dungeon?Am I allowed to leave?Why?What? Why? Tadaimaima. I''m back. As Carbon was completely bewildered, Aulum and Nifonium returned with Meeke, using the transporter room. ''Meaning, Aulum to Nihonium?What does it really mean? ''Huh?New faces? Or, rather, a hint of knowing. Both Aulum and Nihonium seemed to recognize Carbon right away. To my surprise, Carbon popped his mouth open and turned to me with a giggle ...... and an awkwardness like a rusty hinge. ''Could it be ...... a very awesome person?'' What did he say? 428. Spirits placed on the mouthpiece The evening salon. It has become a daily routine for the Lyota family to come here after dinner if they have no particular business to attend to, to relax and enjoy themselves. Today, almost everyone is here again. The adventurer''s group, such as Emily, Celeste, Alice and Eve. Elsa and Ena''s buyer-merchant group. Arum, Nifonium, and Vanadium, along with Meeke and Sakuya, are the spirit + alpha group. In the face of the almost all assembled group, a guest joined today. That guest--Carbon rolled his eyes and pouted. ''''What''s going on?'''' Four spirits: "What''s it like here at ......? Four?Yeah, so did Meramela. If you''re not aware of it, sometimes you tend to forget about it, Meramela = Phosphorus. He joins Alice''s fellow monsters in a deformed outfit, but he''s also a full-fledged spirit of the Phosphorus Dungeon. With the addition of that Fosforus, Carbon was even more surprised than he was right after he brought him into the mansion. ''''They''re all my precious companions. Fellowship ...... ''More importantly, can you tell me a story?You said something about a fate or something like that earlier, what does that mean? ''Yes!Hey, you''re the one who''s gonna make me wanna be with you. --Clank! With a sound, Celeste and Elsa stood up at the same time. Celeste has an extremely startled look on her face and Elsa also looks somewhat flustered, both of them staring at me. I didn''t even have time to think carefully about what that meant. ''''That''s right!'''' And Carbon gave me an expectant look and asked me for an answer. ''Let''s see, ...... first of all, can you tell me what that fate is? If I don''t know that, I can''t answer that question. Really? ''Yeah, ...... because spirits and humans feel differently.'' I tried to come up with a reason that sounded appropriate. I don''t think that happens very often, but I used it as an excuse anyway. ''Not really!The man of destiny is something I''ve heard from a proper human. What do you mean? The man who came to see me before you told me about it. Humans and spirits have a chance to meet their fate. It''s ...... yeah, well, I guess so? I nodded, thinking it would be a general statement. The same is true of people who have overcome many trials and tribulations. The person of destiny is the one who overcomes all the obstacles that stand in their way. It''s also ...... well, you never know. I''ve been putting people through all sorts of trials and tribulations over the centuries since I talked to the guy. My dungeons. And you''ve completed them all. ...... I see. So, a man of destiny. Hey, you''re the one, aren''t you? Ummm, and ...... Now how should I answer? ''By the way, let me ask you, what is this destined person to do?'' I don''t know!He said he''d know that too when he met her. Appropriate: ...... Either the previous person cheated on you, or they told you to be nice. It''s one or the other.What a thought. ''Oh, but I get it!'' What? "I''ve met the man of my dreams. I want to be with you forever! Palin!Pow! Suddenly there was a noise. When I turn towards the sound, Celeste drops her plate and breaks it, and Elsa breaks the handle of her teacup. The two of them are looking at me with increasingly impatient faces. ''Huh ...... do it.'' Ena was the one who reacted to that. She let out a bitter sigh and turned to me. ''Do you have a minute?'' Hey, I''m talking to my boyfriend right now. I know about the man of destiny. Really? Carbon took a bite out of Ena. ''Yes. And I know you''re a true destiny.'' ''Shh, True!What''s that, tell me! It''s easy. It''s easy. - "Destiny" means that one of you has survived the ordeal. But the true destiny is that both of them have gone through their trials. I see! No, not really, I thought, but Carbon convinced me with great vigor. ''So now it''s your turn to be put to the test. ''Yes!But what am I supposed to do? ''When I get back to the dungeon, I''m going to stop trying to test the other adventurers and just think about him. "Just think? Oh, boy. Ena chuckled and looked at Carbon with a sink eye. ''Did you say just?Give it a try and see for a day. You''ll see how hard it is. Okay!Hey you, take me back to the dungeon! ''Oh, oh, yeah, I get it: ...... Carbon rushed me to my feet. Just before I leave the salon, I make eye contact with Ena and she gives me a flying wink. I can''t help but feel like I''m in even deeper. Thanks to Ena, I was the only target for Carbon. The Carbon dungeon became a normal dungeon for other adventurers to explore and produce. 429. Weapon copy Then I''m off to ......! Yeah. I was facing Emily in an empty space in the salon, with all of my friends looking on. Emily took a deep breath and brought out a hammer, which she doesn''t normally bring into the salon, and swung it at me, slamming it into me. I cross my arms and catch the hammer above my head. It''s a very heavy blow. Emily is power A, but the attack that the hammer delivers is of high quality and has a higher destructive power than other people of the same power A. It slips, and the impact penetrates from the arm to the whole body. Emily recoiled and rolled backwards and away from it, landing cleanly with the hammer in her hand. ''Yoda, are you okay?'' Yeah. That''s what I''m talking about, Emily, that''s a pretty good one. Are you sure about this? Yes. ...... I nodded, but turned around and looked at Carbon, who was staring at me behind me. Carbon, whose eyes met mine, nodded clearly with a sting. ''Okay, let''s try it then: ...... Taking a deep breath and rubbing my slightly zinging arm, I stick out my right hand and remind myself. ''''Oh!'''' The next thing I knew, a beautifully layered exclamation echoed through the salon. In my outstretched hand was a hammer that was exactly the same as Emily''s. ''Emily,'' Yes, sir! They nodded to each other and simultaneously swung the hammer full into a sideways swing. Boom!Palin! Me and Emily''s hammers striking each other produced a tremendous roar and shockwave. The shockwave caused the windows of the salon to shatter all at once. ''Oh, wow,'' This is what happens when Mr. Lyota and Emily hit each other with a hammer. Yeah. Ah, Erich, fix the window. When Alice said carefree, Vanadium nodded and ran with a thump, fixing the shattered window glass. The window panes originally existed in the Vanadium dungeon just for the sake of appearance. When Vanadium, the spirit of the dungeon, held up his hand, the shards of glass disappeared, and the window glass was restored to its original state of cleanliness. At about the same time - at the same time. Oh, Mr. Yoda''s hammer''s gone. It''s gone. What''s this? I turn around again and ask Carbon about it. Yes, what I''m testing right now with Emily''s help is the ability that Carbon has given me. Most of the spirits here have helped me in one way or another. Not to mention Vanadium has allowed me to use this dungeon itself as the family''s home base. Aulum gives me extra sand and gold drops when I defeat monsters if I want to, and Nihonium gives me seeds to increase my abilities, repetition magic, and a little bit of dungeon mastery if I want to. When Carbon heard that, he said, "Me too, me too! He said, "I''ve been given the ability to do that. That''s-- ''Yes!I gave him one chance to use the last attack or weapon he received. I see. Carbon''s ability is an extension of the abilities of the Carbon Dungeon monster, and by extension, the Dungeon Master. You can recreate any weapon you eat (including guards) only once. ''It''s a pretty amazing ability, but I guess it doesn''t mean much to Lyota-san. Celeste said something like that to me. ''No, not even close.'' Is that so? Yeah, for example-- I pulled out my gun and fired a pre-loaded round at myself. I guarded and prevented the bullets I fired at myself by deflecting them off course. Then, I activated the ability. Another gun came out - and he pulled a bullet from that gun. He also pulled a bullet from the original gun and showed it to his friends. I got it right. Oh, two bullets for Erich. Alice was the first to notice. ''Yes, I can copy the vanadium bullets for one shot only. I wasn''t sure I could do it, but it seems to work. ''It''s amazing!Then I think it would be very useful! Emily is as happy as she is. And-- "Thank you, Carbon. Yeah. Well, that''s good. Carbon, too, was pleased with how unfamiliar he felt. 430. Supplementary income Cyclodungeon Society, President''s Office. I visited alone, and I told Cell about Carbon. If I was dealing with a mere adventurer, I would have to cover up a few things, but since I was dealing with Cell, I almost didn''t cover it up. ''So, it''s still no good to turn back, but there will be no more hallucinations to deceive or anything like that. Carbon has given me his word. That''s great, Sato-sama. But that leaves us with one more question. What? ''Carbon now expects Satou-sama to be the ''true man of destiny'', that Satou-sama will get through further trials. Wouldn''t that affect the other adventurers? You''ll be fine. The question that Cell had is one that I''ve felt too. That''s why I had a talk with Carbon yesterday. You have a sulfa, right? Sulfur #16. It''s a strange dungeon in Cyclo, where you fight solo in a sort of arena every time you enter. Only when I entered it, it was decided to be like Sulphur. So only Satou-sama is a completely separate category. ''Yes. So any other adventurers who enter Carbon will not be affected. For better or worse, they''ll be ''just carbon''. I see. ...... As expected of Satou-sama. I didn''t know you were that well trained. Don''t tell me to train him. I chuckled and interjected. That might be a good way to put it, but it''s not very polite. I''m grateful to Satou-sama again. Now I can recommend you to go ahead with that place. First? ''Hmm. After Selenium, Carbon is on the horizon. I think we should cut that place off from Cyclo and build a new city. I think so. I''ve been over there for a while now, taking the normal route a few times for Carbon, and the area around it already feels like a city. It''s unmaintained, so it has a strong sense of clutter, but there are multiple dungeons, a large number of adventurers gathered there, and there are buyers who buy the items those adventurers produce, and all sorts of shops have been set up for the money they make. In a world where everything is made up of dungeon drops, it fulfills the requirements of a ''city'', so it naturally takes shape. The more stable the carbon is, the more adventurers there will be. I hear that special groups have already begun to mediate adventurers. Special Forces? "Small Special Adventurers Guild. The first name I''ve heard from Cell''s mouth came out. The Small Special Adventurer''s Union - that''s it? What kind of organization is it?It''s called a union: ...... ''Hmmm, it''s a cohesive organization of adventurers who don''t have a family and are doing it here. We provide weapons, information, and cover for our members when they get sick or cause damage. I didn''t know there was such a thing. Well, I wouldn''t be surprised. ''''That special group is moving. Due to the characteristics of carbon, it''s easy for a new adventurer to control the direction of the monster. Yes. All of Carbon''s monsters are shapeshifting. The monsters we''ve had before, whether they''re strong or weak, or human. They''re all monsters that transform by reading those things. I mean, ...... for example, if you''re a new adventurer who only killed one slime in Tellurium. ''Yes, it means that whether you''re the ''strongest'' or the ''weakest'' in carbon, it will be that slime that transforms. I see. And I''ve found it easier to keep order. "Order? ''''It''s a countermeasure against a side blow. If a monster transforms, it will be its adventurer''s opponent. Until now, countermeasures against a side-swipe have been merely subjective, or even objective evidence has been limited to eyewitness testimony. ''The Carbon monster clearly locks on to us, for the transformation. Cell nodded clearly. ''That''s partly why the special team is on board, because it''s a friendly environment for newcomers. Okay. The logic of this world is quite interesting. The process of a city being formed according to that particular logic is interesting no matter how many times you watch it. I have one more thing to discuss with you. What? So I''d like to donate a portion of the carbon revenues and taxes to Mr. Sato. Can you give me a margin? ''''Mm, in order for Carbon as a whole to operate in a stable manner, Satou-sama has to take care of the spirits. So it''s only natural that we pay a portion. I see. We''re going to adjust the percentages now, but ...... billion piro per year. Go to ......? So, would you mind keeping Carbon company? I thought, "Yay!" and then he offered me a crazy amount of money. I was really surprised by this. 431. Ryotas Shiren In the evening, I used the transporter room to enter Carbon via Seren''s basement floor. As soon as I entered Carbon, the atmosphere was completely energized and adventurers were coming in and out of Carbon all the time. The air changed completely. The pale, pale light of the walls and the ground remained the same, but there were no adventurers there. Not only could I see them, I could tell by my senses that there was no one there. If there were adventurers in the dungeon, there would always be a monster defeated somewhere and something would be dropped. And the moment it drops, the haggle level progresses, usually to 99% or 98% until the adventurer collects it. As my sense of ability has become even more acute, I know indirectly that the haggler degree itself doesn''t exist = no adventurer is present. Before I could even think about it, a monster appeared. The next moment it appeared as a black object, it transformed into Elsa. ''''Mmm.'''' At the same time as he transforms, what looks like a buyer''s counter appears, and he smiles with his flabby chest on top of it, smiling. That''s all, and they don''t attack me. In a sense, it''s a harder opponent to fight against than Emily, Celeste and the others who attack. Nevertheless, a monster is a monster, and I realize that I''m going to pull out my gun - and do so. I didn''t have a gun. The Grand Eater''s pockets were empty. Four guns, a mountain of bullets, and other useful items. Everything was gone. ''So that''s it,'' I''m starting to get it. This is Carbon. It''s not like regular Carbon, it''s just a dungeon that puts me to the test. Another Carbon, so to speak. Probably the moment I entered this place, all my equipment was taken away. "Sorry! He didn''t have to, but he sensibly apologized to Elsa and then punched her in the flesh. The monster in Erza''s form was blown away and swooped away, bouncing to the ground. It hit the wall and stopped - and then disappeared. The counter that was pulled away also disappeared at the same time. I wondered which one was the main body, an unnecessary question popped into my head. Now I knew with one shot. The item was gone, but the ability was still there. The power and speed of the all-SS, ingrained in my body by my senses. That one was still intact. And the drop was a regular bullet. The one with the missing counter - this one! I picked up the bullets that had fallen there, and they were the regular bullets I''m used to using all the time. Even if there were only bullets - no, no. I thought, "Even if the bullets dropped first. Except that this world, except for the fact that they all drop from dungeons, is often based on my knowledge and common sense of the game. All items were confiscated upon entry, and the ones I had were dropped when I defeated a monster. Based on my previous experience, I can judge it as a given that I''m going to kill monsters and get my equipment back one by one. I pocket my regular ammo and proceed further. Another monster appears, this time transforming into Ina. Ena came towards me with her usual s*xy pose, which is 30% teasing and 70% looking like she''s serious. I stuck out my hand and said, "This looks somewhat worse than Erza earlier, so I stuck out my hand. ''''Repetition.'''' I cast a spell. The magic seems to stay the same. The repetition takes effect and Ena''s fake bounces off and blows up. This time the recovery bullets are dropped. ''''I see. ...... Until we have the guns and recovery bullets, we should save the magic as well. In the worst case scenario, there might be a dungeon master who needs all the magic power in one shot. It''s better to save MP in case that happens. I went further into the dungeon. I defeated the monsters that were changing into the humans and monsters that had been there before. There were so many of them that I had seen, so many different ones that had no laws at all except for that one point. ''Geez!'' After defeating Neptune''s fake, I was wondering why nothing was dropping, when I noticed that all the items I had dropped so far, which I had stored in my Grand Eater''s pocket, were gone. I don''t know if this is the case: ...... Well, it is. This is another phenomenon that, based on the knowledge I have, well, it is. In the process of collecting them, you can lose them all. Fortunately, I''ve lost all of my items, but I''ve tried shadowboxing and my abilities haven''t changed. Still, thinking that there''s a possibility that my abilities will be lowered by something, I''ll continue to advance the dungeon more carefully. Oh, here. Yes! When I arrived there, I saw a familiar place, Carbon''s spirit room. As soon as I walked in there, Carbon seemed rather happier than me, who had cleared (,) and hugged me with such force that he tackled me. ''I saw you, great!I knew it was meant to be, to come through that with ease. Later, by the time Meeke came to use the transporter room to pick him up, Carbon was extremely happy. 432. Business expansion Plumbum Dungeon, Room of the Spirits. I was the one who went here every day without fail, even during the one incident in Carbon. Naturally, when I''m busy, I tend to talk about it a lot, and today I told Plumbum about the ''ordeal'' I had to go through in Carbon. To put it differently, from Prumbum''s point of view, it''s about "another woman", but she wasn''t at all uncomfortable and listened to me the whole time. I see. ...... I should say that I''m impressed. I''ve got another genie on my hands. I don''t need to tell you that you''ve got the upper hand. That''s why I say this. If you tell me, you''ll have a hard time. That too. If that''s what he is, there''s no problem. But I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work for you. ...... We live in a world where bona fide third party organizations can get out of line, regardless of his or her own will, so you can''t be too careful. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. Are you okay with that? What do you mean? I''ve heard this before. You''re not planning on coming to my house? As I said before, I have no intention of doing so. As I said before, I have no intention of doing so, but rather, I''m beginning to think so. ''More and more?Why? Your presence here is the ultimate luxury, as I see it. Is that so? Yes, of course. Prumbum said happily. Well, if he says he''d rather do this, I have nothing to say to him. It''s not a burden to me, it''s just that it depends on me every day before I go to work. You really do love to give, don''t you? "You really like to give, given that you''re Emily. I think I''m giving it back to you. I guess you don''t know how great that is. Hmm. No, I see what you''re saying. Not so much?I wanted to tilt my head a bit. Stars In the evening, after I finished earning money in the dungeon, I went to pick up Carbon and came back to the mansion with him. As I was planning to go back to my room first from the transporter room to take a breather, I encountered Elsa in the corridor with an unflattering look on her face. ''''I''m home, Elsa.'''' ''What?Oh, welcome back, Mr. Lyota. What''s going on?You don''t look so happy. What? I could hear you sighing from across the hall. ''What?Is that so much? I nodded quietly. Then Elsa''s face turned bright red and she turned over. ''Ugh ...... I''ve shown you the embarrassing part,'' What''s going on?If I can help you, I will. ...... Sorry. Elsa stared at me for a moment, but for some reason she looked away with a strange look on her face. ''It''s okay,'' Yeah, yeah, it''s okay. Huh! Suddenly, from behind, Ena appeared and put her hand around Elsa''s shoulder and leaned in. As it is, Ena put her face on her best friend''s shoulder, and this one, as usual, has a devilish smile on her face. ''Ena. Do you know what''s bothering Elsa? Yeah. And that it''s so boring. Ena! Because it''s not. Is that something I can ask? Of course. Ena nodded clearly and spoke very matter-of-factly. ''You''ve been talking about building a town at Seren and Carbon''s place, and we''ve been asked to open a store there, too - the ''Golden Tree''. It''s a good story. But Elsa said no. ''What?Why? Because ...... Elsa looked more and more depressed than before, and she turned over with a slightly embarrassed look on her face. She clasped the index fingers of both hands together and squirmed. On the other hand, Ina, after all, said blithely. ''To be frank, I''m here for Lyota-san. Me? ''Well, we''re a bonus. The Lyota family has an idea that if we open a branch over there, of course Mr. Lyota will be the ass-holder (). Ugh. ...... That''s why you''re looking at me with such a complicated look on your face. I looked at Elsa, and she looked away, embarrassed. Apparently Ena was right. ''You don''t like that?'' Because I''m going to get Lyota in trouble. ''You don''t mind, do you?See, because it''s my option or something like that. ''It''s not!Because we''re the Lyota family! ''''Then I don''t think there will be a problem. I mean, even if Elsa and the others don''t open a store in the new city, I''m sure they''ll still be able to help us out if there''s anything we can do. You see, I was right. Ena said, leaning back and pecking Elsa on the cheek. They''re good friends, after all, she thought vaguely. Elsa thought about it for a bit. ''''Then I''ll do my best .......'''' Yeah, good luck with that. The golden tree was set to expand into a new city. Their annual sales were going to go up and up. 433. Carbon business hours At night, as I was gathering with my friends in the salon as usual, Elsa and Ena, who hadn''t been there at dinner, came into the room. ''You''re welcome back,'' Emily was the first to get up and run in a flurry as they returned home late. ''Have you eaten?I can warm you up in no time, okay? You''ll be fine. ''Thanks Emily. More importantly, Mr. Lyota. Elsa and Ena are coming towards us. Elsa has a very troubled look on her face and Ena has a smiling smile on her face. Aside from Elsa, it''s rare that even Ena has a troubled look on her face. ''''What''s wrong?'''' ''I need to talk to you about ...... carbon. Elsa said and glanced at Carbon, who was sitting upright a little further away, staring at me with sparkling eyes. Ena looked at it too and nodded her head. ''For that matter, why is she sitting upright in that place?'' Celeste just told me. It''s just a matter of staring at them at a distance that is near but far, a distance you can''t seem to touch," ...... said. The more you resist the urge to touch them, the greater the joy you feel when you do. ...... Ugh. ...... Celeste, who was on the other side of the room from Carbon, looked away with a clich look on her face. ''Haha, I see. Ena smiled a devilish smile on her translated face. ''So that''s why you''re staying away so quietly. Alice innocently said, ''It''s like an ordeal! That''s what I said. I see. More importantly, what''s up with the carbon? The conversation went off to the side as far as it could go, so I asked Elsa again. ''Ah, yes. I''m talking about that ...... Arcane. Single bond? I guess this pattern is the name of the city. ''Well, it''s the name of a new city made of selenium and carbon. I nodded, I knew it was the name of the city. ''What about it?'' ''Well, Carbon asked if you could make the monsters come out at night, too. A lot of adventurers have asked me for a favor. At night? What, are you talking about office hours? Elsewhere, Aulum, who had been chewing on a completely favorite peach, came by. She''s the first spirit of the Lyota family. She wanted to look outside, and I had been picking her up and dropping her off in the morning and evening since Meeke wasn''t around at the time. That was also the result of a number of things that happened in the Aulum dungeon, and it was decided to prevent the monsters from appearing at night. Anyway, that''s what happened, and Aulum heard a similar story and came over from the other side. Yes. Now, in the evening, Lyota-san goes to pick you up, and after that, the monsters don''t come out until morning. Yeah, I know. They don''t make much money doing that. Carbon is so deep that it takes a long time just to get to the level you want. Yeah, ....... I see. I remember that Carbon has more than 100 floors in all of ....... That''s a lot of travel time. "So I was approached. Well, that''s part of the reason you asked us to come to Arkan. Ena shrugged with her palms up. ''Of course they all seem to understand Lyota and Aulum. They don''t do anything unreasonable or anything like that, so I thought we could do something about it. I see. ...... though. I looked at Carbon. Carbon is still sitting still and upright at a distance. ''...... You look like a doggie being ''waited on'' in front of a bait. Ugh. ...... Celeste on the other side grunted again. This one seemed to be hurting in his chest from what he had said. ''What?What''s wrong with me? Can''t you just stay in the dungeon longer at night instead of here?That''s what you''re asking. Aulum summed up the contents rather simply and explained them to Carbon. ''Longer?'' Shit, we''re not gonna make it through the dungeon if we stay here. "Right. ...... I get it! ""What?" My friends were surprised to hear the same thing. Surprisingly, Carbon really did undertake the task easily. ''Are you sure?'' ''Yes!Because that''s going to be an ordeal too. Ugh. ...... Celeste grunted more and more. I''m sure he''s going to start thrashing around on the spot at any moment. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. What do you think, Ryota? Ena asked me for an opinion, or in this case, almost a final decision. I said Carbon is good, and as long as he''s convinced that it''s an "ordeal", he''ll turn it into honey too. The rest will happen if I, the boss of this family, say a few words. The only thing left to do is for me, the boss of this family, to say yes. It''s kind of sad, isn''t it? Yeah, it''s just... "Just? ''It''s certainly not good to have less time to produce with carbon. Unlike everyone else. Ena said, and then turned around and looked around at the spirits in the salon. Everyone else - the other spirits. Aulum, Nifonium, Phosphorus, and Vanadium. Certainly, these four dungeons would not be a problem for everyone''s lives without them. Aurum is gold, a luxury that doesn''t need to be there. Nihonium was never a drop in the first place. Fosforus is rather bad for the adventurers if he''s there, so I asked him to keep him out of the dungeon. Vanadium was also forcibly eliminated by another person. Compared to that, Carbon is a dungeon of fruits and vegetables and plants. Moreover - there are more than 100 levels. It''s a dungeon that can be a granary, so to speak. It''s ...... certainly not a good idea to stop. But that doesn''t mean it''s not a good idea. It''s not a good idea to put her back in the dungeon at this time of night when everyone else is here. I''m wondering if there''s a better way: ...... At my mumbling, my friends twisted their heads in unison. ''...... Carbon.'' Suddenly, Celeste, who had been moaning, writhing, and continuously regretting her statement, stood up and stood in front of Carbon. ''What?'' You have over 100 different monsters at your place. Yes. We''re all different in our abilities. So what? Is there a monster that can transform itself into your form against Lyota? ""--" They were all surprised and flabbergasted. Maybe it would work with her own abilities. 434. Breeding of the spirit room There''s a place for it, but it''s ...... Seeing that we were all so surprised, Carbon felt apologetically depressed. ''It''s just for looks,'' Just for looks? Yes. Can you just show me how it''s done? Okay. Vanadium, I''ll give you some. Carbon said no to Vanadium in advance. This place is in a vanadium dungeon, so in a way it''s a natural behavior, but it was somehow a bit strange. Without knowing that I felt that way, Carbon snapped his fingers and called out the monster. I''ve been treated as a haggler since I was born outside the Carbon dungeon, but my abilities are intact. The monster that was called up immediately changed into Carbon''s form. Hagremonos are naturally more ferocious than normal, but that was the same as Nihonium, and their movements were completely controlled because the main carbon was there. ''''Just like it.'''' Celeste murmured admiringly. The monster-turned-Carbon looks just like him. We''ve seen many monsters transformed in the Carbon dungeon, but when you''re transformed right in front of your eyes, you''ll be impressed by how much they look like you. Ryotin''s ability is exactly the same as Ryota''s, though! I don''t know what you''re talking about. I smiled at Alice, who suddenly insisted, and observed the monster that had been transformed into a carbon again. ''It really does look just like it. Doesn''t this have any abilities? No. More importantly, this is just a look. Yeah? It doesn''t move. ''What?Isn''t that because of the carbon? No, no. When he turns, it doesn''t work, this one. You mean the dummy. It''s like Arsenic. We all nodded in succession to Emily''s impressions. Arsenic Dungeon. It''s the safest dungeon in the world, where everything there is a rock-based monster that doesn''t swell at all. Just like that, this mannequin doesn''t move either. ''''Then it''s easy to talk.'''' I said, and they all looked at me in unison. "We''ll fix it. The next day, in the carbon dungeon genie''s room. I went to the cell and got the adventurers locked out of the dungeon for the day. Since they originally asked me to make it possible for them to earn money at night, the offer was accepted quite easily. Then, the carbon dungeon was empty of adventurers. In the spirit room, it''s me, Carbon, Meeke, and Hone Hone. ''Is Alice okay?'' When I asked, Hone Hone made an "X" on his head. ''Okay, let''s get started then.'' Yeah! I understand. Carbon and Meeke nodded. Carbon holds out his hand and the air in the spirit room changes. The dungeon master appears. That guy immediately changed into my form - but this time Carbon is on my side (), so he didn''t attack me. I wait for a while and then cast Repetition to defeat it. ''I don''t know, Carbon.'' I''ll just be a minute. Carbon held out his hand further. The monster appeared, and this time it turned into her form. Carbon stared at it for a long time, studying it from corner to corner before. ''Yeah, she''s my first one.'' Good. All right, Meeke, please. I understand! Nodding, Meeke takes Carbon''s hand and jumps into the vortex of light a little ways out of the room. I look at the remaining monsters in Carbon''s form, often. ''Hone Hone, how''s Alice doing?'' Honehone shakes his head and makes an ''X'' with his arms crossed over his head. ''No?'' We waited for a while longer, and then five minutes later, the "promised The transporter gate opened and Meeke and Carbon returned. How are you? It didn''t work. Hardly. Don''t worry, it''s going to be an ordeal! Carbon didn''t seem at all fazed, in fact, he was even more enthusiastic about the ride. The plan was this. Carbon could control his own dungeon at will. And apparently, the only monsters that the spirits can produce are those that have ''existed''. That said, I set the room of spirits to produce monsters that can be transformed into her form. By the way, the maximum number is 1, which is also something the genie can freely set up. In the room I set up that way, I''ll bring out the Dungeon Master and breed her. When it becomes a monster that even she''s never seen before, she transforms and retreats to the dungeon of Vanadium once she and Meeke are in it. In the meantime, I had Alice on the normal floor of Carbon to see if the transformed monster could take the place of the genie. The reason it''s not arranged as Alice over here and Honehonen and the others over there is because Alice can tell where the monsters are in the dungeon - that is, if they''re there or not - without having to look around for them. She used her telepathy with her fellow monsters to communicate that to Honehone and let me know. And so the first round of improvements failed. All right, let''s move on. Yeah! Carbon brought out the Dungeon Master. While I''m waiting, I shoot myself like an injection of infinity recovery bullets to recover my MP to the maximum. Reading the air. Defeat the Dungeon Master with a repetition. The new monster turns into Carbon. Carbon and Meeke evacuate to Vanadium. Ask Hone Hone. It''s "X" again. When Carbon leaves, no monsters are usually born on the floor. To Carbon and Meeke, who has returned. ''Let''s move on.'' Yeah! Reading the air. Defeat the Dungeon Master with a repetition. The new monster turns into Carbon. Carbon and Meeke evacuate to Vanadium. Ask Hone Hone. ....... ............. ................... Reading the Air,. Defeat the Dungeon Master with a repetition. The new monster turns into Carbon. Carbon and Meeke evacuate to Vanadium. Ask Hone Hone. I repeated the process endlessly. The more they repeated it, the better Carbon got. He''s going through the ordeal, and it''s having a positive effect on his mental health. And at the end of the test, I don''t know how many times. Hone Hone gave us the "O" sign. 435. Further dividends Night. I was alone with Carbon in front of the transporter room in the mansion. Carbon is still a little far away from me. Even though he''s far away, he''s gazing at me fervently. It''s not at all like the common maiden who is too shy to speak to others. She completely loved the ''ordeal'' that Celeste spoke of. Even though we were in the same space, she dared to keep her distance and stare at me. I''m sorry to say it, but I feel a little M-chic because she totally likes that and dares to enjoy the painful part. That''s fine, as long as he likes it. Are you sure that''s where you want to be? ''Yes!I''m here. Okay. If Carbon himself strongly desired that, well, it can''t be helped. While daring to ignore her, I waited for a while in front of the transporter room. Right now, I''m having all of my friends go through the Carbon dungeon without the spirits. I actually wanted to go too, but everyone said to leave it to me. Leave it to me, don''t come anyway, and don''t come to the third floor in particular - they all reminded me to do it. Don''t push, don''t push, and don''t ever push, and while I remembered Oyakusoku, I also somehow remembered how much I owed the cranes. I don''t know what will happen, but if everyone says so, let''s just wait here. After a lot of waiting, the transporter room lit up and Celeste came back. A number of yarn manipulation +9 bicorn horns are floating around her. With that full equipment, which even I would have burned my hand with, Celeste came back, naturally, unharmed and at ease. ''''How was it?'''' It''s a perfect fit. Celeste smiled and held out the green apple to me. It''s the same one I saw when I first rushed in, a drop from the first floor of Carbon. ''''You were properly out, monster. Your strength and drops aren''t any different than before.'''' You mean, normally. Yeah. I nodded and froze further. Then Emily, Alice, and Eve came back one by one. Each of the three of them went to a different level and brought back a drop item, just like Celeste. ''''It''s amazing!The spirits are here and the dungeon had monsters in it! Hey. It''s amazing what''s happening, Carbon. The other adventurers didn''t understand what was going on. I want to tell everyone that great things are happening because of you, Yoda. That''s okay. It''s all taken care of now. Let''s get back to the salon. Emily, I need you to make something out of the drops that everyone else has taken. I''m leaving it up to you! Emily took on the task in high spirits. Everyone received their drops and Emily pattered off to the kitchen. Celeste, Alice and Eve headed to the salon. Now I thought I was going to ...... too, and the transporter room lit up even more. This time, Elsa came back. I''m not an adventurer, but Elsa and Ina use the transporter room as a way station when they head to the buyout point. And of course, when they come back. Welcome home, Elsa. I''m home. What''s the matter? You got a problem with that? Yes, sir. Elsa nodded clearly, with a happy face. ''Thank you, Lyota-san,'' Yeah?I thought you had a good thing going for you.Why are you thanking me? I just came back from Arcane. Arcane - the new city we''re building to bring Seren and Carbon together, I guess. ''Thanks to Lyota-san, we can now have monsters out at night. Yeah. We told Lyota, so they decided to open a store in a prime location in Arkan. I see. That''s good. Prime location, which is pretty big. Both in terms of profitability and branding. Even in the original world, there are sometimes shops in prime locations such as Shibuya or Harajuku, where the tenants say, "I don''t care how much of this stuff I sell, I''m losing money on my tenants. Those are usually brand-name shops. Even if the store itself is in the red, the fact that it is in a prime location in a busy downtown area improves its brand image. In other words, it''s the same as running advertisements and commercials. That''s how important image is in business. Yes!They''re really going to put me in the best place possible!Thanks to Mr. Lyota! You''re welcome. Well, so... Yeah? I''d like to get a share of the ...... sales since Lyota is the one who can open a store there. ...... How about it? You mean the dividend? Yes, sir. Okay. I nodded. This, too, was business as usual - reasonable at the very least. So I didn''t say no. "I''d appreciate it. "Yes, sir!Thank you! Although it is our side that receives the money, Elsa looked so happy as if she were the one receiving it. Now we have another source of continuous income. 436. Expansion of headquarters In the evening, I came back from the Carbon Dungeon with Carbon. I went back to my room for a while to change clothes and take a break until dinner - I was thinking that I should take a break. When I noticed that Carbon was following me, I stopped and turned to her. ''What, what''s going on?'' No, ...... I think I''m remembering something right now: ...... He turns his whole body around, folds his arms and twists his head. It''s not a mistake - not really. It''s just that I can''t remember, but it''s definitely a feeling when something is there. In this kind of situation, it''s easy to remember if you do the actions from just before again. I went back to the transporter room for a while, and with a strange look on my face, I replayed the actions that I did until now. I opened the transporter room, went over there and asked Meeke to bring Carbon back. He sent Meeke off to join Nihonium and Aulum, and then stretched and returned to his room - room? That''s what stuck, and I remembered it in batches. I turned to Carbon. "Carbon, you, where''s your room? Room?It''s in the dungeon? No, no, I mean this room. I said, and glanced around behind me. It didn''t look like a dungeon for all intents and purposes, the hallway of the Vanadium Dungeon. It''s built to resemble a former mansion, with a number of doors that lead to my friends'' rooms. One of them - Carbon''s is missing. ''Yes, Carbon''s room isn''t there yet. Me? ''See, it''s like this. That one''s Nifonium and that one''s Awlum. Everybody has a room, but not just the carbon one. Speaking of which. Carbon didn''t even realize it wasn''t there until after I told him. I didn''t notice it at all = I didn''t care, and even after I noticed, Carbon didn''t care about it at all. On the contrary, I cared about it a lot. I said, "Let''s go to Vanadium and have them make it for you. Where do you want it?And what kind of room do you want? Um, I don''t know. ''Isn''t there any hope?Vanadium makes most of the stuff, okay? Hmmm, yeah. Carbon clapped his hands with a pop. ''You have an idea.'' Yeah, I want to get as far away from you as possible. I want to be as far away from you as possible. Away? It''s a test. ...... You don''t have to come home to try it out. ''No. What''s the point of these things if you don''t do them all the time? It''s so close and so far away, you can''t see them when you can. This is the best! Oh, yeah. I''m overwhelmed by the forceful Carbon, on the contrary. I know what you mean ...... hmmm. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. Okay. I''ll come over to the Vanadium later and have them make it up on the other side of the room. Across from the salon, if that''s okay. Oh, He glittered his carbon hame. ''When we break up after a night of dabbling in the saloon, it''s in the opposite direction!Nice. You''re so steady. It''s even more refreshing to get to this point, and I''m starting to think it''s fun too. I went back to my room, said goodbye to Carbon and got dressed. I was just leaving my room to go to the salon or something and wait for everyone to come back. At the doorway, I encountered Alice coming back from outside. ''Welcome home,'' I''m home, Lyota. Where have you been?It''s so rare to come back from this side. ''Sort of. The land around it was up for sale, so I went to talk to them. Surrounding land? I nodded my head. ''Look, the east side of the mansion. It hasn''t been inhabited for a while, has it? ''Oh, did you go to your son and daughter-in-law''s place in another city where an older man lives ......?'' ''Yeah, that''s it. It was on sale, and I went to get a price. How long? That''s 300 million pounds including the land. No, thank you. Ha-ha, it''s Lyota''s fault. Yeah?Why? The value of Ciclo''s land has skyrocketed since Lyota arrived. ...... Yeah. Somehow I understand the cause and effect. The more prosperous a city is, the more valuable the land is. Of course, it''s not exactly the same thing, but the people who live there make more money - in Ciclo''s case, there are more dungeons, more adventurers, and more money circulating. With a cyclo like that, it''s only natural for the land to increase in value. I thought it would be a good idea to buy all the land around here. Yeah. That''s a pretty, fascinating story. This mansion''s land, this land where the old mansion and the Vanadium Dungeon are located, is the home base of the Lyota family. The act of expanding the stronghold, like a game of camping, will have no real meaning, but the act itself is meaningful. It''s exciting and - I''m sure - fulfilling. ''What''s going on?Here. "Elsa. From behind her, Elsa, who had just returned home, spoke to her. Alice briefly explained what she had just said. ''I see, you were finally sold out. You''ve been checking. Yes, I thought it was time. I see. That''s what business people are all about, isn''t it? I want it, but I can''t afford it right now. What? What? Huh?I looked at Elsa''s face as she said. What are you talking about?She makes a face. ''Can''t afford it?What do you mean? ''I mean because there''s not much cache?I paid the rent on the vanadium dungeon, and I haven''t made much money since the beginning of the year with all the things I''ve been through. ...... Mr. Lyota, do you look at your savings balance? No, I didn''t see it. I knew it. ...... I''ve got 1.5 billion piro now. ...... Huh? I was speechless. ''Awesome!I have that much. Alice was excited. ''No, no, what?Do you have that much? ''''Yes. Because I''ll deposit the money when Lyota-san sends me the drop items, so I''m always watching. ...... It was. I mean ...... did Elsa know more about my bank balance than me. So it''s enough, and if you buy ...... it won''t change a digit, right? It''s getting more and more awesome! Alice gets more and more excited, as the saying goes. If that''s what you''re talking about, go to ....... ''Would you buy it?'' I like it. Yes, sir. Alice and Elsa smiled and nodded to each other. 437. Unique Monster Again Come on, let''s get out of here! I came to pick up Carbon in the evening on this day as well. Carbon took out a monster and transformed it into his own form. Even if it''s a spirit, Carbon''s monster that can be made to have that ability. I stare at that monster = Carbon for a long time. ''''What''s wrong?''''What about that? Hmm, that''s kind of inspiring to me. ''Inspired?What?Hey, hey, what? Carbon suddenly became very excited. It''s obvious that he responded to my word "inspiration". It also means he''s expecting me to do something for him, and I had to respond to that, so I wracked my brain and tried to scoop up what I thought might be inspiration from the sea of thoughts in my head. ''Anyway, Ryota-sama, why don''t we do this when we get home? Meeke, who was waiting, told me so. Carbon, Aulum, and Nihonium. In order for these three spirits to return home - that is, to leave his own dungeon - they need the ability of Meeke, the unique monster, to leave the dungeon. As such, Meeke is busiest in the morning and evening. ...... Meeke. Yes, what is it? You''re a unique monster, aren''t you? ''Yes, Master Lyota did it for me: ...... so what is it?'' ...... Carbon. What is it?Did you see that flash of inspiration? Yeah, I just need help with the test. Yeah! Carbon nodded with all his might and high intensity. Outside the Vanadium Dungeon. Night has fallen, and the city is beginning to show a different kind of buzz than it does during the day. There, I was alone with Carbon. Outside the vanadium, the garden of the mansion, including the newly bought land. ''What should we do?'' First, we have to make this a hugely successful one. I said, and placed the first thing I got from defeating the monster when I first came to this world - a sprout on the ground. Putting it down, I beckoned to Carbon to take a distance with me. After waiting for a while, the sprouts hatched into a slime. I shot a restraining round at that slime. The newly hatched, slightly vicious haglemono slime would be bound by the restraining bullets and unable to move at all. ''''Good. I''ll take care of it. Just do what I told you to do, right? Yeah. Okay! Carbon said, and summoned a monster beside the restrained slime. Unique to the Carbon dungeon, it was a black mass of monsters that looked almost identical before the transformation. That''s eight of them. They surrounded the slime as if they were forming a circle around it. Immediately after, the black masses began to transform all at once. After they grumbled, all eight of them took on the form of me. ''''Now what?Do you want to take him down?But with so many of them, it''s overkill, right? We don''t have to take him down. We can just let it surround us. Is that all you have to do? Yeah. Please. Okay, I''m on it. Carbon happily slapped his own chest. The eight me''s didn''t move at all. The monsters in the Carbon dungeon transformed into human forms, but even if they transformed into the same human, their abilities differed depending on the original monster. There are those that transform into the same me, but are much weaker than me, those that are almost as strong as me, and those that take on the form of me but use the power of my friends. I''ve got a wide variety of them. I asked Carbon to create that monster that she uses in her spirit room "just for being". I''ll make that target me, and let the slime surround me. I wait for a while, no change. ''Let''s add a few more, shall we?'' Okay. Well, double it anyway. Simply saying that, Carbon summons eight more black shadows and makes them all me. From the side, it''s an incredible sight. A total of 16 monsters in my form. They didn''t move a fraction of a second and surrounded the restrained slime. The monsters didn''t move at all under Carbon''s control, and perhaps that''s why, from the side, there were 16 wax figures of me. It was such a bit of a horror story. But then it hit me. The slime that had been restrained and left there for so long glowed for a moment, and when it subsided, it took on a completely different appearance. As it had always been, but with a more charming face. ''''Huh?I''m ...... why?Yikes!What is this, this is scary! The slime that was able to speak drew grandly as he looked around him (,). ''''Is that right?'''' Yeah, it looks like a success. Unique Monster. The former is a monster that changes if you''ve been around haggle-heads for years and have been subjected to their human vibrations for a long time. I learned this before when my dog Cerberus became one, and when I learned it from Clayman and his friends. My vibrations are apparently stronger than those of other humans. If I could take those strong vibrations of mine and make a number of monsters that Carbon would copy for the spirit room, I could easily create unique monsters, right?-- and I had an inspiration. And it worked, and a unique slime monster was born in front of us. ''This!It''s your first time working together! The success had put Carbon in a good mood, with all his might. 438. Crystal of collaboration Cyclodungeon Association, President''s Office. When I came to visit, I was facing the president''s cell. Cell was staring at it(,) which was on top of my - my head. "Slime ......? Yeah, it''s a unique slime monster. I nodded and explained the situation to Cell. ''The monsters around me are more likely to be unique monsters than others--is what you told me. ''''Hmm. It''s indisputable that Satou-sama''s vibrations are stronger than those of the ordinary people and have a stronger effect on the monsters. ''We succeeded in making Carbon''s dungeons still have monsters at night by putting monsters in the spirit room that copied the very existence of Carbon. And that''s why I thought of it. So I figured if I copied me, and in large numbers, I could create a unique monster in no time at all. After explaining the situation up to this point, Cell folded his arms and nodded his head vigorously. I see, it makes sense. I''m still amazed at Satou-sama. It''s not just a matter of time before you''ll be able to get your hands on some of these things. There has never yet been anyone who has done such a thing. Is that so? Some people who ''keep'' a haggler want it. My own little girl, my own little girl. My own little girl. Yeah, I think I get it. Some hag creatures are friendly to humans, and if you go through the proper procedures, you can keep them just like a pet. It''s only natural that people would want their own child to be unique and different from the rest. But this is almost always not the case, but Satou-sama changed it very easily and with purpose. I can only say that''s amazing. It''s only with Carbon''s help, though. I''m pretty sure that was Sato-sama''s idea. Squeak. The Unique Monster Slime was still on top of my head and made a good-natured noise. It completely misses me, it was like that right after the change, so I brought it to Cell in peace. It''s a cute slime from the beginning, it''s even cuter with its unique monster transformation, and on top of that it misses me. Looking at this figure, ten out of ten people would judge it harmless. As expected, Cell also narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the slime with a smile. ''''So, I would like permission to keep this boy. I''ll have her published right away. Sorry. ''''No, permission to keep a haggle of things depends on the credibility of the owner. There isn''t a person in this city who would reject Satou-sama''s offer. So you''re pretty credible. I''m grateful for that, and that''s a bit of a responsibility. Wait for me, I''ll see what I can do. Please. Cell nodded and stood up. A moment later, something fell from his bosom with a thud to the floor. I thought it was a statue of me again ....... ''Why is it a statue of me and Carbon! ''This is different!It''s not! Cell hurriedly picked it up and put it back in his pocket. ''It was never a memorial to Satou-sama''s first joint effort or anything like that! That''s the kind of thing that falls to the wayside, isn''t it?On purpose! A big shove. And haha, sigh. As usual, that(,) of the cell is fast. Or rather, I didn''t have to explain it to him. ''Not at all,'' Gohon: ...... or maybe a little disappointing. Cell, standing up, coughing and cheating, changed the subject. ''Too bad?'' If it was our first time working together, I would have preferred Satou-sama''s daughter instead of the slime. ''No, no, no, I''m glad you said that: ...... I''m sure the genie meant to do that. ''No, no, no, it''s not about us, it''s about the spirits and humans who don''t even know if we can do it in the first place. That''s the biggest obstacle, the biggest challenge. How much do you know? I plunged into it with such force that my voice flipped over. It''s true that it can be called an ordeal, and in fact, when Carbon hears it, he might be motivated to do so with a lot of energy. "Well, that''s a shame, really. Totally. ...... ...... kikey. The unique monster slime was gone, and it jumped off my head. I jumped to my cell with a bang. "Mwah! Cell tried to avoid it, but he couldn''t. The statue that he had tucked away in his pocket fell with another rumble to the floor. The Unique Monster Slime swallowed it - and digested it. After a while - a change occurs. The slime''s body swells up in a way that feels like it defies the laws of conservation of mass, and it takes on the appearance of a kindergartner, or maybe a schoolboy, about six years old. Though small, it looked exactly like Carbon. ''Can it transform into human form?'' No, it''s ......, the daughter of Genie Carbone. ...... What? I was surprised. Immediately after, the little carbon-like slime jumped on me and hugged me. It was a gesture worthy of my beloved daughter. 439. Heredity Evening salon. ''I''m looking forward to working with you today,'' The young girl bows in front of my friends in a chatty way. All of my companions are astonished by the suddenness of the situation and are in a state of exasperation. Among them, Celeste and Elsa''s surprise is outstanding. ''She looks exactly like Carbon ...... like a daughter ...... daughter! ''No way!Ryo, Mr. Lyota and Mr. Carbon''s! Hmm?Yeah, well. That''s what you get for getting Carbon to help you. It''s our first time working together! Carbon said with a thumbs up and a wink on his big smile. ''...... Oh no,'' Huh. ...... Celeste looked incredibly desperate, and Elsa slumped down in a huff. ''No, that''s not what I meant. ''''So that means you''re going to call Mr. Lyota Dad. Dad?Should I call you Dad? Slime looked up at me and asked with innocent eyes. ''I''m sure Lyota would be happier if you called me Dad. ''Really?I understand. I''ll call you Dad from now on. ...... Huh. ...... Celeste looked as if her soul had slipped out of her mouth, and Elsa grunted more and more sadly. Seeing this, Ena sneaks in and giggles. Ah, this is a matter that I know and I''m teasing. If that''s the case, if you can just take it apart as normal--. "Huh?But she''s a slime, right? Suddenly, Alice said that. Saying that, she came in front of the slime, which had been transformed into a young girl who looked exactly like Carbon-like, and peered at her face as if to observe her closely. ''''--!'''' The two of them, who seemed to have been thrust into the depths of hell by Ena''s tinkering, poof, Alice''s actions bite them. ''Yeah, I knew it was slime,'' ''Does Alice understand? Yes, she does. ''Yes!And this is a unique monster. ''That''s what I''m talking about. Um, ...... can you go back to your slime form? I understand, Dad. The slime said, and returned from its human form to its slime form. It''s a unique monster slime with a slightly different form of detail from the slime - a slime often seen in the tellurian basement floor. ''''It really was a slime. ...... Which means: ...... Celeste and Elsa looked at Carbon. ''Yes, a child who has been turned into a unique monster and has some form of Carbon''s abilities attached to it. Celeste was relieved when I explained, and Elsa glared at her best friend, Ena, I''m sure. Ena flicked her tongue out and shrugged her shoulders in a mischievous way. ''I really thought you were my daughter,'' ''Well, my daughter, or rather, my daughter: ...... The slime returned to its original form, apparently unable to speak in that form, and with its original ''keeky'' cry, it headed to the other unique monster in the corner of the room, Cerberus Cerberus. Two unique monsters facing each other. After staring at each other for a while, they both jumped at the same time, Cerberus with his front paws and Slime with his deformed body parts sticking out, and they gave each other a jumping high-five. Yay!After an audible high five, the slime got on top of Cerberus'' head. With the slime on top of him, Cerberus wagged his tail and then started to run. Since it was inside the vanadium dungeon, it ran around frolicking in the salon, which was quite spacious. ''...... It''s like you and Cerberus, isn''t it?'' Yes, sir. They seem to be very close. It''s like you''re my best friend. A rabbit and a carrot mingle: ...... ''I know that sounds like such a water and a fish: ...... We all watched as the slime and Cerberus frolicked. Not to mention me, Emily and Alice, and even Celeste and Elsa, who had been in despair earlier, watched them with smiling eyes. After running around for a while, and perhaps satisfied with that, Cerberus stopped and the slime also jumped off his head, returning to his daughter''s form again and coming towards us. ''I''m sorry. I didn''t mean to get carried away. ''I don''t mind. People do what they want when they''re in the salon. I gulped and pointed with my thumb to the other side of the salon. Aurum, Nihonium, Vanadium - and Sakuya as a bonus. The spirit group is looking at us, but they don''t come to actively participate in the conversation. Celeste and Elsa are biting and reacting like they don''t really feel like they''re "daughters". ''But she''s a child that was born through a joint effort. Oh, this is serious stuff. Ena said no to Elsa, like it was just a matter of time, and then looked at the slime. What''s the seriousness of it? ''What does it matter?'' ''It''s fine because it looks just like Carbon, but isn''t there something about Lyota that you''ve inherited?'' Me? Yeah, because it''s a joint effort. The two of you working together. I see. It''s certainly serious. Have you inherited anything from me as well as the look of carbon?Ena said. I thought for a moment and asked the slime. ''Can you dress like me?'' I''m sorry, but this is the only form I can take as a human. Really? "So is it your ability? ''Maybe!I''ll get some. Alice said and ran off and came right back. She handed me the portable now-board she''d retrieved. ''An ability. Okay, try this one. I understand. Slime used it to check his abilities. Then. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous S Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... It''s level one. ...... There''s an S, too! Emily and Alice agreed, and Ena chuckled. ''I knew she was your daughter,'' Then Celeste and Elsa would look like that again, thrust into the depths of despair. 440. Nihonium, again Next morning. Nihonium Dungeon, first basement floor. This is a place I''ve been away from lately. This is my starting point, in a way, and I''ve come here with a slime. "Well then, let''s start the test. ''Yes!What should I do? The slime that had been transformed into a carbon look-alike asked me with a small tilt of his head. The gesture is cute and makes me want to nod my head. The hand stretches out, the slime tilts its head, "? I make a face. I coughed out a gohon, and cheated by bringing my outstretched hand directly to my mouth with a clenched fist. ''I''m going to take down the monster now, so you can pick up the drop. I understand. I walked through the dungeon with the slime in tow. He immediately encounters a skeleton. Skeletons don''t like to be hit by normal bullets. I''m in the thick of it, and I take out the skeleton in close combat. I crushed the monster''s bones, feeling a little nostalgic and reminiscent of my all-F days in close combat. The skeleton collapses, revealing the seeds of an HP boost. ''Pick it up. I understand. Slime nodded honestly, squatting closer and reaching for the seeds. ''Ah, .......'' No? I don''t know what to do. ''No, it''s fine. I expected there was a big chance of it not being good. ...... you''re not bad. I soothe the slime, who looks like he''s about to cry over not being able to pick it up. What is this, I feel extremely guilty about it. ''Is the idea of giving it to you here if you can''t go up at level 1 no good? This is probably not good either, but just in case you try to defeat the next one. I understand. We left the scene and proceeded through the nihonium. Shortly after, he encounters the skeleton again. The slime''s ability is an S for dexterity and an F for everything else. In other words, his fighting ability is pretty low, so I shot a straitjacket at the skeleton as soon as I encountered it. After completely restraining the skeleton, I give the slime the go-ahead to "hang in there". The slime nodded and went towards the skeleton with enthusiasm. She is just a young and cute girl in appearance. Her abilities were almost all F, so her fighting style was appropriate. She punched the skeleton, kicked it, and picked up stones from the ground and slammed them down. After struggling for nearly a minute against a fully bound opponent, the skeleton finally fell. And the seed, of course, did not drop. ''''Well, I suppose so, the drop is an F.'''' I''m sorry: ...... No, it''s not your fault. Now, what are we going to do about that? I thought about the slime. Should I take advantage of being the highest level 1 and feed them a bunch of magic fruits? Magic fruit. It''s a magic fruit in the double sense of the word, if you eat it, you can learn magic. If you eat it, you can learn it unconditionally, but what you learn is random, and the "highest level" drops by one after the second. But if you''re at the highest level 1 from the start, there''s nothing wrong with that. The MP is also F, so the benefit is not so great, but I can make them eat a lot of magic fruits and aim for a sort of department store of techniques - no, a small technique. Yeah, let''s go with that. "Alright, let''s call it a day and go home-- He was a little surprised when I said that and looked up at him. ''What''s going on?You look like that. The reason I hear that is because the slime was dressed a little differently than before. The body - or rather the body is the same as before, but the clothes it wears are different. It''s the same body, but the clothes are different, fluffy and a bit cute. I don''t know. When I defeated the monster from earlier, my body changed before I knew it and became like this. Body? ''Yes ......, oh, this is my body.'' Slime said, picking at his clothes. ....... Oh, come to think of it, she was wearing clothes when she transformed from slime, clothes. So what you see in the clothes is her ''skin''? No, because slime doesn''t have skin - mucous membranes? ............ Or more different. Anyway, I''ve learned that clothes are part of the body. Did that change all of a sudden? Yes, sir. How do we get it back? Um, ....... The slime changed back into a slime outfit once, and then quickly turned back into a human again. There was a chapping sound, which was comical and a bit funny. The slime changed again, and its clothes stayed like this. ''I''m sorry, it looks like I can''t do anything but this. "The effect of defeating ...... skeletons or ......?No way! I came up with a possibility. Then I took out the portable now board I''d prepared in case I could use the seed and handed it to the slime. ''Use it and see,'' I understand. Slime nodded, accepting the portable now board and using it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... I was even more surprised than before. To my surprise, the slime''s dexterity got an F. Instead, its HP became an S. 441. Your name is Maybe we should go to ...... and save some more? I understand. Slime nodded. I beckoned to Vanadium, who was waiting some distance away, who had been asked to follow me today. Nihonium is a dungeon where no humans come at all. I asked Nihonium himself about it, but there are even fewer of them these days, and other than Margaret coming once a month to stock up on air boxes, there are "zero" adventurers. Vanadium was relieved to hear that, and wandered around the dungeon as if it were his family home - or rather, his dungeon. Where there are no humans (the slime in carbon form is a monster), Vanadium is no longer attached to me at all. Nevertheless, he seems happy to run up to me when I call him. ''Please don''t.'' ...... (nationally) Vanadium held hands with the slime. We go downstairs with him. We immediately engage the zombies. It''s the last thing you want to fight in a Nifongnium monster, like delo-delo, and it''s a tough one, mentally. "Doesn''t that make you feel bad? What''s that? Slime tilted his head slightly to ask back, Kyoton. ''Look, that monster,'' ......? More and more, I''m craning my neck, and if it''s a comic book or something like that, I''m going to have to ask, "What?" above my head. gestures that seem to be floating around. Don''t you feel that delirious feeling of a zombie as creepy? I wonder if it''s because they''re the same monster. Well, okay. Then I''ll stop the same movement as before, and in the meantime Yes! I pulled out my gun and fired a restraining round at the zombie. The slime rushes in and attacks. I''m a derrodero. I remember my first fight with a zombie. Just long enough for my bamboo spear to snap off and my gun to fall into place. Those were the days when I had to fight zombies with bullets. My HP was at S, so I wasn''t in any danger, but the flesh-and-blood combat with zombies was mentally tough. That is also a good memory now. --While I was immersed in my memories, the slime defeated the zombies safely. I knew he didn''t drop any seeds, though. ''''What do you think?'''' Let''s see. Slime said, and then went through the slime form and then changed back into a human form that looked just like Carbon. And the clothes had been changed, after all. ''What are your abilities?'' Then he held out the portable now board. Slime used it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power S Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... HP is back to F. Power instead. Two floors below the Nifonium Dungeon, the zombies drop a seed of power. As if in response to that, the power became an S. ''I knew it was going to be like this. I''m here. Can you get back to the look you had before - can HP get back to the S look? Well, I guess I can''t go to ...... Slime groaned and tried to put some effort into it, but he couldn''t seem to get back. ''I see, let''s go back then,'' I understand. We both went back to the basement floor. I searched for Skelton, restrained him, and pushed him. Thanks to my S strength, I was able to take him down in one hit this time. How''s that? I think I can do it. Slime said, and returned to his earlier outfit. ''Just to be sure, I also checked on the portable now board; HP was an S and power was an F. ''What''s a power to an S?'' I don''t think so. I see. By the way, what about not transforming after you defeat it? I can do that. "Mmm-hmm. I''m starting to understand the laws of the game somehow. A slime can transform into something, an outfit that becomes an S. You can transform into it by defeating another monster, but you can''t go back to the previous one at will. To go back, you must defeat the corresponding monster again. You can, however, stock up on them. You can defeat it and save it without transforming it. ''Alright, let''s try the third basement level too, let''s see. Yes, sir. I took down the zombie on the second basement floor, and then went down to the third floor after I got my power to S. The third basement floor of Nifonium, Mummy. It''s a monster with a big, muscular body like a professional wrestler, wrapped in a full body bandage. This guy () doesn''t have any special powers yet, so I restrained him with the same straitjacket as before and took him down. ''''How''s that?'''' I can. Nodding slime, no longer looking familiar, via the original slime, a new look. Ability also confirmed. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed S Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... The force is now an F and the speed is now an S. That''s the law. What about going back? I can''t. Yeah, all right, let''s move on. Vanadium. ...... (Kok Kok Kok) ...... Vanadium came over and tried to connect with the slime''s hand. But the slime didn''t take his hand and stared at Vanadium. ''What''s the matter?'' Mr. Vanadium. Hmm? Isn''t Mr. Vanadium the name my dad gave you? Hmm?Oh, well. I guess it will. Not exactly. Vanadium''s original name was Erythronium. It''s supposed to be because of the trauma of that name that I gave it a different name. But the truth is, it''s slightly different. In naming it, I had the Encyclopedia of the Original World dropped from Takarabako and found out that Erythronium is an old name for vanadium. So I named it Vanadium. When I say I put it on, I mean it, but vanadium was originally vanadium. ...... But the slime seems to have fallen for it. Why now?That''s what I thought. "Me too, What? I want a name, too. Dad. ...... I poked myself in the head. It was a bit careless. Until now, I had called her "slime" in my mind. It''s at least a relief that I haven''t called her "hey" or "you" with my mouth. Slime - she looked at me with an upward glance. Her eyes sparkled with anticipation. I feel like I shouldn''t disappoint that expectation. What kind of name do I want to use? She was originally a tellurian slime, but considering the way she looks and how she was born, it''s more accurate to say she''s Carbon''s daughter. Carbon ......C......C...... organic compound ...... Yuki....... ...... Yuki? I try to say it out loud, in my mind, I think of girls'' names with various characters like Yuki, Yuki, and Yuki. I look at her and ask. ''Yuki, so how''s that?'' ''Yes!Thank you! She was incredibly happy. It wasn''t so much the name, but the look on her face that said she was glad I had named her. I poked my head again. If she was this happy, I should have given her the name earlier. Oh well, we''ll call her Yuki from now on. Oh. What''s going on? "Well, uh, ......, um, look at ......! ? As I nodded my head, Yuki reverted back to her slime form once and changed back into her human form. But that outfit--. ''''Is this the first one?'''' Yes, dexterity is a proper S. Besides, Another transformation. ''''This time it''s when HP is S?'''' I can do strength and speed, too. Yuki transforms one after another. Surprisingly, she can now do things that she couldn''t do before. I can now freely change into a form that I have experienced before. ''It''s amazing. How did it come out of nowhere? ''I think it''s because my dad named it for me! ...... I see. Yuki confidently told me so. I''m convinced that this may be so. 442. New power I make my way down the Nifonium dungeon smoothly. The latter half of the monster has a special way of defeating it, but I''ve already conquered it and I know how to defeat it all. I followed it up with restraining bullets and accelerated bullets so that Yuki could take it down. Every time I beat one of them, Yuki''s costume and abilities increase by one type. And then the ninth floor of Nihonium''s basement. The last dragon zombie was made to be defeated by Yuki after pouring a time drop on it. After defeating it, Yuki stared at her palm. It''s a reaction that hadn''t been seen on the eighth level so far. ''''What''s going on?'''' ''Well, it didn''t change anything. Did I do something wrong? Didn''t change anything? ''Yes, when I''ve defeated monsters before, I get a fanfare in my head that says, ''Oh, here comes a new power.'' It''s like a level-up sound. That wasn''t there just this time. ''That''s odd. Are you sure it''s not increasing? Yes, there are nine kinds. ''Well, ...... hmm?Nine kinds? Yes, nine kinds. ...... What was it like to be the first, unique monster? Wait a minute. Yuki said, and then changed his form, once via his slime form. ''Here it is,'' I think he has the ability to go to ...... S is the lucky one. Yuki answered without using the portable now board. ''I''ve checked my abilities once, I seem to have a good grasp of them. ''''I get it. It was my luck that I was the last one to raise it.'''' It reminds me of something that happened a while ago, shortly before I actually met Nihonium. I defeated a dragon zombie and got an E for luck. So I got to the front of the genie''s room and found out that I couldn''t proceed to the next one unless I had all abilities SS. Everything else was already SS, and I gave my last luck in the Dragon Zombie lap. And the first ability I got when Yuki turned into a unique monster was luck. It coincides with the ability I got from killing monsters with Nifonium and the last ability I gave him when he turned into a unique monster with my wave motion. It can''t be a coincidence, can it? Well, whatever it is. I guess that means we now have nine different ones. Really? I think so. ''I see. ......'' Yuki smiled slightly happily. ''Well, if that''s the case, we don''t need to be here anymore. Let''s go back. Yes, sir. We turned back. Since I didn''t need Yuki to take it down already, I decided to take down the monster on the way home. I''ll take it to the ground floor where the transfer gate is. I met a dragon zombie right away, the count is 99, but I defeated it quickly with a repetition. ''Ah.'' The missing dragon zombie, a staircase leading to the bottom appears. Seeing this, Yuki wondered. ''''Wasn''t this dungeon up to the ninth floor?'''' ''Normally, yes. Down here is the path that leads to the spirit chamber, and it''s an exception. So it is. ...... What are you doing here, Dad? Let''s go down there. ''......?Yes. Yuki is curious, but doesn''t argue with me. Yuki and Vanadium hold hands and go down the stairs together. A strange room that is both nostalgic and eerie. A five-meter square cube, a block of pulsating, rotting flesh. The creepy objects were there, completely unchanged from before. ''What is this?'' Aren''t you scared? Somehow I heard it. ''Yes. ''Because you feel the same way as I do.'' I see. My sense is that this is a frightening and creepy object, but from Yuki, the Unique Monster (), it''s not like that because it''s a kindred spirit. Vanadium, a spirit, is also poking at the pulsating, vascular-like area rather amusingly. ''So, what are you going to do about it, Dad? Here''s the Now Board. Let''s check it out. I understand. As I did in the past, Yuki used the Now Board to measure his abilities. But nothing happened. ''I''ll have to do it?'' I mumbled that and used the Now board to measure my abilities. After the combat surface shows all SS, the mass melts down and a monster is revealed. A dragon zombie on the count of 9. ''Here it is. Hang a time drop on it, try to take it down. I understand. Just like I did on the upper floor earlier, I multiplied the drops of time and had Yuki defeat the dragon zombies. Then a three-necked dog with an "8" count appears this time. It''s the same as when I went to meet Nihonium. I wanted to give Yuki a shot at this as a dungeon attack. Unlike me, Yuki has no magic or guns. "Same as before, I''ll split his head in half. Yes! Instead, I can make my power an S so I can stop it and take it down. I fire a tracking round and hit myself with a W-acceleration round to stop time. Just before the tracking rounds hit, I fire the rounds themselves and part the other two heads even further. The heads are blown off with a single blow. He knocks them down one after another. Count 7, Electric Mummy. Count 6, Poison Zombie. Count 5, Red Skeleton. Count 4, Special Mummy. Count 3, Mummy. Count 2, Zombie. Count one, skeletons. When they were all defeated - the entrance did not appear. Yuki''s body blurred and glowed faintly for a moment, but that was it. The stairs did not appear. No, not the stairs, for now. The important thing is--. What do you think?Do you have new powers? Well, there''s no ...... No? Yes ...... Yuki looks up at me in disappointment. Did I do something wrong?Or do you have to devise something to move it by Yuki''s measurements or is it nothing? With that in mind, I somehow measure my abilities again. HP-SS. MP-SS Power--SSS Strength-SS Intelligence-SS Spirit-SS Speed-SS Dexterous-SS Luck--SS What? The hunk of meat was still intact, but I couldn''t believe my eyes at the status on display. 443. Still the drop does not change What does this mean at ......? Yuki''s powers are adding up to mine, right? Does that happen? Yuki looked surprised, too. I shook my head. ''I don''t know, but given the circumstances, I can only surmise that: ...... Let''s go back for a moment.'' Are you going back? ''Yeah, I''d like to check if this ''SSS'' is the only one here, or if that''s the case with the regular Nowboard system. And I''ve run out of the portable nowboard I brought with me. Oh, I see. I see. We nodded and left that room and went back to the ninth floor. We continued back the way we came and used the transporter room on the basement floor to return to the mansion - the vanadium dungeon. I turned to Yuki and Banauzim. ''Yuki, go to my test room first. What about Vanadium? ...... (geez) The childish spirit remained silent as usual, but squeezed Yuki''s hand. ''You''re with me, then go ahead. ...... (nationally) Vanadium nodded. The genie and the slime were accompanied by him, heading to the room first, as if they were close sisters. Their backside was smiling, and if nothing else, it made me feel like I wanted to just stare at them for a while. ''Oops, I shouldn''t,'' I went into town and bought a portable now board at the tool store. Unlike other items, it''s not something I usually use that much. Adventurers in this world go around endlessly for production on a daily basis, and it''s normal for the level to be canned before you know it. And it''s the same for us Lyota family members. All of our friends are all canned, and since we don''t usually use portable now boards, we don''t have many of them on hand at all times. I took all of them to Nihonium earlier, and they were all used up and gone. So I ran to the tool shop and bought all the portable nowboards I could find, which were also almost completely out of stock for the same reason. As soon as I got back to the mansion, I went into the test room. In that room, which was made much larger than the basement of the previous mansion because of the haggling, Vanadium was sitting directly on the floor, and Yuki - in slime form - was on his lap. It was also smiling, and I thought for a moment that maybe I didn''t care about the test today. ''Ah, welcome back,'' Noticing me, Yuki jumped off Vanadium''s lap and returned to her human form. ''You look like a dexterity S.'' Yes, sir. I''ll check it out. Yuki, stay where you are. I understand. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SSS Luck SS --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Oh, I couldn''t help myself. I could see it on the portable now board. The dexterity part is really SSS. And this ...... is a slightly different notation than the others. No doubt, it''s a rise influenced by Yuki. But it''s different from any of the previous increases - or even status changes due to external forces. Quicksilver, plus potions and even vanadium dungeon debuffs. Those were things that could be followed by a "+" or "-" after the number. That''s not. Just SSS and. ''It''s amazing, it''s really going up.'' Try other forms. I understand! Yuki was enthusiastic and transformed, one after another. Each time I check my portable now board, my same spot becomes SSS in response to Yuki''s "S" guy. It''s as if Yuki''s very existence is buffing me. ''I see. But it''s still a strange feeling. Is that so? Yeah. Vanadium, try lowering my abilities. ...... (nationally) Vanadium nodded in his usual way, held up his hand and summoned a cotton wool. It was a Vanadium dungeon monster, and it brought my abilities down. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP S (-1) MP S (-1) Force S(-1) Strength S (-1) Intelligence S (-1) Spirit S (-1) Speed S (-1) Dexterous SS (-1) Luck S(-1) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant S (-1) Animals S(-1) Minerals S(-1) Magic S(-1) Characteristic S (-1) --------- ... I checked on the portable now board and this time I saw the notations I knew so well. All of them had the "(-1)" notation, and the one that went up with the seed went down, and the drop S, which had already been that way since I transitioned to this world, hadn''t changed at all. I showed this copy to Yuki. Normally, if you go up, you get a ''+'' and if you go down, you get a ''-''. But Yuki''s didn''t have anything. That''s a little strange. I see. What happens when you call ...... Yuki? What''s going to happen? Yuki tilted her head, genuinely questioning. I think for a moment and say to Vanadium again. ''Get my powers back. Oh, and now turn Yuki''s down. ...... (nationally) Vanadium nodded and held his hand over me first, then summoned the fluff and sent it flying to Yuki. I did it right before, so Yuki accepted the fluff as it was. And then the portable now board to Yuki. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F (-1) MP F (-1) Force F (-1) Strength F(-1) Intelligence F(-1) Spirit F(-1) Speed F(-1) Dexterous A (-1) Luck F(-1) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant F (-1) Animals F(-1) Mineral F (-1) Magic F(-1) Characteristic F (-1) --------- ... It''s gone down. They''re gone... ...... ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Using the Now Board on myself, the ability is something I''ve been used to seeing for a while now, since I''ve "fully attacked" Nihonium. ''With an A, you can''t get it over here?'' I guess so. SS+S and SSS, huh? I see. What would happen if they lowered it further? Let''s find out. Vanadium, take Yuki, all F''s. ...... (nationally) Vanadium called out one fluff after another and hit Yuki with it. A to B, B to C, C to D, D to E....... I checked each time, but nothing changed. But as soon as it became all F. "--! ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SSS MP SSS Force SSS Strength SSS Intelligence SSS Mental SSS Speed SSS Dexterous SSS Luck, SSS. --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... My abilities had gone a step further, all SSS. 444. All SSS I used the potatoes to hatch a haggler of parent and child slime. ''First, speed.'' You take down the "children" scattered around the "parents" almost simultaneously () while fleshing them out with fast movement. ''Power next.'' After defeating all of the "children", I gave the parent, who had reached maximum hardness, a thud. The attack went through, and I successfully defeated the parent and child slime. "Hmm. What do you think? Yuki, who had been watching, asked. ''Yeah, it''s going up properly. I''ve got a feel for it, but my strength and speed are both higher than they were in SS. And--wind cutter. Saying that, he shoots a wind-based rudimentary magic at the wall in the middle of nowhere. It''s not just one shot, it''s a series of shots. Continuous firing, continuous firing, continuous firing anyway. The Windcutter was dripping into the wall anyway. After firing for a few minutes, I felt the characteristic dizziness of running out of MP. I shoot a recovery round at myself to recover my MP. ''My MP is up. The amount of time I can shoot - a number of them. It''s going up. I see. The others are hard to test, but once you''re here, we can assume that the others are up, too. I did, and used the portable now board again. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SSS MP SSS Force SSS Strength SSS Intelligence SSS Mental SSS Speed SSS Dexterous SSS Luck, SSS. --------- ... All in SSS status. ....... After the Portable Nowboard display disappeared, I somehow used it again. A status where everything is SSS - maybe the strongest. It''s similar to how it felt when I was playing the game in the original world. I''d level-canceled and collected a whole set of equipment. While you have that kind of sense of accomplishment and elation, you''ll want to open the status screen and equipment column over and over again. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SSS MP SSS Force SSS Strength SSS Intelligence SSS Mental SSS Speed SSS Dexterous SSS Luck, SSS. --------- ... Three times, I open it. I could tell he was going to grin a little bit. ''Gosh,'' I cleared my throat and then mended it. Yuki, and then turn to Vanadium. ''Thanks, both of you.'' Wow, I didn''t do anything. ...... (smiling) Yuki was hurriedly humbled, but not in a hurry to look even. Vanadium smiled straight away. ''I know it''s predictable, but ...... Vanadium, can you get Yuki''s abilities back, just in case? ...... (Kok Kok Kok) Vanadium nodded and held out his hand to Yuki. When he was done, Vanadium nodded at me again. I used the portable now board again. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SSS Luck SS --------- ... I''m back to my immediate state. Only Yuki''s dexterity added up, the rest of the SS was original. ''Can I have another test?'' What do you want me to do? You two, get away from me for a minute. I want to see if it adds up to being away from you. I understand. Vanadium, please. Both of you - well, for simplicity''s sake, I want you to go to the spirit room in the Aulum dungeon. Go over there and wait for a few minutes. ...... (Kok Kok Kok) Vanadium nodded and took Yuki outside with him. Vanadium held Yuki''s hand. It was a bit of a relief to see the two little girls holding hands behind me as they walked away. I waited for a minute or so, and when they were sure they were going to Aulum''s place, I used the portable now board further. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... The dexterity is back on SS. I see, I guess it''s the distance. Although it''s necessary to examine how close you should be to them, but - perhaps in this kind of situation, you should be within sight of them, or within reach of their voices. I''m sure it won''t add up unless it''s within that range. As for why I can make that guess, all I can say is "that''s just the way it is". The range type is usually about that much, and if you extend it further from that, it''s almost 100% where you can be. Well, that''s beside the point. In this case, in order to maintain the SSS, I need Yuki to stay close to me. And when it comes to having Yuki accompany me, ....... Oh, where have you been? When I came back to the testing room, Yuki and Vanadium, who had returned earlier, ran up to me. ''Sorry, I''m just...'' But more importantly, I need to ask you for a favor. What is this? I''d like to ask Vanadium to follow me to the dungeon with you two, even if it''s only occasionally at ....... ''Of course!I''ll go with you! ...... (nationally) Both Yuki and Vanadium responded very easily and immediately. Thank you. Here then. I thanked them and took what I had just fetched from the Grand Eater''s pocket and offered it to them. ''What''s this?'' ''The Stone of Absolute Rock, its +10. One for each of us. With that, he handed the +10 Absolute Rock stone to both of them. I made it a +10, unlike the others, because even if you lose the absolute lock - it won''t harm you if you become a haggler, so I didn''t hesitate to make it the best +10. "There''s a chance you might be in danger when you come with us, so take these to protect yourself. I understand!Thank you! ...... (pop) Yuki and Vanadium, they happily received the +10 Absolute stone. In the future, they could conquer the dungeon with SSS when needed. 445. I want to go with you Plumbum dungeon, Plumbum''s room. ''So now you''re going into the dungeon with your daughter? Plumbum asked, listening to Yuki''s story to the end with his usual curiosity. ''So, my daughter,'' I chuckled. It started with Carbon''s "first joint effort" and was often referred to that way, and once I admitted it, I felt like I was going to be recognized as a daughter until the end of the day without it. I chuckle and think for a moment. ''Well, I suppose it does happen sometimes. I''m sure Yuki has her own things she wants to do, and so does Vanadium. I''m sure there are things like that, and I don''t know if it''s a good idea to tell her to always follow me. "I don''t know what happened to the Yuki slime. Hmm? Vanadium is probably the same as the straw. The same? I only do what I want to do. He wants to follow you and help you. Plumbum''s words made a strange sense to me. Not just her, but all spirits have that tendency. They only do what they want to do, and they don''t give up a point of commitment. Aurum wants to go outside, and Plumbum, on the contrary, wants to wait for me in this room and hear from me. Carbon is somewhat into the realm of self-absorption, preferring the "trials" and Tennysin is a tsundere. All spirits have this tendency, and when Prumbum told me that, I was very satisfied. ''Maybe so,'' Why don''t you ask him? Let''s do it. I returned from Plumbum''s room to the mansion - the dungeon of Vanadium. It was quiet inside the mansion. When I was in the old mansion, there was a good amount of noise, even in the daytime, since there was a buyout place for Erza and Ena. And since it was just an ordinary mansion, if you were able to see a single window and wall, the other side was the city of Ciclo. You can also hear the sounds of city life that are peculiar to daytime. But the new mansion, the vanadium dungeon, is different. Although there is a window on the wall to make it look like that, it is an object of the dungeon that can be seen from the window. There is no city beyond it, and therefore it is quiet. I walked through the mansion. At the salon, I found Yuki and Vanadium. ''I''m home.'' Welcome home, Daddy. ...... (sigh) I called out to the two of them and they all turned to me at once. Yuki walked towards me in a calm manner that didn''t match her young appearance, and Vanadium ran up and hugged me, almost like a dash. ''What have you been doing?'' We were just talking. ...... (nationally) Story? Yes, sir. I''ve heard so many cool things about my dad. I''m having so much fun, thanks to you. Is that so? I look at the vanadium. At the same time, it was a bit racy. It''s embarrassing to have people talk about you in a place you don''t know, and if it''s a compliment, it''s embarrassment times the square of embarrassment. Without paying any attention to my embarrassment at all, Vanadium looked up at me while hugging me and nodded coyly. ''I see. We''ve gotten along pretty well, haven''t we? We''re named after each other by my dad. ...... I see. Technically, the vanadium wasn''t put on by me, but that''s about it. ''I need to talk to you for a minute,'' Yes, what is it? I''m going to be in the dungeon a little bit from now on. What about you two?Do you want to come with me? What? Yuki was momentarily taken aback. ''What''s wrong?'' That ...... I was going to go with you the whole time, though. Is that so? ''Yes. Because, Dad, you also gave me some items to protect myself, isn''t that what you meant? Okay, so that''s what I thought. "Um, ......, do you mind if I go to ......? ...... (jee) They stare at me at the same time. Yuki looks like she''s about to cry. ''No, it''s not. I''m glad you''re coming with me.'' Yes! ...... (nationally) Yuki and Vanadium, they nodded happily. When they looked that happy, it made me happy too. 446. Double Ryochin Ta-da-da! Hey, Lyota. Hey, Lyota, how''s the test going? Did you improve that kid''s ability? I went up early () and was relaxing in the salon when Alice came back and called on me with a curious look on her face. ''Yuki''s ability didn''t improve, but my--'' ''Yuki?I named it. ...... Yeah. I chuckled and nodded. ''Right, right, that''s a good name.'' Thank you. They''re together - Yuki, sitting shoulder to shoulder with Vanadium, replied happily. ''So, why Yuki?Have you learned some ice magic? No, it''s just a carbon look-alike. ''So, Yuki?Why? Hmm. It''s an association between carbon and organic compounds, but it''s hard to explain. I''m entering my third year of transitioning to this world, but we don''t have the concept of elements that we had over there. I''ve never once heard of an organic compound. It''s hard to explain, so I changed the subject. ''But more importantly, there was something I needed Alice''s help with. Yeah?Say anything, anything at all. Today was a day of change. When I went out in the morning, it was to see if I could raise the slime''s ability with Nihonium. I named the slime on the way out, and I didn''t get to raise Yuki''s ability, but instead I got to be SSS. Well, there are some things I want Alice to test in relation to the SSS. First, I gave her a quick rundown of what happened today. "So, I can switch between SSS and SSS. Awesome!Ryota, you''re getting more and more powerful. Thanks. So, I''d like to know if my ability is reflected in Riyuchin''s strength at the time of the summoning or in real time. Hmm, you mean? ''It''s a test to see if it reflects when I''m SSS after I call it out in SS status. ''I see!Okay. Can we go today?Or should I wait until tomorrow? Alice''s trump card, summoned by the magical All Might. She can only summon it once a day for about 60 seconds, making her the perfect trump card. Don''t worry, I didn''t summon him today. You didn''t call them. They just keep getting stronger and stronger. Alice said, and her fellow monsters on her shoulders rumbled in unison. It was so relaxing to watch the palm-sized doll move and frolic on its own. ''Alright, let''s get on with it then,'' ''We only have 60 seconds, so let''s call it out and arm-wrestle. I''m SS now, so let''s call it out and then we''ll turn SSS and see if that wins or draws me out. Hey. Alice made the classic sign with her fingers in a circle. After the meeting, Alice thrust her hands up towards the ceiling. ''Ree-ching!'' The next moment, a crack appeared in the space in front of her, revealing Ree-chin. She looks just like me, but she''s about four-headed, like a stuffed animal that looks like something you''d find on the roof of a department store. That''s Alice''s ultimate summoning, Rhyochin. Good. I''m not going to be able to get it right. I''m counting on you. I understand. ...... (nationally) A pair of juvenile girls who respond. However, it''s mainly Vanadium who does something. She lowered Yuki''s abilities and finally nodded to me. Checking on the portable now board, all abilities are now SSS. ''Oh, wow,'' We don''t have time for this. We need to arm-wrestle. Yeah. Ryuchin, it''s a gambler! Me and Chochin crossed the sarong table, elbows on each other''s arms. Alice placed her pre-morphing phonephone on the top of our hands. Yo ...... don! At Alice''s command, I and Chochin started arm-wrestling. Evenly matched. I gave it my all right from the start, but I couldn''t push Ryo-chin away. Ten seconds into the contest, it''s completely even. The next moment I thought, "This is - this is reflected in real time - Mekki, Mishimish--poof! The tables in the salon are shattering under our power. "Oh, wow. Ha-ha, you can''t win. If you didn''t get it, that means Li-ching is as good as the SSS, right? That''s what I thought. Yay, I''m a little stronger again. It''s a direct link to my ability Hariotin. Alice''s trump card is getting stronger, and the family is happy about it. This... Huh? What''s going on? I can''t get rid of it. What? Turning around, Alice didn''t give the order to attack, so Ree-chin was standing on the spot, standing on a stick. Indeed - it''s not going away. ''''It''s been a minute already, right?'''' Yeah, I''m standing. I don''t know what''s going on. ...... Hmm. Me and Alice looking like we were pinched by a fox. After another minute or so, Ryochin disappeared as usual. But the time I called up. It was almost twice as long as I had ever had. 447. Thank you Late at night, outside the vanadium dungeon. I left the mansion and looked up at the night sky alone. Cyclo, which was becoming more and more prosperous, was so crowded that the lights would not go out even at night, and it was too bright to see anything in the sky. Still, I looked up. A different world that operated on a completely different principle than the original world. There were levels and monsters. A world where the equivalent of every primary industry is made up of monster drops. Even in such a world--. Yoda-san. Emily. What''s going on? Emily emerges from the vanadium dungeon. She''s in her pajamas and dressed for sleep. ''What''s wrong, Yoda-san?Are you up late? Yeah, I just wanted to have a look at the sky. Empty? Emily tilted her head, then followed my gaze and looked up at the sky. ''The sky looks the same no matter where you are, doesn''t it?I was just reminiscing about the old days. Were you in this empty place before you dropped from the slime? Yeah. There were no stars in the sky at all. Was it as urban as Cyclo? Maybe more than that. I replied, smiling. Cyclo is also bustling, but it''s no match for the big Japanese cities that burn fossil fuels and drip electricity for what seems like an eternity. ''It''s amazing, how much is it?'' Well, ...... where I live, it''s about 13 million people. Whew!I don''t know, are there that many people? Isn''t it great?Why there are so many of them is not clear to me either. I remember dying in the mornings and nights on a crowded train because of it. ...... It''s a good memory now. ''It made me miss it a bit, and I was looking up at the sky. Because you''re now all SSS? ...... Yeah. He smiled at Emily. ''You were all F when you met Emily. ''''Yes, sir. I was all F at level 1, so it looked really sad. I know. My smile turned into a bitter smile. If I''d met someone with the same level all F''s now, I''d still look sad. It might have been the same with Margaret. Until level 90, she was all F, including drops. When I saw that, although it was a stranger, I felt a little sad. "You''ve come a long way. Yes, sir. It''s a great place to live, isn''t it? Yes, sir. So, how''s the apartment? I still go to the cleaners every day. Okay. The first ramshackle apartment I rented for 20,000 piro a month. I still have it, you''d think. I bought the whole apartment. You bought it?Emily? Yes, sir. I was a little surprised. "There was talk of tearing it down. It''s old and it''s sad, so I bought it. I see. Right after I nodded, Emily''s little hand grabbed mine. ''Miss Yoda,'' What? He stared straight at me at point-blank range and I was a little thrown off. Emily looked extremely serious. ''Thank you so much. If Yoda hadn''t asked me to join him, I''m sure I''d still be in the dungeon. It''s my way of saying thank you, though. I stared back at him with a straight face. ''I don''t know what I would be doing right now if it wasn''t for that hot soup from Emily. Maybe things haven''t been as smooth as they are now. Thank you, Emily. Thank you, sir. No, no, no, that''s my line. That''s my line. ""......" We stared at each other for a while, and then Emily and I started wiping off at the same time. ''It''s mutual, isn''t it?'' Yes, sir. We supported each other to get here. I had arrived at a bit of a goal, SSS, but I knew that I still had a long way to go in life in another world. "Keep up the good work. I turned to Emily and asked her to shake my hand. She smiled at me and took my hand. We shook hands and smiled at each other. 448. Headhunting ''Thank you for taking the time to do this,'' On the streets of Cyclo, I walked with Cliff to the dungeon. Cliff was one of the members of a party I met shortly after I came to this world. The party was a party where the captain of the party was doing black corporate stuff where the guy in charge of the party was stirring up his employees with pretty things like dreams and growth, and using up his subordinates. Cliff was there, and I couldn''t see it, so I helped him out. I''ve been on my own ever since, and I''ve been working hard on my own, the Cliff family under the Lyota family - like a secondary organization. ''I don''t mind. More importantly, it''s unusual for you to come all the way to invite me and go to a dungeon with me. What''s up with that?'''' That can be found at ....... I see. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but I can imagine it''s a very serious matter from the way he talks. In that case, I didn''t dare to ask him, but decided to take a look at it as he told me. After a while, we came to the silicon dungeon. The dungeon is quite busy during the daytime, and the front of the dungeon is also quite busy. There are adventurers going in and out of the dungeon, and stalls selling tools and equipment for getting around the dungeon. By the way, the goods in the shops just outside the dungeon are rather expensive, but considering the distance between the dungeon and the tool shop in the center of town, there are many adventurers who want to buy them even if they are a little more expensive, so they are not surprisingly good sellers. In the original world, most of them were sole proprietors, adventure producers. A good percentage of them believe that money buys time. When he came to it, Cliff stopped in his tracks. ''Don''t you want to go into the dungeon?But Cliff didn''t say anything in particular, so I waited. So I waited, too, until I saw something obvious. It turned out to be the right thing to do. "You''re late! Suddenly, a shouting sound echoed around me. When I looked towards the shouting, I saw a group of adventurers. There was one man who looked like the leader of the group, and about ten other armed adventurers in total. One of them was shouted at and made small. ''''You''re slack for being late!'''' ''Excuse me!I mean, my wife suddenly-- ''It doesn''t matter!You''re remorseful! Yes! ''Yes!Then I''ll give you a chance to make up for it. In an instant, he said, "Okay," and my eyebrows were drawn together so tightly that I could see it. ''You''re the one who has to speak up today,'' Yes! The angry man complied, and the adventurers formed a circle. ''Today!I''m going to hunt the most! As the late man raised his voice, the other adventurers began to shout one by one, igniting the other adventurers. ''No!It''s me! No, it was me! I''m the best! It''s me! It''s me! It''s me! One after the other, they would show off "it''s me" and raise their hands in the process, too. From the side, it looks like a religious ceremony, but they finish it without questioning it at all. Then they entered the dungeon one by one with the circle. After the leader also left, the man who was late slumped down to the spot with a hefty smile. "So that''s it. When all was said and done, Cliff opened his mouth. I nodded back. ''Yeah, you''ll know it when you see it. That''s exactly what happened. Now I understand. Cliff chuckled. ''That''s the same thing as us, isn''t it? ''Yeah, same thing. Push him to the extreme, brainwash him, and then make him say it out of his own mouth so he thinks it''s his choice. I chuckled too. It was one of the most common patterns I saw when I was over there. ''Right. That guy, by the way. He''s not very good at brainwashing, but he got married recently, so he can''t seem to stop. That''s not a funny thing to say. So... Cliff cut off the conversation again there and cut to the chase. ''I''m going to scout and headhunt them individually,'' You''re going to pull him out? ''Yes. I''m proud to say we''re at least a better family than that one. Yeah. Cliff is a former/victim out of brainwashing. It''s not "at least" not in the sense that he doesn''t want you to feel the way he did. He''d make a far better environment than that one. ''So, I''d like to borrow Lyota''s name. My name? ''Yes. Just having Mr. Lyota in the background is enough to make the pull-out work. ''Is that all you need?If this is how you want to talk to me, I''ll work with you every step of the way. It''s not as if it was someone else''s business, it''s like a black company. I even wanted to actively help them. But Cliff shook his head. ''No, this is about as good as it gets right now. The most effective thing to do is to stay in the back and say, ''That Ryota Sato is going to come out next,'' rather than Ryota-san leaving out of nowhere. I don''t want to beat him up, I want to pull him out and help him out.'' All right, all right. You''re in charge now. I''ll do whatever you need me to do. You just let me know. Yes! Cliff nodded and went straight to the late man who was slumped over. A few days later, he heard that the party had effectively disbanded after successfully pulling out the adventurers who had been in the circle. 449. To a new dungeon When I walked out of the new mansion, a carriage was waiting for me outside the grounds. I''ve ridden in a carriage a few times since I transitioned to this world, and I''ve seen it here and there when I''ve moved around town or to other cities. Basically, the carriage here is the same as the one I know, but this carriage in front of me is a little different. First of all, the size is different. Whereas a normal carriage is a decent size and is pulled by two horses, this carriage is about 1.5 times the size of a normal carriage, and there are four horses tied together. The carriage itself is not only large in size, but it is also very well made. Every part of the carriage frame is decorated with golden ornaments, reminiscent of Cinderella Castle or a princess bed with a canopy, or something like that. There was a carriage parked right outside of the site, and people in the city were curious to see what it looked like. In front of the carriage was Cell Stem, standing in front of it. I walked up to him, talking to him. ''That''s a hell of a carriage,'' Satou-sama is coming to see you. This is as much as I deserve. You''re not exaggerating. He can help us with our dungeons, so to speak, the one who will be our benefactor. Cell looks at me with a strong gaze, saying that this degree is natural. After being put off during the Tennesin, and after being put off even more when the situation changed, the ''timing'' finally came around again. I''m about to head to a dungeon managed by the Sel Stem clan, a dungeon where cash is dropped, a minting dungeon, so to speak. ''''Come on,'''' Cell shifted his standing position and opened the carriage door for me to get into the carriage. At that moment--Goton. Something fell out of his bosom. It was the usual statue. ''It''s early!Or at least hide more! I pouted. Sel picked up the statue with a sly face and tucked it away in his pocket. For that brief moment, I could see it clearly. There were two (?) statues. It was a minute. It was me on one side and Haryochin on the other. It''s a scene of me and Cho-ching battling, made in a dynamic, super-battle pose reminiscent of Draenball. Frankly speaking, it''s a product which overcomes the embarrassment of being a model and makes me genuinely want it. If I may say so, isn''t it getting more and more perfect? Do you understand, Lady Sato? Too close, too close, too excited. ...... Gohon. I have my artisans working day and night to express the strength of Satou-sama, and I believe that one day we will have the ultimate piece. I believe that one day we will have the ultimate piece. I don''t know how many people I''m putting into this place. I chuckled and got into the carriage first. Cell climbed in later, and the carriage began to move slowly. ''How long is this going to take?'' About two days. We''ll be staying one night on the way. I''ve already arranged for you to stay. Well, that''s a long way from home. I ask Cell as we continue through the streets of Cyclo in a carriage. ''The name of the dungeon is, I believe, ......'' Californium, that is. The most expensive element in the world. I tweeted and nodded. I don''t have much knowledge of the elements around here. Even with the same minor element, I know nihonium the moment I hear about it, whereas I don''t know anything about californium. I''ve looked it up beforehand in the encyclopedia I dropped from Takara Bako when I was in vanadium. Californium, the most expensive element in the world. The only reason they put "most expensive" on it is because it has a use, and it''s a ridiculous seven trillion dollars per 100 grams. When I learned that, I thought, "I see. ''It''s not like a normal dungeon, it''s also a dungeon with limited entry. Restricted admission?Is that the one you and your family are calling? No, the dungeon itself. It''s a limit placed by the spirits. You can only enter the dungeon if you clear it. An entry point. It''s not uncommon. We haven''t had that kind of thing in dungeons before, but it''s not unusual to need an item to enter a dungeon. And it can be further divided into two patterns. ''''Does that limitation mean you have to spend it?Don''t you or don''t you? That''s Sato-sama. You are a consumer. I see. ...... It could be a pretty tricky dungeon. If you come out of the game, it''s a dungeon with mixed feelings of anticipation and tediousness. You have to earn money from other dungeons or whatever in order to collect entry items, and then use the money you earn to enter and conquer the dungeon. Most of the time, it''s a high-risk, high-reward place with a high degree of gambling. In asking Satou-sama to do something about it, I''ve made sure we have enough restricted items for you. No, but I don''t want to. Yeah. We''ll take it from the ground up. It''ll be better if we get the job done. Just as he didn''t rely on repetition alone, he softly refused to accept what Cell had prepared in advance. ''''As expected of Satou-sama. Then, please accept my best wishes. Yeah. 450. カリホルニウム enter Rocking the carriage, we made our way through the empty () wilderness, and gradually the liveliness began to feel on our skin. From the empty wilderness, I could see the dungeon and the buzz of adventurers. It''s similar to the relieved feeling of coming back from a space that was too quiet and my ears wanted to stay the other way, to a place where the sounds of life were there. I lean out of the carriage and look toward the dungeon. ''That''s the californium?'' No, it''s a fermium. "Fermium? One of the two dungeons in Actinid, the counterpart fermium. There were two dungeons? Cell nodded quietly. ''Which one is the minting dungeon?'' It''s a bit of both. ''Hmm. What kind of transparent, effeminate monsters are there? It''s a fermium. And then I can go there? A little different. Cell denied it softly. A monster that looks like a female ghost. It''s a monster I learned about right after I learned that I could make different things drop from hagremonos. I knew that banknotes and coins were also dungeon drops, and when I made them into hagremonts, I got that monster. That''s why I thought they were monsters from Kalifornium, a gold-dropping dungeon managed by Cell''s clan. By the way, status-boosting potions drop from the money haglemono. Paper money is drop +3 and coins are drop +1. Neither can go up above A, but it''s pretty easy to go up to A, so I produce a lot of them and give them to my friends. As it is. ''I don''t know what it is. Can we just go to Californium and find out? I''m sorry for my negligence in explaining it to you, but ...... seeing is believing, as they say. It''s a special dungeon, so I thought it would be a good idea. I understand that. Cell''s is more of a caring thing. Often times it''s better to have no preconceived notions about things. In the dungeons of this world, it''s better to have no preconceived notions of how to "attack" a dungeon, and it''s better to have an overabundance of information to "go around" it. This time I''m here to "capture" the game. So it''s better to have no information. ''Whoa, now we''re seeing the city.'' ''Actinides. It''s a city with two dungeons, Kalifornium and Fermium. Those are the only two things you''ve got going for you? There used to be another one, but I dared them to move the un-minted dungeon to another location. To? I could see my eyebrows jumping up and down. It was because the Vanadium one popped up in my head. I''m still too traumatized to ask for details, Vanadium - the death of Erythronium. Is that the same thing he did? If I had done that, Cell laughed bitterly. ''I can''t ask Master Satou for help. Cell, who also knew about the Vanadium one, sensitively understood the change in my expression and what it meant, correctly. ''I see,'' I had it amicably moved elsewhere. Only I didn''t do anything about it when I was close to death. Oh, I see. It reminded me of Arsenic. The dungeon would "die" at regular intervals and be reborn elsewhere. That''s what happened to Arsenic once, and me and Emily stopped it. It seems to be the story of the dungeon''s lifespan, the thing that we dared not to extend its life. Cell doesn''t hide anything from me about this kind of thing. Now, among adventurers, there is a widespread belief that if you do something unreasonable, Ryota Sato will come out and spank you. In fact, I''ve worked out some of those things. I''m well aware of those things, and for some reason, Cell, who is a big fan of mine, wouldn''t keep me in the dark about this kind of thing. ''Where''s the californium?'' The heart of the city - literally right in the middle of it. Did you build the city for it? Hmm. As we talked, the carriage went further and entered the town. It feels different from any other town I''ve ever seen. Most of the buildings are made of white marble or something, and all of them have a stately, formal feel to them. It''s like a business district - no. It is a town where the ministries and agencies are concentrated. After entering the town, the carriage went further and eventually came to the center of where the cell was located. Is there a dungeon in there? That''s the dungeon. What about it? I was so surprised, I looked at it. It was like a huge maze with walls made of plants. No, it''s a giant maze. It''s an open-air craft. It''s a dungeon. It''s like this now that no one is in it. Wouldn''t it be different if someone else was in there? I''d like you to come in once, including that part. Okay. I didn''t ask any more questions, if that''s what the cell said. The carriage went further and came to the entrance of the huge maze. It felt like a thing. Roughly ten people at the entrance. There were soldiers standing guard. We got out of the carriage and headed towards them. "We''ve been expecting you, Master Cell! In unison, the soldiers saluted the cell, heels aligned, and saluted the cell. ''I don''t see anyone inside,'' Ha, I''m stopping completely today, as Master Cell would have it. Hmm. So, Mr. Sato. Yeah. I nodded, took a light deep breath, and then entered the dungeon. The moment I entered, I felt once again that, ah, this is a dungeon. After the Vanadium one, I began to understand the structure of the dungeon. It''s like a mini-map is always somewhere on the screen in a game, and that''s what I see in my head. So you can clearly see if it''s a city or a dungeon. As soon as I entered the giant maze, it was clear to me that this was a dungeon. Californium dungeon, I can''t feel the stairs, it seems to be just this one floor above ground. I wonder if it''s similar to Sarfa?And so on and so forth as I proceeded through the dungeon. I had a mini-map in my head so I wouldn''t get lost, but I went, even if it was a dead end, to look around at everything. I met a monster. The one that appeared in front of me was a goblin the size of a schoolboy. The goblin with a club immediately pounced on me. I readied my gun and first used a normal bullet to see how it looked - I defeated it. I knocked it down, and it''s gone. I knocked him down too easily, but is that right? Next thing I know, I''m going to be even more surprised. Dropped from the goblin, tightly mouthed. Bivalves - it was. 451. Item Currency Why the shells? I pick it up and stare at it closely. It''s still a little wet, and it''s hard to open it because it''s so tightly closed, but it''s just a normal shell. ...... Okay. I redoubled my efforts. If this had been an easy way to drop bills and coins and such, it would have been a backwards place to shrug it off. Cell said, "You''ll know it when you get in. And I''m the type of person who doesn''t look at a strategy site until I''ve cleared it once. I put the shells in my Grand Eater''s pocket for now and proceeded through the dungeon. But well, it feels ...... strange. Even though we are in a dungeon where monsters appear and drop, we look up and see blue skies, white clouds, and the sun. The dungeons up to now have been underground, towers, and so on, indoors, so to speak, in an enclosed space, so this californium is quite strange. We came to a T-junction in a giant maze, so we somehow turned right, as if we were turning our backs on the sun. There was another goblin at the end of it. The encountering goblin swung his club and came at me. While kicking the ground and dropping back, I intercepted them with normal bullets. Somehow I didn''t take him down with a single blow, but instead knocked the club down and then shot him between the eyes. I wanted a change. The goblin fell, and with a clunk, the item was dropped. ''''Eh?It''s not a shell: ......? What was on the ground was a white blob, almost as big as my palm. It was about the thickness of my wrist, with a thin, sharp tip. ''A tooth ......?What teeth are these, they''re small for ivory ...... and big for a lion or tiger. I decided that it was a tooth, a tooth of something more than a tiger and less than an elephant. Why a tooth, and why did a different item drop when it was the same monster on the same floor? More questions were raised. This would be more information, I thought as I moved further into the huge maze. The monster was a single type of goblin. Just like in previous dungeons, each individual has a slight difference in clothing - although it is a loincloth - but in terms of movement and such, it is basically the same goblin. However, the drop items were different. Turtle shells were dropped, furs were dropped, and bones of some sort were dropped. Could this be a dungeon where garbage is dropped from the beginning?As I was thinking about this, this time a silk was dropped in "anti" or a whole cow was dropped. ''''What the hell is this place?'''' I laughed bitterly, it was getting somewhat interesting. I''ve never seen a dungeon drop in such a disorderly fashion. This situation wasn''t so strange if you think of it as multiple items dropping within a single dungeon. While most dungeons are tiered, that''s just the way it is within the first floor. Maybe it''s just that I don''t notice it, and it looks like a giant maze, just like in a plumbing game, and it''s divided into small blocks. But most dungeons have a "genre" of drops. It could be plants, animals, metals, and so on. There''s something in common, and then they match. In this Californium, even that was disjointed. That was getting more and more interesting. There''s a little bit of wonder in front of me and it''s fun to figure it out. So I went around the dungeon. The Vanadium one helped me understand the structure of the dungeon, so I tried defeating goblins in the same or similar places. The results are the same - or rather, the drops are still disparate. Furthermore, I tried timing, but I tried to use the timing. I used accelerated bullets and set the exact same timing from the encounter - just one second for now, and tried to defeat it. I also found a place for the monster to regenerate, and then set the same timing from the regeneration - also one second, and tried to defeat it. But it''s still the same, the drops are scattered. ''Is there any regularity at all? I don''t think so. My intuition is whispering to me. I believe that intuition is an instantaneous total judgment that comes from a wealth of experience. My experience strongly insists that it''s impossible for anything to have any regularity at all. That''s why I kept going around the dungeon. When all the dropped items were available, and I started to see some shells and teeth and headgear (...), I slowly started to think that it might not be there after all. Then, a new item was dropped. It was a round object with a hole in the middle, about the same height as a child''s. It looked like a big five-yen coin. It was made of stone, like a larger five-yen coin. ''''A stone coin--ha!'''' Immediately after tweeting, I took out a series of drop items that I put in the Grand Eater''s pocket. Shells, teeth, turtle shells, silk--. It all connected in my mind. Just like the stone coins, these were all things that were used as ''goods money''. In other words - they were money. These too were money. 452. Rainmaker Once I got an "aha" moment, everything I saw after that changed. The things I dropped were seemingly disparate, but all of them were things that were used as goods money. Once I understood that - it was like an aha experience and it felt good. Once I understood the commonality, I went around the dungeon further. I became more and more convinced of that, and at the same time I found out that only goblins and only those things () would drop. Around the time I was convinced of that, I got a firm grasp of the dungeon''s structure and left the dungeon in a straight line. Cell was waiting for me outside the Kalifornium dungeon. ''How did it go?'' ''It was just as I said, and as soon as I went around, I understood it. ''''It''s as good as Satou-sama. Yes, this place has nothing to do with money by nature, the monsters and drops are different. What? What? When I was surprised, Cell, who had been explaining it to me, was surprised and asked back. ''Isn''t it, Satou-sama?'' ''Oh, doesn''t that mean they''re going to drop something that''s going to be an excise currency?'' Is that ......? Cell frowns and wonders. I knew right away. There is no material money in this world. No, paper money and coins are originally "material money". The material money was used mainly in ancient times when technology was low and in some countries and regions of the present day. The essence of this was that things of value could be used as money as they were. In that sense, in this world where everything is dungeon-dropped, both paper money and coins are a type of goods money because they are "used as they are dropped". That was an interesting thing. But Cell still had a strange look on his face. ''No, for example, this seashell. I was wondering if this could be used as a coin. ...... I see. Cel stared at the shell I''d pulled out of my pocket for a moment, then nodded quietly. ''Indeed, it could be a good substitute for a coin. ''Right?That kind of thing, I thought it was a dungeon ...... that would drop something that would become currency if it started (,) a little differently. "Hmm, that''s one way to look at it: ...... That''s great of you, Mr. Sato. You have a great point of view. Cell is such a believer in me that he builds a statue of me every so often. I chuckled as he lifted it up and then asked again. ''So what''s really going on?'' ''Hmmm, as I mentioned earlier, things that have nothing to do with money are dropped. Yeah. But the money only drops here. ''...... rare?''Dungeon Master? Rare is probably a better word for it. I cocked my head. It''s like the thing is stuck in my back teeth, what the hell is going on? As I was wondering this, Cell gently pulled out a bundle of tickets. They''re rectangular like banknotes, but not as cocky as paper money, just like a "ticket". A bunch of them - roughly twenty. He took them out and held them out to me. "What''s this? It''s a drop of fermium. That one over there just now or at ......? With this, I''ll go back in and find out. Okay. I can''t read a single thing about the situation right now, but I decide to follow Cell''s lead and go in again. I received my ticket and entered the dungeon. The same as before, blue sky, white clouds, and the sun shining down on me, this dungeon has a different feel to it than before. As I was casually walking around the dungeon, I suddenly found a place where the ground was shining differently than before. I wondered what it was, and the moment I did. I saw the ticket I had brought with me, the ticket was glowing too. I took the ticket and approached the glowing place with it. Then the ticket disappeared with a swoosh ....... The change from then on was rapid. Thunder clouds gathered in the sky, and in an instant - less than a second in time - the skyline looked like a stormy day - no. It was like the "magical world" in an animated manga. And then the space in front of me was ripped open, revealing a monster from within it. ''I see.'' This time it was a complete "I see". I knew that Cell had said "I''ll know it when I get in", but this time I knew for sure I understood. What emerged from the rift in space - a ghostly female form. It wasn''t the first time, it had happened many, many times before. It''s the original version of a monetary haggle that you often see when turning paper money and coins into potions. ''Repetition.'' Unlike usual, he released his first move repetition. The monster went down. In other words, it was a hit. The Repetition confirmed that the monster that appeared was the same monster I always beat with Hagremonos. And right after that. The sky pattern returned to normal. A lot of bills were waving from the sky. 453. Suite room At night, with the lantern lights flickering quietly, I was facing the cell in what appeared to be a living room. I say "seemingly" because this is an inn. Probably the room that is on the top floor of the tallest building in the city and occupies one floor. Inside the room is a kitchen, a living room, and a bedroom with a king size bed. There''s also a bathroom, and what a rare shower it has. Speaking of space - it''s roughly close to 100 square meters. A suite. The moment I entered the room, that word came to mind. I''m sitting in that suite, facing the cell. On the table between us are the bills I''ve been dropping and raking in with californium. There were other large strawberries on a plate, but after eating one, I moved it to the side for now. ''In other words, it''s an admission ticket - or a challenge ticket(,) I guess. Collect them and make that monster emerge with californium and knock it down to produce paper money. Is that right? He summed up the situation and asked Cell for an answer. ''That''s right, Satou-sama. I fear for your wisdom. There''s nothing to be wise about. By the way, it''s something that nine out of ten people don''t understand when they see it in person. That much? So much. Cell nodded with a straight face, a face that didn''t feel false or exaggerated at all. Is that what it is ......? ''What Satou-sama described as an admission ticket is a fermium drop. And a rare one at that. That''s a pain in the ass. ''Exactly. That''s why I''m asking you to do something about it, Satou-sama. I see. ...... Then I''d like to see the fermium tomorrow. I can''t decide what to do if I don''t see it in person. I do. ...... That''s one of the reasons I invited Master Sato to join us. Hmm?What do you mean? You''ll understand that in person, too. Okay. I didn''t ask any more. If you can see it in person, there is no need to question it here. I''ll see you in the morning. Yeah. Nodding, Cell tried to get up and-- Goton. A figure-sized statue fell from his pocket to the floor. Cell hurriedly picked it up, but it looked perfect. ''You work fast as always,'' I chuckled. The statue is of the sight of me holding a carrot and giving it to someone else. I guess it''s when I give the reward carrot to Eve, who I asked separately just now to open the transporter room. It''s still quick, as usual, and I can''t help but smile bitterly at the thought of when they''re making it. Cell left the room with a mended smile on his face. I was the only one left in the large suite. The scene is quiet and still, and because the room is large, I feel a little lonely. I''ve grown accustomed to the saloon in the mansion, but it''s a bit lonely to be alone in such a large room. Well, I guess I''ll just take a bath and quickly go to sleep. I headed for the bathroom. It was a luxurious bathroom with glass walls and a night view. There were two bathrobes and four bath towels in there. Not only that. ''Awesome: ......'' There was a large amount of toiletries that were prepared to the point of being a bit of a letdown. From toothbrushes, razors, and soap to cotton swabs and combs, they are all available. Moreover, everything is three at a time. It''s like they even have a spare one. I somehow turned around and looked at the bedroom and living room connected to the bathroom. Everything is "over-serviced". Everything is overly prepared, even if you don''t need it if you just want to stay overnight. It''s luxurious - or rather, the word luxury fits well. ''''Huh?'''' I was once out of the bathroom when something suddenly struck me. What an increase in the number of large strawberries that had been placed on the table when I came into the room, the welcome fruit - or should I say, the large strawberries, had increased. No, they were back to normal. When I walked into the room I ate one of them, leaving a spatula behind. That spatula was gone before I knew it, and the number was replenished to its original level. ''When did it happen ...... no way,'' An idea popped into my head. I headed into the bathroom again, grabbed a razor from the toiletries and made a quick face. As it was, I took off my clothes and got into the hot tub, which was filled with hot water. After relaxing in the bath for about fifteen minutes, I got out - the razor I used earlier was gone again and a new one had been replenished. ''Awesome: ......'' All the services are excessive and extravagant. The seriousness of the cell, the expectations and demands on me. That''s where I felt it was jarring. 454. Fermium The next morning, I left the inn and once in Kalifornium, I went to Plumbum''s via the mansion, using the gate that Eve had opened for me. Then, after fulfilling the promised portion (,) of my daily routine, I went back to the city of Actinid again and headed to the dungeon of Fermium. Unlike yesterday''s Kalifornium, there was a line of adventurers outside the dungeon in Fermium. The cause of the queue could be found once they were in the dungeon, Cell said. ''Hey, look,'' That''s Lyota Sato: ...... The strongest level 1: ...... The adventurers were buzzing at my appearance. I''m used to the attention I get when I''m out in places with lots of adventurers, which is something I''ve been getting more and more of these days, but there was something a little strange about it. It''s not that I''m getting ...... attention. It''s more about something else that feels strange to me. I got in line, trying to figure out what it was. I look around and get in line. The line goes smoothly, and eventually it''s my turn, and I enter the dungeon. ''Mwah!'' ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... As soon as I entered the Fermium dungeon, a status appeared in front of me. The statuses were completely familiar and full of SS, but there was one difference. The level was different from the usual display, it was flashing. ''...... Is the level fluctuating or is it a level-restricted dungeon?'' I''ve tried to imagine a few possibilities. If it flashes there, that means there''s something "there". So it could either change, or it could be limited. The fluctuations are basically down, but not without a pattern of going up. I''ll ask you later on which one it is. But more importantly--. Nobody, huh? I looked around the dungeon, no one was there. I turn around behind me, no new adventurers seem to be coming in. ''Sarfa, right?'' I was pretty sure this one was clear. It''s a sulfa system where you enter from the same place and are sent to different spaces. The difference with the Aulum is that the Aulum also flies the adventurers who enter, but you can see that they are sent somewhere that is not the entrance. Sarfa and this Fermium are right at the entrance as you enter. But the reason why no one is entering is that they are in different spaces. I see. ...... Tweeting and bracing myself, I head for the door. Not a door, but a gate? It''s shaped like a door, but a door?part of the room is missing. I walked through it and entered the same "room" as the first one. The room was crawling with giant spiders, about the size of a small car. But that''s not all. Beyond the swarm of spiders was a door, which was closed. The same shape - and I was surprised when I turned around. The door I had just entered was also "closed". There shouldn''t have been a door part, but it was closed. ...... first. I calmed down and pulled out my gun and released it. First I fired a normal round for a small check. Keen! What a surprise, the body of the spider bounced a normal bullet. The bounced normal bullets rose to the ceiling and sent sparks flying. ''''Then!'''' He got fleshy, clenched his fists and punched them. First, 50%, another small check. The spider was blown away, but my hand zinged. ''Hard,'' The spider that was punched away got up quickly, doesn''t seem to do much damage. It''s only about 50%, but it''s a force SS. It''s not often you can hit with it and not do much damage. The spider in front of me was quite hard - and fast. I felt the spider rustle and gather around. I dodged them by darting in the direction of nothing. Swapped guns, went from a regular gun to a +10 gun. Loaded with the same round, and fired. The bullet didn''t bounce, but it didn''t penetrate either. It was just engulfed in the spider''s body, and it lost its power. Even at +10, regular bullets weren''t enough. This time I fired flameless bullets with two pistols. I shot out a flame that was invisible and fixed in space, and guided the spider into it to hit it. The spider, whose leg had been burned, staggered for a moment, but it didn''t mind and rushed forward further. It''s quite hard and quite tough. That''s one, two, three ...... eight in all. It''s tricky. However, they are not in the realm of small fry. They''re hard, tough, outnumbered and strong, but they don''t feel threatened. I took a deep breath, kept my distance, and fired a series of +10 penetrating bullets. I shot eight of them in the head one after another, but they still came at me. It seems that just shooting through their heads isn''t enough. If it''s the head - I was momentarily distracted by a spider that was closing in on me. The huge body pushed me down, and what looked like drool was dripping from my mouth. "--! I quickly twisted my head and ducked, drooling - I heard a disgusting sound of "Juuuuuuuuuuuuuu" as the poisonous liquid dripped onto the ground. I kicked the spider away and shot it with +10 growth bullets. Even with growth bullets, it was a toughness that required two rounds. After all of them fell, one of those entrance tickets dropped from each of them. And the doors in front and behind opened. I see. Is it the type of game where you can''t move on to the next one without wiping out the monsters in each room? 455. Sesame seeds As I walked through the door and into the next room, the door closed without a sound. There was another door at a distance, and it too was closed tightly. And there was a large number of monsters. This time it was a giant butterfly, about the size of an unfolded bath towel. Its wings were red in color, and something extremely colorful was constantly spilling out of its flapping wings. Scales......?The word "I" popped into my mind, but I''m not sure of it now because of the color. ''First of all, as usual,'' I switch to my normal gun and shoot normal bullets. I''ve trained my gun arm to the point where it can maintain an infinitely close to 100% accuracy rate in a circular dungeon if I focus on it--but it''s not. Just before the bullets hit, the butterfly fluttered and changed its trajectory, and the bullets missed. I fire more consecutive shots. I widen my aim a bit, hit it normally, and cover the target I avoided. I fired in rapid succession like that. The monster fluttered and flew on an irregular trajectory unique to butterflies and dodged all the bullets. ''''That''s high, evasion rate.'''' He puts his gun away and kicks the ground to flesh out one of the butterflies. He clenches his fist and fires a punch - but The wind pressure of the fist pushes it off. ''It looks more like dandelion fluff than a butterfly. I tried to grab it, but it was too light and the airflow when I moved would just blow it away. Butterflies fluttered their wings and scales flew out of the air. I kick the ground in a hurry, flying backwards to avoid it. The movement of the scales was completely aimed at me and headed towards me, which means it''s an attack of some sort. It''s been quoted that this kind of attack is tricky to eat, so I kept a large distance from it to avoid touching it as much as possible. Fortunately, a butterfly was a butterfly. It was a rudderless movement, and it didn''t come at you all at once. Even so, the butterflies in the room were all coming towards us at once, and although they were slow, because they were in a large swarm, a slow and heavy pressure surged in. ''If it''s not a hit--it''s a tracking bullet. With a familiar hand, I reload the tracking round and shoot. A homing trajectory and flying tracking bullet - the butterfly fluttered away just before! ''You''re avoiding that too!Ah. I rammed into it, but it wasn''t finished. The tracked projectile that was dodged turned around gingerly and flew again towards the butterfly. The butterfly dodged it further, the tracking projectile circled around and headed towards it again. The circles became smaller and smaller each time I dodged and turned - each time I did so, the circle(!) became smaller and smaller. The chase between the bullets and the butterfly continued in a circle, and eventually the circle narrowed, and the bullets caught up to the butterfly and shot out, as if they had reached the center. ''Don''t do it,'' Both, I thought. The tracking rounds that chased me until they hit, and the butterflies that kept dodging until there was no way to avoid them were butterflies. I pulled out my two pistols and fired a series of tracking rounds. All the butterflies began to spin around with the tracking rounds. Seeing that scene, I felt nostalgic for some reason. What is it?This nostalgia. ...... Ah, the time I played with drawing pins as a solitary piece of music at recess. I giggled as the memories connected all at once. I remember when I was in elementary school, especially on a rainy day, there was nothing to play with in the classroom, so I remembered pulling out one or two pushpins to put up a bulletin board and turning them around like a dictatorship. I liked to play with them by turning multiple studs on my desk at the same time and fitting them into the grooves on my desk or holes I had made with pranksters (I usually filled them with eraser shavings). I remembered those times and watched the butterflies and tracking bullets spin. It was nostalgic and fun, even though I was attacking a dungeon. After a while, the bullets caught up with the butterflies one by one and shot through them. Once all the butterflies were shot out, another ticket was dropped and the entrance and exit doors opened at the same time. Now, what next? 456. Party disparity I moved on to the next room. ''Geez!'' I couldn''t help myself. I felt goosebumps all over my body and wanted to make a U-turn right now. The monster in the third room was - "G". The spider came, then the butterfly and then, from there, G. It''s not an unintelligible story, there''s a few minor quibbles, but it''s not unintelligible. But. ''You don''t get that: ......'' And it was a huge G that I wanted to complain about. Its size is not that big. Compared to a spider that was about the size of a car, G is about the size of a Chihuahua, so it''s small. ...... That''s why it''s quite ku(,) to the spirit. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. It was crusty here and there. I pulled out my +10 pistol, loaded it with the strongest firepower growth rounds and shot the nearest one. And. ''Repetition!Repetition!Repetitionition! I fired a series of the strongest instant death spells and wiped out the G in the room. Even if it wasn''t Emily, I wanted to get out of the mentally kooky room as quickly as possible. Even I can tell that I have a much more impatient () look on my face during the repetition barrage. G was wiped out and I got one ticket as well. Mentally it''s tough, but it seems to be no different than any other room I''ve ever been in. I picked it up and went to the open door - and I went to the other side of the door. ''Mmm,'' A moment later, I was sent out of the dungeon. I was sent to the entrance of the dungeon, where adventurers were entering one after another in lines. ''''Is this the end?'''' Good night. I was called from the side, I turned around and saw Cell. ''''I successfully completed my first attack--ah. Got it! A figure-sized statue fell from the cell''s bosom. A figure of me with my hand out, chanting magic. It has effects on it, and I can see that it''s a scene where I''m firing the same thing in rapid succession - but. ''No, it''s not this cool! I shoved it in with a great shout, I got a lot of eyes around me. The cell I''m already making the one I''m firing a series of shots at G. I''m already making the one I''m firing at G. That''s fine, but it''s not this crisp and cool. Three lines swooped down on his face, and he must have looked pale and pathetic earlier. "I believe that history is made by the winners. There''s no such thing as "cool"! And how many tickets did Master Sato get? Don''t change the subject!Well, it was three pieces in three rooms. Hmm. Well, I''ll go in with you next time. Hmm? I wondered what this was all about, but Cell grabbed hold and headed for the entrance. I followed him and side-stepped into the dungeon. ''Are you sure?'' It''s not right for me to stand in line. ...... Well, yeah. While I squirmed slightly, I could understand why that would be the case in Cell''s position. Swallowing it down, I looked around the room. ''Butterflies.'' I was told the monsters were random. I see. Clean it up, please. Okay. I pulled out my gun and fired a series of tracking rounds. Just like before, the bullets and dodging butterflies went around and around, although they eventually hit. Will it go down? It''s a little harder when you''re at a party. I see. I fired another tracking round, and this time I was able to take it down safely. The next shot was a tracking round, and then a well-aimed conventional round when he was cornered. Butterflies that couldn''t dodge were hit by both tracking and conventional bullets at the same time. Oh, that''s great! I figured out a way to use tracking rounds to hit other bullets, so I used normal bullets to measure the "hardness" of butterflies - in other words, their HP. About 1.5 times as hard as when I was soloing. As I weighed it, the butterflies in the room were swept away. And a ticket was dropped - there were three of them. ''That''s a lot,'' ''Hmm. If you go in as a party, that''s about 1.3 to 1.8 times the solo drop per person. I see. Three cards for two, so that''s a factor of one and a half. Then I thought, "Well, I guess I''d better get a party together and go-- "--! A scene came into my mind. Fearfully, I turned to the cell and listened. Did you say 1.3 to 1.8 times? Hmm. Double that ......? No. Cell stated once and for all. ''''As usual, Satou-sama, I see you''ve already noticed. ...... Yeah. I furrowed my brow and nodded. The drop goes up when you form a party. But that means it won''t be doubled. If it''s a party that needs to be distributed, there will inevitably be people who can''t distribute it evenly and don''t get enough. Structurally, that''s a problem. 457. Possibility of challenge right There''s one more problem. What''s the problem? Let''s just drink your ticket first. Yeah. He nodded and handed all the tickets he picked up to Cell. ''I''m going to give these to Master Satou. With that, Cell held out the ticket. I put out my hand to receive it anyway - I was surprised. The moment I took it, the ticket disappeared. ''What do you mean?'' "The transfer is a one-time transfer, and any attempt to retransfer it will result in the loss of the note. ...... So what about the ticket I used yesterday? I went into the dungeon with an escort, and after he beat me, I picked it up. ''I see. Then I guess I can''t use the normal buyer''s system. ''Hmm. The adventurers that the Stem family is holding buy directly from them and go straight into the Kalifornium, which is a form of adventuring. This has led to frequent takeaways in the improvised parties that have been put together relying on increased drops. Additionally, More? At the ticket stage, there''s no way to distribute it evenly, so one of us would receive and redeem it on a representative basis, but if there''s a hierarchy in the party: ...... There''s gonna be a black party. That''s what I''m talking about. I have a general idea of what it''s like. I''ve seen parties that are similar to various black companies in the past. People have their own reasons for partying, and this dungeon is no different. The structure of the dungeon is one aspect of the dungeon that encourages parties, and that''s why adventurers form a party to conquer it. That naturally spawns a certain percentage of black parties. ''Can''t we just pick them up in order?I''m going to pick it up room by room, in order. ''With the average adventurer, the number of drops isn''t constant, sometimes they don''t even drop in the first place. Ah, ....... So that''s what it is. The rare monster challenge right of Californium, the ticket that drops in this fermium, if you will, is probably affected by the "trait" of the drop status. I''m a drop S for that too, so it''s stable and always drops, but not for the average adventurer. The idea is that even if you pick up a whole room in order, if your numbers are unstable, you''re going to be more frustrated and in more trouble. ...... You mean, you really want me to ask for fermium, right? Cell nodded clearly. Well, since Fermium is also a dungeon to prepare and prepare materials, so to speak, for minting, it''s not too much of a stretch to call it one of the minting dungeons--'''' ''''Do you have ......?'''' ...... I looked at Cell. Cell stared back at me with a blank stare. I know this kind of expression. It''s the type of expressionlessness that I do my best to maintain. What stuck with me was that Fermium was supposed to be "not a minting dungeon". That is, I mean. ''Could it be--this note to another--'' ...... Cell became "more and more" expressionless. Without saying it, I felt like I was being told not to go any further. In other words, yes (,). It means that if I take this ticket to another dungeon, I''ll get the same rare monster. I looked around to make sure there was no one else around. "The same as Phosforus, right? Fosforus. A bonus dungeon that makes a whimsical appearance that seems random and lets adventurers drop gold directly to the adventurers. Even then, I crushed Fosforus at the request of the cell (). So that''s what I heard. ''No,'' Hmm? It''ll get messier. Cell nodded as if in contemplation and muttered with a sigh. ''''I knew it was a double-edged sword, but I guess Satou-sama will find out in a flash. He sighed more and more. 458. One break We used the gate to get back to the mansion (Vanadium) in the evening and met with our friends in the saloon as usual. Almost everyone is here today. Emily and Celeste, Eve and Alice''s adventurer group. Elsa and Ena''s merchant group. The spirit/monster group of Aurum, Nifonium, and Vanadium, plus Sakuya and Meeke and Cerberus. Almost all of them were gathered together. Among them, they had gathered the adventurer group and placed their tickets on the table and surrounded them. ''''I see, this is the rumored ...... "You know, Celeste? ''It''s been a long time since Cell approached Lyota. I''m doing some research. I see. That''s what the family lives for. In the beginning it was only Cyclo, but recently I''ve gained knowledge of other dungeons. He must have done a lot of research. Do you want to use this to reveal monsters? Yeah, that''s a different kind of monster, too. Another dungeon? ''To begin with, I dropped it in the fermium and used it in the californium. I see! I thought I''d give it a try, and I got one - okay, vanadium. Vanadium, who was chewing on Emily''s homemade potatoes at Aulum and the others, nodded coyly. I''m afraid of humans, but this is a vanadium that doesn''t show any negative feelings at all when it comes to being a monster. ''''All right, let''s use it then. Everyone stand aside for a moment. Okay. Emily lowered the tea set and plates from the table. I used my ticket like it was daytime. The salon--the mansion--the vanadium dungeon. This is the "dungeon" where I spend my daily life. When I used the ticket, a rift was created in the space. A monster came out of it--. ''''What!'''' I was greatly surprised. What emerged was an opponent unlike any other monster I''ve ever seen. A full-face helmet with only the eyes, a vest that is camouflage but clearly shows its bulletproof function, and an assault rifle in its hand - a modern weapon. And the assault rifle in his hand - a modern weapon. Infantry. Land forces. Various words came and went in my head, but that was the kind of opponent I was dealing with. That''s twelve people - one team, that''s how many. "Human ...... No, my eyes are dead. Immediately after Celeste''s words, the opponent moved. He raised his rifle and pointed it at me. "Everybody look out! --! Immediately after I shouted, the adventurer group scattered in unison. When they landed, Emily brought out her hammer by the wall, Alice summoned her fellow monsters, and Celeste brought out her countless string-operated bicorn horns. The enemy pulled the trigger, countless shots were wooded and bullets flew wildly around the salon. As intense as the attack was, everyone''s reaction was amazing. Emily instantly leapt and swung her hammer down from the sky, and Alice summoned her Gau Gau and blocked all the bullets with her massive body. Celeste knocked down all the bullets with her bicorn horn, and Eve dodged all the bullets while chewing on a carrot. The counterattack was also almost reflexive. After dodging all the first bullets, they all fired back in unison. The soldier-type monsters, which had a dozen of them, were swept away by the four of them in a matter of seconds. By the way, there were no drops. ''''I was surprised.'''' You have some great flying tools. The same as Lyota''s. ''The continuous firing power was better over there. Wouldn''t that be even stronger if Lyota-san had that? ...... carrots. Everyone was talking about their impressions of the current enemy. By the way, not to mention the genie group, Erza and Ina were also watching the game, looking relaxed and at ease. I was a little relieved to feel their trust in their friends. ''''Oh, my tea was spilled. Emily noticed this and called for vanadium. ''I''ll make you a new cup of tea. A glass of water would be appreciated. ...... (nationally) Vanadium nodded and held up his hand. But the monster was not. The Banasium dungeon, the water-dropping, fluffy monster was not. ''......?''? Vanadium stares at his hands and wonders. ''What is it, sir?'' It''s that thing you just did. I chuckled and taught Emily and Vanadium. I actually put into practice what Cel had told me and experienced firsthand how bad it was. ''If you put that thing out like you just did, that dungeon will be free of monsters for a whole day - and production will stop. When I said that, my friends looked at me like, "What? 459. Devil descends It''s been a long time. From a distance, in spectator mode, Aulum opened his mouth. ''Did you know that, Aulum?'' Yeah. I had a guy come to my place with it. I thought my place would be even better. ''Yes, Aulum''s drop is golden. Actually, though, I can see how it''s promising. My friends began to ramble around Aulum. I was thinking about the monster from earlier. That was a ...... monster. It was an infantryman with a platoon''s worth of modern equipment - it was an infantryman, but it didn''t have any light in its eyes, and it didn''t bleed when it attacked. I felt quite uncomfortable with the fact that they were undeniably human in appearance. It was an all-ages version of a grotesque game - an opponent that felt so unnatural. ''''Hey, hey, what dropped when you were Au-chan?'''' My thoughts were brought back to reality as the word "drop" entered my ears. Everyone else seemed to be the same, and their gazes were all focused on Aulum at the same time. By the way, the guys now had no drops, probably because all of their friends had defeated them. I looked at Aulum, wondering what I got ...... if it was a drop S. I looked at Aulum, wondering what I got. ''I don''t know, I wasn''t interested or anything at the time. Okay. ...... probably wouldn''t have dropped much of anything. Or not at all. Aulum said after a thoughtful look. ''Why is that?'' ''The fact that you left your ticket with Mr. Lyota is proof of that. No matter how much Mr. Lyota, from what I''ve heard, this is pretty important. "Mmm-hmm. ''But I still gave it to you, it''s okay to give it to you. I guess it''s because I''m high on the idea of not dropping it. Besides, And? ''If they''re going to drop elsewhere, no matter how tightly they''re controlled, there should be some adventurers who will divert and do it elsewhere. And yet we don''t hear about these things at all. Now that you mention it, I''ve never heard of it. I''ve never heard of it. Where''s Eve? "The rabbit doesn''t know. Celeste asked Eve, and she answered languidly. Eve had the most career among her friends, and she was still a bit mysterious. If anyone knows something that everyone else doesn''t know - then it''s Eve. That Eve, too, has assured me that she doesn''t know. ''''That means it''s not something you would normally drop after all. Celeste summarized, and all of her friends'' eyes were on her at once. I looked at him for a moment, but I soon found out. They don''t usually drop. Behind those words, it''s connected to the Drop S. Understanding that, I began to wonder. What would I do? If I beat that one in a dungeon other than Kalifornium, what would be the drop? ''Hey hey Lyota, let''s try it. Do you think he''s stopping me? You mean that guy - the cell. ''No, it''s not.'' Then let''s do it. Do you have the ticket? It''s gone. ''So, fermium?Let''s go to. Alice said, and almost all of her friends looked at me with excitement. Fermium. Using the transporter gate, I came with a group of friends. Emily, Celeste, Alice, and Eve. The entire group of adventurers came together. Later, I would regret this day. ...... destruction. More than the huge G''s crawling around, there was a tremendous murderous atmosphere at my side. 460. Dejabu ''Wait, Emily!That shouldn''t happen! I spread my arms out to block the way in front of Emily, whose killing spirit was swelling. However, Emily didn''t move her feet, and she rushed towards me as if slipping, slightly floating in the air. ''Watch out!'' The next time I heard Celeste''s voice, Emily slipped past me. I didn''t know what happened, as I closed my eyes for a second, thinking I was going to bump into her too. Still, I turned around quickly and followed Emily''s figure. Emily gliding through the air, towing the lingering shadow. As soon as she approached G, she swung her hammer and carefully crushed them one by one (...). ''You guys shouldn''t be alive DEATH! Even the tone of voice has changed, Emily, with even more refined movements than usual, sweeps G by herself. ''''Oh, are you okay?'''' Um, ...... yeah, well, I chuckled. Based on my previous (cocrosstime) experience, I''m okay with it, and I''m not okay with it. And just like with the cocrosstime, Emily wiped out G and came to herself without any time for us to do anything about it. ''Huh?What''s wrong with me ......? Emily nodded her head at the interrupted memory. We made eye contact. That wasn''t the case. All of us - even Eve - were in agreement with the same thing. ''It''s nothing. More importantly, you dropped a ticket. All seven of them. Picking up the pieces, Celeste counted them. ''Seven cards. That''s a terrible number to be sharing.'' It would have been difficult if it wasn''t like my family. Right. Well ...... some people would bring in a complete number of people and pay them separately, depending on the person. That kind of thing was common in the internet game system that flourished about ten years ago. The Ryota family doesn''t get into that kind of situation where they are fighting over each other because they can''t divide it up. ''''Well. Let''s move on. Celeste said and looked at the open door to the next room. ''Yes,'' The mess is over and done with. What''s wrong with it? Emily tilted her head, and we joined her and went into the next room, cheating, "It''s nothing," she said, "It''s nothing. This isn''t even possible! As soon as I walked into the room, I screamed out loud. G. Two rooms in a row, G. It was a room with the exact same large army of G''s as before. ............ gathering. Emily is out of control again. BOOM!And then there was a gust of wind that sounded dozens of times louder than when I swung the bat. We managed to hold it together. Celeste lost her balance and Alice was almost blown away, but I quickly grabbed the huge body and held it in place with a gau gau summon (I got rid of the summon soon afterwards). And then Emily''s figure disappeared. It really disappeared with a "poof" and the next thing I knew, it appeared on the other side of G as if it had moved in an instant. Even there, "BOOM! And he swung the hammer, and the hammer became a giant fan and made a gust of wind. Then it disappeared again - appeared - and swung the hammer. Back and forth, left and right. A gust of wind from all directions gathered the scattered Gs into the center of the room. And Emily took a huge leap. She dives at the cohesive G and swings the hammer down. There was a crunching sound, though. ''Mm-hmm.'' With a creepy smile, I grizzled the crushed G with the hammer further. ''Ahhh ...... Emily,'' ''Isn''t something ...... stronger in this state?'' He''s three times stronger than usual. I hate rabbits because you don''t look like you can cook carrots. We each said our impressions as if we''d half given up. Or give up like that. ''Huh?'' As soon as all the Gs disappear, Emily returns to normal and looks around, completely oblivious. The Gs disappear, they come back, because. ''Oh, eight cards this time?'' That''s one more card than you gave me. I knew this place was more of a party than a solo act! Me, Celeste and Alice were quick to digress. Emily nodded her head, but seemed to be able to fake it for now. ''Well, ......,'' So good, I look at the door to the next one. Gulp, I spit. Everyone but Emily has the same serious look on her face as she realizes what this "Well ......" means. What happens twice is three times. What can I say, I have a feeling that the next room is definitely G, too. Shall we pull up? Yeah, that''s more like it. "I''m hungry, rabbit. I''m making carrots. I suggested that we had gathered a certain amount of tickets and that we should pull out, and one by one my friends agreed. ''I''d like to go,'' What? Unusually, Emily is very insistent. ''I''m going to the next room with you,'' No. ''I''m glad we''re all going on this adventure together!But I don''t remember it at all, because it''s ....... I''m going to the next room. Emily looked straight at us. We were lost, we looked at each other and scowled. ''Going to ......, huh?'' ...... Right. ...... and we''re happy to be together. A brief hesitation, we nodded to each other. Then, together, we walked through the door and into the next room. G was there. ''No longer surprised--and flying! It''s a rare breed! At a time like this! The first rare species G I''ve encountered, the horror of that huge body flapping its wings and flying. ---- Three times, out of control Emily. This time, without knowing what she said, she said something that could have been a human word to begin with, and wielded a hammer to intercept the flying G. The G, while still in the air, was crushed. G, while still in the air, was crushed with a flop. Just when I thought the power of the hammer was getting stronger and stronger--that''s when I thought. "Huh?It''s human: ...... G disappeared, and a girl appeared there, unconscious. A human dropped - it was a sight that was somewhat familiar to me. 461. High level This is a ...... human-shaped ticket? Why not? I couldn''t help but give Emily a coy shove. That happened because I remember this scene and Emily''s reaction to it. It was right after I had transitioned to this world. It all started when I woke up and found myself in the first floor of the tellurian basement, and Emily wondered why I was a "human-shaped sprout". The same thing Emily did now. ....... I remembered the first time I got a lot of bullets. I remembered that time when I carried out the pumpkin and the pumpkin I failed to transport turned into a cocrosse lime. That cocrosse-lime and the pumpkin were three floors underground. I was "dropped" in the basement level. That time, Emily was still running out of control and taking down the rare slime on the first basement floor: ......? I wonder if she''s ...... a real person. I don''t know. Hey, honey, are you all right?Hey! Alice approached the fallen girl, not at all intimidated, and shook her shoulder. ''U...... hmm?'' The shaken girl gradually wakes up. She opens her eyelids and looks up at the ceiling. At first, her eyes are unfocused, but gradually her eyes catch a clear image of me, and I''m startled. Who''s that?Where am I? Well, who am I?There''s not a What''s your name? I asked him, just to be sure. ''What?What is it?Maybe it''s a kidnapping?Abduction and confinement?Is your uncle a pedophile? Gasp! ''Oh, uncle ......'' Oh, you''re the one. I was doubly hurt by Alice''s reaction. ''You''re over there!You can''t be a pedophile, and I''m not going to carry a cross like that! A cross?But all pedophiles are basically gentlemen, and they''re all saints with a no-touch mentality, according to Melamela. How do you know so much, you genie! I''m going to be derailed endlessly if I don''t. I''d like to be able to see a lot of people who have a lot of experience in this field. I''m Sato Ryota, and what''s your name? Hoshino...... Sakura, that is, but Mmm. The girl - Sakura''s words made me raise my eyebrows. I had heard similar names when I came to this world. Like Sakuya or something like that. But this is the first time I''ve encountered a name that is completely ''so''. Hoshino Sakura. It''s a completely Japanese name. Are you Japanese? What are you talking about, Uncle? Um, ......, what do I do? I looked around. The reason I had come to believe that this was another world is because the slime - the monster - appeared. There are no monsters here now. Fermium is a type of dungeon where monsters don''t appear once the room is cleared. Shall we move?No. You''re going to say "follow me" and listen to me in this situation? You can count on me, Lyota. ''What?Oh, I see. I gasped when I saw Alice raise her hand. Even now, she has many smaller monsters on her shoulders. If I let her summon them... Come on, Alice. I''m done!See you later ...... honehonehonehonehonehonehon! Hi! Sakura fell into a grand slump. Because a human-sized skeleton suddenly appeared in front of her. What is this, magic?Or is this some kind of show? Alice''s fellow monsters are still the same size but deformed in form after they''re summoned, so rather than being frightened or terrified, Sakura first let out the impression that they''re a shawl. That was a bit amusing. ''No, it''s a real monster, though, a companion of Alice''s.'' A real monster? This is another world. You''re in another world, and you''ve been transplanted. ...... eeeeeeee! After a pause for a breath, Sakura was grandly surprised. Well, that''s what happens, right? Even if you''re told to move to another world all of a sudden-- ''What''s that?It''s like an internet novel! You have prior knowledge of this? I just went into it again. I''ve been poking around a while now, haven''t I? ''Oh well, thanks for talking so quickly. Is this girl the same as Yoda? ''Looks like it. I feel like this girl got dropped by Emily, too. "So, same as Lyota, drop S. ''Maybe so. Let''s check it out. Yeah. Me nodding, Emily, Alice and Celeste nodded as well. If you''re the same being as me, we all thought the same thing. I took out my portable now-board and was about to speak to Sakura - when I did. Sakura was staring at Eve. "Cute, hey, hey, can I touch your ears? ''What?No, wait a-- Yeah, good. Whew! We were greatly surprised when we looked in on Eve and Sakura. ''Ye-Yes, Eve-ching is ......?'' That Eve. ...... The Killing Rabbit is at ...... A carrot junkie has gone to ....... It was so shocking that it caused us all to mobbed together. Sakura, unaware of our surprise, approached Eve and patted her bunny ears. "Wow ...... it''s real ...... it''s like this at the base ...... wow ...... N...... Eve tried to tickle him, but he didn''t try to make her stop or run away. ''Hey Eve, are you sure?It. Yeah, good. Eve nodded, then held Sakura in her arms. ''High level, shuki.'' And we were even more surprised. 462. Level ∞ but not strong yet I pulled the portable nowboard out of the Grand Eater''s pocket and offered it to Sakura. Sakura took the portable now-board and stared at it in a lily-white position, almost hugging Eve, while Sakura took the portable now-board and stared at it. ''What''s this?'' It''s an item from this world. You can use it to check your status. ''You''re going to use the item?Can''t you just have a status open or something? I tried it a long time ago and it didn''t work. I replied with a chuckle. That''s what my first reaction was, but you''ve been adapting to it for a while now. No, well, that''s fine because it helps. ''I see, I''ll use it then.'' I listened to the instructions and used the portable now board as I did. Then her status emerged. ---1/2--- Level: 1/ HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... The abilities were all F''s, brilliantly - but the level was the first notation I''d ever seen. What does this mean at ......? Emily looks at the '''' and nods her head. ''It means infinite.'' ''You mean there''s no level limit?'' I think so. That''s the way it''s written. I nodded, and Emily''s eyes widened in surprise. ''I see, that''s why Eve Chin said ''high level''. "High-leveled Eve rubbed her cheek against Sakura even more. ''...... Come to think of it, the only people Eve calls robustly low-level are me and very occasionally Alice. He doesn''t say it to people in town or anything else around there. I see, you meant the upper limit, not your current level. Yeah. I nodded. With Sakura''s appearance, for the first time, I felt like I understood what Eve really meant by ''low level''. ''But is it really infinite?I wonder if it''s going to stop coming up somewhere. I''d like to try it. The house is full of experience crystals. You''ve been hoarding since Margaret''s time. Yes, sir. You can use that. ''Okay,'' I nodded. ''Alright, let''s go back to the mansion then. Wait here for a moment. I turned back the way I came and ran into the transporter gate. The room I swept once in Fermium becomes a safe zone where no monsters appear at all until I re-enter. I turned back that way and returned to the mansion - the Vanadium Dungeon. I found Vanadium playing with Cerberus in the saloon. ''Vanadium.'' ...... (nationally) Vanadium (and, incidentally, Cerberus) ran up to me. Vanadium grabbed my hem and smiled, nodding at me. It''s a welcome home gesture. I''m back. I have a favor to ask Vanadium. ......? ''I need you to put one of the girls in the dungeon here. She''s a girl from my side of the family, and I''ll take care of her, no matter what happens. ............ It was the first hesitation Vanadium had shown in a long time, as his mentality had settled down for a while now. It lasted for about five seconds. Vanadium, who was lost for a good amount of time, but slowly nodded. ''''Thank you.'''' ...... (smiling) Vanadium smiled happily as I patted his head and thanked him. I flew to Fermium using the transporter gate again to pick everyone up. Everyone was waiting for me as I emerged. ''''Here you go,'''' Erieli, did you say yes? Yeah. All right, let''s go. Alice was the first to jump into the transporter gate. She was followed by Celeste and Emily, and finally Eve entered the gate with Sakura arm in arm, and I stepped in with her. In an instant, I was back in the vanadium again from the fermium. ''Wow, this is a mansion, right? We''re doing it, we already have the mansion. It''s not just a house. This is inside the Erie. It''s a dungeon. Oh, my God.Did you modify the dungeon? I''ll explain the mods, or rather, ......, about that later. Including how this world works. I tried to change the subject as if to say, "More importantly. ''What about Emily and Celeste?'' He''s getting ready. He wants me to go to the usual place where they test you. Okay. When I came back at the gate, they weren''t there anymore, so I asked them, but they seemed to be moving quickly. I grabbed Sakura and went into the test room, which I had made to resemble the basement of my former life. About immediately after that, Emily and Celeste came pushing a magic cart. The contents of the cart were splattered on the floor of the room. A large amount of crystals came out. They were dropped by the dungeon master in Nifonium. It is a ring with the effect of turning the experience after a canst into this crystal, and I continued to create and hoard crystals endlessly. ''''What''s this?'''' It''s an item that gives you more experience when you use it. Everyone else is canned, so I''ve been accumulating it for a long time. She explains to Sakura, who is convinced that she understands, how to use the Experience Crystal. Her friends brought the crystals that she had been hoarding since the last time Margaret did, one after another, and Sakura used them. The process goes on and on - for several hours. After using up all the crystals, she checked the status again on the Portable Now Board. ---1/2--- Level: 147/ HP F MP E Power F Strength F Intelligence D Spirit D Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... ""Ooh, ...... ooh?" After a cheer, that cheer was squeezed out halfway through. The level went up to 147, which really seemed infinite, but the ability didn''t increase much. ''...... I see...'' I think I''m starting to get it. 463. Magical fruit What do you mean by that? You must be close to Margaret. When I answered, my friends nodded their heads. ''''You helped me get it from level 95 to 99 back then, right? ...... I see, that''s what you mean. Can you tell? Yes, she was in the F-final until level 94, and then she grew so fast after 95. Just like that, there''s no upper limit to her level, but her growth is slower. So that''s it. Alice was convinced, and next to her, Emily was nodding her head in the same way. On the other hand, Sakura, who was looking at her status on the portable now board, had a look on her face that said how curious she was. ''Haha ...... it really seems like a different world, seeing you level up like this.'' Okay. Hey, with my status, that means I have magic, right? Yeah. ''How will you learn?If I level up, does it become self-explanatory?Or do you want a new job? It''s--oh. What''s going on? Sakura wondered. I looked at my hands, then at Celeste, then at Alice. Magic. Celeste, a pure-blooded wizard, and me and Alice, a low level upper limit. All three of us were eating a magic fruit. ''''Right, magic fruit.'''' Magic Fruit? Shiranai Sakura nodded her head and wondered, but the Celeste and Alice I saw immediately understood. ''''I see, the level limit.'''' Let''s give it a try! A relieved Celeste and a flippant Alice. I''ll get it! I''m coming with you. Alice and Celeste ran out of the testing room. Sakura, who had been placed outside the mosquito net even though she was the party in charge, asked. ''What?''What does that mean? One of the ways to increase magic is to eat an item called a magic fruit. Yeah. When you eat the magic fruit, you can learn one spell. But after the second one, every time you eat one, your maximum level drops by one. "Heh, ......, oh, I see, '''' That''s the way it is. The usual rule is one per person, but if it''s an infinity, I could eat as much as I wanted. Did you eat it? Some. How many?Why? To a curious Sakura, I pulled out my portable now-board and showed her my status. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... That''s why. It''s amazing! Sakura''s eyes widened and she was amazed. I brought up the status to show her the maximum level 1, but it''s not surprising, or rather, Sakura seemed to have her eyes on the ''SS'' that was lined up first. That startled her for a moment. "Does this mean the maximum level is 1? Yeah. That''s why he ate more than one magic fruit. Oh, yeah. Well, I guess I''m going to be able to do it too. They went to procure it to try it out. I see. Waiting for Celeste and the others to come back. Sakura asked with a smirk on her face. ''You''re level 1 and all you do is SS, is that because you''re a cheat? Well, it''s a cheat. I chuckled. People in this world had never had that idea, but Sakura, who was a transferee like me, hadn''t. The word "cheat" came up so quickly that I couldn''t help but laugh. ''Cheats in another world, so you''re making a harem?'' ''No, that''s ......'' I had to chuckle again. ''You didn''t make it?'' Well, you know. ''Maybe I like men better! Sakura''s eyes started to sparkle as the tension suddenly increased. ''Are you rotten?! I love raw food, so it''s okay! I don''t think anything''s okay! I didn''t expect it to be rotten. No, well. I''m familiar with other worlds, and I''d say that makes sense. While I was explaining to an excited Sakura about this world, Celeste and Alice came back. Each one of them has a magic fruit with a star on it. ''Here you are!'' I hope you have two anyway. Yeah, thanks. He received the magic fruit from the two of them and turned to Sakura. ''If you eat these, you''ll learn magic.'' Yeah. He looked at the magic fruit with a curious look on his face and took a bite. Almost without hesitation, he ate them both. ''They''re not very tasty,'' Maybe. Here you go. He held out a portable now-board. Sakura took it and used it. ---1/2--- Level: 147/ HP F MP E Power F Strength F Intelligence D Spirit D Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ""Oh!" Even after eating two magic fruits, his level did not increase. 464. Uncle and Daddy What kind of magic did you learn? "Um, hey, heels and ...... genesis. A heel is a recovery spell. He turned around and looked at Celeste. Our eyes met, and Celeste nodded. ''Rudimentary recovery magic, I see.'' I see. I nodded, held up my thumbnail and scratched my palm. Red blood oozes slowly from the wound I gouged out at right angles to the life line. After confirming this, he spoke to Sakura again. ''Can I ask?'' "...... uncle It''s about time you stopped being an uncle. What is it? You didn''t hesitate at all, did you? Not really, but ...... So?I nodded my head like that and asked Sakura back. Sakura looked somewhat dumbfounded and mumbled, "You''re a madman! Then she let out a single partitioning sigh and held out her hand and held it over my palm. ''Well ...... what should I do?'' "The basic idea is just to remember. You can use it by collecting ''something'' from the ends of your body and chanting it as you imagine it flowing to the place where it will be used. Is it really that easy? If it''s magic you''ve learned. Nuh-uh. I nodded again and chanted "Heel" with a crisp face, this time. A soft light emitted from Sakura''s upraised hand and enveloped my palm. The wounds I had scratched with my fingernails quickly closed up, and soon I had a strange picture of a scarless but bloody one. ''You''re on the mend,'' Oh, yeah, I can do magic too, right? Sakura looks at her hands and is in a good mood. I can remember it too. This feeling of gradual excitement as I learn more and more about this world. It''s like seeing my former self, and it makes me smile a little bit. ''The other one is ...... called Genesis, right? Yes. I don''t understand this one. I don''t know what kind of magic it does. "A type of summoning magic. Do you know, Celeste? Oh, you''re in that position. I was impressed, and Sakura was impressed in a different way than I was. In the midst of all this, my family''s walking encyclopedia (Celestopedia) nodded once and then began to explain. ''It''s a kind of summoning magic.'' Like my All Mighty Man? What?Magic to summon an American comic book hero? Sakura took another bite. ''Ame-Komi Hiirou?What''s that? Isn''t it? No, it''s a spell that summons Liuchen. Liuchen? ''Yes!I''ll show you--Ryochii! Alice, as usual, thrust her hands up and chanted her magic. The next moment, a rift appeared in space, and from the space beyond the speckled color, Ryochin appeared. ''''Oh!--hahahaha, what is this, a stuffed uncle? So I told you not to be an uncle. I chuckled and explained. ''All Might, not me, but a magic that summons the ''strongest'' entity the user recognizes--?'' I started to say and gave Celeste and Alice a confirming look. They both nodded clearly. ''So, well, that''s why it was me for now. Yeah. Interesting magic. Was it called a summoning spell, Celeste? Returning to the subject, I turn my gaze to Celeste. ''Yes. It''s a spell that actually summons the user''s handwriting. ''You mean summoning a painting, ...... of something you''ve drawn?'' That''s what I''ve heard. ''Really?Hey, hey, can I get a piece of paper and a pen? Yeah. I''ll bring it to you. This time Emily ran out in a flurry and quickly returned with a pen and paper. Sakura took it and put the paper against the wall and ran the pen smoothly over it. ''Got it!Um, ...... Genesis! Then I cast a spell and a picture flashed and something jumped out of it. "Oops. It''s Yoda. Emily was suddenly very excited. Sakura wrote and summoned me - not me - but Ryo-chin. To be more precise, it''s a deformed version of me, a ryochin, and then something more "broken" in various ways. If I were to compare it to a child''s Doraemon, it would be something like that. And it - it moves. And then it moves. Badmon Ree-ching is somewhat awkward, but it moves. It''s good, this is good. The magic of making things happen as you draw them. It''s very versatile. Is it safe to knock it over? Now Alice asked Celeste. ''Yes. One of the characteristics of Genesis is that if you summon it and then call it back, it becomes a picture, you can still summon it from its picture state.'' Yeah, that''s right. I moved the Sakura Haritin dude in and out once. It was kind of interesting to watch it get sucked into the paper once it was summoned and then re-summoned into the picture again. ''But if you get knocked down or destroyed while summoning--'' Celeste did so, and manipulated the three bicorn horns + 9 with a string and shot Li-ching dangling from all directions. It was shot, and the ri-ching droid went up in flames. He struggled a little, but was soon extinguished. At the same time, the paper Sakura was holding crumbled into tatters from decay. ''It''ll all go pah like this,'' I see. What about other people''s drawings? Sakura completely recognized Celeste as "that kind of character" and asked her as a matter of course. ''No, you can''t do that, only the picture he drew. ''I see... ...... summoned it and added to it after I put it back in?'' That''s ...... I don''t understand. Once she understood the basics, Sakura now began to wonder about the applications. As expected, Celeste made an apologetic face, saying that she didn''t understand that. Then let''s try it now. Well, first-- Sakura ponders with paper and pen in hand. She would summon it once unfinished and try to make further additions and revisions. She pondered what to do for that. At the time she was pondering. ''Papa.'' A familiar voice came from outside the room and Yuki jumped in. ''Welcome home, Dad.'' Yuki stood in front of me, looking happy. The cute, daughter-like () girl made me feel a little bit of an eye-roll - but I''m not sure. ''Your uncle had a child! Gosh! One combined move and I''ve done a lot of damage to my mind. 465. And mom I hold my chest and I''m damaged, as if I''m about to squirm. I look at Sakura with pleading eyes. ''Please don''t do that because it works for my uncle and his kids. But I call you Dad?Besides, he''s an uncle. Ugh. ...... Yuki, go back to your old self for a second. I understand, Dad. Yuki nodded honestly, and then her whole body melted down into a sludge. The pretty dress was also a part of her body - like a ''skin'', so to speak. Yuki immediately changed back to her original form. She reverted to her unique monster slime form. ''What is this?'' You see. Yuki isn''t human, she''s a slime. Oh, yeah? That doesn''t mean Yuki is my daughter, because having a child is not the same thing. No, I don''t know. It could be the child your uncle gave birth to after being turned into a nursery by slime. Don''t think like that and no one will like it! I''ll be glad! Sakura said with a big smile on her face. Oh, that''s right, that''s the kind of taste you had. It didn''t matter, but the fact that she said ''uncle'' made me think of the most horrific imaginations I''ve had since I was a femini. ''Anyway, it''s different,'' Okay. But why do you call him Dad then?Is that how you play it? You really want to turn me into a pervert, don''t you? There''s a lot of that going on, and I can explain to you what happened to the unique monster. It sounds like a complicated story. There''s so much more to this world than meets the eye. Yeah, that should be interesting. I chuckled. It''s only been a short time since we''ve met, but with Sakura''s personality, that kind of thing just goes away. For better or worse, I thought she had a pleasant personality. We moved to the saloon, since standing around in the testing room is not something we want to do. Me, Sakura, and Eve, who''s been clinging to Sakura, saying "high level shuki" and not letting go. Then there''s Alice and Celeste, and Vanadium and Yuki. There are a lot of friends who haven''t gotten home yet, about half the usual number of people. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that it''s really inside a dungeon. Sakura looked around the inside of the salon, which looked like some nobleman''s mansion, and asked the obvious question. ''It''s because of this girl--the vanadium. Vanadium?That doesn''t sound like a girl''s name. I''m sailor Levee''s number 23. What do you mean, "sailor Levee"? Sakura nodded her head. It''s not that she doesn''t know about the existence of the periodic table itself, but she doesn''t seem to know all the details of it either. That''s fine then. The dungeons in this world always have a dungeon spirit. The genie can change the structure of his dungeon as he pleases. The only reason this place doesn''t feel like a dungeon is because Vanadium has become my friend and listened to my requests. ...... (smiling) Vanadium smiled happily at my side. I''d rather say thank you," he said, as if he wanted to say thank you. ''Wow, that''s a dungeon you don''t know much about?s spirits as friends, that''s about the middle to end of the story. Normally, I''d say yes. I chuckled a bit, then asked her again. ''So, what are you going to do now?'' "Hmmm. Hey, are there any goblins in this world? ''Goblins and orcs?Well, there were goblins. Orcs, too--oh, I know you fought a mini-orc once, Yeah, well, that''s Gobbler''s Orc, then. What? My eyes rolled back in my head. What is this girl saying all of a sudden? ''Oh, I can forgive most of them, but no reba with this combination. I think that the strong orcs and weak goblins that are created by themselves, that''s why I think that the royal road of gob attack orc reception is non-negotiable. No, I don''t even know what that means. I mean, that''s not what I''m talking about. It''s also hard to get rid of the fact that the good Orcs and the seven goblins fighting over the Kukasiri Princess Knight-- ''No, I mean, are you going to be here all the time?I mean. Here? You want me to find you a way back? Sakura fell silent. Her friends didn''t say anything either, silent. There was silence for a moment, and then Sakura looked thoughtful. Hmm, let me think about it. This place looks interesting, but I can''t decide right now. Yeah. Yeah, I guess so. I know how you feel. I didn''t have time to think about it when I first came to this world because I was too busy repaying my debt to Emily and living my life, but it''s a little hard to decide not to come back and go right away when you''re in the face of this fascinating world. ''Isn''t your uncle going home?'' ...... I''m not sure I''m in the mood for that anymore. I smiled at them with a huff. Celeste and Alice looked at me with a divine look on their faces. Now that I''ve grown up with my friends, I have no intention of going back. It''s partly because my days over there were so f*cking great, but more importantly, my days with my friends were so great that I don''t want to go back. ''I see.'' Sakura nodded, still with a divine look on her face, as if she sensed something from my expression. Then there was another silence, and then there was a knock on the door and Emily came in, pushing the wagon in. ''We''re waiting for you,'' On the wagon are steamy teas and colorful sweets such as cakes and cookies. Oh, it''s amazing. It all looks so good. It''s great, because Emily made it. Your cheeks will fall off. It''s so comforting to eat. You should start with the carrot cake. The friends, who had been quietly watching the proceedings, all praised Emily''s homemade sweets at once. Speaking of Emily, she had a happy, shy smile on her face, with a blush on her cheeks as usual. Emily handed Sakura, still half a guest, a cake with a plate and fork on it. Sakura dexterously used the dessert fork to take a bite of the cake - and then she took a bite. ''I''ll be here all the time!'' Huh? Can I call you Mom?! Emily''s cooking, which instantly brought Sakura''s, which had been put on hold, to an answer. We were all petrified for a moment, but soon it was like, "Oh well, that''s what happens. 466. Thats it I knew it was Cheelem! The salon after the sun goes down. Tonight, too, my friends were all gathered there, not at the actual window, but with the stars reflected out of the big window. We waited for our late comrades to get together, and when we introduced them to each other, Sakura said, "Yikes! He gave me a look like, "Oh, really? Oh, yeah? Yes. You see, Emily, Celeste, Alice and Eve. Sakura read out the names of her friends as if she were counting them. ''You''re Elsa, right, Ena? Aurum and Nihonium and Vanadium Carbon and Sakuya and Yuki. Yuki too? I told you she wasn''t my daughter. What''s the problem?I made a face. ''No, that''s right, but ...... how did you remember that in this one moment?'' Even though I only introduced her once, Sakura was able to remember everyone''s names well. Could it be that she is the type of person who is good at remembering people''s names? ''One to twelve... it''s a crazy cheerleader, seriously, it''s a serious cheerleader. I''ll have to throw in Margaret and Mao and Prumbum, too. Ena interrupted the conversation with a mischievous smile. ''You''re still here!'' ''Hey, hey. Ena, they''re at ....... ''Oh sorry, sorry. I forgot to mention the most likeable one. Cell. That''s really not it! I shouted as hard as I could and plunged in. ''What, what, who''s Cell?'' That''s the one. ...... Ena beckoned to Sakura and gave her an earful with a mischievous smile as she approached. Sakura blasted something into her, her cheeks slightly cherry-red, and her eyes sparkled the most since they met. ''What''s that lovely!'' ''No, no, no, I don''t know what he said, but it''s not.'' It''s true that he loves Lyota-san. He watches over you from behind the scenes and brings in all kinds of work for Lyota-san, and he''s always been the black one. It''s ....... Ena is right there. ''Platonic BL, that''s so precious: ......'' No, no, no, it''s really not. Isn''t it? No, I''m not. And Ena doesn''t want to expand the conversation in any interesting way. Yes, sir. Ena stuck out her tongue. It''s a gesture that suits her personality well. She smiles bitterly and her anger wanes as well. For better or worse, Cell''s is not such a snobbish story. It''s stalkerish, but it''s definitely a far cry from the swollen feeling of being in love. ''Then it''s not increasingly cheerleading,'' I don''t mean to do that, though. What do you mean? Sakura nods her head and steps in further. ...... talk, right? Being a young girl in my former world, and being called ''uncle'', I felt a mental barrier and drew the line, but if you''re going to ask me like that, I have to answer, or so I thought. I just can''t overlook being unreasonable. I looked beyond the cherry blossoms. It was a wall, but I felt as if I was looking at the people on the other side of the wall, somewhere in the distance, forced by a black company to be unreasonable. I want to do something about the people who are trapped in these black companies. I can''t overlook the people who are oppressed by unreasonableness and unfairness. Now I have some power, the power to do something about it. So I''ve done something about it from the side where I saw it - that''s all. As a result, people came together and became friends. That''s all there is to it. So it''s not like we''re cheerleaders or anything. Do you understand?I looked at Sakura again like. ...... For some reason, she was blown away. She stared at me in a daze, her cheeks slightly elevated. Mmm, did I just make you delusional about ...... something? What: ...... No, not really. Sakura quickly turned away and flattened her cheek between her hands. What in the world is going on ...... mmmm! What? It''s nothing. Hey. Ena grinned, and Elsa by her side, with a complicated smile on her face. Many of her friends, too, had a look on their faces like, "Haha, dear. ...... Why? 467. Sakuras room I wondered what the hell was going on, but none of my companions were willing to talk about anything, nor were they in the air to force me to listen to them. Above all. ''Well, more than that. Where am I going to sleep today? Sakura herself was also giving off a bangin'' aura of not going into it too deeply. To be honest, I''m not sure what''s going on here. When it comes to dungeons, I can make a lot of guesses based on what I took a long time ago, but my experience with opponents, especially girls a year younger than me, is pretty lacking. I don''t know how to interact with someone who calls me ............ uncle or whatever. So I decided not to go into it too deeply. ''In that case--vanadium,'' ......? Can you help me build her a room? ...... (Kok Kok Kok) We''ve never met before, but the fact that it''s through me, and Vanadium seems to accept it without any sense of rejection or anything. She gets up and stutters out of the salon. I give Sakura a look, and together we exit the salon and follow behind Vanadium. By the way, Eve has also attached herself to me. It''s just a vague feeling, but if the "like" for carrots is 1, I think the "like" for high levels is at least 0.8. ''What''s it like to build a room?'' You''ll know it when you see it. I think that''s what the genie''s going to say. Yeah. Perhaps it was a good thing I changed the subject, but Sakura was still a bit red in the face, but her reception was completely back to her old self. I followed Vanadium with Sakura as she did so. A short distance away from the salon, around one corner, was a section of the building where everyone''s bedrooms were clustered together. Looking at this place alone, it looks like a Showa-era apartment. ''There''s something about it that smells like a romantic comedy! That''s a new idea. This kind of thing was common in the classic comics before I was born. ...... I didn''t answer. She said it was before she was born, but to me it was when she was born, or if she was bad, she was still in grade school. My heart ached for a moment. At the end of that apartment-like hallway, Vanadium stopped. Gently touching the wall - a movement like pulling out. Gogo-go-go--. There was a rumbling of the earth, and the corridor stretched out about five meters. It''s not like they dug it out, either. The corridor is decorated. The patterns on the floor and the ceiling. Evenly spaced windows. They were also in the corridor that had just been extended. ''Oh, that''s pretty amazing.'' Not yet. The vanadium furthermore touched his hand to the same spacing as the door in the other room and pulled it out further. Then, there, the same door was created. The young Vanadium stood on tiptoe and turned the doorknob. The door slammed open, Vanadium went in first, with me and Sakura following behind. ''Wow!'' Sakura''s eyes lit up as she entered the room. The room was almost identical to the others''. It''s the base room, before the arrangement. It''s a little strange to say because there is no 1L......DK, but it''s a room and a living room designed for relaxation. It''s a room and a living room designed for relaxation. Can you use this place? Yeah. When you arrange it, go to Vanadium-- it''s all right. ...... (nationally) If you talk to the vanadium, it can do most things. I want a loft! Ha, that''s a good idea. And I want a rabbit hole. You want a cabin? Sakura is starting to sparkle, and Eve is completely at ease with her. I went back to the salon by myself, leaving Vanadium to take care of the rest of the furniture and stuff. 468. Thank you for leveling You are welcome home. Is everyone in their rooms yet? I looked around the saloon when I came back. It seems that they had disbanded, and Emily alone was in the middle of cleaning up inside the salon. ''Yes, sir. Yoda-san said, ''I don''t think he''s coming back tonight,'' and everyone went back to their rooms. Okay. Me nodding, I sit on the couch and watch Emily clean up. I don''t help, I don''t help. I did in the beginning. When my friends first started living with me, they helped because they didn''t want to have to leave everything to Emily, maybe because it was too painful. But they all stopped soon after. Emily House. It''s still the same as it was when it became a vanadium dungeon from the previous mansion, bright, warm, and comfortable enough to stay in forever. It''s only because of Emily''s upkeep. I don''t know why, but it doesn''t get warmed up like this when Emily tells me what to do and my friends clean up and tidy up. It''s only when Emily''s hands are doing it, Emily''s house. Besides, Emily herself. ''It''s a blessing to be able to work on the house,'' I said with a hearty smile, and gradually, no one else was getting involved in the housework. I''m the same way, and now I''m watching Emily crisply clean up after herself. ''...... Speaking of which,'' Yes? Do you remember the moment Sakura dropped ()? ''I''m sorry. I don''t remember it very well. Okay. I nodded and replied to Emily, who looked apologetic. And I didn''t go into it any further. It wasn''t a girl thing, it was a dungeon thing, so I had a theory right away. Maybe the encounter with G had turned Emily into a demon king, and her status had changed, or some kind of skill had been triggered. Even when I was there, it was on the third floor of the Telluride, a place where there was likely to be a cocrosstime (G) from a pumpkin. I was able to hypothesize that me and Sakura''s transition might have been brought about by Emily, who had been transformed into a demon king. However, I didn''t want to test it. This might be the first time I''ve transitioned to this world, perhaps for the first time. I didn''t want to test the hypothesis of what happened in the dungeon. I''m not going to let Emily become a demon king to investigate, I don''t think there''s a need to do so. ''Yoda, do you need more tea? Oh, well, I''ll take it from here-- that''s great! Shortly after I answered, I was reminded once again of Emily''s awesomeness. It only took a split second for my brain to think about the hypothetical and that it shouldn''t be tested. In that split second, the salon had been cleaned up, and it was like a temple as usual, radiating warm, clean vibrations. ''Yes?'' The person who pulled it off didn''t understand his feat - the amazing housekeeping technique that could be called the hand of God. The next morning, I woke up and left my room, and on my way to the bathroom, I ran into Sakura. Oh, I''m home! Sakura was heading towards us with Eve in tow, and she was incredibly excited, even though it was morning. ''Good morning ......, are you home?'' Hey, I''m back. Where have you been? A dungeon called Telluride. It''s amazing how many slime dungeons there are with only slimes of all kinds. It''s a little frustrating that there''s no female warrior in the trap, though. What did you expect? I pouted out loud. That tug woke me up with a batch of sleepiness. ''For that matter, why are you in tellurian?'' Because it''s a different world.There''s a dungeon and you can do magic, you''re supposed to want to go there. I showed you the rabbit. All night long. ''All night?You''ve been there since the middle of the night? I was so excited I couldn''t sleep. "I was so excited, I couldn''t sleep, so I went down to the fourth floor, just for one level. Ha ha ...... You know what I mean. It''s that kind of exciting feeling, isn''t it? With the stamina-based games, once the stamina is restored even in the middle of the night, I can forget about going to sleep and start playing. Especially when a new element is implemented. Back in the days of PC-based netgee games, there were games that restored all of my stamina at 6am, and I remember pulling an all-nighter and starting to play as soon as it was six o''clock in the morning, even though I knew it was definitely better to sleep and wake up. I even got a potion from Bunny. It''s amazing, the vegetables really do drop like a field. That''s the way the world seems to work. That''s why being an adventurer is such a solid profession. I guess so. I made a lot of money in one night. ''What?Have you redeemed the money yet? The rabbit led me to a buyer who''s open past midnight. Those places have low rates. It''s like a convenience store. It''s convenient to be open 24 hours a day, but the goods are more expensive. Even those stores that are open late at night have low buying rates. Since it''s time to go, don''t you want to experience a quick cash exchange? Ha-ha, I see. Excitement won out. You want to experience it right away, and a little rate disadvantage doesn''t matter in front of that desire. "Hey, how much is 30,000 piro worth? What? What? I was surprised, and Sakura was surprised. ''What?The what?I mean, ''You made 30,000?Overnight? Yes. ...... is amazing. It took me three days to make 20,000 when I first started out. It brought back memories of the time she had gone to Tellurium to rent that apartment in an attempt to repay Emily for her kindness. Sakura had surpassed that amount in one night. ''What are you talking about?'' What? ''It''s no wonder you earn more money than your uncle did in the beginning. You''ve got me power leveled. ...... I see. I nodded and agreed. Indeed, it did. After transferring, I made her go over level 100 with the experience she had hoarded so far, and I also made her eat a magic fruit that would give her seven-digit pillows in plenty of time. Sakura''s start is completely different from mine. ''But, I see. My uncle had 20,000 in the first three days? Yeah, yeah. Hmmm: ...... Oh, yeah. Hmm? Sakura seemed to have an idea for something. She tilted her head slightly to see what was going on, and right after she smiled a mischievous smile, her face loomed up at her. Chu-chu. On the cheek, she suddenly kissed me. ''''Nah, nah nah nah!'''' Thank you. Thanks, Uncle. No, no, no, there''s more to thank me for.Why would you kiss-- ''Hmm, because it''s Cheerum?Here. No, no, no, no! I was afraid that the thing was going to become a fact of life. And I was also scared that the kissed cheeks got hot and I didn''t mind being kissed. 469. Innovator Is your uncle going to work in the dungeon now? Sakura asked with a carefree expression on her face, not seeming to mind the kiss on her cheek at all. ''Ah. After breakfast, we''ll go to Prumbum''s first, then we''ll go back to Kalifornium or something to continue the attack. What''s Plumbum? You can''t tell if it''s lead-- ...... I''m more interested in saying to Sakura that ''the first person is straw and the word ends in no-ja''-- What is that, old Lolita? As I expected, Sakura ate it up as hard as she could. I knew she liked that story better. ''It''s not like that. I''m not like that. It''s just that my tone of voice is that way. Hmm, what a waste. ''What about the girl whose real age is eight years old, whose first name is her own, and whose word ends in ''nana''? ''Cute!You''re already cute at that point!Is that boy one of them? Sakura bites into it again with her high spirits. I guess she really likes that kind of thing. ''Not one of us. I wonder what it''s called: ...... I was a bit at a loss to explain what the connection was to something like Mao. ''It''s a tough one, I''ll introduce you to it sometime, I think it''s faster to see it in person. I get it. By the way, your uncle''s got a lot of talent. I don''t know. Yeah. While talking to Sakura and the world, we headed to the cafeteria for now. Just when I thought I was going to eat breakfast and go to Plumbum''s place. ''''Lyota-sama,'''' From across the hallway came Meeke, a mini-wise man. He spotted me with a huff and ran up in a straight line. ''What''s up,'' Dear Mr. Lyota, you have a visitor. Okay. Thank you. I thanked Meeke and headed out of the mansion and out of the dungeon for now. Sakura followed behind me. With her in tow, we were outside the dungeon. There was Neptune and, as usual, Ran and Lil behind her. ''Hey, good morning ...... who is that girl?New friends? Neptune was slightly surprised to see Sakura coming out of the dungeon with him, but he asked her while maintaining his trademark smile. ''That''s about it--I''ll tell you ahead of time, I''m not rotten and I''m not a cheerleader. I turned around and nailed Sakura for good measure. ''I can see that,'' Is that so? Sakura''s reaction was unexpected, as I had thought she was going to pull that stuff off. ''Yeah. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that the two of them have a look on their faces that says they think of everyone else but that guy as nothing more than a squashed pill bug. They''re jealous that their uncle is in their way and they can''t help it. When Sakura said that, of course, Ran and Lil heard it and their faces changed color. I''m not going to be able to say that I''m not going to be able to do anything about it. Well, I kind of knew the two of them thought I was in the way. If that''s the case, I decided to ask Neptune to talk to him. I had to listen to him quickly and switch it up so that I didn''t interrupt their time with Neptune. ''What do you want from me?It must be a big deal for you to be here this morning, right? I thought you might want to have it in your ear. ...... What''s going on? Neptune was smiling as usual, but his eyes were serious. ''''Calm down and hear me out, okay?'''' ...... Got it. The dungeon master is on a rampage. Where are you? I told you to calm down and let me finish. Neptune chuckled and shrugged his shoulders, "Oh dear. I knew the reaction I would get when I told you about this. That''s one of the things I like about you is that you can''t overlook it, which is why you''ve earned their trust. So, you cut me off and looked me straight in the eye. "It''s not a dungeon you know, and besides, it''s been taken down and we''re done talking. Well: ...... I chuckled, including the fact that Neptune had pointed it out to me. If it was Cyclo, or any of the dungeons I''ve been to, I''d be running into it right now. I laughed at myself for not being able to calm down and listen to the end of the story at all, even though Neptune had told me to calm down. ''''Well, I guess it''s called the benefit of my injuries. Because of that dungeon master''s rampage, the productivity of the dungeon has increased dramatically. It''s so much easier to find out just by doing a quick check. Yeah. So the Dungeon Association says that''s fine with ....... But? I tilted my head and listened back. Somehow, I intuitively knew that this was the main issue. ''There are some things that have stopped dropping. I suppose those are only in-kind, I suppose. ...... What''s stopped dropping? You, level one, will benefit more than anyone else in the world from this magical fruit. ...... I see. Now I know why Neptune came here. After Neptune left, I thought about that as I stood at the entrance to the vanadium dungeon. ''Hey, is that a common thing you just said?'' Sakura, who had been listening to the conversation with me, directed a natural question at me. Well, you know. I''ve helped breed a few times myself. Breeding? Didn''t I tell you?In the dungeons of this world, every once in a while a monster named Dungeon Master will appear. If that dungeon master stays too long, it changes the dungeon''s ecology, and the drops. That''s what we do intentionally, it''s breeding. I see. I''ve always thought they''d send lots of female warriors into the monster world to kill them and then breed them with the best of ''em. No way. I don''t know. Isn''t it possible that there could be a world like that out there somewhere, where a thin book gets thicker? ...... right? Maybe it''s because she''s young, but Sakura''s way of thinking seems more flexible. I''m a little ashamed of myself for saying that there is no other world than this one. I''m going to get back to this, there have been a few times when I''ve helped breed something out and something new was born because I helped breed it. I was told by the dungeon master that this would happen, so it must have been a lot more than just the one I did. Okay. What do we do now?You don''t want the magic fruit to run out, do you? ...... I thought about it. The magic fruit no longer drops. The only thing left was the actual thing. I thought about what was the best thing to do in this situation. ''Hey, can breeding be done on every floor?If that''s the case, just put the magic back in. No, it''s fine as it is. Why? Neptune said the dungeons were more productive. You told me. ''That''s, in other words, progress. It''s foolish to turn back the clock on progress. When something new comes out, we should adapt to it. Otherwise, the human side - our side - will stop growing. It reminded me of the evolution from computers to tablets. I remembered the evolution from a galaxy to a smartphone. New things are always useful as long as you can master them. That''s the nature of things, I thought, and I''m sure that this dungeon thing is the same. If that''s the case, should I ask Celeste to update me with the new knowledge? No, would it be quicker to ask Cell to help me? ...... I was thinking about a new dungeon - a new dungeon - that I had progressed beyond, and I didn''t realize it. Sakura was standing next to me, staring at me with impressed eyes. 470 Divide from 470. ''Huh?Where''s Sakura? After breakfast, I looked for Sakura, thinking that we should talk for a minute, but she was nowhere to be found. When I saw Eve, who missed Sakura, looking ecstatic and chewing on the sauteed carrots Emily had made, I asked her about her. ''I went to the dungeon,'' Again? He said he had an idea and that he was going to try it out. Well, I guess we''re at that point. When you''re at the stage where you''re excited and want to try it right away, you''ll come up with the same new things one after the other. They want to try every single thing they come up with, and as a result they get excited and come up with something new. There''s a virtuous cycle that goes on inside of us, and Sakura is right in the middle of it. In that case, I''ll let her do what she wants for a while. The level is up, and with this Ciclo, the cell has a variety of backup systems in place for adventurers, including a rest stop, thanks to the cell. Even if Sakura is new to this world, her life won''t be in danger unless there''s something wrong with her. I heard about the magic fruit. Cyclodungeon Society, inside the president''s office. Facing Cell, I opened my mouth and said so. ''As expected of Satou-sama, your ears are quick. Are you sure they don''t drop any more magic fruits? For now. Cell replied with a straight face. There has been a massive shift in the environment, which they are in the process of investigating, but we can''t be sure of that yet. I see. It''s just that with all that change, it''s ''probably not going to happen''. That''s a shame. ''Let''s buy it all up while we can, shall we?If you say you have Master Satou, I will scrape up every magic fruit in existence. No, that''s fine. He scowls and chuckles. ''I''m sure Cell is serious. ''I need more information than that. About the odd dungeon. There''s no guarantee I won''t need it sooner or later, I just want to get the information.'' Yeah, well, if that''s the case. With a mysterious look on his face, Cell pulled something out. He puts it in front of me on the table. "What''s this? A substitute for magic-- or should I say, magic itself. Unusually, Cell says this in a serious way () that doesn''t boil down to a serious story (). If it''s figure-related, there''s no limit to how much he can cheat or go off topic, but this is very unusual for him to do this with a serious story. What''s going on? "It''s a rare monster from the same hierarchy that was dropped. But at the moment I have no idea what it is or what it does. I see. ...... I nodded and picked it up. First of all, it was a stone. It was a stone with "cracks" here and there. The way it was cracked was different from the norm. Just as a diamond is characterized by that ''cut'' shape, this stone has the appearance of being formed by ''cracks''. Other than that - I held it in my hand and stared at it closely, but it certainly doesn''t have any of these characteristics. ''Incidentally, it was impossible to destroy. Really--can I try? Come on. Cell nodded clearly. You''re at the point where you''d rather have me do it. I loaded the +10 growth bullet into the +10 gun and pulled the trigger at that stone that I grabbed tightly. Surprisingly, even the +10 growth bullets repelled it. ''That''s amazing,'' "Master Sato, isn''t that the bullet that opened the door to carbon? ''Oh?...... Oh no. I tried it at Cell''s suggestion, but soon found out that it was no good and gave a bitter smile. A +10 iron wall bullet that pried open the door of the carbon dimension. I shoot it at the crack stone, but while the iron wall bullet is going slowly, the crack stone is me grabbing it, but it''s being pushed by it. I try to grab it firmly with the force SS and hold it back, but it still can''t match the "straight ahead" performance of the +10 ironclad bullets. It''s just that he''s being pushed down as normal. "This is not good enough. Apparently so: ...... No! I went around the other side of the +10 ironclad bullets that were still slinking straight ahead. Then I fired another +10 ironclad into the first one''s direct course. Two +10 rounds facing each other head-on. In the small gap between them, he inserted a stone of crack. The rock of the crack between the two +10 bullets. At first, I thought it was still a bad idea, but nothing happened. "Satou-sama! Yeah, it''s creaking. Me and Cell nodding at each other. The stone of the crack caught between the two ironclad bullets like pliers began to make a creaking sound. The +10 steel bullets will only go straight forward no matter what, and their straight-line power is such that even I, a power SS, can''t stop them. That''s why nothing happens even if I press down on them. But if it''s the +10 Iron Wall ammunition that''s pressing down on it as well, that''s a different story. The iron wall ammunition, which suppresses even a dimensional wall, sandwiches the stone of the crack and crushes it. The cracked stone that makes a creaking sound. It kept its original shape until the last second, but the moment it passed the limit--the moment it exceeded the limit. Watch out! I quickly stepped in front of the cell and covered for him. "Pow! And with an explosion that ripped through his eardrums, a crack stone burst through the air. Debris flew in the air, but I brushed it away with my hands. ''Satou-sama!'' That''s okay. The question is, is this what''s in it? I picked it up from the ground (,) which had fallen to the ground. Amidst the scattered pieces that were the outside of the fissure stone, there is one thing that is clearly foreign to me. ''Some kind of ...... species?'' Looks like it. I put a little pressure on my hand to hold it. It seems that unlike the crack stone, this one is as hard as it looks. Even a non-adventurous, ordinary townie can break it if you put a little force into it. I decided not to put any more force into it. The fissure stone was incredibly hard, so I empirically thought "let''s crack it". But this one was soft, and obviously "cracking" wasn''t an obstacle. ''What am I supposed to do, drink it?'' I held the seed like two fingers, trying to see inside through the light, but that didn''t give me any idea what it was. It''s not like a nihonium seed. ''Can you hold it?'' Hmm. I handed it to Cell and looked at it, and he could hold it normally and nothing happened. ''Either nothing happens or I''m afraid something does. Agreed. Cell agreed with me. It''s hard to think of anything that can be obtained by cracking open the outer shell that was so solid, nothing. That''s not impossible that there could be "no": ....... ''Hmmm, we''re screwed,'' "...... would you be willing to let Mr. Sato take care of it? Me? Hmm. Cell nodded with a clear, unmistakable look on his face. If I have it, I''ll figure it out eventually, at some point. I can see that he''s thinking about it, and I can see that he''s thinking about it. Because that''s trust, and I don''t feel bad about that per se. ''Okay, I''ll keep it.'' I''ve decided to keep the seeds. Star. Californium dungeon. I found out with Cell after that and came here. I don''t know what the seeds are for, and Sakura is hiding in the dungeon in Sakura. So I went back to work. I decided to use the tickets I had collected with everyone at Fermium. I enter the dungeon and use the ticket. The ticket glows--that''s when the light goes off. "What? That species, too, was glowing together. 471 471. Oak King The ticket and the seed, the two strayed from the light as if they were resonating. Without having time to think deeply about what that meant, things went on further. Both the ticket and the seed disappeared, and a monster appeared, just as it did with the ticket alone. ''''Mmm.'''' What appeared was the first monster I had ever seen. First of all, a chariot. It wasn''t a chariot as a modern weapon, but a chariot of the chariot type - chariot-like, pulled by a few horses. The one riding on top of that chariot was - an orc. At first glance, they look obese, but in fact they are muscular and sturdy. It is built like a sumo wrestler. On top of his body is a pig''s head. The monster on top of the chariot is a monster that can be recognized at first glance as an orc. ''''It''s a good thing Sakura isn''t here. It was definitely someone who would get very excited and say cluck cluck cluck. This orc was not just any orc. He was not just an orc, he had a crown on top of his pig''s head and a cloak on his back. I wondered if he was the king of orcs, a monster that could be called the Orc King. ''''Whoa!'''' As I stared at the sight, an orc chariot rushed forward. If you look closely, you can see three "harpoons" sticking out of the end of the chariot. It rushed at me. I dodged them on the spur of the moment. The chariot''s harpoons rammed straight into the dungeon wall. The wall was half destroyed in an instant. "That''s a lot of power! The tank turned dexterously, pointed the harpoon at us again, and then rushed in further. While dodging the rush, I first fired a series of normal bullets to check it out. Then the Orc King swung his whip vigorously and flung every single bullet out of the harpoon. "How about this! Normal bullets couldn''t get through, then he fired a growth bullet of higher firepower. The Orc King tried to raise his whip, but he stopped midway. Instead, he circled his chariot and struck the harpoon with a growth bullet. The growth bullets and the harpoon collided. They let out a high-pitched metallic sound and sent sparks into the air in a big way. Don''t do it. More tanks rushing towards me. This time I didn''t dodge it. I shot head-on at the harpoon''s ramming trajectory with a few steel bullets. Gakkien! More noise and sparks than before, the tank was stopped by a steel wall bullet. ''''--! The Oak King''s face was clearly tinted with astonishment. A face that said he hadn''t the faintest idea that the rush would be stopped. A gap! I stepped in, got behind the tank, and fired the same ironclad rounds into it. It was a pincer of ironclad bullets from the front and back, just as I had done when I went through the cracked stone. The tank made a grinding noise and was caught in a gash, unable to move. I quickly chased after it. They fired a series of tracking rounds into a barrage of cover, and the Orc King was thin on the ground. As the tracking rounds are knocked down by the whip one after another, I give a full-bodied blow to the body. ''''Hard!'''' The moment I hit him, it felt as if I had hit a large rock or something. But it was not ineffective. The orc didn''t blow up, but it wobbled on the tank and twisted its face. The whip flew in a counterattack. He kicked the chariot and dodged, jumping away from the chariot in one go for nearly five meters. As he landed, he quickly charged again. The orc carriage is still stuck, the orc king was momentarily distracted by it, trying to move it somehow. He took advantage of that moment and fired an accelerator round at himself as soon as he pounced. The world accelerated. He slammed a series of punches into the Oak King on top of the carriage. The Oak King was so hard that his fist zinged, but the response was sufficient. But the moment I nudged him with about ten shots, I was sent flying. There''s still time left for acceleration, I try to chase after it, but the Oak King''s body is engulfed in light. I shoot the gun, hitting it even more fleshily. All the attacks didn''t work. I had no choice but to keep my distance and be alert, and the light increased even more, and soon the carriage was gone as if it were melting away, and I was sucked into the Oak King as light. Almost as soon as the acceleration broke, the light on the other side subsided. The Oak King, which had landed and was only on two legs, had a far greater presence than before. ''''Transformation and invincibility time?'''' Somehow those words popped into my head. There are many monsters that have to be defeated in two stages and have an invincibility time in between. This Orc King would be one of them. The Orc King raised his whip. Instead of waving it at me, he raised it as if he were commanding something, thrusting it up to the heavens. What kind of-- Instantly, an uncomfortable feeling enveloped me. My thoughts are awfully fast, and my body barely moves - only very slowly. The Orc King''s movements also look awfully slow. The accelerator bullets should have run out by now - no, if they are accelerator bullets, it''s strange that my body doesn''t move. This is like a runner - just when I thought that this was like a runner - my eyes caught something. There was a ball of light at the end of the Orc King''s thrust. The ball of light was swelling at a tremendous speed, ready to fill the dungeon at any moment. A chill ran down my spine. A running horse, and possibly an attack by the Oak King. What does that indicate ......? ''Gwaaahhhh!'' The next thing I knew, the pain hit me as if my blood was boiling all over my body. An unprecedented amount of pain hit me and went through my entire body. ''''Ugh.'''' After the light subsided, I fell to my knees. ''Gooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo ...... haha! Just before the light enveloped my body, I quickly grabbed the Stone of Absolute Rock and went into absolute defense mode, but the light dealt enough damage to pierce it. If I hadn''t used the Absolute Rock Stone, I would have died instantly. That''s the damage that convinced me of that. My whole body hurts, I hurt all over the place. I''m afraid to look at what''s happening to my body. That much damage had come. With a trembling hand, I load the recovery bullet and shoot at myself. The damage is so great that even if I fired continuously, my recovery was not able to keep up with it at first. ''Phew. ......'' Somehow I managed to recover. I could finally see myself after the pain was gone, but my clothes were mostly erased and only a few apologetic rags were stuck to my body. If my clothes were like this, I''d believe them when they told me that my body would be half blown off before I recovered. The Orc King waved his whip at me in surprise. A whip that wriggles like a living thing, though the trajectory reminds me of that of an expert, or rather a master. ''That''s a relief,'' I identified the tip of the whip, which was probably beyond the speed of sound, and grabbed it with a gulp. Compared to the light of instant death, the whip is totally within the realm of being able to deal with it. And. ''That light doesn''t seem to be able to fire continuously. I was relieved, and with a sense of relief, I had a chance to win. 472 472. Oak King Subjugation Grabbing the whip, I thrust the muzzle loaded with growth bullets at it. I can''t spend any more time since I knew that that instant-death-class attack was coming, I''ll take it down as fast as I can. Click. A dry, non-dropping sound could be heard. Click, click. That''s the sound of a cylinder spinning and a hammer firing empty. I was puzzled by my inability to fire, and the Orc King, in that split second, pushed me out of the way and pulled out his whip. I''m out of range, pushed out to the mid-range, which is my opponent''s (whip) specialty. A wrenching whip attacks. "d*mn! He checked the gun while dodging the tip of the whip by jumping sideways. I don''t see anything unusual about the gun or the bullets. However, when I pull the trigger, no bullets come out. While evading, I quickly give up on the growth bullets and reload the regular bullets of the same nature and fire continuously. The bullets were shot out all at once. Half of them were repelled by the whip, but the remaining half hit the Oak King. Regular bullets would work, then I thought of a quick attack with this. The other half is loaded with reinforced bullets to increase the power of the others, leaving one normal bullet. Increase the power and put in one shot-- Click. There''s the sound of another empty shot. As much as I thought I could do this, my reaction was delayed and I ate the whip hard. When I take one shot, I take a bunch of hits in rapid succession. I quickly fire a series of recovery shots and forcefully escape from the attack. I looked at the gun, I knew there was nothing strange about it. What''s wrong with not being able to shoot, though? ...... No way. One possibility occurred to me, and I pulled out the reinforced bullets and used only regular bullets. Pulled the trigger, the bullet was shot out safely and flew into the Oak King. I can only take one round of reinforced ammunition, this one was also tried. Two rounds loaded, still firing. Three rounds - I can''t shoot anymore. One shot out, two shots out, and I can fire again. "No more damage, no more cancellation. I''m starting to get it. I also tried using the blue flame bullet, which is the main reason for its high firepower, but I couldn''t shoot it. On the contrary, I was able to shoot the iron wall bullets and tracking bullets without any problems. The straitjacket also shot without any problems and stopped the Orc King''s movement. It''s a special ability that nullifies or cancels things that cause a certain amount of damage. ''...... Repetition is in danger too. I smiled bitterly while taking a pause. Repetition, a magic that instantly kills a monster once defeated. It''s the strongest magic, but depending on its nature, there''s a possibility that it won''t work. If it''s treated as a status abnormality system, just like the straitjacket, there would be no problem. However, the so-called ''9999 (must)'' damage and ''100%'' damage are in danger of being trapped by the large damage and being nullified. Oh no, oh no! It may or may not work, but that''s a long way off. Right now, we have to kill the enemy in front of us. Weak damage works, if you''re weak, then. I shot myself with an accelerator round first. I dared to use vanadium bullets, but they accelerated without any problems, or rather, entered a pseudo-time-stop state. I approached the Orc King, who had stopped moving at all, and shot the Orc King all over his body with steel bullets. He created a wall of steel bullets from up and down, left and right, from all directions. And time begins to move. The wall is slowly closing in, and the Orc King can''t move at all. Jittery, jittery. The Orc King was squeezed - and in the end he collapsed with an ear-splitting scream. What a large number of items dropped in the place where the Orc King was. First, a ticket. Two of the exact same tickets that had called out the Orc King had been dropped. Then gold. All kinds of banknotes and coins were dropped, about tens of thousands of pirou in total. Finally, there was one ring among them that I had never seen before. There was a rainbow-colored light emanating from the ring, creating a pillar of light that pointed straight at the ceiling. I picked up the ring and stared at it. It must be some kind of equipment with special effects. I knew from experience that it was a sure thing. I tried the ring on for a test run. ''Huh?'' An uncomfortable feeling that arises in the body, a feeling that, somehow, I''m losing strength. I take out my portable now board and try to use it, but it hasn''t changed with full capacity SS. Is it my imagination?So I thought, "Well, let''s just try it out," so I loaded up a round of ammunition and shot at the wall. What is this? To my surprise, two bullets popped out, even though I had just fired one shot. The power was weaker than usual, but two bullets clearly flew out. 473 473. Knight Sir Princess This isn''t enough to tell me, I need to test more things. So I switched from regular bullets to ironclad bullets and pulled the trigger. I only loaded one round, but two ironclad bullets were launched in the same way as before. "This one''s going up too, huh? While murmuring, I touched the sluggishly advancing steel bullets. Then - I was surprised. This is nothing more than a feeling. As soon as I teamed up with a sumo wrestler at an event, I knew I couldn''t win, no matter what I tried. I knew that I could do it. With a single deep breath, I grabbed the iron bullet and pulled it out. "Uguguugu ...... haha! After the full force of the force SS, or if you want, the full force of the force SS, the direction of travel of the ironclad bullets "curled" after you put all your weight on it (only in a mood sense). An "absolute" level of ironclad bullets, which we used to call crap bullets, and recently became proud of its straight-line power to twist space. It was able to change direction with just my power. I was able to do it. This was shocking. At the same time, I almost understood. "So instead of increasing their numbers, they''re weakening their effects. I shot a whole range of special bullets, from flame rounds to blue flame rounds. All of them, without exception, turn into two rounds just by putting one round in and launching it out. And in all of them, the effect is weakened immensely. I see, I thought. That''s why. Cyclodungeon Society, President''s office. I launched the safest, scrap bullets I could find and showed them to Cell. ''''When you wear this ring, instead of increasing your numbers, the effect will be weaker. I see, that''s great, Sato-sama. How easily you figured out the effect of that crack in the stone. It''s all well and good, but I don''t know what to do with it. Besides, And? I don''t know if other adventurers would drop it if they did. I haven''t told Cell about the details of the Drop S, but we''ve known each other for a long time and we''ve done a lot of things together, and Cell knows that I have "more drop power than your average adventurer". Then you can try it out. What? Here. Seru said and took out the crack stone again. He also took out a ticket and held both of them out to me on the table. "I see you still have it. ''I knew Satou-sama would need it soon, so I made it a top priority to secure the one I dropped. Still, it was only one thing. It''s pretty rare. Go ahead, try your luck. Thank you. I''ll let you try it. I said, and while standing up, I held out my hand towards Cell. Cell smiled and stood up as well and shook hands with me - a moment. Thud. From Cell''s bosom, a figure-sized statue fell to the ground. ''You work fast!I mean, it''s almost on a predictive level, isn''t it! I''m the one who goes into the big time. The statue that Cell dropped was of a stylish pair of dungeon attackers. It was me and Margaret''s pair. Stars. I was back in the dungeon again, and I had Margaret with me. ''Sorry to call you out of the blue,'' No, sir. I''d be in the fire and in the water for Mr. Lyota. As usual, Margaret, who was dressed in a pure white princess dress, said with a slight blush on her cheeks. Although I said "prediction level" to the cell, this is certainly the best I can understand. Margaret. She''s an adventurer of extreme status, with all combat abilities of F and all drop abilities of A, even though she''s level 99. Her own combat power is like scum to put it in a bad way, but if she specializes in keeping it, she has the highest drop power of all adventurers. Furthermore, all drops are high and all combat power is low to begin with at the lowest level. It can be used in any dungeon. In order to specialize in staying there, she has four ninja knights, Rato, Socha, Prey and Builder. The knights are extremely loyal to her. When I explained this to Sakura recently, she said. ''You''re a knight-sir princess!'' I was summed up in a blunt, unapologetic, not-quite-right, not-quite-right way. I smiled at Margaret and thanked her for her help. I''m sure you''ll be able to find it. Are your knights coming with you? They''re here. Rato, Socha, Play, Builder. haha A moment later, four knights appeared beyond her. I had no idea when they appeared, even though they were in my field of vision. I thought they were still gods and goddesses, just like ninjas. The first thing I''ll share with you is that after you use some items, something like the King of Orcs will appear on a chariot. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make it work. Can you deal with it? No trouble. One of the knights answered immediately. The remaining three looked at me with serious eyes, as if to say that the rest of them did too. ''''Uh ......, um, I''d like to get some tactical details for you.'''' In any case, it''s enough damage to penetrate the absolute defense of the Absolute Rock stone and my SS status. I had to figure it out properly, so I went further and asked. What''s it like, and how? "It is done with respect for our princess. No, that''s not what I''m talking about. I''m talking about more specific techniques and principles. "If you are a true knight in the service of your lord, everything about your lord is possible. "We may not be true knights, but the princess is a true master, and we have four of them. Nothing is impossible with four men, even a half man. I don''t get it. I don''t know, but I could feel a tremendous amount of confidence - or conviction. Or rather, it even sounds like a definite statement now. It''s amazing. Well, that''s that. ''''Then that''s good. I''ll do all the attacking, then. Margaret, I''ll give you a signal when it''s over. Yes, I understand. The knights decided to let them focus on Margaret''s defense. It''s good that they''re confident, but since they don''t know anything, it''s safer to let them focus on that side. After a rough plan was put together, I took out my ticket and the processed crack stone and used it. Just like last time, the Orc King showed up in his chariot. I was also curious to see if the repetition would work, but I went to Margaret first. I had to see if Drop A (normal blacksmith) would work first. Large damage is also disabled, so I jumped out of the way and used my normal bullets to tickle it while I jumped out of the way. I''m sure you''ll be able to see that the tank''s rush is a pattern once you get used to it, so I was able to scrape it off while treating it appropriately. And then - the Oak King gets off the tank. Since this was the second time, I used the Absolute Rock stone beforehand and fired a series of recovery rounds from just before it "came". Although I took damage that made me faint for a moment, I was able to recover with the recovery bullets immediately afterwards, so it wasn''t a big deal. The Orc King, who has completely dismounted, glances at Margaret while attacking with more regular bullets. ''''?'''' She hadn''t lost her elegant appearance. She was stone-faced, as if nothing had happened. ...... amazing knights. You really did a great job of protecting Margaret. I''m impressed, and I''m grinding away at the Oak King. When my physical senses tell me that I''m about to fall over, I stop my hand. ''Margaret!'' I understand. Margaret ran out, dragging her great sword with her. It''s not a great move to flatter her. In fact, she even feels like a no-good girl for dragging the great sword. Still, she ran in and swung the great sword at the brain of the Orc King whose limbs were bound by something that looked like a shadow before she knew it. The final blow that she visited on the unresisting Orc King. It worked well, and the Orc King fell. And. ''''I did it. Margaret picked up the dropped ring and smiled as if it had blossomed. 474 474. Replacement premise I accept the ring Margaret offers me and smile at her. ''Thank you. As expected of Margaret, I didn''t know you''d get it out exactly in one shot. I''m glad I asked for it.'' Is it? Yeah, because Margaret''s the most like me. When I transitioned to this world, my combat abilities were all F''s and my drops were all S''s. Margaret was a level 99 kung fu with all Fs in combat ability and all A drops. She was the closest to me in terms of type. ''I feel close to her,'' ...... Margaret''s eyes widen and her mouth drops open. ''Margaret?What''s wrong? No, no. Its a pleasure ...... Happy? When I nodded my head and wondered which one it was for, Margaret''s face turned red with a cough. ''Nah, it''s nothing,'' No, but now. It''s nothing! While shouting that, Margaret ran off at a terrific pace. It''s as if she ran away - well, just like that. ...... What was that about? Me twitching my neck. How did our current exchange get so complicated that I had to get away with it? I thought about it, but I didn''t understand. ''Oh well. Well... I pulled another ring out of the Grand Eater''s pocket and laid the same one Margaret had dropped in my hand in the palm of my hand. They looked exactly the same. And then the effect? He put the two rings on at the same time, pulled the gun out and loaded the regular rounds and pulled the trigger. The normal bullets fired against the wall split into three rounds. The effect of the two rings was solid. However, the power was a sad word. Normal bullets, even though they are the weakest bullets, are usually powerful enough to be plunged into a wall, but the three bullets that were split up only made a small dent in the wall and lost their momentum, falling to the ground with a plop. Once again, I loaded up the regular round and fired. This time, perhaps because of the angle, the dent is even thinner, and you have to stare at it closely to see it. "If it were an apartment wall, I''d get my security deposit back, that''s an egregious rate of decay. While tracing a dent in the wall with my finger, I looked at the six lead bullets that fell to the ground with a bitter smile on my face. It''s interesting that they split apart, but if the power is reduced like this instead, it''s useless. I''m sure it''s funny. The mansion in the vanadium dungeon, inside the test room. It was me and Celeste who had returned home, and Celeste had her thread-manipulation bicorn horn in full operation. The bicorn horn spread out in all directions, and the fireballs launched from it were each three shots. Both rings were worn by Celeste. The effect was that the barrage of Celeste''s string-operated bicorn horns was three times as dense as the original. ''''That''s right.'''' I chuckled. Bicorn Horn''s Fireball. Even though it was a beginner''s magic that could be used indefinitely, it originally had a level of power that could be used in battle to defeat monsters. A special effect from a live or other special effect, the one where flames go up in a blur. Even from a distance, through glass or walls, a tremendous amount of heat would come at you. The fireball in the bicorn horn had so much more heat than that. Now it was only about as lukewarm as the heat from the air conditioner blowing in your face. The sound of the flames when they landed on the ground had also been replaced by an unreliable pop-boom. The body of the flame is hulking, but everyone can see that it''s not very useful in battle. It''s really interesting, though. I know. I''ll give it to you if you want. You look like you''re having fun hitting it. "Ha-ha. Celeste smiled. ''I wouldn''t have any use for it even if I got it, so I won''t. Besides,'' And? People are going to hate me if I''m the only one who gets a ring. What? Celeste blurted out in a whisper for some reason. It was such a whisper that it was drowned out by the unreliable popping sound of the fire. ''Nah, it''s nothing. I''ll give this back to you.'' Celeste reshaped her smile and dexterously removed the ring while doing a string manipulation cool down. He ripped it off and gave it back to me - the moment. Bobo bobo bobo bobo boboooooooooon! The last flames launched out at the end landed on the wall in unison, and the previous unreliability was nowhere to be found, and a tremendous bead of explosions were emitted. ''''Huh?'''' Yes, now ...... You didn''t change the numbers. Yes, that''s when it became a force to be reckoned with. We stared at each other in amazement at the phenomenon that had just occurred. At about the same time, we had the same possibility in our heads. ''I''ll try again.'' Please. Celeste put the ring back on and put most of the bicorn horns away, leaving her with just one. With that one ring, he launched a fireball. Two rings and more fireballs were launched, three at a time. Whack whack whack whack. It made an unreliable sound as it hit the wall. Celeste continued to shoot more. It kept popping and popping. Halfway through, he removed the ring as he shot. Bobobobobobobobobobooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! The bullets land and the explosions roar. After launching out in three shots, removing the ring did not reduce the number. However, the power has returned to normal. "Only the power is real time, right? 474. Replacement premise I accept the ring Margaret offers me and smile at her. ''Thank you. As expected of Margaret, I didn''t know you''d get it out exactly in one shot. I''m glad I asked for it.'' Is it? Yeah, because Margaret''s the most like me. When I transitioned to this world, my combat abilities were all F''s and my drops were all S''s. Margaret was a level 99 kung fu with all Fs in combat ability and all A drops. She was the closest to me in terms of type. ''I feel close to her,'' ...... Margaret''s eyes widen and her mouth drops open. ''Margaret?What''s wrong? No, no. Its a pleasure ...... Happy? When I nodded my head and wondered which one it was for, Margaret''s face turned red with a cough. ''Nah, it''s nothing,'' No, but now. It''s nothing! While shouting that, Margaret ran off at a terrific pace. It''s as if she ran away - well, just like that. ...... What was that about? Me twitching my neck. How did our current exchange get so complicated that I had to get away with it? I thought about it, but I didn''t understand. ''Oh well. Well... I pulled another ring out of the Grand Eater''s pocket and laid the same one Margaret had dropped in my hand in the palm of my hand. They looked exactly the same. And then the effect? He put the two rings on at the same time, pulled the gun out and loaded the regular rounds and pulled the trigger. The normal bullets fired against the wall split into three rounds. The effect of the two rings was solid. However, the power was a sad word. Normal bullets, even though they are the weakest bullets, are usually powerful enough to be plunged into a wall, but the three bullets that were split up only made a small dent in the wall and lost their momentum, falling to the ground with a plop. Once again, I loaded up the regular round and fired. This time, perhaps because of the angle, the dent is even thinner, and you have to stare at it closely to see it. "If it were an apartment wall, I''d get my security deposit back, that''s an egregious rate of decay. While tracing a dent in the wall with my finger, I looked at the six lead bullets that fell to the ground with a bitter smile on my face. It''s interesting that they split apart, but if the power is reduced like this instead, it''s useless. I''m sure it''s funny. The mansion in the vanadium dungeon, inside the test room. It was me and Celeste who had returned home, and Celeste had her thread-manipulation bicorn horn in full operation. The bicorn horn spread out in all directions, and the fireballs launched from it were each three shots. Both rings were worn by Celeste. The effect was that the barrage of Celeste''s string-operated bicorn horns was three times as dense as the original. ''''That''s right.'''' I chuckled. Bicorn Horn''s Fireball. Even though it was a beginner''s magic that could be used indefinitely, it originally had a level of power that could be used in battle to defeat monsters. A special effect from a live or other special effect, the one where flames go up in a blur. Even from a distance, through glass or walls, a tremendous amount of heat would come at you. The fireball in the bicorn horn had so much more heat than that. Now it was only about as lukewarm as the heat from the air conditioner blowing in your face. The sound of the flames when they landed on the ground had also been replaced by an unreliable pop-boom. The body of the flame is hulking, but everyone can see that it''s not very useful in battle. It''s really interesting, though. I know. I''ll give it to you if you want. You look like you''re having fun hitting it. "Ha-ha. Celeste smiled. ''I wouldn''t have any use for it even if I got it, so I won''t. Besides,'' And? People are going to hate me if I''m the only one who gets a ring. What? Celeste blurted out in a whisper for some reason. It was such a whisper that it was drowned out by the unreliable popping sound of the fire. ''Nah, it''s nothing. I''ll give this back to you.'' Celeste reshaped her smile and dexterously removed the ring while doing a string manipulation cool down. He ripped it off and gave it back to me - the moment. Bobo bobo bobo bobo boboooooooooon! The last flames launched out at the end landed on the wall in unison, and the previous unreliability was nowhere to be found, and a tremendous bead of explosions were emitted. ''''Huh?'''' Yes, now ...... You didn''t change the numbers. Yes, that''s when it became a force to be reckoned with. We stared at each other in amazement at the phenomenon that had just occurred. At about the same time, we had the same possibility in our heads. ''I''ll try again.'' Please. Celeste put the ring back on and put most of the bicorn horns away, leaving her with just one. With that one ring, he launched a fireball. Two rings and more fireballs were launched, three at a time. Whack whack whack whack. It made an unreliable sound as it hit the wall. Celeste continued to shoot more. It kept popping and popping. Halfway through, he removed the ring as he shot. Bobobobobobobobobobooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! The bullets land and the explosions roar. After launching out in three shots, removing the ring did not reduce the number. However, the power has returned to normal. "Only the power is real time, right? 475 475. Overkill confirmed Real time?What does that mean? ''Well, ...... is it similar to that yarn operation in Celeste?'' This? Celeste nodded her head with her own bicorn horn. ''I''ve seen it many times before, and if I''m not mistaken, there''s a time lag between ''use'' and ''launch''. Yes, I have some. ''Sometimes if you just used it, by the time you shot it, your opponent was already out of your sights. Celeste controlled it with a string to change direction and keep it in line with the enemy''s movements. Well, that''s the way I do it. It''s a lot like that. I held out my hand and Celeste placed the ring in my palm. ''This ring has two effects. We still need to test it, but it increases the number of times you use something, and it makes it more powerful. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea. So he stopped speaking once, put on the ring and fired a normal round. The bullets were fired in two rounds. Furthermore, I removed the ring and shot the ironclad bullets (...), then put the ring on after launching. There was only one bullet that flew slowly, and it didn''t go off. The only thing that matters is whether or not you have it on when you use it. But the power is-- After putting the ring on, I grabbed a single ironclad bullet and pulled it. When I pulled as hard as I could, I was able to change the route of the ironclad bullet. The power and such seems to be applied depending on whether or not I''m wearing it at that moment. ''I see. It''s hard to put into words, but it''s definitely similar. Celeste held out her palm, I took off the ring and gave it to her. I shot a random fireball with my bicorn horn and then latched the two, and when I did, it turned into a rather feeble ball of fire, even though it was only one shot. ''Then it would be ......'' Celeste thought for a moment and then started chanting heavily. Her signature magic, an inferno that you could call a special move. I let it go, I put two rings on it and let it go. ''''Wow!'''' A moment later, the inside of the test room was engulfed in flames. Inferno, which was originally a range magic, its range exploded and filled the test room, which had been taken quite wide to hatch Hagremon. ''''With Inferno, you''re expanding your range, aren''t you?'''' If I take this off right now, we''ll get nice and scorched. The power of the inferno at this range is quite extraordinary. A single shot could easily engulf hundreds of bodies, couldn''t it?Range. Range magic has been leveled up to a full screen attack. ''''Let''s go outdoors, I want to see how much range you''ve gained. Yeah, that bothers me too. We nodded to each other and together we left the mansion and headed outdoors to Ciclo''s field. The evening salon, the usual time when my friends gathered. When I told them about the ring and how I went to the test with Celeste, the group of adventurers in particular looked interested. ''And how did it go?'' It''s so much bigger. What do you mean by that? It''s like the size of the Tokyo Dome. Since it was Sakura who asked me, I couldn''t help but make an analogy with the original world. ''Oh sorry, about four quarters of my former mansion.'' Awesome!Come on, Lyota. Let me try that one. Alice is quite excited. ''Yeah, I was rather going to ask you to do this for me. I did, and gave one of the rings to Alice. Alice put it on and then. ''Hone hone!'' I summoned a fellow monster. The mascot-like Honehone on his shoulder returned to its original size, albeit with a cute design. ''''Huh?It doesn''t get any bigger, and it''s not getting any bigger. ''Hmm?Honestly, Honestly, try attacking me. Hone Hone nodded and came at me with a bone club. He stopped it with his arm as it swung down from above. ''''You''re as aggressive as usual,'''' ''What?Pull, bong? Alice summoned her fellow monsters in a row. The summoned monsters attacked me, but there was nothing special about their attacks and their power didn''t decrease. ''''Hmm, why is that?'''' Hey, Uncle, can I try it, too? Yeah. He gave the ring to Sakura, who also came forward. She put the ring on, opened her sketchbook, which she had started carrying around since she learned magic, and chanted "Genesis". The sketchbook snagged and something popped out of the paper. ''Is this ...... Eve?Or rather, Emily? The one who came out was a girl with rabbit ears of her own, but she looked young and tiny. And yet she has a hammer that is bigger than her own body. By the way, the tip of the hammer has an object that looks like a rabbit''s ear, which is kind of cute. The character seems to be a fusion of Eve and Emily''s features. That''s two of them. There were two of them that looked exactly the same. Oh, it''s gone. Shorter than before. ...... I see... I see... I''ll have less time to summon. It''s interesting to see this ring. What''s wrong with mine? ''I think it''s because Alice''s isn''t ...... her own magic. Sakura''s is magic, but Alice''s, that''s a different individual because she''s your mate, right? Oh, okay. Alice gasped when I said that - right after. "Let''s do this or that, He took the ring away from Sakura halfway through and put it on himself. With two rings on. ''Rhyochin! And then she cast her trump card magic, All Might. Then--. ''''Wow.'''' Yes! There are three girls. It''s ...... the same power as the original if you take off the rings, and there are three of them, ...... Lyota. It''s the end of the world, sir. Three summoned longshots. My companions seemed impressed and a bit flattered. That''s how they reacted. 475. Overkill confirmed Real time?What does that mean? ''Well, ...... is it similar to that yarn operation in Celeste?'' This? Celeste nodded her head with her own bicorn horn. ''I''ve seen it many times before, and if I''m not mistaken, there''s a time lag between ''use'' and ''launch''. Yes, I have some. ''Sometimes if you just used it, by the time you shot it, your opponent was already out of your sights. Celeste controlled it with a string to change direction and keep it in line with the enemy''s movements. Well, that''s the way I do it. It''s a lot like that. I held out my hand and Celeste placed the ring in my palm. ''This ring has two effects. We still need to test it, but it increases the number of times you use something, and it makes it more powerful. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea. So he stopped speaking once, put on the ring and fired a normal round. The bullets were fired in two rounds. Furthermore, I removed the ring and shot the ironclad bullets (...), then put the ring on after launching. There was only one bullet that flew slowly, and it didn''t go off. The only thing that matters is whether or not you have it on when you use it. But the power is-- After putting the ring on, I grabbed a single ironclad bullet and pulled it. When I pulled as hard as I could, I was able to change the route of the ironclad bullet. The power and such seems to be applied depending on whether or not I''m wearing it at that moment. ''I see. It''s hard to put into words, but it''s definitely similar. Celeste held out her palm, I took off the ring and gave it to her. I shot a random fireball with my bicorn horn and then latched the two, and when I did, it turned into a rather feeble ball of fire, even though it was only one shot. ''Then it would be ......'' Celeste thought for a moment and then started chanting heavily. Her signature magic, an inferno that you could call a special move. I let it go, I put two rings on it and let it go. ''''Wow!'''' Instantly, the inside of the test room was engulfed in flames. Inferno, which was originally a range magic, its range exploded and filled the test room, which had been taken quite wide to hatch Hagremon. ''''With Inferno, you''re expanding your range, aren''t you?'''' If I take this off right now, we''ll get nice and scorched. The power of the inferno at this range is quite extraordinary. A single shot could easily engulf hundreds of bodies, couldn''t it?Range. Range magic has been leveled up to a full screen attack. ''''Let''s go outdoors, I want to see how much range you''ve gained. Yeah, that bothers me too. We nodded to each other and together we left the mansion and headed outdoors to Ciclo''s field. The evening salon, the usual time when my friends gathered. When I told them about the ring and how I went to the test with Celeste, the group of adventurers in particular looked interested. ''And how did it go?'' It''s so much bigger. What do you mean by that? It''s like the size of the Tokyo Dome. Since it was Sakura who asked me, I couldn''t help but make an analogy with the original world. ''Oh sorry, about four quarters of my former mansion.'' Awesome!Come on, Lyota. Let me try that one. Alice is quite excited. ''Yeah, I was rather going to ask you to do this for me. I did, and gave one of the rings to Alice. Alice put it on and then. ''Hone hone!'' I summoned a fellow monster. The mascot-like Honehone on his shoulder returned to its original size, albeit with a cute design. ''''Huh?It doesn''t get any bigger, and it''s not getting any bigger. ''Hmm?Honestly, Honestly, try attacking me. Hone Hone nodded and came at me with a bone club. He stopped it with his arm as it swung down from above. ''''You''re as aggressive as usual,'''' ''What?Pull, bong? Alice summoned her fellow monsters in a row. The summoned monsters attacked me, but there was nothing special about their attacks and their power didn''t decrease. ''''Hmm, why is that?'''' Hey, Uncle, can I try it, too? Yeah. He gave the ring to Sakura, who also came forward. She put the ring on, opened her sketchbook, which she had started carrying around since she learned magic, and chanted "Genesis". The sketchbook snagged and something popped out of the paper. ''Is this ...... Eve?Or rather, Emily? The one who came out was a girl with rabbit ears of her own, but she looked young and tiny. And yet she has a hammer that is bigger than her own body. By the way, the tip of the hammer has an object that looks like a rabbit''s ear, which is kind of cute. The character seems to be a fusion of Eve and Emily''s features. That''s two of them. There were two of them that looked exactly the same. Oh, it''s gone. Shorter than before. ...... I see... I see... I''ll have less time to summon. It''s interesting to see this ring. What''s wrong with mine? ''I think it''s because Alice''s isn''t ...... her own magic. Sakura''s is magic, but Alice''s, that''s a different individual because she''s your mate, right? Oh, okay. Alice gasped when I said that - right after. "Let''s do this or that, He took the ring away from Sakura halfway through and put it on himself. With two rings on. ''Rhyochin! And then she cast her trump card magic, All Might. Then--. ''''Wow.'''' Yes! There are three girls. It''s ...... the same power as the original when you take off the rings, and there are three of them, ...... Lyota. It''s the end of the world, sir. Three summoned longshots. My companions seemed impressed and a bit flattered. That''s how they reacted. 476 476. Common property Come on, girls! Alice pulled out her ring and gave the command. The three Norichin began to move at once. The originals - three of them with the exact same specs as me. The moment they started moving, they scattered in three directions. Left and right, up. Three of them scattered in three directions at the same speed as me, which one should I follow and which one should I deal with? Since they were at the same level as me, I was lost. And in a battle between us (...) even that blink of an eye was a fatal blow. The next thing I knew, I found myself with the muzzle of a gun at three places: my temples, my back and my heart. I was so utterly defeated that I couldn''t even hear a sound. It''s the most complete defeat I''ve seen in a fight since I moved to this side of the world, and I didn''t even get my foot in the door. ''''It''s amazing, I noticed that Yoda-san is losing. I did something to you, Neri-ching. Well, I think I did something because my hand was shaky when I jumped on it. They were showing off all the bullets. Did you see him, Eve? ''On the way. ...... You''re so low-level and cocky. My friends argued wryly about the current battle. As Eve spoke, Rhyochin took out all kinds of bullets on his way to pounce on me and glanced at me. A huge amount of options, which was one of the reasons I was slow to make a decision. In the meantime, Ryotha''s summoning time passed and all three of them disappeared at the same time. ''It''s rare that Ryota loses, isn''t it?'' As expected. I can''t help it if there are three of them exactly as strong as I am. Celeste offered to help me out. ...... So, Lyota, I don''t think you need to worry about it. ''What?Oh no. I don''t care that we just lost. So why the hard look on your face when you''re thinking? ''Now this is how this came to be. The same thing could happen someday, somewhere, in ''real life''. I''ve been trying to figure out what to do when that happens. ""............" If there are three of them with exactly the same abilities as you, or even more of them, I''d probably be better off being the first to go, or completely behind the curve. When you get to that point, you''d be better off pushing your options to the extreme. If it''s the first move, I''ll start by doing everything I can to reduce the number ...... and so on, and as I was thinking about it, I noticed that my friends had gone quiet in the scene and were staring at me. ''''What''s going on?'''' It''s just like Yoda. ''Well, that''s where you''re strongest, Lyota, in being able to think about the possibilities ahead of time. "Ryoo?Is that Ryoo? Sakura blends in with the rest of the group, bringing in some very natural but unwanted material. I wanted to say something, but I thought it was okay because it looked like fun. I''ve got a general idea of the ...... ring''s capabilities. It probably varies from person to person, but it''s something everyone can use. I''m a bit of a challenge. As she spoke, Emily put on her ring and swung the hammer she had brought with her and hit the floor of the empty space. The floor vibrated, even though she hit the floor once, the tremor came twice. However, the tremors were less powerful than the usual ones, so much so that they were clearly visible. ''The number of shock waves? The occurrence and damage are almost simultaneous, so it wouldn''t be good to replace them instantly.'''' Yes, sir. What about Eve? I''m going to try. Eve put the ring on. Now how does that hand sword change - and for some reason, she took out a carrot. Then Eve stared at the carrot. ''...... Isn''t that a bad idea because that''s not his technique?'' Not really. Carrots are part of the rabbit. But even so, wouldn''t that mean the numbers would be higher and the taste would be worse? "Return Totally understandably, Eve took off her ring and held it out to me. Well, Eve and Emily are the same type of meatball characters. In a full meatball fight, it would be hard to make use of this ring like Emily. ''''Alright ......, for now I understand the effect of the ring. It''s valuable for now. I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any more of them. I''m not going to be able to get it to work. That''s all right. "Sansei. No objection. My suggestion came easily. ''Hey uncle, I''ve got something for you.'' Is it good? Here you go. Sakura held out something to me with her signature smile. ''Is this ...... mine?'' She held out a pivoting doll whose head moved rhythmically from side to side. I''m a pendulum. Yeah. I made it out of Genesis. Yeah, you''re good at that. ''No, I don''t, just try and crack it open. "Crack it? Yes. I wondered why I was suddenly ......, but I didn''t want to do that for any reason whatsoever with something I created with magic genesis. I did as I was told and slammed the doll to the floor. Balin, it cracked and then it turned into light. After the light subsided, there was no piece of the doll, but instead the ring was there. ''What?Oh, no. Celeste is surprised when she receives the ring from Eve at the end. She didn''t have the ring she had been holding, and instead she had a doll. The doll he had slammed down on wasn''t broken, it was in Celeste''s hand. ''What do you mean by that?'' See, everybody has a cart.That teleporting guy. Yeah, the magic cart. "I''ve been trying a lot of things to see if I can''t use magic to teleport like that thing, and here it is. When you use it, you can replace it with whatever you want to set up. Sakura said, and then chanted more Genesis. A large number of the same dolls appeared from the sketchbook she began to carry around with her. ''Here''s one for everyone,'' ""Oh." My friends shouted in unison. With this doll, I can use the ring whenever I want to. It''s an item of such ability. 476. Common property Come on, girls! Alice pulled out her ring and gave the command. The three Norichin began to move at once. The originals - three of them with the exact same specs as me. The moment they started moving, they scattered in three directions. Left and right, up. Three of them scattered in three directions at the same speed as me, which one should I follow and which one should I deal with? Since they were at the same level as me, I was lost. And in a battle between us (...) even that blink of an eye was a fatal blow. The next thing I knew, I found myself with the muzzle of a gun at three places: my temples, my back and my heart. I was so utterly defeated that I couldn''t even hear a sound. It''s the most complete defeat I''ve seen in a fight since I moved to this side of the world, and I didn''t even get my foot in the door. ''''It''s amazing, I noticed that Yoda-san is losing. I did something to you, Neri-ching. Well, I think I did something because my hand was shaky when I jumped on it. They were showing off all the bullets. Did you see him, Eve? ''On the way. ...... You''re so low-level and cocky. My friends argued wryly about the current battle. As Eve spoke, Rhyochin took out all kinds of bullets on his way to pounce on me and glanced at me. A huge amount of options, which was one of the reasons I was slow to make a decision. In the meantime, Ryotha''s summoning time passed and all three of them disappeared at the same time. ''It''s rare that Ryota loses, isn''t it?'' As expected. I can''t help it if there are three of them exactly as strong as I am. Celeste offered to help me out. ...... So, Lyota, I don''t think you need to worry about it. ''What?Oh no. I don''t care that we just lost. So why the hard look on your face when you''re thinking? ''Now this is how this came to be. The same thing could happen someday, somewhere, in ''real life''. I''ve been trying to figure out what to do when that happens. ""............" If there are three of them with exactly the same abilities as you, or even more of them, I''d probably be better off being the first to go, or completely behind the curve. When you get to that point, you''d be better off pushing your options to the extreme. If it''s the first move, I''ll start by doing everything I can to reduce the number ...... and so on, and as I was thinking about it, I noticed that my friends had gone quiet in the scene and were staring at me. ''''What''s going on?'''' It''s just like Yoda. ''Well, that''s where you''re strongest, Lyota, in being able to think about the possibilities ahead of time. "Ryoo?Is that Ryoo? Sakura blends in with the rest of the group, bringing in some very natural but unwanted material. I wanted to say something, but I thought it was okay because it looked like fun. I''ve got a general idea of the ...... ring''s capabilities. It probably varies from person to person, but it''s something everyone can use. I''m a bit of a challenge. As she spoke, Emily put on her ring and swung the hammer she had brought with her and hit the floor of the empty space. The floor vibrated, even though she hit the floor once, the tremor came twice. However, the tremors were less powerful than the usual ones, so much so that they were clearly visible. ''The number of shock waves? Since the occurrence and damage are almost simultaneous, it wouldn''t be good to replace them instantly.'''' Yes, sir. What about Eve? I''m going to try. Eve put the ring on. Now how does that hand sword change - and for some reason, she took out a carrot. Then Eve stared at the carrot. ''...... Isn''t that a bad idea because that''s not his technique?'' Not really. Carrots are part of the rabbit. But even so, wouldn''t that mean the numbers would be higher and the taste would be worse? "Return Totally understandably, Eve took off her ring and held it out to me. Well, Eve and Emily are the same type of meatball characters. In a full meatball fight, it would be hard to make use of this ring like Emily. ''''Alright ......, for now I understand the effect of the ring. It''s valuable for now. I''m not going to be able to get my hands on any more of them. I''m not going to be able to get it to work. That''s all right. "Sansei. No objection. My suggestion came easily. ''Hey uncle, I''ve got something for you.'' Is it good? Here you go. Sakura held out something to me with her signature smile. ''Is this ...... mine?'' She held out a pivoting doll whose head moved rhythmically from side to side. I''m a pendulum. Yeah. I made it out of Genesis. Yeah, you''re good at that. ''No, I don''t, just try and crack it open. "Crack it? Yes. I wondered why I was suddenly ......, but I didn''t want to do that for any reason whatsoever with something I created with magic genesis. I did as I was told and slammed the doll to the floor. Balin, it cracked and then it turned into light. After the light subsided, there was no piece of the doll, but instead the ring was there. 477 477. Sakuras trump card I''m home... Is that just Sakura? I walked back to the mansion from Plumbum''s place and looked out into the saloon to take a break, only to find Sakura alone. She had a sketchbook open on the table and was drawing something, and when I called out to her, she stopped her hand and looked up. ''Welcome back Uncle. Yeah I''m alone. ''Oh, really? I thought it was something Eve would be attached to. She''s out. Some kind of reunion?He asked me to come over and smash his head in. ''Oh, the party before it broke up because of the dungeon nature of the party--that''s so disturbing! It''s horrible that it doesn''t sound like a joke at all in Eve''s case. ''What''s Sakura doing here?'' Well, I was drawing a trump card. "Trump card? ''Yes!Look, I''ve seen how everyone fights, and everyone has their own special moves and trump cards. Well, yeah. ''Uncle is that gun, Emily mom is that big hammer, Alice can call a copy of Uncle, and Bunny is a carrot. Carrots aren''t your trump card! ''Hmmm, what do you call it?In a s*xual sense? No, no, It''s true that when Eve is involved with carrots, she makes such a sensational gesture that I wonder if she''s doing it on purpose. I pouted and went over and saw Sakura drawing. It''s cute. It was a picture of a girl. She looked quite feisty, and her eyes were crispy. Her hair was golden, and she wore it in twin tails with a black ribbon, but the ends of her long twin tails were in drill-like curls. Her clothes are also crisp and crisp, as if she were some kind of aristocrat. ''Is this going to be Sakura''s trump card? Yeah. The concept is, ''A princess knight with a weak anal sense.'' Why? But it looks weak, doesn''t it? I kind of get it! Why should we bother with that concept? I understand what Sakura is saying in parts, but I don''t understand the source of the idea. I''ve tried many things, but if my brush doesn''t move, it doesn''t get stronger. I''ve tried everything, but if my brush doesn''t move, it doesn''t seem to get stronger. I see. ...... No, so what about that? He scowls and laughs bitterly. It made it very difficult to comment on the fact that being a princess knight with weak anal skills means I''m going to have to ride the brush. So I divert the conversation. ''But, well, that''s kind of surprising,'' What? Oh no, for some reason people use me as a model in these situations. So did Ryouchin, and so did I in Purunbumu. ''I drew my uncle, too. I got on there a bit, but I thought I shouldn''t do that. Should I stop?Why?It''s a good thing the brush is in the right place. I''m used to people using me as a model, I thought, "I''m not going to do anything about it now that Sakura has grown up. Actually, I drew one more person besides my uncle, the figure guy. And the cell? It''s getting a little cloudy. ''Yeah. Uncle is on the receiving end and Uncle Figure is on the offensive, and then that one cinches up his tie and says, ''I''m going to make your body impossible to get away from me.'' ''Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! I shouted out. It''s that world over there! ''Here it is. ''How does it feel to swallow your glory there and defile it?''-- Okay, that''s enough. Sakura flips through her sketchbook to show me, and I refuse, turning away from her. I''m not sure if that''s a good idea. I''m indebted to my uncle, and I don''t want to make this my ace in the hole to show off to everyone. Thank you. No, really, thank you. I''d have lost my place in the world if that had happened. Yeah. Uncle, will you try to fight this girl? "Fight? Yeah. I want you to measure me. I need you to measure me. Okay. Okay, let''s go to the testing room then. Yes. Sakura nodded, and I left the salon with her and headed to the test room. Once in the room, I pulled out my gun. Sakura opened her sketchbook and chanted, "Genesis. Instantly, the girl in the drawing materialized. The girl drew her weapon from her waist and released it. Rapier. The weapon specialized in stabbing was the perfect weapon for that girl, a strong-minded princess knight. She wielded that rapier and pounced on it. While taunting the attack, he measured its strength and observed it closely. Strength and grace. A good character with both. A close-combat character, with a C in strength and a B in speed--or maybe an A in speed? Just when I thought that it would be quite useful in the dungeon - that''s when I thought. ''Oh no!''This is crap! Sakura closed her sketchbook roughly with a pan. Then the summoned princess knight faded and disappeared. ''What happened, all of a sudden. You were able to fight properly.'' No!No, not at all! Hmm, what''s that about, by the way? To my eyes, he looked like he was normal and strong, what could possibly go wrong? ''Punchy.'' "Huh? I was just panting. Did you go to ......? I twist my head and try to remember the fight I just had. I didn''t see that part, so I can''t remember if I did or not. I can''t remember if I was panting or not, but I do remember that I was wearing a very small skirt. But with a skirt that short, it''s only natural to be panting, isn''t it?Or rather, that''s how I thought you wrote it. "Uncle Sam: ...... Sakura stared at me with her stare. It''s the eyes of a guy who doesn''t understand anything. It''s good to be on the verge of seeing, but not seeing is good. ...... Hmm? It''s on the edge of visibility, but you can never see it, even in intense battles. You can''t see it even if you go back and forth, or you can see something like that in the dots, but in the end you can''t see it. That''s not the best way to go about it. I''m sorry, I''m not really that into it. Sakura''s swordsmanship made me chuckle slightly. I smiled bitterly and thought about it for a moment. ''Then what about the leotard?'' What? How about a leotard base with armor pieces around it? That''s it! Sakura pointed at me with a flash, then opened her sketchbook and wrote out in a tremendous rush. The same girl with the same face as before, but her hair was down and long and straight gold. Her body was dressed in a black leotard, with armor parts on her shoulders, elbows, and in key places like her waist. The area around her sides are deliberately not covered with fabric, which is quite particular. She drew at a tremendous pace, and in just less than half an hour - in less than half an hour. I got it! And a new character, almost like a different person, was created. ''Uncle, can I ask you for more?'' Yeah, I''m ready. So, then: ...... Genesis! A new princess knight embodied from a sketchbook. The new princess knight rushed forward brandishing a thick-fleshed sword. "You''re fast!--and heavy! I''m surprised that it''s obviously - two steps stronger than it was earlier. I was admiring ...... that it really does get stronger when you get on and draw it. ''Ah!'' Hey, what''s going on? ''I forgot to write knee-jerk!We have to start over. With that, Sakura pulls the princess knight back and runs her pen further. Sakura packs a lot of attention to detail. Her trump card is going to be very strong, I was convinced. 478 478. Ryotas weaknesses With a bang, there was a discreet knock on the door of the room. ''Yes. Who is it? The, uh, ...... is Elsa. Oh, wait a minute. I got up from the bed and walked over to the door and opened it. There were two people standing in the hallway, Erza and Ena. Elsa is in her adorable pajamas and Ena is in an exquisitely visible negligee. They both looked well suited, not in a disgusting way, but eye-candy - I didn''t say that just because I thought about it. ''What''s the matter with you two? It''s unusual for you to come to my room this late at night.'' "Um... ......, er... ...... What are we going to do?If you don''t tell me, I''ll tell you for you? Apparently Elsa wanted to say something, and Ena seemed to be his attendant. ''It''s okay. I''ll say it myself: ...... ano!Mr. Lyota! Oh, yeah. Elsa, who has a tremendous amount of spirit at any time, was almost squeezed a bit. When Elsa was about to open her mouth with a look of courage, she said, "I did it, uncle. ''It''s done, uncle. Sakura appeared from the back of the room. Sakura is dressed only in a very loose shirt. The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that she is dressed in a very loose shirt, which makes Elsa''s eyes widen in surprise. .................. Well, it''s really stuck together. Ena next to me knocked Elsa''s head with a conk, like a knock. Erza was completely frozen, so much so that she didn''t even respond to it. Five minutes later, in my room. Elsa had returned from her mental petrification and was squirming with embarrassment. ''I''m sorry, I spoke too soon,'' No, I know the feeling. I sighed and looked at Sakura. Me, Elsa, Ena, and Sakura. Of the four of us in the room, Sakura is the most revealing - she''s the most s*xy. To my surprise, she''s wearing one of the men''s shirts in a blubbery way. If a girl like that comes out of my - a man''s room, it''s no wonder that Erza would be mistaken. ''''Why don''t you stop dressing like that? I''m not sure that''s a good idea. This is the most comfortable way to go. After a bath, when you just want to sleep, it''s best to wear something that doesn''t constrict your body. ''I understand that, but only when you''re in your room. It''s okay. Or are you going to make a joke out of it, Uncle? No, no, no, no. I shook my head as hard as I could, or rather, as desperately as I could. If that happened with a girl as young as Sakura, I would be socially eliminated. ''Then why not?'' No, sir, that''s not a good idea! Elsa blushed and made an emphatic statement. It''s a bit of a pinch. ''You''re in a man''s room at night dressed like that, and if something goes wrong--'' Uh, I''m fine, I''m fine. What? Sakura waves her hand in a fluttering manner, and Elsa looks at her blankly. ''Since your uncle is so serious, it''s actually safer to dress like this. No, I don''t think so: ...... It''s rather dangerous to be like Elsa. Oh, you know exactly what I mean. Better safe than sorry, Ena. That''s why I''m doing it. I see. You''re a schemer, Ena. For some reason, Sakura and Ena hit it off with each other. On the other hand, Erza, who was told it was ''dangerous'', glanced at me. ''''Ki, it''s better ...... to change clothes, right?'''' No, no, no, no. When you say it like that, it makes me conscious of it. Sakura. Isn''t that enough for today? Speaking of which, what have you been doing? Ena asked. Compared to Elsa, she was calmer throughout, probably because she could see through Sakura''s flirtation with the story. ''Yeah, I was teaching her how to attack the monsters in the dungeon,'' "Monster attack? In my Genesis, I summon what I draw. I would ask my uncle about the characteristics and weaknesses of the monsters, and then I would draw one for each monster. I''m probably one of the strongest in terms of responsiveness, provided you have the information beforehand. For example, this one is for parent and child slime, this one is for steel slime, and this one is for... Sakura flipped through her sketchbook as she said this. Honestly, Sakura is pretty amazing. From the moment she hears the information from me, she draws the corresponding objects. Imagination and imagination?is quite good. It''s amazing. I can''t believe you put so many different things on it. I''ve been doing this since I was a kid. What do you mean? I used to play video games in elementary school until I was in the early grades. ...... Yes? ''We weren''t allowed to bring our phones to school in elementary school, were we?So I would draw some kind of game screen in my notebook, and I would roll my pencil around in it and have them do battle. Like this. As she said this, Sakura quickly drew the skeleton. Then, after making a pencil rolling gesture, she erased part of the skeleton''s head and re-drew it, making it look like the skull had been cracked and chipped off. This took less than a minute. ''Huh?Are you saying you hand-drew and recreated the game screen? ''Yeah, that''s what I mean. That''s why I''m so good at drawing characters and weapons and things like that to ''fit'' in. "Haha ...... that''s great. I was seriously impressed. The fact that you were able to master the game while drawing in real time, rather than using a TRPG as an imaginary tool. If you were doing that in elementary school, probably during recess or something, you must have been a pretty popular person back then - or a hero. On the other hand, Ena and Elsa were puzzled at the mention of the words "smartphone and games". ''......'' What''s up, Ina? ...... For some reason, Ena pondered, not replying to Elsa, but asking Sakura. ''Hmm?What? You''re drawing something that summons the right monster, just like you used to. Yeah. Can you fit it into anything? If I could just find out what he looks like. So... what about you, Ryota? What? I looked at Ena with a surprised look on my face, "What are you saying all of a sudden? Elsa was similarly surprised. That Ena had a prank-like smile on her face, which she often does. And - Sakura got in on it. ''I see, I see, uhihi.'' I had a bad feeling, a very bad feeling, a very bad feeling, a very bad feeling. I don''t know. It''s a rakshaw if you''re an uncle. Mmm. I''m a little pissed off. I''m now a status all SS, with a wide variety of weapons and items on top of that. It pissed me off a bit to have someone call me a "rakshaw". I don''t know if she saw through that "pissed off" feeling, but Ina saw through it with an even more mischievous smile on her face. ''Then try it.'' Okay. Sakura took on the task with a very, very light glue. She scribbles in her sketchbook, making sure we can''t see her. I''m not sure what''s coming, or even if something does come, I''ll deal with it. It''s for this kind of thing. I''ve never had an easy time in dungeons, and I''ve always been looking for new ways to improve my technique. It''s also for times like this when you don''t know what''s coming. So seriously, I waited for Sakura to summon me. ''It''s done! Uncle, can I take it out? Yeah, come on. So--Genesis! Sakura chanted a spell, and the one drawn just now was summoned from her sketchbook. ''Nah, nah, nah, nah!'' I almost drew my gun, and I instantly panicked. Sakura drew and summoned Ena, Elsa, and Eve. The three of them - these three - were in extremely risqu swimsuits. It''s not s*xy, but it''s not s*xy. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a great deal more to say about it. "What are you doing, Sakura? Here''s the thing. I thought this would be the most effective, since uncles are very pure-minded for their age. A changeable eye patch or a hole in the wall might make them feel more comfortable. You know what I''m talking about. ''No, don''t. Don''t do something so disgraceful with my appearance! I cover my face, and Erza tries desperately to stop me. Sakura and Ena are smiling like they did and laughing like they did. Completely, not only did Sakura get me. ''...... glimpse.'' "Oh, Uncle Dan is glancing at me through my fingers. Oh, my God! The temptation of the top three companions was to succumb to the temptation of the top three, and defeat was repeated. 479 479. Connoisseur Those rocks are probably skyrocketing in price. I came to the Cyclo-Dungeon Association president''s office to discuss the ring (...), and when I heard the last of it, Cell said this with a mysterious look on his face. ''''Soaring?And how long is that? One ...... fifty million piro. Wha-- This is indeed a surprise. Prices in this world are almost the same as the yen. With 130 piroos, you can drink a glass of juice, and with 1,000 piroos, you can have a nice noodle. For 50 million piro, you can easily buy a house in the city with 50 million piro. How did this happen again? I know it''s rare, but what''s the use? Apparently, it''s all about Princess Margaret. "Margaret? She told me that she was happy to talk to the people around her. She told me that Satou-sama said she was happy to hear from me because of the stone. Happy words: "...... So, is that what you''re talking about? After I got her to cooperate, Margaret ran off with a happy look on her face after I told her she was just like me. Maybe that''s what she was talking about. ''In the process, I told Noroke - and I told her the details of my dungeon conquest with Satou-sama, as if I were proud of it, and the word spread rapidly. Spread?Why? ''She is a celebrity, and an idol. Core fans routinely speculate about her personal life based on the dates she ships and creates air boxes and other items. Ah, ....... Come to think of it, she was. She had been that way since the moment she met Margaret. The monsters in this world, even if they were ''outliers'', would drop water or air. Using that, Margaret had made and sold ''air boxes'' with the monsters she had defeated. That''s how famous she is and that much of an idol. ''So that''s how the word got around. ''Hmm. After all, they keep track of your schedule for New Year''s and Lover''s Day, and even monitor you to see if you''re still a live girl. ''You''re going that far! Enthusiasts everywhere in the world have the same thing in mind. "Speaking of diffusion, Princess Margaret''s power of diffusion alone surpasses Satou-sama''s. And she''s the target of Satou. You can use the stone and the ticket for fermium to drop items you''ve never seen before. If that''s the case-- It''s bound to soar: ...... Cell nodded quietly and deeply. Well, I can understand. The effect of the ring I had dropped using that stone was amazing, and even I, who actually knew about it, felt that 50 million was a bit high. Even if I didn''t know about it, if you include the scarcity of goods plus the expected price, it wouldn''t be surprising if it was priced this high. But it''s a great story, 50 million for one. A large part of it is because of Sato-sama. If it had been just someone else, it wouldn''t have come to this point. Is that so? The price is a direct reflection of Satou-sama''s high level of trust. I''m both happy and embarrassed. I chuckled with a troubled look on my face. "Hmm, I suppose you need more help. Cell read that from my reaction. ''Yeah. I just want one more. So I don''t want it at that price: ...... I thought for a minute and decided. "I''ll give you 50 million and you can have one. Mr. Sato has paid me for my services. Fifty million is too much. I can''t just take it for free. It''s fine if it''s just a rarity, but it''s a high price, I can''t just take it for free. It''s not an amount of money I can''t afford to pay now, and I should pay it properly. If you''re at ......, that is. Satou-sama, I have a suggestion. Cel thought for a moment and said with a straight face. ''Proposal?'' Hmm. I''ve heard that all of Satou-sama''s family members have separate wallets. Yeah. This is what I''m purposely doing. I started to think of it that way when I first encountered the Black Party when I came to this world and started attending Tellurian. Black parties are usually led by a leader who is the purse strings, or let''s call it a vault. He has a grip on it, and he''s doing things like blackmail. On the flip side of that, everyone in the Lyota family has an individual wallet. Of course, if something goes wrong, I''ll do whatever it takes to help my people, but when it doesn''t, everyone does what they want. What about it? I hear the same thing about The Golden Tree. And he''s a doer. ...... Why don''t we place the order there?It''s a great deal of money, and it won''t go out as foreign currency. ''That''s an eye opener. Thanks, I will. Once back in Vanadium, I came to Erza and Ena''s shop, The Golden Tree, via the transporter gate. They let me through to the back of the room, surprised at my unusual visit to the shop. The reception room for business discussions is quite splendid, a place that makes you feel like you''re being entertained just by being there. ''''What is it, Ryota-san?'''' You don''t get to see me here. I left the purchase to the clerk I was hiring and they sat down across from me. ''I need to ask you two a favor. I need you to acquire something for me. Ah, ....... See? I told you. Elsa was huffy but happy, and Ena looked good at it. The fact that they both look like that means ...... maybe. Did you expect that? Yes, of course. Right after the prices started going up, I thought maybe. Elsa did so, and once she was standing, she walked out of the room. She quickly came back again and put the jewelry box she had brought with her on the table. She opened the box, and there was that crack stone. ''It''s true. How much did it cost you? I was about 10 million. Now you''ve gone to ....... I see. Well, I''ll give you 50,000 for the price. ''Yeah!I mean, no, they won''t give you that. Let me pay you, I''m happy to pay you. Happy? Yeah. With two connoisseurs, we made 40 million in one shot. I''m happy about that. Mr. Lyota: "Mr. Lyota: ...... Elsa''s eyes glazed over, and Ena looked unfazed, too. 480 480. Goblin King Yes, I''m pretty sure I took 50 million off. Ena smiled and took care of the processing procedures for me. I''ve been leaving most of the account stuff to them since I was at the ''Tsubame no Ongoing'' where they were originally enrolled. Even more so after I became independent and officially joined the family. Now, he already knows more about my account - my assets - than I do about mine. I mean, I don''t even know how much of my assets are now. With every case or request I solve, I continue to receive a sustained income from taxes and a share of the money. I gave up trying to keep track of the details when the money started coming in every week, or even every day, without me having to do anything about it. So I don''t even know if Ena really drew down the money. ''Good for her,'' Yes. ...... Seeing my best friend duo looking so happy, I''m pretty sure they''ve been pulled off. ''What are you going to do now, Ryota-san?'' ''I''ve got my ticket from Cell, I''m going to go straight to the dungeon. How can I help you? The dungeon thing is fine. It''s more about this stone. I''ll probably ask for it again when the price has settled down, so keep an eye on the market. I understand. I''ll take care of it! See you in the evening, I said, and I left the "golden tree". Through the city of Hashemi, and then via Calcium to return to the mansion once it''s done. ''Mmm?'' The moment I entered the dungeon, I noticed something strange. My pockets start to glow without any warning. I stick my hand in my pocket and take out the glowing thing. It''s the crack stone I bought from Elsa and the others just now, and the ticket I stocked up on in advance because I''m going to use it. Those two things were glowing. ...... No way. The stone is a pretty expensive item ...... that cost 50 million. I decided to take a chance on the possibilities in front of me. Once I left the dungeon, I headed to the dungeon association in the city of Hashemi and met with the head of the association, Aaron. He offered to let me use the calcium dungeon for a little while, although it would be a little annoying, but I offered to let him use the calcium dungeon for a while. ''Lyota-san is the saviour of this city, go ahead and do what you want with it. And he gave me permission really easily. They wanted 30 minutes to notify the adventurers, so I waited for 30 minutes, wandered around the city, and then re-entered the dungeon. In the dungeon, which was now unoccupied, I used a ticket and a stone. Then the same phenomenon as in the Oak King happened, and monsters appeared. This time it was a large number of goblins. Even if I looked around, there were over 200 of them, a large number of goblins. Among them, there was one goblin that stood out from the rest. The goblins are much larger and wear a glittering crown. "Goblin King, huh? Are all the monsters you summon with this stone "kings"?With no time to ponder the question, the Goblin King''s command, a large number of goblins attacked us all at once. One by one, they didn''t move that much, but even so, when they attacked 200 of them all at once, I could feel the "pressure". I drew my gun, and as usual, I loaded it with normal bullets first. I also had the Orc King''s special ability, so I was cautious and pulled the trigger towards the goblins. The two goblins that rushed into the front of the pack were shot between the eyes by bullets and flew off. Furthermore, the five of them all jumped at it together and fired a series of normal bullets at it. Just ordinary bullets, the weakest bullets without any change. Even so, with one shot at a time, the goblins were defeated. ''''Weak--'''' ----! The Goblin King shook the club he was holding violently up and down. Then goblins were added around the Goblin King. The number - seven. The number is exactly the same as the number of goblins I defeated. "...... I saw where the defeated goblins disappeared. I saw an equal number of newly summoned goblins. "Infinite Spring, huh? Somehow I thought I understood the Goblin King''s special abilities. This was the only way to do it, I was sure of it. The phenomenon of killing goblins but not dropping them, and then summoning the same number of additional goblins as they were killed. This kind of pattern can usually summon an infinite number of them. ''Let''s give it a try. I held my two guns up and took a deep breath. Concentration is increased - random firing. Random firing with extreme accuracy. Every bullet I fired was a head shot that shot through the goblin''s brow. One shot at a time, doing it at high speed, reducing the numbers. The number of goblins was dwindling at breakneck speed, and the 200 were quickly reduced to just a few around the Goblin King. But the Goblin King shook his club. Then the Goblins were re-summoned. The numbers - back to normal. The goblins, reduced to single digits, were back to their original number of two hundred. I went along with it, and kept firing more. I switched the bullets to infinite lightning rounds. I adjusted the position so that I could take out multiple of them with one shot. And so - one set, two sets, three sets ....... The Goblin King continued to summon goblins without changing at all. ''''That''s great, if you''re challenged to a normal battle of attrition, you won''t stand a chance. We''re only crossing over because of the infinite bullets, and if it weren''t for that, we''d be getting pushed out of the way by this amount of stuff. If you''re a normal adventurer, you''re "stuck" when you can''t attack fast enough. When the number of goblins I killed crossed the 1000 mark, I thought, "Enough is enough". It''s probably infinite, there''s little need to try any more. Next, I decided to try attacking the Goblin King. I fired an infinite thunderbolt at the Goblin King. Another goblin interrupted its trajectory and took its place. I fired again, and still the goblin threw itself out and protected the king. ''Reasonable.'' I chuckled and was a bit impressed. If you can summon infinite amounts of them, it''s more reasonable to use them up as much as you can. At the same time, I also figured that I should still defeat the Goblin King - if I didn''t, it wouldn''t end up being defeated. ''''If you''re going to cover up--how about tracking bullets? He loaded the two pistols with tracking rounds and fired in unison. ''''--! Surprisingly, the bullets did not go towards the Goblin King. They all went to the goblins around them and shot through the goblins. ''Then!'' This time he shot an accelerated round at himself. In an accelerated world, he fleshed out the Goblin King and fired a headshot at zero distance. ''''Mwah!'''' And it''s amazing. The headshot didn''t work at all. The moment the bullet hit the Goblin King, it lost its power and plopped to the ground. ...... I mean. I was glad I was using accelerated ammunition. I started firing wildly. Just like before, a high-speed multi-head shot. From within the accelerated world, the random strikes of the normal bullets exceeded the summoning speed and wiped out the goblins. And - a tracking bullet. A bullet with a homing trajectory went towards the Goblin King this time - and struck his chest. The Goblin King staggers, falls, and disappears. ''I see, the pattern is that you need to wipe out your surroundings to get the damage through. And with the infinite summons--it''s tricky. I knew it wasn''t flashy and strong, but it was definitely a tricky monster. I waited. There was a little time left to accelerate, and the Goblin King was still in the process of disappearing. I waited for a while, and almost at the same time as the acceleration was released - it dropped. ...... shaped differently. The ring that was dropped was a different shape than before. 481 481. Split times I pick up the ring and stare at it intently. The shape is like a different shape, the effect must be different. The question is, how different is it? ''I smell a breakthrough.'' Wow! He spoke to me out of the blue, startling me. I took a few steps back while puffing and pretending, where I regained my composure and checked out the person I was talking to. ''Cell ...... so here it is.'' "At the end of my nap, I had a dream. "Dreams? ''Hmm, a dream in which Satou-sama took a further leap of faith. This must have been a prophetic dream, but, alas, a dream is a dream, a dream that has spilled through the cracks of my fingers at all but the most important point. Too many tweaks and unusually poetic: ...... Why not?The reason it didn''t turn out to be a target is because Cell doesn''t blow the whistle or say the wrong thing about such things. It''s like if you go to a new dungeon and Eve says, "I smell carrots," you can bet they''ll drop carrots there. I saw the ring. I dreamed I was going to take a leap, right? I''m sure the timing of this is definitely related to this ring. Let''s try it out. I put that ring on and loaded the gun with normal bullets. First normal bullet, the usual test. It''s the simplest and most appropriate benchmark because it''s the most basic. As it is, I pull the trigger against the wall. ''Oh, that''s twice as much as normal.'' Cell said with a mixture of cheers when he saw the bullets slammed into the wall. ''You understand,'' Of course, Satou-sama''s bravery is all I need to know. Courageous? Rest assured, I have no desire to intrude on your private life. All I want to do is to show the world the manly and heroic figure of Lord Sato. Isn''t that a double entendre? I mean, I feel like the tsukkomi is off. But, well. Cell is that kind of person. Personally, I trust this kind of pervert more than most people, because perverts don''t care about anything other than their interests. Because perverts don''t care about anything other than what they''re interested in. ''You''re not interested in pants or anything, are you?'' Pants?You mean your underwear. Yeah. Of course, Master Sato wouldn''t feel bad about his pants. Yeah. Well, I''d like to see you in your underwear. I was afraid I''d say, "Hey, I want to see your pants. I''m not talking about my pants in the first place, I''m talking about women''s pants in general. I guess I''m not interested enough to even get that out of my head. So I can trust your words. You''re really not interested in anything but my "bravery". ''That said, ...... double the power, huh?'' Hmm. That''s exactly twice as many. You have a better grasp of the situation than I do-- how about this? He loaded the flaming bullets and fired with the ring on. The flaming bullets that hit the wall flared up, unfolding a familiar magic circle. The flames also flared up more grandly than usual. Then, I glanced at the cell. ''Oh, that''s exactly double. Whether he sensed my intentions or not, Cell gave me the feedback I wanted to know. I tried a lot of things. Frozen bullets, tracking bullets, lightning bullets ......etc. I tried a whole range of attack bullets, and Cell appraised them all as "exactly double". I thought it was "roughly double" myself, so I''m probably right about doubling the power. I even tried shooting them off just to be sure, but they were still as powerful as they were. By the way, there was no particular change in the bullets for recovery rounds, ironclad rounds, and restraint rounds. Ironclad and restraint, but the recovery bullets were a bit unexpected, as they seemed to double in power. But this was easy to understand. The power of the attack system was doubled. I like this kind of easy to understand. ''Yeah, I''ll have to test if it''s real time too. Real time? Yeah, I''ll tell you what. The previous ring eventually came down to that story as well. I fired two additional, easy-to-understand conventional rounds, saying it was faster to show him how to actually do it than to explain it from scratch. Shoot it while it''s on and miss it before it lands. Shoot with it off and put it on just before it lands. As a result, the one I put on right before the bullets landed was more powerful. Hmm, I see. So that''s what you mean by ''real time''. That''s what I mean. The power was in real time. What''s the ''power''? ''Oh, uh, ......'' I''ll have to explain this one, as expected. And then I thought about how to explain about the previous ring, and my head was full of ideas. "--! As if struck by lightning, something flashed in my head. I desperately gathered up these vague, fluttering images and gave them shape. Oh, right! As soon as I realized this, I took the pivoting doll out of the Grand Eater''s pocket. ''Oh, that''s exactly what it is, Satou-sama. I went through the cell for a moment, feeling impressed, and smashed the doll. I heard an "Oh ......" that sounded like a waste of time, but I ignored it too. With Sakura''s ability, both of the example rings came to me. I put both rings on. I load the normal bullets and pull the trigger. The split bullets, three bullets flew out all at once. I immediately remove the two rings and replace them with new rings of increased power. And then it lands. "Whoa! Cell cheered. It was just as well. The three bullets split by the ring, all of which were twice as powerful as usual. Number and power. It was a dreamlike combination of the best of both worlds. 482 482. Dissemination of rumors The test room was filled with admiration from all of them as they obliterated the countless fireball gurgles in the test room. Emily, Alice, and Celeste. Everyone who came home early and accompanied them to the test had the same reaction. Of all of them, Celeste, who actually tested it, seemed most surprised. "I did a ri-ching. You know what I mean by that? ...... Yoda, but it''s ....... Yeah. Unlike Alice and Emily, who seemed to be lightly shocked, I nodded easily, as I could imagine it to some extent, and therefore had Alice produce a ri-ching. ''Three splits, replace it and double its power. Simply put, it''s six times as powerful. "Ro, sixfold: ...... ''I had it done with the bicorn horn, but if you did this replacement with the inferno, I''m sure you''d be able to get the whole dungeon involved and burn it down with twice the power of a normal one. Celeste, who seemed to be half-excited. A whole attack with twice the power of normal. If you do it with Inferno, it''s now as powerful as a weapon. ''''Besides, I think this ring over here could be used against Emily. Saying that, I take the ring that doubles the power of the three that Celeste holds and give it to Emily. ''''Me too?'''' Yeah, it''s just that the last one was very specific. ''I see, it''s a ring that makes it more powerful, so you can leave it on, even if it''s Emily or Eve. Maybe it was because of the actual experience, but Celeste immediately understood what I meant. ''Try it,'' Okay. Emily said and put the ring on and went to get the hammer. In the meantime, we went to the testing room to prepare the haglemono, the dantelock that Emily would always be defeating. Emily came back with the hammer, and when she saw Dantelok, she instantly understood, nodded to us and headed in that direction. I raise the hammer - and slam it down. Dantelok shattered with a blow. That''s always the case. Shattering a Dante Rock is about as routine as shattering a Dante Rock, though, for Emily. ''Look, the floor,'' It''s cracked. ...... The power of the hammer penetrated the Dante Rock and reached the floor. The floor where the Dante Rock was located was like a spider''s web, cracked in a radiating pattern. ''''Amazing, amazing!'''' ''I''d like to have more of these. To be honest, it''s enough to keep it on at all times. If it''s a pure power boost. That''s true. "But ...... I was told a story earlier when I went to settle the purchase at Elsa''s place, and this ...... must have cost 50 million pirouette. Yeah! It''s 50 million! Alice and Emily were both astonished and shouted out. ''''Yeah, it looks like the Crack Stone is soaring right now. ...... frankly, it''s going to go up a lot more. Yeah. Celeste nodded. ''This ring isn''t a haggle, you know. I was able to get it to drop in Margaret. So it''s a drop A probably a trait type, but if you''re that kind of person, you can make use of it, so if this ring''s abilities come to light, it will soar even higher. ...... I think it''s up to 100 million a piece or so. Yes. ...... Ichoku: "...... Alice and Emily become more and more exasperated. But I think that''s about all they can afford. That''s about as good as it gets, this ring. ''''That''s okay,'''' Ena! Ena was standing in the doorway of the testing room, having returned home. She approached with her hands on her elbows and her arms folded in a s*xy way. ''What do you mean it''s okay, Ena?'' ''I''ve already taken care of it. I mean, I''m working on it. Hand?What did you do? I just spread rumors that Mr. Lyota is in the fermium at the request of the cell. ......? I nodded my head. Sure, that''s what I''m doing right now, but what''s the point of spreading that rumor? Like me, Alice and Emily were both wondering about it, but Celeste was ...... I see. I muttered with a gaining look on my face. ''What do you mean, Celeste?'' Mr. Lyota''s track record. Me? ''Every time Lyota-san has been asked to enter a dungeon somewhere in the past, she''s changed that dungeon. ...... Yeah, yeah. ''''This ring reacts with the Crack Stone and the Fermium ticket to summon a monster. But now that Ryota-san has entered the fermium-- We might run out of tickets! Emily raised her voice. ''So that''s what you mean,'' Ena was good at it - a smile that looked bewitching. ''''If the ticket is gone, even if there is only a crack stone, it''s useless. And it''s true that Lyota-san has entered the fermium, and she has a track record so far. The rest will take care of itself, and the rumors will roll out like a snowball.'''' I see. ...... So you''ve created the impression that it could be trashed, and that you''ve kept the price up. I thought - and then there was even more upside (,). We''ve stopped buying them in The Golden Tree. Don''t do ....... I''m seriously impressed. The fact that they have stopped buying here means that they have left even more room for rumors and imagination. Everyone knows that I''m deeply connected to the Golden Tree, and if they stop buying, they''ll stop buying at once. ''''Hmm, leave the business to us. Ena said, smiling her best smile. 483 483. Angel with wings Here you go. Villadiche, my favorite bar in Ciclo. It specializes in a variety of beers and is one of my favorite places in Ciclo. Today they have a new shipment of "smoked beer" in stock, so we were curious and ordered it. It''s a crappy taste. The coffee beer I usually drink is good, but I think I''m going to like this one better. This place always serves something interesting. It''s Neptune with bubbles under his nose as he talks about it. He asked for a "strawberry beer". I''ve had orange and tangerine beers before, I''ve had mango and pineapple beers when I''ve traveled to the tropics in the past, which is a bit unusual. Compared to those, strawberry beer is kind of ...... hard to imagine. It''s partly because of the image attached to the word "strawberry" and partly because I love shortcake strawberries more than anything else. People say "strawberry beer" and I think, "That''s not quite right. Is it good? Yeah. Would you like a bite? No! This is ours. Sitting on either side of me, Ran and Lil interrupted me. Lil''s reaction was particularly strong, and he snatched the glass of beer that Neptune offered him and took a very strong gulp, looking up at the ceiling. ''Ooh, that''s a good drink. That''s great, Lil. Hmm, it''s nothing to worry about. Hey, what do you want to order next? ''Well, would you rather have a tomato beer or a sweet potato beer?'' Both. Neither. They flirted in front of me. As I''ve learned recently, Neptune sometimes throws two choices at Ran and Lil. The content varies widely. If you had to get a dog or a cat, would you get a dog or a cat?It ranges from something as unremarkable as, say, "I don''t know," to a war-level question about whether it''s soy sauce or sauce to pour over a fried egg. He throws two choices at them in his spare time. If you ask him, he''s been doing this for a long time, but I''ve seen him do it a lot lately. And each time he does, Ran and Lil will reply with a definite "both" or "neither". ...... a kind of ritual. Yeah?What did I just say? No, this beer''s pretty good. Okay. Hey, I got what you asked for. Neptune said, taking something from his pocket and placing it on the table. A fissure stone. It was a super valuable item in the vortex, this is a tavern where a lot of people are gathered. Nevertheless, Neptune casually took it out and placed it on the table. ''''You''re putting it out in the open. It''s nothing to hide, you know. ''Well, thank you ...... for the help. That''s my line. Thanks to you, we got ours on the cheap. Neptune''s mouth turned up at the corners of his mouth with a grin. When he looked closely, he saw that Ran and Lil had rings on their hands. It''s the same ring that raises the attack power, and the same one is on the ring finger of Ran and Lil, both of them. ''''You''re early, you''ve already gotten it? Yeah. You led the way. I''m a little late for second place. Neptune said casually. The stone of the crack. Thanks to the rumors (facts) spread by Elsa and the others, the price rise that seemed to be a blue ceiling at one point has been completely stopped. Besides, the price has dropped to about half of its peak--although it still costs 20-30 million piro. I tried to get it for that price, but if I moved, Elsa and the others'' plan would be dashed. So I asked Neptune to do it. It''s a very good idea to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. The same umbrella statement, but not Cliff and Margaret. ...... Huh? What''s going on? Those two ...... rings mean anything to you? Ran and Lil have a style that strengthens Neptune with magic called God Press and Devilcurse, respectively. So I wondered if this ring made sense: ....... ''There it is,'' Neptune smiled at him. ''Hey, what''s the effect of that in real time?Or just when it''s activated? ''What?How did you like it: ...... Sorry, I just remembered something. I''ll wire the money to your account. I took a swig of my remaining beer, got up and left the store. Quicksilver. I remembered something about magic that we''ve all gotten used to lately and don''t use much anymore. 484 484. Ring for you Vanadium dungeon, inside the test room. I gathered all of my friends from the adventurer group. Emily, Celeste, Alice, Eve, and Sakura. Gathering everyone in one place, I first checked Celeste''s current status. Using the Portable Now Board, I get the status. ---1/2--- Level: 54/54 HP D MP A Power E Strength E Intelligence A Spirit A Speed E Dexterous A Luck C --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic E Characteristic F --------- ... Looking at Celeste''s status, I nodded, "Good. What''s good about it? Because Celeste''s abilities are the best fit for this test. I just wanted to double-check that. ''Is mine the best fit?Check out Quicksilver, right? ...... Celeste, who makes a face like that. Of the rings I have, I looked at the first "characteristic" ring I dropped, such as splitting. I''ve already told her that I''m going to test the changes in Quicksilver due to the ring, so she seems to understand that. ''I see, it can go down. ''Yeah. Celeste has a lot of E''s, so I can check both up and down. ''I see, I have a lot of A''s and F''s. Well, I''m pretty terrible to begin with. Emily and Alice were convinced. As he was convinced, their statuses were not suitable for this check. Emily was a genuine power fighter with a sharp A in her specialty and an F in everything else, while Alice''s highest level was a 2 to begin with and most of them were Fs. ''''I''m with you. I was equally convinced that Sakura, whose level was well over 100, but with a low growth rate and outstandingly low ability, was just as convinced. Incidentally, Eve did come, but she yawned loudly, disinterestedly. ''Let''s go then.'' Yes, I''m ready. Celeste and I nodded at each other, and I first put on my ''trait'' ring and cast Quicksilver. Then the Portable Now Board. ---1/2--- Level: 54/54 HP D MP A Power E Strength E Intelligence A Spirit A Speed D (+1) Dexterous A Luck C --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic E Characteristic F --------- ... Huh? Nothing is going to happen. Lyota, try harder. Yeah. I nodded deeply and chanted Quicksilver again. After making sure it worked well with the magic light, the portable now board. ---1/2--- Level: 54/54 HP D MP A (+1) Power E Strength E Intelligence A Spirit A Speed D (+1) Dexterous A Luck C --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic F --------- ... One more thing went up. It was the usual Quicksilver. ''Does that mean it doesn''t work?'' I''m gonna try this one. Take off the trait ring, and now put on the enhancement ring. And Quicksilver. Set the Infinite Recovery Bullet. I pour more Quicksilver on Celeste while continuing to shoot at myself. After pouring it all over, I go back to the portable now board. ---1/2--- Level: 54/54 HP C (+1) MP A (+1) Force D (+1) Strength D (+1) Intelligence A (+1) Spirit A (+1) Speed D (+1) Dexterous A (+1) Luck B (+1) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic E Characteristic F --------- ... It''s all the same. So it didn''t work. But it did work on Neptune, though. Really? Yeah. He made it clear that he did. Neptune aside, that look on Ran and Lil''s face was the real deal. It''s a satisfied look of satisfaction that I was able to help my favorite Neptune, regardless of me. That''s real, it can''t be a lie. ''Hey Lyota, did you notice anything else that was different?Like how to put a ring on it. Alice reminds me of the three people I saw at the time. ''''Hmmm ...... Even though I said they were different, all three of them wore them on their ring fingers, so I''d say they''re different. Ring finger rings are worn by pairs of men and women, but Neptune and three others wear them all on their ring fingers because of the "H2O" thing. ...... all three of them? That''s where it stuck for a moment. More importantly, I remembered that Neptune was also wearing it. ''No way. ...... Celeste.'' What? Put these on. And the portable now board. ...... I get it. Celeste nods with a mysterious look on her face and puts on the "trait" ring I gave her. And then he said he''d use the portable now board again. ---1/2--- Level: 54/54 HP B (+2) MP A (+2) Force C (+2) Strength C (+2) Intelligence A (+2) Spirit A (+2) Speed C (+2) Dexterity A (+2) Luck A (+2) --------- ... ---2/2--- Plant F (-1) Animals F(-1) Mineral F (-1) Magic F(-1) Characteristic F (-1) --------- ... "Oh? All of them let out their voices in unison. Celeste''s ability had changed greatly. The increase in basic ability was doubled, and all of the drops that hadn''t fluctuated in any way before now had a -1 on them. The effect of the ring was clear. ''Alice, please.'' ''Yeah, first of all: ......'' Another characteristic ring and a portable now board. ---1/2--- Level: 2/2 HP F MP D Power F Strength F Intelligence E Spirit E Speed F Dexterous F Luck D --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic E --------- ... Okay. Then ...... Quicksilver. ---1/2--- Level: 2/2 HP D (+2) MP D Power F Strength F Intelligence E Spirit E Speed F Dexterous F Luck D --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Mineral F (-1) Magic F Characteristic E --------- ... Oh, here you are. There you are. Try to pull it off. Okay. Remove it as instructed and portable now board again. ---1/2--- Level: 2/2 HP F MP D Power F Strength F Intelligence E Spirit E Speed F Dexterous F Luck D --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants F Animals F Minerals F Magic F Characteristic E --------- ... The ability was back to normal. ''So the buff has to be on the person being buffed? Well, it looks like it. I thought about it. If that''s the case, then it''s a little different again. I''d like to give everyone at least one ring. Just like the Stone of Absolute Rock, one for each of us. That would cost quite a bit. With the current market price of crack stones, I might need to earn about three months'' worth per one at most. Still, we can use this. I wanted to give it to everyone. ''''Everyone, just wait and see. I''ll earn rings for everyone. Once that''s decided, I run out of the testing room and head to the dungeon. ''Emily, what''s going on?You''re blushing. Hey, it''s nothing. I just remembered something. ''Maybe your uncle''s nature got to you before?Your own ring or something like that. No, it''s not! I had no way of knowing that Emily had been teased grandly in the testing room after I was gone. 485 485. Natural The magic cart is now full of drops. I press the button to transfer it to Elsa and the others where the master lock is located. Today I went into the dungeon this morning and earned a full rotation. I don''t know how much of this is ...... no, not yet anyway. I regained a firm grip on my gun and walked out to try to find the monster again-- There you are. Wow, you really are in Tellurium, Uncle. Sakura. At the end of the road, Sakura emerged from the dungeon''s bend in the road. She approached me in her usual friendly manner. Sakura, with her carefree smile, attracted the attention of the adventurers around her as soon as she appeared and walked up to me. ''She''s cute.'' Does he belong to a family? Hey, hey, hey, hey. Satou again? Ninety percent of the people around me spoke favorably of Sakura, and 10 percent looked at me with a sour look. Well, she''s cute and cheerful and carefree, so I know she''s popular-- What are you waiting for, old man? ''What?Oh no, it''s nothing. What''s more, what''s going on?It sounds like you were looking for me. Yeah, I talked to Elsa and she said I was here. I see. Of all the family members, Elsa and Ena know where I am the most. Because when I''m earning money in a dungeon, I''m sending the drop items sequentially through the magic cart. In other words, by looking at the drop items, I can clearly see which level of the dungeon I was on just before. ''''Uncle, that''s great, you''ve already earned a million dollars. As I recall, Piro and Yen are one-to-one, right?Then it''s another million dollars. Well, that''s still the case. Not yet. It''s not even noon yet, so that''s great. ''But to buy a fissure stone. I still have to earn some money. Oh, don''t worry, I''ll make sure Sakura gets it. Quicksilver''s buff goes up when the side being applied is wearing a ring. In terms of efficiency, it''s much worse than I first imagined. In any case, I thought I should just wear it, but now everyone else has to wear it. But still. I''m going to do my best to get one for each of you, just like I did with the absolute rock stone. Do you always do that, Uncle ......? Always? I mean, do you do this kind of thing all the time? Yeah. I nodded deeply. Because there is a mountain of precedent, including the stone of Absolute Rock. ''Nah, I knew it was a cheerleader. "Huh? "Everyone was so nervous and fidgety. "My uncle is getting me a ring. Why? ''It''s been a night, so it''s time to get your head out of your ass. There''s a ring for the girl. ............ yeah! I''m dumb, I really didn''t notice that, Uncle. ''No, no, no, no, that''s not what you mean by the ring, is it?It''s an equipment item, and it''s a divine effect. But it''s a ring for a girl. ...... ugh. Sakura clearly separated those two words and thrust them at me with emphasis. When I was reminded, I started to feel like I was doing something extremely hard. ''What do you want to do, quit?People are aware of it, and now-- No, I''ll get it for you as it is. What Sakura said to me was definitely unexpected and cringe-worthy, but that doesn''t change what I''m going to do. ''We''re all important friends. And this is an item of quite high importance. The scope of increase in strength with this is great, which means we can ensure more safety. I nod to myself as I say it and say that''s right. All of my abilities will be increased two levels. Not to mention the defensive side, if you can take out the offensive side first, you''ll be safer as a result. If you didn''t know, or even if you didn''t know, you no longer have the option of not aligning them after you know. I''m not going to be able to get it right. I''ll follow up on that later, as Sakura told me. I''ll follow up on that later, whatever you need. "...... I see. I get it. I''m sorry I said that. No, thank you too. It was nice of you to remind me. No, no, no. Sakura waved her hand and walked away. That''s the kind of character my uncle was: ...... Sakura walks away from Ryota and stalks back through the tellurian. I haven''t been in the Family - it hasn''t been long since I''ve transitioned, so I don''t fully understand Ryota. I understood him a little bit more deeply now with the interaction we just had. That many people - the adventurers, the merchants, the spirits. I think I''m beginning to understand why they''re all gathered to him. ''''It''s not just a cheat, that''s amazing. ...... Admiringly, she ducked under the transporter gate that she flew through and returned to the mansion. ''Huh?You''re early today, Sakura-san. As I left the transporter room, I ran into Yuki. He''s not an adventurer, a merchant, or a spirit. Yuki has nothing to do during the day and is in the mansion. That Yuki stared at Sakura''s face for a while, and then. ''What''s wrong?Your face is red. Whew! Sakura touched her face in a hurry. Her face was hot, and not only that, it was also hot to the base of her ears. ''''Nah, it''s nothing--you know, if I faked it, it would be more like it! What she had faked on the spur of the moment, and what it meant. Sakura became more flustered. 486 486. Essential skills for company slaves Mr.-- Ummm, ....... Mr. Yoda. ...... emily? I rubbed my head, which wasn''t clear, and picked myself up on the bed. Emily was in her room in the mansion, which was no longer familiar to the level of her parents'' house. ''Good morning ...... what''s going on in my room.'' What do you want for breakfast? ''Breakfast ......?Do you want to eat poop? ...... I answer, but Emily stares at me and says nothing. ''Emily?'' All right. I''ll meet you in the cafeteria. Emily walked out of the room, leaving an air of wanting to say something. I wondered what was going on ......, but my head was too heavy to hold my thoughts together. ''Let''s get up anyway,'' I was going to fall asleep twice if I didn''t, so I dared to inspire myself aloud and got out of bed. I got dressed as it was and left the room. ...... hmm? As soon as I stepped out into the hallway, I felt a little uncomfortable. I couldn''t even ...... understand what it was because my head was still too heavy. I gave up and went to the cafeteria, only to find Emily there. ''Good morning. Where is everyone? They''ve all gone out. Have you been out? Mr. Yoda is a sleeper. ...... Yeah. So that''s it. I looked at the wall, there was a wall clock created by the power of vanadium. The new mansion was in a dungeon, not a building, hence the windows, but not linked to the real view. Therefore, he and Vanadium devised a clock to read the outside of the house so that he could tell the time to a certain extent. The idea behind the clock was to make it easier to understand, since we were going to make it easier to understand. When I looked at that wall clock, I realized that I had slept in for more than an hour than usual. ''I didn''t know I''d slept through so much: ...... Mr. Yoda. Emily brings me a dish that I''ve probably reheated. Then she looks at me with a worried look on her face. ''You can''t take it too far. Your health comes first. Yeah, I know. Just this once. I''ll stop when I''ve saved up enough money for the ring. Don''t worry about it too much. Yes, sir. ...... Even so, Emily looks worried. Right after I started living with her, I made a promise to myself not to take it too far. It pains me to think of that, but I told myself and her that it''s a temporary thing, not a permanent thing to be overwhelmed. Emily smiled sadly and nodded at me. When this happened, I felt strongly that I had to achieve my goal as soon as possible. Plumbum Dungeon, Room of the Spirits. If I overslept, that means I was late in getting here for my daily routine every morning. The ring was important, but so was my promise to Plumbum. I came here as usual before I went to the dungeon. ''Good morning. How are you doing today? Not bad. Yeah? You look good, by the way. ...... Plumbum didn''t answer, but stared at me. ''What''s the matter,'' What happened to you? "Huh? You have lost strength, energy, and all your faculties. What is the matter with you? All of your abilities are diminished ...... do you understand? Of course. I can see it in your face. You look much weaker than usual. Ooh, ....... You''ll know it when you see it. It''s a nice line, but I''m a little embarrassed when it''s said. ''I''ll be fine about that, I''m just a bit sleep-deprived. ''Not enough sleep?What''s wrong with you? Actually... I told him about one of the rings. I told him that because of its performance, I wanted all my friends to have one, and that I was making money for it. ''So I''m a bit sleep-deprived,'' Oh, I see. So it is. Really? If that''s the case, go to ...... and wait a minute. Plumbum said and stood up with a swoop. As he reached out a supple hand, a blur of light flooded out from his fingertips. In the next moment, my senses changed. What had been an ordinary room suddenly became a mysterious space where something clung to my body. ''''Is this the same as the ...... dungeon?'''' I stare at my hands, clenching and unclenching my fists and circling my arms. The feeling I confirmed was the same as that in the dungeon of Plumbum. It''s a space that feels like being in water, a space with resistance but low gravity. It''s a characteristic of the dungeon, though, so it''s no wonder that Plumbum, as a spirit, can turn this space into it. ''''Why all of a sudden?'''' ''You can rest here. We''ve made the space more restorative. ''What?Can you do that? Of course. If the mistress is so inclined, she can make the dungeon a space where her health is constantly decreasing. Topographical effects or ...... Come on, get some rest. Plumbum pulled away from me without a word. I lost my balance and was forced into a laying down position on the spot. I could float in the air in my lounging pose there, which felt just like being in the water. It was - it was comfortable. Any bed or futon would feel slightly uncomfortable and uncomfortable, like it was hard or rubbing, but in this space, I felt a sense of peace, as if my whole body was wrapped in something warm. In an instant, I fell asleep. ...... Good morning. "Hayashigi no uta. When I opened my eyes, Prumbum scowled slightly. ''Not really, I could have taken a fifteen minute nap. The sensations I had learned in my body when I was a company employee came back to me. My body clock told me that I had slept 15 minutes perfectly. It''s a good idea to take a nap before going to bed, so you can wake up in 15 minutes. --I''m sure you''ll be able to find the same thing as I did when I was a company employee. It''s something ...... that I''m really recovering from. Is this what Prumbum did for you? Yes, the space works. Wow, that''s almost a full recovery. I feel like a million bucks. A fifteen-minute nap and I''m as recovered as I was in all eight hours of sleep. "I see you''ve been of some use. Take a rest at your mistress''s place until you reach the ring. Thank you. That''s very helpful. Space to fully recover after a 15 minute nap. I decided to indulge Plumbum so that Emily wouldn''t have to worry any more. 487 487. Credit The main store of the Golden Tree in Hashemi. The guest room. As soon as I entered the room, I hunkered down on the sofa and let out a sigh of relief as if to replace the air that had accumulated in my chest. A fifteen-minute nap at Prunbhum''s place would take away the physical fatigue, but that amount of high-speed spinning would cause mental fatigue to build up even more than usual. If physical strength is HP, this one is like an MP drain (regardless of status). By the way, the combo that consumes the most MP is the "Don''t do what you want, ask what you don''t know" combo that my boss did to me when I was a rookie office worker. If it''s 100, today''s MP consumption is about 1, so I have no problem with that. Good work. Here''s some cold tea. Thank you, Ena. You''re welcome. Ena put the cold tea she brought in front of me and sat down across from me, holding the tray. ''Sorry, I''m tallying it up now, just give me a minute.'' It''ll be fine. We''ll go home with you when you''re done. Yes, ...... Hey, Lyota. Hmm?What''s going on? Wouldn''t it be quicker to spend the money? The money? ''Look, the account I set up for the vanadium tenancy, the money I put in there. Ah, ....... That''s the thing, I nodded quietly. I rented a vanadium dungeon for Vanadium, who was terrified of humans. The dungeon belongs to the spirits - or rather, the spirits themselves, a part of the body in a way, but the dungeon has become embedded in "society" in this world. The only way to do something about it is to pay for it. So I paid a decent market price, 1.5 billion a year, to borrow the vanadium dungeon itself. ''You want me to use the money in that account?'' Yes, there''s still about half of it left, and it should be fine to use some. No, I''m not touching that one. Why? Ena looked at me with a look of pure doubt. Come to think of it, I left the paperwork of setting up an account and moving money around to Ena and Elsa, but I didn''t explain it to them. ''Vanadium''s lease - well, rent, I put it all together for a year and put it in a separate account. Yeah. That way, no matter what happens over the next year, at least the vanadium will be safe. For instance, if I don''t do that, if I don''t do my business as usual, the amount I''ve paid in and the amount I''ve spent on this case will nearly wipe out all my money. I know. But Mr. Lyota... What if I get sick in here? What? ''Even if you''re not sick - well, what if some genie grabs you and locks you up with a genie for a few months? ...... ''If you do, you''ll be putting the vanadium through another trauma. That''s why we''re saving it for a year ahead. And ...... rent arrears are pretty mind-blowing. I''m not going to be kicked out of the house legally after a month or so in arrears, but I feel bad when I''m asked to do so. And the dizzying feeling of being on your feet is very distressing. In terms of MP--that''s close to 99% percentage damage. I don''t want to go to ...... anymore of that stuff. ...... Well, that''s what happened in the past. That''s why I''m not going to touch that one. That''s the very promise I made to Vanadium. I don''t break my promises. I won''t break a promise so they believe me. ...... Ena sighed lightly. But it''s a smile, I can''t sense any bad feelings. ''That ...... look you just gave me, you should have done that after Elsa came. ''Oh, so that''s what Elsa thought, too. Well, I''ll explain it to you later. That''s not what I''m talking about, though. Ena sighed again, this time for some reason, like a bit of a gasp. ''Huh?'' After the second time, the thrill wears off, even if it''s the first time you see it. ? I''m the kind of person who wants to go to a play for its opening night performance, you know. Yeah. I don''t know, but it sounds like she''s proud of herself for something. ''All right, I''ll take care of the rest.'' I''ll take care of it. ......What? ''We''ll definitely get enough rocks for the number of people. Even if you have money, it won''t do you any good if you don''t have things. ''Oh ...... yes. Please! So that look ...... oh my god! Ena giggled again, then patted herself on the head and stood up to leave the room. I''m not sure ...... if that''s what Ena says, but it''s safe to say. They are the ones you can trust when it comes to stocking up. 488 488. Welcome ... "Repetition. I cast the ultimate lap spell and take down the monster in one hit. A ring is dropped. Pick it up and take out the ring in your pocket. This was enough for ...... a few people. I earned it intensively and exchanged it for the stone that Elsa and Ena had purchased for me, and then turned it into a drop item in the dungeon. It took a lot of time, though. Emily. Celeste. Alice... Eve... Sakura. We now have enough for the Adventurers'' group. I put the ring back in my pocket and take the transfer gate back to the vanadium dungeon. I take a look at the pseudo view from the window, and then at the clock on the wall. The sun is still high, and I''m sure everyone hasn''t come back yet - I''m sure they haven''t come back yet. ''You are welcome back,'' Emily called as she pattered her slippers. ''I''m back. Didn''t you go out? Yes, sir. We''ve been waiting for you, Yoda. Me? We''re all here. Guys?As I was craning my neck, Emily smiled and took my hand and walked away, pulling me with her. I followed her curiously, and she brought me into the salon. ''What''s up guys ......?'' Celeste, Alice, Eve, and Sakura were waiting for me there. I asked them why, but I soon found out why. ''You''ve been waiting.'' Yeah. I got a call from Elsa and the others that Lyota-san had taken the stone back. I figured since it''s Lyota-san, she''d turn it into a ring soon. That''s why we were all waiting. So, if you''re back at this time of night, have you put the ring on yet? Despite the fact that we hadn''t been friends for very long, Sakura asked me for this time. I made a promise I made to Emily once that I would try to work 9-5 as much as possible, working as little overtime as possible, and getting together with all my friends at the salon in the evening. Sakura only knows how to do it this way, so I guess she''s thinking more and more, "This is the time. I smiled and pulled a ring out of my Grand Eater''s pocket. There were rings for the number of people there, which I had just let drop earlier. ''Correct, just like this,'' It''s spectacular, the way it''s laid out. Celeste was good, and everyone stared at the ring. ''Now, here''s something for everyone--'' Hey, Uncle. Hey, Uncle. You can put it on for everyone. ''What?Put it on. You want me to put the ring on? Yes. That''s nice, but why do you need ......? I don''t know why. Sakura grins. I look at everyone else, and for some reason they are blushing and squirming. It seems like Eve is the only one who hasn''t changed. Well, that''s not a problem. I took Emily''s hand first. ''Yes Emily. Thanks for everything. It''s my pleasure, sir. And Celeste. "Celeste will get the most out of this ring. I''m sorry it took me so long to get you a special one. No, thank you. Then Alice. Does it fit? It''s perfect. Thanks, Lyota. Eve. Yes, and Eve. I''ll get you a carrot later. ''You don''t take the rabbit''s line, you''re low and cocky.'' And. Yes, Sakura. And this one, too. Is this a ...... stone? The stone of Absolute Rock. Just in case. You''re so picky. So that''s what it is, isn''t it? I gave everyone a ring and put it on for them all in one go. That''s good. This will make you all stronger. You can fight more easily and safely. After handing out all the rings, I was relieved and my body relaxed. "Okay, now this one. "Huh? Emily, get your uncle. Yes, sir. Emily came toward me and, swooping, held out her palm up. It was there - a ring. It''s the exact same ring that I prepared. This? We all put our money together. I got it all squared away. It was a month''s worth of carrots. ''Too many!--If you think about it, there aren''t many rabbits. The four friends gathered at Emily''s side. ''We all have ...... this?'' It is in return. ...... I was surprised. I had no idea they would return the favor. But ....... ''Glad to hear it. Thanks guys. I took the ring and carefully wrapped my hands around it. Everyone wore a ring. We all had the same ring on our fingers. I felt as if our bond had somehow grown even closer. It''s still high in the sky. Let''s get Lyota-san to put quicksilver on it and then get back to work. Yes, sir. "Sansei. The others agreed with Celeste''s suggestion. Even Eve nodded quietly. ''Okay, I''ll hang it up then.'' I said, and poured Quicksilver on everyone. Quicksilver amplified by the ring, and the effect was greatly increased. This should make everyone two levels stronger. After Sakura stared at it for a while. ''''Hey, I just thought about it. We do this every morning, right?'''' Yeah, it''s a ring thing. From now on, more and more, I''m going to do it every morning before I go out--what is it? Before you go out with the ring every morning. Sakura smiled a mischievous smile, like a nihilist. ''It''s like a go-go-go kiss!'' Nah! Sakura''s teasing made us all blush. 489 489. Chirem supporters ''Speaking of which, why does your uncle go to see Prumbum every day? The evening salon. From the flow of conversation, which was nothing of note, Sakura asked me that. ''Why?'' No, I mean, why doesn''t he - the genie - come here? You know-- Sakura pointed to the spirit group, including Aurum and the other spirits, who were solidified a little distance away. The spirits, Aulum, Nihonium and Vanadium, as well as Sakuya, the Eastern priestess, Meeke, the unique monster, and Yuki, who is very difficult to sum up in one word, are all solidified. ''Some of the spirits are here because of the things my uncle does. I thought it would be easier to bring them here than to go see them every day. Yeah, that''s the one. Sakura recently joined the family. On the contrary, she has only very recently transitioned to this world, so she doesn''t know about the Plumbum one at all. ''Prumbum is a bit like ...... Aulum. What? What did I do? Hearing a whisper, Aulum came over here. Although she is a spirit, she has horns on her head reminiscent of a demon, and she wears black, almost gothic clothes, so she is a truly demonic girl in appearance. On the other hand, she has a friendly and carefree nature that is similar to Alice''s, and that''s one of the reasons why they get along so well with each other. ''We were talking about how much Aulum and Prumbum look alike. Oh, yeah. Well, it''s not really with me. It''s with all of us. That''s true. "?Already, Uncle, don''t let the two of us finish the story alone when I''m asking you questions. Hmm?Oh sorry, sorry. Let''s see, ...... where do I start? First of all, to roughly summarize, every genie has his or her own obsession. Obsession? ''Yes, and it''s strong. For example, if someone likes food, "Hmmm? ''When those are spirits, they only eat white rice 365 days a year. Huh? ''I don''t eat anything else, of course, and for that matter, I don''t use side dishes, sprinkles or salt at all. I really only eat ''rice''. ''Heh ...... are all genies like that?'' Yeah. I nodded clearly. ''Aulum wants to look out.'' Yes. Tennesin is a tsundere and wants to put people in his dungeon anyway. You have a girlfriend? That''s where the bite comes in. Carbon wants to be in the ''Tribulation'' Always a little outside the salon, in the shadow of the entrance, staring at me like a giant star. ''That''s the way it is, all spirits have some kind of strong commitment. ''I see. ...... So, in the case of Prumbum, you want your uncle to come see you?'' That''s what I''m talking about. In Plumbum''s case, it''s because the person who promised to come back to see him in the past couldn''t keep it, hence the reason why they want him to come back to see them. ''I see. I was wondering why I had to come see you every day, but that''s what I meant. That''s the way it is. Yeah, yeah, that makes sense. Does that make sense? From the way the story was told, it''s normal for ''convincing'' to be on the prumbum, but the way Sakura said it, it sounded like she meant something else. ''Convinced of what?'' Here. Sakura held up her palms with her fingertips together, showing me the back of her hand. To be more precise, she showed me the back of her hand in a way that emphasized the ring she was wearing. ''This ring, Aulum-chan or something, you don''t want it at all, do you? I don''t want it. ''You have that look in your eyes that says you want it, but it''s the look in your eyes that says you''re excited you''re not getting it,'' That''s not a very healthy thing to say. No really. As Sakura pointed out, it might be "this ordeal you didn''t get hah hah", but I felt sorry for you for making it so clear that it was. ...... Hmm? For some reason, Sakura glanced at another group at a distance. A group of merchants, led by Elsa and Ena. The third group of the family, after the adventurers and spirits. He glanced there and then turned to me again. You''re not going to be able to get your hands on any of them. ''More trials?To Carbon? Shit, only one of them didn''t get a ring. Oh, no Meeke and Cerberus. Only one of the girls. Pow! I heard a noise and turned around. Carbon, who had been sitting and looking at me from the shadows, leaned forward, his eyes bleeding. ''See?'' ''Hmm. I don''t know how I''m going to react to this. But you look happy. But it''s the ones that don''t belong. ''What are you talking about, uncle, you''re just like Plumbum. If you look at it the other way, that one guy is an outcast who won''t let one person into the mansion. ...... I see, you have a point. Then again, maybe I should be rather proactive in responding to Carbon''s wishes. ...... I''m not sure that''s what it would be like to respond to an abnormal request. ''Oh, it doesn''t have to be this ring. What? ''''See, they''re divided into groups for some reason, and I think we can divide them into a ring for the spirit group and a ring for the merchant group. Aurum and the others are toy-like, so for Elsa, it''s () diamond-like engagement rings. I see. I think I''ve somehow understood Sakura''s concern (...). The ring they are wearing has a market value of nearly 30 million piro. They don''t all need to be so expensive if they want to respond to Carbon. That''s fine. ''Yeah, I can buy that kind of thing with what''s left over now.'' Because. Elsa, get that for me. You and Aurum will get a toy ring and Elsa and the others will get an engagement ring. ''Oh ...... eh ...... eh ......'' Good for you. Elsa is puzzled, and next to her is Ena, who teasingly pokes her best friend with her elbow, saying "Uriuriuri" in the usual way. What does that mean?The moment I started thinking. "Wow, okay. I''ll get it for you in a minute. I''m sorry, all right? Yes, sir. That put the ring story to rest. Carbon''s increasingly excited huffing and puffing was a bittersweet thing, but it was a good sign that he was happy, so it was a good thing. ''Thanks for ......, Sakura-chan.'' You''re welcome. 490 490. Sakuras thoughts Sakura''s room at night. Sakura has changed into her pajamas and is drawing a picture in her sketchbook. For someone who loves to draw, this is just like being in heaven, as she can use the otherworldly magic, Genesis, to realize and summon the pictures she has drawn. Even now, in the upper right corner, there is a small True Glory''s Right Hand, Revised I have been drawing a picture with the title, "The Champon". You can tell from the chunky nature of the title that it''s something that has already been improved upon. The performance of the drawings that Genesis summons depends on the "quality of the work he admits to doing". Normally, no matter how many additions and corrections you make to a single picture or how much you rewrite it, it will still be 90 to 99 points at best. At best, it would go from 90 to 99 points, and then a miracle would happen and it would finally reach 100 points. But in the case of Genesis and those who have the aptitude for it. Beyond 100 points, then 200, then 300, then 400. The person''s performance increases with his or her own, good sense of self-satisfaction. That''s why Sakura continued to draw in her room long after the evening''s salon had broken up. Concon. Then a visitor appeared. Yes, who is it? Sakura didn''t even look up, but only responded with her voice. ''Um, I''m ...... Elsa.'' Hmm? When Elsa said her name from behind the door, Sakura looked up for the first time there. As it was, she made a thoughtful face with a diagonal gaze upwards and lifted one corner of her mouth in a smirk. ''It''s open, please.'' Well, good evening. In contrast to Sakura, who hadn''t joined yet, Elsa opened the door and walked into the room, still acting like a wallflower. ''What''s wrong?'' ''Well, ...... its ......'' Elsa squirmed and squirmed to say. ''You mean the ring?'' Sakura, on the other hand, was really savvy and cut directly to the main topic she expected. ''Umm, yeah. So ...... ''Well, that''s just for now. Your uncle is so dull, I don''t think it would change anything if you got the ring. ''No, but still, thank you ......'' You''re welcome. Sakura laughed at Nikka. What she led her to do. Elsa, who looked greedy, and Ena, who was pretending to be unconcerned but actually seemed to be the same way. She made a good excuse for the two of them and led them to present the ring from Ryota. ''Ena-san isn''t here?'' Ina?Why? No, not if you''re not here. You''re hiding your true intentions from Elsa as well, Sakura quickly understood. ''Um, .......'' ''What?What? Why are you helping me? The other world and cheerleaders are a set, and it makes me itch when I see them not so. It''s the same as when you see a manga titled "Nantka Harlem: Other World Arc" that doesn''t even have a single letter of harem in its second volume. Ha, ha. ...... Erza is confused. As a person from this world, she doesn''t understand what Sakura is saying at all. That''s why I''m going to support my uncle. If you don''t, it would be a waste of time to have a cheat in another world, right? Um, ....... Sorry, sorry, I mean, it''s just a hobby for me, you know? Oh, yeah. ...... Erza becomes more and more confused. In order to shake off the confusion, she decided to ask Sakura the question she had brought beforehand. ''That ...... Lyota-san. What do you think of ......? Hmm?Are you asking if I''m going to be a Cheerleader? "Um, ...... eh, ......? Haha, sorry, I''m sorry. I mean, are you in a harem? Oh, umm, ...... yeah. I have a saying to use in these situations. Wise words? Only a man who''s willing to take a bullet will be allowed to do so... the evil eye virgin. ? More and more, Elsa becomes more and more confused. Aside from the prerequisite knowledge, she and Sakura are fundamentally different races. ''I mean, I don''t have Love yet, but I can get into a harem with Ryke,'' ...... eh? Therefore, as Sakura, she chewed up and explained it every time, but Elsa didn''t understand it at all. Sakura was used to that kind of reaction. Until now, that was the only reaction around her. ''''In other words, as a friend, I will continue to support Elsa-san from now on.'''' Ah, ....... Poppin'', Elsa''s cheeks stained. ''Um, thanks ......?'' You''re welcome. For now, the conversation was settled, and Elsa retreated from Sakura''s room, halfway through her escape. After seeing her off, Sakura returned to her painting, unperturbed. ''We''ve got to get this baby done. It''s going to take a lot of strength to make Cheerem. Sakura was enjoying this world in a different way than Ryota was. 491 491. Ryotas exclusive ring Good morning. Before going to the dungeon, we stopped at Prumbum''s place first. I''ve been waiting for you. Oh, you look radiant. Yeah, I''m thanking you for your help today. Concubine? You got me back on my feet so I could buy a ring for my people. "Law. Plumbum smiled. ''That was quicker than you first expected. Congratulations on this.'' And he was as happy as if it was his own. ''I owe you a lot, and that too. Thank you so much. I was doing it for me. For yourself? What do you mean?She tilts her head back and asks, "What do you mean? If you were to collapse from overwork or something, you would not be able to come to her. I''ve done this to avoid that. Okay. Plumbumbum is not lying. It''s not a bullshit. Just like any other spirit, she only wants what she wants. What Plumbum wants is to "come to see you". Plumbum wants to come back to see me when I walk away. It''s pointless for her to invite me to the mansion or for me to live here forever. In the course of our not-so-short relationship, I saw that clearly. But thank you nonetheless. It''s an honest thing to do. So, I brought you this. What''s this? The ring. I opened the box I held out and showed Purumbum the ring. "You want to give it to your mistress? ''Yeah. As we speak, we''re going to give Aulum and the others a ring as well. "Ho, tell me more about it. That''s the idea. I smiled and sat down in front of Plumbum, smiling. The usual position, the usual talk time. After arranging the rings for the adventurer group, Sakura suggested that we give each of the spirit and merchant groups a different ring as a gift. I told Plumbum all about it without hiding it. ''I see.'' And this is the same ring I gave to the spirits. Is that for a concubine? I don''t visit the house, but I see him every day. He''s like a friend to me. Okay. Then I''ll take it. Plumbum received the ring from me with a smile on her face. I could tell it wasn''t that important to her when she didn''t try to put it on right away. ''...... you guys are awesome,'' Come on, man. You spirits know exactly what you want. You know exactly what you want, and you''ll never waver. I think that''s really cool. I don''t know why it''s valued. That''s why. If Sakura is here, she''ll say, "Did I do something again?That''s right! I guess that''s what I''m excited about. That''s how much that of Plumbum and the other spirits was great in my eyes, and it didn''t matter to the girls themselves. But I have to return the favor. Returning? He was given something expensive and then given a higher compliment. Isn''t that the kind of thing people do in return? That''s true, but ...... is a good place to start. "Hmmm. Plumbum turned into a thoughtful face without any pushback. This is another characteristic of spirits, they don''t bend when they decide to do something like this. ''''Mm, let''s do this.'''' Plumbum said, and held out his palm upward. The palm of his hand glowed with an awful light, and then a ring appeared from it. ''In return,'' He gives me a big peck on the neck and hands it to me. "Thanks, I''ll try to put it on--mph. The moment I put on the ring I received, I noticed the effect (,). "Is this the same as ...... that recovery? ''''Mm, it''s a power that I supported you with when you were trying to do your best. When you wear that ring, wherever you are, it recovers in the same way. Just in case, it''s for you only. Don''t let anyone else use it. Thank you. That''s very helpful. The ring I gave to the spirits came back as an exclusive ring with a tremendous special effect. 492 492. Goblin Harlem? I came back from Plumbum''s place and tried to fly straight to the next dungeon in the transporter room. ''You''re my uncle. What dungeon are you going to? I ran into Sakura at the right time and I stopped operating the transporter room. ''To Kalifornium. I had to stop for some reason, so I thought we should resume our attack. ''Yeah. Can I come with you? Together? Sakura held up her sketchbook to show him. I''ve got some things I want to try. I feel safer when I''m with my uncle. I see. In that case, I had no reason to refuse. Sakura is one of us, and she''s also a transplant from Japan. Because of that relationship, I''ve developed a sense of stability in this world, and I have no objection to me accompanying you to safely test your strength. ''''Okay, let''s go together.'''' Thank you. Sakura approached with a carefree smile, and I took control of the transporter room and flew with her to Californium. Californium, a dungeon that looks like a giant maze with walls made of vegetation. ''It''s kind of interesting,'' Really? Yeah--goblins! A monster quickly appeared. Californium monsters, goblins. One hundred and twenty-three of them--four in all--appeared in cliques. Sakura said she wanted to try out various things and followed me, so I didn''t attack right away, only preparing myself to follow up at any time, and decided to stay calm. Sakura summons a picture with Genesis - or so I thought. ''It''s a real goblin!Awesome! He''s too excited to attack. ''Stop!You''re going to mess me up!Like a popular novel! You''re having a good time. ''Because they''re goblins!Slime was really exciting when we met, too, but the goblins are definitely hotter now. I don''t want to hear the breakdown of hot. I mean, Sakura herself already said it. You''d better deal with it. It''s all well and good to get excited, but that thing is a monster. Yeah, senka is something to look at, not something to be done. That''s kind of a quote. Sakura opened her sketchbook and nodded at Genesis. ''Golden right foot!'' A huge golden-colored right foot "only" literally appeared on top of one of the goblins and crushed the goblin with a snap. Immediately after stepping on the goblin, the foot disappeared. A single summoning magic - I thought it was a single shot. ''''Golden left foot!'''' "Golden Right Hand! The golden left hand! Sakura chanted Genesis in rapid succession. As she said each time, a golden body part reminiscent of a giant was summoned, burying the goblin with a single blow. ''''Yeah, that''s good.'''' ''No, no, you''re not grateful for that. I mean, when you get to that point, shouldn''t you be golden and full-bodied? ''''Nonnonnon. I''ll summon the golden brain that''s coming up after this, and with all five parts in place, the sealed exo-- Okay, okay, let''s stop you right there. The enemy is too powerful to sell a fight. ''Uncle, you think I''m joking,'' What? ''It''s true. If I summoned five of them, they would be incredibly strong, but they would merge together. Just like that one. ...... Oh, yeah. Wasn''t that what Genesis was all about? I''m beginning to think my plunge is tactless. The characteristics of Genesis, it''s something that increases in strength when summoned, the more the user thinks the picture they''ve drawn is a masterpiece. I''ve only known Sakura for a short time, but I''m starting to get a rough idea of her personality. When it is said that the story and the groove of the story is stronger than the character, it makes a lot of sense. ''''I mean, uncle, you''re a cheerleader here too, aren''t you? What?What are you talking about? Because the goblins have been after you all day. What? You didn''t notice? ...... Really? Sakura nodded deeply. I didn''t notice it at all ....... No, maybe it was, if you ask me? It was hard to tell because Sakura killed her in the blink of an eye, but maybe the goblins were more interested in me than Sakura? Here we go again. From thought to reality. Sakura was right, a few more goblins appeared. Sakura didn''t mess with them. Instead, she quietly moved away from me. It''s the aim to clearly distinguish the positions of the goblins so that it''s clear which one they''re aiming for. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a lot more than just a few of them. ''See? It''s true: ...... I didn''t knock her down, but tossed her around with my movements. After getting Sakura''s approval by giving me a look, I tried to move so that I could put my target () on her. However, the goblins only come at me in a straight line, not paying any attention to Sakura. It''s still a cheerleader. No, uncle, the goblins are indeed pitiful to everyone. No, no, no, no, no. I''m sorry you feel sorry for me for thinking that. No, not a goblin. Why would anyone come after me? At times like this, with games and such, it''s ...... Sakura mumbles and looks thoughtful. It was so dependable. Until now, I was the only one who thought like this. But now, the number of people who can think like that has increased. So that''s the level. Ability. Me and Sakura nodded to each other at the same time, each making a prediction. 493 493.1 and F Let''s check it out. Alice, and Margaret, we''ll give you a hand. Alice is good at checking levels and Margaret is good at checking abilities. I think of my friends who are swept away and build up the combination for the test in my brain. If I guessed correctly with Sakura, I should be able to carve out a test that includes Alice and Margaret, and if I can''t, it means my guess was wrong and I''ll just have to make another guess. Then I''ll have to go back and find Alice and then Margaret. ''You know, uncle,'' Hmm? Are you the kind of guy who doesn''t check the strategy site until you''ve cleared it? How did you know? Because this is a dungeon normally managed by that figurehead uncle. You can ask him and he''ll tell you, but you''re trying to find out on your own. You''re a figurehead. I giggled a bit. ''Well, you''re right. But that doesn''t mean it''s a pointless obsession, does it? What do you mean? ''The adventurers of this world are running dungeons on the premise of circling and optimizing. They''re the producers of everyone''s consumption, and they''re all mindlessly producing anyway. They rarely do anything extra. Do you mean we''re all just going through the motions? Yes, everyone works on a near-optimal basis, so when I listen to them, they give me very preconceived advice. Okay, then I shouldn''t ask. ''It''s better to hear it for normal work, though. After all, we''re optimizing on the level of tens of millions of people. I see. I''m making small talk and explaining a bit more about this world to Sakura. I try to avoid giving my own preconceived opinions, so I try to be objective and just list the facts as much as I can. This is what I did. It''s because I was in a position where I could be counted on to help with some major events, and I was in a position where I could be counted on to help with anything that came up, so this is what I did. Sakura might be a completely different adventurer than me. It might be the same, it might be different. Status continues to be power leveling, the base ability is there and it doesn''t hurt to have it. Other than that, I try to stay out of it. The Lyota family also went to dungeons together when me and Emily first started living together, but as we got better at each other''s abilities and equipment, we each soloed in the style we do best. It''s not Sakura, but it''s a different world. I want her to have the kind of otherworldly life that I think is good for her. The front of the Californium dungeon, in the city. The four of us, me, Sakura, Alice, and Margaret, arrived at the meeting. ''I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to call you out of the blue. How''s your business? You''ll be fine. Thank you. So, what do you want to do, Uncle? Do you want me to go into the dungeon with you? Sakura and Alice. The women looked at me and gave me instructions. To put it simply, the targets of the monsters in this dungeon might be a bit special. Are they targeting you based on your level or on your ability? We want to find out if it''s a level or an ability, so we''ll ask you to enter in pairs. ''All right. Then I don''t think you should take everyone with you. Guys? Sakura tilts her head slightly. ''Yes. Rato, Socha, Play, Builder. Margaret called out, and four ninja knights appeared behind her without a sound. ''Whoa!What the hell was that?Where did they appear from? Ladies and gentlemen, I''ve been right beside you the whole time. That''s awesome!The princess and the knight who follows her like a shadow. That makes the thin book thicker! Don''t be thick. It''s not that kind of material. That''s not true. To save the princess, who has been brainwashed or drugged into a state of nyan-nyang, we, the loyal ones, who respond to nyan-nyang while crying tears of blood with our hearts, are the best-- Okay, stop. You''re being very rude in front of him. Oh, yeah. I''m sorry. Yeah, yeah. Okay, sure. Margaret, who didn''t understand the content, smiled at her in confusion. The four knights apparently understood it perfectly and gave Sakura a gaze that was colder than ice. Let''s digress. ''Then the order is ...... first Alice and Margaret. Let''s look at the levels here. Then Margaret and Sakura. It''s a super high level duo. Then me and Alice, a very low-level duo. Let''s try them out in that order. The three of them nodded their heads and agreed to my proposal. Thus, after a round of testing and analysis, and after summoning additional friends to try out more conditions, I found two things. One is that Kalifornium''s monsters will concentrate on the opponents they think are weak. And another. Level 1 or F-final (regardless of combat or drop). Without either of them, I couldn''t enter the dungeon in the first place. 494 494. Summon Sakura You''re absolutely right, Master Sato. The president''s office of the Terdungeon Society. Facing him, Cell nodded with satisfaction. ''Level 1 and F-final, with one of us in the party, is a requirement for admission to the Californium. Is that why you asked me to do this? Satou-sama''s existence is truly a revelation. I met Satou-sama and made up my mind. That may be an exaggeration, but I see your point. It takes a certain amount of ability to solve the dungeon thing. Level 1 and f-final. It''s possible to have high status at level 1, but there can''t be a strong person in F-final, which means the lowest (,) status to begin with. I can understand Cell''s story about how he decided to make up his mind when he found out that I''m at level 1 and have maxed out all my abilities (and broken the limit). ''But Level 1 and F Final, and a concentrated attack on them or ....... It''s kind of revealing the character of the spirits. Perhaps Satou-sama was right. Cell nodded with a straight face. You are encountering spirits more often than ever before," said Satou-sama. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about this. I''m sure you''ll find that these spirits are more human than you think. Yeah, I think you''re right. I meant it in a good way, I thought, but I didn''t dare add it. I knew that Cell didn''t mean it in a bad way either. ''''Then I guess we''ll just have to meet with the spirits in person and ask them for help. I think so. ''Okay, I''ll try. I guess we''ll start off by encountering a rare monster in Kalifornium. He''s not there. Hmm? There are no rare monsters in Kalifornium. It doesn''t exist? What do you mean?I look at the cell with my eyes. ''Does that mean, correctly, that ''no one has ever seen it''? ''I see. ...... Who''s the dungeon master, by the way?'' It''s a normal part of existence. ...... All right. I''ll take care of that as well. Basically, it exists. Prumbum Dungeon, Room of the Spirits. As I visited for the second time that day, Plumbum greeted me happily and happily answered my questions. ''I knew you''d be there,'' ''''Mm. Especially the lowest level of rare monsters that are connected to the mistresses are basically present. If the spirits want to meet with humans, they''ll probably increase their appearance. ...... I see. What''s the pause? ''Bana - I remembered Ellislonium. I think the reason I was able to get to her so quickly and easily is because somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew I wanted to be in contact with a human being. I see. Well, I guess. It may be a one-sided assumption, and as far as vanadium is concerned, let''s keep things as they are for the time being. ''''From what I hear, it''s been decades since they''ve taken control of Californium. The fact that they haven''t produced any rare monsters at all in that time period should be considered a dare by the spirits to stop them. Can you do rare? Hmm. As soon as Plumbum nodded, a new presence formed behind me. Completely off mode in conversation, I was slow to react and when I turned around, he was gone. ''...... I see,'' I see what Plumbum is trying to say. ''Even if I have to put it out, can I just put it out where people can''t see it and turn it off immediately? The answer is yes. I see. If it''s just a matter of that level of detail, it''s probably a simple matter for the genie in the dungeon. I see. Thanks. If you have any more questions, feel free to come back to me. Yeah. So I''m going to stake out the californium and try to get a feel for it. The night saloon, I explained the situation to Alice and asked her to do it. ''I could sense a presence, even if it was only for a moment. First I want to see if there''s a situation like that. Mm-hmm. So that''s why I''m going to stake out the house with you, Ryota? ''Yeah. I''m not even sure I have a full grasp of the monster''s presence yet, but I''ll be working out in the ...... dungeons while I work out. So the main thing will be on Alice. All right, I''ll take care of it. I won''t miss any signs. Hey. Once she and Alice had gotten their story together, Sakura spoke to her. ''What''s up?'' Hey, you know what? I''ve got an idea. "Ideas? You know, games have a special ability to call monsters while standing in place? Yeah, it''s handy for leveling up and stuff. You tried something like that. Sakura said, and then chanted Genesis. A box appeared from the sketchbook she was holding and it burst open. From inside the box, a fluff appeared. ''......!'' I was so surprised that Vanadium, who had been relaxing at a distance, stood up quickly. The new mansion, Vanadium Dungeon. In order to make it easier to live, Vanadium usually has the appearance of monsters suppressed. And yet, Sakura forced him to call them out. It was obvious from Vanadium''s reaction that she had forcibly summoned him by suppressing the spirit''s control. Sakura saw that, too. She smiled at him. ''Sounds like it''s going to work.'' Yeah. 495 495. Female Goblins Sakura and I flew into the Californium Dungeon. A huge maze of dungeons with walls of hedges. It wasn''t the first time we had come here, but Sakura looked around. ''This place is interesting, isn''t it?'' Is that funny? Unlike other dungeons and such, it''s not even The Otherworldly, but it''s got a very otherworldly feel to it. Yeah. That''s something I can understand. Huge mazes with hedges like this exist in the other world as well. In fact, they even exist as a kind of attraction in general. However, when you enter such a thing, you feel a sense of unusualness as much as possible. Probably, if it was in some amusement park, when I enter there, I would mumble my impression that it''s like a fantasy. It''s a dungeon with a tellurian or otherworldly feel, but it doesn''t feel quite as otherworldly as this one. Yeah. It''s funny--oh. A goblin emerged from a bend in the maze. I quickly pulled out my pistol and took him down with a precise shot between the eyes. ''Huh, I knew you''d be great, Uncle. Really? You''re so fast from the time you pull it out to the time you shoot it, and you''re super accurate. Were you working as a cleaner or something in Shinjuku before you came here? That''s just a story you''re trying to get me into, like, a stallion or something. I sighed lightly and pointed out ahead of time. ''They found out?They have a cheerleader constitution, too, and they look something like my uncle. It''s very original to classify that one as a Cheerleader. But isn''t that right?That Shinjuku is half a different world. They call it "backstage Shinjuku. That''s the other piece. I mean, aside from the lumpy ones, it''s probably pretty amazing to read that you know even the back of Shinjuku. Let''s start with that. Yeah. Sakura opened her sketchbook and chanted Genesis. She calls up the box from earlier again and looks at me with her hand on the edge. I nod back, gun at the ready. Sakura opened the box, we both jumped away from the box at the same time, keeping our distance. A monster jumped out from inside. ''Oh?'' This is ....... Me and Sakura both stopped dead in our tracks. ''It''s like The Rare, isn''t it?'' Yeah. We had the exact same feeling. What emerged from the box was a female goblin. There are no distinctive features. It''s just that it''s a goblin, and a clearly recognizable female. But the goblins you''ve encountered so far are all male. They were all males, right? Yeah. The meth--Oh, he''s gone! The female goblin ran away, I thought she ran into the wall, and then she went straight into transparency and disappeared. ''Beyond the wall, I guess.'' It''s not... no, it''s gone. I fired a tracking round into the air as if I were shooting blanks. I''m sure you''ll be pleased to know that I''m not the only one who''s been in this situation. I guess we need to take it down now. Yeah. Can you do it again? I''ll take care of it. He casts Genesis again, brings out a box and summons a rare monster. Another female goblin. This time it wasn''t too fast or too slow. Once the female goblin''s entire body was properly identified, I shot it mercilessly between the eyes and took it down. The female goblin was weak. It had no counterattack and no special abilities. It was shot out between the eyes and quickly disappeared. Then - a gate appeared. A gate that looked like a flat door appeared in front of us. I know this, this is the first time Sakura has seen it. "Are you sure about this? Yeah. There''s probably another fight ahead, though. All right, let''s go in. Oh, wait a minute! Before he could stop her, Sakura jumped into the door. 496 496. Slime When I followed her into the doorway, it was a familiar, empty space, one that was before I reached the spirits. However, perhaps because Sakura had already entered first, a monster had already appeared in the space. A single goblin wearing an ostentatious mage''s robe and holding a staff in the shape of a demon''s head. ''''Uncle!Do you want me to take this down? Yeah, I''ve beaten them all, and I''ve met the genie. Okay, now-- here we go! Sakura opened her sketchbook and activated Genesis. A metallic right arm, a clenched fist right arm, flew out of the sketchbook and flew towards the goblin. It hit the goblin and was flicked off. ''''What the hell was that?'''' ''Rocket Punch. The Far North of Romanticism. ''Oh, um. Okay. What?Maybe your uncle is a string-puller?Because I don''t recognize a string ant as a rocket punch. No, no, no. Oh well. I pulled out my gun too, and as usual, I fired a normal round first. A habitual normal bullet, the first shot to see what happens. The bullets will be flicked off, just like a rocket punch. "No? I guess it''s just a matter of power because the way he played it was so normal. "Then... This time I switched to my +10 gun and aimed with my growth bullets. The single shot maximum power bullet, the goblin, hit it, but it was also flicked off normally. ''Maybe it''s from a hard .......'' Try using ...... golden right foot or something. Okay. Sakura complied, instantly flipping through the pages of her sketchbook and summoning her golden right paw. Embodied near the goblin, the golden right foot kicks the goblin away. The goblin hit the wall and crumpled down. It tries to get up quickly, but wobbles though. ''The damage is done.'' There it is. That''s funny, ''cause this one''s supposed to be the weakest. ...... I don''t know if there''s anything to shoot or throw in the golden series. Yes, a golden ball, or Kin for short. Don''t abbreviate it, just shoot it. Yes, sir. Three summonses, this time a golden left arm came out of the sketchbook and swung and threw a golden ball. The golden ball flew straight through - or so I thought - but it blurred on the way and drew a messy trajectory. ''''What''s that?'''' "Non-turning chute. It''s an arm, it''s a knuckleball! While I was rushing in, the golden ball hit the goblin and then was flung off. ''''I see, maybe it''s still disabled from long range. Is that so? Yeah, that golden right leg must have done more damage than this one. This one hurts about as much as being kicked in the bare guts, but that one did about as much damage as smashing my little finger into the corner of a chest of drawers. I don''t know the difference! Well, let''s just get in close and take him down. Yeah. I put my gun away and roll up my arms to get closer. Then the goblin chanted something and created a magic circle at my feet - and it popped. ''Uncle!'' A quick Sakura''s voice stopped me. The bouncing magicians gathered at our feet and made a red circle. It''s a narrow circle that only allows for one person to stand upright and immobile. ''''Isn''t that bad?'''' Try ....... One deep breath. After assuming the various possibilities to deal with whatever happens, I stepped out of the red circle. Instantly, my whole body went up in flames. ''''Uncle!'''' I''ll be fine. He moved his body violently, blowing out the flames. I was burned and damaged here and there. He pulled out his gun and fired a series of recovery rounds at himself. ''I''m not allowed to leave ...... this ...... oh, it''s gone.'' He''s gone. Let''s do it now while we still can. I don''t think it''s going to take long. Well, I guess-- mm. I try to attack and take the initiative. Then he used his magic again, and this time a blue circle appeared at my feet. ''...... Get out of there, Sakura! Yeah, yeah! Hearing my screams, Sakura ran away from the circle just as I did. When she got out of the circle, nothing happened, but the blue circle chased after her. ''I see, so this means we can''t stop. Maybe so. We ran away from the blue circle, while the goblins chanted some more, increasing the blue circle. Me and Sakura desperately ran away from the circles. The multiple circles successfully limited and guided our actions. Combined with the ineffectiveness of long-range attacks, you can''t get very close to the goblins and can''t afford to fight back. Do you want to use accelerated ammunition and go at it with a damage readiness?-- and that''s when I thought. ''No, not that way!'' I shouted at Sakura as hard as I could. ''Ah,'' Sakura huffed. Chased by the blue circle, Sakura stepped into the waiting red circle by herself, as if she was trapped in a cul-de-sac. Sakura entered the red and was unable to move. Blue caught up with her and surrounded Sakura. A red circle that must not be left, a blue circle that must be left. It''s a dichotomy between going and hell and going back. She didn''t even give me a moment to hesitate. Immediately after, I (...) went up in flames. "Uncle! I''m fine. He sucked in a breath and shot a recovery round at himself. More flames came once more, then the red and blue circles disappeared in turn. Sakura ran up to me. ''Uncle, are you alright?'' Yeah, I''ll be fine. Why is your uncle ......? That''s twice now. What? Maybe for Sakura and maybe for me. Both came to me. Why--oh. Sakura understood a little later than I did when I took a direct hit. Level ...... 1 Maybe so. A characteristic of this dungeon, an attack aimed at the weak. It seems that the damage here is also carried by the weak. Well, that''s the easy part. I''ll hold them off while you take out the weakest one. ...... there are better ones than that. Is it better? Shit. With a mischievous wink, Sakura summoned something from her sketchbook. It was a ...... monster that was summoned. A very familiar monster. ''That''s not good!'' Why?If you think of slime in Japanese, it''s in this form, right? Maybe so, but it''s bad! I''ll get into it further. Sakura summoned a slime. It''s a slime, but it was ...... a cute little slime with a water-drop-like silhouette. ''''More importantly, it''s ...... un! A red circle formed at her feet, Sakura. She didn''t hesitate to step out of the circle, and the slime evaporated in flames. ''Great success.'' ''You''re level 1 and ...... weak.'' The weakest... Sakura happily chuckles as if it were the truth. Then I summon the slime again. This time I step out of the red circle, and again the slime is blown up - re-summoned. A slime that''s level 1 like me and much weaker than me. Sakura summoned it, and with it, Sakura and I slowly fleshed out the goblin - and took it down with a single punch. And this time - a door is opened. 497 497. Super cheat We get in here, this time a genie? ''It should be. That''s how it''s always been, and even though he''s a spirit ...... no, he''s a spirit, he''s more strongly bound by the rules of this world. ''Hmmm. Hmmm. ...... Sakura stared at the door. She put her hand to her chin and stared at it in a gesture, as if she was examining it carefully. ''What''s up?'' It stinks. Do you smell that? It smells like badassery. Is that how it works? I stared at the door too, a little mystified. Honestly, it''s no different than the doors of the spirits that have been there before. The smell - what Sakura said about the smell - didn''t ring a bell. ''Do you feel that clearly?'' Yeah. But it''s a woman''s intuition. No, I made an excuse and stopped what was about to turn into a "forget what you just said" kind of conversation. Let''s be cautious. But it''s a woman''s intuition, okay? A hunch is a split-second decision based on total experience. ...... integrated ...... na? "You know what happens when you read a comic book or a little bit of it, right? I compared it to a genre that Sakura is good at. As it turned out, she was quickly bitten. ''Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. If you put multiple heroines in wedding dresses on the cover, you''ll never have a harem.'' Those instincts are based on total experience, on instantaneous judgments based on what you''ve read. I see. Satisfied, Sakura looks at the door together. Do you still smell it? Yeah, I''m pissed. Stinks like a badass, right? ''Shit. It''s like this dirty world should be destroyed. ...... teasing. The middle-aged man. ...... Immediately, it was Sakura''s intuition that made her feel foolish to be on guard. However, it was a spirit. A higher being that controls everything in the dungeon and is the dungeon itself. ''''Let''s be cautious,'''' Yes. We nodded to each other and got ready to go. I put as many different types of bullets in the four guns as possible and assume all kinds of situations, while Sakura flipped through her sketchbook and checked every picture she had drawn. Then - she went under the door. Contrary to what she expected, there was no attack flying at her because she went under the door. It was quite peaceful, and I came face to face with the spirit. He looked like a boy, maybe 150cm tall. He has a distinctive appearance, with a juvenile look to his face, but with one eye hidden by his long bangs. The other eye that was visible - was moderately teasing. ''''Hey.'''' Yeah, ....... I chuckled slightly at Sakura, who winked at me proudly. Even I would understand if I met her in person. The boy in front of me - Californium - was emitting the teasing air of an adolescent. ''Hmm, you''ve come this far as a human being, you''ve done it! "Ha-ha-ha, you''re so cocky. You''re so human. "Our dignity? Sakura laughed with her belly. It''s not hard to understand how you feel. I have rather mixed feelings. I know the power of spirits very well. Your own dungeon, or your own monster. When it comes to that, spirits are truly equal in power to God. On the other hand, I felt funny that an adolescent middle schooler would use the word ''minute'' - looking like a californium, wearing the air - to use the word ''minute''. ''What''s so funny!'' Because, hey. Don''t laugh! Californium held up his hand in a fury. A moment later, hundreds of goblins appeared, filling the space. This is it. The largest amount of things I''ve seen in the dungeon so far. This kind of thing could be done so easily by the spirits that ruled the dungeon. ''''Oh no!I''m going to look like a famous novel! No, no, no. ...... Come on!Goblins** year! That''s not a good idea-- that''s the story! Sakura has a style of double-fighting. What she called out in Genesis was rather empty, a humanoid full body armor with a sword and shield. Despite my rush, the goblins were slaughtered in no time at all. The empty armor slaughtered the goblins at the same pace as I was firing a series of repetition shots - or maybe even faster. ''''Soooo, that''s amazing .......'''' I don''t care how many goblins there are, you can never lose a goblin. It''s not that kind of thing, but ...... yay. Sakura''s genesis is highly variable in her abilities, depending on her perception. And she has a huge fondness for subculture things. Goblins have a goblin''s*** year. That''s the unmistakable truth inside her, and that''s why goblins are being slaughtered by one goblin-s***er without a choice. As long as the monsters are goblins, we''ll never be in the game. ....... I look at Sakura and think. Genesis and her. They have too much chemistry, and I once again felt strongly that they are a super cheat for everything. 498 498. Magic nullification space The goblins have been wiped out, and the one Sakura summoned is gone. Once again, we turned to face the californium. ''Hmph. Nice work. You''ve heard that one before. Shut up!As a human being. Didn''t I just hear that too? Now''s the time to apologize for crying. Um, ....... Sakura looked at me, pointing at the californium. What are you going to do about this? I felt like I was being told, "What are we going to do about this? In fact, Sakura must be feeling that way. I''m sure she looks at the californium as if it''s a child who can''t be obedient, even though a lot of the goblins she summoned have been killed without a care in the world. In fact, I felt the same way. "Hmph!I''ve already seen your weaknesses. It''s cool to hear the lines. Hmph! Californium sniffed and held up his hand. Once again, a large army of goblins was called out. ''''There''s no lump in your throat. ...... It''s time for you to go out and kill some more kobolds,'''' Stop calling me that! I went into this with a spinal reflex because somewhere along the line, I too am convinced that Sakura is going to win. A large army of goblins that hasn''t changed at all. The goblin-specific summoning magic by Sakura''s "Nori" that was shown to me earlier. At least the goblins in front of me could be defeated without any problems. I could see that kind of future vision. But that didn''t turn out to be a reality. Sakura chanted Genesis, but the summoning did not materialize. The scene - and it didn''t happen. The only thing that stopped was Sakura, and the large army of goblins rushed at us all at once. ''Sakura!'' I ducked and dove to the side while shielding my name. I ducked the first attack of the goblins that attacked all at once. ''''Why ...... genesis! Sakura chants magic again. The fact that she chanted the name of the magic instead of the story is a direct result of her own impatience. ''''I can''t summon ......, but what''s going on?'''' What about MP? I''m totally fine, I''m sure I can do ten more. So: ...... What''s going on? This headache can be found at ....... Headache: ...... Oh, come to think of it, it''s kind of jiggly: ...... Poof, he looked at Californium, the corners of his mouth twitching in a grin. ''So that''s what it is.'' What''s going on? It''s silicon. You mean the fake tits? Not that way!Element number 14, Si''s silicon. ''Oh, there''s that ......, I remember that one in Tellurium. Yeah. Magic doesn''t work on silicon monsters at all. It was probably set up that way by the spirits. And that''s just what he did with the magic storm. A magic storm? I stared blankly for a moment. I stop thinking for a moment when I hear back the obvious. ''Well, I haven''t had that come to me yet since Sakura arrived. What''s it all about? ''Magic storms are like ...... weather. When it''s coming, all kinds of magic can''t be used. Uh, ...... nah. Sakura was instantly convinced. She immediately understood the current situation, just because she was a transferee like me and had similar knowledge. ''Effective. Even if you say that''s too cheesy for Sakura, it''s magic after all. It''s a good idea to make sure you''re in the right place at the right time. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to break it because you can''t summon it in the first place. And what do you do, Uncle? What do I do? I put Sakura down and think about it. Sakura is now completely out of the running. Maybe I should take safety in this situation and give her back. That''s what I thought, but then the second unexpected thing happened today. The goblins attacked again, and without looking at Sakura, they attacked me intensively. Sakura, who had braced herself a bit, shrugged her shoulders and aimed so neatly at me alone. I deal with it, counterattack, and get some distance away from Sakura to pull her away from me. Then the goblin came completely towards me. ''''This is .......'''' Oh. Sakura? Isn''t that it?See, uncle level. ...... With a huff, I looked at the californium. He looks at me, grinning even more than before. One of Californium''s characteristics. To target low-level adventurers. I''m the best at my abilities, but I''m a level 1. The goblins have been aiming at that level 1. They didn''t move like that when the summoned beasts were around, but as soon as it was just me, Sakura, and a human, they started going after just me. ''''Could it be that thing you just saw?'''' ''Yes!There''s also the way I went into this room, and I made it lower than my uncle''s level. I see. Further dodging the goblin attacks. I keep my distance, completely spooking the goblins from Sakura. Over a hundred goblins attack with a californian grin. ''......'' I silently drew my gun. I loaded up and wiped out the lead goblin with a headshot. ''Nah!'' Californium is aghast. Even if it''s a magic storm, there''s nothing wrong with it. In fact, there''s nothing wrong with it as long as it''s aimed at me. I wiped out the goblins in the blink of an eye with the ultra-precise barrage () of the two pistols I had at the ready. 499 499. The heroine ''What the hell was that? ...... The Spirit Californium was astonished. He couldn''t seem to comprehend what had happened in front of him. ''''This, then!'''' With an impatient look on his face, he summoned a large number of goblins again - he couldn''t do it. This is the third time I''ve seen Californium summoned. If I was shown the exact same move over and over again, I would learn it. I raised my two guns and shot down every single goblin summoned. They appear and disappear immediately. The same place to summon them is the same, so I "put down" the bullets, almost like I was anticipating them, and took them down. From the side, I summoned a corpse with a goblin''s head popped off - it would look like that. After wiping out the goblins again, he spoke to the californium. ''I need to talk to you,'' Oh, shut up!It''s going to be me in person. Californium said, and attacked him with a cool pose that tickled the slightest remaining middle-aged mind. It can''t be helped, just enough not to hurt her--. ''Wait.'' ''What?This is-- The next moment when Sakura stopped me, I felt an uncomfortable feeling in my body. The slightest bit of discomfort. I didn''t have time to think deeply about what it was - I didn''t have time to think deeply about it. The californium was already right in front of me. It leaped futilely and made a jumping kick that seemed to have a technical name. I couldn''t fight back - I couldn''t do it. My body moved, but the moment I thought to fight back, I froze. It was like - a seatbelt. If I pulled slowly, I could extend the belt, but if I got caught with momentum, the safety caught me and I couldn''t extend it. Like that, the moment I thought about fighting back, I couldn''t move. ''Stone of the Absolute Rock! Whatever she was thinking, Sakura used it on me. I couldn''t fight back and I was hit by a californium attack - but no damage was done. I took the entire rush that started with the kick with my body, but with the absolute defense of the Absolute Rock stone, I didn''t take any damage. Rushing for dozens of seconds, the californium that attacked one way or the other, the californium was gasping for breath. Then, with an angry look on his face, he tightened his collar around me. ''Why!Why don''t you fight back! It''s a-- Don''t you get it? "What? Sakura interrupts the conversation. Me and Kalifornium, a confused "What? overlapped neatly. Halfway through her confusion, Sakura spoke only to Californium, with a straight face. ''Annihilate the goblins in an instant. The man who could even anticipate and annihilate them, received all of your attacks with his body without fighting back at all. Think about what that means. Meaning ......? Meaning ......? To be honest, I didn''t know what Sakura was trying to do. But I could clearly see that she was trying to do something, and I could tell that she was trying to do something. Otherwise, she wouldn''t have bothered to use the Absolute Rock stone on me and talk to Kalifornium in some theatrical tone. ''Of course it''s because I''m here to talk to you,'' The story ......? Yeah, story. I know about the spirits. That''s why I defeat the monsters, but I don''t want to touch you. Because I want to talk to you. ...... The californium glares at me. My hands tighten more and more on my collar. I was wondering if it was going to explode like this - I was worried that it would. ''''Hmph!'''' The deflated balloon gradually squeezed out without exploding. Californium let go of me, turned himself around, and trudged away with a sullen gait. ''Now we can talk. You''ve come to talk to me, haven''t you? That''s true, but ...... what was that? ''Huh?Are you a fan of not watching jizz and stuff? Jiri: "Jiri: ...... It''s not scary, it''s not scary. That''s it! The memories came flooding back when Sakura told me. When a vicious squirrel bites the heroine''s finger, the heroine doesn''t even say it hurts, she just lets him bite () and quietens him down. You know, I''ve always wanted to try that. Um, ....... I looked at Sakura with some complexity, and then at Californium, who looked at me again from a distance. ''What are you talking about, say it now?'' Apparently, it worked: ......?I guess so. 500 500. I hate low levels Okay, here''s your uncle''s turn. ''Oh ...... yes, .......'' Now, I''ve been thinking about ...... to see where to start asking, and there are a few things to ask, but I knew this was the place to start-- Why are you going after weak adventurers? I still think it''s this one. There was a ticket in the Grand Eater''s pocket, and I''m curious about that too. But I knew that since I was in direct contact with the spirits, I had to ask them about their behavior and commitment to it, which is different from the others. ''......'' Californium buzzed. His lips are still pointed and turned away as if this is what he''s doing. It''s as if-- Okochama. Shh. Sakura murmured in a whisper, so I hurriedly put my finger to my lips in a classic jasper. I felt the same way, but swallowed it down when it took me by the throat. Sakura''s murmur may or may not have reached my ears. Californium hadn''t changed, and was staring at us sideways with the same feeling. ''Well, ...... I''d love to hear it if you''d like. I''ll do my best to help you if there''s anything I can do. Power? ''Yes. I''ve heard about Aulum, Nihonium, and Bana--Erisronium. I''ve listened to all sorts of spirits and solved their problems with them. So, ...... Californium looks straight at me, a change from earlier, and becomes puffed up. ''Bullshit!'' ''No, it''s true. I can see everyone and prove it if I have to. ''I''ll let you meet ......!Who the hell are you? ''I''m just an adventurer. Oh, I guess I have a bit more company than the others. ''Uncle Keenan. You could have at least made a spirit cheerleader and impregnated a spirit. Ha-ha-ha, that''s just not true! I know it''s about Carbon and Yuki, but that''s a bit perverse, or maybe it''s an expansion. ''--Gohon!Yes, that''s why I''ll ask if there''s anything I need to know, and in some cases I might be able to come up with a better way. On what you want to do. I''ll make a phone call to a child-- Shh! I covered Sakura''s mouth again. The other person is the other person. I''ve gone to the trouble of choosing words like "consultation" and "trouble" to avoid them and say it in a way that benefits the other side, so I can''t afford to be provoked. "...... My attentiveness did the trick, and although Californium didn''t say anything, his attitude softened as I looked at him. I wondered if I should give him another push. ''Hm, you''re very understanding for a human. I have a special lesson for you. Nam-- Sakura tries to make three teas, and this time she makes the first move and stubbornly covers her mouth. And then the californium speaks out. "I don''t like it when people are weak. Don''t you like it? ''Yes. Why do you stay weak and indulge?It''s frustrating to see them just devouring a good night''s sleep in depravity! You''ll have to see-- Ugh! Sakura tries to go into it again. To be honest, I thought about that a little bit too, but I stopped myself from talking about it because it would make the conversation more complicated. "So you''re ........................ knocking back the guts of those haters, And? It''s not like that. An expression I did my best to pick out by twisting and turning my head. Californium said that, but he didn''t seem to be crazy about it. ''I really hate it. I''m doing this to bring them in and wipe them all out of the world. Okay. Well, I don''t blame you for thinking that. I knew he was in a good mood. He was well "hooked". You don''t disagree with the other side, you affirm it and then interpret it differently to get them to talk to you. That''s what I''ve learned to do to successfully get requirements and specifications out of a bad business partner. Now, where do we go from here? I listened out, but I found that of californium to be deeply rooted. It''s a common pattern in adolescence. The more he pointed it out, the more he rebelled, and if he was poorly made aware of it, he would become stubborn and the conversation would get more complicated. I felt like that type. The solution will be difficult ...... at least in a short period of time. I''d like to ask .................. to wait for a moment. What? I''ll be back soon. They''ll be back. I remembered a certain fellow''s face, and I dashed away from the scene and went to find her. Less than ten minutes later, this time in the transporter room, the Californium Spirit Room, which was easily accessible. The room was filled with a disturbing atmosphere. Californium was glaring at Sakura with a tantrum, and as soon as she saw me, she stuck out her tongue adorably with a "teehee". Eventually-- You f*cked up. I''m sorry. Mmm. ...... It was my mistake for leaving Sakura behind, so I couldn''t say it strongly enough. I turned to her as I brought her in, wondering if she was okay, a bad air I hadn''t expected. My own bunny suit, my own bunny suit. Carrot Junkie, Eve Kalsleader. ''Please,'' I don''t care. Rabbits are willing to sell their souls to the devil for a carrot. That''s pretty cool the way you put it. With a slight smile, he sends Eve off. Eve stands in front of the californium. The spirit and the rabbit, looking at each other. Now, what will happen - and the worries about what happens next - are completely unfounded. ''The one who is doomed.'' I''ve been waiting for this moment. The two men shook hands stiffly, exchanging grandiose lines and shaking each other''s hands. I brought them in to see if they were on the same page, but it was more than I expected - they seemed to hit it off tremendously before they even said anything. 501 501. Dungeon match Terdungeon Society, President''s office. Me and Cell facing each other alone. ''And so it is. Sorry about the after-the-fact report, but we''ve decided to leave it to Eve for a while. Okay. You''re easy to deal with, aren''t you? I would have no objection to what you are doing, Sato-sama. I''m not so sure about that. I chuckled. It''s nice and easy to trust me, but I don''t think it''s a good idea to have blind faith. ''I pride myself on understanding Satou-sama better than anyone else. What a mess. For a moment, I was about to go into it, but then I noticed that Cell was looking at me very seriously and didn''t go into it. ''Satou-sama usually prefers to walk the difficult path. It''s an upfront investment that will allow you to choose the easy path when the time comes. Well, you know. It''s a bit of a misnomer to call it a difficult road or an easy road, but that''s true. It''s not just a matter of repetition, but of developing your judgment and technique in normal combat. I''m not going to be the only one who''s been in a position to do that. You''ve been through a lot. It''s just that this Satou-sama decided that using that girl was the best thing to do. He couldn''t possibly have any objections. ...... I see. At first I thought it was a lucky break, but once I heard the end of it, it was a rather convincing reason. ''Thank you for putting it on. You must have been very deserving of this. I wish I could see them getting along so well. ...... For now, I''m inclined to leave it completely up to them. I chuckled again. I''m still not sure about Californium, but I''m not sure about Eve - and I honestly don''t know about Eve either, but I''ve seen plenty of that behavioral principle. It''s still superficial: it''s a carrot, it''s a low-level thing. Eve, anyway - she''s not shaky. You know exactly what is most important to you, and on top of that, you have no intention of pandering to someone who isn''t. That''s the woman called Eve. She''s the one who surprisingly hit it off with me. I''m starting to feel like I should let her do it. I mean, it might take some time. Okay. It''s not urgent. Thank you. Thank me for that. We look at each other and nod at each other, me and Cell. I remembered the chemistry between Californium and Eve, and how we both behaved when we were there. I was quite relieved that if Eve was left to her own devices, it wouldn''t be a problem, I was quite relieved. I left the Dungeon Society and returned to the mansion. As I entered the front door, I saw Vanadium come running in with a flurry of slippers. ''...... (smiling)'' I''m home. Are you alone in the vanadium? ...... (pulp) Vanadium, who had grabbed my hem and looked up at me, shook his head quietly and made a gesture with his hands to form an ear on my head. ''Eve''s back?'' ...... (nationally) She came to the salon, hand in hand with Vanadium. Eve was there, and she was relaxing in her place. ''I''m back. You''re back. Yes. How did it go?Californium is, I''m sorry to be so low. Hmm?What do you mean you''re sorry ......? It was so sudden, I couldn''t get my head around it. I didn''t even realize right away what Eve meant when she said ''came'' to say it. ''I can''t hang out with the low levels.'' Go to ......? "A dungeoning mismatch. ''There''s a word that came out of my mouth that I''ve missed!Wait a minute! You lied, rabbit. Not exactly. "Huh? It''s a dungeon of sorts. Eve stood up, and her eyes, staring straight at me, were very, very serious. It was the most serious thing I''ve ever seen. ''............'' I''m raptured. I can leave the californium to you, it''s such a good match. I wasn''t wrong, I thought. That chemistry was a bit, well, wobbly in my imagination. 502 502. Large damage invalid A dungeoning coincidence. It''s a match. Does that mean we won''t be breaking up? Best Marriage! I see. You must have been really into him. I never knew Eve to be so serious about anything other than carrots. Yeah?Other than carrots? I thought about it for a minute and asked him to try it out. ''What if he asks you to break up for more carrots?'' Rabbits don''t live on carrots alone. Jesus, you''re furious. I mean, it''s quite something that really doesn''t even bite the carrot (). It''s called "dungeon-ness match," but what exactly does that mean? You''re all set. We can tweak it if anything else goes wrong. ''The ............ dungeon. What''s going on? It''s a dungeon that can never be cleared by low-level players. Me? Eve grinned. ''Can I go?'' Okay. It was returned with great ease. This is finally going to happen, I thought. I got serious and flew to Kalifornium in the transporter room. I quickly encountered a goblin in a giant maze-like dungeon. Poof. ''Nothing''s changed, huh?'' That goblin was exactly the same as the goblin I saw before. It was freshly encountered and had a distance, and as far as the speed at which it was coming at me and so on, its strength didn''t seem to have changed. Nevertheless, I was cautious and first released a small test attack with normal bullets as usual. ''''Mmm.'''' The bullet hit the goblin and flicked off. ''Did it get hard?'' Still some distance away, this time he tried a flame round and a frozen bullet. The two bullets that landed - but they didn''t stop the goblins. The flames flared up, but that''s all, the ice was at the level of a thin layer of frozen skin, and the goblin''s advance was not hindered at all. The approaching goblins, once they were within range, jumped and swung their clubs at me. The attack power must have been strengthened at this rate. I dodged a quick dodge, the club came off and slammed into the ground. Mmm. I faltered again. The sound of the club hitting the ground, the momentum and the impact. Everything was the same as before. I prepared a recovery round, just in case, and tried to catch the goblin''s club with my guard as it jumped at me further. It was weak. It''s just enough of an attack that it won''t do any damage if you guard it well. Then he counterattacked at close range. Pulling out a +10, I fired a series of growth bullets. This is my current maximum firepower under normal conditions. Mm-hm. It didn''t work at all. The goblins that were hit by the +10 growth bullets didn''t get hurt at all. After that, he tried various bullets and attacks, but every attack didn''t work on the goblins. ''''Repetition! I tried shooting Repetition as a last resort, but that didn''t work either. ''A dungeon that can never be cleared by low level players'' Eve''s words seemed to echo in my ears. I can''t swallow the situation, but it''s true that I''ll never be able to clear this up. I couldn''t defeat a single goblin even if I tried everything. I even hit them with tracking rounds that exploited their weaknesses, but nothing happened. Invincible?I thought, but quickly shook off the idea. Eve said, "It''s a dungeon that can never be completed by low levels. If it was completely invincible, he wouldn''t have said that. It would be ''a dungeon that no one can clear''. I''m the only one who''s immune to attacks? It''s possible just looking at the situation, but ...... maybe that''s not the case either. Yves said it was a "dungeon nature match". Then we can assume that it wasn''t me personally, but something much broader. To take aim at me personally, I''m not that hostile or hateful to Eve, or even Kalifornium, for that matter. What they have in common is that they don''t like "low levels". What can be considered from that-- ''Wow!'' I was so engrossed in my thoughts that the goblin club grazed the tip of my nose. I dodged it in a hurry - I was in too much of a hurry and dropped the gun. The falling gun, pulled by gravity, hit the goblin''s leg. ''''--! The goblin jumped up, holding his feet. He jumped up and down and let out an unspoken scream. ''Wow, bad. I know your pinky hurts.'' I couldn''t help but apologize. I''ve defeated many monsters on a regular basis, and I''ve caused you more pain, but I couldn''t help but apologize. That''s how much I felt sorry for bumping my little finger, not to mention the pain. ...... Huh? I looked at the goblins flying around holding their legs and wondered. If it hurts, does that mean ...... damage? ...... I picked up my gun and fired a normal round. A well-aimed bullet struck the little toe of the goblin''s other foot - but it flicked off. The little toe doesn''t seem to be the weak point. ''If you go to .........'' I decided to try another possibility that came to mind and see what I could do. I approach the goblin, which is still bouncing around, and restrain it tightly. Then I hook my middle finger on my thumb - and flick it. It''s just a deco pin. Because it''s a power SS, I was conscious of being very careful with the decoupling, a wobbly decoupling. "---ha! The goblin held his forehead and winced. ''...... I see.'' I think I understand. The more I understand that, the more sure I am that I know what Eve and Californium want. Large damage nullification. That was the new ability that came with this dungeon, I thought. 503 503. Ideal dungeon I came back to the mansion from Californium. Eve was still in the salon, happily chewing on a carrot. ''I''m home,'' "Hm. She didn''t seem particularly interested, and Eve continued to chew on the carrot without looking up. ''I went to Californium. Surely that one is impossible for me to clear. So I said. "High damage nullification, huh? If even normal bullets are disabled, there''s nothing I can do about it. Well, the straitjacket worked, so I can support it. That''s what happens when you''re low and cocky. Eve looked up this time and looked a little satisfied and good at it. ''In case you''re wondering, the elimination of that--'' No. Yeah. I didn''t bite down because I expected it. Instead -. "I want to ask for something else. Another thing? Doubling the amount of carrots you eat each day. You can''t stop. I told you something else.Well, you''ll have to ask them before you can make a decision. I''ll tell you at ....... Big damage, even to the monsters--oh, I mean the monsters attacking the adventurers. Can you disable heavy damage on that one too? ...... Why? ''You can say this to Kalifornium. ''From now on, there will be weak adventurers coming to you. Otherwise, you''ll be defeated in an instant, and gradually no adventurers will come at all.'' Mmm. ...... Eve''s expression changed. I could tell by the change that she was linking Californium and her thoughts on a significant level. So I continue further. ''Besides, you''ll be able to torment the weakest of them for a long, prickly period of time with your big damage nullification. I see. Eve gave a small nod. Then she looked up, staring at me intently. ''What are the benefits of a low level?'' ''''Merit, or rather, as much of a recovery as possible. Because if we don''t, the weak adventurers will only be defeated in an instant, and as a dungeon, we''ll effectively die. I see. Eve nodded deeply this time. Well, I didn''t dare say that the form only changes a little bit ...... because I can make my restraining bullets live, and the higher levels come in and focus on the restraints. ''Carrot double?'' Carrot Twice. Okay, I''ll tell you what. Eve downed the remaining carrots in one gulp, got up and walked out of the salon. She''d go to Californium, I saw her off as she went. And as I had convinced her. From the next day, Californium became a major damage nullifier for both friend and foe alike. In Kalifornium, me and Cell watched from a distance as the mudslinging was going on. The adventurers are all level 1 fledgling adventurers who have been urgently called up. The monsters are special gold-dropping monsters, summoned by tickets. The battle was a veritable mud fight, that''s all I can say. The attacks of these fledgling level 1 adventurers were weak, and often times they didn''t hit because they weren''t used to it. They often faltered before attacking in the first place. It''s not very good, but it''s not the type of thing you should be in a dungeon. Normally, it would cause trouble for other adventurers - but. Only here, it was no problem. That''s because the monster attacks weren''t working at all. Large damage nullification. The setting that was just barely enough for the original goblin attack to pass through, nullified all of the summoned monster attacks. One of them took one damage each and one of them was said to be completely disabled. It was an itchy battle scene to watch and want to mess with. ''''As expected of Satou-sama.'''' No, this is just a coincidence. Don''t be so modest. That story is largely due to Satou-sama''s quick thinking to change course. Well, you know. That may indeed be true. This is the ultimate in form. "Ultimate? "The most important thing for an adventurer is stability. Yeah, I know. ''''Under these circumstances, there''s not a single accident in the production of money. Even if a dungeon master comes out, it''s the same. It will take some time, but we can throw in a bunch of level 1s and push them out in numbers. Yeah. It''s a perfect fit. Cell looked at me. "That''s Satou-sama. He said with a respectful look in his eyes. 504 504. Rabbit maneuvering After breakfast, the Lyota family went off to work one by one. Emily, Celeste, and others went out to the dungeon, while Elsa and Ena headed to the independent buyer''s shop via the dungeon. Spirits such as Aurum and Carbon, who would not normally meet, also commuted from the mansion to work. Two of the most heterogeneous members of this world''s most heterogeneous family remained, who were among the top of the list. They were Hoshino Sakura and Eve Kalsleader. Sakura, like Ryota, is a Japanese who has been dropped (transferred) into this world. Eve is a girl with an air of guest status, who is often said to have no idea why she''s in this family, and is in a position where she can''t get away from her usual behavior. The two of them were flirting in the dining room where their friends had disappeared. Eve is nipping at Sakura with a delirious look on her face that she barely lets anyone else see, and Sakura is loving her as if she''s going to be a cute pet. ''Does Eve have to go to the dungeon?'' ''I''m with a few more higher levels. If there''s a place you want to go, I''ll go with you. Is that what you want? And if the world gets tired tomorrow, I''ll go with you. Ha-ha. I like that one on Eve. My uncle told me that you did the same thing with the carrots.What if you were asked to choose between the world''s destruction and a carrot? When the earth rips apart and the sky splits open and the sun burns out, all you have to choose from is the carrot. Ha-ha-ha, that''s great. Sakura laughed happily at Eve''s, which Ryota sometimes pulled back or was taken aback by, but Sakura seemed to enjoy it. There was no malice in these reactions, and it''s like a special skill of the girl named Sakura to be able to behave in a way that can correctly tell the other person that there is no malice in these reactions. That Sakura took a step forward. ''Can I have the californium part too?'' I''d rather be at a higher level than that one. Eve answered immediately. Sakura stepped in further. ''Shouldn''t you be in a bit more of a good mood for your uncle?'' ...... Eve froze for a moment. Sakura thought, "I knew it," but she didn''t bother to say it. ''...... what are you talking about?'' After a few seconds of pause, Eve scoffed. ''That induction was brilliant. Cajoling the spirits and modifying the dungeon to make it practically more convenient for the adventurer, yeah, brilliant.'''' ...... It''s brilliant, but it''s your usual uncle''s hand. I''ve only been here for a short time, but you can tell just from what you''ve heard in that time that it''s the same. That''s not ....... Really? Rabbit, I''m not gonna lie. "Can you swear on a carrot? ''It may not seem like it''s not possible,'' ''Hahaha, you''re honest when you bring up carrots, Eve. ...... high levels are mean. Eve''s face turned bright red, and she turned away with a pout of her lips. The reason she didn''t slap the chop in there was either because Sakura was at a high level or ....... Either way, Sakura didn''t go into it. She doesn''t push it any further than necessary, she knows when to pull back. The girl who ''teases'' on a daily basis has an excellent sense of balance in pulling back. ''I see.'' What? It''s great to see in real time that if you can trick the spirits into thinking you can rebuild a dungeon in good shape. I want to try it too. If you do it for ...... personal gain, you get pissed off at a low level. ''Yes, of course I know that, so don''t worry. Thank you, ......, for worrying about me. ....... That''s what Sakura decided to do (). Even though she knew that it wasn''t just Eve''s concern for her, she decided to do so. Cheerem - she constantly mentions the word "cheat harem" and she doesn''t do so only when she and Eve are alone. Even though she has only been a companion for a short time, she understands it very well. Eve has a complex mental structure. And she likes Ryota to the extent that she follows his wishes and remakes the dungeon by tricking the spirits along with it. That''s why she doesn''t say it. When she speaks of it, it''s when Eve has a complete fall (...). Now is still the time to take the time to nurture the seeds of those feelings. Sakura was thinking about that while flirting with Eve. 505 505. Vanadium porch So, Uncle, I''m going to tell you what to do. After breakfast, after most of my friends had gone off to the dungeon, Sakura, who was left behind, said to me. I put down the teacup of tea I was sipping after dinner and looked up at Sakura. ''You''re going to Tellurium?'' Yeah. I like making money, but I need to raise my game. ''Isn''t there a better place to raise the bar?'' He doesn''t get it, old man. Sakura shook her upraised index finger and smiled her best smile. ''Tellurium is all slime, right?'' Yeah. It''s a dungeon with all sorts of slimes, slimes only. And when it comes to leveling up, it''s the same as slimes and wind chimes on the edge. Really? ''Yeah. That''s what the masterpieces say, like 3*0 years after defeating a slime, or level 99 with only Ali*han, or whatever. ...... No Comments. Sakura continues to say things that are difficult to respond to. She has respect, which makes it increasingly difficult to respond. When you see that the magic "Genesis" actually has special effects that go along with the story, you can see that she really means it. So it''s hard to tweak it. So I''m going to go for it! I didn''t go into it and the conversation didn''t spread, so she went out in a flurry. I stayed in the cafeteria and continued to sip my tea. Then Emily, who was cleaning up, came up to me. ''Aren''t you going to work, Yoda?'' Hmm. I thought about it for a minute. The Californium thing has been settled. Not that it''s completely out of the question, but since Eve and Californium are getting along so well, I think it''s best to leave that part completely up to them. It''s not without the possibility that Eve and Californium could go in the wrong direction - making things harder than they need to be for the adventurers - but for now, I think we''re okay. It''s up to my carrots to decide if they''re going in the wrong direction, but, well, I think I''m okay with it. ...... Because my carrots don''t mean nasty, right?Just in case. Anyway, I''m done with that one, and I went to Purumbum right after I woke up this morning. So there''s no need to do anything in a hurry today. ...... Yes, I''ll take the day off. You''re taking a break? ''Yeah, it''s nice to have a cup of tea once in a while. That''s why I''m sorry, but can I get another cup of tea before Emily goes out? All right. I''m going to take the day off too. Emily? "Yes, sir. I''ll go make a cup of tea. Emily happily slapped her slippers on and waddled out of the dining room and into the kitchen. I don''t know why she''s happy ....... I don''t know why, but happy is a good thing. Emily also said she''s not going to work (dungeon), so let''s just hang out together today. ...... (giggle) Hmm? Before I knew it, Vanadium was next to me, staring at me as I pulled my clothes on gingerly. He still didn''t say anything, but he still looked like he wanted to say something. ''Do you want to hang out with me?'' ......! Vanadium jumps on me with great pleasure and hugs me tightly. Not only that, he''s slithering his face against my chest plate. A straightforward expression of emotion, just like his young appearance. ''Then let''s move to the salon to hang out ...... No, wait?'' Suddenly, I remembered Sakura''s words from earlier. I hadn''t had much to think about since I moved to the other world, the original world of Japan. Sakura''s words brought it back to me. I clung to it, looking at the vanadium. ...... Hey, Vanadium can remodel the dungeon room to do whatever he wants, right? ...... (nationally) Vanadium looked up at me and nodded his head in immediate response. ''Then you can go to .......'' I bent down and explained to Vanadium what I was thinking now. Where are you, Yoda? Oh, there you are: ...... Huh? Emily walked into the room. She pouted, holding a teacup on a tray. ''This is ......,'' Emily scurried around the room, which she had never seen before. ''Oh Emily, I''m sorry, I forgot to tell you I was coming over here. ''That''s fine ...... where is this place?'' If you look at the letters, you''ll wonder what I''m talking about. He walks into the room and says, "Where am I? That''s not a question that usually comes up. Still, Emily asked me that. It was like asking that, in a room. The room was in a Japanese style room. It was a Japanese-style room with tatami mats that smelled of rushes, and across from the entrance there was a wide open space where you could see "outside". Across from the entrance is a large open space with a view of the "outside", which is, of course, the same as the windows of the salon, a "wall that looks out" made of vanadium. And just before the "outside", there is a wooden walkway at the edge of the room. In other words - the edge. The most important thing about this room. The edge. It is. The fringes. En-gawa? Come on, come on. Come sit here. Yes, sir. ...... I called Emily, who looked like she was being pinched by a fox, and sat down at my side. Then I take the teacup and sip it. Chillin''. The wind chime rang. I didn''t say anything, but sipped my tea. I glanced at Emily, who was sitting next to me. The strange look on her face as she walked into the room was nowhere to be seen anymore, and she was looking out at the view with a peaceful expression. ''Okay?Here. Yes. It''s very calming. ''I just remembered this a moment ago: ...... Let''s just hang out here today.'' Yes, sir! Emily nodded happily. Until Emily, Vanadium, and their friends returned, we continued to linger on the porch we had built in the dungeon. Tomorrow, let''s start working hard again. 506 506. Buying futures Night, the porch room. With the power of the vanadium, I was face to face with Ina alone in the perfect location for an evening drink, full moon and wind chimes. Ina looked at me with a much more serious look than her usual aloof expression and said, "I''m in the red. ''It''s a deficit,'' Guffaw! The reality confronted by Ina. Even though it''s something I knew, it''s much more difficult for me to say it clearly like this. No matter how you calculate it, no need to calculate, Ryota-san''s balance is in the red. The balance is still there, but it''s in the red anyway. You don''t need to do the math: ...... It''s as low a respectful tone as you can muster. ''Yes, I don''t need to do the math. I''ll be frank, you carry too much on your back. Ugh! ''It''s more difficult to list the things Lyota is carrying right now. All of those things are going to cost you money. Um, ....... The bottom line is the rent for this vanadium dungeon. Yeah, I know. That''s a fact, for better or worse. In order to keep the Vanadium Dungeon away from other humans, I rented it out for a sum of 1.5 billion a year. Even though I''ve been able to earn money, 1.5 billion - and a yearly expenditure is not a light thing. "After all, we''d be better off if we all shared it... No, no. I said flatly. ''I know what you mean, Ena, but it''s absolutely not allowed.'' Absolutely? You''re going to push it that far?He gave me a look. ''Yeah, absolutely. Vanadium trusts ''me''. I looked around the room to make sure no one else was in the room, then lowered my voice as I went. ''Dependent, is probably a better way to put it. It means something that I''m paying for everything. But ....... ''Vanadium doesn''t talk, but being a kid like that, he''s sensitive and perceptive. It''s never good to find out that this money is being shared by everyone, not just me. ...... Okay, then I won''t say that anymore. Totally. ...... Ena smiled at that, as if it couldn''t be helped. For now, I guess that means he agreed with me. ''I mean money. What about getting the gold out of Aulum?I''m sure she''d be happy to serve you. That''s no good either. Why? Right now, I''m making the Aurum dungeon at nine o''clock, five o''clock, to fulfill Aurum''s need to look outside. ''Yes, about two years now?We do that, don''t we? ''The only reason I''m able to do that without complaint about it is because I don''t get any gold redemption from me. I used to get them in the beginning, but lately I''ve gotten them to stop dropping additional gold for drops. Why? ''I''m sure Ena would know, but it''s almost as if it''s public knowledge of what the big adventurers have sold. Yes, sir. Ena nodded. It''s similar to the chieftain''s list that once existed in the original world. The gold movement of the top tier adventurers, and the breakdown of the drops involved in it, is transparent at a tremendous level - or worse, disjointed. I''m getting a lot of gold from Aurum, it could be that I''m leaving Aurum alone for the gold. That''s what''s going on right now at nine o''clock, five o''clock. So it''s hopeless. ''Yeah, that''s why I''m earning Tellurium as my main source of income. If Tellurium ever joins us here in the future, we''ll have to keep our main hunting grounds separate. Totally. ...... Ena sighed. But for some reason, her bitter smile looked more and more happy. ''Well, earn it then. My income and expenditure are downright red.'''' Well, that''s the best way. It''s the end of the month and we don''t have time until the next settlement or debit. We''ll have to work overtime, even if only temporarily. Leave that to us. Do you want me to handle it? What do you mean?I look at Ena with a "I''ll pay you in advance. "I''ll pay you in advance. You must deliver this amount in one month''s time. I''ll pay you that amount in advance. Ena held out a sheet of paper, as if she had prepared it. On that paper was a list of goods to be dropped in my main battlefield, Tellurium. They were all in tons - no, ten tons, a hundred tons. That''s the amount of money you could normally earn by hiding in a dungeon for 30 days. ''That''s enough for about a month. ''Yes. With Lyota-san''s credit, I can pay you in advance with this number of quotas. This is a legitimate business deal--a deal that benefits both parties since the ''golden tree'' can be purchased on a steady basis. Okay. Thanks, I''ll take advantage of the feeling. So, on a level playing field: ...... Ena laughed again, a bitter smile that seemed to make her look happy. ''Well then, I''ll pay a hundred million piro in advance to your account tomorrow. Thank you. I look forward to continuing to serve you. Ena said, skipping a wink and walking out of the curbside room. I''ve been blessed with a mate. ...... I''ll have to work hard to keep those friends from worrying about me. 507 507. Generation gap I''m home. After going to tellurian for the first time in a long time, I got up on time and returned to the mansion after a full day of going to tellurian for the first time in a long time. I left the transporter room at the end of the transporter room, putting my magic cart away securely in the magic cart storage area. ''Uncle ......'' Sakura is waiting for me there. She''s staring at me with a grim face. ''What''s wrong, what''s going on?'' I flipped a switch in my head. Did something else happen? Where dungeons were born, spirits called for help, and adventurers were in trouble. That''s the kind of thing we''ve seen and experienced before. For now, I''m in no hurry. ''That''s great, Uncle! "Huh? It wasn''t like any situation I had expected. Sakura was all over the place, her eyes sparkling as she crowded in on me. ''What?What are you talking about amazing? I just went to Elsa and her friends'' place earlier and it''s amazing, uncle, they make more than 1 million yen a day? ''What?Oh, is it that way?Technically, it''s not a circle, it''s a pillow-- You mean like that million yen?Just one, right?You could rent out Disney or something, right? I mean, one is one, but doesn''t it take a billion to rent out Disney? I don''t know. I mean, maybe even a billion is not enough.I''m not sure 10 billion is as good as it sounds, so I''m guessing ...... double-digit billion? It''s amazing how much money you can make in one day. Hey, hey, do you wanna play daddy? I won''t!I don''t think that''s a good idea! Haha, it''s only a joke. I feel sorry for you, but you''re already blushing. If you''re the master of Cheerem, you have to be more prepared. I''m not even cheerleading: ...... Sakura''s top-notch teasing made me thirsty. I walked out of the hallway with her, shoulder to shoulder. ''But it''s really amazing. A million yen a day is - ah, Piro. A pillow is worth about the same as a yen, right? ''Yeah, ...... well, it''s the first time since Sakura came in, or seriously made money in a dungeon.'' Yeah. My transition, my uncle was in the middle of doing the californium thing. That''s right, isn''t it? It was a pretty normal misunderstanding. Sakura was fitting in so fast, she''d been around for so long, or she knew everything about the family. I was in that mood. ''There''s quite a lot you don''t know about ...... in Californium. Such as? Do you have a favorite bar where everyone goes to drink? ''That''s so cool!Master, the usual!Are you going to do that? It''s the other way around. I like new things, so I''m going to be offered new products. That''s even cooler. What else? There''s a town named after me, right? ''Classic!Wow!Where is that?Let me see it. ''It''s late today, so tomorrow. And ...... Oh, you mean like the one who gets taxes, not the one who pays them? ''Nice, Cheelem-ish!'' The more we talked, the more excited Sakura became. It was refreshing to hear that something she had taken for granted before was actually (not so much actually) something she didn''t know about yet, and I told her about it, one after another. ''Oh, and black parties and all that. They''ve been going less and less lately, though. "Black party? It''s a party like a black company. ''A company man?Is there a company man or something? I have a hard time reacting to your agitation in there. Yeah, there''s a lot of ...... stuff out there. I was about to go back to my room, but Sakura was with me, so I came to the salon instead of that one. I walked into the salon and sat in my spot. Sakura also sat on the couch around there. ''Ya ...... but it''s awesome,'' Hmm? Million yen. Sakura eventually returned to it. ''Cheerleading is great, but it''s just that it''s fun. There''s no real feeling or anything. But a day''s pay?A million yen is amazing. It''s amazing, even to me. I see. I thought for a minute. "Well, here''s another great one. ''Oh?What? The chief executive. Oh, they came third last year. I''m this excited about earning over a million pounds a day," Sakura said. I said to her, "If she''s ranked third on the list of top three, she should be even more excited. ''What?What''s the longest? Huh?You know, like a ranking of taxpayers, or people who make a lot of money. ''There is such a thing. ''And that''s third place?That''s awesome! Sakura was one tempo late and excited, but ...... I was aghast. ''You don''t know the long list ......?'' Hmm?Maybe it''s something that used to exist?How old is your uncle? Gruffy, no comment. I ate the generation gap in a place I didn''t expect, and it took a pretty big toll on me mentally. 508 508. Ferrum shock ''Huh?What''s that? I got home on time, and no one had left yet, so I was wandering around the hallway at random, when I ran into Elsa and Emily coming back from the normal entrance, not the transfer room. They were an unusual combination, and it was unusual for them to come back from the entrance. More than that, the two of them were carrying a large amount of luggage. Elsa is also holding a large amount in a bag, but Emily was holding more than that, holding so much luggage that it would pile up on the ceiling to the extent that her body would be completely hidden. That package was--. ''Toilet paper?'' Oh, I''m back, Mr. Lyota. Yoda, is that you?I''m home. Elsa was able to look over the large amount of toilet paper she was holding, but Emily couldn''t and spoke to her from behind the ''wall''. ''You''re back - that''s fine, but why don''t you leave that somewhere else first?'' Yes. Elsa, you''re here. With Emily leading the way, they carried a large amount of toilet paper into the room they were using as storage and unloaded it. Elsa said, "Huh ......" and let her hands dangle and circle her shoulders to unwind, but Emily, who was half as small as Elsa and had more than five times as much to carry, was stunned. ''I''m home,'' On the contrary, he smiled his angelic smile and said again, "I''m home," without showing any signs of fatigue. Welcome home. More importantly, what''s going on with this? I''m afraid there might be a shortage, so I had to stock up. Scarcity?What''s going on?This - what happened to make it look like an oil shock? I''m not sure about the oil shock ......, but there are rumors that genie attachments may be eliminated. Dissolving with the genie? I''ve never heard the word before. I looked at Elsa, wondering what it meant, and asked her to explain with a glance. ''Felm is a dungeon, though. What''s it called, Ferrum: ...... I twisted my head around and thought about it. That doesn''t sound familiar. Ferrum ......f and e ......f and e? Fe...... iron?! I focused my attention on Elsa as she explained, thinking to look it up in the encyclopedia later. My "What was it? Elsa explained, taking it to mean in this world. ''It''s a dungeon that specializes in dropping paper,'' The paper ...... ah. I saw a high pile of toilet paper, perhaps a decade''s worth. Well, it''s also paper. ''There''s a rumour that a genie there got into a fight with a genie adventurer to get rid of his genie. I don''t know, it sounds like a lover''s quarrel, doesn''t it? It''s not like they''re even heteros*xual, or that it''s just my imagination. ''It seems to be a very rare story. The cause of this time is apparently a ''personality disagreement''." "Is it really a lover''s quarrel!Or rather, it''s grounds for divorce! ''Oh, Mr. Ryota, you''d better not get involved in that, wouldn''t you?The dissolution with the spirit is always a quagmire. Even that Mr. Neptune said, ''That''s filth.'' ''So we''re divorced!I mean, maybe. ''Yes, because after it''s resolved, the drops usually drop drastically or stop because the spirits sulk,'' I see. ...... and then you can go to ...... I have a pretty reliable source: ...... Elsa said and smiled bitterly. I don''t want you to get hit, that''s what I''m saying. If that''s the case, I wouldn''t intervene, but ...... oh no, that''s what happens. The spirits in our family, we have to make sure we don''t offend them. In order to pass on the rumor of an iron but paper spirit, I met Cliff at Lyota, a village of unique monsters, and told him about it. ''According to Elsa, I have a reliable source of information. I think it''s a good idea to hoard the paper products now. The price is going to go up considerably. Okay, thank you. Cliff, who is under our umbrella and who once rescued us from the Black Party, bowed deeply. He has friends to protect as well, he''ll put the information to good use. ''Well then, I''m going back to the mansion. ''Oh, have you told Miss Margaret about it yet? No. But she''ll be fine. Those four knights are so good, you probably already know about them ...... and even if they''re actually in short supply, you''ll be able to procure them normally. The four knights who follow Margaret. Sakura calls me a ''cheerleader'', but I think those four are much cheesier than that. ''''No, that''s not right,'''' ''What?But those four guys. I didn''t mean that, I just meant that you have to teach them. Me?Why? Just make sure you tell Miss Margaret about it. Hmm ...... Well, better to do it than not. It''s just a matter of time before it happens. Stars. Nifonium Dungeon, first floor-- ''Thank you!'' It was in Margaret, who produces air boxes, and when I told her the same story I did for Cliff, she was incredibly grateful for the tremendous momentum. She''s looking up at me, her eyes glazed over and impressed. His face is also heartily red. I was a bit puzzled by the fact that he was more pleased than I expected. 509 509. Butt wipe Ogiri It seems the Ferrum rumors are true. It''s the evening salon, a time for friends to gather and relax. Normally, the atmosphere is relaxed and lively, but on the contrary, Elsa cut in with a serious expression on her face. The group of adventurers, merchants and spirits all huddled together and looked at Elsa. ''So does that mean that paper in general is going to skyrocket? I have no doubt about that. I see. ...... I''ve looked at past examples and made some calculations about what might happen. Ena. I''ve talked to several buyers and we''ve come up with a ballpark figure. Multiple buyers are becoming more and more important. The iconic ...... story about toilet paper going up to about 2,000 piro per roll. High! ''What?That much? It was me and Sakura who raised our voices first. We are Japanese. We felt that toilet paper was cheap and could be used for free in public toilets. It cost 2,000 piro (yen) a roll. I realized that life in this world depends on the dungeon. ''I knew you didn''t want that one, but thanks ......, Elsa. Sakura thanked Elsa for her help. She didn''t know about the oil crisis itself (which again gave me a culture shock) and called it an exaggeration when she saw the large amount of toilet paper, but when she heard that it cost 2,000 piro per roll, she was dressed to thank me. ''Ah!'' What''s going on? I have paper for Genesis. That''s okay. I''ve got enough for one year. For Sakura-san. ''Really?Thank you. I''ll get the money later. Yes, sir. Sakura turned pale when she realized she was in trouble, and Elsa got ahead of it. Sakura thanked Elsa, and that made us closer. I turned around and pointed the water at Eve, who was chewing on a carrot by herself without a care in the world. ''Take care of yourself, Eve. A rabbit? Yeah, you see Kalifornium every day now?That''s the worst place to be if something happens to you. It is, after all, a place that produces money. If no new gold was produced at all, business would cease. It''s not impossible to get by with bartering, but the confusion is nothing compared to other dungeons. ''''Don''t worry then, you and the rabbit are soul mates. "Soulfriends? We''ve had a lot of low-level bad language today. That ''low level'' isn''t referring to anyone in particular! I went into it in a big way. It''s a complicated feeling to have people get excited about swearing at you without your knowledge. But, well. If we''re that close, well, it''s okay. I strongly defend my own particulars, otherwise I don''t care. It''s a common trait among spirits, and Eve is a lot like it. ''It''ll be fine, I thought. ''But that''s the thing about lingering, isn''t it? I''ve stocked up on all sorts of paper thanks to Elsa, but we''re a big family, so we can''t keep it forever. That''s all right. I can handle it. ''Auldurm?What do you mean, don''t leave it to me?Does that mean you''re going to pay for my paper with gold? That''s just too much work. What do you want me to do? Aurum held up her hand. Then something clear, golden and flat appeared in the palm of her hand. It looked like an A4 sheet of paper. ...... ...... What''s this? I''m Auldurm, okay?It''s golden, of course. The Gold. The gold leaf. Kinpaku. If there''s no paper, why don''t you just wipe it down with gold leaf? What is it with Antoinette?I''d still rather burn bills for lights. What kind of ass, ass, in gold leaf? What kind of a super-rich person is that? What do you think, my ass looks better? A line of questionable dialogue self-replicating in my brain, no. ''Meramela said if you want the paper, I''ll put it out.'' ''Thank you!But that''s a straight up no-no! Melamella--Phosforus. The spirit of Phosforas, which makes paper money drop. Sure, it''s paper too, but it''s still bad. ...... Hmm?What''s up with the vanadium? Tugging on my hem, Vanadium summoned her dungeon monster, the fluff. It popped and a small amount of water gushed upwards like a fountain. ''Hmm?Um, what do you mean? ...... (chickie) Vanadium pointed at my ass. Um, ....... ''I guess that means they''re going to wash up. Sakura explained. ''What?Oh, you''re going to wash my butt? ...... (nationally) Vanadium nodded repeatedly, "Huns! I snorted, "I''m sorry. ''Thanks,'' I didn''t pout and patted Vanadium''s head. Vanadium happily clung to me. No, I wanted to poke at it, but I didn''t want to let the genie have a washlet!Or something. But Vanadium is still a better compliment, because it''s better to praise her. She''s slightly spoiled, but she''s still better off doing so. ''Oh, if you ask Mr. Arsenick, he''ll give you lots of flowers. And smell them too. ''Thank you Emily, but that''s not what I''m talking about. A series of outrageous stories, spurred by a ton of degrees because the spirits themselves do it in the first place. The spirits themselves participate in it, the great comedy. The great comedy of how to clean your ass with the spirits. The nighttime salon went off on a grand tangent from the first story, and the evening''s salon was filled with such silly stories. 510 510. Pandemic It''s a big mess, isn''t it? The first floor of the tellurium. Neptune, who announced that he came to play, said that as I was impatiently producing sprouts from slime. As usual, he said it with a smiling face that I couldn''t quite figure out what he was thinking. Ran and Lil followed behind him, as usual. ''You mean Felm?'' He points the muzzle of the gun at the slime and strikes it exactly where it comes to the top of the magic cart. Every single bean sprout falls into the magic cart right after the drop. ''Yeah, it sounds like a real pain in the ass when you hear about it. It''s impossible to repair it if it gets that far. ''Come to think of it, that''s what I was wondering, what did you know about the dissolution with the genie?Did you get to go to that many panting spirits? ''Felm, you see, when the child with the spirit met with the spirit, they made a promise to each other. And in return for that promise, we''re not going to release any rare monsters over there. So that means ...... Yeah, on the contrary, it''s full of rare monsters now. "...... says that rare monsters don''t drop paper products, ''That''s what I mean. It depends on the tier, but there''s a variety of cloths that get dropped. The silks on the seventh floor of Felm are of good quality, and it seems they were useful as an occasional extra income. That''s what it''s all about now. That''s what I mean. I nodded, "I see," he said. The slime pounced on me, and I calmly shot through it. I try to imagine the situation and think about the consequences that would arise. ''If it ...... goes on too long, it''s going to have a negative impact on the price of the cloth this time. There it is. You can bet on that. Are you okay in there? Having wiped out all the slime I could see, I stopped and turned to Neptune and the others and asked. ''I''m fine, what do you mean?'' Hydrogen and Oxydin. That''s right. These three people in front of me are also with a genie. Neptune Oxydin. Lil'' Hydrogen. Ran Hydrogen. Each of them are Oxidine and the "H2O" trio who have met with the genie of Hydrogen. As long as Ferrum''s spirit attachments are causing damage as a dissolution, they''re not completely unrelated. ''''It''s okay then,'''' It''s that simple. We are. Neptune said, looking over his shoulder at Ran and Lil for agreement. ''Yes!'' Isn''t that more dangerous than worrying about other people? Ran only responded innocently to Neptune''s words, and Lil shot back with a zit-eyed glare at me. ''You''re right,'' I chuckled. The slime showed up, and while I chuckled, I shot through it with a normal bullet and let the sprouts drop. Lil was right. I''ve had more and deeper contact with the spirits over here. In the unlikely event that I offend them, there is a very big chance that something will happen that cannot be compared to Felm''s. ''I''ll be careful,'' "...... hmm. But I''ve been watching you. Hmm? Neptune turned to stare at me and my gun. "Have you gotten stronger in a while? Really? Yes, it''s a slime. Neptune turned his head to the side. A slime pounced from that side. I pointed the muzzle of the gun and shot it out tightly when the slime came to the top of the magic cart. The sprouts were properly inside the magic cart. ''See, I knew it.'' What do you mean? You''re directing the slime''s movements with your muzzle. ...... I guess so. I stare at the gun. I remember the way he moved when he took down the slime. ''That''s right. I pointed the gun at him and guided the slime''s movements without daring to shoot it at first. That guiding move, it was a lot bigger before. Uh, ...... maybe? When Neptune told me that, I thought for sure it might be true. I don''t know what I might be doing, because I''m doing it naturally. It''s like being told that when you''re riding a bike, you''re balancing yourself because you''re using your knees this way. Maybe it''s unconscious, but it doesn''t make sense to me. "I see you going further and further, you know, in these details. Neptune was impressed with his usual smiling face. A strange man appeared behind Neptune and approached him. Lil notices it and goes towards the man. The man asks Lil something in his ear. ''I wonder if you know him. ''It''s one of our family''s kids.'' He didn''t turn around, but Neptune had figured that out. ''Do you understand?'' By air. ''You''re more awesome than me,'' he said, though the words were stuck in his throat. ''What?!'' Lil''s impatient voice comes out first, and it''s no longer there. Straddling the man, Lil comes over to Neptune. Then he glances at me and then-- ''You''re in big trouble. What''s going on? All neon production has ceased. Maybe it''s the spirits. Yeah. ...... It was a distraction, but Neptune''s eyes were serious. Rebecca Neon, aka The Perfect''s status-all-A woman. That Rebecca, with a genie, genie, dungeon. Neptune looked at me, smiling somewhat bitterly. ''Seems like either of you (you or I) were okay,'' It''s not funny. I chuckled, too. 511 511. Commendation Once they found out that it was Neptune, I went back to Vanadium from Tellurium. I''m home. ...... (smiling) When Vanadium heard my voice, he came running with a flurry, grabbed the hem and smiled happily. I ask, patting Vanadium''s head as I do so. ''Are Elsa and Ena home?'' ...... (pulp) I see. It''s a situation, and I thought you''d be home. I thought for a moment and said to Vanadium. ''I''m going to go to Cell''s for a minute. Can you tell Elsa when she gets back? ...... (nationally) Thank you. ...... (smiling) Vanadium doesn''t talk, but his emotional expression (in appearance) is much richer than other kids his age. Because it changes so much, I never get tired of watching it, and that''s why it''s loved like a mascot in the family, and catcalled by some. I said goodbye to such a vanadium and went out the front door. From the grounds of the mansion, I walked out into the city of Cyclo and headed for the Dungeon Society. ''Hey, did you hear that?'' Oh, now it''s neon, right? It''s unheard of for more than one spirit to do this at once. What will happen to ...... if it grows any more? The city was suddenly buzzing. Rumors of the neon are spreading fast, it seems. ...... Well, that''s right. The Perfect. I''m talking about the world''s number one taxpayer, Rebecca Neon. The top of any industry always gets people''s attention, and information about what''s going on spreads faster than light. That''s probably why Rebecca, and Neon''s, are so good. I made my way to the Dungeon Society as fast as I could and hurriedly made my way to the dungeon society. Once inside, the receptionist said, "We''ve been expecting you," and let me through to the back. Inside the association president''s office, Cell was waiting for me. ''Thank you for your service,'' So it must be true. Cell has a serious look on his face. I sat down across from him, listening back. ''Hmm, I''d say Rebecca Neon has stopped dropping. It''s been three days already. ...... You covered it up. Cel nodded deeply. ''I suppose he wanted to think it was some kind of mistake, or some other factor. But I couldn''t hide it. Though you could argue that it''s because it''s neon that I was able to hide it for three days. ...... Yeah. I remembered something. It was something that Rebecca once told me in person when she first visited me. Rebecca Neon, the neon dungeon would only drop on her if she was liked by the neon spirits. If the other humans don''t drop at all, it''s no wonder they don''t know right away. ''I see. ...... So it was a fragile relationship to begin with when it came to this. ''Well, any reliance on one person is bound to fail sooner or later. I''m gonna have to be careful. Satou-sama will be fine. I think so. You said it. Didn''t we do that recently?Once we knew it was for the best, we left the californium to Killingrabbit. Yeah. Come to think of it, that''s right. ''The great thing about you, Master Sato, is that you seek out every way possible and don''t insist on doing what you do when you know the best is elsewhere.'' Isn''t it natural to follow the best when there is the best? It''s human nature not to follow reason. ...... I see. I had to smile bitterly. ''Now that it''s come to this, I can only admire Satou-sama''s wisdom. What? ''Erythronium--vanadium. I''ve never had it put in me, and I''ve heard that Cliff and Margaret have never had it put in them either. ...... Yeah. He chuckled again. ''And why I rented out the dungeon, even at my own expense. Yeah. Cell was right. I didn''t put Cliff and his friends in the vanadium dungeon, and I rented out the dungeon. It was all for Vanadium. The spirits have feelings too, so I did it. "Satou-sama, I have a small favor to ask of you. ''What?Again. I''d like to give an award to Master Sato. ''Awards?What? Why? I didn''t know why we were talking about it, and I was grandly surprised. ''Aurum, Prumbum, Vanadium and Carbon. I want to announce the relationship between these spirits and Satou-sama and give Satou-sama a big award. With that, I want to check the other spirits with them. Yeah, ....... I see. You want to make what I''m doing a model for other spirits to follow, and you want to set the tone that other spirits should do the same. If that''s what you mean, I have no objection to that. I replied immediately. ''But keep it to the essentials.'' "Essentially? ''I''m doing what the genie wants to do. Emphasis on that. ...... That''s great, Mr. Sato. Now let''s do just that. As the spirits'' strike was spreading, I was to be honored by the whole world. 512 512. Strong friends That''s why I''m being honored. In the midst of the Prumbum dungeon, I reported the matter to Prumbum, who had come to visit me for the day as usual. Prumbum, who was listening to the conversation in their respective positions, facing each other as usual and chatting, nodded his head slightly. ''It''s an award to show off how well you get along with the spirits, so Prumbum''s name comes up. There might be some changes in the dungeon because of that. If it''s bad, though, I''ll make sure Prumbum''s name is kept under wraps. What do you think?I ask her with a look on my face. Prumbum thinks for a moment and then. ''Does that ...... change anything?'' ''It''s a tough place to ask if anything will change. I don''t even know what''s going to happen. Hmm. You won''t be able to come here, will you? Not likely. In response to Plumbum''s question, he denied it outright. Then there is nothing wrong with it. Then do as you please, since you are not interested. Thank you. I''m a little relieved. That short exchange now is all the trick to dealing with spirits. All the spirits I''ve met so far have been those who have no interest in anything but one thing. To say that they are only interested in one thing is to put it in the extreme: they are stubborn. Dealing with such spirits is easy to say and difficult to say the least. So far I''m doing well. ''''Come to think of it, your people were here the other day. Friends. Here. Plumbum held out his hand, and a woman appeared a short distance away from us. It''s like a mannequin, standing motionless, like a mannequin-- Celeste, ......, something''s not quite right. That which Plumbum has put out is slightly different from the actual Celeste. I could tell at first glance that it was Celeste, but it was something different. It felt the same as when she made my fake one, so I lightly poked at it, but didn''t think deeply about it. ''What''s wrong with Celeste?'' He was in some kind of trouble. Plumbum held out his hand further, and three adventurer-like men appeared across from Celeste. The men said something to Celeste with a scowl on their faces. At first, Celeste listened with a "yes, yes, yes" and finally, as if she couldn''t keep up with them, she turned around and tried to leave. But-- "I can''t believe I followed that guy''s lead. That guy''s a total fraud. One of the men suddenly spoke aloud and said a few words. It was like a silent movie, or a puppet show with no voice, only there was a voice there. Immediately after, Celeste was blown away. Without turning around, her hand moved. Then the countless bicorn horns manipulated by the strings flew wildly, and they beat the men to a pulp. The men couldn''t fully react to the body hits of the magic items that were flying in all directions, and they were beaten to a pulp in the blink of an eye even though they were one against three. That''s when the regeneration by Plumbum ended and Celeste and the men''s dolls disappeared. ''So that''s it,'' ''Huh. By the way, why was that the only part of the story you were talking about? I insulted you, that''s all I remember. Yeah, ....... So that''s it. So it''s all right. Why don''t you thank the girl for me? Okay. But your people are really strong. I was pretty tame on that one, though. Really? Yeah. I nodded deeply. Celeste''s string manipulation, and with that I manipulated the bicorn horn, but I didn''t let out a ball of fire, just physically bumped it. If I''d let out a ball of fire, they''d be scorched black by now. ''''I see. Other things coming out of your mouth: ...... Emily, Alice, Eve, and Sakura, was it? Yes. Are they all this strong? They''re strong. I''m very proud of them. How strong is it? Yes. ...... I picked my jaw and thought about it for a moment. How strong are they all? I hadn''t really thought about that, but I thought again about my friends, who were getting stronger and stronger by the day. ''Are they all strong enough to be the head of the family?'' Yeah, it should be strong enough. I see. And you''re the one who holds it together, I suppose. Plumbum seemed satisfied with my answer. 513 513. Nihonium works Vila Diechee at night. ''This is delicious.'' Sakura was in a good mood and was gulping down a beer when I brought her to her favorite restaurant. ''That''s fine, but are you glad you drank it? Don''t worry, my family''s all about the drinking. No, no, no, I mean, compliance-wise, you know? What are you talking about, Uncle Peter? Sakura shook her fingers, chit-chit, and even winked at me. ''All the characters in this piece are eighteen years old or older, you know. That''s the opposite of dangerous! So do I. I''m an all-girls school girl. You can go to school, too. No, no, no. ...... I mean, how old do you have to be in this world to drink? Speaking of which: "Speaking of which: ...... I haven''t heard anything like that at all. I was curious, so I asked a familiar male clerk who was just passing by. ''Do you have to be old enough to drink?'' I got a rather "what are you talking about?" look on my face. It looks like you don''t have it. I guess not. I never told him how old I was before. ''What?Uh, ...... Speaking of which? I wonder how it was, and I turn my head. Like I heard or not: ....... ''Well, one way or the other,'' Hmm? "When in Rome, do as the Romans do. If you''re okay with it, you''re okay with it in this world. Hmm. I chuckled. ''Uncle Cheelem is fine, too,'' No, that''s a problem! I gave a grand shove. ''Yeah?'' Yes, I mean, aren''t there a lot of guys in this world that are adventurers? ''What?Yeah, well. Yeah. I nodded, wondering what all of a sudden. The overwhelming majority of my companions are women, but in general, when it comes to adventurers, men are more likely to be men. Due to the nature of "hunting" as an activity, men are more willing to become it. "After all, adventurers are dangerous, aren''t they? Sometimes people die. Well, you know. So, men are less likely to be boys in this world! Snap!Sakura pokes her finger at him. ''Yeah?Yeah, ...... it will, right? ''I mean, Cheelem is a natural form!If there are more women in the world, then a world-class uncle should be properly fed full of them! That''s what you''re talking about! I''ve gone into it again in a big way. Sakura is a bit of a problem. Every time she''s in trouble, she calls out "Cheerem". Especially now, maybe because she''s drunk on beer, she is more stubborn than usual. "Am I saying something wrong? The trouble is, it''s not wrong in theory. Yeah, I know. It was something I saw. A lot of men died after this big war, and if they don''t practice polygamy, it''ll be a disaster for society. "Sure, sure. There aren''t that many men in this world, so there''s no need for a cheerleader. That''s boring. Sakura was spoiled, I went through with the story there and then. It was a tangled drink, but since Sakura seemed to be enjoying it, I thought it was fine. Okay, then, I''ll do this. Hmm? "Come play with me. If I win, you can play Cheerem. ''No, no, no, ...... what if you lose?'' I don''t know anything about that. Okay, here we go. Sakura took out her sketchbook and materialized and summoned the picture she had drawn with Genesis. What was summoned was her right arm. It was a brutal right arm "only". ''What is this?'' Arm-wrestling machine. You''re not supposed to play with them here. Yeah. I was also on the edge of my seat, wondering what they would do to me, but I guess I had that much sense. If it was just arm wrestling in a bar, well, it happened all the time. ''Okay,'' I rested my right arm''s elbow on the table. I teamed up tightly with the macho right arm Sakura had summoned. ''Ikuyo, lady ...... go! Pan!Mekimeki Mekimeki. The next moment after the command was given, my arm bent in a different direction. In an instant, I was completely defeated in an arm wrestling match, my arm was broken and the table was smashed with the force of it. ''''Huh?'''' What? Sakura and I both looked at each other. I looked at my broken arm. This is bad. It''s so bad that I''m paralyzed and can''t feel the pain. What is it, Uncle? ...... Yeah. I nodded. I took the portable nowboard out of the Grand Eater''s pocket and used it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Uncle!Status. You''re here. I knew it. ...... Huh?What do you mean? ''There was one possibility in this whole sequence of events. I expected it, but I guess I was right. So what''s the point? ''All of my combat abilities are from the ''seeds'' I gave you from the ''seeds'' I dropped in the dungeons of Nihonium, i.e. Nihonium''s.'' The Genie''s ...... That''s what I thought. A series of, uh, spirit revolts. If you expected it, why didn''t you do anything about it? I did?I''d rather have invited them. What? After the Ferrum one, I rather urged them to do so. Why not? I didn''t tell you this either, but I''m pretty sure nihonium wants to ''make people suffer''. ''What?Is that ...... as a genie? ''That''s what I mean. So this is effectively the same thing as 1.5 billion of vanadium, I rifled through my pockets as I said this. ''Yeah, all the nihonium-related special bullets are gone too. I tried to use the recovery bullets, but they were gone too. The recovery bullets that dropped from the mummy on the third floor of the Nifonium basement, they were gone. ''This is crap.'' I muttered. Even though I had expected this, it''s definitely a troubling situation. It''s only because I expected it that I can stay calm. ''...... haha,'' What''s going on?With such a big sigh. ''Uncle is amazing, isn''t he? You expected it and then made it come to you. Sakura looked at me with eyes that were half gasping and half impressed. 514 514. Princess and party The next morning, the first floor of the tellurian basement. I was earning money and figuring out my current power. My abilities dropped from SS to F across the board. I looked at the slime that jumped at me with a counter punch - but I couldn''t defeat it. On the contrary--. Googie! I heard a not-so-good sound from my wrist and hurriedly pulled my arm back to kill its momentum. Speaking of the slime that hit him, he was pinned down. It was rather furious and gained even more momentum to hit me with its body. I tried to dodge the attack, but my body was heavy. My speed has dropped from SS to F, and I can''t seem to avoid it as much as I would like. I pulled out my gun in a flash. I aimed at the slime with the normal bullets I''d loaded in advance. Pulled the trigger, at close range where it pounced on me, I was able to shoot it out with no problem. And - drop. A large amount of sprouts were dropped from the slime. ''This one''s no different.'' It was a bit of a relief, of course. The only thing that was "forfeited" to Nihonium was the combat stats I raised in seed through the dungeon. The 5 stats in the drop were already S when I dropped (transferred) to this world. A unique skill unique to me that has nothing to do with Nifonium. This one was still the same S, so the sprout drop didn''t change at all. And although my physical abilities were greatly reduced, my gun attack power was completely unchanged. I pushed the magic cart and walked around in the tellurium. The usual scene, the everyday life of tellurian life. I saw a few adventurers here and there, eyeing and bowing to each other as we walked. We walked for a while, and encountered a new slime. I held my gun loaded with normal bullets. I waited for the slime to fly by and guided it to come on the magic cart - I couldn''t. ''Mmm.'' I quickly ducked the body hit, the slime grazed my cheek and flew backwards. Guidance ...... What was I doing? The technique of guiding it onto the magic cart, and when you defeat it, the drop goes straight into the magic cart, a short technique for laps. I couldn''t do that, I couldn''t guide the slime, and it moved unexpectedly and nearly ate the attack. The slime tried the next body hit while bouncing. This time I aimed at it normally and took it down. I picked up a large number of dropped sprouts and put them in my magic cart. I thought to myself, "What if...? After retrieving all the bean sprouts, I walked for more slimes. I quickly encountered them. This time it was an encounter, a long-range shot. ''Mmm, I knew it! The normal bullets I hit grazed the slime. Literally grazed, the slime angrily pounced on me. I fired a series of loaded conventional bullets and managed to take it down before it got hit by the body. It was just as I had guessed. I couldn''t guide it anymore, and even if I aimed normally, it would miss at a distance. The gun''s attack power itself hasn''t changed, but its hit rate has visibly decreased. ''...... and then...'' My brain was rapidly adjusting to the current situation as I realized some of the negative effects of my diminished abilities. I tucked the gun back into my Grand Eater''s pocket and pushed the magic cart through the dungeon. Slime and Encounters, hand in hand at the head of the encounter - and Repetition! I chanted. The slime popped instantly and dropped a lot of sprouts. The repetition seemed to work fine. Well, it would. It''s a magic that I acquired through the guidance of Nihonium, but the magic itself is the result of eating magic fruits, so it''s not a Nihonium thing. And that''s not what I want to know either. I push the magic cart further and look for the slime. Encountered. I cast a repetition and blink the slime away. Pick up the sprouts, press the magic cart again, and look for the next slime. Encountered and repetition. Encounters and repetitions. Encountered and repetition. After a convenient sixth time-- Repetition!--I can''t... The slime didn''t go down, but rushed at me with a body. I knew I was expecting it to a certain extent, and I thought "maybe it''s time," so I was able to duck the rush with plenty of time to spare. After I dodged it, the slime came at me with more body blows and I used the normal bullets from the gun I pulled out to shoot it out. I take out my portable now-board and use it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP F MP F Power F Strength F Intelligence F Spirit F Speed F Dexterous F Luck F --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Repetition is magic, which means it consumes MP to use. With MP back to F, it''s no surprise that the number of times it''s used is significantly lower than it was before. That''s not the only problem. Repetition''s MP consumption is proportional to the strength of the enemy. A tellurian slime can use Repetition with no problem, but as a Dungeon Master, even if your MP is S or SS, it will take up so much of your MP that it will be emptied in one hit. If your MP is F, your repetition is practically useless. That''s a bit annoying. Well, as far as repetition is concerned, I can get away with "a little". I''m not relying on them to begin with. I''m not going to be able to get any more of them. It''s so strong that if you''ve defeated a monster once, you can make it die instantly without exception just by casting it. In a world where everything is dropped by monsters in dungeons and life is based on them, adventurers circle the dungeons over and over again, endlessly. Repetition is the strongest of all, as it allows you to continue to safely defeat the same monsters with minimal steps. That''s why I didn''t use it much on a regular basis. If you use it too much, you''ll lose your edge. It''s the same as if you played an RPG for a long time and then suddenly played an action game, your fingers wouldn''t be able to keep up. And when it comes down to it. And when the time comes... The amount of time you lost could be fatal. That''s why I''ve been fighting as little as possible without using repetitions, using only bodywork and guns. The loss of the repetition is not that big of an impact. I''m just glad I always do. I chuckled and headed to a nearby rest stop. This is the rest stop that Cell had the Cyclo dungeon build after he became the head of the dungeon association. Monsters don''t come close to that resting place. In that safe zone, I decided to take stock of the current situation. First of all, I''m now at ability all F. It''s exactly the same as it was right after I moved in. My body isn''t used to it yet, but it''s the same as the ''original'', so my senses will catch up to it soon. And all the magic is still there. Repetition, window cutter, and silver quick. The magic that I got from eating the magic fruit was still there. By the way, I tried it out before I came to the rest stop, the magic was there, but I didn''t have enough MP to activate it. This is a physical thing, when you can''t grab it because you don''t have enough MP, nothing happens, but you feel a sense of emptiness in your body. Through it all, I confirmed that I had all my magic left. And the guns were still there. Two normal guns and two +10''s. This one had nothing to do with Nifonium, so it''s no surprise. The bullets - this might be the biggest problem. It''s easy to understand, in a way, that the ability has been mercilessly lowered to all F, but it''s all down. But the bullets are not. A good half of the bullets I have, in fact, are from Nihonium. Frozen bullets, flame bullets, recovery bullets, straitjacket bullets, ironclad bullets, slashing bullets, etc....... Nine levels of special bullets were missing. In particular, the recovery rounds and iron wall rounds are quite painful. The others are frequency of use and other replacements, but these two are inevitable. Well, there''s no point in asking for something that isn''t there. "Ryota-sama. A sullen, elegant voice called out my name. I turn around to find Margaret standing there. Good night. How''s it going? It didn''t make any difference to me at all. Okay. I nodded. I asked Margaret to go to Nihonium. A dungeon that doesn''t drop anything - a dungeon that only drops air for everyone but me, Nihonium. Hence, the only adventurer who goes there is now Margaret, who makes air boxes. She continues to go to Nihonium the same way, even though she is now drop-all A. He said, "I have someone waiting for you," he said. The result of having that Margaret go. ''It didn''t change at all, did it?'' Yes, I do. Okay, all right. That means that Nihonium has been decisive with me. Nihonium, my obsession as a spirit is to annoy people. That was inspired by this one incident, but it means that it''s only being demonstrated on me. Then, I thought, well, maybe that''s okay. ''Lyota-sama,'' Hmm?What? Why don''t we have a party for a while? Party? Yes. Ryota-sama and I look just like each other now. I see. That would be interesting, and I was starting to have a little fun with that. 515 515. Tellurium Tellurian Basement Level 2. He came down with Margaret. ''Lat, socha, play, builder. haha When Margaret called out in a whisper, the four knights appeared out of nowhere, as usual. Their appearance seemed even more abrupt due to their diminished abilities. ''''I''ll be working with Lyota-sama on the dungeon attack for a while, no matter what, don''t mess with them. yes After a short, hesitant reply, the four of them disappeared without a sound. ''Well then, let''s go.'' Yeah, let''s go this way. Tellurium is the dungeon I''m most used to going through. It''s a dungeon where you can see its structure even with your eyes closed and you can''t get lost. I led the way and started walking. I walked for a bit, and soon I encountered a monster. A sleeping slime, a monster with sleepy eyes, from the second floor of the tellurium. ''''I''m going to go.'''' What? A completely unexpected action. As soon as she encountered the Sleeping Slime, Margaret dragged her great sword and bravely jumped into the Sleeping Slime. It''s fine, though. It''s a good thing, but on the way, she tripped and fell face first into the ground with a pitter-patter sound. ....... ....... ............. ................... I''m not sure if it''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about, but I''m sure it''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about, and I''m sure it''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re talking about. ''Itatataku: ......'' The silence was broken by Toto Margaret herself. She got up and rubbed her reddened nose with tears in her eyes. She was in a natural "sitting girl" pose and was rubbing her nose with it. Despite the situation, it felt irresistibly cute. The sleeping slime also started to move, and I hit Margaret, who rushed into it, with her body. I pulled out my gun - but I couldn''t pull the trigger. It was a normal bullet that was loaded. It was something that could take down a sleeping slime with a single shot, but its ability was reduced and its hit rate was also reduced drastically. And when viewed on a flat surface, Margaret and the sleeping slime are half overlapping. I might hit it. For a moment it crossed my mind and I couldn''t pull the trigger. ''Hiya!...... Yeah! Margaret sat up in a girl''s seat and put up her big sword to prevent the sleeping slime from hitting her body. The momentum threw her off balance again, and this time she fell on her ass. But the sleeping slime that was flipped off was far away from her. ''''Still!'''' I aimed at the sleeping slime and pulled the trigger in rapid succession. The two pistols fired a full series of regular bullets. Over ten bullets shot through the sleeping slime and dropped the usual Lyota carrot. ''''Feng...... are you alright?'''' I rushed over to Margaret and grabbed her hand to wake her up. "Uh-huh. What''s going on? Margaret looks kind of happy. ''It worked out well, didn''t it?'' Did it work? Yes, sir. I''m the swordsman and Lyota is the gun. I''m the vanguard and Lyota-sama is the rear guard. I''m glad it''s working so well. Yeah, ....... I see what you mean. I can certainly say that ...... worked out well, though. What can I say, I''m a little uncomfortable with Margaret as a vanguard. Even with the fact that she fell down earlier, yes, she''s not very good at being a vanguard. ...... Well, now she and I are exactly the same in terms of status. It''s perfectly natural for the different weapons to dictate the formation. So I put my gun away. Then I pulled out a bamboo spear from the Grand Eater''s pocket. ''''What''s that?'''' ''I don''t know if this is the first time Margaret has seen it. It''s the first weapon I ever used. Well, did Master Lyota give it to you? Yeah. I nodded and looked at the bamboo spear. I had it repaired after I broke it before. I didn''t use it because I got the gun from Hagremonos soon after that, but it was the first weapon Emily gave me, the first weapon I''d always saved for dear life. I carried it around with me all the time, especially after I got the Grand Eater''s pocket, though I never used it. A good luck charm of some sort, sort of. ''Here, let''s fight in the vanguard together. Together? Together. "...... pop Margaret''s cheeks flushed, something that made her happy. ''Yes, let''s work together,'' Yeah. We walked out of the dungeon again, shoulder to shoulder. I was the first to jump out of the way when I encountered the sleeping slime. The abilities are the same, and the weapons are the same for close quarters. Then the rest is a matter of appearance. If you ask me who should rush in first and do something about it, me or Margaret, it''s definitely me. I''ll go in, and if I can take it down, I''ll take it down, and if I can''t take it down, I''ll induce a breath of sleep in the direction of the day after tomorrow, and Margaret, who comes a breath later, will take it down. It''s a nice combination for a hastily made man. Margaret seemed to think that too, and our eyes met and she smiled happily again. And so they continued to fight together. Drop S and Drop A. The pace of defeating them is a gaggle slower than before, but the quality of the drops remains the same. Most importantly, it''s ...... a little fun. It''s fun to fight together, and I never get tired of seeing Margaret''s badass cuteness that sometimes slips away. This is what it''s all about - I''m thinking. It''s not a good idea. When I pierced the sleeping slime with my bamboo spear, to my surprise, not a carrot, but a gate appeared. ''''This must be ......,'''' Do you want to come in to ......? Yes! I walked through the gate with Margaret, who nodded vigorously. The view had changed dramatically. A view of the type I''d seen before, that room. ''Welcome.'' I turned around at the calm voice and saw a small - like a sitting child, a cute little grandmotherly person there. ''Terl, Ms.?'' The other side smiled and smiled again, calmly. 516 516. Slime ring Nice to meet you, man. ''Yeah, yeah. Yes. What came to my mind was the grandmother in the candy store. A calm grandmother sitting in a quiet space, a bit removed from the world (in a good way). That feeling reminded me of my childhood, and I naturally became respectful. ''Um, tellurian, sir, right?'' Ho-ho, you''re right. Nice to meet you, I''m Ryota Sato and this is Margaret ...... Huh? I turned my head to the side to make introductions and was surprised. I couldn''t see Margaret as she walked through the gate with me. I wanted to talk to you. I wanted to talk to you, and my daughter is waiting for me in her room. ''So that''s what we''re talking about ......!You don''t think your life-- I remembered Arsenic. Arsenic''s spirit, Arsenic, who also had the appearance of an old man, Arsenic. When I first saw him, Arsenic was dying. He''s still in good health," said Arsenic. He''s still in good health and can stay here for a few hundred years. Ho, ......, why? I''ve been watching you for a long time, you know. I''ve been watching you ever since you first came along. Oh, yes. I''ve been watching them grow stronger. But today''s move was strange: ...... something happened. Ah, ....... Okay, I thought. And I was grateful, I thought. I felt a warmth in my heart at the thought of being worried by someone I hadn''t met before (well, not the first time, technically). "Are you ill for some reason? Oh no, actually, no: ...... I told him about my thing with Nifonium. I had a fixed level of 1 and a constitution that couldn''t get stronger, but I collected seeds dropped by the Nifonium to improve my abilities. But what that Nifonium wanted was to "annoy people", which turned out to be "annoying to just me". And because of that, his abilities were restored. I explained the whole thing to Grandma Terl. That''s a lot of trouble. To be honest, it''s a bit of a challenge. But that doesn''t mean it''s completely unmanageable. There are normal bullets, and special bullets with high suitability for the situation. If you need overwhelming firepower, there are blue flame bullets left, and if you want to finish the job in an instant, there are accelerated bullets left. Most importantly, there''s a drop S left. To say that you''re in trouble is an understatement, but the truth is that you''re not in as much trouble as you look. You need power, huh? What? I''m gonna help you until Nifongnium is no longer in a bad mood. ''Your power ......?Why? Thelle giggled. A cute old lady, that''s what they call it. I thought the old man in front of me was definitely that kind of ''cute old lady''. I want the children who come to visit me to be in good health," he said. ...... please. I lowered my head quietly. I felt like a grandmother who wanted to give her grandchildren an allowance. And - a genie. Spirits only want one thing. He only wants one thing on the level that the other things don''t matter. Even if it doesn''t, she''s a tellurian grandmother who gives off the vibe that she wants to give her grandchildren an allowance. I don''t think I''m going to be able to say no, I''m too sorry. Then you should keep this on. Grandma Terl held out her hand in a swoop. She''s holding something, I reached out my hand as a plate and handed it to her. It was a ring. ''What''s this?'' It''s a ring that will completely disable my children''s attacks. My kids are ...... slime''s! Grandma Terl nodded quietly. A ring that completely nullifies slime attacks. This ...... is a hell of a piece of equipment. 517 518. Boiled tellurium Why are you giving me this ...... thing? I''ve been watching you all day, sir. Grandma Terl said exactly the same thing as before. It''s like you were born from my son, and I''ve been watching you all day like a grandchild. She really was a grandmother giving her grandchildren an allowance! I mean, ...... that''s how it felt. I haven''t figured out the exact cause yet, but I was dropped on the first floor of Tellurium. One could argue that I was born out of slime. When you think about it, a grandmother and her grandson is not a ridiculous story at all. When I thought about it, I felt more and more like I had to have it. I understand, I will use it gratefully. It makes me very happy. That''s good news. Grandma Tellurian said, and smiled prettily at him. Oh, Lord Lyota! As I came back into the dungeon from Grandma Telluride''s place, Margaret, who had been looking around, noticed me and scampered up to me. ''Are you alright, Lyota-sama?'' I''m sorry to worry you. It''s just that Grandma Terl called. ''You''ve met with a spirit after all, Master Lyota! Margaret clasped her hands together and smiled as happily as she could. ''So the Tellurian spirits have agreed to help you?'' It''s like, well, you know, I got this thing. This is ...... ring, is it? Yeah, any slime? One of them just passed by there. Let''s go after it. I walked out with her in the direction Margaret had told me to go. As soon as they turned the corner, they encountered a sleeping slime. ''Watch me,'' Yes! With Margaret nodding vigorously in her place, I walked toward the slime, equipping the ring. The sleeping slime approached me and angrily slammed into me. The body hit my crotch with a tremendous force and just hit me in the groin. "Ryota-sama! Margaret shouted my name, just as it was hit and miss. ''Yeah, I''m fine,'' Sleeping slime that hits the crotch of the body, loses momentum and falls right down. As it was, it rolled away from me like a rubber ball. I looked at the ring I wore. It''s a slime-disabling ring, and it works perfectly. The fact that he suddenly went for my crotch made me impatient for a moment, but I''ve met a number of spirits before, so I was sure that I was fine. ''''Ryota-sama!What was that? As you can see, it''s a piece of equipment that neutralizes all slime attacks. Wow! We''ve disabled the attack, but what about the sleep breath? From beside me as I said this, the sleeping slime let out a breath with an increasingly angry face. This was also received without moving at all. The sleep slime''s sleep attack, which had been asleep as soon as it was applied before, didn''t work at all. ''''So the status attack is also disabled?'''' It''s getting more and more amazing. Okay, we''ll change our tactics. What? I''ll take care of the attack, and Margaret will take it down. Let''s go. Yes! When I got up on time and returned to the mansion, Emily had returned at exactly the same time. Emily dropped the hammer she was carrying and ran over to me. ''''You''re home!'''' I''m home. Perfect timing.... Emily, I need you to do me a favor. All right, what do you want me to do? Teach me to cook. Huh ...... cooking, is that it? Yeah. I nodded deeply and looked at Emily. ''Okay,'' Emily took it on without asking too much. Grandma. Oh, what''s the matter with you?I mean, how did you get in here? Grandma Terl, who was sitting in almost the same pose as when we parted earlier, sitting in a candy store grandmotherly way, was surprised to see me. ''Here, I''ll share this with you.'' I held out what I had brought. In a deep bowl is a stew made with carrots and bamboo shoots. I made it with ingredients that I just got today. I hope you''ll enjoy it. You want me to go to ......? Yes. Grandma Terl was surprised. I held out the bowl and handed her the chopsticks I had brought while I was at it. ''Here you go,'' Let''s have it. ...... What do you think? It''s delicious. I''ve never tasted dungeon vegetables like this before. Oh, right. Good to know it''s in your mouth. ...... We went to all this trouble to get you to eat this, huh? Yes. When he nodded, Grandma Terl was first surprised, then giggled again, more and more happily. 518 519. Get serious with tied up play 110,000 and ...... three hundred and twenty piro. When I got home from Grandma Terl''s in the evening, before everyone gathered in the salon, I grabbed Elsa, who had also returned, and went into the testing room. That''s where she read out the numbers, which were my earnings for the day. I had earned a little over 110,000 for a whole day around the tellurian, which was quite a bit less than my peak. ''I see,'' I nodded. I had felt the drop in efficiency, but when I put the numbers like this, the difference between the old and the new was more apparent. ''We''re talking about half of it, right? ''Yeah, we split the margaret and the drops 50/50. The effort was about the same, you know. ''''With the current Lyota-san, even if you spent a day hunting, you''d only get about 200,000 piro. Well, yeah. When I nodded, Elsa looked serious. ''''No matter how much, it''s too little. We can''t continue like this, we can''t cover Vanadium-chan''s rent.'''' The rent for the Vanadium Dungeon is about 1.5 billion per year, or about 4 million on a daily basis. 110,000 is a drop in the bucket, it''s just not enough. I''ll go to Mr. Nifornium and ask him to stop. ''...... I don''t know about that either. Because that''s what she wants to do. But I can''t let it go. ''Oh well. I had 110,000 today, but it was a combination of not being used to it yet, meeting Grandma Tellurian, teaming up with Margaret to do it recreationally and ...... a number of causes. If I do my best to go around tomorrow, I''m sure I''ll be fine. But... I''m not going to tell Nihonium to stop. I said clearly. Elsa, who had been trying to say something, gulped and cringed. ''It may seem that way because you''re spending 1.5 billion piro on vanadium, but nihonium is just as important as vanadium. I mean, all the spirits involved are important. We want to do everything we can to make what we want happen. ...... Elsa looked extremely complicated. ''Do you really want to go on like this?'' ''Yeah, I''m not going to stop. Just so you know, I''m not going to ask Elsa to ask Nihonium for an excuse for not telling me. I went ahead of you. As is often the case in these situations, the people around me are ready to do something for good and ready to be the villain. I refused to do anything, saying it was a bad idea. ...... I understand, for now. Anyway? "As a ''money tree,'' I''m giving Mr. Lyota a loan or an advance. Yeah. I won''t say anything as long as you''re paying it off. If you don''t pay it properly, we''ll make our own arrangements. Yeah, that''s fine. It''s a great way to drop the ball. It''s just a matter of me doing something about it and keeping up with the payments. Stars. The next day I headed to Tellurium alone. I put on the ring that Grandma Tellurian gave me and went around Tellurian. A ring that nullifies all slime attacks, a ring that makes you invincible. I put it on and fought a discarded battle. I was prepared to counterattack the attacking slimes with a counterattack, and I kept forcing myself to hunt the slimes anyway. When I filled up one magic cart, I went downstairs. I sent more and more of the dropped items I hunted to the "Golden Tree". The pace was much faster than yesterday. Being able to discard and ignore damage was extraordinarily strong, and when I pushed hard without thinking about it, my efficiency went up dramatically. 2.3 million piro. Elsa again in the evening. The amount of the tally she told me was far more than the previous day. Even with this, it''s still not enough, but Elsa doesn''t have the impatient look she had yesterday. ''''As expected of Lyota-san, it seems that her worry was unnecessary. It''s not quite half enough, though. I''d be worried if they were off by an order of magnitude, but they''re only twice as big. Elsa chuckles. ''I''m sure Lyota-san can handle it, I''m sure of it. I was grateful for the trust. I felt strongly that I had to respond properly. 519 519.119th spirit? I thought about it at night, in my room, lying on my bed. Elsa told me that, but it''s still not enough, I have to earn twice as much as I do now. Today''s earnings, which I earned today after putting on the slime invalidation ring and abandoning it to the fullest, is practically my current limit. My ability is the lowest, and my limit covered by weapons and items is 2.3 million. Knowing that makes sense. But in reality, I need to make at least 4 million piro every day. What do I have to do to achieve that, and what do I lack? I thought about it. ''More weapons, items, I suppose,'' You can''t expect levels, there are items in this world that lower the level limit, but not items that raise it. After transitioning to this world and talking to and researching various people, I''ve come to the conclusion that it doesn''t exist. Likewise, there is no such thing as a drop S ever. In that sense, the item that raises the level is probably not entirely out of the realm of possibility, but it would take as much of a miracle for another drop S to show up. There''s no hope for that one. Then the ability. There''s a lot of work to be done over here. For example, the Quicksilver I have. If you layer on top of each other for an extended period of time, you can elevate all of your abilities to the next level. I hadn''t looked into this one. Until now, I had Nihonium. I didn''t need to look into it because if I had gone through the Nifonium, I could see the All S at first and then the All SS after that. Yeah, let''s check this out. And the bullets. We didn''t have to rely on Nifonium to get all sorts of special bullets. Let''s find more of those. So, we earn our keep, and we keep finding abilities and bullets. I''ll look for these two and investigate. This is how we set our sights on our next target. At this time, I was only looking at the possibilities, and I had completely overlooked the things I''d done so far. ...... (giggle) The next morning, as I left my room and headed for the bathroom, my sleeve was tugged on. I stopped at the familiar touch and turned around to see Vanadium standing there. ''What''s up?'' Vanadium doesn''t answer and walks away, tugging on my sleeve. I wonder what''s going on. I obediently follow him. Vanadium brings me to the entrance of the mansion, the entrance to the dungeon. Then he points outside. ''Visitors?'' ...... (nationally) Okay, I nodded and went outside. Vanadium dungeons don''t let strangers in, so I make sure to go outside when guests come in. This time was no different, and when I got outside, Clayman was standing there. He''s one of the unique monsters that I''m "formally kept" by, and he''s the head of the Hagrete village, Lyota. He paid me a rare visit. I''m not sure what''s the matter with you, coming here. What''s going on? I''ve heard about Master Lyota. Me? I hear you''re having financial difficulties. Uh, who''s that? Meeke and Cerberus. I see. I smiled. The entire family knows almost exactly what my situation is, from the evening''s banter in the saloon. Meeke and Cerberus are treated as friends, but they''re also unique monsters. They''re connected to Clayman, and they''ve talked to him. ''So we thought we''d raise the amount we pay. ''What?Oh, come to think of it, that kind of thing. I completely forgot about it. Lyota''s village is now thriving on garbage disposal. The trash in this world, if left unchecked, will become hagrete - monsters, so it must be disposed of properly. I''ve set it up as a way for these unique "monsters" to take advantage of their power and help themselves. There was talk of them paying me a portion of what they earn as a contribution - I had forgotten about it. I had forgotten all about it. ''''No, you don''t have to do that--'''' "Now - some people say ''Lyota'' is the 119th dungeon. "Huh? That dungeon-like building Ryota-sama built for us to live in. Yeah. I''ve seen that happen. Some people say it''s a dungeon if it''s dungeon-like and all it takes is a monster. Some say it''s a dungeon, Lyota, and Master Lyota is the 119th spirit, at the very least. ''That''s kind of funny that they said that,'' Regardless of the money, yeah, it''s kind of funny. If this Lyota-sama is in trouble, please let me help you. No. ''We would not have been in this world long ago without Lord Lyota. Let me help you. ...... I chuckled a bit. I cleaned out my room and found the money from behind the dresser. I felt like that. 520 520. A man with zero credit balance I''ve been holed up in the tellurium since this morning. After eating breakfast and having our daily chit-chat at Prumbum''s place, I''ve been holed up in the tellurium. Just slightly, I feel like I''m getting more efficient at hunting. My abilities have definitely gone down, and I''m pretty sure that''s why my efficiency has gone down. But apparently that wasn''t the only thing that happened either. The "gap" between the image in my head and the amount of movement my body can actually do because my ability has gone down has reduced my efficiency in a different way than the reduction in ability. I got used to it. I''ve gotten used to it, and I''ve come to be able to optimize it. It''s because of what we''ve built up so far. I am not relying on the strongest repetition, I am always doing the best laps I can. I''ve always been able to do my best laps and not rely on the strongest repetitions, but I''ve still got the body feel and experience. So even though my ability is back to my original all-F, I can still optimize it in my return. This wasn''t a misunderstanding or anything, I can clearly feel that my efficiency is about 1.5 times higher than it was the day before, it''s never a misunderstanding. And I can still improve my efficiency. I''ve got a target in mind. I holed up in the tellurium and kept on improving my efficiency and defeating the slime. ''Yoda-san,'' Hmm?Hey, Emily, what''s going on here? He called out to me and I turned around to see a smiling Emily standing there with a smiling face. She didn''t have a giant hammer for a weapon, and she didn''t push a magic cart. ''I''m here to pick up Mr. Yoda,'' To pick you up? ''It''s time for dinner. Everyone has already left. ''What?Is it that time already? I was kind of surprised. Physically - what?What time is it? When he told me, I realized. I''d been so immersed in it that I''d lost all sense of time. ''That''s why I''m leaving,'' Yeah. But I''m getting close, just a little bit more. No, sir. Emily dismissed it with a smiley face. ''No, just a little more, just a little more.'' No, sir. I knew it was a smiley face Emily. It was dismissed as being completely unapproachable. "Um... ...... Mr. Yoda, how much do you make today? What? Emily suddenly switches to a question. I was puzzled, but I thought for a moment and answered. ''''Probably three million pirouettes going, I think. I''ll have to ask Elsa later, though. How much more of that is missing? A million things. If we optimize it like this... I knew it. Emily said, "God! He looked somewhat angry. ''Ya, I knew it?'' Mr. Yoda, it''s still a 31-day calculation. "?Because if you don''t divide it up in 31 days, you''ll have to go to ...... Normally, we don''t count on 31 days. Ha, ha. ...... So how many days do you say it''s calculated in? In this world, a month is a month. To calculate how much you have to earn every day, it would have to be 31 days. But Emily says it''s wrong. ''I''ve given up on that one Yoda, I won''t say anything. Instead I''ll go home for the night and get a good night''s rest.'' Hmm, I see your point... It was a rendition. Emily grabbed my arm while also pulling a magic cart and walking away. I was caught by Emily, who was a petite six feet tall, and I couldn''t resist at all. It was power-wise, and Emily''s smiling face made me feel doubly unable to resist. ''Okay, okay, okay, get your hands off me,'' I realized that the adventurers around me were watching me. I was a little embarrassed. So I asked them to let me go. ''No, sir.'' What? ''I don''t trust Yoda-san''s words about not trying hard enough in the world. We won''t let him go until we take him to the mansion like this. Then he grabs my wrist and proceeds to zoon it. I''m not that trustworthy, even at ....... Thanks for ....... I was so happy and grateful that Emily was coming to stop me like this. 521 521. Because its an investment Late at night in the salon. After everyone has gone back to their rooms, Emily is alone in a daze, having finished cleaning up. She''s always smiling and calm, so much so that she''s been described as the mother of the family, and her always smiling, calm expression is clouded. Perhaps reflecting this, the inside of the mansion, which Ryota calls ''warm and bright'', also seems to be faintly shaded. ''''What''s wrong, Emily-san?'''' Then Sakura arrives. From the outside, Sakura is the older sister and Emily is the younger one, but Sakura knows exactly where she and Emily stand in this family. She speaks to Emily in a more polite and respectful manner than she might have done to Ryota. ''Sakura-chan. What''s up?Are you hungry? I miss that feeling. When we go to the country, grandmothers are always asking ''Are you hungry?Do you want a snack? I don''t know if I ever said that. Haha. ...... ''What''s more, what''s wrong with you, Emily? What''s going on in the dark? Do I look like that? Yeah. And by the way, all day long. Yes, it''s ....... ...... Emily was shocked when Sakura pointed it out to her. ''It''s actually about ...... Yoda-san,'' What''s wrong with your uncle? ''Mr. Yoda has started to push himself again, sir. It''s like we''re back to when we met. Oh, you''re overreacting. What was it like when you first met her? Emily answered Sakura''s question, digging up her memories. I met Ryota and served him some bean sprout soup. A few days later, he suddenly rented an apartment, so he came to hand me the keys to it, and I was a wreck at the time. After that, he told Sakura about Ryota "trying too hard" at every milestone. ''That''s what Yoda said. The dark circles under your eyes will only start to disappear ...... when they are gone. That''s not good. So you''re a company man. "Shachiku? Emily tilts her head slightly. ''That''s the kind of person I am. What do you want to do on your next vacation?People who say things like "I''m going to preview a new dungeon - or something like that. Yes, sir. Mr. Yoda, I don''t think about vacations. Again, I''m calculating 1.5 billion piro for 4 million piro a day. You mean you work 31 days a month. I''ve been aware of that for some time, but I guess I''m a company man. ''I feel like I have to do something about it. But it''s also true that we need the money. "Hmm. So I was thinking, "What am I going to do?" ...... Oh, I don''t get it. Sakura was stone-faced. ''That''s a thing ......? Yeah. Why don''t you just ask the spirits for help with that? You can''t do that. Yoda says it''s not good to use the power of the spirits you''re with. Yes, I know. I know. But isn''t that something like Awlum and Carbon and Phosphorus? ......? Emily nodded her head. It''s true that Sakura was right about those spirits. But Sakura''s mouth says yes, and then she says, "What''s that all about? What do you mean by that? No, it''s too easy. ......? You lease vanadium here, right? Yes, sir. For 1.5 billion pounds. That''s right. Normally, when you rent out a dungeon like this, don''t you usually get more than you bargained for from the dungeon? ...... Emily huffed. Sakura sighed lightly, "Oh dear," she said. ''That''s what I mean. You may not be able to make money with the power of other spirits, but you can make money with the power of vanadium. Because you''re paying 1.5 billion a year - you''re investing in it. I''ll get Yoda! Emily ran furiously towards Ryota''s room. Sakura, who was left behind, sighed again, oh dear. ''Really, this place is full of sycophants, isn''t it?'' The expression on Sakura''s face as she spoke was rather good-natured. 522 522. Adults and children Just as I was about to go to bed, Emily came to my room. ''What''s up Emily?'' I need to talk to you. I''m coming with you. Talk? Yes, sir, it''s very important. Yeah?...... Okay. I don''t know what it was about, but Emily''s expression was serious. I could tell that it must be very important, so I left the room and followed her without asking any more questions. Emily led me to the salon. The salon after my friends had disbanded, but Sakura and Vanadium were there. I''ve been waiting for you, and while I''m at it, I invited Vanadium-chan to come over. I also talked to him. Thank you, sir. ''Well, so ...... what are you talking about?'' From the combination of this, I can vaguely guess that it must have something to do with vanadium: ....... Yoda! Yes! I''m almost pressured by Emily''s swordsmanship. ''I''m selling a drop of vanadium,'' ...... Yes? I think you''re kind of skipping ahead of yourself that way. Uncle. Yeah. As it is, it''s not going to make enough money, is it? ...... well, you know. And, you know, he''s not trying to make money. He''s not trying to sell the vanadium water to pay the rent. Okay, I see. We''ve had a similar conversation before, and my reply hasn''t changed since then. ''No, it can''t be.'' ''Well, listen, Uncle. You''re renting out an entire dungeon, right?I know I''ve only been in this world for a short time, but I still know what I''m talking about. Normally this kind of thing, even if you rent out the place, you have to make a profit on it. I was a businessman, so I understand. Well, you know. Sakura is certainly right there. Whether you think of the dungeon as a field, a store, or a factory or something like that, it is a base for producing something, and renting it out is usually a way to earn more than the rent. It''s a base for producing something, and renting it out usually means making more than the rent. ''My uncle pays me fifteen billion piro a year. Unlike the other spirits, he has a legitimate right to make money with the help of vanadium, right? Sakura is also right. But. ''I know what you mean, but that''s no good. Paying the rent here is a promise between me and Vanadium. It''s a promise to protect her from other people. So the rent here has to be paid by me. ''Yeah, I thought you''d say that. That''s why I asked her to come along. Sakura said, and pushed Vanadium''s shoulder. Vanadium trotted over and didn''t grab my hem - as usual. Instead, he made a small gut-punching pose in front of me with his hands and said, "Humph! I snorted, "I''m sorry. ''What''s up?'' I''ll translate for you. Let me do what I can to protect my life with my uncle, too. ...... (hmmm!) Vanadium did the same action to Sakura''s interpreter almost without pause. That''s what he did, as if to say it was the right interpreter. ''Err... ......'' Are you still selfish?Even though the genie is clearly arguing for what he wants to do. Mmm. ...... It was weak to be told that. What the spirits want to do. That''s what I''ve been trying to protect until now, and that''s the key word in this whole mess. I crouched down, keeping my eyes level with Vanadium. ''Are you sure you want to do that?'' ...... (nationally) I see. ...... If that''s what Vanadium himself is like, then you''ll have to do it. ''Yoda, you look kind of sad. Do you look a little happy about that ......? You''re an adult. Are you an adult? ''That''s what happens when someone you thought was a child does something like stand alone. And by the way, kids don''t like to be protected by adults. Yes, it''s ....... The interaction between Sakura and Emily was actually a bit cringe-worthy, too. ''You''ve been treating Vanadium like a child too much, huh? ''I get the story. If you''re going to sell a drop of vanadium, it''s water, but what are you going to do with that water? Let''s just sell it as hydrogen water, like H6O. ''Let''s not do that!Per Hydragen, he''s going to yell at me with Neptune. Even in the midst of the chaos, the spirits have begun to make claims one after another. If you say H6O, there''s a very good chance that a new problem will arise around Neptune. Well, that''s just a joke. I didn''t hear you joking. That''s obvious. I''m not stupid enough to fall for that thing. ''No, well, ...... no comment,'' I put the hydrogen water thing completely out of my mind for once and think about it. ''I knew the best move would be to improve the breed and make a water that wasn''t in chromium. Hmmm. ...... Hey uncle. You''re the guy who often goes to that beer shop, right? Yeah?Villa D''Eche?What''s wrong with that part? Hey, I was just wondering, do they have sparkling water in this world? ''Soda water or ...... Emily, what do you think?'' I''ve never heard of it. What about the vanadium? ...... (pulp) He replied that he didn''t know either Emily or Vanadium. Can you live with that?So. 523 523. Angel Smile Vanadium, 4th floor underground. It''s the hierarchy as it looked when I first arrived as Elythronium. There is a green lawn under a blue sky, as if to say, "Please join us for a picnic. The ground is like an archipelago, with a river running through it. The shallow levels of the vanadium have been converted into mansions for us to live in, so it''s been a long time since we''ve seen this view, even though we''ve been living in the vanadium. By the way, we don''t usually come down below the third basement level because we don''t have anything better to do. I don''t usually go below the third floor because I don''t have anything to do there. I came to the fourth basement floor with Vanadium. "Well, it''s just as I described it before, okay? ...... (nationally) Vanadium clenches his fists in his small hands and is enthusiastic. It''s easy to see why he''s so motivated. Vanadium brought out the Dungeon Master. The Dungeon Master floated in front of Vanadium still, not attacking, but floating in front of him. It was exactly the same as when Nihonium had called out the Dungeon Master during Tennesin and made him stand on a stick. Even though he was the Dungeon Master, he was the monster of that dungeon. And the monsters of that dungeon listen to the orders of the spirits. The dungeon master of the vanadium was also called out and remained motionless in front of the vanadium, still and well-behaved. The breed improvement had already come many times. This time, in addition to that, the genie himself is helping out. By the way, it''s not something you can just say, "I want this. It seems that the genie can only bring out "things that have existed in the dungeon so far". The soda water is not available because it didn''t exist in the past in the erythronium era. I don''t even know if I can produce it by improving the breed, but I''m going to try anyway. I was able to do it the way I''d learned in Lantern Dungeons in Filin''s City. Get the dungeon master out, halt him, feel the change, and defeat him. It''s exactly the same here. The difference is that this time I learned that the vanadium - the spirits are cooperating with me, and that spirits can produce things that were there in the past. Previous breeding efforts have always had one fear. When you got a good one there, if you overruled it, you didn''t know if you could do the same thing or better than this. For example, I''m most confused when I get something that scores 89 or so. I want to aim for 90 in terms of points, but usually the next thing I stop doing is something in the low 40s. And it takes a long time to get it back to 89, and there''s no proof that it''s going to be 90 in the first place. I''d have a hard time just overwriting it and then coming back to this point again. I didn''t have to worry about that at all this time. If the vanadium was there once, I could get it out. That''s why we kept changing them. We continued to improve the breeds. Even if we couldn''t produce carbonated water, which was our initial goal, if we kept releasing more and more of it, there was a good chance that we would be able to find some kind of water that could be used to make money when we examined it carefully later. With that idea in mind, he repeatedly improved the breed with vanadium. ...... (nicely) Halfway through, Vanadium grabbed my pants and looked up at me with a smiley face. ''What''s wrong?'' ...... (smiling) He doesn''t speak, after all, but his expression is rich and his swagger is wide, and his feelings come through loud and clear at that moment. ''Are you having fun?'' ...... (nationally) Vanadium nodded repeatedly, looking pretty for his age and really enjoying himself. ''If I had known this was going to happen ...... I should have had him do it sooner. I chuckled. I don''t think it was a mistake to be persistent, but I wondered if I should have listened to him more. No, I''ll do that from now on. I promised myself again that I would, and then I was tugged on my trousers again, gingerly. Vanadium held out a cup to me. There is water in the cup. Incidentally, there''s one more thing that''s different from the time of the lantern. After improving the breed, there is no need to defeat the monster to make it drop. The moment it was improved, that is, the moment it existed, it could produce vanadium (spirits) at will. The vanadium is then poured into a cup. When I received it, I saw air bubbles rising one after another from the bottom. Yes, this is it. When I said that, Vanadium smiled even more happily. 524 524. Lost Princess This is ....... I see. ...... The Golden Tree, the main store. The parlor. Elsa and Ina, who drank the soda I brought in, were staring at the half-drunk portion with straight faces. "It''s amazing how squishy a simple water can be. This will work. Especially to the ladies. Ena said, and Elsa nodded her head and asked back. ''Why, only women?'' "It''s not water, as you can see. But it''s not sudsy, it''s like a drink. Yes. Why don''t you just say, ''It''s water, you can drink as much as you want without getting fat''? -What? Elsa huffed. As expected of Ena, did you notice that in an instant? It''s only in the last ten years or so that soda water has become all the more popular - in the world I used to be in. One of the reasons for this is the "no matter how much you drink, you won''t get fat" that Ena just told me about. After all, it''s just water with carbonation in it. It has zero calories. It''s sensible and scientific. The fact that it doesn''t make you fat no matter how much you drink is huge. ...... gokuri. Elsa looks at the soda water she''s drinking and has an expectant expression on her face. What kind of expression is that ...... well, I wonder. It''s a good thing," I said, taking advantage of Ena''s story. ''That soda water has another effect. I don''t know. The crispiness cleanses your pores. "--! This time, both Ena and Elsa ate it up. ''It''s water, of course, so I won''t do any more damage to your skin than necessary. I see. ...... That''s going to sell: ...... ''It''s a vanadium dungeon, so no other adventurers can get in, but if it''s a lower-ranked one, maybe one that doesn''t taste good, I think there''s a route to sell it for a wash. ...... Yeah, I can sell it. Mr. Lyota, I''d like to try this out on my house as soon as possible. I''m the one asking. Please. Elsa said, "Yes! He nodded widely. ''Is this a drop for you, Lyota? Ena asked, holding a glass full of soda water. ''No, it''s what Vanadium served me ''straight''. ''Well, then, I''ll need some of what Lyota dropped, too. If this is your first sale, I''d like to have some quality stuff on hand. Quality? I nodded my head. Then Ena looked a little surprised. ''Lyota-san ...... you don''t know by any chance?'' What do you mean you don''t know? ''''If you ask the spirits to put it out directly, the quality is usually only about a drop C, right? What? I didn''t know that, that''s really new to me. ''''If you push yourself as hard as you can, you can get something close to the highest level out of it, but ...... I''ve noticed it recently when I''ve been dealing with all of the spirits. Really? That? Yeah. I noticed that, Alice, Elsa said something like that. ''In Alice?'' If you let the monsters take her down, the drop is more like a C. Yeah. Alice''s bare drops are low, but she actually drops - the amount she earns isn''t bad. We found out a long time ago that if you let a fellow monster take her down, not her own, it''s usually about a drop C. ''It''s kind of the same thing. It might have something to do with the fact that she was born in a dungeon and the monsters - or something like that. I''m just guessing. I see. ............ I picked my jaw and thought about it. For a moment, something crossed my mind. The spirit itself could only produce the equivalent of a drop C quality. It almost connected with something, and I tried to pull that momentary inspiration out of my head. The genie is usually about B to the top of the drop C ...... people who make drop C ...... and I''m S ....... As I thought about all the things that could be connected, I came up with something that wasn''t my first inspiration, but it wasn''t the same as my first inspiration. ''First drop for sale, but there''s someone better qualified than ...... me for the job.'' I don''t know. Elsa and Ena nodded their heads together. ''It''s Margaret,'' A drop-all A air princess. In terms of "brand", she''s far superior to me - she should be. 525 525. Trusted I see. Princess Margaret''s ...... soda water. Elsa and Ena, both of them considering the possibility with the face of a businessman. ''It''s worth the money,'' ''Yes, I suppose so. Especially since this carbonated water - this carbonated water - is not known at all yet, so I think it''s a great idea to borrow her name to get the word out. But, hey. Yes ...... And for a change, they both looked difficult. I knew at once what it meant for them both to look like that. No, I knew from the beginning, and I mentioned Margaret''s name. ''You mean you''re going to put her in the vanadium, right? Yeah. I don''t know if it''s all right. Of course his will is the most important thing. It''s just, "Just? You just did something right before I decided to do it, regardless of what he wanted to do. Yeah, sure. Then it makes sense to identify yourself here, even if you might be exposed to trauma. I don''t think it''s right for me to make a lot of decisions on my own again. ''Yes, I think that would be better. I left the Golden Tree and returned to the mansion - the vanadium dungeon - via the dungeon''s transfer gate. I left the transporter room and walked down the corridor to find Vanadium - not to mention it came from the other side. Vanadium came with flapping footsteps, making a fluttering sound and looking like a child''s "running". She came in front of me and grabbed the hem of my dress with a smiling face. ''I''m home,'' ...... (smiling) ''Sorry to be so quick, but I need a little help with ....... ......? I pulled Vanadium''s hand away and came over to the salon and sat down with him and looked him in the eye and talked to him. ''That soda water was really good. If we sell that stuff, it should be enough to pay the rent on the vanadium dungeon. Even before I was sent over to this side of the world, I saw in the news that the market for carbonated water is growing every year. There''s so much potential in that. Thank you. ...... (Buruburu) Vanadium shook his head, then smiled and laughed. ''Thank you too?'' ...... (nationally) We''ve been together for a long time now, and I''ve come to understand what she''s trying to say in a normal way. She also laughs a lot more often than she did in the beginning. That''s why I''m a little scared to cut this out ...... but. It''s even worse to avoid it this time. With that in mind, I cut to the chase. ''So, I need a favor from Vanadium. ......! Vanadium made a gut-punching gesture with his little hands and made a spirited gesture. ''That soda water, if it''s from Margaret, might sell better. So--I want Margaret in the dungeon. ...... Vanadium wasn''t surprised or frightened, he just stared at me. After staring, he pointed around the salon and stared at me with questioning eyes. I thought for a moment. ''Is he trustworthy?Does that mean? ...... (nationally) Yeah, I trust him. ...... (nationally) A slightly different nod than the one I gave earlier. It''s like, "So long, then. It was accepted so easily and I was out of sync. ''Are you sure?'' ...... (smiling) Vanadium chuckled as he asked. ''If I may say so--'' You just don''t get it, do you? Sakura showed up. She walked into the salon and came to me in a straight line - and decapitated me. "Ouch, what? "Knock the crap out of people who don''t get it. Don''t you get it? Are you sure about this?Of course that''s a good idea. But why? I''m sorry. He decapitated me one more time. ''That''s because I trust my uncle, of course. Because you trust me? ''I trust my uncle, so I trust the people he can trust too. Is it really that hard to tell? ...... I shut up. No, it''s not difficult at all. It''s more of a normal story. "So that''s the ...... thing. ...... (nationally) Vanadium nodded again and again while smiling. It was the kind of look in his eyes that made me trust him completely. 526 526. Margaret and vanadium I greeted Margaret at the front door of the mansion. She walked in with her weapon''s great sword half dragged and was like, "Good. It was me and, most importantly, Vanadium who greeted her. Vanadium invited Margaret into his territory. ''Sorry to ask you to do this on such short notice. I''ll pay you properly.'' ''No. I''m honored that Lady Lyota is counting on me. Thank you. Come on in. He took Margaret and headed to the third basement floor with Vanadium. Elsa and Ena were waiting there. ''We''re ready, sir.'' I''m ready whenever you are. A pile of bottles was piled up beside them as they spoke. ''This is it?'' I take one of the bottles and stare at it seriously. ''Yes, Mao-san arranged it for me. Mao is ......? I''m just a little surprised. Mao Mee. President of the Filin Dungeon Association. She''s a cute little girl of about 10 years old, but she has a special ability that allows her to distinguish most liquor by smell alone. She can tell the quality of even her first drink, and if you think about it, she''s a cheat-grade ability. ''Lantern is a dungeon for alcohol, so sometimes this is necessary. No, Elsa. What? Ena points out with a grin. ''That''s not what''s important, that''s not the point, but that Mao-chan overheard us talking and said she''d love to let us do this, so she gathered this. ''Oh, yes. That''s right. So, praise Mao-chan later. Yeah, okay. I nodded and turned to Margaret. ''Then can you do it for me?'' Sure. I''ll take care of it. And the vanadium, please. ...... (nationally) The two of them are enthusiastic. First, Vanadium, she summoned a monster. The dungeon spirit summoned the monster as lightly as if it were breathing. It was defeated by Margaret, who swung her great sword with centrifugal force and took it down with a slash without hesitation. The dropped soda water was sucked into the prepared bottle. A picture of Margaret''s face appears on the label of the bottle. There is an item called Pandora Box. It''s an amazing item that shows a picture of a dropped person''s face on the label. The bottle version of it. The first bottle of soda water with Margaret''s logo was completed. Is that all right? Yeah. I''m sorry, but I''d like to give out samples here and there first, so could you help me with these bottles? I''ll take care of it. So--what''s that? Are you at liberty to do so, Master Lyota? Margaret looks at me curiously, tilting her head at me. ''Speaking of which, where are those four knights in the example?'' ''You mean Lat, Socha, Play, and Builder. Yeah. The four knights who follow Margaret. I feel like a ninja and call them ninja knights because of their unpredictability and versatility, which allows them to do anything they are ordered to do. I noticed that the four of them hadn''t shown up. Margaret didn''t seem to be relying on them at all either. ''I''ll have them waiting outside the dungeon,'' Outside? ''Yes. You can''t bring him here ......, can you? Margaret said and looked at Vanadium. ''I''m sorry to have bothered you,'' No, of course not. Margaret smiles elegantly at me. Thank you for your concern for our inadvertence - and for being careless. Vanadium approaches Margaret. I looked up at her at close range and wondered what was wrong. ''...... (smirk)'' He grabbed Margaret''s hem and smiled smugly. ''Oh,'' This is ....... Elsa was surprised, and our Margaret. They were touching Margaret and smiling, just as they do to me. 527 527. Thats why I said Well, I''ll take it. ''Because I think I''ll have some feel for it at night. Thank you. You got it. Elsa and Ena took over the Margaret''s brand of soda water. I''ve already had them carry it to the store, along with a large amount of unmarked soda water, and they''re going to be selling a lot of things in the future. Whether or not this will sell - that will change the future course of action. Nevertheless, we''ve achieved one result, we just have to wait and see what happens. "Thank you, Margaret. How can I help you? Oh, my God. Thank you so much. When she thanked him again, Margaret smiled as if a flower had bloomed. A dainty smile, of a dainty princess. That''s why it''s ...... so popular. I''m sure you''ve missed that Margaret, and Vanadium is right beside her, smiling. When you think about how Vanadium got to this point, it''s better to have as many people as possible who miss her and stay with her for as long as possible. ''I''ll serve you some tea upstairs. Emily will be back soon, let me feast on it. Yes, sir. Margaret nods with a smile and follows me as I walk away. With her and Vanadium in tow, I return to the basement floor - the familiar mansion I''m used to living in. As it is, I walk through her and head to the kitchen. I find the utensils, a teacup, and some tea leaves and brew a cup of tea. ''Maddening. ......'' I smiled. The stuff I use is in the kitchen, so there''s no doubt it''s what I''m always drinking. But the moment you put it in, you can tell. It''s not what you''re drinking. The food Emily cooked for me, the tea she made for me. The food Emily made for me, the tea she made for me, it''s always something that makes me happy just to take a sip of it, or just to see it in front of me and smell it. Compared to that, the muddy water I''ve just made is a good place to start. ''No, no, yeah, well. It''s just normal. Emily was so amazing that I felt like mine was muddy water, but when I settled down and tasted it, it was otherwise normal. It''s not that I''m a good cook, or even a bad one. It''s not like I make eccentric mistakes, like tea, or that I can create other dimensional substances. Not really, it''s just normal. It''s just that Emily is too amazing. He gets all freaked out when I tell him that. I chuckled with a chuckle, put my teacup on the tray, and headed back to the salon. Inside the salon, Margaret and Vanadium faced each other with a smirk. ''You look like you''re having fun. ''What were you talking about?'' No, nothing. Nothing? ''Yes. We were just smiling at each other. ...... (smiling) I see. Maybe that was rather nice. With me, they usually want to talk about things, but with Vanadium, it might be nice to just hang out with him. I serve the tea I''ve made to Margaret and we chat. ''Are they still making air boxes and stuff these days?'' Yes. At Nifongnium''s. Can you sell those? ''Maybe. They always tell me it''s not enough. I think it''s at a premium. Then I''m sure soda water would work too. It would be a bit of a problem if her fans bought all of it for collecting purposes. Well, I''m sure it''ll be okay. It''s hard to imagine, but I''m sure there are people who not only want to see it, but also want to eat it. It would be great if it spread from those people. Thank you again, and thank you. ''Thank you again, and sorry about that, but it''s kind of like borrowing a name that Margaret has been piling up. ''No, sir. I''m glad to be of service to you, Lady Lyota. Just. "Just? I wondered why Master Lyota didn''t do it. Me? Yes, I''m sure Master Lyota will be a better seller. "Ha-ha, thank you. As expected, I''m not so much a child as I am a child to get up in arms about it. Especially since Margaret seems to have some sort of fondness for me, she must be patronizing me. However. ''Thanks, it''s nice to hear you say that. I said that, and Margaret was about to say something more, when she opened her mouth, and then. ''Lyotha, Mr. Lyotha,'' I turned around with a puff and saw Elsa at the entrance to the salon, hands on her knees, out of breath. ''Ta-oh my God!'' What''s going on?Elsa. Not enough. What? We''ve run out of soda! ''Oh ...... that''s great Margaret. You''ve come off in this little while. It''s not. What? ''Miss Margaret''s is a blink-and-you''re not, either. Elsa swallowed her spit and came straight at me. ''When I found out that Lyota-san had found a new product, it all sold out in an instant. ...... Huh? That''s ....... I told you, sir. Margaret had a bit of a scowl on her face. 528 528. Independence Soda water exploded. It was supposedly created by me, and coupled with the rarity of it, it spread rapidly. It was something that had never been done before, so there was no need for me to promote it in a Pandora bottle, as Margaret had done. Soda water, itself, was supposed to be like a Lyota original. So I went with what Vanadium put out, and I went with it. Those things sold as they were being shipped out. There was another reason why they sold, besides the fact that they were "me". I protected the vanadium, paid the annual rent for a long time and did nothing to protect it. From my point of view, it was a given that I wouldn''t do or let anything be done to protect the vanadium. That''s why, to an outside, uninformed person, this "seeming" time of not doing anything was so significant. I mean, this carbonated water. That Lyota Sato took a long time to create. It seemed like a good idea. My name recognition, which was even rising for free, had the added value of having spent a lot of time on it. As a result, it led to an explosion of sales. In the evening salon, Elsa stacked wads of cash on the table. A familiar amount - a wad of bills that was just a little bit more than the amount I''d seen - a little bit more than that. Vanadium tilted his head slightly at that. Elsa piled them up in front of Vanadium. ''One hundred and twenty-five million piro. Fractions have been carried forward.'''' ......? This is Vanadium''s share of the soda gains over the past week. When Elsa said that, Vanadium was still craning his neck and looking unsure. I''m aware. I understand. The meaning of that forehead. Vanadium, who didn''t understand, came towards me in a natural stream, grabbed the hem and looked up at me. What does that mean?So I explained, because it was a gesture like, "I''m not sure. ''It''s the vanadium rent,'' ......? 1.5 billion for a year, 125 million piro for a month. ......! Vanadium huffed. He stared at the wad of 125 million pirou in a pile on the table. He looked surprised, but also a little bit happy. Looking at such a vanadium, Elsa smiled with a smile. ''''That''s right, since this is a month''s worth--Vanadium-chan was able to help Lyota-san. ......!!! First, I''m surprised - and then I have a big smile on my face. He runs back this way, grabs the hem and looks up at me. He looks up at me from such a close distance that we are almost close to each other. Really? I thought I heard him say. ''No, not that it helped or anything. To begin with, this place is-- Mr. Ryota. Elsa softly interrupted me mid-sentence. ''Huh?'' She looked at Elsa, but she didn''t say anything more. Just smiling ...... smiling and smiling, she faintly sucked her chin and squeezed her vanadium. Oh ...... that''s right. It''s better that way. It''s not mature to hit a child with truth or righteousness for every single thing he or she has done. Did your handiwork help you? Yeah, I''m up. That was fine. I reached out and patted Vanadium''s head. Instantly, Vanadium gave me a big, innocent smile, as if a flower had bloomed. ''''Well, can you continue to do me a favor?'''' ...... (nationally)! Thanks ...... I''m glad I did. I''ll add a few last words that I almost forgot. Vanadium smiled more and more happily, wanting to be useful to me. 529 529. Sanatorium The night tavern, Villa Diechee. I was sitting facing Neptune. Neptune has Ran and Lil on either side of him as usual, and I''m alone. Neptune and Viradiech also drank a soda pop that they had stocked up on, and smiled and laughed. I''m so proud of you. I didn''t know this kind of drink existed in this world. It''s water, but it tastes like it''s not water. That''s the effect of the carbonation. If you leave it alone for a while, the carbonation will be completely released and you''ll be left with just water. It''s just like beer. Unlike beer, which is just water when it''s out of the bottle. Ha-ha, I''ve got to get this out of my system. Neptune gulped down the soda water as he said this. ''''Do you know that you''re doing a lot of work and making some interesting moves here and there? Interesting move? I''m up in dungeon societies all over the country asking to rent out entire dungeons. Really? There are people all over the place who are trying to get rich by imitating you. Heh. ...... Was that going to happen? Well, it''s going to happen. ''Well, it''s too bad the time of year to talk about it anywhere. Is this the wrong time? You see, there are spirits here and there bending their navel. ...... Yeah. So that''s the story. It started with the paper product drop in half, and the fact that Nihonium is doing a lot of things in my family. But I don''t think Nifonium is navel-gazing, I think he''s enjoying it. It''s Nifonium who wants to do things that get people in trouble, and I''m now locked on as the target of that. In fact, these days, Nifonium seemed to be in a good mood. A calmer, better mood. I''m not going to tell her to stop because I''m doing that. ''There''s a dungeon society that manages everything properly, so there''s no need to go anywhere. ''That''s what I mean. There are only three things that aren''t practically controlled, but none of them are worth any money. Three? Is there that many dungeons that are out of the Dungeon Association''s control? ''First of all, Vanadium, it''s out of control because it''s on loan. Yeah. And nihonium. It was abandoned almost as soon as I finished the investigation. And the ...... now board is just one of the front ones. Finally, Lyota. Yes? Why is my name in there? ''I thought you were talking about the dungeon?'' You built a village with only that one unique monster. "Oh ...... I''m pretty sure that place is named ''Lyota'', but it''s a village, right? You paid for them to build some kind of dungeon or something. ...... Yeah. I''ve certainly had them made, but ....... They''re all monsters in there. It''s haggling, it''s unique, but it''s all monsters. Rather than building a human house and turning it into a city, I thought it would be better to have a dungeon-like structure, so I paid for that kind of structure to be built. All the monsters in the village were supposed to be living in that building now. The people I talked to at the meeting said that the atmosphere inside was a complete dungeon. If only such a place was overrun with monsters! I see. So some people started jokingly referring to it as the 119th dungeon. That''s what you''re talking about: ...... "Congratulations, genie satorium. Satrium. It was kind of funny. I knew it was a joke, so I could laugh at it with ease. ''What do you say, you want to bend your belly button for one here? What does it matter if I bend my belly button? It''s not a real spirit. If Aulum, Carbon, or Plumbum bent their navel, though, they''d be in a lot of trouble for sure. Stars. The Neptune family after Ryota and I parted ways. Neptune is still the same when he walks, with Ran and Lil on either side of him. ''He doesn''t understand, does he?'' What? It''s his own influence. Neptune chuckled, with a naughty - and slightly egregious - smile. ''I don''t have a name with a genie in it, but I wonder how many genies do you think there are who strike out in sympathy when he''s angry? How many of them do you think there are? At least five. That much? ''That''s how important he is, you know. He doesn''t seem to understand that, though. ...... What''s up, Lil, giggling. You look good with a face like that. What-- what are you talking about? ''Mr. Lil'' isn''t amused by nee-kun''s praise of him. ...... Yes, even you. If you wanted to, the spirits--at least two of them--would. "Ha-ha, thank you. Neptune chuckled happily. I''m sure there will be more of them in the future, he will. He let loose a prophetic word. 530 530. Im not in trouble The evening salon. All my friends were there. They were relaxing as usual and were divided into several groups here and there, talking and playing. It''s the same scene as usual, but is it patronizing to think that everyone is having more fun than before - or is it patronizing? The fact that Vanadium itself is now paying the rent means that the upkeep of this place has become rock solid. It''s impossible for the dungeon association side - the human side - to take up Vanadium in the future, especially since there have been many cases of spirits bending over, especially lately. If they do that, it won''t be enough for Vanadium to bend its navel. They might be able to raise the rent, but that can be covered by Vanadium''s own earnings. If you want, you can just help us breed a new breed of water again. We''re on the board here. In the midst of all this, I was facing Elsa. Elsa was smiling at me. Today''s purchase price was 3.2 million piro. I reported to them. The magic cart has been forwarded to their ''money tree'' and they know more about what I make than I do. Today, I asked them to cut down on the detailed numbers and give me a rough amount of money. ''I see,'' It''s been stable and has exceeded 3 million. It''s gradually increasing. I''m doing this and that, and I feel like I can optimize it a bit more. Now I feel like I''m playing chess every day. A puzzle. Yeah. It''s an image of a puzzle ...... and a quick solution. I know what I have to do, but I''m still trying to figure out how to do it as fast as possible by trial and error. It''s like a time attack. Isn''t that about right? From the side, Sakura joined the conversation. She sat on the armrest of the sofa and leaned against me lightly from above. ''Three million a day, according to my uncle''s calculations (), that''s a billion a year, right?'' Well, yeah. That''s more than enough for me. Vanadium-chan has started paying the rent here herself. As Sakura said this, Vanadium, who was playing with Yuki at a distance, noticed it and gave a small gut punch towards us. I''ll take care of the rent here!I''m very enthusiastic about it. ''That''s true, though,'' I picked up a cookie Emily had baked and took a bite. ''I''m enjoying this right now,'' Fun? Yeah. I nodded deeply. ''Now that the pressure of rent is off, I''m doing it purely for the fun of seeing how far I can go. It feels like a game. Yeah. You know, the fun of being inventive and less capable. My uncle likes to play bondage games and stuff. Tied up? Elsa let out a scream. Her face turned red, too, and she held her mouth in her hands. ''No, I didn''t mean to bind you like that. Sakura laughed and seemed a bit confused by the explanation. In this world, where there are no video games, the word "bondage play" is not popular, and Erza seemed to associate the word "play" with the slightly naughty word "bondage". Sakura explained the meaning of bondage play to Elsa. I thought to myself that I might as well. Sometimes I''ll make up rules on my own to play a game that I''ve completed a few times. In an RPG where a certain bride controversy is still going on, I''ve done it in a play that only uses monsters and forbids them to be revived. Binding play that puts restrictions on it like that--. Well, I''m just a regular guy who enjoys it. Uncle M, right? It''s not. But I know you''re enjoying the situation. Well, this is fun. Yeah, that''s M. No, no, I''ll defend myself to Sakura. If they continue to identify me as M and spread the word, we''ll be in trouble. ''If Lyota finds out he''s M, maybe that guy will make a statue like that tomorrow. ''I''m denying it because that seems most likely!I mean, do you know what Alice M. means?! I shove at Alice, who makes a slightly unfunny joke. Soooooo, a shadow pointed from above me. I turned around and saw Nihonium coming and standing there before I knew it. ''What''s going on?'' Boring. What? It doesn''t hurt to take away the power. ''What?Oh, ....... That''s the thing. I''m all F now because the head of our species, Nifonium, confiscated my ability to do so. And the reason I''m an F now is because the mainstay of our species, Nifornium, has confiscated its abilities, and the reason I''m an F now is because it wants to get me in trouble. But I''m not in trouble. I''m enjoying it. "You''re not in trouble, I''m done. What? Nifonium held up his hand with a buzzing face. Then a faint light enveloped me. ''Ah ......'' What is it, Uncle? I''m back. I take the portable now board out of my pocket and use it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... We''ve got our powers back. Nihonium? If you''re not in trouble, there''s no point. Nihonium looked unamused and went back to the group of spirits where Aulum and the others were. In an unexpected way, the power came back to him. 531 531. Primary School Boy Are you sure about this? ...... It doesn''t make any sense. When I asked him back, Nihonium replied with a buzz. It doesn''t make sense....... Hmmm. You may be right. I''m not so troubled by the fact that the ability is all F. Rather, I''m getting a sense of that ability, and I''m enjoying this situation in what Sakura calls a "bind-play" way. And when I say I''m not troubled, that''s exactly what I mean. With the ability back in place, and in the form of a statement, Nihonium returned to his usual seat. Then, with a bushy expression on his face, he sat down on the sofa. The scene in the salon went quiet. The people who had been enjoying themselves until then were now paying attention to us because of Nikhonium''s actions. This accelerated the weight of the air. We had to do something about it, I thought, and spoke to Nihonium. ''I wasn''t entirely untroubled,'' he said. It''s not that I wasn''t totally free, but I was making less money, and I was in a lot of trouble for not having any special ammunition, especially around fire and recovery bullets. ...... ''So you don''t have to think it''s meaningless or anything. I choose my words and try to convince Nihonium of this. I want to get rid of the weight of this air, of course, but that''s not the only thing I want to do. The more I learn about the spirits in this world, like going to her every day instead of inviting Plumbum to the mansion, for example, the more I want to let the spirits involved do what they want to do and fulfill their requests. The same is true of Nihonium. The fact that I could see that it wasn''t being fulfilled at this moment made me feel more strongly about doing something about it. That''s why I talk to her. ''......'' It''s like Nihonium is looking in the direction of the day after tomorrow and not listening. This is troubling, very troubling. ''''Hey, hey, what kind of a man was the old man, that genie called Plumbum?'''' All of us watched the exchange between me and Nihonium with bated breath. Sakura interrupted the conversation, as if she didn''t read the air at all. ''What, bushes to sticks,'' ''I heard once that you have an old man in Prumbum, right? I don''t know if that''s the right way to talk about the old man ....... You''re an old guy. You know, like Princess Otome who was run off by Urashima Taro. Sakura''s metaphor had everyone but me puzzled. It''s no surprise that Urashima Taro''s story doesn''t ring a bell since it''s not from this world to begin with. That''s what I know about it. ''Maybe that''s not the way to put it together. I had to give him a bitter look. ''But you''re right, right?'' Hmmm, if you ask me, that may be true: ...... Still, I could only think that it was somehow different. ''I mean, why are we talking about Plumbum at this time? Well, now that you mention it, you look different. Have you changed? From what I''ve heard, you don''t have to be an uncle to go to Prumbum every day. ...... Hmm. But you know what they say, you have to be an uncle now. ...... Well, yeah. I thought Sakura was right about that. Since she started interacting with me, she''s even made up something called "ryo-sama". It seems that she''s looking forward to seeing me now. What''s the matter with that? ''No, I''m just saying that what a genie wants to do is change little by little. Even Vanadium has changed. Yeah. That''s true. ''So that means Nihonium is different, right?You should have annoyed everyone, and now you only want to annoy your uncle. Yeah, well?And? Don''t you get it yet? Sakura blew out a small puff. ''''Wanting to annoy only a specific person is something that elementary school kids--young children often do with the person they like. ''What?No, no, no, that''s-- Oh, I see. I hadn''t thought of that idea, but I suppose it could be. Carrots...... embarrassing? I tried to deny it, and my friends all agreed with me. There was one crazy one, though. And, most importantly. -Oh! Nihonium''s face turned red, as if he had been hit by a figure. Huh?Seriously? 532 532. Green apple No, no! Nihonium''s voice echoed through the salon. If you looked at him, he was red-faced and embarrassed. So the sight of Nihonium denying out loud got everyone''s attention in a different way than before. ''Really?'' The one who went to it was Sakura. She tilts her head with a mischievous smile and asks Nihonium. ''It''s true!'' ''But you want to be mean to your uncle, don''t you? Yeah, it''s... ''You want me to be mean, to embarrass you, and to look out for myself. ''Yes, but ......'' So you''re in love with him. -Oh! Nifonium let out an unwritten groan, frustrated as if he was about to step out of the ground. Sakura flippantly chased it down. Should we stop ......? ''No, sir!That''s not true! But... No! Anyway, Nihonium just calls out "no" and runs out of the salon, interrupting Sakura''s pursuit. Sakuya chases after them and leaves as well. It was a split second and no one could stop the girls in time to see them off. Nihonium is gone, and there''s a delicate air in the salon. ''I think you''re teasing me too much, that one. I cleared my throat deliberately with a gohon and went to Sakura to regain my composure. ''Mmm, that''s fine, that one.'' Sakura was smiling. ''No, but--'' Look, she looked really down. You know, you should freak out if you can, but you can''t make someone upset. ...... hmm? I was about to chide Sakura, but her words stuck with me. ''What''s that all about?'' Is there some kind of panic attack or something? What is that supposed to mean? That seemed to be the case for everyone else as well, and Emily and Celeste asked Sakura as if she was speaking for her feelings. It''s the heart that stops," said Sakura. Once it stops, it will stop endlessly and you will continue to be depressed. Panic and anger is ''movement'', people cannot keep moving. You can get angry and tired of being angry, but you can''t get tired of being depressed. ""............" All of my friends, including me, went blank and listened to Sakura. ''It''s better to move your mind, even if you have to, than to be depressed endlessly. Of course, only if you can move it, or if you are a person. It''s not good to force a situation that you can''t move, either. Sakura ...... you''re awesome. I know, I don''t need any more praise than that. Sakura put her hands on her hips and shielded her chest with an "ehem". The way you look, though, ...... well, maybe you do. Rather than being depressed, I thought you liked it. I thought "Oh yeah, that''s not true" was much better for me. The next day, Nihonium was still dragging her panic with her. When I met her in the morning corridor, she ran away as soon as she saw my face. She didn''t even come to the morning cafeteria, but snatched Meeke and quickly went to Nihonium''s dungeon. Yeah, I knew it was the right thing to do now, I thought, and thanked Sakura for that. She''s avoiding me, but it''s a hundred times better than being depressed. If this changes anything, I''ll think about it again, but as long as she teases me that she likes me and avoids me with it, there''s nothing wrong with that. I decided to sit tight until things changed. The situation changed very quickly. That night, Margaret came to visit me after being granted access to the dungeon. With a graceful gesture, she pulled something out and put it in front of me. ''Have a look at this. Is this ...... green apple? ''Yes, sir. It''s a green apple. What''s wrong with this? I tried to build an airbox, but this one dropped. Hmm ...... is an airbox! Yes, the airbox. ...... in nihonium? Nihonium, sir. She nodded and took out several more green apples. Not just one, but multiple identical drops that showed it wasn''t an irregularity. ''Nihonium has a ...... drop?'' Things were moving as fast as they could. 533 533. Shin Nihonium 1st floor Yes, and... And? Is it still there? The dungeons and the monsters were different. No dungeons, no monsters? Yeah. ...... did you mistake it for another dungeon or something? That''s what I thought at first, too. So that means we''re definitely in Nihonium. The structure of the dungeon, the monsters that appear, and most importantly, the drops. All of that has changed dramatically. I''m going to Nihonium. I turned myself around and walked towards the transporter room. A transporter room that instantly transports you to a dungeon level you''ve been to before. There, I remembered that I was going to the Nifonium Spirit Room - but I didn''t know where to go. ''Not responding?'' I don''t know what that means. ...... nihonium first floor, second floor, third floor. All no good. Let me try my hand at it. Yeah. Margaret had used the transporter room when we were in the previous mansion. I gave way to her and let her use the transporter room. She reminded me from the spirit room in the same way. The gate did not open. But-- ''The gate to the first floor is now open. ...... What about upstairs? No. Did you go downstairs? ''No, sir. This has been dropped and I have come to inform Master Lyota in a hurry. "...... I mean, I went to the first floor earlier, so the gate will open. The other levels didn''t open because I didn''t go to them. Does that mean it''s a separate dungeon? What do you think? ...... By the looks of it, it was definitely a different dungeon. Margaret thought for a moment and then replied. ''Can you take me to ......?'' Yes, sir. I passed through the transfer gate in the form of Margaret, who had been there once, taking me through the transfer gate. The designated Nihonium dungeon, the first basement floor. ''''This is it!'''' The moment I entered, I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn''t like this. It was something completely different. This dungeon, which had been a natural limestone cave like dungeon, was a complete change. A pink, pudgy, pulsating ''wall of flesh''. ''An internal dungeon, huh?'' Is this a gut dungeon? Margaret nods her head and asks me back. I see, I''ve calmed down. The impression I got at first glance was shocking, but these types of dungeons aren''t that rare. There''s one in the second half or endgame of most RPGs, a dungeon with a visceral motif. It''s creepy, but it''s an "I see" kind of thing. ''This is what it''s turned into? Well, it looks good for an undead monster, but ...... no. I almost understand and discourage it. ''Margaret. I thought the monster changed too. Yes. Oh, there it is. Margaret noticed with a huff and pointed behind me. I turned around and saw that I was under a haunted umbrella. "A haunted umbrella, huh? It''s an umbrella like the one used in the Edo period, with two arms, one leg, and an eyeball with a mouth on one of them. It was a Japanese style monster ...... called a haunted umbrella, no, it was a youkai. ''Is that it?'' Yes, that one. That one dropped an apple. Okay. You can''t go to ......, of course you can''t. I pulled my gun out of my pocket. I want to make sure it''s a drop, so I take it down first. I take aim with the growing bullets in my gun - and shoot. The strongest bullet hit the haunted umbrella. It huffed and fell to the ground of its pulsating innards, thinning and disappearing. ''...... Huh?'' There was no drop. What does that mean? I don''t know. ...... I''ll try again. Yeah. We walked out into the dungeon. We searched a bit, and then encountered the haunted umbrella again. It was possible that shooting the ineffective repetition was not a good idea, so we fired normal bullets at it. The regular bullets fired in rapid succession hit the "umbrella" part of the haunted umbrella, and the bones and umbrella popped off one by one - and fell. Just as before, the ghostly umbrellas were vanishing. But still. You''re not going to drop it, are you? Please wait. Rato, Socha, Play, Builder. Calling out the names of the four ninja knights, Margaret plucked at her skirt and hung up as it was. As I followed her, I saw the scene of her tossing the haunted umbrella, which was thoroughly weakened. The ghost umbrella, this time, which is quickly creaking away. ''''It''s dropped.'''' ...... I mean, don''t I just drop it? I was confused - and a little bit amused - by this completely different development. 534 534. Detention ''That''s strange. I can''t believe I dropped it and Lyota-sama doesn''t. There must be some mistake. ...... Let''s try some more. Yes! For some reason, I walk out into the new Nifonium with Margaret, who is more motivated than I am. It used to be a dungeon with a sense of horror in front of it, but now the creepiness is in full force. The visceral looking dungeon, the ceiling, the walls, and even the ground continue to pulsate with regularity. The ceiling and walls are still good, the ground pulsates, and sometimes it comes to my feet. Uge: "Uge ...... It was so sickening. ''How can I help you?'' ''Is Margaret all right?This, What''s this? You don''t feel any gloom or anything like that? Yeah, I''m fine. Really? ...... That was a bit surprising. She''s always been so calm and princess-like, and I thought she would squeal when she saw this kind of thing. No, I''ve heard that women have a higher tolerance for grotesque things, and maybe that''s why. ''Lyota-sama! Yeah?Oh! A haunted umbrella appeared a short distance away. It appeared as if it was being born from a wall of flesh on the ground. It was creepy in that way, but I didn''t feel any mental damage because I was in the mood to "defeat" the monster first. I took it down with my gun earlier, so this time I kicked the ground to flesh it out and beat it down with my fists. Weapons don''t drop, they don''t drop at a distance. Melee combat, to squash all sorts of possible possibilities at once. The ability I got back from Nihonium showed its power. In an instant, I was down to zero distance, and a gouging right hook cut the haunted umbrella in half. The haunted umbrella, torn into two halves and blown up, quickly disappearing. And then-- ''Hmmm, still no drop. It''s crazy. Margaret is next. Yes, sir. We walked further to find the monster. Four Ninja Knights appeared out of nowhere and instantly weakened the haunted umbrella they encountered not long after, and then Margaret carried a large sword and went at them to finish them off. Pong, and a green apple was dropped. ''''It''s ...... funny.'''' Margaret picked up the green apple and puffed up. The puffiness was cute, she thought, but on the other hand, the situation wasn''t getting better and better. Margaret''s drop is 2 of 2 so far, which is no surprise if it''s a drop A. I''m not sure if it''s a drop A. I''ve been experiencing the power of drop S for a long time, so this is quite shocking to me. I guess I''m the only one who can''t drop. That''s not right. "Margaret. I call her name and look straight at her - smiling as I speak. ''Crazy or not, I''m not actually doing the drop. If that''s the case, you should accept that as a fact first, and then think about what to do about it. "But ....... Margaret was still not happy about it. She seemed to hate it so much that I couldn''t drop it. She puffed out her cheeks a bit again, her lips puckered up pretty. And swallow them all. ''Right. I understand. He made a face of understanding. Well, at any rate, now that Nifongnium has changed, we need to do some research. I''m sure I can help you with that. "Margaret? Or your friends, Master Lyota? ......? Because if you don''t drop, there''s no reason for Lyota-sama to come here in the future. Yeah, well, yeah. It was just as Margaret had said. We''ll talk to everyone later and ask them to investigate. I''ll have to tell Cell what''s going on and make sure he understands. Well, that said, one thing is clear here. Okay, I won''t be coming back. That means it''s better. But the moment you declare it. Boom! The dungeon pulsed louder than it had ever pulsed before. It came to my feet, so unexpectedly large that I couldn''t stand still. And that wasn''t all. A lot of haunted umbrellas appeared as if they were folding in on us. Surrounding us. ''Oh, watch out!'' A monster suddenly appeared at close range, surrounding us. In order to protect Margaret, I pulled out two pistols and fired wildly. Bullet after bullet struck the haunted umbrella precisely and accurately, pop pop pop pop pop pop. The one that hadn''t dropped before. Green apples are now being dropped in large numbers. 535 535. Strategy request What does this mean ......? Pick your jaw and think about it. I try to analyze the situation that happened in front of me, and I try to analyze the changes as I always do. Suddenly it starts to drop. I take out my portable now board to check the drop, just to be sure, but it''s still an S. Other than that, S is not a rank that does or does not do that. So would it be ......? Uh-huh. "Margaret? As I was thinking seriously, I heard Margaret''s soft laugh from beside me. When I turned around, I saw that she was still calm - somewhat of a happy smile. ''What''s the matter, Margaret?'' He thought it would be easier to understand. Is it easy to understand?What does that mean? It would mean that they don''t want Lyota-sama to stop coming, too. ...... I see. That''s what I thought, I guess. Right after I was told by Margaret that I wasn''t coming back, things changed quickly. I didn''t drop, but I did. That means I don''t want me to stop coming. ''''Hmph.'''' Yeah?Is there more to it? No, you''re the same as before. Just like that? It''s easy to understand, isn''t it? "Hmm. Is it easy to understand? ''Well, anyway, I''d appreciate it if you dropped it. Of course. ''It''s almost time to go up today, so let''s get down to business tomorrow. We''ll see you soon (). ...... Yeah, I''ll be back (). Thanks to Margaret''s swagger, I took advantage of it. This time, I was able to get out of the dungeon normally without incident. That night, Nihonium didn''t come back. The structure of the Nifonium dungeon had changed so much that I couldn''t use the transporter room to pick him up. So I was a bit worried about him. ''Don''t worry, Uncle, I''d rather not go today. Sakura said with a smirk on her face when she heard what had happened. The face is still the same as when she called out the word "cheerleader", which is a bit of a misconception, but not only Sakura, but Ahrum as well. ''Leave me alone and I''ll be fine,'' I said. ''Really?'' Yeah, as long as you get to go through the rest of the day tomorrow and for a few more days, that''s all that matters. Is that what you want? It''s about time, you know? It''s time to go to ...... I huffed, and then I remembered something. A long time ago, when I wanted to solve the problem of the mind of Nihonium, it was Aulum who waited for me to do so. That Aulum said, "The time has come. ''All right, I''ll go for a while,'' I still don''t know how this happened, but I''m going to keep going to the dungeon anyway. I''ve decided to do what Aulum told me to do and go to Nihonium for a while starting tomorrow. The next morning, before I went to the dungeon, I received a call from Cell. I went to the Cyclodungeon Society and met with Cell in the president''s office. ''I''ve heard the story,'' Um, ....... My ears were fast, I thought, but first I blurted out a bit and didn''t mention the name of Nihonium. Then the cell went easily. ''''I didn''t expect Nihonium to drop. And it''s not just because you''re Satou-sama, the fact that it''s possible for other people to do it is huge. He seems to know most of the story from where he heard it from. Margaret found out and brought me in, and she knows the whole sequence of events. That''s the way I see it, Master Sato. What? What? I''m surprised, and Cell is surprised by that. Why is it "that''s me" here? When he wondered about that, Cell coughed and changed the subject. ''Well, you''re the only one who came to see me, Satou-sama. I''d like to have you re-examine the nihonium. I will. Now, you''ll accept the formal request - is that clear? Yeah, I''ll take care of it. I hope. Yeah? I want Nihonium to keep producing. ...... Right. Cell, president of the Cyclodungeon Association. It''s only natural to hope so in his position. ''Okay, I''ll do my best.'' So.... Cell snapped and snapped his fingers. The door opened and Cell''s men, who looked like secretaries, entered. He comes in pushing a wagon, a cloth over the wagon. He pushes the wagon in front of me and asks the cell for permission to look at it - I take the cloth. There''s a huge wad of cash there. ''What''s this?'' It''s a billion pounds. Billions? "A deposit of 1 billion. I''ll have two billion ready to go as a contingency fee. To turn it into a dungeon for producing nihonium, Cell had thrown a billion dollars at me. 536 536. Sweet and sour I left the cell and came to Nifonium. There were four armed gatekeepers at the entrance to Nifonium. There was a hut a short distance away that had been built in a short period of time. I nodded my head as I approached the entrance. Good work, sir! ""Good job!" The gatekeepers looked at me and stood up straight and saluted me. Good job. Well, who are you? This is His Highness Stem''s man. He asked me to make sure that no one but Mr. Sato gets in here for a while longer. His Excellency Stem: ...... Ah, the cell. Ha! Sel Stem. For a moment I wondered who he was referring to when he said "Your Excellency". It''s tight. ''Nihonium is just an unstable dungeon, and it''s time for a change. He said that no one should be allowed to enter it until Master Sato stabilizes it. Okay, maybe that''s true. Cell had a point. Indeed, I don''t think the other adventurers should be allowed to enter. Obviously, I''m the main cause of this change in Nifonium this time. ...... No, I may be the only one to pinpoint the cause of the change. Other adventurers entering Nifonium at this point in time could be strangely irritating. I also thought that this treatment of the cell was the best thing to do. Before entering the dungeon, I went back to the house. Using the transporter room, I flew to Arsenic and looked for Emily. When I found her, I explained to Emily about the current situation in Nihonium and asked her to bring me some warm food and other things. When Emily agreed, I went back to the mansion and flew directly to the ground floor of Nifonium in the transporter room. ''Ugh.'' My voice leaked out a bit. New Nifonium, flying directly from the mansion is a bit damaging. The mansion is an Emily space. That space that Emily cares for and maintains, it''s warm and bright. It''s not just the atmosphere, it''s really warm and bright. Flying out of that mansion is a visceral chick dungeon. A dungeon of pulsating flesh walls, as if it were alive. A place that''s just plain creepy, but the drop-off makes it twice as creepy. However, I can''t stay like this forever. I pulled myself together and started walking. I quickly encountered the monster. A single-legged haunted umbrella, which I crisply shot through with a normal bullet and saw a green apple drop. Then, I proceeded through the dungeon. With my special ability, I''m able to figure out the structure of the dungeon like a radar in my head. It''s a dungeon that I haven''t fully conquered, but I figure out the structure and head to the next floor by the shortest route. I defeated about three haunted umbrellas on the way. Alice would have been able to dodge those as well, I thought as I arrived at the second basement floor. The dungeon looked the same. A wall of flesh, inside the pulsating guts. It''s a dungeon that''s not all that different from the first floor. The monsters were indeed different. A rokuro neck. A woman with a body dressed in kimono, with an insanely long, wispy neck. She is quite a famous monster among Japanese monsters. I see, will the new Nihonium be unified with Japanese style monsters? I pull the gun and pull the trigger. The bullet missed - or rather was deflected. I didn''t think about it, I aimed for a normal headshot, and the undulating neck lightly deflected the headshot. ''Then,'' This time, he''s loaded with freezer rounds. I aim firmly at the neck of the rokurok neck - and shoot. The long, thin neck is completely frozen by the freezer bullet. If the neck was frozen, the head would not be able to move either. On its head, I calmly made a head shot. Then it drops. ''What is this ......?'' I pick it up and look at it seriously. It''s a round fruit, the size of the palm of my hand. The color is either dark purple or light red. The outer skin is thick and hard. Do I have to eat it? I took a look at the fruit and cracked it open. The inside was yellow and full of seeds like a pomegranate. It''s a fruit that looks like an orange or a mandarin orange with seeds inside a bunch of smaller ones. I took a fearful bite - I knew what it tasted like. Sweet and sour (), which I had eaten once before. I''m not going to be able to get the same taste as a passion fruit, a fruit that I had eaten once in the past. 537 537. New special bullet Passion fruit. Sweet and sour is sweet and sour, but it''s slightly, I guess, more sour. I felt that it was difficult to be edible as it was - but. I''m curious to see what Emily does with these things. I mumbled, naturally smiling. My mother, Emily, my mother. The girl who maintains a bright but warm space and cooks food that tastes good, but more than that, makes me happy to eat. I was extremely interested in what she does with these "difficult" ingredients. I was interested in how she would do this. If I found out that she did, I would hunt for more guns and take them home. I took a frozen bullet out of the Grand Eater''s pocket to counteract the rokuro neck - that? You don''t have ...... anymore? I rummaged through my pockets to find them. There are all sorts of special bullets, but there''s no frozen bullets. I''ll fill up your pockets-- I-- I just figured that out. Frozen Bullets. The skeleton on the first floor of the old Nihonium, a special bullet dropped by that haggler. It doesn''t exist anymore. The old Nihonium dungeon and the skeletons don''t exist either. The current Nifonium has changed from Western-style undead monsters such as skeletons, zombies and mammies to purely Japanese style youkai. ''What does ...... end up dropping?'' I turned back for a moment, because it bothered me. I walked out of Nihonium. I smiled at the gatekeepers who wondered at me as I came out from inside and passed them, coming to an unpopular spot far away from them. So I put the green apple on the ground and keep my distance. After a while, the green apple turned into a haunted umbrella haggle. I shot it as fast as I could and took it down. Then a bullet drops. It''s a bullet I''ve never seen before. The warhead, the jacket, everything is bright blue, and it''s a bullet. I pick it up and look at it carefully. I''m convinced that it''s the first bullet I''ve ever seen, and then I put it in the gun. Then I shoot it into the empty space. Before using it on the monster, I first checked the effects before the actual battle. The bullet hit a rock ten meters away and produced a blue effect. "Ice, huh? It was a gut feeling, an effect that felt like that, but unlike the previous freezing bullet, the rock didn''t freeze or anything. The rock that was shot bounced off and sent debris flying, but that was it. I waited for a while and that didn''t change. I guess that means it''s not a frozen bullet. ...... I''ll have to try again. With that in mind, I took out another green apple and moved to put it away - at that moment. ''''Huh?'''' It was a subtle sensation. I knew that(,) because I had only recently experienced an "upswing" of power, losing it and then returning to it all at once. I looked at my hands. I jiggled and opened and closed my palms. I knew it was a no-brainer. I turned back and went to the entrance of the Nihonium - yeah. ''Are they there now?'' There was a good chance it would cause an unnecessary disturbance if it was seen. I decided against it, so I took the portable now board out of the grand eater''s pocket and used it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SSS (+1) Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... I knew it. My ability, was buffed. Similarly, I haggle the rokuro neck from the passion fruit. This time, a red bullet comes out, and I try shooting it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SSS (+1) Strength SSS (+1) Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... The power was up, too. A buffed bullet - is that what you''re saying? 538 538. Emilys Kitchen There were four of us in the kitchen with the setting sun, me and Emily, plus Vanadium and Sakura. I watch as Emily and Vanadium work together to cook something. ''It''s done,'' After a moment, they were served something orange in a clear glass. ''What''s this?'' Yoda''s passion fruit that he brought home, and I made it into a frozen version. Emily answers, and Vanadium nods coyly beside her. ''What is Frozen ......?'' It''s crushed ice and mixed with something else to make a sludge. Frappuccino. Yeah, I''ve heard of that one. I remember a young girl in my office was always taking out from a trendy cafe. I didn''t know what kind of drink it was for about a year after I heard the name for the first time. I didn''t know what kind of drink it was, because it was a frappuccino with a bunch of complicated names attached to its head. In my mind, it''s a syrupy version of shaved ice with a lot of syrup. However, with shaved ice, it''s pretty separate and the ice part is jarring. Compared to that, the frozen one is moist and has a very fine texture. I couldn''t think of a way to eat it, so I took it home and gave it to her, and Emily did a great job of arranging it. It looks great! Sakura was secretly excited when she saw the passion fruit frozen. ''''Do you smell it?'''' ''Yes!There''s nothing like a pile of beautiful orange ones and sprinkling seeds on top of them!I think it would look great if I took a picture for you. Oh, ...... looks great, huh? I chuckled a bit. I remembered that the young girls in the office were always too focused on how they looked in the picture, but by the time they drank it, they were melting down. ''The tapioca sinks to the bottom, but this one floats on top, so it looks even better! I see. ...... It''s like a watermelon bar. ''No!Not even close!You don''t understand, do you, Uncle? What? No? Sakura, who was still excited, immediately denied it. I guess it''s different ....... I think it''s essentially the same, but no, well, maybe it''s different with the sensibilities of young kids. ''''Go ahead,'''' Yes. I nod and take the glass from Emily. She gave me a thicker straw to put on it, so I sip on it. ''...... delicious!'' Are you sure? ''Yeah, it''s sweet and a little sour, but both are just right compared to the original. How did you make this? Passion fruit with a little bit of sugar and yogurt. ''Oh, I see ...... is why it''s so mellow: ......'' I was more and more impressed with Emily''s skills as she explained it to me. Both Sakura and Vanadium tried that Passion Fruit Frozen. They were both surprised after just one sip, and when it came to the vanadium, they were flabbergasted. ''Is it good?'' "......! (Hour by hour) Not only did he shake his head as hard as he could, but he expressed his joy with his whole body, Vanadium. If you can make people this happy, it was worth it to bring it home. This is for you, too. With that, Emily holds out a steamy mug to me. ''What''s this?'' It''s warmed up with honey. "Honey or ...... good! We have tarts. It looks great! The tart that he offered me more. The seed pods on top reminded me of a watermelon cover, but I decided not to say it in front of an excited Sakura. After that, Emily brought out various things. Some were bread, some were cakes, some were jams. It was all very good. I also ate a combo of things that were stuffed into a hole in a lotus root and served in a circle, which surprised me once with its appearance, and then I ate it with trepidation and was surprised twice with the best marriage of its flavors. Once again, the result was a reminder of Emily''s culinary prowess. 539 539. Kappa You finally didn''t come back. My room at night, after the salon had broken up. Sakura was sitting cross-legged on my bed. She looked strangely cute in that way. There was a clear distinction between the cute pattern and the messy pattern for girls to sit cross-legged. Sakura''s was the cute one, with her hands on her crossed legs. ''Didn''t you come back?'' Nihonium. And the Sakuya? Yeah. The nihonium didn''t come back until the end of the day at last. ''I had a feeling it was going to come back somehow,'' Oh, well, me too. There''s no way you''ll be able to come back, right? Sakura smirked. ''I think that misunderstanding is one of the reasons it''s so hard to come back. It''s not a mistake, that''s why it''s so hard to leave. Sakura denied my words as fast as she could with a smile on her face. You''re really acting like a grade school kid, aren''t you? If a girl you like says you''re being mean to her, you deliberately do the opposite, saying you''re not, even if you''re being mean to her. Isn''t that the kind of situation where you''re willing to bully them even more? Was that your uncle? I''m... I crossed my arms and twisted my neck, wondering how it went. I don''t remember much about elementary school. There must have been a girl in my class that I liked, but I can only barely remember her name, how she wrote the kanji and what she looked like. I couldn''t remember any of that stuff at all anymore. ''-not really. It was just a normal approach. "Huh? My homeroom teacher in the upper grades of elementary school liked games, not video games, but games for fun. "Ho ho! For example, on a kanji test or some other quiz, if a child got a perfect score, he or she was given the right to change seats for a day. I used that to switch seats with the kids I liked. ''That''s so funny!Huh?But wasn''t that too loud, like the PTA or something? ''I don''t know about that. I''ve never had a problem with it, so I''m probably okay with it. I dredge up memories from nearly twenty years ago. That teacher was my homeroom teacher until I graduated, and he was doing the same thing for a long time, so I was probably okay with it. ''Oh yeah ...... hey. What did that girl you like do when her uncle came next to her? What''s going on? Look, if you''re always doing this, they''re going to know, right?Uncle says he likes himself. ''Oh ...... come to think of it. I wonder how it went: ...... I try to remember that, but I can''t. I can''t even remember the other person''s face properly in the first place. I can''t remember how she was reacting to me at all anymore. ''Oh, you can''t remember?'' Well, you know. I chuckle. ''...... Well, he''s an uncle, so what can I say?'' What do you mean, "I''m here"? "The Biggest Nibbler of the Century. Sakura had a half-amused, half-grinned expression on her face. The next day, I came down to the third basement floor of Nifonium. ''Kappa.'' As soon as I came down, I encountered a monster. The monster on the third basement floor was instantly recognizable and unmistakable, it was a kappa. It wasn''t even six inches tall, about the size of a kindergartner. I pull out my gun and aim - it misses. ...... um, yeah. I knew right away why I was out of it. It was because I was a little, sorry. At first I tried for a head shot, as I always do, but the head was in my eyes. The plate of the head, which is a characteristic of Kappa. I saw it in my eyes and tried to aim at it - but it reminded me of the crippled people with the ha-head, and I felt bad, and my hand slipped and my aim was off. I regained my composure and fired a second shot. This time, I shoot firmly between the eyes, not daring to look above it. Kappa shot out between the eyebrows, but somehow the plate on his head cracked while blowing off. As that kappa disappears, a yellowish, star-shaped fruit drops out. 540 540. Inverted taste The Kappa on the third floor didn''t have any special features, so we went through it and headed to the fourth floor. I wish the Kappa had dropped a cucumber, or something. New Nihonium seems to have been reborn as a fruit-dropping dungeon, so there were no cucumbers to drop. That''s why it doesn''t drop cucumbers - but I think cucumbers are fruits. Cucumbers are very much related to watermelons, just as there is a debate over whether tomatoes are fruits or vegetables. Watermelon is Chinese characters for "watermelon" and cucumber for "cucumber". Both of them are "gourd" and also "cucumber". In ancient China, the word "Hu" means the people of the west, and both the watermelon and the cucumber mean the melon that came from the west through the Silk Road. So cucumbers are the same fruit as watermelons! I remember when I was in school, I insisted on going to ...... and getting blank stares. I smiled bitterly and remembered the memories of those days. By the way, I heard that cucumbers and watermelons are sometimes classified as "fruits and vegetables". I smiled more and more bitterly as I remembered which one it was. We bit into the star-shaped fruit that Kappa had dropped and headed down. It''s a bit sour, after all. All the fruits that the new Nifongnium has dropped so far have been somewhat sweet and sour. This star-shaped one was the same, and it was sour. While I was wondering if there was something there, I arrived at the fourth floor. The usual visceral dungeon, a monster immediately appeared. ''A skeleton!No, no? For a moment, I thought so about the monster that appeared in front of me, but there was one thing that was very different from the skeleton. The one that appeared was a giant skeleton monster. It''s so huge that it can''t stand in the dungeon, it''s crawling and moving around. The size of it - its head alone is bigger than my entire body. ''It''s a gaffer''s block ......, right? So far, the new Nihonium has been replaced by only yokai. I remembered that there was a skeletal monster called Gashadokuro. The skeleton-fresh critter crawled toward me and grabbed me with his arms, which were bigger than mine. Coming at me from both sides, white bone hands like a wall. I kicked the ground and flew backwards to see what was going on with my usual normal bullets. I dodged the javelin. Because of its huge size, it''s scant compared to the skeleton. It moved just a little bit and dodged the bullets - I let them slip through the bones. He chuckled again, and this time he shot a tracking bullet. The tracking bullets tracked it even as the jerks dodged and hit it. When I realized it worked, I fired continuously. Countless bullets ripped through the crunching skull, sending bone fragments flying. I needed to fire more bullets because of its size, but the jammed ducked before it could fire again. And then - poof. A small, brown fruit dropped. A tiny fruit, about to the first joint of his little finger. I pick it up, look closely at it. It''s a fruit I''m going to try. Fearfully I bring it to my mouth and bite into it. ...... Huh? I didn''t taste it. I was expecting something sour, so I shrugged off the fact that I couldn''t taste it. It didn''t taste too good, so I thought my tongue had gone crazy and bit into the star-shaped fruit from earlier. ''''--!Sweet, you say? I was astonished. What I had found to be sour earlier had turned into the exact opposite, a very sweet fruit. 541 541. Underground Five Hmm. Inside the dining room of a house. I was looking at the fruits we had compared on the dining table, folding my arms and twisting my head around. The fruits are all sour, mostly citrus fruits. In addition to the ones I dropped at the New Nihonium, there''s also some stuff I''ve been out on the town scavenging. ''That''s awesome: ...... this'' Muttering, I stare at the pea-sized fruit that dropped on the fourth floor of the Nihonium, a fruit the size of a pea grain. I''ve been testing it for a while now, and there were no exceptions. After biting into this fruit, any kind of sour fruit would feel sweet. Not to mention oranges, grapes, and even lemons, which are only sour no matter how you try, you can only feel sweet after this fruit. To be honest, it''s a magical fruit. "I''m home!" "I''m home!" "What are you doing, old man? Sakura. Welcome home. When Sakura came back from outside, she was surprised to see the fruit scattered on the table. She wanted to brag to Sakura about her newly acquired magical fruit. Here, try it. ''What?I mean, that''s a miracle fruit. ''Miracle fruit?You know, Sakura. Yes. Where did you get it? I had a friend who used to diet and eat these. ''What?In the original world? Yeah? Sakura gives me a look that says, "What are you talking about? ''It''s your old world?Miracle fruit? It''s not a very common name. Sakura giggled. ''When I eat this, the sour stuff feels sweet for about thirty minutes afterwards. Yeah. ''So then you can substitute the sour stuff for the sweet stuff, which is practically zero calories without the sugar!And I was using it as a diet. How is that ......? I twisted my head. I feel like something is terribly wrong. ''But what''s wrong with this?'' ''Actually, ...... this dropped from the fourth floor of Nihonium. This? Yes. ...... what has dropped so far? Um, ....... I collected the drops from the top of the table, from the first floor to the third floor. ''This and green apples on the first floor, passion fruit on the second floor, and ...... on the third floor. Starfruit! I was hesitating because I didn''t know the name, and Sakura told me easily. ''Starfruit?Was that also true in the original world? Shit, that sounds like a fantasy name, now that I think about it. Sure, I nodded. Star Fruit, and Miracle Fruit. Both of those names are not at all uncomfortable to be told that they''re RPG items. ''And they''re all sour, right?'' Yeah. The Miracle Fruit on the Fourth Floor sweetens the sour. Yes. Five floors down? Five floors down? Are there many sour things from the fifth floor down? If so, the fourth floor looks like it might be full of them. -Oh! I''m slamming!He stood up with enough force to knock over a chair. As it was, he ran out of the cafeteria and flew to the fourth floor of Nihonium in the transporter room. ''Wait, Uncle,'' Sakura came with me to transfer. I''m coming with you. It''s just curious. Yeah. Once we flew to the fourth floor, we continued on through the dungeon and stepped down the stairs to the fifth basement floor. ''''Ugh. ......'''' Ugh. ...... The pulsating dungeon was covered in red snow. It''s dungeon snow. It''s not a new phenomenon, but the fact that it''s falling in Nifonium now makes it all the more frightening. I get my mind back on track and continue on through the dungeon. I''m looking for the monster ...... specter, where is it? ''Hiya!'' Sakura suddenly screamed. When I turned around, she was slumped over. Had she slipped?--But then I saw an even more surprising phenomenon. She had been slumped on her ass when something suddenly sliced her leg open and blood gushed out. And then... and then... The next thing I know, the wound had healed. "What is this? "...... Kamites. I knew the phenomenon as a knowledgeable one. 542 542. Number of necks Kamikaze? Yeah. I nodded and loaded the few remaining restraining rounds and shot at the monster, which still hadn''t shown itself properly - aiming firmly at the monster, which was moving around so fast - and fired. The straitjacket hit it, and the monster was stuck in a rope of light, holding onto it. ''What a fun thing to do!'' Sakura''s eyes lit up when she saw the restrained monsters. At a glance, they were three different colored weasels. The three were connected at the tail, or roots, and each had a rope, sickle, and medicine jar in its mouth. This is the Kamai-tachi. I see, they looked like this. Did you know? I saw it in a comic book when I was a kid. It''s a manga about an elementary school teacher with a demon in her left hand. It''s a trinity of yokai. The first one knocks people down, the second one slashes at them with a sickle, and the third one quickly heals their wounds. That''s funny, I don''t know what that means. Sakura uttered a fond "I don''t get it". My explanation made her eyes sparkle even more, and she stared at the restrained Kamitachi. ''In those comics and old stories, the three were separate entities, but these are connected.'' It''s all connected. Like Yamata-no-orochi. You know about the Yamata no Orochi? You know, the sword shagger. Oh, you''re on it. Hmmm. I didn''t, but they always talk about when they''re coming out, so I learned the opposite. I see. So you knew the original story from there and ended up with Yamata-no-Orochi. ...... What''s going on, Uncle? ''No, it''s nothing. Let''s just take it down. Yeah, do I have to do it?Or did your uncle? I''ll take the drop anyway, because I want it. Okay. Sakura stepped back and let me take care of it. I loaded up my regular rounds and fired three rounds in a row at the restraining Kamitachi. The first shot blew the pot''s head off, but the other two were repelled with a keening metallic sound. Then the restraints were released and the head of the jar was regenerated as well. ''What?'' Uncle, maybe it''s neck order! "--Hey!I see! I loaded the gun again. I focus on the flies that have started moving at breakneck speed and aim at them. It''s so fast, but it''s only fast. Dun-dun-dun! I pulled the trigger in succession and shot the normal bullets. Like Sakura said, I shot out the neck of the rope, the neck of the kama, and the neck of the jar, one after the other - and it fell. Pong, a green fruit is dropped. ''How was it?It was so fast, I kind of missed it. Sakura was right. I had to hit it in order. I knew it. This is the fifth floor, right? There will be cases where you''ll have to take it down in a special way from the fifth floor. Thanks. Heh-heh- Thanking Sakura, I approach the dropped fruit and pick it up. ''Lemons, huh?'' There''s such a thing as a green lemon. I do. I don''t see that often. I crack open a lemon and take a bite. It''s sour. It''s lemons. Lemons. So that means you must be on the fourth floor. Yeah. A special drop on the fourth floor that is a bit different from the others. One that doesn''t taste like itself, but converts all the sourness in your mouth afterwards into sweetness. Miracle Fruit. ''Hey, let''s go back to the fourth floor. We might find something. Yeah. I nodded and turned back the way I came with Sakura. The pulsating visceral dungeon, the descending red dungeon snow. In the midst of it all, we reached the stairs on the climb. ''Ah, Yamata no Orochi.'' A giant snake. A monster with a full head - a monster that grew far more than the damsels. A Yamata no Orochi sat there as if guarding the stairs. 543 543. Not history Speak of the devil, and you''ll get what you deserve. Hey, what kind of monster is this guy? I''ve seen those d*mn things on this floor. ''It must be rare, I fought the Dungeon Master many times, and I was allowed to take a good look at him when I was in Tennysin. He wasn''t like this. What are you talking about, old man? Sakura said in a dumbfounded voice. ''''Eh?'''' Everything in the dungeon and the monsters have changed. Why not the dungeon master? It was. Yeah, that''s for sure. That''s not a monster, that''s a previous undead bindings. Sakura was right. I was embarrassed by my hasty decision to make a big careless mistake. With a deliberate coughing fit, I looked again at Yamatano Orochi. The one that sits in front of the stairs is not attacking me, probably because of the distance between us. ''''It''s not buzzing,'''' Not moving. Do you think they''ll attack us if we get too close? I don''t know. I''ll give it a try. With that, Sakura took out her sketchbook, which she carried under her skin, flipped through the pages and chanted "Genesis". From the sketchbook, the picture she drew materialized and was summoned. ''What''s that?'' "Three Slime Brothers. Sakura replied matter-of-factly. ''''This is the original story, right? ''The three round, somehow-named brothers,'' There''s a song like that, I''ve missed it. That was before I was born, so I''ve never heard of it. What? What? I was surprised, Sakura was surprised by my reaction. ''Before she was born?'' Yeah. I''ve seen you have a CD that came out before I was born. ...... I was raptured. Born, before ....... Sakura tilted her head at first at that, but then she caught on to the hustle and bustle. ''It can''t be helped, it can''t be helped. Because he''s an uncle, he''s an uncle. He laughed and toddled off. ''Before you were born, really? ...... It''s only a few days ago.'' I was born in the twentieth century. Guho! I almost vomited blood. The memories of the twentieth century are pretty vivid ...... yes. While I was fatally wounded in my heart, Sakura wooed the three slime brothers she had summoned. The three vertically stacked, tower-like slimes flew towards Yamatano Orochi with a meeeeeeeeeee. The Yamatano Orochi didn''t move at all, but as soon as the slimes got close to a certain distance - as soon as they got close enough, half of their necks opened their mouths wide and spat out flames all at once. The searing flames burned the three slime brothers in an instant. ''''Wow, this is egregious. There''s not a trace of them left.'''' I don''t want to eat that. Will I die if I eat it? It''s not too hard to die. It''s much more powerful than my flaming bullets. I see. Look at you, your power. Yeah, he''s not weak. It doesn''t attack the other side in time, so Sakura and I stay where we are and evaluate Yamatano Orochi. An eight-necked snake - or dragon - with a body so huge that it could completely cover a staircase. No matter how you estimate it conservatively, there is no way it is weak in power. ''''It looks like it''s going to be tough to attack straight away. I think so. But you can do it, right, Uncle? Maybe, somehow. There was too little information, and I avoided making a determination. ''But, well, if we just want to attack it, we can probably manage it. Oh, I can do that too. Sakura said. ''We just need to follow the historical facts, right?'' It''s not a ''history'', though. I chuckle. I have the original story, but it''s a myth, so calling it a historical fact is a bit of a misnomer. I''ll have to write one from scratch, because I''m not prepared for that. Really? It would be better if they had carrots or something. ''I don''t want to do that because I think we''ll catch Eve if we do. Yeah. After we both laughed at each other. ''Then I''ll do it,'' I said. As it is, he pulls out two pistols and jams a recovery round in both. And - depression. The recovery rounds hit each other in the middle and fuse together. Normally we don''t use recovery bullets that are rarely used, but they are fusion bullets between recovery bullets - sleep bullets. It hits, and Yamata-no-Orochi is-- You went to bed easy, more than I expected. It''s the same as it was before. So it''s not "history," I chuckled, doubly so. 544 544. Strong and new game So, where do we go from here? ''Let''s take them down for now. We''ll have to kill all the monsters in this world before we can move on. Did you notice any exceptions? Hmmm, it''s not there. I thought about it for a moment and stated it once and for all. ''The unique monsters we''re protecting started out being defeated and dropped and then haggled over from there. Everyone in Satnium. No Satnium. I chuckled a bit. Satnium. A village of unique monsters that, for goodness sake, had been built like a dungeon, and the world had come to call it the 119th dungeon, Satnium. It''s just a joke, but it''s a bit embarrassing. I''m just kidding, but it''s a bit embarrassing. In the case of the otherworldly Cheerem, it''s usually more straightforwardly named ''Lyota''. That''s true, though. Sakura is a transitioner just like me, and enjoys the situation she''s in even more than I do. She talks about the ''promise'' of the ''cheerlems'' at every turn. ''Compared to that, Satnium is just a twist on things,'' It''s essentially the same thing. All right, I''ll play you. You want me to do it?Or did your uncle? ''I''ll do it. Probably better with the drop S. Okay, okay. Sakura nodded and withdrew her sketchbook. I stepped forward and readied my pistol +10. What I loaded was a growth bullet. It''s a special bullet that I grew to maximum power. Even though I''m putting him to sleep, that doesn''t mean he won''t wake up from the attack. It''s better to make sure you get them. "...... What is it, Uncle? Which one do I shoot? Let''s just say it all. All of it. Okay. Once I put the gun down. I take out the other gun and use the vanadium bullets to reload two accelerator rounds. I shoot the vanadium bullets into myself. I enter the super-accelerated world. He carefully adjusts the ammunition and shoots one after another with the growth bullets. He adjusts the timing of the bullets so that they all hit his neck at the same time. In the super-accelerated world, the bullets hardly go any further. He waited a little bit and waited for the effect to wear off. The moment the accelerated bullets ran out, the growth bullets simultaneously shot out all of Yamata-no-Orochi''s necks. Bikun!And his body cramped up. Without giving up his demise, Yamatano Orochi collapsed. And ...... pong," he said. I''m not going to be the only one. This is that thing, isn''t it, Kusanagi''s sword? Uh, ....... Speaking of which, what kanji do you think of when you hear "Kusanagi no Ken"?"My day. Huh?Three?It''s the Kusanagi Sword and the Kusanagi Fist, right?Is there anything else? See, the second character in the Kusanagi case is a kanji I wouldn''t normally use. "Stupes! No more than that. ''''Haha, sorry, sorry. I knew it was Kusanagi''s sword, huh? ...... I mean, Uncle, you''ve been acting very mysterious. I''m sorry, I shouldn''t have done that. No, it''s not bad. Then what? Sakura asks more. I get an increasingly complicated look on my face. ''I''ve seen this one before, you know? ''What?Really? Yeah. Have you beaten the Yamata no Orochi yet? ''No, it''s not. It came out completely unrelated to Yamata no Orochi. Yeah, so? Yes. I let out a deep breath, "Feng. "as well as a mirror and a jewel. Oh, the three essential ingredients. Collect those three and you''ve finally found Niftonium. ...... Sakura huffed. That''s what I''m talking about. I''ve already collected these once. I collected them all, and I got to meet Nihonium first. I mean ....... We''re starting over. I smiled dryly, haha. ''I see. Well, it''s okay. What? It''s strong, it''s like a new game, and this is fun, right? Sakura smiled positively. 545 545. Automatic assistance I picked up Kusanagi''s sword. The sword disappeared in my palm, melting in my hand. ''You''re mad, aren''t you?'' Same as before. Yeah, ''By the way, before, every time you got the three divine weapons, the status limit was lifted. What do you mean? Um, ....... I remember Sakura transitioned after I became an all-SS. ''''Originally, if you beat a monster with Nifonium, it would drop a seed that would increase its status. It made him stronger. ''''Yeah. So, at first, the upper limits were all S. But every time I got one of the three divine weapons, three statuses were lifted to the upper limit SS. I see. ...... Oh, so this time too? Yeah. I nodded deeply. ''There might be something to it.'' I see. ...... No, I''m pretty sure it''s there. Because now your uncle is SS, right? Yeah. Well, if Yuki is there, it will go up to SSS. ''Status and good guys are basically SSS. I''m not sure I understand. Reincarnated Cheerem. Sakura says it with a tone of voice that has a heart at the end of the word, winking at me. I see, so that''s her usual thing, that otherworldly stuff. Let''s try it out. No more seed drops, okay? It has to be something without. Can we start over on the ground floor? Yeah. I nodded deeply. Indeed, even if it''s not there, let''s make sure it''s there first. I couldn''t imagine getting this and having nothing at all, not in my experience. I went up the stairs with Sakura and turned around to go back to the first floor. I''m not used to going through this dungeon yet, but I know the structure of the dungeon with my abilities. I took the shortest route back up to the third floor. I still only have the ability to figure out the structure of the dungeon. Unlike Alice, I don''t know where the monsters are. We went through the shortest route, and we ended up running into the monster. New Nihonium Underground Level 4, Gashadikoro. A giant skull stood in front of us. Sakura and I entered a battle stance at the same time - that''s when. Kusanagi''s sword appeared from above Gashadukuro''s head and zap!And the slash was released. The right arm of the crooked skull was cut off. ''''What?Your uncle now? Sakura, surprised, looks at me. ''No, I didn''t do anything.'' So, you don''t mind? Maybe. ...... Hey, let''s go to the next monster. Yeah. I nodded and used the Repetition to take down the crunchy black one in front of me. I pick up the Miracle Fruit and proceed further. Instead of aiming for an encounter by going around in circles, I still aim to turn back to the upper floor. I also needed to hoard on another floor, another monster to test in this case, so I made sure to go back for a bit. We met the next one, Shadokuro. Kusanagi''s sword appeared again and unleashed a slash. After the blow, it quickly disappears again. He defeats it again and returns to the third floor above. I proceed further, and in no time at all, Kappa and I engage. Then--. There you are again. Yeah. Kusanagi''s sword reappeared again and sent a slash at Kappa. It would cut once and then disappear. It''s exactly the same as it was before. ''''Hey, how about another dungeon?'''' You will, won''t you? We nodded to each other and hurried out of the new Nihonium. Using the transfer gate, we returned to the mansion and quickly transitioned to the tellurium. The first floor of the tellurium, a dungeon that I''m used to going to. After spinning around for a while there - I encountered a slime and an encounter. And - as expected - Kusanagi''s sword appears. With a blow from Kusanagi''s sword--what a surprise. The slime was torn in half and fell down. 546 546. Automatic earning Tellurium, first basement floor. I was pushing a magic cart through a dungeon that even felt safe, like my parents'' home. I was walking in a completely different mood than I had before. If I were to use an analogy - a supermarket. Walking through the supermarket, pushing a cart and assessing the products. The feeling of "fighting" has completely disappeared from my mind, and I can''t feel it. And because of that... There it is. The slime appeared as if it were dripping from the ceiling. As soon as it appeared, the slime attacked us. It bounced around like the usual rubber ball and tried to hit me. I didn''t respond. I kept going. The slime came even closer - and then it slashed me. Kusanagi''s sword appeared out of nowhere from the void and cut the slime in two with precision. The slime that was slashed turned into a dropped item, a bean sprout. I pick up that bean sprout and put it in my cart. Then, I start walking again. It''s exactly the same as before. I wander around the first floor of the tellurium in almost the same way as the shopping mode at the supermarket. You encounter a slime. Kusanagi''s sword defeats it on its own. He drops it. You can keep earning money just by walking around, and the system is now in place. The Sword of Kusanagi. After testing it, the effect was to automatically put a single cover attack on the monsters it encountered. No, it wasn''t just the monsters. Whoever is attacking me - even if it''s my friends. Whether it''s Eve, who took on a single carrot, or Emily, who was willing to take on the task without such a thing. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for. Its power was not strong, but it was at the level of not weak either. Against a strong enemy, the power and damage is just a sparrow''s nest of power and damage, and although he''s gone now, he''d rather be considered a hindrance around the old, three-necked zombies of Nihonium. And that''s what I''ve been using all morning on this day. I walked around the first floor of the tellurium in strolling mode, just pushing the magic cart. I wouldn''t touch it at all. Against the slime on the first floor of the tellurium, which I could take down with just Kusanagi''s sword. ''I''ll earn money just by walking.'' I tried to do that. Walk on and on and on and on and on. Pushing with both hands at the pushers got tedious, so I tried pushing with one hand, or lightly pushing out and catching it () by following it. I''d try turning it around halfway around and pushing "in front" instead of at the push hand. I did a whole bunch of things I''ve done with grocery store shopping carts to beat the boredom. I won''t touch it. On today''s test, I''m not supposed to touch it. Instead, I kept walking anyway. Pokmon G*!I kept walking like a friend who was addicted to We walked through the morning, and when it was time to "go up", we returned to the mansion. Via the transporter room, we headed to Elsa''s shop. ''Lyota-san. Elsa was waiting for me in the shop. ''What''s up?'' It was time to go, sir. Yeah. I''m sorry. I''m sorry. ''No. It''s an important part of your job to help Lyota-san with her experiments. So... how did it go? ''Yes!The purchase price today was 530,000 piro. I told Elsa ahead of time that she could leave out the fractions. So this is the number that came up. ''530,000 piro?'' Yes, that''s great, Mr. Lyota. Elsa was excited. ''I never knew I could make so much money just by walking for a day. Yeah. It''s not much money compared to what I usually make. Still, if you think of it as "just walking for a day". I think 500,000 is quite a bit of money. 547 547. Im from Nihonium I''ve heard stories. This world is doomed. Boom!" on his back. Sakura walked into the room with the momentum of carrying an onomatopoeic sound like "I''m sorry, I''m sorry. After I got home, it was the time until the salon time. I was just resting in my room when Sakura came in and said, "What did you say? "What did you say? Sakura''s "it" no longer surprised me, and I went along with the promise by reading from a random bar. Sakura was happy to have me go along with her pretending to be a storyteller, and she smiled happily and said, "I heard that. ''I heard, Uncle, about how much money you made today. Oh, did Elsa tell you that? "530,000 pyrro?That''s great. This is already that, my combat strength is 530,000, but I''m not going to get serious, so I''m going to say hello, right? No, no, no, no, 530,000, but it''s just a test, and I''ll take it seriously when it''s over. ''The final form is 120 million, so good luck! ''You can''t make that much money in one day!Or rather, I chuckle and ask Sakura back. ''How do you know that stuff? No, I know you''re that kind of character, but isn''t the stuff too old? Real time for that one is a rather delicate age, even for me. Yeah, that. It was a coincidence. Coincidence? ''Yes!I just happened to find out about it on Kuu x Furi. Pretending to be ......? I don''t know what it is, I don''t know what the word means, but I feel like I shouldn''t ever touch it. ''Don''t you know?The forbidden brothers of K???a and Frieza-- ''Wah-wah-wah-wah! I ranted loudly, interrupting Sakura mid-sentence. ''There are things in this world that you must not touch, never touch. ''What''s going on, all of a sudden?'' All good kids should never Google it: ...... It was a double combo of ranting too much out of the blue and being mentally beaten down, and I was suddenly exhausted. ''But that''s great Uncle, I''ve heard you talk about it, but then you could make money sitting or just sleeping around, right?'' Yeah, we''ve actually done similar experiments before. Huh?The "what With a stone of absolute rock and a reflection of high gut slime. Did we have one of those? That was a long time ago. Oh no, Eve seems to still be doing it. I explained the high gut slime thing to Sakura. ''Just because it''s nice to be asleep and wake up surrounded by a pile of carrots, and Eve must have liked it a lot. Ha-ha, that''s just like her. Yeah. Is Uncle Nikhonium tomorrow? Sakura suddenly changed the subject. It was relatively serious, unlike the story covered in previous stories. ''''Well, I intend to. I''m going to go down to the ninth floor - or the tenth floor if there is one - in one fell swoop. Why the ninth floor? Here. I pulled several special bullets out of my pocket. "What''s this? It''s a special bullet from the new Nifonium specter, the Hagremonono. The effect is a bullet from the same part of the old Nifonium that temporarily increases its power. Okay, so it''s the ninth floor anyway. ''Yes. But since the Yamata-no-Orochi appeared on the fourth floor, unlike before, there may be a tenth floor and beyond. "Mmm-hmm. Either way, it doesn''t change what we do. We''re going to meet Nihonium, and to do that we''re going to find the rest of the grenades and mirrors and test their abilities. That''s the first step. I see. You''re pretty good at that. What? I look at Sakura with a face that says, "What''s the matter with you all of a sudden? Sakura is not making fun of it, but is looking at me with a look on her face that says she really thinks so. You''re not losing sight of what you need to do. If it were my classmates, they would have gotten carried away and lost sight of everything around here. ''No, even Sakura''s classmates wouldn''t lose sight of her in this case, as expected. Nihonium is a fellow student who has lived with us for a long time. I don''t think so... Oh, well. Sakura shrugged her shoulders - then. Knock, knock. There was a knock on the door. ''Yes?'' As he responds, the door is quietly opened. The one standing there--. "Sakuya? She was supposed to be near Nifonium - it was Sakuya, an Eastern priestess. 548 548. For just two people What''s the matter with you, Sakuya? Sakuya disappeared with Nihonium. I had been working with her for a long time now, so I hadn''t thought deeply about it because if Nihonium disappeared, Sakuya would disappear too - but then Sakuya suddenly appeared. Sakuya answered my question with a shake of his head. ''''......'''' He just shook his head and didn''t say anything. I looked around, wondering, peering out of Sakuya''s side into the hallway. There was no one else in the hallway. I had hoped that maybe Nihonium was back - but it didn''t seem to be the case. I pull back the head I put out and ask Sakuya again. ''Where''s Nihonium?'' ...... She shook her head again. And just the same, there was no reaction beyond a shake of the head. ''There''s something about you, Uncle.'' Looks like it. ...... I think for a moment and ask further. ''Can''t you speak, by any chance?'' ...... He shook his head again. ''Did they do something to you?'' ...... ...... Did they tell you not to talk? ...... He shook his head endlessly, then shook his head this time. ''You''re a mute. Or rather, it''s like Vanadium-chan. Sakura does that with her hands around the back of her head, looking somewhat amused. ''Hey, can we go back to Nihonium now?'' Sakuya shakes her head. ''Did Nihonium tell you to stay over here?'' This time he waved it vertically in the affirmative. ''--meaning...'' Yeah, don''t say anything, just go back to the house. That''s what they told you? Yeah. And by the way, you won''t get any more information than this. Yeah. Me and Sakura nodded at each other. ''It''s nice to have those things confirmed, but I''m worried we don''t have enough information. Why don''t you go ask Plumbum? ''Prumbum?Why? Why? ...... Sakura gave me a bit of a stunned white eye. ''''Ask them anyway. ...... the genie thing to the genie. "Hmm. Aulum will be back at night, and when he doesn''t come back, your uncle will go out and ask him. Yeah, okay. I don''t know what''s going on, it''s a natural progression to summarize the current situation and ask the spirits. ''''Okay, I''ll go for a minute.'''' I said and left the room and headed for the transporter room. That''s why I have to go to ....... Prumbum''s room for the second time today. I ponied up in a transfer to the spirit''s room, and I explained the situation to her in amazement. ''Hmm,'' What can you find out?Anything, any little thing you can imagine. I don''t know if it''s the other side, but that''s what I would have done in this situation. Really?! I was surprised, as expected. Sakura is right. This answer from Plumbum is like saying that he knows exactly what Nihonium is trying to do. ''Why is that?'' ''You will go, won''t you?To Nihonium. Yeah. Nihonium is convinced that you will come. ...... Right. I try to remember what has been going on. What has happened with the spirits and the dungeon since Nihonium started coming to the mansion. I''m aiming to get to Nihonium now, and I''m sure he''s convinced that I''m going to find a way to get there no matter what. ''Then it''s only natural to let those who stand in your way go home first. "Interference? ''The straw man does not want you to be in the way when you are here. Wouldn''t it be a distraction to have a third person there when I''m talking to you? ...... That''s it? Hmm. Plumbum nodded clearly. ''No, it''s not the same as saying that''s all there is to it. What? It''s important for me to see you, to prepare for our first meeting, to be alone with you. Haha. ...... Prumbum said. That may be true, but I still think it''s ....... That''s it?That''s how I feel. ''I''ve heard a lot of stories from you, and I''ve learned a lot from you. What? What are you talking about, all of a sudden?I look at Prumbum in surprise. She gives a rare, mischievous smile. ''Let''s just say you''re a Park Nenin,'' So I said. 549 549. Muimui The next day I descended via the transporter room to the sixth floor of the Nihonium basement. It was still a visceral dungeon, and the horror was much less frightening now that the dungeon snow had stopped. That one wasn''t harmful, but the combo of viscera and bloody snow was a bit of a mental attack, so it was nice to see it subside. First of all, I use my abilities to figure out the structure of the dungeon. The shape is different than above, but that''s within the normal scope of things. It''s very different, and there''s something particularly different about it - it doesn''t seem to be. After checking out the structure of the dungeon, I started walking around looking for monsters. Since I was the only one in the dungeon since it was a random walk, and since I was the only one in the dungeon since it was a research period, I was ignoring the dungeon structure since I wasn''t going down until I checked the monsters and drops on this floor. No, rather, I actively walked away from the stairs, thinking that there might be something in the dead end/ cul-de-sac as well. While doing so--. ''Girls?'' I came across a girl. She had an okappa head and a cute patterned kimono. "Why is there a girl here? I thought, because when the girl looked at me, she smiled at me and came running up to me with a big smile on her face. When she came in front of me, she stopped and smiled again, "Smile". It was like a vanadium. Just a pretty girl. ''You, what''s your name?Why are you here? ? The girl tilted her head a bit. ''Um, .......'' I was in trouble. It was the same here with Vanadium. A girl who seemed to be trying to communicate with no words, just facial expressions and body language. So I was slow to notice. ''Huh?'' A little further away, there was another girl. Her face is slightly different, and her hair is also slightly different, but she''s wearing a cute kimono with an okappa head, just like the girl in front of me. I couldn''t help but look twice at this one and compare it with the two of them in turn. ''.................. Zashikido! The name flew out of my mouth as white lightning pierced through my brain. New Nihonium. A dungeon full of youkai. A girl in a kimono with a cute okappa head appeared there. It matches the characteristics of the Zashikido being I know. The hem of my clothes is pulled on from behind me with a gulp. Yet another girl appeared! There are subtle differences, but they are still similar looking girls. Here, I''m sure of it. Six floors below Nihonium, the monster is - Zashiki-Do. ...... eh. That''s fine, but I''m troubled. I''m in trouble. If the opponent is a monster, the basic principle of this world is to defeat it and get a drop, but with the way it looks, I just can''t attack it. The fact that the other side doesn''t attack me, and I can''t help but think it''s a monster is one of the reasons I''m hesitant to attack. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you''re looking for when you''re in the market. ''To is ...... no ......'' I found myself getting a pained look on my face. Since it''s an investigation, it''s not worth talking about if I don''t defeat it. But I can''t help but attack it. ''''Guh...... well, first of all,'''' I ran away from the scene. It was a monster. Alice told me when she came back in the transporter room. ''Right. ''Thanks.'' When I escaped the dungeon, I asked Alice for help. Dungeon-born. Alice''s special ability is my upper hand, one that not only knows the structure of the dungeon, but also knows where the monsters are. In other words, it''s the ability to know if the entity in front of you is a monster or not. Even if you don''t defeat it, Alice has the ability to know if it''s a monster or not for now. I asked her for help. "Thanks, my bad. I have a few things to attack. No, I know how it feels. ''If Nihonium were to be released to the public, every day would be a living hell. Maybe. Oh, yeah. Alice clapped her hands with a pop and made a gesture as if she remembered something. ''Mui mui, say hello to Lyota.'' Muiuiui? Who are you?But the next moment, something peeked out from Alice''s back and landed on her shoulder. It was like a stuffed animal, that zashiki-dou thing. ''''My new companion, Mui Mui.'''' (Pecori) Did you beat him? I was pleasantly surprised by Alice''s relentlessness. 550 550. Mermaid ''Yes!Because I heard this girl calling out to me. Yes. ...... I guess that''s what it''s called when you can''t keep your open mouth shut. Alice and her fellow monsters are right in front of me. Starting with the skeleton Hone Hone, everyone deformed from their original form is a new friend, Mui Mui?I''m rambling around with them. ''Oh yeah, here''s the drop,'' With that, Alice held out something red to me. I take it and stare at it. "Strawberry, huh? Yeah. Is that what Zashiki dropped? Just to be sure. "Shit. I see. ...... No, thank you. No, thank you too. I wouldn''t have met you without Lyota. It''s a coincidence - but it''s a good one. Alice and her fellow monsters. In a way, I''ve always seen how close Alice''s family is to each other. Whether it''s Muiui, who just joined the family, or everyone else who''s been around for a while. It''s nice to have more friends. Thanks anyway. What''s Lyota going to do now? ''I''ll go down to the seventh floor. I''ve got the sixth floor pretty much figured out and it''s a bit of a challenge for me, so I''ll just go down there. Yeah. Should I come with you? No, that''s okay. If you can''t make it, we''ll need your help again. ''Yes!I get it! Alice nodded widely. She started to muiui and then headed off with all of her fellow monsters, using the transporter room to get to some dungeon. After seeing them off, I used the transporter room to pontoon myself. First, we went to the sixth basement floor, and from there we figured out the structure of the dungeon and headed to the floor where we took the shortest route. I encountered a number of zashiki-dou along the way, but I didn''t feel guilty for not attacking them, and they didn''t attack me either, so I didn''t have any problems. ''If we open it up to the public, it''s going to be the tier I least want to come to: ...... I mumbled that and made a complicated face, which I could understand. The way things have been going so far, that means that once the adventurers are nudged into the new Nihonium, this floor will be a one-sided attack on the unresisting sitting children. That sucks as a picture, but it''s the same as ...... Arsenic, and the idea that it''s the same as what the very best adventurers do. By the way, when I was in elementary school, emotional education?I was at school for - I had a pig in my class. We were all loving it, and when we were feeling generous - well, the pig became meat. When we saw the meat that had been brought back, we had a very mixed feeling. I know that a sitting child is also a monster, but I can''t do it. With that in mind, I descended the stairs and came to the seventh basement floor. The same internal dungeon, pulsating walls, ceiling and floor. What appeared there was--. "Shhhhhhhh...? It reminded me of that unsympathetic, human-faced fish from the voice input game, (...) It''s different from the figure of a mermaid, which is associated with the upper body of a human and the lower body of a fish. It is also different from the figure of the so-called dugong. The body is a fish, and only the face is human. There was nothing cute about it. It had a human face with long, wavy black hair, black hair like wakame. On the top of his head, two devilish horns sprouted up like a demon. It''s not at all cute, unlike Zashikido. ...... Pan-pan-pan! I silently fired a series of regular bullets. The bullets shot precisely between the eyes, in the heart, and then in the stomach. The mermaid fell, bounced, bleeped, and then dropped with a pop. ''This is ...... plum, huh?'' I picked it up and nibbled on it. It was wonderfully sour. Finish that sour Nihonium plum. Okay, next. I began to prowl the seventh floor of the basement to find the next mermaid, with no resistance at all. 551 551. Yuki Onna New Nihonium, basement level 8. ''Oooh, cold!'' As soon as I got downstairs, I had to shrug with a gesture of holding myself with both hands. I don''t know if it''s the first time I''ve been downstairs and the temperature has changed so much. It got so cold, my breath was white. It''s suddenly about the same temperature as the dead of winter. Is it because of the terrain effect?Or ...... I shrug and proceed through the dungeon, rubbing my palms together. I don''t want to stay on this floor too long without being prepared for the cold. I thought I would just encircle the monster for once and bring back some information. And so I walk in circles. Unlike usual, to be able to retreat immediately, I was not walking around the stairs without a guess, I was walking in circles around the stairs. That''s why it was difficult to meet the monster. It''s a good idea to go ...... a little farther afield (...). But then it would be hard to get back to ...... No, it''s also said to hurry up and go around, but nevertheless ...... This situation where the cold has become a more formidable foe than any monster. I whirled around the stairs, unable to make a decision. ''''Huh?'''' Suddenly, I found a figure at the stairs. A figure that hadn''t been there before. When did it appear ......?What does that mean, nihonium? It was Nihonium there. She wasn''t wearing her usual kimono, but an all-white kimono. ''What''s up with that outfit? For that matter, why are you here? I say, moving closer. Maybe it was the cold and I wasn''t thinking straight. That''s why I was slow to notice. Nifornium--the spirit of the dungeon is indeed the master of the dungeon, but under the "logic" of this world, it is an existence that cannot even walk freely in its own dungeon. By the time you feel a slight sense of discomfort at the fact that it is here``it is too late. The woman with the appearance of Nifongnium held the peace sign to her mouth and made a gesture of blowing something out. The white breath she blew out quickly turned into a blizzard and hit me. I jumped to my side as quickly as I could, but I didn''t dodge it completely because I was too late in realizing it. "d*mn! My left side of my body is frozen! Quickly, he launched a flameless bullet away. I rammed myself into the spot where I had swung it and melted my frozen body with the invisible flames. Your body will be burned to a crisp, and you''ll take some damage. But because of that, the frozen part melted. I avoid it with my body, which has regained its freedom. Then I look again. It has the same appearance as Nihonium, it is wearing a white kimono, and its hair is fluffy and windless, and ice particles--diamond dust--spill out. ''...... snow woman!'' I understood in an instant. A new nihonium, a new dungeon with monsters bound. A woman in a white kimono who controlled the ice that appeared there. It was the very characteristic of the youkai called the Snow Woman. I pointed a gun at her. It stopped with a jolt. Even though she is a youkai/snow woman, she looks exactly like a nihonium. It''s a bit awkward to pull the trigger as it is. ''......'' But I pulled the trigger. The flameless bullets flew out and hit the snow woman, setting her opponent on fire. The snow woman disappeared, somewhere between "burning" and "melting". ''Hmmm, not a pleasant thing to watch. I chuckled. Not as much as Zashiko, but he''s a hesitant opponent to attack. The only difference is that they attacked me, you could say. The snow woman on the eighth floor is also a troublesome monster--only to me. 552 552. To the 10th basement floor After the snow woman disappeared, the fruit was dropped, as usual. ''''Is this ......?'''' I pick it up from its fall and observe it seriously. A jagged leaf and a piece of fruit that looked like a pine cone. It was a fruit I hadn''t seen before. Since the renovation of the Nihonium, I''ve found many fruits I''ve never seen before, one after the other. They''re all unfamiliar fruits, including the Miracle Fruit on the fourth floor. Some I know, some I''ll find out by asking Sakura. Maybe it''s because I don''t know them - that is to say, they''re not very common in Japan - or maybe it''s because of the pattern of their names: "It''s a different world, and it''s dragon fruit. It''s a different world, maybe it''s dragon fruit. I mumbled something like that to myself. The dragon fruit is a fruit that existed in the original world as well. It is a kind of fruit of the cactus, which becomes even better looking when written in Chinese characters as "fire dragon fruit". I''m sure you''ll find that in this other world, the name "dragon fruit" would be something else. If you eat like this ...... you will be able to wipe the fire or something like that. I examine the dropped fruit while thinking about such other things. The jagged leaves look completely inedible. I wondered if the leaves and the pine cone part of the fruit might be something that grows in the ground because it looks like a radish and its leaves. The pine cone-like part is very hard, with a thorny and defensive look to it, so I had a feeling. In this case, I could easily predict that the pine cone-like exterior would be peeled off and the fruit would be inside. I broke it in half lengthwise. It''s a hard, thorny fruit, but helpless in front of the force SS. I was able to easily break it in half. Immediately, the fragrance of the fruit drifted out. It''s a sweet and sour taste, a delicious aroma that I can''t imagine from its appearance. ''''Hey, that''s a pineapple! I gently touched the yellow flesh of the cross section and brought the juice to my mouth. I knew it was a pineapple. The pineapple itself is not that unfamiliar to me. You can see cut pineapple on pizza, and it is quite common to see pineapple served with juice or pub sours. By the way, I''m not going to allow them in my sweet and sour pork, no matter what. ''Heh ...... pineapple is like this ......'' I had no idea it looked like a pine cone. But, well, I guess it makes sense somehow. And this pineapple.... "Yeah, it''s sweet and sour. It was a sour fruit, as has been the case in the past. The renewed New Nihonium has been dropped with fruits that are almost entirely sour, with the exception of Miracle Fruit. The same goes for this pineapple. ''''Could it be that the sourness depends on the ...... drop status? Somehow I thought that might be a possibility. I''ll get my friends to help me out next time to verify that, too. With that in mind, I defeated a few more snow women. It looks a lot like a nihonium, but it''s a snow woman monster, and it''s an attacker, so I was able to defeat it without mercy. Picking up the dropped pineapples, I proceeded through the dungeon, found the stairs, and went down. New Nihonium, ninth floor underground. The same old, pulsating, visceral dungeon. a?--! The next moment I realized that it hadn''t changed, I was so surprised that my eyes widened into a flutter. My ability, still in its infancy, a backwards-compatible ability of Alice''s. The ability to only grasp the structure of the dungeon. It was lacking in some areas to use on a daily basis, and I needed to work on a lot of things, but I knew that''s all I could do for now. The structure of the dungeon as it feels projected into my brain is where I''m standing, the overall structure of the dungeon, and the two staircases. A staircase that comes down from the top and a staircase that goes down. A staircase that goes down. If it exists from the beginning, that would be the stairs that lead to the tenth floor. Nihonium -- the tenth floor. Even in the new Nihonium, special bullets had something to do with combat status, so I thought it was only up to the ninth floor. The possibility of the tenth floor, which came up to it, was both surprising and exciting. 553 553. Amanojaku The existence of the tenth basement floor is very disturbing. I wanted to go down and explore it right now, but I goofed off. I know from experience that Cell has asked me to explore the dungeon and that I have to "conquer" all levels in many cases to get to the spirit room. So I''d like to check it out now, but I''ve decided to stifle it and attack the ninth floor first. I''m no longer used to it and proceed through the internal dungeon. Then, I immediately encountered a monster. ''''Goblins?'''' These thoughts came out of my mouth the moment I saw the monster that appeared. It was a small, small-bodied monster worthy of being called a kobold, with sharp eyes and exposed fangs, completely naked and with a dull gray skin color. That''s why the word "goblin" came out of my mouth so quickly. ''Oh, come to think of it, is this what the Amanojaku monster looks like too? I immediately remembered that and nodded my head in agreement. New Nihonium, a dungeon with all the "Japanese" yokai up to this point. One of those yokai is the Amanojaku, a yokai whose features are almost identical to those of the goblins. If that''s the case, I''m going to have to capture it more and more. If it''s not a goblin, but a demon called Amanojaku, then I need to find out the difference between the two before I can report it. So I steeled myself, pulled out my gun and pointed it at the muzzle of the gun - but. ''''Ah.'''' The Heavenly Demon didn''t hesitate at all, turning himself around and running away. It was almost the first monster to run away from me in the first place, with absolutely no intention of fighting. I put my gun away and went after the Heavenly Evil Demon. As I rounded the corner of the dungeon, I saw the celestial demon turn around a little further on. So I pulled my gun out again - and he ran away. ''Tsk, wait!'' I chase after the celestial demon with my tongue in my mouth. I''ve never seen a monster run away so clearly before. I''d better check this one out before I defeat it. At that moment I thought to myself. ''''What!'''' The celestial demon stopped, stopped, turned around and stared at me. It didn''t pull away from me, nor did it turn the corner and disappear from view for a moment. And yet, the celestial demon stopped. ''What kind of ...... thing is this?'' I wondered about it, but let''s tie him up for now. So you think - you run away again! He escaped, and this time the celestial devil turned the corner. So he chased after it, and at the end of the corner was a fork in the road, a three-way junction. ''Kook!'' Unlike Alice, I don''t have the ability to detect where the monsters are. If they run into a trident and can''t see you, it''s as if you''ve practically lost them. ''''It''s no use, let''s turn back and look for another individual. With that thought, he put away his gun and turned himself around - pettiness. I turned at the sound of footsteps, and the celestial demon revealed itself. ''......'' The celestial devil escaped. ...... The Heavenly Demon reappeared. ''......'' The celestial devil has escaped again. ''......'' The celestial demon showed itself. The celestial demon didn''t pull back from showing up. ''...... I see.'' I think I''m getting the picture. He''s reading our "hostility" - no, he''s reading our minds, isn''t he? If you want to attack him, he will run away, and if you try to give up and walk away, he will show himself. I''m not sure if it''s a good idea, but it''s not. I see... I see... That''s it. I''d normally be annoyed when he went on and on about the exact opposite, but I was a bit convinced. It was as heavenly as the name suggests, and it was a little funny. ''...... well, but,'' I took a deep breath and changed my thinking again. Beat it, kolos, kill it and let it drop. The moment I thought that, though, the celestial demon ran away again. ''Sweet,'' I kicked the ground and rushed forward, and in an instant I was ahead of the Heavenly Evil Demon. Speed SS, if you really put that speed to the test, it''s almost as if the speed at which the Amanojaku is escaping has stopped. I''m going to turn myself around and try to escape even more, and I''m going to get further ahead of the evil one, and I''m going to hold the muzzle of my gun at him - and shoot him. With a close-range headshot, he defeated the Amanojaku. Even though I could read his mind, in the end, my physical abilities would be the key. That''s how I defeated him. ''Shoot myself, and I thought about doing an accelerator round, but I didn''t need it. Muttering such things, he lashes the drop. The completely vanished Amanojaku dropped a fruit that was light pink and shaped like a palm-sized bell. Picking it up and biting into it, it had an apple-like, pear-like texture and was still a bit sweet and sour. I wondered if Sakura knew the name of this fruit too.I walked around the ninth floor, letting my speed take me down and collecting drops from the heavenly demons. 554 554. Light and darkness After getting a dozen fruits that resembled the shape of a bell and putting them together and tucking them into the Grand Eater''s pockets, he finally descended the stairs and stepped down to the tenth floor underground. ''...... First off, everything''s clear,'' What I came down to was the exact same, visceral looking dungeon as the one upstairs. The dungeon snow - the red snow is what''s falling, but that''s within the realm of normal dungeons. It was a bit of a letdown, as I had imagined it to be something much bigger and different. I figure out the structure of the dungeon. It was an intricately shaped, maze-like dungeon, with a staircase leading down at a distance. Is there still more to the Nihonium dungeon? I pulled myself together and walked off to encounter the monster. I walked a little differently than I did on the ninth floor. It doesn''t make any sense, but when I''m just encountering them, I walk and look at them in a different way for no reason. It could be circling around in a circle, or going back and forth with two points in mind, or a combination of the two. It doesn''t mean anything in particular, I just change it as I feel like it''s appropriate at the time. I still walk differently now than I did on the ninth floor for no reason. As I was doing so, I met a monster. ''Huh?'' I tried to make my way towards the monster, but I lost sight of it. It looked like a ball of fire floating in the air, which I saw a short distance away just before. When it tried to get closer, it disappeared. Or so I thought. I waited for a little while and it appeared as normal. Isn''t it bad to get close?And then I remembered the ninth-floor celestial demon and waited a little while as I stopped in place. But that guy disappeared again. After it disappeared and did nothing for a while, it reappeared a bit further away. I pulled out my gun and moved closer. It didn''t react at all at first, and then suddenly it disappeared and reappeared again. It doesn''t seem to have anything to do with what we''re doing. Since they weren''t attacking me, I didn''t attack them either, so I took a wait-and-see approach. Unlike the heavenly demons, they have been coming and going regardless of my actions and intentions at all. "Human souls--or is it the foxfire one? I tried to use all my knowledge of the monsters and specters on this floor to try to guess the identity of the monsters and specters. It doesn''t attack me, so I decide to test it some more. As soon as it disappears, I fire a conventional round into the spot where it disappeared. The bullet misses and lands in the wall. "Hmm. I nod and wait for it to reappear. You wait for it to reappear, and then it disappears again, and this time you spread conventional rounds around the area instead of where it disappeared. And then one of the loose rounds "hits" you. In the air, it slowed down a bit as if it had hit something, and its trajectory shifted. Immediately afterwards, a thinly veiled human spirit or foxfire burst out with a bang. And then it dropped a blue - or rather green oval fruit. ''''A lemon?'''' I mumbled, moving closer and picking it up. The smell wasn''t a lemon. It was a thick smelling fruit, so thick that you could tell just by picking it up that it was sweet and sour. The skin on the surface was smooth and smooth, obviously different from the lemony, citrusy, mousy rind of the fruit. To the touch, that skin was about the size of a thick grape. The flesh, like the flesh inside, feels completely different, the kind of skin you can peel off with your hands, not a blade. So I peeled the skin off with my hand. What came out of it was an orange flesh. ''Is this a ...... mango?'' The flesh inside was familiar. I knew what it smelled like. When I took a bite - the sourness prevailed, but it tasted like a mango I''d had before. I wondered if it wasn''t fully ripe or if it was that kind of variety that looked green. ''I didn''t know there was such a thing as a mango. And since Nihonium had been all about sweet and sour fruits so far, the taste of this mango immediately made sense to me. It was a waste, so I flattened it and then walked around the dungeon. It''s still sour on my drop S, so maybe it''s that kind of variety. With that in mind, I take down the encumbered monsters. Specters in the form of flames floating in the air that follow and disappear. The only thing that follows and disappears is its appearance, not its existence itself. To prove it, if you use tracking bullets, the tracking bullets will chase it, defeat it, and make it drop a blue mango, even if it is following you or disappearing. I wondered if it would be tougher if you''re an adventurer who relies heavily on sight, and I was analyzing it. The fireball I encountered swooped in and disappeared. As soon as I raised my gun, to my surprise, the entire dungeon went dark! Mmm. It''s so dark that you can''t help but speak up. You bring your hand in front of your face, but you can''t see that it''s there. It''s like every light has gone out, and you''re enveloped in such darkness. ...... mirror? I mumbled reflexively, having been convinced that the three divine weapons would be the key items, and I''ve been prepping for them. 555 555. Evolution I fired my precious flame bombs. I fired to get some light--so I fired, but I didn''t see any flames. No, I did see flames. A faint feeling of heat could be felt. There was heat, but it didn''t turn into light. This is--. Ugh! Without being able to grasp the situation, he was hit in the back of the head with a thud!I was shocked. My eyes flickered in front of me and I almost fell forward. I stepped back just in time and turned around and released a back fist to pay it off. Nothing hit me, there was no response. As I tried to regain my crumbling posture, this time I felt a shock to my side. I stepped down goofily - three times. I fought back the moment the impact came to my side. ''Fast!'' A counter-punch cut through the air. From the first surprise strike, he decided on the second and waited for the third. It was a counter-attack, waiting and waiting, but it missed without grazing at all. ''It''s speed for speed''s sake,'' I fired an accelerator round at myself. A higher level acceleration round, loaded with vanadium bullets. I enter the super-accelerated world and wait. I keep my nerves on edge in the darkness so that I don''t miss even the slightest anomaly. Then, this time it came to my shoulder. I''m accelerating, so it''s almost a "touch" on my part. I don''t miss it and unleash a counter-punch. ''--Na! The punches cut through the air. It cut through the sky with no response at all, but the attack on us continued. The sensation gradually increases and the pain increases. The acceleration ended, and we returned to normal. The blows pinged again. ''A long-range attack?'' While fighting it, I think back to what happened during the acceleration. I fought back the moment it hit. Normally, it would have been a clean counter. And yet, if there is no response, it''s probably because it''s not there. The same is true of the lack of response at all. There are two kinds of cases where there is no response. There''s really nothing, and there''s nothing. And there is no sensation that the damage has gone through, although you can feel it. There are two kinds of damage. This time I couldn''t even feel a touch of something. Moreover, it''s this darkness. It is probably true that the attacker isn''t there. When it comes to long-range attacks, it''s quite tricky. An invisible opponent attacked us from a long distance, and from a completely unknown direction. Even now, attacks are coming from various directions. It''s too much trouble. It''s time to retreat. We''re in the clear, let''s get out of here. It''s so dark that you can''t even see your fingertips, so to speak. I have the ability to understand the structure of the dungeon. I''ll use it to escape. I''ve got a mini-map in my brain, as usual, and I start walking with that map as my guide. First the stairs, then the upper floor, and then the transporter gate to get back to the mansion. That''s what I thought, and I walked out, guardedly ....... ''No progress?'' I noticed immediately that something was wrong. I walked and walked, but I wasn''t making any progress from the mini-map in my brain to my current location. What''s going on?While I was thinking "I''m not sure what to do", the attacks kept coming one after another. I''m a full-strength SS, and although I don''t do a lot of damage, the one-sided attacks accumulate damage. More than anything else, the attacks are so frequent that I can''t even think straight. We have to get out of here. If we don''t do this, we''ll be in trouble. No, it''s already happening. We have to get out of here, quickly ....... With that in mind, I started to dash. Dashing didn''t change the frequency of being attacked. The position of the mini-radar in my brain didn''t change. If it seemed to move every once in a while, I would soon realize that it was just an illusion that seemed to move when I was staring at something. I didn''t move an inch on the mini-radar in my brain. I wonder why or why not, and my consciousness is focused on the radar with a bang. Then - the radar changed. What had been just the structure of the dungeon before was displayed as if there were several other points of light - something else. One of them completely overlapped with me. ''With the monster--no!Did you get swallowed up?! Me, driven in a pinch. Thanks to being pushed to the edge, my abilities evolved and I was able to grasp the situation in the moment. 556 556. Escape I tried moving forward. The radar in my brain didn''t let me move at all, and I was still superimposed on the enemy''s light spot. To test it out, I loaded up my tracking rounds and fired. ''Whoa!'' After the tracking round went straight for a bit, it made a clean U-turn. I dodged it on the spur of the moment - and it followed me further. While admiring its tracking performance, I knocked down the approaching tracking rounds with my normal bullets. Even now, while fighting off the intermittent damage, I think about it. The fact that the tracking rounds are aiming at me, at least the situation where the mini-radar in my brain is visible, and me and the enemy are overlapping, seems to be a certainty. If that''s the case, you can''t attack properly. I tried to move towards the staircase, but I couldn''t make any progress from my perceived position. "Well, what should we do now? As I was walking around aimlessly, thinking about whether there was a breakthrough or not - it moved! I turned around and walked in the distance towards the stairs and was able to move. ''Do you want me to move back?'' So I walked away again, but this time it didn''t move. I wondered what that was all about earlier, and this time I was able to take a step to the left. ''......'' Stop completely and consider the possibilities. I came up with a possibility and took a step back and forth and left and right. Then I was able to move to the right this time. And then left. I could move backward twice, and then I could move forward once. I see. I think I''m starting to get it. A piece of paper like a piece of graphite appeared in my head. It could move in only one direction out of four directions (front, back, left and right). I tried eight directions, but I couldn''t move in all four directions. After trying again and again, I found out that I could only move in one direction. I tried to move only in the direction I could move. The mini-radar in my brain showed me moving in a completely random way. It''s good that I can move ...... now that I can move. ''When will I be able to go home at this rate?'' I mumble with a smirk. Even at this moment, the attack is still going on, ......''s still good. You can get by with the Absolute Rock stone and the few recovery rounds that are still left, though they are running low. The problem is that we can''t advance forever. Three steps forward, two steps back - that''s not easy. It''s like taking three steps forward and three steps back. What if the direction of travel is completely random. Even if you go on and on, you will only end up stamping your feet in the same place. If I had a dozen or so steps to go, I could handle it, depending on my bias (luck), but I had a few hundred steps to go from my current location to the stairs. It''s impossible to keep going at this rate. There''s got to be some way to move forward, even if it''s unavoidable. Oh. Huh, and then I remember. There''s a way to force yourself to move forward, right? I''m going to take the grenade out of the grand eater''s pocket and shoot it. I grab it. I wait for a while - and then I advance. I grabbed the bullet, and I made a small step forward. I kept firing at the bullet. I grabbed it and moved forward, inch by inch, inch by inch. "...... I stopped halfway through and tried to take a step forward. I couldn''t do it, so I used an ironclad bullet to take one step forward. Then I stopped again and went forward - this time I went forward normally. Again, my brain''s radar looked like a piece of graph paper. It was fixed that I would only advance in one direction for each square that stood up. If you move to a different square, the direction of forward movement is reset, regardless of how you move. If you can move forward, you can go forward normally, and if you can''t, a bullet will grab you and carry you to the square. After a few hours of repeating the process, I finally reached the stairs. Finally, I reached the stairs. I continued up the stairs and proceeded to the upper floor, and the moment I was still on the level, my vision returned and I felt the monster fall. The exact same feeling I remembered from the first time I pushed the skeleton out of the dungeon. The monster that possessed me disappeared at the same time I went up the hierarchy. And then--. ''Ah, the mirror.'' The mirror that the monster supposedly dropped fell in front of me. 557 557. I want it too So I''ll see you soon? Evening at the mansion, inside the salon. I told Sakura, who was the first to come home, about the events that had happened at Nifonium. ''Maybe it did, maybe it didn''t. A lot has changed since the first Nifonium.'' It''s all right. It''s all right, it''s all right. Sakura cheerfully and casually said that and patted me on the back. ''Uncle can do it,'' I don''t know. You''re Uncle Cheelem''s uncle, you know. Yeah, no Uncle Cheelem, please. I said with a smile. Cheerem and Uncle. It must be a complicated feeling to be able to put those two together. ''''So you have the same ability as Alice''s, right? Yeah, I think so--oh. What''s going on? Meeke is back. Oh, I see, you don''t understand spirits. The mini-radar in my brain caught the presence of a monster that appeared from the transporter room. The only monster in this family that can use the transporter room without a care in the world is Meeke, a unique mini-sage monster. ''Maybe Meeke is the only one--'' I''m back. Tadaimaima. As if to interrupt Sakura''s words, Meeke and Aulum entered the salon at the right moment. As usual, Meeke picked up and dropped off Aulum with his special ability that he gained by becoming a unique monster. ''''Haha, sorry, Uncle.'''' No, thank you, really. What? Sakura tilts her head back in the air, "I appreciate that point. ''I appreciate that point. I was about to make a judgment based on my assumptions alone. Thank you. ....... Sakura looked a little flabbergasted and seemed unfazed. She was grateful for this point - especially now. Judging from the situation, at the stage where I perceived that a monster had come out of the transporter room, it was usually determined that it was Meeke, and if there was nothing else, then the existence of a spirit was not detectable. The only monster to appear from the transporter room at this time is Meeke, and it is unlikely that Meeke would appear from there at this time of day without picking up or dropping off a spirit. But that''s not an absolute. Sakura pointed that out to me. And this is the kind of thinking we need to do to attack the rest of Nihonium. Nifonium has some things in common with the previous one. But it''s not exactly the same. Sakura in the form of a consequential admonition for assuming that "this is the norm. Thank you so much. You''re welcome. What?What''s going on? Aulum happily joined me in talking. I told Aulum about what had happened in Nihonium and how I had acquired almost as much ability as Alice. ''Hmmm, I guess we''re almost there then,'' Maybe. Then I''ll be next. "Huh? All of a sudden?And I looked at Aulum in surprise. ''Because this time, Lyota has acquired new powers, right? Yeah. That''s exactly what I need to do. What kind of thing is that, like Nifonium? That''s right. Lyota, you know, you just won''t use my powers. I''m just so lonely. ''No, that''s ......'' It''s true that I haven''t used Aulum''s power at all in recent times. Or rather, of all the spirits that are like my friends, I''ve used her power the least. Not to mention Vanadium is allowed to use this dungeon. Fosforus and the others have changed forms and are fighting alongside Alice. As for the Nifonium, before it was my abilities and special bullets. Now, thanks to Kusanagi''s sword and Yatagagamagami, my abilities have increased. Compared to that, Aulum didn''t do anything. In the beginning, I had him give me some sand money while dropping, but I don''t do that now either. I want to do something for Lyota, too. Hey, that''s nice. ''Well, you mean to change the dungeon ......?And Aulum. Yeah! That''s ......, well, okay. Yada. However. But? Not all of a sudden. Auld Lang Syne now supports so many people. I''ll make sure he knows who to call first. Okay. It''s a little unsettling, as if I''m going to make a cheap promise-- ''''Hmmm...'''' When I saw that Aulum was enjoying himself, I thought, "Oh well. Thus, the appointment for the next dungeon attack was made. 558 558. Date invitation In the main branch of the Golden Tree, in the reception dignitary room, I sit down and face both Elsa and Ena. On the table between them is a variety of fruits on the table. All of them are from Nihonium and have not yet been priced. They had asked Elsa and the other Golden Trees to do a market survey on it, just as they did with the soda. ''This was the most popular one,'' Elsa held it up and showed it to me, that light red, bell-shaped fruit. When I asked Sakura about it, she told me that it was called "Lembu" and was a fruit that was very closely related to guava. It''s called Miracle Fruit, and her casual erudition made me roll my tongue. ''Is this the most popular?'' Yes, it''s popular for its good texture, freshness, and non-dull finish. I see. Also, it was high praise that you had to handle it delicately somehow. Delicately? What do you mean?I ask Ena with a look on her face. ''It''s like this,'' Ena picked up the Lembu in her hand and dropped it on the table from about ten inches high. She quickly picks it up and shows it to me. "Hey, you''re hurt and dented already, Yeah. The delicacy of this piece of furniture is very popular because it gives it a luxurious feel. It''s like a luxury item when you have to treat it like a fragile item. That''s how it works. I think so. ''It''s the new Nifonium, and it was the most popular drop item from the first to the tenth floor. Next up is Miracle Fruit. Miracle Fruits are so popular. ''Yes. It seems to be especially popular in bars, where people eat it with a good laugh. Yeah, I kind of get it. It was easy for me to imagine the scene. The miracle fruit, the magical fruit that makes you feel sweet no matter how sour it is if you eat it first. There is no doubt that it is an excellent topic of conversation and a good story. It is sure to be an excellent topic of conversation and an excellent story to tell. Other than that, it''s good. The recipe Ryota created for mixing green apples with alcohol is also very popular. Green apple sour. That''s good. One by one, Elsa and the others reported on the ten types of fruit so far. I was happy to see that they were generally well received. I''m sure the adventurers with high plant drops are itching to get started. I''m sure they''ll be rushing in at once after Lyota-san''s investigation is finished. I see. Hopefully this will make Nihonium feel like it''s needed. I remember her problems and hope they are resolved. Before I knew it, I''ve come to really care about the spirits in this world. I can''t think of these spirits as strangers, who have worked hard for hundreds or even thousands of years without gratitude or reward, and who only have occasional contact with humans. Bump to ....... What? ''That''s enough, Elsa, this is Mr Lyota. ...... Maybe so. Um, ....... Elsa''s lips quirk up a bit, and Ena is grinning. I''m a little worried that I''ve done something without realizing it. ''Err... ......'' It''s about how we''re going to pay you for your services, Mr. Ryota. ''What?Yeah, of course I''ll thank you. What would you like? Okay, just one date, a date with a grown-up. ''Is that what you want?Well, then, in Vila Dieche-- "Nibbling. What? I get sulked again. Elsa sulked for a moment, and then, with a breeze, replaced it with a smile. ''That''s a lie, I just wanted to embarrass Lyota-san a bit. Yeah, yeah. So leave it open for me tonight. Okay, I''ll talk to Emily and the others and we''ll come back for you. Yes, sir. I''ll be waiting for you. 559 559. The nighttime tavern, Villa Diechee. The three of us were drinking at a familiar table in Nami''s restaurant, with Elsa and Ena. ''Nugu ...... nugu ............ puha! Are you sure you''re ready to drink at that pace? "Raise your hand!This is just the beginning. Mothballed but ...... Don''t worry, I''ll be right behind you. Beside Elsa, who drinks as she looks up, Ena is drinking at a sensible pace. This is a bit of a surprise, since Ena usually has a relatively more uninhibited image. ''''Yorasan, nongremafu ka. Yeah, yeah. I''m drinking. Here. Can''t we just stay? Yeah, yeah. I gave a small nod and turned to Ena, pretending to drink with my mug in my mouth. ''I''m not the type to drink like this, Elsa,'' It''s a lot of things. Stress? Well, you''re running a single store, or even a branch office, so stress is bound to set in. ...... Shortly after I was convinced, I realized that Ena was giving me a white stare. ''What, what?'' No. I''m going to have a blast. ''Yeah!W-why? I want you to think about your hand on your chest. This one, plus two large ones. Ena stopped the shopkeeper as she walked by and ordered boldly. I wouldn''t be able to compete with her if she followed Elsa''s lead and drank like that. I twisted my head around desperately, trying to change the subject. ''Oh, by the way. It''s been almost three years since we met, right? ''Oh, come to think of it,'' Anoroki''s ...... yora-san, is ...... Elsa said halfway through, feeling like she couldn''t turn the rhetoric around, then wandered off, and then plopped down on the table like, gong. ''Elsa?''Are you okay, Elsa? Huh?You''re here, Yora-san? No, no, no, no, no. I turned my gaze to Ena and pleaded for relief. But not only did Ena not respond to my gaze, she sipped on her newly delivered beer. ''Yo-la ......,'' Elsa hugged me. She hugged me over the table, nudging down the mug from a mug of wine. The noise of the mug being knocked over caught the attention of the entire restaurant for a moment, but it''s a bar. It was just a drunk doing drunkenness (), so it didn''t get any more attention than that. ''Uh-huh.'' Oh, come on, Elsa. ''Ramelew!Uh-huh. Elsa is in full drunk mode. She hugs me and thrashes me. And-- Yora-san: "Yora-san: ...... chuuuu! And then he kissed her. ''Hey, hey, Elsa! Chuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu. Mmm-hmmm. No, no, I mean, Ena, stop her, please. Stop? Ena put down her mug and looked at us. ''Yes, it''s in public,'' Yeah, so... But I won''t. What? Why?Did Sakura put you up to this? A drunken kisser is more dangerous than a drunken kisser who interferes. Ugh, yeah, that''s true. Give it up and be done with it. Yeah, yeah, it''s a shame you don''t eat at the table. I''m sure you have some luck, right? Gentlemen! There was a lot of yapping from the surrounding area, which was really a bar. I was at a loss. There are plenty of ways to deal with what happened in the dungeon, but I have no idea what to do in these situations. I''m hopelessly lacking in experience and knowledge. Yora-san: ...... ''What?What''s wrong with you? You''re all riled up. Are you sobered up? You don''t like it when it''s your birthday? Elsa asked with a look on her face as if she was about to start crying. She looks up and asks with a louder look in her eyes. The look on your face makes me feel a little guilty. ....... ''It''s not true. Elsa is a dear friend, no, a family member. There''s no such thing as hate. So do you like ......? Yeah, I like it. "Suki ...... ehehe ...... Elsa was happy to hear me say I liked her, and she rubbed her cheeks even more. I gave up and let her do what she wanted. It''s happened before, and Elsa doesn''t remember it after she''s sobered up. If that''s the case, just let her do it, not jittery. ''Well, you have the look of being misguidedly prepared. Ah, I drank the pills you took to get crushed, and you didn''t swallow them. Beside me, for some reason, Ena was more grandly dismayed than before. 560 560. Can I do it? He was on his way home with Ena, carrying a drunken Erza on his back, in the streets of Cyclo. ''Yora-san ...... ehehehe ......'' I look at the nighttime cityscape while carrying Elsa, who mumbles in her sleep, lightly on my back. ''''What is it?'''' What? Does the night get more crowded again? ''Well, I''ve heard that there are more and more nightclubs these days. Not only that, but it seems that the amount of money being spent on nightclubs has increased in the past month. I knew it. Everyone''s got their money''s worth. The economy of this world relies heavily on dungeons and adventurers. The adventurers are enriched by the fact that the agricultural city of Ciclo earns more money than the rest of the world because of its stable and well-equipped facilities. And it seems that the adventurers are a race of people who can''t help but spit out money when they have it in their pockets. It''s as if they''re like the Edokos, they don''t have any money in their pockets for the night!It''s a kind of feeling, but I found it a little interesting to realize that humans are like that, even in other worlds. That''s not all there is to it. ''What?Is there anything else? The sky is falling. I turned to Ena while going through Elsa''s bedtime talk, which seemed to be strangely engaging and not engaging. She replied with her usual devilish, yet somewhat proud smile. ''It''s because Lyota-san has started investigating the Nihonium. Because I''m the one who started the Nikhonium investigation? Yes. I felt a sense of trust and security that Ryota-san would do something for me. Especially the peace of mind. I know I can earn more money tomorrow, and maybe even more, and that''s why people are willing to spend a lot of money. Peace of mind. It''s because Mr. Lyota is here. Ena giggled, "Huh. ''If Lyota-san was gone, that sense of security would be gone and people would be less likely to spend money and the economy would be worse. I think that''s an exaggeration. It''s not true! Wow! This time it was a grand surprise. You''re actually awake, aren''t you?I''m not sure if I''m going to be able to find out what''s going on, but the timing is perfect for Elsa. When I turned my head, I could see that she was still asleep - she was still drunk. What timing is that? You know, Elsa was right. I don''t think so. What? ''The economy will definitely suffer if Mr Lyota is gone. That''s what the association president says. Cell has a lot of fan spirit. That''s what Mr. Neptune says. He thinks it''s weird how much he buys me. It''s all over the store survey. ''I didn''t know you were going to do that! Amidst a series of bitter laughter, I unintentionally thrust myself into the shocking revelation. "You don''t mind if I do? While going through the same ranting Elsa as always, I turn to Ena. ''Why are you doing that again?'' Doing your research and setting and revising your course is the basis of doing business, okay? I suppose so. "I''m going to hook up with a few stores and use my loyalty card to find out how adventurers spend their money and what they tend to do with it, and for 1% off, I''m going to give you everything from how they spend their money to their hobbies to the color of their underwear. ''You''re too good at it!Did you even think about that? As a Lyota family, we can''t just sit back and relax, you know? Haha ...... that''s awesome. It was Elsa''s idea, by the way. Okay. I felt the weight on my back and felt a little proud of myself. When my friends are amazing, it makes me want to go around bragging about it. So don''t go away. ''What?Yeah, I know. I''ll be there. It''s hard to disappear when someone tells you that the economy will suffer if you''re gone. This world, this city, these people. I love them all, so I have no reason to leave. In the meantime, I came back to the mansion. I walk through the threshold of the new mansion - the vanadium dungeon and get to the entrance. ''Elsa?Can you make it on your own? Huh? ....... Yeah, the house. Elsa scurried around on top of me. I put her down to try and she stood up on her feet properly. ''Ah, Yora-san is here too.'' You''re still here. I chuckled - right after. "You don''t mind? What? Mmm-hmmm. Elsa kissed me while spitting the same lines as before. ''Wow.'' Ena looks at it happily. ''Ehehehe ......, reenbu no yora-san, sira no ra properly. Totally. I giggled even more. Elsa becomes a kisser when she gets drunk. That part hadn''t changed at all - but. ''''Huh?'''' What''s going on?Did it taste like vomit instead of lemon? How can you say that to me, my best friend? I gave Ena a big shove before I gave her a big shove. ''No, it''s not that, it''s that ...... Elsa feels ...... Elsa.'' On the mini-radar in my brain, Elsa''s image was clearly visible and overlapped with mine. 561 561. 100 carrots Can you feel Elsa? ''That same ability as Alice, that was the only thing I could understand about monsters, and now I can understand Elsa--ha. The moment I answered Ena''s question and put the situation into words - I guessed it all. Perhaps it was the kiss now, maybe it was definitely. That made it impossible for Ena to see in front of me, and I could tell Elsa. The conditions weren''t loose or tight, they were commonplace and immediately understandable. ''This isn''t good, we have to make sure Sakura doesn''t know about this. What did I do? Wow! He spoke to me from the side and I was so surprised I jumped up and down. ''''Say, Sakura. How long have you been there? I just went to ...... Sakura looked at me. To be more correct, she alternated between me and Erza, who was clinging to me after that. ''Yora-san ...... nchuu! Clinging to me, Erza kisses me again. Sakura saw that and started grinning. ''Wait, this is different.'' It''s all right. It''s all right. I know. You''re drunk. Yeah, yeah, so... ''Your uncle is an adult and a working man, so a night of romance after a few drinks is a given. You don''t know anything! Emily, comforter and comforter. I want two pillows and a tissue. Stop it, yeah? In a flurry, he stops Sakura, who could really lay down the futon. He moves super fast with Elsa grabbing her and grabbing Sakura''s wrist to hold her back. ''Uncle ......'' Listen, that''s not what I''m talking about. Uncle Cheelem is very nice, but I''m not ready for it. Ugh! Sakura''s cheeks are stained with squirming. It''s bad enough that the gesture is strangely funny and looks so cute. That''s why it''s not. ''Really, Ena?What''s the story here? Sakura asked Ena over me. Ena looked thoughtful for a few moments before she said, "Hmmm. ''So you''re telling me that Ryota-san kissed Elsa and that''s what happened?'' Hello? Am I wrong? No, there''s no such thing as ...... by mistake. I had to swallow what I wanted to say collectively, like, "Ugh, That''s not wrong, it''s true. It''s a fact, and it''s because I could easily see this coming that I thought it was a bad idea to meet Sakura at this time. ''See, I knew it was Cheerum!'' Please, please listen to me: ...... Elsa let her sleep in her room. Ina stayed in the room to care for her, which meant she was drunk. Me and Sakura came to the salon and called Alice at the same time. Me, Sakura, and Alice and her fellow monsters were in the salon at night. ''I see, so you can see when you kiss me (...). That''s a very uncle-like ability. I still see you, Lyota. ''Oh, I can feel it. I can clearly feel the layout of this ground floor of the Vanadium and Elsa in the room. We are. ''That''s no good. I don''t feel it at all. Mm-hmm. When you grabbed my hand just now... Yeah. Alice, you''re crawling out of your skin. Okay!How about ......? No, no. Alice hugged me, and we were talking about skin-to-skin contact, but I still didn''t feel it. ''Then we''ll have to kiss,'' Ugh. And, but, I don''t know what I''m capable of. ''No, but ......'' You''re right, the kiss is ...... kissing is ....... Embarrassing? Yeah, that''s right. Besides, you shouldn''t kiss someone so lightly. They''re all girls of that age. You can''t give a kiss like this as a test. ''Well, that''s the nice thing about being an uncle. Okay, so it doesn''t have to be a girly kiss at your age, then. What do you mean, Sakura? Alice nods her head a little. ''It means I have a kissing partner who doesn''t feel totally erotic. Sakura grinned with a look of pride on her face and ran out of the salon. ''Who''s a kisser who doesn''t feel like an erotic ......?'' Come on, ....... As the rest of us and Alice were craning our necks together, Sakura came back with someone else. A bunny-suited, bunny-meat girl dressed in a bunny suit. ''Then please,'' You''re in charge. ''What?Hey, Sakura?Eve? "The low level of abandonment: ...... No. Eve was slowly coming closer and closer. 100 carrots. And then he jumped at me. I couldn''t dodge it in a hurry, and Eve pushed me down. And then - a kiss. A soft touch hits my lips - right after that. ''Oh ......'' How''s that? ''Yes, I feel ......'' I''m wet! You''re feeling it! After a grand plunge into Sakura, I feel again. Just like with Elsa. On my brain''s radar, Eve was overlapping with me. 562 562. Complete Is this okay? Even though it was right after the kiss, Eve wasn''t even remotely impressed, she turned around and asked Sakura. ''Yes, thank you. I will deliver the carrots I promised you. "If you delay, ten days, ten percent of the time. ...... If you bury them now, they''ll multiply indefinitely. Stop! Stop! You won''t get a dime if you stop me! ...... that too. Eve retracted the killing spirit that leaked out for a moment and walked straight out of the salon. After seeing that off, Sakura approached us. ''Well?Uncle. What? Oh, my God, do you know where I am when I get out of here?I mean. Sakura grins and I''m Ugugu ....... Sighing, I give up and answer. ''Yeah, I can see that. Looks like Eve is back in her room. That''s great. I don''t know what they are. Ryota, you''re even more awesome than I am. Alice said excitedly. Me and Alice''s abilities are almost identical. I can understand the structure of a dungeon and know where the monsters are. I''m not going to be able to tell you what to do, but I do know where to find the person I kissed, unlike Alice, who only understands dungeons and monsters because she was born in a dungeon. "When I say it was great, I mean... Suddenly, it got dark in front of me, and I heard a chuffing sound. ''Oh, Alice!'' Alice came up to me suddenly and stood on tiptoe to kiss me. I panicked at that, though. ''Ummm, I guess not. I don''t know about Ryota. What about Lyota? Alice asked me, feeling totally unconcerned. ''Oh, yeah. I''m starting to understand: ...... but So that''s something only Lyota can do. Oh, right. Then you''ll have to kiss everyone properly, Uncle. Sakura, who had been listening to the exchange with Alice, entered the conversation. ''No, that''s ......'' What''s the fuss about? Celeste appeared at the entrance to the salon. ''Ah, you''ve come to the right place. Sorry to disturb you. Oh, I see you''re all here. And even Margaret appeared out of nowhere. ''What''s wrong, gentlemen?Are you still not going to sleep? Furthermore, even Emily, who had just finished cleaning up and was in housekeeping mode, came in, rolling up her arms. All at once the friends appeared. The place became chaotic in an instant. "You know what-- Sakura explained the situation to the three new arrivals. I explained that I had acquired a new ability and that I could now know where my friends were in the dungeon. Since it was only a factual explanation, it turned out to be different to stop them, so I ended up making Sakura explain everything to them. ''Give me a kiss ......'' With Yoda? That''s right: ...... That''s right. How did you come to this point in time, Hime? Sakura wondered about Margaret''s visit and asked me. ''Actually, it was Lat and the others'' advice that we had better inquire here now, so we''re intruding. ''Hmmm, that''s a ninja knight, too capable of doing anything for the Lord. After a moment of admiration, Sakura turned to me. "Come on, uncle, kiss the others. What? Shouldn''t we?Wouldn''t it be better if we knew where everyone was in the dungeon? ''That''s true, but also at ...... It''s not very manly of you, Uncle. I don''t like it when you say that. I''d rather not kiss you for this, but am I wrong? ''I can''t help it: ...... Emily, hey, hey,'' Sakura beckoned to Emily and gave her an earful. Emily nodded in response, yes, and nodded. ''I understand,'' So please--I mean, Nihonium! Sakura was suddenly startled and looked behind me and peeled her eyes away. ''Huh?'' I''m surprised, too, and turn around. There''s only a wind (,) window that leads to the salon, a large outside window, and the sight of Niftonium is just--. Gasp! A strange sound echoed from inside my body and my consciousness fell into darkness. Ugh, ....... My head is throbbing, and I take stock of the situation with my returned consciousness. I touch the back of my head with my hand, a little bump forming. ''What the hell is ...... ha!'' I got up quickly and looked around. I was in the same saloon as I was before I passed out. The faces in the same salon are no different. But-- ...... Phew. ...... But are you sure you''re okay? Celeste, Margaret, and Emily had a blush on their cheeks. ''This is-'' I didn''t need to ask. Because the radar in my brain allowed me to clearly see the presence of Celeste, Margaret and Emily. ''I''m sorry. Sakura said I should have hit Yoda-san and knocked him out. Emily looks apologetic. If you look closely, you can see that she''s holding the hammer in a way that hides ...... nothing, of course, but it doesn''t hide anything. ''Hey Sakura--! I turned around with a puff and was about to complain to Sakura - but ''Uncle ......'' Sakura, too, was blushing! ''What?Wait, wait--I mean, you didn''t! I panicked for a moment, but I soon realized that Sakura''s was a pretend (,). The radar in my brain wasn''t designed to recognize her. ''Haha, will it still know?'' They''ll know!That. Despite the tweaks, I was relieved. My companions weren''t much better, but their respective original identities - a businessman and a schoolgirl - weren''t good, as they were also transitioners. The word "whore" flickered in my brain, too, but I was relieved - I was relieved. Tsk! Huh? After a moment''s notice, Sakura came by and kissed him for a moment''s touch. ''Nah, nah nah nah nah nah nah nah.'' Right after I was relieved, I was caught off guard. I was in the most panicked state of mind today. 563 563. The desire of the spirit ...... In the morning, I woke up in the futon. The next thing I knew, I was a "turtle". I was curled up on my face on my face, with the futon completely over my head, looking like a turtle to anyone who sees me. ''Feng ......'' I''d like to stay indoors, but it''s not going to happen. I have a lot of work to do. I got up and decided to get dressed - at that moment. ''Huh?Everyone ...... is this place Sakura''s room? Everyone''s place is now known from last night''s kiss. They''re all in one place for some reason. Are they all in Sakura''s room this morning? ...... Okay, let''s go through it. Some say it''s convenient, some say it''s not haunted by a God who doesn''t touch it. I''ll try not to touch it. With that in mind, I quickly changed and left my room and headed to the transporter room. I used the transporter gate to fly to Prumbum''s place, as I do every morning. ''Hmmm?He is very fast today. What''s going on? Prumbum looked at me and tilted his head slightly. I come every morning when I finish my breakfast, and Emily''s breakfast is made at a very precise time, so I have a certain amount of time to come here. If I come without breakfast, I''m definitely noticeably earlier than usual. ''Yeah, kind of.'' What''s going on? Mmm. You must listen to the mistress. Something has happened to you, hasn''t it?That''s what I want to know. Mmmm: ...... I opened my mouth heavily as I heard the auditory hallucination of Sakura''s tsukkomi, "What''s the mumu-- ''Actually, my friends kissed me. "Law. I explained the situation from the ground up to Prumbum, who had a curious look on his face. One thing I learned in the Death March when I was in the company. If you don''t tell people what you need to tell them, the situation will get worse and worse, and the end result is the Death March. So I decided to say everything, even if it was hard to say. "Well, that''s a disaster. Mishap ...... hmm. As expected, I''m hesitant to nod. I feel like it would be rude to everyone to nod that this is the case here. ''It was only the adventurous group that kissed you, wasn''t it?There must be a few spirits out there, right? ''Oh, there''s Aulum, Vanadium, and Carbon. None of the three of them did, and they didn''t show any signs of doing so. I met the girls last night after that. When Sakura explained the situation, Aulum went "heh" and Vanadium smiled. Only Carbon seemed to want to do it, but he was smiling ecstatically as he went into ordeal mode of putting up with that ''I want to''. ''Don''t you want to do it too, Plumbum?'' Not at all. ''Well, ...... what if I told you I wouldn''t be coming tomorrow?'' I just said something like that as the conversation from Aulum and his friends was going on. ...... No. The reaction was far stronger than expected. Plumbum burst into tears and began to whine like a small child. ''No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. All right, all right, all right. Just in case, okay?I won''t. Are you sure about this? Yeah, I''ll be here tomorrow and the next day and the day after that, too. So be it. Prumbum sniffed and sniffed, "Thun," and this time she stopped crying in an instant. The ups and downs of their emotions are very intense, but I don''t feel bad about it because it''s just like them(!). ''Spirits really only want what they want, don''t they? ...... and so do you. What? Me too... ......? I have heard so many stories about you. Your own stories, the stories of other people, the stories of the world. ...... Yeah. You are not looking for love between a man and a woman, are you? ...... He pointed it out to me and I was strangely convinced. ''Yeah, maybe,'' I nodded deeply. More than the beloved one. I want a family ...... that is all strongly connected to each other. ''That''s why you were sent to this world, I suppose. ...... Hmm. Plumbum''s words made some sense to me. 564 564. Romanticist From Plumbum''s place, I used the transfer gate to get back to the mansion. ''Welcome back Uncle ...... that?What''s going on? Bumps into Sakura, who was about to use the transporter room. During the daytime, during her work hours. Normally, when I would run into my friends here, they would just say a quick hello and then scatter to their respective dungeons, but Sakura didn''t, she just peered at me. ''Well, Sakura,'' I was a little confused. Because I remembered what happened last night. On the other hand, Tono''s Sakura, on the other hand, is nonchalantly looking into my face as if nothing has happened. ''Yeah, there was something about ......, wasn''t there?'' What''s up? What did Lori say to you? No, I''m not a Lori. My impatience is overridden by another emotion, I point out, smiling slightly. Plumbum is indeed a long-lived species of immortal and with the word "noja" at the end, but it''s not a loli. ''Noya Lori and Lori hag are the same thing, aren''t they?'' Are you with ......? I was a little lost. I felt like if I nodded, the people in that area would be mad at me. ''So, what''s going on?'' Oh, ......, I told Sakura about my interaction with Prumbum. We''re both standing in front of the transporter room, a rare occurrence. ''''-- I was told,'''' "Mmm-hmm. I was thinking that maybe it was, you know? Yeah. She''s got a good point, doesn''t she? "Huh? I mean, it''s slightly different. What''s the difference in subtlety? I mean, she only knows her uncle on this side of the world. Sakura smirked and lifted the corners of her mouth dexterously, one side lifting to the other. ''But I know my uncle from the original world. You don''t know, Sakura. I know what they don''t understand when they hear it, but I understand it. I''m a company man, for example. Yeah, ....... That may indeed be true. Even in the original world, to a foreigner, it''s an unbelievable thing, the Japanese social animal. It''s a bit difficult for people in this world to completely understand that concept. I''ve been vaguely aware of this from my conversations with everyone. I didn''t know that, so my conclusions were a bit off. So what do you think, Sakura? Your uncle is a romantic, isn''t he? "Huh? What are you saying all of a sudden - the next moment. ''You want hard work to absolutely pay off, don''t you? Mmm. ...... It interrupted my mind more critically than Plumbum''s words. ''Your uncle''s friends, the spirits, they''re all people who tried their best but weren''t rewarded until they met your uncle, right?My uncle did something about that. They''re all people like that. Yeah, I know. More and more, I had to look like I was biting a bitter worm. When Plumbum told me that it was because he wanted a mate, I thought that might be true. But when Sakura told me that I wanted to be rewarded for my efforts, for a moment I was like, "Not so!!! I almost argued out loud with him. I knew myself that it was because I''d been hit at the heart of the matter - a sore spot. ''Well, ...... ever since I met the genie and heard what happened to him, I''ve wanted to do something about it. Indeed, this is harder than wanting a mate. Right? Sakura put on a good face. ''''Isn''t it good, this kind of thing?'''' Why? Sakura asked back with a silken face. ''It''s good, it''s ideal. In the original world, if you started talking about ''eradicating bullying'', the tea would evaporate from your belly button, but in a world with this kind of structure, it''s possible to be rewarded for your efforts. Well: ...... I hope you''re right. No, I hope so. But back to the point. I''m just jumping to conclusions, but I''m with her on this one, all right? Conclusion? That''s why my uncle was called into the world. Yeah, ....... That may be true. ''After all, Uncle, you''re such an overt cheerleader and you''re a herbivore - or rather, you''re a fasting boy - because that''s not what you want. Yeah, I know. "Letting this cheerleader go and being a fast eater and all that. ...... YOU''re really going to be a satnium. Sakura says in a coy way. Satnium. A dungeon-like village inhabited by Clayman and other unique monsters. I had it built, and I''m the nominal master of it, a den of monsters. It''s the 119th dungeon, and it''s called Satnium. "If I were a Satnium, everyone would be a monster in there. He returned the lighthearted remark with a lighthearted remark. ''Great, Emily is the dungeon master?'' I have a feeling they''re going to take over the whole dungeon. "Let''s turn the last floor into a raid dungeon or something, two parties of four, and the boss will attack Uncle Tombstone in less than 30 seconds at the same time. It smells like a violent mulligan. Or is it a f*cking game? Sakura and I laughed at each other. I can only talk about this kind of stuff with her. After Plumbum''s story died down, I saw Sakura off, and then I used the transporter gate to pounce on Nifonium myself. Nihonium, ten floors underground. I used my brain map to navigate through the pitch-black dungeon to get down to the floor I was on. The first time I stepped in, I was on the 11th floor of the Nifonium dungeon. It was snowing. Bright red, bright red dungeon snow. In the red snow. ''Nihonium!...... No. There were one, two, three ...... many of them with the appearance of Nifonium. 565 565. Turn ...... The many nihoniums approached one by one, with sad faces. The expressions on their faces were enough to stir up guilt if they were encountered normally. But this was a dungeon, and the nihoniums in front of me were so many that they looked like monsters for all intents and purposes. Monsters are meant to be defeated, and defeating the Nifonium is something that would make me feel guilty at this point in time. On the other hand, since I could tell that they were monsters, I didn''t feel much guilt. ''Besides,'' I mumbled, pointing the drawn pistol at the nearest Nifonium. The nihonium looks more and more sad when I hold the gun out to it, but the change () makes me more and more convinced. An ability beyond Alice, a mini-map in my brain. There was only one point of light (in front of me) on that mini-map, where the radar was in effect. There are roughly 10+ nihoniums, but there is only one light point. When I pointed the muzzle at the light point, the light point quickly "escaped" and moved on to another Nifonium. Probably - or almost certainly, it''s more like a main body and an alter ego. Needless to say, the main body is the one with the light point, and it quickly ran away when I pointed the muzzle at it. With the muzzle pointed at me, I shoot the nihonium, the one with no light point in sight. The headshot was clean, and the Nifonium fell on its back - pssst, and disappeared with a sound like the air had gone out of it. And there was no drop. The other Nihoniums were still the same, coming closer and closer. I pointed the muzzle of the gun in the direction of the day after tomorrow and pulled the trigger. The bullets that were launched arced out of the direction of the day after tomorrow, heading towards the light point''s nihonium in a homing trajectory. The light point was not relocated (,) and that nifonium was shot down. First that nihonium disappeared in a flash, and a breath later, the other nihoniums disappeared too. The Nifonium in the light spot took on the form of a crow once and then disappeared like a normal monster. ''''Huh?'''' But there was no drop. I defeated the real one, which should be a no-brainer situation. When you defeat the light spot, the other fakes disappear first, and then the light spot returns to the crow, which is probably its original form, and then disappears. It would be correct that I defeated the real one, which would be correct. And yet, there was no drop. ''In a situation like this, the drop S is a big help. There are multiple possibilities, when isolating the cause, it''s nice to know that something is 100% ...... or 0%. Same thing this time. Drop S is alive, then it should drop when you kill the monster. If it doesn''t, then it means something is wrong. I thought back to the whole thing I just did. Then I start walking towards a point of light in the distance in my brain map. I see that this is what Alice always does - and it''s getting a little more interesting. When I reach the spot where the light spot is, there''s another large amount of nihonium there. I fired an accelerated round at myself. I entered the accelerated world and took out the Nifonium in the light spot so fast that the light spot could not move in time. Then the fake or alter ego disappeared again, and the real one turned into a crow and then disappeared. I did the drop. Now it''s a fruit I know and love, plums. It''s still a sour fruit, and I picked it up, nibbled on it, and put it in my stomach. Then I headed back to the monsters. This time, I beat the fake one first, then the real one. There was no drop. I head to yet another light spot. This time, I shoot my returned ability - the strongest circumferential magic repetition. Regardless of the light point, the monster fell and a plum tree was dropped. I look for more. This time, the Repetition after defeating the fake one. Then, no drop was made. Now it''s confirmed. If I defeated the fake one before defeating the real one, it didn''t seem to drop. 566 566. Cat and AΤ򽵤ơʮAˤäƤ ȤѩäƤʤɤɤĠ󥸥 äơ ˼鷺΢ЦƤޤä ĠΘʥ󥸥򡸤äƤɤƤ󤸤ʤä˼äƤޤä ͨ˿ȫȻʤ ҊĿϤɤɤơˤäƤϤޤФ¤⤢ ˡ֤Υ󥸥ϡKĤˡ˥ۥ˥Фäϥ˥ۥ˥ӌm˿äƤȤϵΥѥ`󤬶त ֪R밳ϡä˼褦¤ϤʤϤʤ 줹ʡ ЦĤĶꤴơRƚݤ᤿ ζ줬褫äΤ⤷ʤ ¤˚ݤŤơդɤ򾆤ֱˤʤäΤϤȤ |⤷ơ×ڥޥåפˤäƚi󥹥`˻ᤤФä ǤäȤˡ×ڥޥåפ֪̽Ȥ˥󥹥` è֤ ȤϤ狼䤹Ǥ֪äƤ֤ä Ȯۤɤ⤢޴èΤäݤɤ˷֤Ƥ롣 è֤Ȥ֤ФǤϽY᥸`ʥĤ |򘋤è֤ügĤi ᤤ^ιĤä顢è֤Ϸꤹ뤳ȤʤĤ줿 ޤ ä`ζǿЦ è֤ĤiΤˡɥåפʤäΤ 󥸥AӤʤФʤۤɡʵʤȤ⤽ɥåפʤȤत Τ˥󥸥󤬬F줿rόgΤðߤʹä{ˤ򤵤롣 ϤA˾AơAʵAӤΤ褦 ΤȤʤɥåפʤäΤɤХɥåפΤжϤ󤬛QĤƤʤ ä뤿ˡϸ˄eè֤̽ ×ڥޥåפǡ˥󥫥Ȥ Ȥʤȡ ϤAΘˡҊ뤱ɹ㤸ʤȤ褦¤ʤä ǤޤһĤοԤƤȡè֤󤭤SơuäƤ 夬äƤơȫӰˤäݤȸƤޤ ϺˤȤǡѤĤ |è֤΂^ĤiƵ ȡȤϥݥ󡢤ȥɥåפ ɥåפΤϤˤʹ ʰϤƸäƤߤȡҙΤ꤬ǻ򤯤äƤ `ץե`Ĥ Ĥ֤䤭ʤһڤäƤߤ롣 äѤꥰ`ץե`Ĥg`ʤߤ ҤȤޤɥ``ΥݥåȤˤޤäơeè֤˻ᤤФ һ֤⤷ʤ˴ΤΈŤơȤƹĤǓĤ Εrͬ褦ˡȤϥɥåפʤä ƹĤʤΤȤɆ ˄eè֤ҊĤơȤ٤äơޤϹĤ򤵤롣 褱ơ`ץե`Ĥɥåפrͬ褦ˡ󥿩`ζǓĤ ɥåפϤʤä ɤƹĤɤφ}ʤߤ 줫è֤򵹤Ƥä ˼ĤޤάFФ֤ơɥåפȤȤʤȤ`Ȥ ⤷䥹Ʃ`Ӱ푤ƤΤȤ⤢äƥݩ`֥ʥܩ`ɤĤäɥåץƩ`ϣӤΤޤޤä ɥåףӤʤΤˡɥåפϤȤʤϤ롣 ʧդȤˡrgLʤä ޤǤ¤һĤ˼ơ`ҊĤ褦ȱˤʤä οȤ˚ݤȡơݤŤС¤˳äè֤䄤צĿǰȤäƤ ȫ˚ݤ̤ƤͶϤƤ 褱뤳Ȥʤơҙ򤷤Ƥһk򤦤Ƥ鷴Ĥ褦ȚnʳФäDD Ĥʤä צĿǰǥԥäֹä ʤĤ;Фֹ᤿è֤ϡΤޤޤȱʤäƤ Έˡ`ץե`ĤФʤ顣 567 567. Really down ϥ֥`ȥåʯȡ 륻˥å󥸥Υ󥹥`֥`ȥå Υ󥹥`ɥåפΥƥϡĤФۤܤۤܟo״BˤʤȤƥ ΤͨϴЄޤơ`ܤʤ֤˹ĤʤȤ״rˤʤ롣 ΤQ줹Ȥ䡢ڤǤ󼼤^ȤȤk]Ǥ륢ƥ 줬 ϟo״Blʹơè֤ΘҊ򤷤 ֥`ȥåʹơΥ󥫥ȡ è֤϶ΤäݤʤӤuäƤDD ;ФǹĤֹơȥ`ץե`ĤФ ơ˚iƴΤè֤Τ򤫤 󥫥Ȥơ٤ӥ֥`ȥåʯʹ ȤҤ˹Ĥ줿 ҤäyߤĤ嵱ꡢʤǤ⤴ʄݤǤA Ϥޤäo äפ֡åM̶ȤΕrgäƤ顢o״BƷġ _˥إåɥåȤQһĤè֤򵹤ȡȤϵΤǥɥåפ դࡹ ʤȤʤҊƤ ˴Τè֤ξӈ򤫤äƤ ΤΡΤΡΡȡ è֤ξӈ򤫤äƤäƤϡo״BǘҊ롣 ȡĤƤè֤ȡֱǰǹĤƄ֤è֤ζN¤狼ä ĤAè֤ϡФȥɥåפ롣 Ĥ򤷤ʤϡ ُʡ ˩`󥹥`_ν֡䡸ȥ˥󥸥󡹤ȺФ뤽һդһkȡʤFؤʏ衣 ĤƤʤδ_ʤϴ20һ 20äƤ_ʤϡϤޤä()ʮؤ餤BA뤳Ȥʤ櫓ǤϤʤ ϤޤäƤޤȼُMƤޤ¤ˤʤ뤱ɨDD˷ʤ ߤƷȤɡƤζʤ ʹ٤rʹ Ȥޤäͬ ϼُ򤵤äȴ_JƤ顢Τè֤򤫤 󥫥Ȥȡ֥`ȥåʯʹ鷺ˡُʹä Τޤ޴ä ٤ФǡäwӤäƤè֡ ΤWͤ餤Υԩ`ɤ Ϥäȴä䤬ⱡƤè֤צƤw˴줿 ʤѥ`ȷ֤ä Ƥw˴ƤԣǤ褱ơxإåɥåȤè֤򵹤 `ץե`Ĥʰäơ˴Τè֤򤫤 ͬ褦˼ُǨDDޤʤä ˴ΡδΡޤޤΨDDȡ ʤ5BAǾA ʤ @ݤˤ⤫餺äЦǤ ޤǥ󥫥Ȥè֡×ڥޥåפҊƤयι㡣 뷽ʤ`ϟoä Iޤäͬä Ĥޤꡢ\ä¤ ֤\Ԥ뷽һĤʤȰ˼äƤ롣 ˤˤäƤϤʤ귽䤨ꤷơȤm¤⤢뤬Ϥʤ DDޤǤ롣 _ʤʤޤꡢǤޤǤ뤷ʤΤ QƨDDُkĿ 󥫥ȤwӤäƤè֤Ŀǰǥԥäֹޤä ͤꤷƤ٤ФǤ⡢Ϥäȷ֤롸ԥá ᡢ1᤯餤ʼ롣 ϤΤޤޥإåɥåȤǓĤi ֱǰ˓Ĥi줿è֤ϹĤˤäƤƨDDɥåפϤʤä YˡϜ㤷 ϤäȽY ĤAè֤ϵƥɥåס һǹĤ;ФǤơΤޤƥɥåפè֤⤤뤬Τ򤳤ǰ˵ɥåפϤʤ 뷽Υߥ󥰤~ʡ ϸĤ 뷽RƴĤȤʤȡͨè֤ιĤܤҙǤʤ㤤ʤ ϡͨðߤˤϽ~ˤꤨʤ귽 ðߤbߤ顢˼ϡܻء Ĥ򤦤ʤ㤤ʤ귽Փ ơΤȤIҊ֤뷽Ϥʤ ĤޤDD ⺬ơg|ȫTɥå¤Ƥ¤ˤʤʡ ˼鷺˳ƤĤ֤䤯餤ǤƤʤ˼ä դա ˥ۥ˥ؐʤȤФäƤʡȸФϡŮ餷ҊĤơäҤʤäΤä 568 568. Shelter Everyone''s home? In the evening, I used the transporter gate to get home. The moment I ponied up in the transporter room, I sensed the presence of all my friends on the map in my brain. Emily is in the kitchen, Celeste and Eve are in their rooms. Everyone else is already gathered in the salon. The ability to figure this out in an instant, I knew it was useful ......, but I also noticed a drawback. ''Can''t you tell when someone you don''t know is visiting or something?'' This is a vanadium dungeon, currently off-limits to all but my companions--the Lyota family. However, just as I''ve invaded other dungeons, even if the dungeon is closed, there is a way to force your way in. "Hmmm. What''s going on? Wow! I was startled to the point of jumping up and down when someone called out to me out of the blue. It was Sakura. "I... when... When did you say when? I asked you three times.What''s wrong with you that you''re the one who''s been distracted? What? Surprised, I check the map in my brain. I can see that Sakura, who was supposed to be in the salon a while ago, is right in front of me. It''s not like her powers are buggy. ''Was I thinking so much?'' Yes, just enough to grab your chopsticks in the crease between your eyebrows. That much? He chuckled. ''What?Did you take on some more trouble? Do I look like the kind of guy who takes on that much? Not a lot of things, but it''s the last thing you need to worry about, uncle. Mmm. What''s the big deal? No, I''m not abbreviating it. I''m not giving you that stuff. I told her what I just felt while I was rushing into Sakura''s story. I see. But aren''t you thinking that too much? No, you don''t want to be prepared for something as dire as that. It would be a bad idea to be unprepared for a situation like that. Uh, maybe. Sakura nodded as if to say, "Hmm. What do you think it would be like if someone other than us, say an intruder, was there? Hmm. I tried to think of a few possibilities. "First, what if they''re all killed? It''s so heavy all of a sudden. But in that case, you''re not sure you''d be able to tell by your ability. Yeah, you never know when you''re dead, that''s a common pattern with these abilities. And the next thing you know, they''re all in one place. Like robbing a bank? That''s how it feels. But sometimes we all get together in the salon, right? ''Yeah, I know. Some say they''re all locked up in their own rooms for now, but that''s the same thing. Ummm, hey, Uncle, do you know what that ability is that we''re doing?You could tell by the color or the size or the flashing of something that the status is changing. No, I don''t know. So we won''t be able to give them a sign. Sakura twisted her head. I thought about it a lot, too. I thought of a way to deal with it that I just realized, so that it wouldn''t get muddy. ''If something goes wrong, how about running away to the basement? The basement? "Uncle''s Basement, Testing Room. Yeah. You mean that room. It''s a room with a bit of a special feel to it, even among the dungeons we''ve been in. We converted this vanadium dungeon into a mansion-like structure with the help of Vanadium himself. The mansion resides almost entirely in the basement level. The second floor in the mansion and that large basement room I use for testing. It''s a vanadium basement floor in terms of classification. It''s just like a loft and underfloor storage. I wouldn''t call the loft an upstairs, and I wouldn''t call the underfloor storage a basement floor either. It''s just a separate space in the floor. "Why can''t someone just run in there when something happens?Only uncles use that place anyway. ''No, I''m not sure about that either. Sometimes Emily''s in there cleaning up. ''Really!I''ve never seen it before. It''s a fact. I haven''t seen it in there, but I know it''s after Emily cleaned it up. Oh ...... I see. Sakura has been in this world, this mansion, for a long time now. She is well aware of Emily''s awesomeness. That was amazing, wasn''t it, Emily? Yeah, it''s great. We nodded at the master of space, Emily''s awesomeness. So you''re saying that it was someone other than Ms. Emily - no, it''s a pattern that Ms. Emily was the only one who got away. That''s what I mean: ...... Yeah. I clapped my hands with a pop. ''What do you have in mind?'' Yeah, we could have one in every room. All the rooms? Yeah, we could put a room in every room that''s not used, a room to escape to. ...... Oh. Sakura also clapped her hands. ''Great, that, and it sounds easy.'' We nodded to each other and headed over to her to ask Vanadium for help. 569 569. System completed Inside the salon, Alice and I were alone. I had a brain map to get a full picture of the inside of the mansion, the first floor of the vanadium dungeon. I grab the light spot on the map and observe the scene. Then, the light spot indicating Emily entered a room that I had made her make further in her room. ''Alright, here we go. How''s Alice? Yeah, it''s Emily. Yeah. I nodded, satisfied with the test. While I was doing this, I grabbed Celeste and Eve and their friends, one by one, who were in their own room, in a small room to give me a warning. It was the same for Alice. ''Oh, Eve''s in there too,'' You''re grasping at something. Yeah, you made it off () just fine. Unlike me, Alice had grabbed something else. Alice was born in a dungeon. Thanks to her special origins, she was able to understand the structure of dungeons and the location of monsters long before now. If it''s the accuracy of the structure and the detailed location of the monsters, she can still grasp the details better than I can. And though I''m rebuilding this place to look like a mansion, it''s in a dungeon. In the notification room, I asked Vanadium to put a piece of fluff on the floor. It''s just a monster in its own right, spawned by Vanadium, so we can tell it not to attack or do anything that will harm it. And I''ve told everyone that if they run into the room - or if something happens to them, to beat the fluff. Then I will know that everyone is running into the room and Alice will know that the fluff in the room is gone. ''It''s still amazing Ryota. I didn''t know you could do something like this to me. I was pretty envious of Alice''s powers. Huh? So I always wondered what I was going to do when I got the chance to use it. That''s right. Alice is impressed with what she''s able to do, like Huh ....... I honestly envied her for that ability in general. This other world where you have a status, and you have to dive into dungeons, push through monsters, and redeem drop items. To me, it felt like a world similar to a game. That gave me a lot of knowledge and application, and that''s why I wanted that ability to become a mini-map, which is commonplace these days in RPGs and other games. Even after I could only understand the structure, that desire accelerated even further and accelerated my fantasy. ''At any rate, this way we''ll know right away if something happens to each other. We''ll make sure to check it out when we get back. ''Yes!I''ll refrain from using my brownie. Are you sure about that? ''Don''t worry, it''s pretty easy to win without Li-ching. It''s enough to overkill you, even with Gau Gau or something. Gau Gau, Master Dragon''s fellow monster. It''s probably the most powerful force in Alice''s hand. ''''I''ve only been using Harichin for something pleasant lately. Does it feel good? Killing the last monster before it goes up. Yeah. I know the feeling. Fighting games, strategy simulation games, action and RPGs. I''ve done it in all sorts of games that have a "beat the enemy" aspect to them. The final blow, especially if it''s the kind of thing you can recover from when you''re done, releases a huge amount of MP and other items you''ve accumulated, and then goes "wham! And there are things to do. For Alice right now, Ryochin seems to be in that position. ''''Then we''ll be fine,'''' Yeah! ''Come to think of it, I haven''t heard about it lately, but is the Kusanagi sword ability activated on Ryochin as well? The mirror wasn''t allowed because it was compatible with Alice''s ability. And since I can only summon it once a day, it''s a waste of time to come back every day and use it just to check. ''Yeah, I do.'' I see. It would have been funny if I hadn''t. Yeah, well, that might be a clue as to what''s going on with Nikhonium. Well, if it''s usually triggered, that''s fine. Maybe three floors to go. Three more floors down, and if we do anything else, we''ll finally meet Nifonium. Tomorrow, we''ll start attacking the 13th floor of Nifongium. 570 570. The most dangerous dungeon Nifonium, basement level 13. Mmm. As I came down, the first thing that puzzled me was the visuals. The visceral dungeon, with its pulsing walls of flesh, was the same, and there was a red-colored stream running through it. The faint fishy smell in my nose was something I remembered, but had never experienced on such a large scale. It was a river, a river of blood. ''I knew it would come one day, but it''s still a bit creepy. I muttered, got my mind back on track, and headed to the monster''s location. I followed the mini-map in my brain to the light spot and saw a rather large old woman. The old woman was wearing a tattered, thin, single piece of kimono, the front of which was wide open, revealing her chest. The deep wrinkles etched across her face and the bloody whites of her eyes were recognizable even at a distance, which, combined with the location, emphasized the frightening nature of the figure. ''''Well, it''s good that it''s so monstrous for that,'''' The most annoying thing about being like a sitting child - I thought, and I loaded up and pointed the muzzle of my gun at the old woman. The next moment, I buzzed and shivered. A chill assaulted my entire body, and when I unexpectedly put my hands around my arms and made a gesture to hug myself - I was astonished. ''Naked! To my surprise, I was completely naked before I knew it. Everything down to my underwear had been stripped off, and my gun had been gone from my hand before I knew it. And my clothes were in the possession of a monster in the form of an old woman. ''Deprived old woman!'' I screamed, the name jumped out of my memory. As the name suggests, it''s a youkai in the form of an old woman who takes away the clothes that people are coming from. I think the reason for robbing them was ...... something. Like the Sanzu River, or the severity of his sins before he was born. I think it has something to do with that. I''m going to have to say that I''m not going to be able to get it right. It''s a so-so tree, not thin or thick, about the size of a street tree. My clothes hanging on it made the trunk twitch a little. The deprived woman who stared at it, I don''t know what she meant, but she gave a small nod. ''Did you scrawl something?'' It reminded me of the type of stories that are common in these types of monsters and myths. I remember in Greek mythology, there was also a final judgment in the other world where they took out the heart and weighed it in the balance. I waited a bit, but there was no sign of the clothes being returned. Then we''ll have to fight to get them back. I lightly clenched my fists and rushed forward, stepping into the ground with a gui. "Hi! I stopped without a second thought. The nakedness of my body made my lower half of my body dangle in important places and it hurt just to rush at speed SS (). ''How could Adam move?'' I stomped on the ground again and rushed forward, escaping reality with my own misguided impressions. The deprived woman reacted to this and raised her hand. I stepped into the ground again just before she did, and accelerated further while changing direction, and was behind her in an instant. I''m not going to be able to get rid of it. It''s a bare knuckle blow, but it''s enough to send her flying into a truck and into a pulsating wall of flesh. I retrieved my clothes hanging from the tree and hurriedly put them on. I was in too much of a hurry and my pants were a little off, and the position () was weird and uncomfortable, but I couldn''t help it. I picked up the gun again, held it at the ready and pointed it at the robbery maid. "Ah. The deprived woman was no longer there. The wall of meat that had been plunged into it was a bit dented, and grapes were on the ground just in front of it. It must have disappeared and dropped while I was getting dressed. But ...... I chuckled. ''Do they take off ...... every time?Here: ...... I thought it was the worst dungeon, the worst tier, ever. 571 571. Freezing situation Repetition! I gave the deprived woman a repetition at the beginning of the encounter, but it didn''t work. Immediately after that, I was stripped again and stripped naked. ...... repetition Having done a lot of special defeating tiers so far, I used Repetition again. Then the deprived woman fell down and dropped a grape. ''''Haha ......'''' I sighed, I knew it, I thought. You''re invincible as long as the robber hag takes your clothes, and you''re not accepting any attacks. There was a time lag between showing up and accepting an attack, which is common in action games. The deprivation old woman has that kind of time lag, the invincibility time. ''It''s tricky.'' I got that impression from the bottom of my heart. It''s hard not to be able to defeat them as soon as they appear. I can''t attack until I''ve finished the motion of taking the clothes and hanging them on the tree. It''s practically a surefire first strike on the other side. ''I''m sure it''s a first strike ....... So far nothing had happened, but there was no way that this action of taking the clothes and hanging them on the tree was nothing. From what I''ve seen so far, I thought for sure. Putting on the abused clothes again - it was a complicated feeling. I had never experienced being undressed and dressed in such a short period of time before. I remembered the tweets of a successful s*x worker - what a tweak. I thought for a moment and scrutinized the map in my brain. Then I went to the nearest one, where the two robbery b*tc*es were together. Encountering, two robber barbers. What happens when there are two of them, what happens after they are undressed?I came to clear my mind of the question of what to do. I took the stone of the Absolute Rock in case something happened to me - but They took my clothes and the stone, too. ''You will, won''t you?'' I chuckled. The deprived woman struck first, completely disarmed. They also took the stone of the Absolute Rock, which was a preparation in case of emergency. Fortunately, they didn''t do anything additional after they took off their clothes. It was only a matter of taking off my clothes and hanging them on the tree. ''Repetition!'' With all the weapons taken away and the important parts hanging out, I had to resort to Repetition. Both deprived hags were defeated by Repetition, and the grapes were dropped. Then I head to get the clothes - but. ''''Mm?'''' He looked at the tree where he was hanging his clothes and tilted his head slightly. ''Hello ......'' I have a theory, and after putting on my clothes, I pick up the grapes and head for the next robbery hag. I was naked for the fourth time, and my stained clothes were hung on a tree, and the tree was writhing heavily. It was rising and falling under the weight of the clothes it had hung on. ''There''s more and more of this.'' After you fall down with the repetition, you leave everything you''ve dropped so far in its place, including the dropped grapes. Then he puts on his clothes and looks for more deprivation women. Encounters, nude, and being put on. I was getting used to it, and it made me slightly sad. That said. "Shall we not... While defeating the deprived woman with the repetition, I look at the clothes that were hung on her. It was hung tightly on the tree and didn''t look like it weighed much at all. The number of drop items you have,? With that in mind, I turned around to take down the deprived woman at high speed. It''s inevitable that I''ll be completely naked, then I''ll just leave it at that. While I was completely naked, I knocked down the robber hags one after another and picked up some grapes. After getting about ten bunches of grapes, I went back to my abandoned clothes - as I guessed. The wood was unable to bear the weight of the clothes that were hung on it, and the wood had snapped off and the clothes had fallen to the ground. ''''So, the more drop items you have, the more weight your clothes will weigh? I wondered what that was all about - and that''s when I realized. Uncle, are you there? Sakura?I''m here! After I said it, I was flabbergasted. I didn''t have time to think about what I had just said before Sakura arrived. ''Itaita--..................... ......... Sakura appeared from the corner, and she was scared for a moment, and then she just stared at me in silence. A very, very cold stare. A gaze so cold that I felt like I was physically freezing. ''''Uncle ...... I don''t think you should be naked in a dungeon. No!Not that! I try very hard to defend myself to Sakura, who doesn''t scream and gives me a tremendous blank stare. ''Why don''t you put your clothes on first?'' She was calm to the end and ...... I would be more deeply damaged. 572 572. Sakuras trust I hurriedly put my clothes back on. I put on my own clothes that I took back from the robbery woman. This is the first time today-- You are very good at that. Guffaw! Sakura pointed that out to me, and I took another mental damage. ''Sho, it can''t be helped, can it?Every time you do, they take off your clothes. By a monster? To the monsters. ''You didn''t take it off yourself?''Look at me naked'' or something like that. ''What do you want with my character! I shoved it in with great gusto. I shoved it in with all my might, so much so that the "N" at the end went up. Ha-ha, sorry, I''m sorry. It''s a monster thing, it''s tricky. Is that just to take it off? No, I took it off and hung it up on the tree. I explained to Sakura the situation of the deprived woman I had encountered so far today. She took off her clothes and hung them on a tree. So the tree was not able to bear the weight of the tree, and eventually it broke. I told Sakura the whole story of it. The reason I told her everything is because she knows the "game" too. The Japanese, Hoshino Sakura, who was a "drop from a monster" like me and moved to another world. I shared all of the information with her, including about the robbery old woman, because I wanted to hear her opinion. ''''Will something change depending on the drop so far... ...... Oh, maybe...'''' What?What have you found out? ''Isn''t it the drop rate--or rather the drop status drop?'' ! I huffed and pulled out the portable now-board I''ve come to keep on hand in the Grand Eater''s pocket. I use it to check my abilities. ---2/2--- Plant S (-5) Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... Yeah, it''s down. ''I knew it. Minus 5 is ......B, C, D, E, F. Sakura counted, folding her fingers. ''If it''s an A, it''s because it goes down to the bottom F, which is minus five. Maybe. So you''ll have to go talk to your uncle S. I guess. Again, the special and absolute nature of the drop S came into play here. The S (SS) of combat ability is surprisingly affected. It can go up and down. On the other hand, drop S, which is my main source, the source of formation in this world, is not affected by such fluctuations. It''s the same as it was with Erythronium. Erythronium? It''s a pre-Vanadium name. Yeah. ''My combat ability went down then too, but the drop was the same as this one, minus the negative, but it didn''t go down. Your uncle''s drop is very special. I guess so. Hmm. I was kind of happy, Sakura tilted her head slightly. ''What''s wrong?'' I was happy. It all went down with the vanadium. The vanadium at that time - erythronium was doing that to keep people away from fear and hatred. "Mmm-hmm. ''This one on Nihonium is coming to pinpoint and harass us. She wants it, she wants to make people suffer. I''m kind of happy to see that. I knew you''d like it. I chuckled a bit. Sakura had just pointed this out to me. It''s not about love, and it''s not about companionship. I want to see the unrewarded rewarded the way they want to be rewarded. Yes, I like that. ''But that makes it hard to get around. If you drop less and less power every time you drop. That''s something the party can work out. The fight won''t go down, so we can keep fighting even if the drop is down. At a party? Yeah. Uncle, are you crazy? "Huh? You''re going to get undressed? Ah, ....... I huffed. That''s right, you''re going to get undressed. There are all sorts of bad things about coming to a dungeon with such a special nature with a party. It''s not a solo compulsion, but it''s a dungeon where soloing is strongly recommended. "I see. ...... It''s a tricky one, this floor. Well, I know that''s what some people like. Like, "Look at me naked!" or "Look at me naked! That was different! -- I guess. I''m taking it off myself, in case you were wondering, and hmmm. Huh? What''s up with you, Uncle? Speaking of which, you''re acting normal, Sakura. "Regularly? Because you''re going to get undressed. You look pretty normal for a guy like that. Yeah. Sakura makes a face like that. ''I believe in you, Uncle. What? You know when a monster is about to come, don''t you?Because your uncle isn''t making a fuss, that means he''s not coming. Sakura ...... I was comfortable with her trust-- And he doesn''t do reader service. If it were me, I''d just lead him on and give him an R-rating. --It was only for a second. A lot of things got screwed up. 573 573. Sakuras meanness As she waited in the salon, Sakura returned with Emily and then Alice. I locked eyes with Emily behind Sakura, and she turned away, her face red with embarrassment. That''s what it''s all about (), and that''s when I thought about how I was going to listen to her without being s*xually harassed. I''m sure I''ve made sure of that, Ryota. Alice, the other person who accompanied Sakura, rushed over to me in high spirits and said that with a look of pride on her face. ''''Exactly, is it?'''' ''Yes!The drop is down, but you see-- Saying that, Alice piles a mountain of grapes on the salon''s low table. ''--I got the drop-getting regardless at all. I see. I nodded honestly. ''That''s great, Alice. You''re going to let it drop regardless of the drop being an F. In the nude. Do we need the last information? He rammed into Sakura with such force that his hips almost floated off the couch. ''What?You see?He said it wouldn''t affect the battle and the drop if he didn''t get his clothes back. Ugh. ...... It''s ....... ............. It''s ................... Sakura is ...... correct. As long as the gimmick of the robbery-baba is to take the clothes away, the information about what happens if they remain robbed is incredibly important. I went into this on a spinal reflex, which was not a good idea. ''I''m sorry I rammed into you, I''m sorry. I can''t believe you stuck me naked in there. I''ll feel free to go into this stuff! I plunged in without reservation, as I declared. There are really a lot of things that Sakura says and does like that, which sometimes makes me suspect that she''s just an old man on the inside. ''''Hahahaha,'''' No, not "ha-ha"! I''ll go make a cup of tea! Emily ran out of the salon with her face blushing like crazy. She must have been very embarrassed over there. ''It''s your fault!'' What? I didn''t do anything. I don''t know. Emily was so beautiful naked, I just did a quick sketch of her. You''re doing it, and I want you to lose it right now! Yeah. Yeah, come on. I can''t help it: ...... Oh, yeah, yeah, that''s what the check said. I felt like I was getting off track, but no one would benefit from continuing the topic, so I decided to listen to the story anyway. ''''First of all, it wasn''t a problem at all with the clothes taken from me. In fact, the next time we have a monster, there''s no opening undressing, so it''ll be shorter. ''I see. ...... That''s pretty big, considering the circumference of the circle. I picked my jaw and thought about it. ''What''s the pace of the drop-stay reduction?And reset. I asked Sakura what she had asked me to check. ''It wasn''t a definite drop, it was a percentage drop, one step at a time. Oh yeah, from the moment it went down, the effect of the potion was gone. "Hmm. The potions Sakura refers to are items that are dropped from the Golden Hagremonono that increase your drop stake. It has an effect of +3 for each steal from paper money and +1 for each steal from coins. He had them check to see if that would be the case too. ''So, no reset when I crossed the tiers, but when I got back to the mansion, it reset. So it''s a pattern of exiting the dungeon. I think so. Why don''t you send the drop back? You mean the magic cart. It didn''t work. ''That''s nasty. I don''t know how many floors below the ground and then let them fight for a bit and then it has to be a dungeon. ''But it might be a good place for a dungeon spawn like Alice. Yeah. The most important ability in this world is the ability to go around. That''s why most adventurers are sharp in their abilities and optimized for the dungeons they''re going through. A dungeon born that can continue to go around regardless of drop drops has the aptitude to optimize for the deprivation hag. These tiers also don''t have much of a problem, no matter how sharp and nasty they are, as long as the information is fully figured out, there will be a lot of adventurers to adapt to, as long as the information is fully figured out. And one more thing. Yeah? Sakura grinned. As I wondered what she meant by that, she opened her sketchbook, which she carries with her at all times, and showed it to me. Is that ...... kimono? ''Just like the one on Nifonium. I summoned these and wore them and they wouldn''t take them off. Sakura grins even more. Is that ......? 574 574. Happy New Year? If you wore that, did they stop you from taking ...... off? Yes. ''You mean you can''t make a girl take off her own clothes? I don''t know about that. Sakura flipped through her sketchbook as she said this. On other pages were drawings of kimonos with slightly different patterns and styles. ''I tried all sorts of things, but the only one that didn''t get taken off was the one with the nihonium. It''s not so much the kimono as the clothes, is it? I see. Thanks, that''s all you need to know for now. Yeah. Sakura nodded and closed her sketchbook with a smirk. I turned my gaze to the side to Alice, who was quietly listening to me. ''So that means it''s strongest for Alice to dress up as Nihonium. We all did. ''What?Everyone? "Sakura-chan. Okay. At Alice''s request, Sakura opened her closed sketchbook again. She cast Genesis and summoned from the open page of Nifonium. ''Honehone.'' At the same time, Alice also called her fellow monsters. The small plush-like skeleton on her shoulder returned to normal human size. ''''Oh, oh.'''' I was at a loss for a response. The skeleton Hone Honehone, deformed looking it, is wearing a nihonium kimono. Perhaps drunk on the good looks (...), Hone Honehone posed in the kimono in a "yo yo" kind of way. It''s like this. Yeah, right. Everyone? Yeah, guys. Alice nodded, and her fellow monsters on her started to ramble () all at once. The skeleton is still humanoid, so that''s good, and the little devil and the zashikiji are just as well suited to it. But the slime doesn''t look good in any way, and then there''s GauGau and the giant dragon. ...... gauGauGauGau? I wasn''t frightened. No way! The shocking fact that popped out of Sakura''s mouth. It was the kind of fact that I wouldn''t have wanted to know if I could. I decided to quickly forget about it and returned the conversation to its natural () direction. ''But if that''s the case, I should have gone too. Did you want to see me naked? ''I wanted to see the kimono!Everyone--especially Emily and others--look good. I remember the New Year''s visit when I was still free, when I was a student. I remember thinking that it''s not enough to have girls in sundresses that look three times prettier than usual and that it''s not enough to be revealing. I''m not sure if that''s the case, but if it is, then go ahead and do it. "Huh? Alice, go tell the others. Yes, sir! Alice saluted and ran out of the salon. ''So I''m going to Vanadium-chan''s place. Huh?Hey, hey-- Even Sakura ran out of the salon without having time to call her back. My hands are gnawing vainly as I grab the sky. What starts ......? What''s starting ......? My doubts grew deeper, and I couldn''t help but utter the same words. Vanadium Dungeon, first basement floor. The dungeon''s spirit, Vanadium, had created the interior of the temporarily expanded space. The interior was an exact replica of what Sakura had drawn. Sakura''s drawings were shown to me, and they had a super technique that rivaled the super assistants in a certain manga artist manga. This space, which was based on this drawing, was also faithful to reality (). Shinto shrine. A group of friends are gathered in a place where a miko might be sweeping with a bamboo broomstick. They''re not just there, they''re all dressed in kimonos. Emily and Alice in the adventurer''s group, Celeste and Eve and Sakura in the adventurer''s group. Elsa and Ena from the merchant group. Aurum and Vanadium, the spirits, and Vanadium. Almost everyone living in the mansion was dressed in their sunny clothes. Incidentally, each of them had slightly different sunny clothes. To think that Sakura had waded through all of this, one could only marvel at her talent. By the way, Carbon refused and is still huffing and puffing from the shadows a bit away. ''Uh ...... Sakura-san?What is this? I was still a little unable to grasp the situation, so I asked Sakura fearfully. I even gave her the nickname. "New Year''s event. I''m sorry. Uncle, you didn''t come over here to do this. Isn''t this a good opportunity? Haha. ...... It''s true that I haven''t done anything New Year''s-like: ....... Well, if that''s what you mean. Maybe it''s okay to have a festive event like New Year''s. That''s why I decided not to interfere and let Sakura take care of it. I''ll leave it up to Sakura. No, you can''t do that! I knew I couldn''t leave it to him. 575 575. With rice cake Yes? Yes! Yes? Yes! Yes? Yes! There was an open space on the side of the salon where Emily and I were pounding rice cakes. Emily was pounding rice cakes with a pestle like in a dungeon, and I was kneading the rice cakes with my hands in the mortar at the right moment. The members of the family gathered around me to see what I could do. Incidentally, only Sakura, who made the mortar and pestle in the Genesis, knows what she can do, and she''s in the kotatsu, which she also brought out to watch. Ok. Yes, sir. At my signal, Emily stopped putting it on. I lifted the rice cakes and poked at them with my fingers. Yes, thanks to the powerful Emily, the freshly made rice cakes were wonderfully sticky. "How is it? ''It''s perfect, Emily. Do you have what I asked for? Yes, sir! Emily pattered off, carrying the pestle, and then pattered back again a moment later. ''We''re waiting for you,'' Emily brought a small bowl of kinako and anko and some grated daikon. ''Yes, perfect. Come on guys, put this on and eat it. I''ll take it. ...... And then there''s ...... what kind of magic is this? Celeste received a slice of rice cake and stared at it seriously, not eating it. ''''It was rice just now, but it''s turned into something completely different. That''s what mochi is for. Better yet, try it while it''s hot. Oh, yes. I''ll take it--it''s delicious! Celeste, who first dipped her kinako in it, put it in her mouth and as soon as she chewed a bite, she held her mouth and her eyes started to glow. ''Let''s see which one ...... is true.'' I didn''t know there was anything so delicious in the world. That''s what I''m talking about, Ryota. I didn''t know you knew how to make this stuff. Alice, Elsa, and Ena chewed on the freshly made cakes one after another and spoke fondly of them. ''''Eve-chan, you''re welcome to join us. Bunnies aren''t interested in that kind of thing. I''ve got some grated carrots for you, Eve. Then I''ll eat it. "Please go ahead and--oh!We can''t have only one grate! Emily stops Eve in her tracks in a hurry. My rabbit wasn''t blurred as usual. The freshly made rice cakes were a hit not only with the human group, but also with the spirit group like Aulum and Vanadium. ''You should try the carbon too, look.'' I''m fine!I''ll be happy to watch from here. She was also, as usual, drunk on the ordeal of being left out of one person''s life. ''Actually, this is just delicious for the young, but for the old, it''s an ordeal. What? Isn''t that right, Sakura? Yeah. There''s a horrible death toll from it every year. Sakura, who was getting warm in the kotatsu, kept up with me. It''s nice that she let me along, but to be scared is an exaggeration. ...... That''s an exaggeration. Really? Yes. Spirits are much older than us, right?Think of it as an ordeal, and try it for yourself. Yeah, I see. He came up to me and accepted a freshly made rice cake. Then go to ...... and take this black one. I watched her sip the mochi, thinking that the color looked dangerous ...... that I chose the anko. ''..................'' How''s that? Oh. "Oh? ''Delicious ......'' Right? Apparently, it was good for Carbon''s mouth. She flashed her eyes and puckered up one after the other. ''Alright, now let''s bake it. ''Sakura,'' Here you go, seven rings and a net. Emily would like some soy sauce. Yes, sir. I had each of them prepare it. They placed the rice cakes on the charcoal lit shichirinawa. They were all "huh" at that, but when they saw a spot of soy sauce in the middle of the shaped rice cake, they were all "what? It was replaced by. ''Is that all you need, Mr. Lyota?'' Yeah, watch this. As I said this, my friends and I all looked at the mochi. Shortly after, the rice cake puffed upwards like a balloon from a point in the middle of the soy sauce drizzled over it. ''Suh, it''s amazing!'' ''What?Only in the middle? You just dropped some soy sauce on it. Why is that? What would happen with a carrot? Everyone got very excited about the puffy mochi. It was not only funny, but they started to get even more excited when they found out that the baked stuff was delicious too. The mochi that Emily and I had made were soon gone. Then my friends wanted to get involved in the mochi making, too. It was Sakura''s idea, the New Year''s mode was in full swing, and everyone was having a great time. I crawled into the kotatsu with Sakura while they were having a good time. I was going to show everyone the magic of the kotatsu afterwards. I''m glad it worked out for you. Yeah. ...... What''s going on? I turn to Sakura, who seems to have noticed something. ''Everyone looks like they''re having a great time! Yeah. If they did this with Nifongnium, they could have come up with Nifongnium like they did with Skyrocket. No, no, no, no, no. It wouldn''t be a hardship if they came out with that. Little did they know that they had just missed the easiest chance to meet with Nifongnium. Don''t make it sound like a voiceover. He laughs and plunges in. ''Huh, I guess so.'' Sakura stuck out her tongue, probably because it was just a joke, and that''s where the conversation ended. After that, I gave Emily a variety of recipes, mainly for mochi pounding, and asked her to make ozoni and stuff, and my friends lifted it up even more. Seeing them enjoying themselves, I thought it would be nice if Nikonium was with them next year. The Lyota family was lifted up in the New Year''s spirit with rice cakes. Little did they know at this time that they had missed the easiest chance to meet with Nihonium. 576 576. Ghost Nifonium dungeon in the morning. I asked my friends not to enter the dungeon today unless there was something wrong. The reason for that was the presence of the robber hag. I don''t want to have to worry about me getting stripped off or my friends getting stripped off. That''s why it''s not like the last time Sakura barged in and went "oh ......". Still, having your clothes taken off every time you meet someone, even if you know no one will come, you still take mental damage every time you get hit. So I took full effect of my brain''s radar and proceeded cautiously and carefully, almost passing through the thirteenth floor and descending to the fourteenth floor underground. Now I can use the transporter room to come next time. I can stabilize through the deprived old woman. While relieved about that, he checked the situation around him. The appearance of the dungeon hadn''t changed. A pulsating, visceral dungeon with a full-blown grossness. I''m getting much more comfortable with the look of this dungeon. Then I turn my attention towards my brain''s radar to look for the monster. ''Huh?'' I couldn''t help myself. I froze for a moment as it happened. As I was surprised and confused by what I felt on my brain''s radar, a monster appeared. I killed that monster in an instant. It was a major youkai with a long nose and dressed as a shugenja, a tengu, that''s what it was. I killed it in a flash, half-reflexively. ''''Hahaha ......'''' I was so surprised by what I saw on the radar that I forgot all about taming or looking at it, and killed it instantly with a zero-range headshot from the flesh. The fallen tengu drops with a pop. When I picked it up, I found it was a fruit about the size of a small ball watermelon, with a unique citrusy bumpy skin and smell. When I lightly peeled the fruit, I found that the skin alone was about an inch thick, and underneath the skin I could smell a sour smell. ''This is the usual drop. There''s no need to check it right now to see if it''s unusual. I tuck the fruit into my Grand Eater''s pocket and focus my attention on the radar again. To be honest, I can''t be involved in the monsters on this floor anymore, and I can see something that looks important. There are two staircases that seem to lead to the lower floor. I''m not sure if it''s a mistake, so I carefully avoided the Tengu and headed for the stairs, just as I did with the previous floor. I knew there were two: ...... I reached it, and there were two sets of stairs leading down. This had never happened before. There had never been more than one staircase in existence like this. ...... There''s no such thing as nothing, is there? Next up is the fifteenth floor underground. Considering the various gimmicks and various monsters that require special strategies, it''s unlikely that the clear anomaly of two staircases will be nothing at all. Nevertheless, we can''t afford not to proceed. We''ve been asked by Cell to investigate the attack, and most importantly, if we capture the next fifteenth floor, we may finally be able to find Nifongium. ...... Okay. I steeled myself and went down the stairs to the left first. The end of the stairs was also a visceral dungeon - but it was an open, wide space. Tall and wide. It was a spacious space about the size of a school gym. What was there was a single monster. "Demons, huh? It has a build three times the size of a human, a single loincloth, two horns on its head, and sharp fangs visible from its mouth. If it wasn''t a nihonium, he would have thought it was an ''ogre'', but in this nihonium, it was probably an ''ogre'' for sure. The ogre roared, and that was the signal to start the war. The power and speed of the demon was far different from the previous youkai. They were big, fast and strong. Purely, an opponent that was like a symbol of power, and the strength was probably closing in on the Dungeon Master class, I thought as my first punch was blown off my entire guard. I regained my stance in the air, pulled out my two pistols and fired a series of regular bullets. A small check to disperse a large number of bullets. The demon shot them all down with a flurry of fists. ''''No tricks?'''' That might help. I put my gun away and kick the ground as the demon fleshes me out again and rushes forward in the same manner. Me and the ogre, rushing at breakneck speed, throwing punches and striking each other as if we''d shown each other the way. Dogon A shockwave of punches met, shaking the entire hierarchy. I backed up in the air, missing the momentum and backing up. As I landed, numbness came late to my arm. Meanwhile, the demon''s right arm was limp and deformed and hanging down. We won the fight. This one has some numbness left in his right hand - but he moves. The second time, I jumped at him from us. I rushed forward and dove to the right, cracking and turning when the demon reacted, ducking to the right. The demon reacts, but the squishy arm doesn''t move as it should, and the reaction is delayed for a breath. Then he punches it with all his might. His body bends sideways in the shape of the letter "ku" and he goes flying away at great speed. I didn''t miss and chased after it. This time, instead of doing a small check, he fires a series of growth bullets to kill. You can''t get your body back up, and you can''t guard against it, so the demon took all the growth bullets with his body. He fell to the ground with a thud. Trying to get up, he gets down on one knee. And then with a crunch, one of the two horns snapped off with a force that sent it flying. ...... hmm?Again. As soon as I saw that he was defeated and there was no sign of him becoming a drop, I fired a series of growth bullets to further spell him out. ''''!!!'''' It was the most surprising moment after getting the growth bullets. The demon nodded down on one knee and was hit by all the growth bullets, but it didn''t falter. The scene was a sure sign that he hadn''t taken any damage from my experience of dealing with various monsters in the past. What do you mean?And then things changed further. The broken demon''s horns had grown back. The demon then stood up and rushed at me as if the damage I had just done hadn''t been done. My reaction is delayed by surprise, and I''m blown away by the same guard as the first time. The power was the same as that time, too. ''...... simultaneous attack?! Two horns, two stairs. After one of them broke off, it wouldn''t accept damage, and it would come back over time. I knew this situation as knowledge. 577 577. Black constitution You mean, the raid boss. You still think so? Inside the mansion, in front of the transporter room. I caught Sakura when she returned and told her about the fifteenth floor of Nifonium, and she made the same guess as I did. ''I suppose so. Judging by what your uncle has seen, it looks like the same monster is on the other side, right? Yes. ''So there was a bit of waiting time after one of the horns folded, so I guess I''ll have to take them both down at the same time. You will, won''t you? I nodded. With the situation I had seen, Sakura made the exact same guess. ''There was a lot of waiting time there, so if we get the meeting right, it should be pretty easy to fit it in, right? Yeah. It reminds me of the scene when the demon''s horns were broken. It was indeed quite a reprieve. ''You''re lucky it wasn''t at such a severe time when you had to take down the apostle in unison. It''s true. I chuckled. I would have been at a loss if I''d been asked to do that kind of super-serious timing in separate rooms where we couldn''t see each other and had no way of communicating with each other. ''Haha, we can''t use this as an excuse to play a game of Twister! You don''t have to do it. Have you ever done that before?Most kids of my generation don''t know about it to begin with. There''s one thing, though: ...... It''s just painful and nothing makes me happy, okay? It brings back a bitter memory. The reason it was hard was because I did it with my male friends and as part of a bad ride. We did it with a bunch of guys, so we didn''t know the real fun or "joy" of it. That''s why it''s only hard ....... I didn''t mention it because Sakura would bite me in many ways if I told her about it. ''But you''ve got that nihonium thing coming out here, too. Huh? My guess is that this last fifteenth floor was made by watching the uncle''s movements. I had to think of a structure that I couldn''t create by myself because the uncle is always going solo. "Hmm. Honestly, even now, Uncle, a month is 30 days, right? "?A month is thirty days, right? That''s the way it is. Sakura reached out and gave me a deco pin. ''Thirty days to calculate and solo on the research. I was trying to do it all by myself. Little has changed since Vanadium''s rent. ...... And that''s how Nifornium found out. I guess that''s the way it is. Because when I was a Zashiki-Do, I relied on Alice. You don''t need to do anything until you''re sure he needs us. ...... It''s the same thing. I don''t know, I just couldn''t say it back. I''ve always wondered why my uncle has so many women in his group and doesn''t go around the dungeon with anyone else. I''ve always wondered why he doesn''t go around the dungeon with any of his female companions, when he has so many women in his group. I''ve been to a lot of dungeons, but everyone has a party and has a good time. They always look like they''re having fun with Neptune and those two samurai. That sounds like fun. Leia. What? I freaked out. I''ve never met her, so we''ll just talk. I''ve never met her, so I''m just saying," he said, "I''ve never met her before. And yet, your uncle sent her off to the genie and didn''t even try to recall her. He doesn''t call her back, he fights her alone. ...... Honestly... why? Sakura stared straight at me. There''s no escaping it, a straight gaze. It''s the kind of eye that digs up what I''ve been looking away () for all this time. "...... Phew. I sighed. I take a deep breath, choose my words, and mouth them. ''Does Sakura know about that izakaya chain that''s famous for being black?'' I don''t know. Don''t you know that? I don''t know much about that side of things, well, I''m a student. ''The owner was famous for it, and when he demanded that his people do exactly what he could do, he went black. I can work without a break, that''s why I''m successful. He wanted you guys to do the same thing. "Hmm. I''m with ...... that guy. I huffed and smiled to myself. 578 578. Lovely Tsukkomi ...... pfft. After a pause for a breath, Sakura held her mouth and started to wipe it off. ''Nah, why?'' I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m losing my mind. I mean, seriously, even if I was crazy. It''s okay, it''s okay, I don''t know what he''s talking about, but I know he''s not. ...... How do you know that? I ask Sakura, raising an eyebrow. Now I really wanted to know why I was able to say that much. "Because you''re worried about it," he said. I don''t know why people like that don''t just say "What?He''s the kind of person who says, "I''ve done it myself. You''re more of a cheerleader than an uncle. Sakura says teasingly. ''But,'' ''That''s your uncle''s, it''s like he''s saying to himself, ''I''m evil. People like that aren''t really evil, are they? ...... mmm. ''You''re worried that your uncle is going to get in trouble if you''re partying with everyone else because you''re going to act like a black company. Yeah. But you don''t force people to do that. ...... Then, if I can''t keep up with you, I''ll take a break of my own accord, and if I say no more, you''ll stop too. ...... Yeah, I guess. When Sakura told me that, I nodded my head and thought about it. It''s true that ...... might be true. I''m going to rush through it. I''m going to convert it to 30 days a month and try not to think about a vacation. But I won''t force everyone to do that. Sakura is right, if someone makes a sound, I will stop. Yes, it will stop. I''m sure of that. So what''s the problem then? ...... Right. I had to laugh bitterly. It was like something I had been dreading for a long time, but it was nothing. ''Then let''s get on with it, shall we? What? Nifonium, fourteenth floor underground. I was standing in front of the two staircases. I wasn''t the only one who had come. Emily, Celeste, Eve, Alice, and Sakura. Sakura called the meeting, and in no time, the family''s adventurer group was assembled. ''Everyone ......'' It''s been a long time since we''ve all been in a dungeon together. Look, how long has it been? ''I don''t remember an all-hands meeting in recent memory. Of the friends, Emily, Alice, and Celeste in particular were very excited. In contrast, Eve was the opposite, she was the same as usual, completely unchanged and low tension. ''I''m glad you''re here,'' "Hm. Well, ...... Sakura feeds on carrots--do we have a deal? Eve shook her head quietly. ''I see.'' Sometimes it''s good. Okay. All right, let''s just go with that. Sakura gave me a sound bite. ''Uncle, be a little more specific about your monster abilities. ''''Oh, um, ...... the monster''s name is an ogre. It has the same limbs as a human, but it''s one size bigger. Are they like ogres or something? Yeah, yeah, it''s like an ogre. I nod to Emily and return it. Then Celeste. ''So I guess that means it doesn''t have much of a special ability and is simply a strong and fast type of monster. ''Yeah, exactly. I think pure power would be a pretty good match for ...... Emily. That''s great!It looks bad if it hits you hard. Do you want to make a trip out of it? Alice said excitedly, despite her words. ''No, let''s save the ri-ching. It''s a trump card, and we don''t know what''s coming next.'' Oh, yeah, that''s right. ''So, we''re going down in two halves, but we have to take them both down at the same time. The problem is how to get the timing right: ...... Can''t you hear me? ''Maybe. I think Alice would know, but when she gets down there, she won''t know anything about the other one. Hmm. It''s the same as the sulphur. Yeah. I nodded. Each time I entered, I was individually sent to a different place in the salfa. I guess you could say it''s similar to that one. ''I''ll see what I can do.'' ...... How about we do this? After a bit of thought, Celeste suggested. ''Thirty seconds at one point, and the topping off should be thirty, sixty, or ninety seconds.'' If we don''t think we can take it down in 30 seconds, do we wait until we get to 60 seconds? I see. My friends nod at each other and look at me. ''Yeah, so let''s just go with that for now. If it doesn''t work, we''ll retreat and rethink our strategy. Okay. Okay. I''ll do my best. Everyone showed their enthusiasm in their own words. Thanks to ....... I was a little embarrassed, so my voice was a little small to say thank you. Still, it got to everyone. Everyone was a little confused, though. ''There they are!Hey, what are you doing, Eve? Eve gave me a silent chop. A chop to the forehead, which was a little more than usual. ''You''re low and cocky,'' Yeah? I''m going to go in and I''m going to take you down as fast as I can. That''s it. ...... Right. I close my eyes for a moment, take a deep breath, and change my mind. Then I open my eyes and look at everyone. ''Please, guys.'' Everyone responded with smiles. 579 579. Z and G ''Okay, Uncle, you''ll partner up with Emily and Celeste. We''ll go with the rest of you. Sakura roughly divided the teams. ''''Is that division correct?'''' I mean, how could Alice be different from her uncle? Yeah, I''ve got a very good friend in there. As long as the strategy is based on the premise of defeating monsters at the same time, me, who has the "exact same power" and Alice, who has an All Might that can summon a copy of me, will be on a different team. So, in terms of knowledge, me and my uncle are separated. Yeah. It''s also for the same reason, the same otherworldly people, the same otherworldly people, the same dungeons we''ve never seen before and the events of those dungeons, there''s no good reason for me and Sakura to be frozen in place with a little groundwork to deal with. ''''The rest is purely divided by strength, Uncle, Emily, Celeste, me, Alice and Usagi. I see. I gave a small nod. Indeed, it might be a good balance. With the exception of me and Chochin, this one is Emily and Celeste, the strongest combination of physics and magic. The other side is Eve, the vanguard, and Alice and Sakura, the all-around good and responsive Alice and Sakura. It''s a good idea to try this one for now, and if it doesn''t work, then we''ll regroup. Okay. I nodded and looked around at everyone again. ''Nice to meet you all.'' Hi. I''ll do my best. I''m on it. If you can keep up with the higher levels, you''ll be fine. Everyone, with a peek at Sakura, responded. Then, following Sakura''s formation, we split up and went down the stairs in two groups. We watched everyone else go down the other staircase, then we went down a little later too. Emily carried her hammer, which was far bigger than her height, as lightly as ever. Celeste is already holding her bicorn horn in her dress and is ready for battle. ''''It''s been a long time,'''' What? It''s been a long time since Yoda and I have been in a dungeon together. Oh, yeah. It was a casual word, a normal exchange, but it thrilled me. I had just had such a conversation with Sakura right before, and I felt as if she had seen everything deep inside me. ''It''s certainly been a while. I''ll show you where you''ve grown up again. Me too. I''m looking forward to it. I nodded deeply. I genuinely thought that, without any other intentions at all. Out of all my friends, Emily and Celeste are the most ''grown up''. Due to my insistence on soloing, I rarely team up with the two of them to go to dungeons, but that''s why I''m amazed at how much they''ve improved when I go occasionally. When we met, Emily would dare to take a slime attack because she wasn''t fast enough and counterattack where she deflected the momentum. On the other hand, Celeste, who was just busting out the great magic of incineration (...) against a completely motionless garbage. They both became stronger. Emily has not only gained power, but also speed and technique. The way she used the weight and inertia of the hammer well, the way she closed the distance and the way she chased after it, it''s a love story to watch. It''s exhilarating, like watching a superhero battle like in Draen Ball. On the other hand, Celeste, who was just a stick-up turret, has also become insanely mobile. He holds multiple bicorn horns that can spit out fireballs indefinitely, and manipulates them with strings to restrict his opponents'' actions in all directions, while also slamming his massive magic into halt enemies when necessary. Their movements are exciting, as if they were watching a high-mobility robot battle, like a gunsmith. The two of them are said to have grown up even more. They were both staring at me as they descended the stairs. It''s as if their eyes are telling me to "watch you grow up" and then "compliment me on that". That made me kind of happy and excited. ''Well, let''s let the two of you do it alone first, shall we? Are we alone? Why is that? I''m not going to send Mukai''s bat out, so we''ll start with just the two of us to get the same strength. Oh, I see. I see. Okay. The two of them easily convinced by my words. I''m glad Sakura isn''t there. If she was here, this is the scene where she''d be rushing in and saying, "You''re afraid to push the blackness on me, aren''t you? That''s not true. ...... I can say with an oath that I would never say no. That''s not what I''m talking about, but right now I want to see them both grow up first. I told the two of them to go ahead and fight, just to see how much they move around and show us high level combat. Then I went down to the fifteenth floor of the Nihonium. 580 580. I accidentally messed up Nihonium Dungeon, fifteen floors below ground. When the three of us came down, a monster ogre was waiting for us. ''It really does look like an ogre.'' He looks very strong. Celeste and Emily each mentioned their impressions of the demon. I nodded and handed them the information from the earlier attack. ''Yeah, they''re big, fast and strong. A simple but high level monster.'' Oh, so you can just do it straight. You''re not done. I gave a small nod, Celeste and Emily nodded in agreement. ''Then we''ll get right to the middle of it,'' Please. They both nodded towards me at the same time and held their weapons at the ready. Emily''s trademark giant hammer. The duo must be twice as tall and weigh more than twice as much, and their imbalance is noticeable just by standing side by side. Celeste, on the other hand, had a bicorn horn floating around her body. A small staff that looked just like a bicorn horn intact was lined up vertically around his body. It''s like the rings of Saturn. ''Celeste?Is that floating? I made the thread transparent. It''s more convenient if they can''t see it, right? Celeste smiled with a huff. I nodded my head in agreement. ''Sure ...... but that''s ...... nice.'' Yeah? Yeah, it''s atmospheric and ...... beautiful. I thought to myself. I think there was still a little bit of a boy''s mind left in mine that thought that kind of thing was cool. Floating a weapon around you and manipulating it at will - yes, it''s really cool. Celeste seemed happy when I put it into words honestly. ''Then watch me actually fight. Yeah. All right, then. Yes, just as we discussed. Yes, sir. They nodded at each other, and it was Emily who jumped out first. She took a big swing, and with a small leap, she swung the hammer down to the ground. The hammer struck with a roar, causing the hammer to shake so much that it couldn''t stand up until it was here. The demon lost its stance, but quickly regained its footing. He rushed towards Emily and swung a hammer punch with a large drop towards the merely petite Emily. ''Good... It''s ......! Emily gingerly twisted her body and took a full swing with her hammer to create inertia. It was a bold upper swing, a common one for foreign athletes. The hammer and hammer punches met diagonally with their trajectories and struck each other as hard as they could. There was an explosive sound. The shock wave is spread around. In the midst of this, Celeste moved. She stood and posed as if she were a model. That pose - manipulated by the movement of her hands, the bicorn horns all went flying at once. Each one flew on a different trajectory, as if it were a creature with a will. It''s still beautiful. I wondered what their movements would be like in the future. Huh? Celeste''s movements stopped, and of course the bicorn horn stopped as well. Celeste, who was surprised, and where she was staring at - it was a scene that had been won or lost. A demon who looked as if his entire upper body had been broken off as a result of striking with Emily. It''s as painful as a street tree after a typhoon. Emily, who did it, looks at me with a puzzled look on her face. ''Yoda-san ...... this ......'' It''s all over. I chuckled. One of the two horns was broken off, not to mention the demon''s body was bobbing and breaking. The figure was the same as when I went in solo. ''That''s awesome Emily,'' Yeah? It''s amazing how you can buy time and accidentally take them down. Oh ...... I''m sorry! Emily cringed and bowed her head in a puff. The demon''s horns regenerated and his broken body returned to normal after the failed timing attempt. 581 581. Hurdle to go up The fifteenth floor of the Nifonium Dungeon underground. A demon was waiting for Sakura, Alice, and Eve to descend as well. ''''It looks kind of nasty.'''' When Alice saw the demon, she spoke her frank opinion. However, that ''strong look'' contains some exciting nuances, and she even sounds like she''s enjoying the situation. On the other hand, Eve on the other hand is not holding on to the two of them and doesn''t seem too interested in the demon in front of her. ''You can''t be weak in a pattern like this, can you? You''ll know it when you see it. ''Sure. Eve, can you be the advance guard? I can''t help it if it''s a high-level request. As he said this, he said, "Oh dear - and then Eve jumped out of the way. I reacted and struck at the demon, who intercepted me, with my hand sword. Papa Papa--. A bursting sound like a machine gun rang out as they seemed to fire just one shot at each other. The strong-armed demon staggered back a step as Eve struck and lost from the first move. ''''Eve!That''s too strong, hold it down, hold it down. Okay. Eve went into a chase stance, but Sakura''s call for help stopped her in her tracks. As it is, she runs around the demon and keeps the attack in check. Meanwhile, cute looking fellow monsters such as Hone Hone and Puru Puru, which Alice had summoned, surrounded Eve and the demon. Sakura embodied the barbed wire she drew in her sketchbook with her Genesis and surrounded the further outside of them. The three of them, who had been able to gauge some of their strength from Eve and the demon''s initial strike, went into stalling mode instead of defeating them. With the first arrangement, they would have extra time. We need to stall for time until that time is up--'''' ''''Huh?'''' Sakura was the first to notice something strange. Next was Eve, and finally, late, Alice. Everyone present noticed something strange about the demon. The demon was moving, but its body was flickering like Christmas lights. ''Watch out, it could be an attack of some kind. A masterstroke. Maybe. No. ...... Eve quietly denied Sakura and Alice''s speculation. ''Not what?'' Look at the head. His head-- Oh, my God, he''s got a broken corner! It''s true. A little later than Eve, Sakura and Alice noticed this as well. The two horns of the demon, whose body was flickering, had broken off on one side before they knew it. ''''What do you mean?'''' ...... uncles knocked him down, I''m sure. ''What?But the timing is going to be a bit longer, okay? You were so weak, I accidentally knocked you down. Even Eve almost knocked him down earlier, right? "So. Sakura says, and Alice is convinced. ''Ah!I got my horns back. What do you want to do? Let''s go to ...... and beat him. The second time around, there''s an uncle over there and we can match him. Please, Eve. Okay. Eve nodded and took on the demon again. Sakura and Alice stayed in the siege, waiting in case anything happened. Eve jumped in softly, her sword swung down. The demon strikes again. The demon''s arms, when they struck each other, made the same machine gun-like bursting sound as before, and flew out from within, spreading blood and flesh all around. And the demon kneeling down. The moment the arm flew off, one of the horns - the one different from the one before - broke off. ''''Come on, do it, Uncle.'''' The next moment Sakura mumbled, pakin!and the other horn also broke off. Two of the horns broke off and Shuu ...... and the demon disappeared. In the place where the demon had been, a fruit with snake-like scales had fallen. Sakura picks it up. ''Snake fruit, huh?'' Is it good?It. It''s delicious, like an apple. It''s a little sour. "Yeah, ...... is really sour. That''s what happens when you don''t eat carrots. As the three girls were talking to Snake Fruit, a change in the situation occurred. The stairs appeared - three of them. ''This ...... is tricky,'' Sakura raised her eyebrows and chuckled. 582 582. Leave it to me I did it! Emily gave a pleasant smile. The demon''s other horn, which had stopped moving, also snapped off and disappeared just like that, and the fruit was dropped. A very puffy fruit covered in snake-like scales ...... fruit?It was. I pick it up. ''What kind of thing is this?'' It smells sour. Emily sniffed from my side and said. ''If it smells sour, then it must be a proper fruit. Yes, sir. I smell the sourness of the fruit. I see. These tendencies aren''t going to change easily, I''m sure. Celeste came next to me on the other side and said, staring at the snakescale fruit. ''As the family''s wise counselor, she''s getting a lot of information and knowledge, and she''s probably thinking more strongly about it. ''I suppose,'' Is that all you have to do? Well, I''m not so sure about that: ...... I look around while saying this, and I can''t help but giggle at the sight of it appearing before I knew it (...). To my surprise, three staircases appeared a short distance away from the place where I defeated the demon. "There are three stairs, sir. Now I guess the three of us have to go down separately. I suppose that''s what it means. ''Just as well, because there are three of us and three of them over there - there are three staircases appearing over there, aren''t there?I''m sure. I''m sure it is, but ...... is a tricky one, this one. What? Celeste cocks her head and wonders. ''Awkward about what?'' I mean there''s no guarantee anywhere that the staircase will end at this and stop at three. Ah, ....... Ah, ....... Celeste and Emily, both huffing and puffing at the same time. Yes, that was the scariest part. There''s no guarantee that this will end nowhere, and there''s a new question of what to do if there''s even more in the next one. What should we do if that happens--'''' ''No, we''ll figure that out later. Let''s go back upstairs first. It''s possible that things are different on Sakura''s side. Well, maybe that''s a good idea. Yes, sir. We left the three stairs leading down and went back upstairs. Fourteen floors below Nihonium, when we came back, Sakura, Alice and Eve were already back and waiting for us. ''If your uncle is looking like that, then it looks like there were three stairs there too. I don''t know what I look like. I chuckled and touched my own cheek in a sticky way. ''Well, that''s the way it is,'' Three is good, but then there''s the second. Sakura was frightened and tried to shrug her shoulders. The look on Alice and Eve''s faces when they were with her told her that Sakura had already given her that guess. ''What do we do now, Uncle?'' ''Let''s try to clear it up for now. I don''t know if we''ll get four, but I can''t help but worry about that and not move on. ''Yes, there was no penalty for coming back like now. If it doesn''t work, it doesn''t matter. Sakura says and I look around at my friends. Emily, Celeste, Alice, and Eve. They all indicated with their own reactions, "Yes sir. ''What about timing?''Again, if they had to be destroyed at the same time. Let''s go two steps further. How does the second step work? ''Everyone takes it down at their own pace at first. That way you can probably figure out when the slowest person is going to be the one to beat. ''I see, so you''re going to have to get through on the second try to time it. Celeste nodded quietly and agreed. ''That''s a safe way to do it, a safe bet. I suppose you could do it the same way, though, by trying to get a shot at breaking through with an assault. How do you do it, Sakura? Everyone else is going to beat you first. As far as I''m concerned, there isn''t much difference between the two except for the uncle. I think they will all match up to some extent naturally. Yeah, okay. Alice clapped her hands with a pop. ''So after the five of you are done, Lyota will be the fastest one to finish up. That''s what I mean. As expected of you, you know what you''re doing since you''re using Ryouchin. "Heh. Alice smiled shyly when Sakura praised her. As Sakura said, the strategy built around me was easy to convey to Alice, who always used meRyochin as her trump card. ''...... Let''s try it with that,'' Celeste thought for a moment and then suggested that. ''Are you sure, Celeste?'' Yes, I think it will be a challenge for us to adjust to Lyota, and I think it will be a good inspiration and experience for us. ''Yes, sir. I''ll do my best to keep up with Yoda. Emily agreed with Celeste''s suggestion. ''I think it''s a good idea too, and I can use Ryouchin when the need arises. ''You''re so cocky for a low level.'' Alice agreed as well, and Eve didn''t object in her usual fashion. ''Good!Then let''s go with that. That''s fine, Uncle. ''All right. On the other hand, I''ll do my best to fit in with everyone else. It''s a big responsibility because my last tome will be very important, but I knew I had to do it since they''ve asked me to do it so much. So let''s go again. ""Oh!" With a shout, we went down to the fifteenth floor underground again, using the combination of what we had just done. 583 583. Yatakarasu Fifteen floors below Nifonium. A demon appeared. "Well, nice to meet you then. Yes, sir! I''m on it. Emily and Celeste responded. They both went at the demon with their hammers and bicorn horns at the ready. Emily stopped the demon with a bicorn horn bombing that appeared to be radio controlled, and then Emily fired a thumping blow. Then the demon''s two horns broke off in one motion. ''''Huh?Oh ...... you timed it right. For a moment I was surprised at what had happened, but I quickly understood. ''Yes, sir,'' I figured out their timing earlier, so I tuned in. It''s amazing. I''m honestly impressed. It is actually quite difficult to get the timing right. There''s a technique in pachislot called "mechaji", which involves timing the stakes to get them aligned. Emily and Celeste''s current one is the equivalent of that eye push, so it looked like Emily''s tome broke two corners in one go. I was impressed with the two of my friends who were able to take it down with such perfect timing. No, the amazing thing is that they were able to do it too. The fact that Emily and the others were able to match it means that they must have timed it exactly the same as before. Or, they may be in sync with each other. It''s amazing. What are you talking about? What? The most amazing person in the world is Mr. Yoda. Oh, no. That one, too, is easy for Yoda to do. It''s ...... well. If you ask me if I can do it or not, I can probably do it. But I''m a little embarrassed when they say that to me. "Well, ...... Oh, I dropped it. I found the stairs. I picked up a dropped snakescale fruit - a fruit that Sakura told me was a snake fruit. The Japanese language is straightforward around here. Like Starfruit or Snake Fruit. Probably using the English names as they are. Well, it was easy to understand. All right, let''s get going then. Let''s do our best. ''Yes. I''ll do my best. It''s a fight. Encouraging each other, we descended the three steps that appeared. It probably wouldn''t have made any difference where we went down, but I took the middle one, while Emily and Celeste went down the right and left, respectively. We went down to the sixteenth floor underground. It was the usual internal dungeon. And the monster that appeared-- Crows?Three legs! A huge, black crow appeared, and I was surprised by its features. A three-legged crow. With the soccer boom of the last few years, even people who aren''t up on myths and such have started to see them on TV and such. Yatagaras. It is a crow with three distinctive legs, and is closely related to Japanese mythology. If you ask Dr. Goole these days, it''s a bit amusing that a football is predictably coming up behind the yatagaras. "Well, first of all, we need to buy some time. Three balls floated above the yataglass''s head. All three were different colors, and they circled around the top of his head. Eventually, the yataglass absorbed one of the balls. An orange ball - a ball that probably symbolizes the sun, considering the original source. What it was - I knew immediately. ''Ack!'' I yelled out. Immediately after I took in the sun ball, the area around me turned into a sea of fire. The scorching flames scorched my body, if not directly. And the other two balls disappeared as well. However, there was no change. ''...... Good luck, Emily, Celeste.'' I cheered in my heart for my friends, who, like here, would be in a completely different environment. 584 584. Forced sauna In the scorching heat of the sun, I pulled out my pistol and fired a normal round. The bullets that flew out flew normally at first, but halfway through, they scattered like a broken balloon. ''''Splattered!'''' I yelped. A burning discomfort in my lungs, like when I took a deep breath in a sauna, came over me all at once. I held my mouth and looked at the scattered bullets. It scattered on the ground, and soon it was like hearing an onomatopoeic sound, like a round water droplet(,). ''Is it melting and turning into a liquid?'' I was more and more surprised. It''s a burning heat that bites my skin, a burning heat that makes my lungs uncomfortable if I breathe deeply - but not that much. The bullet - it doesn''t feel like it''s hot enough to melt metal. To my surprise, a yatacalas attacks me. A beak attack from a smooth glide - I thought it was going to be a beak attack from a smooth glide - but it started to wear flames all over its body. It''s like a bird of fire. It looks like it''s not going to be enough even if you receive it or defend against it, so I flew right to the side to avoid it. While evading, I fired another round of normal ammunition to test it out. Then, as I thought, it melted and scattered on the way. While dodging the yatagaras that were chasing me, I took out another conventional round to check it. It didn''t melt at all, it didn''t seem to melt. Burnt metal usually becomes so hot that it cannot be touched, but normal bullets are not. The handle of the kettle right after boiling, you could touch it and lift it if you were patient. That''s how hot it was. It wasn''t very hot, but it wasn''t hot enough to melt. I wondered what was going on. I tried to put a bullet in the gun to further understand the situation - and then. The temperature had been rising gradually, and I couldn''t help but go, "Ow! And then he''s like, "Oh," and then he drops the bullet. "Ah. Then the bullet that had fallen to the ground melted. The bullet, which had been solid, melted and became a metallic, slippery liquid. ...... hello. One possibility occurred to him, and he pulled a fruit from the Grand Eater''s pocket. A snake fruit, wrapped in a skin like a snake scale. That''s two. He tossed one of them in a pile toward the day after tomorrow with a pop. If I threw it at the yatagaras, I didn''t want to do so because it was likely to be scorched by the flames I was wearing. And the other one was held firmly in my hand. The difference was immediately apparent. The snakefruit that I held only slightly warmed up, but the snakefruit that I let go of turned to charcoal faster than it could fall to the ground. ''No flying tools--you mean, Celeste! I wonder if she''s okay. The bicorn horn, operated by string, is dangerous. Sakura seemed to be in trouble too. I''m not sure I''m going to be able to find out what''s going on in the world. ...... No, Celeste might be fine. Earlier, at about the same time as this one''s ball, the other two balls disappeared as well. It''s probably, but Celeste and Emily, who came down from the same place, don''t have the burning heat. Sakura might be pulling a third. There was no way to be sure, but it seemed that way somehow. ''Oops!'' I was distracted. The yataglass''s assault gouged the side of my body that I couldn''t avoid. Throbbing and painful, the wound had two kinds of heat. Long-range attacks are impossible. If you try to fight in close quarters, the flames are tricky. If you try to fight it, it''s a very formidable () monster. However. I fired an accelerated shot at myself. I fired an injection-like "close range" shot, and it worked before it melted. Enter the accelerated world. The yatter went into slow motion. I approached it, dodged its rush and delivered a painful blow from the side. An instantaneous contact in an accelerated world. I barely felt the heat. This is good, I said, and I went straight for the rush and took down the yatagaras. Then - one of its three legs broke off. ...... Ah. I soon realized that this was a mistake. Yes, this was different from our meeting, this was. I had to take it down last. I went "A-ha!" and covered my face with my hands and looked up at the heavens. After a while, sure enough. The broken leg came back to life and the Yatagaras'' attack was back to square one. ''I shouldn''t do it quickly, but ...... you''re going to have to be patient and time it in that scorching heat. I thought to myself that I was being mean. 585 585. There are two times there are three times The yataglass took the ball again. This time it was a different color, a blue ball. I was waiting for the scorching heat to come again - but it was different. The environment didn''t change, it was the yataglass that changed. The crow that took in the ball changed into the form of a human--. d*mn! I started a reflexive evasive motion. It was the right thing to do. A bullet was fired into the place where I was standing. I dodged it by moving first with a hunch. The transformation into human form was one of several guesses, but it was a rather bad pattern. The yatagaras transformed into me. I''m not like Alice Ryotin or Ryota from Plumbum. It looks and feels exactly like me, a doppelganger, if you will. The next thing I knew, he was right in front of me. In an instant, it was close enough to me to unleash a high kick at my head. I quickly raised my arm to guard it. Then the entire guard is blown off, and I am blown away while spinning vertically. Then he shoots a wall bomb in a flash. He grabs the bullet and applies the emergency brake in the air. My doppelganger was chasing me. While he is confused for a moment because my emergency braking has shifted his timing, he hits a cross counter to the face. The doppelganger is blown away with the same momentum as the one that chased it. That guy also used an ironclad bullet to brake suddenly and regain his stance. Being transformed into the same thing as me is the most troublesome pattern for adventurers in this world. The adventurers have the supreme task of getting a "stable lap". Even if they can''t do that, they have to come back victorious. If you are transformed by a stronger opponent, you can give up. But that doesn''t mean you can''t win if they''re just like you. It''s too good to throw away, but the effort involved is subtly out of balance with the effort required to plunge in. The doppelganger system is such a tricky pattern for adventurers. However, it''s not so much of a problem this time. This time it''s an investigative battle, not a roundabout one. We only need to win once. And I''ve fought a lot of doppelganger types. I''ve timed it right, and I''ve entered the world of acceleration with accelerator rounds. The other side read that and tried to fire an accelerator round, but I went in early. If I didn''t, I''d run out of time before I could match up with everyone else (and they did), but it was better than getting hit by an accelerator. I went into acceleration first to adjust during the acceleration. I accelerated and kicked the ground to flesh out my doppelganger. Then. "--Hey!The stone of absolute rock. The moment I was approaching, my doppelganger, which could barely move, went into invincibility mode with the Absolute Rock Stone with minimal movement. The all-SS status and the overwhelming defense built up by the Absolute Rock Stone. Even if I got beaten up one way or the other while accelerating, I wasn''t sure I could get through it. I thought about it for a moment and came up with another means. I pulled out two pistols and loaded them with ironclad bullets. The first thing I do with those ironclad bullets is to "nail" my doppelganger. The ironclad bullets stop his movement with the ironclad bullets to stop him from moving further from his relative immobility in the accelerated world. The gun is taken away and the stone of the absolute lock is also crushed. Then I cover it up with more vanadium-enhanced ironclad bullets. My all-SS is indeed strong, but I don''t have much of a special ability or anything. If it''s covered in ironclad bullets, I can''t escape either. And then time begins to move. My doppelganger struggled, but it didn''t move at all. I waited and waited. The vanadium-reinforced steel bullets no longer advance, but instead are so tightly packed that they can stop space from closing. Covered by it, my doppelganger couldn''t move at all. Now it''s just a matter of timing, waiting for my friends'' timing. ...... Huh? Not in the form of a yataglass, but how do you measure the timing of this? Maybe this is why Emily or Celeste couldn''t get their timing right earlier? Just as I thought that, the doppelganger turned back into a yataglass. One of the yataglass'' legs was broken, but that leg healed quickly and was back to three legs again. ...... Is there another tricky pattern? A pattern that Celeste and Emily couldn''t match. I was able to overwhelm my doppelganger, though. The Yatagaras attack is back to square one, three times. 586 586. Memory game The yataglass took in the ball again. The area went dark at once. What had been a pulsating visceral dungeon, even when it was scorching hot, was enveloped in darkness all around. ''So this is how it is.'' It wasn''t so much complete darkness as it was complete darkness. The background was so dark that I couldn''t see anything, but I could see myself, I could see the yatagana. Only the background was shrouded in darkness, like a beginner''s painting that didn''t depict the scenery, and it turned into a place where if I stayed long enough, it would make me feel mentally unstable on its own. Eventually, a yurt that took in a ball gave birth to a small yurt. The yataglass of the spawned child disappeared in a flash and appeared elsewhere. ...... mammals, I guess. I thought it was tactless of me, but I couldn''t help but go into it. If it''s a bird, it''s something that''s laid in eggs, and it''s characteristic of mammals that they''re born this close to an adult, only different in size. I guess monsters don''t have birds or mammals, but I still couldn''t help but plunge in. The yataglass continued to give birth to more. The small glass that was born was scattered all over the space in an instantaneous movement. The small glass was scattered and did not attack me. While preparing himself, he had room to turn his head thanks to not being attacked. ''''You''re a grenade.'''' The three sacred artifacts that always appear in Monogame. A divine sword, a mirror, and a grenade. Because of that, the details and originals of the three sacred artifacts are a sort of "compulsory subject". So I know a lot about them there. One theory says that the gemstone represents the moon, and another says that it is a baby in its mother''s womb - an infant. A three-legged crow. Something that looks like the sun has already come out, and something that looks like a mirror has also come out. That''s the pattern of the one that is both a moon and a gem. I''m trying to figure out how to attack it - but I don''t have enough information. Compared to what we''ve seen so far, there''s a distinct lack of information. The reason for that is - it''s not attacking us. ''That makes 12 of them now. Yatagaras and small glasses that spawned in a flurry, scattered only around the four corners and did not attack at all. On the contrary, there is no sign of them. ''Let''s try it.'' I cautiously shot one of the small glasses with a conventional round, taking a defensive stance, wary of being reflected again. The regular round shoots through the small glass, the small glass lets out a small scream and crashes to the ground, motionless. ''...... is this enough?'' I thought, the next moment. Gasp!And then came the shock. My eyes went blank and I felt dizzy, as if my head had been hit by a hammer. My sense of direction disappeared for a moment, and if I hadn''t stayed on my feet, I would have fallen to the ground. Even though my eyes were still flickering, I took an evasive action. Anyway, I ducked, moving rudderlessly so that whatever came at me wouldn''t hit me easily. a?--! Then I was surprised. All the little glasses were gone, every single one of them. What do you mean? The flickering slowly subsided and I looked at the yataglass. The yataglass began to lay a small glass again. ''...... this one?'' In the process of giving birth, he now shoots a conventional bullet into the yatagaras'' body. The bullet is flicked off before it hits - but. Mmm. Another shock came, and the one little glass that had spawned was gone. ''Is the damage less severe for the smaller number?'' That''s how I analyzed the small amount of damage the second time around. This time, I take a few steps back and keep my distance from the yatagaras and take a closer look at them. Three times, it begins to give birth. Poppily it gave birth, and the little glass that was born moved away in an instantaneous movement. One by one, they gave birth and moved away from each other. Eventually, the same 12 birds as before stopped laying. ''Order?'' I shot the first raven. The shot out and the raven crashed to the ground. ...... I cower in shock, but there was nothing. Second bird, shoots out. It is knocked down and crashes. Still nothing. "...... This time I decided to make a mistake on purpose. He skipped the third one and shot the fourth one. Just before the normal round hits, he shoots an accelerated round at himself to accelerate. In the accelerated world, I wait for the small glass to land. ''''--Kuch! The moment the small glass was shot through, a shock hit my whole body. Even though I was accelerating, the impact coming at the same time is like an inevitable type of counter damage. I resisted the dizziness and shot a recovery bullet to recover. And then I gave birth for the fourth time. This time I remember the order properly, and when the twelve birds are out, I hit them in order. ''Huh?Which is the eighth? I forgot about it in the middle. I remember the first time and the last time, my memory of the middle was fuzzy. And then, just like that, one of the yatter''s legs broke off! One of them, Emily or Celeste, had broken it. I was a little impatient - but. With a huff, I fired a tracking round. The bullet took an arcing trajectory and shot out the eighth bird. The counter didn''t come. Then it shot through the rest of the small glass, and the entire small glass was knocked off. The second leg was also broken. ''I could do that with the order or ...... tracking rounds, but 12 rounds max is not very cost-effective. As I mumbled this, time was up again, and the three legs of the yataglass were back on. ''We can do it next time,'' I saw the whole pattern, and I knew I was going to break through in the next round. 587 587. Arrival A yataglass takes in a ball. The scene changed and became a scorching hot land. I held back and let the yataglass attack pass me by. I put my gun away and focused on evading it anyway, since my flying tools were being dealt with almost without exception. I waited for the right moment while evading and getting away with it. Eventually, the timing we had discussed arrived. ''Oops.'' A moment later, two of the yatter''s legs snapped together. Perfect timing. ''Did Emily and Celeste both respond quickly? I stuck out my hand and chanted Repetition. At the same time, I kicked the ground and rushed toward the yataglass as insurance in case I couldn''t defeat it. As a result, it was a false alarm. The third leg of the yataglass snapped and popped with a sound. And the field changed dramatically. After an effect as if the glass had shattered, I was sent into a large room. An unnaturally white, empty room with nothing but stairs. And. ''Guys!'' It wasn''t just Emily and Celeste, but also Sakura, Alice, Eve and the others who had gone to the other end. ''Are you okay?'' It was all right. Things got a little crazy. I''m not the one who was in the most difficult spot in the sun. Is that the sun? After the attack, our friends gathered together and had a great time talking about their impressions of the battle against the yatagaras. Each one of them is very proud of themselves, and I''m relieved to see that there is still room for improvement. I was expecting another round, though. Sakura suddenly said something like that. ''What do you mean again?'' I was wondering if there were eight raiders left at the end. The Eight: ...... Yamata no Orochi. I said, and Sakura nodded. ''That''s going to come out, isn''t it?'' Well, I guess that''s true, but I''ve already made a deal with Yamata no Orochi. That''s a good point. Sakura was easily convinced. I had a tweak in my head that said, "Who said we''ve left once, so we''re not going to leave again--" but I didn''t say it because I felt like I''d be a yabusake if I started to say it. Then everyone turned to the stairs in unison. ''I wonder if there''s a nihonium down there. ''Maybe so, because it''s the same room that leads to the genie''s place so far. Yes, sir. Emily, probably the first companion to meet the spirit, nodded widely. ''''Well, we''ll be heading back here then. What? Sakura was surprised when she tried to pull up, and he turned to her. Then, Sakura wasn''t the only one. Emily, Celeste, Alice and Eve all looked like they were already done and were about to pull up. ''Are you all leaving?'' Yes, sir. I don''t think you''re going to be able to follow me from here. ''Because Nihonium didn''t call me. Nihoniho is different, and maybe Sissies is a little different. Alice said this out of a unique sense of humor, and Sakura took over. ''That means you''re only calling for your uncle,'' she said. The horse will kick you and you''ll end up in the Sanzu River if we go there. In this dungeon, it looks like there really is going to be a Sanzu River. Sakura smiles amusedly. ''What''s the Sanzu River?'' ''That''s where people who interfere with things like your uncle and Niftonium get sent away. I think that''s grandly wrong. Sakura and the others, who were excited by such wrong knowledge, turned back at once. They seem to be carefree, like they''ve done what they have to do, and then go ahead and do the rest--. It wouldn''t have been an easy strategy for Oni and Yatagaras, either. ...... ''Thanks, guys.'' I say, and without looking back, Sakura and the others raise their hands, only Eve turns around and sticks out her tongue. After watching them leave, I pull myself together and turn to the stairs. Then I go down the stairs. For a moment, the thought of what might still be going on crossed my mind, but it was unfounded. The atmosphere was that which I had been used to going through so many times and learned with my body. The Nihonium dungeon, the room of the spirits. A nihonium in a kimono was quietly staring at me. 588 588. Office Hey, good to see you. Long time no see. It was tough. But, well, it was good to see you. I say, and move closer to Nihonium. There was no hostility, of course. I had strong intentions to get him in trouble in the dungeon in the first place, but there was no hostility or killing intent or anything like that. So I''m approaching Nihonium like a normal person. It''s good to see you, isn''t it? Yeah. ...... Nihonium looked happy and yet sulking, such a complicated look. ''So what do we do now?'' What do you want to do about ...... what? What do I have to do? What can I do? All of the spirits in the dungeon have some kind of strong commitment, or hope. Most of the time it''s just that one thing, and they don''t care about anything else. They''re the ones who say, "If I have this, I don''t need anything else. And they want what they want to the utmost. I''m sure the same is true of Nifongnium. But I don''t think it would be right for me to judge it or make any kind of discovery. This is something I''ve learned from the last few days. I thought it was important to put it into proper words and communicate it to each other. That''s ....... Do you know what you want? ............ Nihonium paused after a long, contemplative silence. ''I''d like to have more humans in my dungeon to annoy everyone. ...... I see. He said in a subdued, but not lost, tone. I didn''t expect that. I was a little bit prepared for Sakura and her friends to make fun of me for various reasons, so I assumed that I would be able to come for that kind of (). I could sense that everyone was in trouble when I divided them up to attack earlier. I''m glad you did. ...... Yes. I see. Does that mean he changed just before? Or should I say, returned. Originally, Nihonium had hoped for that. He wanted more adventurers to come and get him in trouble. It was like that from pretty much the beginning. It''s no surprise when you consider that it''s only returned. Then I''ll do this. Can''t we change the dungeon a bit more? Uh, yeah, ......, but I can do that. ''If that''s the case, the raid ...... earlier is one that has multiple people split up to attack at the same time, but you could increase the number of those. Does that mean more people? No, we''ll keep the numbers the same, just increase the possibilities. ......? Nihonium nodded his head. ''''Adventurers, the most important thing is to get around the dungeons consistently, so they come with equipment optimized for each level of the dungeons and rabbits. Yeah. Nihonium nodded with a face that said, "I know that much. ''In this case, I would say that any adventurer considering an attack is prepared for at least three possibilities. Something prepared for is the possibility of using it. Yes, sir. ''Increase the possibilities there. For example, I''ll use five. But we''ll use three. If you do, what happens to ......? Like many spirits, Nihonium doesn''t know much about humans. She nods her head grandly and asks back. ''Then two minutes'' worth of preparations would be a complete waste. It''s disheartening to see all that preparation go to waste. Is that so? ''Yeah. Even if it wasn''t, it''s still pretty harassing to have them bother to bring a package they don''t use, right? Ah, ....... That part was explained to me, and I think I understood. It reminded me of the time in the past when my boss made me prepare a lot of materials for a meeting that I would never use. Go prepare them by the first thing in the morning and don''t leave until they''re done. While saying so, I went home quickly and didn''t use any of the meeting materials that I had managed to make it to on time with all-nighters. Hmm, just remembering that is a bit annoying. Yeah, Excuse me? That doesn''t change anything. I''ll have three of them ready and all three of them will follow the exact same pattern. -two minutes will be completely wasted! Nihonium huffed, and I nodded, and he flushed with a puff. ''The key is to keep it random. Adventurers can''t read at all, then you''ll have to prepare for everything. I see. ...... Hmmm. Nihonium smiled evilly, looking more and more happy. He looked more and more happy as the flow of the adventurers could give the adventurers a crack at it. ''Then the current drop is weak. You have to make it more difficult, but you have to make it so people want to come. I''m not sure if the drop can be returned. Well, ...... if it''s anything we''ve ever put out. You''re doing the same thing. All right, let''s breed them up. You can show me the dungeon master and keep him still. That''s not a problem. ''Okay, let''s do that then. We don''t know what we''re going to get, but we''ll change it up one floor at a time. I worked with Nihonium and we had a lot of input into improving further Nihonium dungeons. The conversation was starting to heat up. We''d gotten to know Nihonium well enough that we didn''t need to be here and that we should ask Sakura for her opinion as well, so we decided to go back to the mansion. So we stood side by side, and as we walked up the stairs together, Nihonium suddenly remembered. ''''Somehow, you''re more like a genie than me. I was just told that recently. Would you like to become one? You can''t be a nobody if you want to. That''s a satnium () that exists, though. I was relieved to see the degree to which we''d been able to break the ice, to be able to say such light words to each other. And as I walked up the stairs -. ''Huh?'' I ponied up in a completely different place. I had assumed that the place I went up was a visceral dungeon, so I was completely struck by the emptiness of the situation. It wasn''t a visceral place. In fact, it''s not even a dungeon. ''...... company?'' It wasn''t popular, but it was completely inside the office. Such was the look and feel of the place. 589 589. Office I rubbed my eyes. I scrubbed them and then looked around carefully. The view didn''t change, the place still looked like an office. ''You''re back to your old world ......?'' While muttering that, I checked the items first. The various items he had gotten in the dungeon, including the pistols and bullets in the Grand Eater''s pocket, were still there. Then he took out the portable now board and used it. ---1/2--- Level: 1/1 HP SS MP SS Power SS Strength SS Intelligence SS Spirit SS Speed SS Dexterous SS Luck SS --------- ... ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... It was a familiar status, my status. In addition, I used some of the magic I remembered. They worked fine. Fireball burned the documents on my desk, and Windcutter tore the desk apart. The magic worked fine, too. I did a lot of things, and my head, which had almost panicked at this all of a sudden, slowly regained its composure. There was no sign of anyone. I brought up the status window and blasted out magic, but there was no human to react to it. To begin with, there were no humans at all. ''...... Maybe...'' I went to my office window and tried to open the window - but it wouldn''t open. It was a wall that had the appearance of a window. ''I knew it was with vanadium,'' This is the mansion where everyone lives now, the Vanadium Dungeon. Various rooms, including the salon, are fitted with windows to make it look like a mansion. Those windows aren''t connected to the outside, they''re just pictures of windows. It was the same here. The windows in what looked like an office were just painted to look like windows. I mean, this place. "A dungeon, huh? I concluded that, and turned my attention to the map in my brain, which I had completely ignored in my panic. I could see the structure of the dungeon and confirmed it with an ability that allowed me to know where the monsters were. Then the structure of the dungeon emerged clearly in my mind, but I didn''t see a single point of light of a monster. ''''No monsters?''''Will they show up later? I nodded my head and thought about getting out of here first. Since this was my first dungeon, I couldn''t use the transporter gate. I''ll have to get out of here on my own first. I followed the map in my brain and walked around the office. The windows were fake, but the door was real. When I opened the door and went outside, it was a narrow corridor, just as I had read in the map in my brain beforehand. ''''So, that means. So, that''s the elevator over there. The structure of these office buildings is similar to some extent, and there''s a pattern to it. A brain map - just looking at the floor plan, you can somehow figure out what and where it is. Especially a toilet or a hot water room. I understand such things well. It''s the same with elevators. I trusted my senses and came to the elevator hall. What I found was a proper elevator hall. I walked up to the elevator and pushed the top button. "............ I waited for a while - but the elevator didn''t come. On the contrary, the button I pushed didn''t even glow. It didn''t feel like the elevator was working. "I can push the button, can''t I? I pressed the button again and again. I pushed the down button, too. But the elevator didn''t come. ''It looks like it''s working: ...... Unlike the window, which was just a picture, both the elevator button and its body, the door, were proper. I could push the button and the door seemed to open. I put my finger in the door to try it and try to pry it open - but it won''t open. I gave up trying to open it by hand and shot an ironclad bullet at the door. I didn''t care what kind of obstacle it was, I just kept going straight ahead. I shot the iron wall bullets that kept going straight through even the door of the carbon dimension at the elevator door. The advancing steel bullets. The door made a creaking sound and twisted over. As it was, it was going to break down. I leaned my head out of the broken door and looked up and down. "...... This is no good. It felt like that in an instant. There was a decent amount of space in the elevator, but up and down, it was ''dark'' with nothing to see. I didn''t know where it led, but my gut told me that it was a place I shouldn''t run into ineptly. I gave up on the elevator and looked for the stairs on my brain map. ''But ...... you''re doing a proper dungeon,'' I was a bit impressed and wondered at the same time. At first glance, this was an office somewhere in my old world. It''s not the company I worked for, by the way. It wasn''t some client''s company either. It''s a structure I''ve never seen before. It was a dungeon, though. The top and bottom seen from the elevator was a complete dungeon. It was so dungeon-dungeonish that it was a wonder there were no monsters in it. "What''s the name of this place? I''m getting very curious about the name of such an "office" like dungeon and its genie. For now, let''s escape for now, and then we''ll partition it so we can go see the spirit. With that decision, I headed for the stairs. I followed the stairs and headed up first. Most of the dungeons in this world are downhill dungeons. There are exceptions like Tennesin, but most of them are ''dives''. So when I thought about going home, I decided to head up first. I went up one floor, but it was still an office. The structure didn''t change much, just as the general structure of the building is the same even if you go to a different floor. Especially the location of the elevators was the same. I remembered something and headed for the elevator. When I got there, I pushed the "down" button. Then, unlike before, I heard a response. There was a classic "ding" sound, and the door opened normally. Inside was an ordinary elevator. It was a medium-sized elevator, enough to hold about ten people. As I entered, I saw that there were two buttons for the floor I was going to. I pushed the lower floor and then, somewhat out of habit, pushed the "close" button. The doors closed and the elevator began to move clearly downward. Then it stopped, and the doors opened. When I got out -. ''Ah, the floor you just came from.'' The whole structure, which I can see on my brain map, is different from the one above, but it was the floor I was sent to. I turned around and pressed the button below. There was no response. Then I pressed the top button, this time there was a reaction, and the door opened. I knew it was just as I thought it would be. It was similar to the transfer gate. That meant the elevator could take me to the floor I''d been on once. The reason it didn''t respond earlier was because it hadn''t gone up or down, and it couldn''t go anywhere, so the elevator wasn''t responding. ''More and more of a dungeon,'' These characteristics are still dungeon things. I''m more and more convinced that I wasn''t sent back to the original world, but to some dungeon, in an alternate world. But then there was one big problem. Monsters. There were no monsters in sight at all. In this other world, monsters are defeated and their drop items support people''s lives. It doesn''t matter if there are only dungeons, the monsters that drop are the most important thing. Why isn''t that ...... why? ''In a dungeon like this one, a guy like ...... office bureau is a formidable foe. The next moment after I murmured that, I was surprised to see a woman who looked exactly like an "office manager". A woman who looks exactly like an "office administrator" appears in front of me. And then... the light spot in my brain. "A monster?...... Why? I was getting confused again. 590 590. Satonium Oh, shit, I can''t just sit around. It''s not good to be blinkered in front of a monster, first you have to avoid it and try to attack it to check it out. With that in mind, I ducked and pulled out my gun and held it up to the muzzle. ...... Huh? He stopped evading and attacking. Something is wrong. That''s because the office bureau wasn''t moving. I braced myself to deal with most of the attacks, thinking that if it was a monster, it would attack me in some way, but I was disappointed when nothing came. I lowered my hand with my gun and slowly approached the office bureau. No response. When I got close enough to reach her, there was no response. In fact, he didn''t even look at me. He remained staring straight ahead with lifeless eyes, as if he were a mannequin or a wax figure. ''Why aren''t you moving?Are you saying you''re not a monster? I said to myself, but I knew it was a monster. After all, on the map in my brain, the light spots that indicate that it''s a monster keep shining. Umm, no, well. There are monsters that don''t attack you? Arsenic is like that. The rock series over there doesn''t attack at all, in fact, it doesn''t even move. But still. The rock series, which looks like a rock with a face on it, has eyes and such that move and adjust their gaze to mine. The office lady in front of me doesn''t even have that, which adds to the creepiness. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. Is it too Showa era to hit them with a harisen? I smiled bitterly at the fact that the image I had in my mind was too old. The office manager''s appearance changed. She now wears her previously unheard of intellectual glasses and holds a Harisen in her right hand. And then... she begins to move. He swung the Harisen and swung it at me. "Oops. Quickly, I kicked the floor and jumped backwards, dodging Harrison. It wasn''t much of an attack, so I was able to dodge with ease. ''What the hell?''Out of the blue. I raised my gun again and pointed it at the muzzle. I fired a conventional round at the bureaucrat who was coming at me with a crisp shoe. I always use a small hand-checked normal bullet, low in attack power but flying straight anyway, I always use this first. Even if it''s weak, it''s good to activate it if the opponent''s special ability is there, and when it''s a reflex or some other ability, there''s not much damage that comes back. It''s a safeguard, so to speak, and I don''t expect to be able to defeat them with it. --but. The normal bullet shot through the office bureau. The clerical bureau-sama, who was shot between the eyes, slowly fell on her back like a zombie in Zombiega. And then - disappeared. The clerical bureau-sama who disappeared like a monster. Another proof that he was not a person, but a monster. ''''Huh?No drop? I searched the area where the office manager had fallen. There was nothing that looked like it had been dropped. If it was a monster, it should have dropped something. My special ability that transferred to this world, my unique ability (unique skill) that others don''t have, is drop status S. It''s such a power that even the old Nihonium used to drop all kinds of seeds. That''s it, no drop. What do you mean ......? I looked around. It''s been strange for a while now. No matter how you look at it, it''s a dungeon. But to call it a dungeon, it lacks too many things. The foremost among them is that monsters don''t drop, even when they are defeated. This is not possible in this world. At worst, you have to drop air or water. I stopped in place and thought about it. Recalling the events that had happened earlier, one by one, I put the situation in perspective. As I groaned and thought on the spot for a while, a possibility suddenly crossed my mind. It was the conversation with Nihonium - no. The possibility popped into my head as my thoughts somehow traced back to the exchange with Sakura. ''No way. ......'' I chuckled. If it''s true, it''s not too complicated. But considering the situation in front of me, there''s more than a chance of that happening. Let''s just try it out. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and regained my composure. And then - I imagine. The one in the location of the office. Something that was common in the company I used to work for. After the image, there were more points of light on the map in my brain. I follow that light spot back to the office like place I found myself standing in, and I see a number of office workers under the desk. Some with towelettes, some with suit jackets. And some had cardboard boxes. Each of them had something on the ground or draped over their bodies and were sleeping under their desks. I imagined, I used to look at them as a matter of course - or rather, I was one of them. These are office workers working over 200 hours of overtime. Those office workers got up like zombies and came towards us. ''......'' Chuckling bitterly, he pulls out his pistol and releases it and takes a head shot at each of them. Every single one of the overtime businessmen is shot between the eyes and falls down. And then they drop. The drop is a 500ml can. A can of chewy, almost 10% alcohol content. Overtime after overtime, but still thinly paid, oh, those () stone-gaze drinks that office workers love to drink. Both zombie salarymen and dropped stone-gaze. Both, I imagined. I mean, here. Are you sure you mean Satnium......? 591 591. Ryotas ideal Satnium. The first time it came up was in the city where Clayman and his unique monsters lived. To make it easier for the monsters to live in, I paid for a dungeon-like structure to be built on the ground that wasn''t a dungeon, but a dungeon-like structure. A lot of monsters were living in the dungeon-like building. Someone called it "Satnium" after that scene and my name as the master (owner), and it stuck. Satnium, a dungeon where Ryota Sato is the master. ''No, no, no, no ......'' I chuckled and held my temples. No way, no way. It''s okay to call that place where the Claymans live a satnium, apart from the fact that it''s called Satnium. The monsters outside the dungeon, the hagglers, have to have ''owners'' to live among human society. Satnium was a great way for all the monsters out there to claim that they are "kept" by me. So that''s fine. But this is a bit ....... "Yeah ...... do you mean I''m going to be a genie? As expected, I did not expect this development. But then... I''ve never seen a female tea server before, but I can make one... I chuckled. After the zombie employee, I re-imagined and created a female employee who was a tea brewer. Dressed in company uniforms and carrying a steaming cup of hot water on a tray. These days, the company I was at, which was socially loud and stiffly black, was no longer like that. So a completely imaginary creature, a figment of my imagination, but the female employee appeared just as I had imagined her to be. And as a monster, it is visible as a light spot on the map in my brain. There''s no doubt about it. I can create it just as I imagined. This is my dungeon. Once I know that, I''ll put my gun away and visualize it. I thought I''d change the look of the dungeon. I didn''t want it to be an office, I wanted it to be someplace else. But. ''Huh?'' The dungeon didn''t change in appearance. The office was still the same as it was when I showed up, and there was no sign of it even changing at all. ''Can''t you change the dungeon?'' So I tried to imagine it again. This time it changed immediately. It went from a large roomy office where flat employees were thrown in to a red-carpeted president''s office. ''Um, ......'' When I changed the image further, the scene changed again. Instead of an unremarkable president''s office, this time it was a free-addressed office that had been seen only on TV, and which could only be considered a decrease in efficiency. This image also changed immediately. Further image. This time, I tried to imagine the office as a cabaret where businessmen would go for entertainment. But the image remained the same. ...... Further images, this time I remembered a small, private office I went to as a client. It was a small office with only three employees, three desks in a room of about six tatami mats, crammed with copiers and other office equipment. That soon changed. I see. ...... So it''s limited to the office. So that means... This time I did a monster image. I did a lot of things, and it was the same as the office. I was able to produce a president-like figure and a beautiful secretary who seems to be a stodgy person but is doing something wrong behind the scenes. I could make a cleaning lady look like an old man, but I couldn''t make a baseball player or a celebrity look like that. The only monsters you could turn out were humanoid ones that looked like they could be in an office. I see that this is the restriction on the "Satnium". It''s kind of like, well, ...... I chuckled. Office restrictions, or maybe it''s more of a bind. It made me feel more and more strongly that this was a "satnium". I have very mixed feelings. I didn''t expect it to turn out this way. It was a sudden development, and although I understood the situation, I couldn''t really say that I had accepted it. ''Let''s just go home for once.'' When this happens, go home, take a break if you can, and talk to your friends about it if you can talk to them about it. I didn''t think it would be a good idea to keep thinking weirdly to myself. You don''t mean I can''t get out of here, ...... I thought as I headed for the stairs I had just left. Once I got to the top floor, I headed up again to that staircase that I came down understanding the elevator and dungeon thing, and then up again. This time I''ll just go to the top or bottom for now and get out of this dungeon first. But it''s my dungeon or ....... If I''m like a genie - or rather, if I were a genie, what kind of "obsession" would I have with it? ...... Ah. I stopped walking up the stairs. A thought occurred to me. I took the portable now board out of the grand eater''s pocket. So I look at the status. ---2/2--- Plants S Animals S Minerals S Magic S Characteristic S --------- ... I came to this world with a unique skill, an ability that supports my success. I''ve always had a hint of this ability. What I wanted, I knew that if I worked hard, I would be rewarded. I thought it came in the form of an all-S. And if I became the master of the dungeon like a genie. A place where I could work like a normal person, even in an F-final. That''s the kind of dungeon I want to make. I thought so strongly about it. 592 592.Export As I realized this, I was more and more determined to get out first. As I walked up the stairs, I was able to get out as soon as I could. It was as if they had been waiting for me to notice it all this time, and after noticing it, I was able to get out just one floor up. When I got to the front, it was a familiar place. A place I had lived in for a while, and then quickly moved in and stopped living there. A place that I no longer lived in and only maintained. It''s that cheap apartment for 20,000 piro a month. I walked out of the stairs and found myself in that apartment. "You''re leaving here: ...... Oh, I see. This is exactly what it means to be here. It''s the first time I came to this world and the first place I got to live with my hard work and money. It''s the first place where I''ve been able to achieve something if I work hard enough. When I think of it that way, I feel like it''s only natural to come out here. And I''ve been keeping this room for a long time, and it''s starting to feel like it''s just for this moment. ...... Is that too much of a complication? I chuckled. Maybe it''s the sudden creation of the satnium and the confusion it''s causing me to make all sorts of leaps and bounds in my thinking. I chuckled and left that room, which Emily was still tending to, with a wry smile. The city of Cyclo was bustling with activity today. It''s even busier and more prosperous than it was right after I moved here. People are laughing too. I wonder if the satnium will contribute to this prosperity. I hope so. I hope it will become more and more of a place where people are rewarded for their work. That''s what I''m thinking. ''Huh?That''s unusual. What? It''s been a long time since we''ve seen each other in town, hasn''t it? When I turned towards the voice, the three people there were Neptune, Ran and Lil, who were always with him, and the three of them. Neptune approached us, with his arms crossed from both sides by the two of them. ''What''s wrong with you around here?What do you have with Nifongnium? Oh, no. It''s not like that. Neptune knows I''m attacking Nihonium, but he doesn''t know what happens after I''ve attacked it. Now, I''m trying to figure out how to explain that: ....... ''Huh?'' Neptune stared at me with a look on his face as if he noticed something. ''What, what?'' Have you ...... changed your mood in any way? What? I got a kick out of that. No way, I thought. When you say that at this point in time, there''s only one thing that comes to mind. No, but I didn''t expect to be able to say it with such pinpoint accuracy - I didn''t know that. It''s similar to Hydrogen and Oxydin: ......, right? I should have known. It''s like that, isn''t it? With him, Lan and Lil, unusually, responded with a calm stare at me instead of poking at me. Hydrogen''s Hydrogen and Oxygen''s Oxydin. Ran and Lil are with the genie of Hydrogen, and Neptune is with the genie of Oxyzine. And yet the three of them are always together, so I secretly call them the H2O Trio in my mind. With a genie, they are-- Yes, it''s just like that. The genie from back then. Um, ....... You ........................... ......... turned into a genie? There was a lot of space between Neptune''s words, from "you" to the next word. It seems to show his hesitation. As expected, this is usually too silly to say. At the same time, it shows that he is a good adventurer. He is able to judge what is happening in front of him based on the facts that he can see, not on the framework of common sense. I nod quietly, admiringly. ''I''m not quite sure yet, but I think I might be.'' I replied. "...... Haha, that''s great, Kimi. You''re still amazing. Neptune was overjoyed for some reason. 593 593. Dungeon Master Emily I went into a nearby tavern with Neptune and the others to hear the details. It was still a pre-business tavern, but the proprietor welcomed Neptune''s face with open arms and let us into a private room in the back. They sat across the table facing Neptune, with Ran and Lil sitting on either side of him as usual, with Neptune in between them. Looking back, I''ve known Neptune for quite some time now. It''s a good thing that I''m familiar enough with them to smile when I see these three together and feel a little at ease with them. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out more about them by visiting their website. ...... When I got to that point, it occurred to me that I didn''t know much about their personal lives. I''m not interested in any strangers, even if they''re only Neptune''s friends. I guess that''s one of the reasons why I''ve become a genie (yet to be determined). ''The fried food here is pretty good,'' Is this a familiar place? Well, it''s a place my family uses a lot. You must have a place or two like that, right? Well, you know. In my family, I guess it''s Villa D''Eche. They serve all sorts of unusual beers, and I go there with my friends occasionally. Now that I think about it, there was only one. Really? ''Yeah, we rarely eat out because Emily''s food is so good,'' What''s so great about her cooking? Yeah, it''s the best food in the world. Oh, no, of course not. It was not Neptune who countered, but Lil beside him. She looked strong as usual, raising her eyebrows as she said, "I''m not sure. ''Is that so?'' That''s right. I think you''re the best cook in the world. ''What?You cook? Ha-ha, yeah, a little bit. It''s just not that easy. Now Ran, who was on the other side, joined in. ''Nee-kun''s cooking isn''t cooking anymore, is it? It''s magic, magic.'''' I don''t know how well this Emily girl can do it, but she''s not as good as Nee-kun anyway. Ran and Lil gave me a challenging look at the same time. To these two, Neptune is absolutely, to these two, there''s no end to the amount of time I have to go along with it, so I decided to pass it off. ''That''s great ....... You''re a great cook ...... what a surprise, kind of like I imagined you would be ....... Ha-ha, that''s a compliment. As always, Neptune has a serene smile on his face. That smile is elusive and mysterious. Now that that''s out of the way, can you tell me more about it? ''Right. Let''s see, ...... detailed story, or where do I start? I crossed my arms and twisted my neck, thinking. If I can trace the root cause, I think it''s because I was in a black company in my former world, and this and that had an effect on me. But I can''t talk about it, and there''s no end in sight if I tell you that much. So I explained to him, and Neptune knows, from the place of the nihonium attack. ''In fact, we almost completed the Nihonium invasion today,'' Oh, is that right?That''s great. And then there''s Nikhonium. You know, it''s pretty easy for you to say that. You''re pretty good at it. Neptune pointed that out to me and I chuckled a bit. That may be ...... so. My senses are getting paralyzed lately, but essentially, meeting a dungeon genie is supposed to be an amazing thing. ''So what happened to you when you got to Nihonium?'' We''ll talk. We''ll work things out. Does that mean you got your wish? Isn''t that what a genie would do? Implicitly, "You guys know what you''re talking about, right? I ask back. ''Haha, yeah. Ran and Lil did a great job at that time, didn''t they? No big deal. ''Yes!It wasn''t a big deal at all because it was for nee-kun''s sake. As they spoke, they still had an expression of fascination for Neptune. ''''So?After it''s been settled amicably? Yeah, so we''ll go home together, and then I''m the only one who gets shipped off to another place. "Huh. ......? ''It was kind of a place that looked just like the one I remember. But it was a dungeon. A dungeon? Yeah. I could tell by the vibe, yeah, this is a dungeon. Okay. Yeah, I can vaguely understand that. Neptune nodded, yes, he nodded. He was the boss of the Neptune family, and he himself was a pretty good level adventurer. Even if he wasn''t born in a dungeon, he should at least know the difference between the atmosphere of a dungeon and a place that wasn''t. ''''If your familiar place has become a dungeon, that means it was your dungeon, right? ''Maybe so. I can get the monster out in my image, so maybe it is. Yeah, what kind of monster are you, by the way? ''It''s hard to explain: ...... They were all humanoid anyway. I think that''s a point that won''t change down the road. No matter what happens to that dungeon, I don''t think it will change the fact that all the monsters in there are human - looking like Kai employees. As long as I''m a genie and it''s my dungeon, that part will never change. ''Humanoid, that''s a bit of a problem. Is it bothering you? It depends on how realistic it is, but there are a lot of people who find it hard to fight in human form. Oh, I see. That''s right. It''s because your opponent looks like a monster that you can continue to hunt and produce without a care in the world. If your opponent looks like a human, that''s going to be hard to do. "Can''t you do something about that? Maybe there''s nothing I can do about it. I responded immediately. I think that part is already really true. I can say I''m sure of it. ''I see. ...... Oh.'' What''s going on? Where''s the dungeon master? Dungeon Master? What''s going on with the dungeon master over there? Yeah, ...... it''s not yet. Can you pull that?Let me out. In here? Yeah. You don''t mind if it''s a spirit, right? You can control it, right? Ah, ....... You''re talking about the time in Tennesin. It''s rather famous that time that Nihonium left the Dungeon Master out and controlled it so that it wouldn''t move. ''Try it. And I''d like to know if you''re really a genie. Yeah. That''s what I want to know. If you''ve been made aware of a way to check, there''s no reason not to do it. I kind of closed my eyes. I thought it would be easier for me to do it, and I thought it would give me a better atmosphere. I closed my eyes and imagined summoning the Dungeon Master. Then I felt the appearance of a monster on the map in my brain. The monster - the Dungeon Master is standing beside me. ''This one can''t win, in a double sense. ''Hmph.'' Maybe it''s sarcasm. Neptune and the others had their own reactions. Aside from Neptune, what''s that reaction from Ran and Lil: ......?And then I opened my eyes. ''...... Emily?'' Standing beside me was a girl who looked exactly the same as Emily. 594 594. The strongest dungeon master I was confused enough that I could clearly see it for myself. Dungeon Master Emily. I was confused by the existence of what I had to call it. In contrast, Neptune laughed in a really fun way. ''Oh my, so she''s the dungeon master. It''s a tricky one, isn''t it? Do you think so? ''''You''re strong, just a three-star adventurer--oh, but is it possible that when you''re a dungeon master, your abilities are different from his? Oh, ......, that''s the same thing. Just because she looks like Emily doesn''t mean that even her abilities are exactly the same as Emily''s. The office bureau and the like also had proper monstrous abilities. What kind of ability is that? You don''t exactly have a lot of room to hoard that stuff. I chuckled and turned off Dungeon Master Emily. Emily and I may or may not have the same or different abilities, but she''s the Dungeon Master. There''s no way I''m going to let him run amok in a private room in this tavern. I came back to that cheap apartment, alone. I went into the apartment and went back to the dungeon - back to Satnium (temporarily). The reason I''m alone, by the way, is because I don''t want anyone else in there yet at this stage. It''s a new dungeon, so there might be danger - and the place is the place. So I said goodbye to Neptune and the others and came back here alone. I go down the stairs and call the dungeon master again around the elevator hall. The air and the intimidating feeling that the Dungeon Master gives off is even stronger when you''re in the dungeon. Emily, with her angelic smile, emitted an aura and intimidation like a demon king. ''''It''s not like there''s a G in there. I chuckled. Emily now reminds me of Emily when she was like that (). ''Well, let''s do ......,'' I kept my distance and then gave the Dungeon Master a ''go'' sign. A moment later, Dungeon Master Emily comes into the flesh. She lightly lifted her hammer and swung it at me while leaping. I quickly ponied up right next to him. The momentum was great, but I dodged the straight-line hammer swing with ease. -- I thought. ''Whoa!'' I winced. The moment Emily''s hammer struck the ground, a strange gravitational force pulled at my body. It was as if I was attracted to the hammer as if I were being attracted to a magnet. While I couldn''t move--gasp! Dungeon Master Emily''s hammer blew me away with a full sideways swing. ''Itte: ......'' I quickly crossed my arms and guarded them, but the pain pierced through the guard and reverberated to the marrow of my bones. As it was, I spun around in the air and half-turned around in a circle, adjusted my position and landed - and then Dungeon Master Emily was already in front of me. ''''Won''t you make it easy on me! I was hardly distracted, but the hammer was relentlessly closing in on me. This time I was able to deal with it. While guarding, I used my momentum to fly at a greater speed than before to get some distance. And even before I landed, I pulled out my two pistols and stowed the bullets as well. Dungeon Master Emily had already started to rush in. When I landed, I would be hunted again (), so I decided to scatter normal bullets in the air for traction. ''''--! I couldn''t pull the trigger. Immediately, I saw Emily''s beautiful face, as usual. The first mate, the most important person in the family. I had never once thought of fighting such an Emily in earnest. Never, ever, had I ever held a gun to my head like this. That''s why when I was about to pull the trigger, my hand froze and I stopped. I couldn''t pull the trigger, but Dungeon Master Emily had no connection to those feelings. She was right in front of me and swung the hammer down. She still had her arms crossed to guard her, but she was in a bad position. The trajectory of the hammer as if it was going to hit the ground instead of being blown away. That made me guard, but it stopped me from moving. He didn''t miss it, but spun around and around in a single vertical motion, and then swung the hammer down further with his momentum. Not good!This is Emily''s specialty. It''s very dangerous to take this one while your feet are still standing. I quickly shot myself with an accelerator round. I couldn''t shoot at the dungeon master who looked like Emily, but there was no reason for me to shoot an accelerated bullet into myself like an injection. He entered the accelerated world and avoided Emily''s hammer. Even Emily, as expected of a dungeon master, couldn''t keep up with my movements as I shot the accelerated bullets. I leisurely ducked into her blind spot and held the muzzle of my gun at her - but. "No, I can''t shoot, I chuckled and lowered my pistol. And just like that, I "erased" the Dungeon Master Emily. I couldn''t pull the trigger, but I was able to erase it. ''But ...... yeah, that was strong.'' My honest opinion of Dungeon Master Emily, it was simply one word: strong. It was a strength that reminded me of the real Emily. His movements are exactly the same, and his attack power - I''m imagining it because I don''t usually take it, but it''s almost exactly the same as Emily''s. And the fact that she looked exactly like Emily made it impossible for her to fight back. ''''Isn''t this what ...... normal adventurers do too?'''' I thought to myself, smiling. Now, Emily is a celebrity too. Emily''s model hammer is a favorite among power fighters of the same type, and Emily fits into the position of being a guru or an idol or something like that. It means she has a huge amount of fans. Its Emily''s look, Dungeon Master. Could ...... possibly be the strongest ...... of all the Dungeon Masters? I wasn''t kidding. 595 595. So that what you do your best will be rewarded I don''t know what that is! When I returned to the mansion in the evening, I was grabbed by Sakura in the saloon. When I told her about the Satnium from Nihonium (tentative), Sakura, who had been listening with normal curiosity, bit into Dungeon Master Emily''s place. ''That''s where you bite it. Normally you''d be talking about dungeons and how you might have become a genie or something. No, because you said you''re like that, Uncle. ...... I chuckled. It was Sakura, come to think of it, who said I was spirit-like in the first place. It''s a good thing that you''re able to have a look at it. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time with them. It''s a good idea to be able to have a good time. Yeah. The other one in the salon, Nihonium, nodded quietly. When I returned to the mansion, with Vanadium''s help, I used the transporter room to collect Nihonium. Nihonium, who looked like she was about to cry because I was gone, jumped on me and hugged me. I soothed it and returned to the mansion. When I got back to the house, she was sipping tea with a sober face, calm as a lie. ''Oh, right. Well, keep up the good work. Yeah, nice to meet you. Be that as it may, show me, Uncle, Mr. Dungeon Master Emily. All right, just give me a minute. I said with a chuckle and called out to Dungeon Master Emily again. ''Oh my goodness, ......,'' ''Oh ...... you really are a dungeon master,'' It''s been more than half a year since Sakura came to this world. During that time, there were many times when the dungeon master appeared and she was sent to defeat him. With the experience I''ve gained from that, I''ve come to know the atmosphere when the dungeon master appears. I''m not going to be able to tell if he''s a dungeon master or not. You look like Emily, but you''re a dungeon master! ''Right?I still can''t be subtle about it either. Hey, hey, you''re the strongest one yet, Emily. Do you want to try it? Let''s go! Sakura said with a nori-nori, taking out her sketchbook and flipping through it - chanting Genesis. The one she called out was a two meter tall macho man. ''''Let''s let him have a power match with this. All right, well... Yes, Lady ...... go! At Sakura''s command, Macho Man jumped out. And here too, right after I reminded him, Dungeon Master Emily''s eyes glittered suspiciously and she rushed forward, wielding her hammer. Clash. A tremendous shock wave exploded out, blowing away the tables and couches in the salon. The match was decided by a single blow. As a result of a head-to-head contest of strength, Macho Man was beaten by Emily in a single blow (). He took the hammer from the brain and stood over the fallen Macho Man, grilling him with the hammer and topping him off. ''Wow, egregious!'' ''Ah, ...... this Emily, huh?'' ''What?Miss Emily, is this going to happen? It''s going to be: "If you look at ......G Ah, ....... It was like a "(guess)" at the end of a word, and Sakura agreed. Maybe it was because they were the same girl, but she seemed to get it right away. ''So that means I shouldn''t show that to Emily-san, right? Well, I don''t have a chance to show you. This Emily House, there''s no room for that kind of thing. It''s always so warm and bright, and it''s always radiating a clean, temple-like vibe. Maybe it''s because I don''t like G''s that I''m like this? Maybe it is. We''re all excited about it, retrieving Macho Man and Dungeon Master Emily, respectively, and rearranging the tables and couches in the saloon that have been torn apart by the shockwave. We silently rearrange them, and that period of silence becomes a partition. ''So?'' Sakura came to me with a completely different air. ''So?'' ''What will your uncle do with his dungeon?What kind of dungeon are you going to make? Oh, that''s the one. I nod and put the last couch back in place. I slap my hands together, dusting off the dust. ''A place where everyone who works hard is rewarded, I guess. Ha-ha, you''re an uncle. Sakura, who must have expected the answer before she asked, laughed with a cheerful face. ''Even if my drop status is low, I can handle it for now, and the rest, yeah, maybe I shouldn''t have any extra gimmicks. Gimmick? Like I need a license in Cyclo. Yeah, five stories down. I nod and respond to Sakura, who is convinced. ''But it''s okay to have a gimmick.We just need to harvest more for the gimmick. "Hmm, I see. Also, one of the guys in my class had a game where if you fail, you get your stamina back. Stamina? Well, in other games, if you spend your stamina, you don''t get it back until you fail. Yeah. ''But that game would come back, so we didn''t have to be afraid of failing, so we could gun it down, boys. ...... I see. That''s a good idea. I wonder what it would be like to replace the stamina back ...... with a dungeon in this world. ''Restore HPMP if you can''t beat it, or something.'' Can you do it? I could do ....... Somehow, I think you can do a dungeon like that. Of course, we''ll have to go into the dungeon to build it, but I think we can do it. I took Sakura''s advice and worked on my dungeon plans one by one. 596 596. Delivery The next day I headed to the Cyclodungeon Society. The new Nifonium attack was over for now with that one. The attack had been requested by the cell, so I had to report back to them. Report back and officially allow the adventurers into the dungeon. That''s what Nihonium wants, so I decided to fix that first. When I entered the dungeon association, a receptionist I knew led me to the chairman''s office. The inside of the chairman''s office was unoccupied. The cell has a ''real job''. He doesn''t always reside in the chairman''s office of this cyclodungeon association. It''s inherently strange to be made to wait in the chairman''s office, not the parlor, but it''s something I''ve experienced many times, so I''ve gotten used to it. I sipped the tea that was served to me and waited, when Cell appeared shortly afterwards. ''Oh!''Welcome, Mr. Sato! Cell appeared in the Chairman''s office, looking more excited than ever. He came in front of me in a state of excitement and sat down on the couch facing me. It''s even more obvious when you see it up close, Cell''s eyes were shining as bright as they could be. ''Oh, oh?What''s wrong, you seem to be getting all worked up about it. ''I heard that Satou-sama has been turned into a spirit! ''You''re still fast as ever!From where? There''s nothing about Master Sato that we don''t know. Yeah, yeah, ....... I kind of cracked up. I don''t care about this level of assertion considering what I''ve done so far, but I still drew back a bit. Oops, don''t get me wrong. I''m only looking at the ''public'' Satou-sama in a casual manner. I haven''t stepped a single millimeter into ''my'' territory. Oh, yeah? I would have to say that it''s unbelievable to get into the other person''s ''me''. Did she finally call herself a believer? I plunged in with such force that my voice flipped over. I''ve been a believer in what I''ve done in the past, building figure-sized statues, but this might be the first time I''ve made such a strong statement. ...... Speaking of which, are you making some kind of statue this time too? ''Oh!Finally, Satou-sama! Cell was overjoyed and took out statue after statue from his pocket. One after another. One after another. One after another, one after another-- How much do you make?I mean, how many can you fit in there! That bosom! I had to make another tweak to the point that my voice flipped over again. The figure-sized statue that Cell took out of his pocket was over twenty in that moment. ''''Mm, that''s about half of it,'''' Is it still half full? After I plunged in, I looked at the statue. When I looked closer, I realized it wasn''t just mine. There was also a scene set inside where I was shielding the office bureau (). ''How do you know this stuff?'' "If you are full of faith, you can do what you want. No, I don''t normally do that. Even I was in the first dungeon I''ve ever been sent to. ...... Well, this (,) in the cell this (,) is not the first time, and I shouldn''t think too much about it. I took one deep breath and re-partitioned. ''I''m here to tell you about the new niftonium. Hmm. Then, Cell also switched his expression. He wore a crisp, competent vibe without the slightest hint of the buoyancy he had felt earlier. As it became easier to do, I reported on the dungeon in Nihonium. I handed Cell a document that I had made beforehand - a thing that looked like a strategy book format - and explained it in order from the first floor. While nodding, Cell listened with a serious face. ''''So, the shallow levels are nasty in places, but skilled adventurers -- starting at about 2 stars or so -- should be able to get through without problems. The problem is the last ......, er, raiding, huh? The words that me and Sakura brought in, apparently unfamiliar to this Sekai, Cell said them with a slight stumble. ''Yes.'' Maybe we should have a license there. ''No, we don''t have to go that far. In any case, if we don''t have enough numbers or can''t match up with the rest of the gang, it won''t matter. Just releasing the information would be enough. "Hmm ...... Okay, if you say so, Satou-sama, I will. Cell nodded a small nod after thinking about it a bit. I handed over all the documents and information to Cell and delivered them. This completes the request for the new Nihonium attack. I''d like to thank you again, Sato-sama. The reward will be paid to you immediately. Yeah. I nodded and agreed. I don''t really care about the reward for the Nifonium, since the attack is an afterthought, but since everyone else helped me, I''ll get it right and we''ll split the money later. ''''So, ...... Satou-sama,'''' Yeah, I know. You''re talking about my dungeon. Cell cut in with a slightly different kind of, but still serious, expression. I knew immediately what he was going to say as he continued to maintain his facade as President of the Dungeon Association. ''Yes, by all means, come to the city.'' The number of dungeons productive capacity is directly linked to the economic power of the city. As the president of the dungeon association, it is only natural that if there are new dungeons, he will want to secure them somehow. I know, I don''t know what''s going to happen to it yet, but at least I promise not to take it there by choice. Thank you! Cell bowed his head to me with an impressed look on his face. 597 597. Island ○ product The next day, I came to Satnium (temporarily) in the morning. I wasn''t alone, Sakura was with me. We entered through the entrance of the old apartment and went down to the lobby. "This is the only place in the world where I see things differently. Isn''t it? I agreed with Sakura''s frank opinion, smiling bitterly. It''s a different world, a fantasy, and this is the only lobby on the ground floor of some office building. ''It feels like a lie that I was inside my own guts until just last night. It was The Fantasy over there, you know. And it''s a Lasdun. Ha, yeah. I laughed and headed for the elevator in the back with Sakura. There were four elevators lined up right in front of the entrance, just like in a big corporate office building. I pressed the ''up'' button on one of them and waited for the elevator to arrive. ''Now that I think about it,'' Yeah? Maybe this elevator is something I wish for, too. What do you mean? You know, in this world, most adventurers do endless laps on a fixed number of floors, right? Yeah. And yet, you have to go down every floor, even the deepest, to get to them, and it''s hard to get back. ''Oh, I see. We have a transporter room, so it''s fine, but it''s usually a lot of work. ''Yeah. That''s part of the reason why the dungeon was not this form of ''with elevator'' - I think now. I see. As we were talking, the elevator came and I got in with Sakura. I pressed the button for the appropriate floor and then the close button. The doors closed and the elevator started to move - bringing us to the designated floor. The hall where we got off the elevator had a plaque with numbers indicating the number of floors. ''You''re here in a flash,'' Yeah. This is going to be incredibly popular. Even I can see that, because I''ve seen how hard it is to get to the level you want in other dungeons. Well, isn''t that the best part? What about the monster? Yes.... I closed my eyes lightly and tried to imagine it. The next moment-- Oh, I opened my eyes as Sakura shouted out. There was a woman standing in front of us. A model''s slim, model-like figure, a little tight, but with a shrewd beauty. I''m not sure I''m going to be able to find the right one. The president''s secretary? "Yeah, the president''s secretary. Do you like this sort of thing, Uncle? ''Not that I don''t like it, but when I imagined it, this kind of thing popped up. And then there''s this. In addition, I also called up the office bureau. It''s not uncommon for two or more types of monsters to exist on the same level at the same time, it''s just that they don''t drop except for monsters from that level. ''''Auntie?'''' Bureau. Do you like this sort of thing? I prefer ...... the president''s secretary, yes. It''s better that people still think you like the president''s secretary than to be mistaken for this (...). "Ha-ha-ha, just kidding. Is there anything else? That''s ....... I chuckled. ''I have a vague memory of my salaried days. I can tell you about the hard episodes for three days and three nights, but I can''t remember much about the people who were there. Do you have a receptionist at work?Though the guild''s receptionist has more points for it. I don''t know what the point is - and then he chuckled a bit again. ''You don''t have much to do with the people in that company, receptionist. "Yeah ...... and the cleaning lady? ''Oh ...... I wonder if I''ll run into you in the bathroom once in a while. Hmmm, but it doesn''t really come up in my memory. Like this? Sakura opened her sketchbook and whispered and ran her pen over it. In just a second, she wrote a receptionist or a cleaning lady and summoned her with Genesis. ''Yeah, yeah, it looked like this.'' Sakura''s summoning inspired my memory, and I created and summoned a monster that looked just like it. ''How about this one?'' Sakura said, drawing and summoning a small, fat, middle-aged man. He''s wearing a well-tailored suit, smiling and friendly. ''What''s this?'' The Gourmet Executive Director. What is that? Don''t you get it? I don''t know. And this one? Then he drew a pretty good-looking businessman this time. ''What''s this?'' "Island. Why? In the picture, if you want to be an office worker, this is the guy, right? Or maybe not! ''Wouldn''t you rather be a better fit to be a dungeon master than Emily-san? Let''s mind the copyright! I only do douche bags. That''s the least of my worries! I was a bit tired of the continuous tweaking. But it brought back a lot of memories for me. You can''t use the island''s work, but you can use the system that is often used in retro games, where you''re an ordinary employee, a chief, a section chief, a section chief, a section chief, and a monster that gets stronger as you go up through the ranks. I thought so and summoned a few monsters. ''''Oh, Section Chief Shimasaku, Section Chief Shimasaku and Executive Director Shimasaku?'''' Get away from the island! ''What?You have the same face as mine. ...... Geez. I was pulled by Sakura''s summons, and I accidentally made my face the same. I changed it in a hurry - I''m going to change it to ''Heno Moheji'' for now. ''For now, it''s like this, a similar hierarchy, the higher you go, the higher your position, the stronger you get. I think the top one is the president''s bargain sale. You will. That''s another one that''s common in retro games. I had a bit of fun making dungeons. 598 598. Trait By the way, what''s going to be the drop here? As I was creating one monster after another, Sakura suddenly remembered and asked me something like that. ...... Come on. Come on. No, actually. I set up on this floor, calling up the new hire. A shiny suit and hopeful eyes. I created this monster based on the concept of what I used to think when I was an office worker: "I won''t see these eyes for years until they fall to the dark side. The shiny first-year employee is blasted through the brain with a conventional bullet. The new employee flops backwards. "Wow, egregious! I can''t help it. It''s more than that. I chuckled and gestured to Sakura, telling her to take a closer look. Sakura did as she was told and stared at the new employee. While she stared at me, the new employee popped and disappeared. Where it disappeared - there was nothing. ''Oh, there''s no drop?Even if you''re an uncle. Yeah, even me. I nodded clearly. The ability given to me in this world I''ve relocated to is All Drop S. This ability is the ability to make all monsters drop at all times and if you defeat them, they will always drop. Hence, I was surprised that Sakura didn''t drop. ''''Why don''t you?'''' ''I just don''t get it. I''m trying to set it up in a way that reminds me to drop something like this - just like creating a monster, but so far it hasn''t worked. ''Huh, so I''m going to be like the old Mr. Nihonium then?'' No, I could have had them drop all sorts of status seeds then too. Yeah, she was right, wasn''t she? ''So, well, ......, I guess I just haven''t got it set up yet. Really? Would Sakura hear that back? I smiled. ''My traits don''t make it an unrewarding dungeon - you know that Sakura is the first to point out that I''m becoming more like a genie, right? That''s a good point. Yes, if this is really my dungeon, there''s no way I''m going to be without a drop by the time it opens, let alone now. Because what I want is to make sure that those who work hard are rewarded for their hard work. In this world, you go into a dungeon, you risked your life and killed a monster, but there is no drop. That''s the most unlikely situation. ''''Then I''ll be able to do it eventually?'''' I think so. If it''s anything, I''m ready to destroy this place if it doesn''t happen. There''s no such thing as a dungeon that doesn''t drop, especially if it''s mine. So that''s it. By the way, what did you imagine your uncle was going to drop? It varies. A lot? It''s kind of like a convenience store. "Convenience store. For a single man, the convenience store is a lifeline in itself. Wow, a convenience store. So, do they have porno books and stuff? Why do you always go in that direction? Sakura''s blurbs made her voice turn over. ''''Haha. But a convenience store or ...... oh. Sakura clapped her hands as if she had an idea. ''What?What''s wrong? I thought of something that might have dropped in my uncle''s dungeon. What''s it like? "Special Items. A special item? ''Or rather, items to help you conquer other dungeons? ...... To conquer other dungeons ......? ''See, no matter how many of your uncle''s own dungeons you do, you''ll get people who go to other dungeons who don''t get rewarded like this. Yeah. That means items to follow it up will drop in your uncle''s dungeon. -Oh! I huffed, imagined one strong image and then called the new employee out again. I beat the shiny freshman employee with the same headshot as before. Then - it dropped. ''Is this ...... rain gappa?'' Oh, so this is how it works. What''s the item for? The magic storm--resist, I guess. A magical storm--resist, I guess. Maybe it works. As I explained, I was convinced that this was an item that could resist the magic storm. This is an item - a piece of equipment - that can resist a magic storm. ''Seriously?If that''s true, Uncle, that''s awesome. Sakura, who relied heavily on a magic called Genesis to summon her from her sketchbook, was excited about an item that could counter the magic storm. 599 599. System update In the evening, I caught up with Celeste when she came home and we talked in the salon. I explained to her first that I wanted to make the Satnium (temporary) drop items into something that would make the other dungeons'' attacks more effective. That''s great ....... If it''s true, we''ll have adventurers coming from all over the world. Yeah. I nodded deeply. The fact that adventurers come from all over the world means that the demand is that much higher. If the demand is high and the items can be distributed to the adventurers, that''s the best way to go. ''''That''s why I need a little help from Celeste. Me?Is there anything I can do to help you, Lyota? Celeste has the deepest knowledge of dungeons and monsters in our house. Not so much at first, but after she became a companion, she increased her knowledge of dungeons as well as magic at a tremendous rate. Nowadays, she''s lightly on the level of a library - no, she''s extremely knowledgeable, like a walking Ukipedea. ''''I thought Celeste would be able to figure out, ''This kind of thing will help me with my strategy.'' Oh, yeah, I see. Celeste nodded quietly. ''If that''s what you mean, I''ll be happy to help. ''Really?Thank you Celeste. I was so happy that I couldn''t help but take Celeste''s hand and buzz it up and down. I''m sorry to be so quick, but do you have any quick ideas? I took out a piece of paper and a pen that I had prepared beforehand and asked Celeste with a bite. ''First of all, after all, the status of the drop. Drop status? Let''s say, for example, that plants and animals are both about a C and everything else is an F, right? Yeah. That person would naturally go to a plant or animal dungeon. Well, you will. ''But most of the time there''s only one drop status required for one dungeon, or rather one floor. So that moment any adventurer is going through a dungeon, that moment you''re going through a dungeon, you''re letting some drop status ...... yes, you''re letting it play. I see. I know exactly what Celeste means. I''m thinking, "So - if I could pull the extra status to the one I need, I''d love to be able to do that ....... ''Okay, I''ll give it a try!Is there anything else? ''It would be helpful to be able to see the monster''s HP. Often times, I''ll have to play it safe and use a big move to make sure I take out a monster that might be dying. I see. Yeah, that''s definitely good to see. What else? ''Do you want to prevent others from taking what you drop?I don''t have one, but there are people who get in trouble for it, all too often. Yeah, that''s important, too. I''ll see if I can make it. What else? I asked for opinion after opinion from Celeste. In a way, only Celeste could do that, not me. I''ve also been trying to make my dungeon strategies as technical as possible, not power play. Even so, the end result is often a high-stakes - all-SS premise for the strategy. In a real sense, I''ve rarely had trouble with my strategy. The only real trouble I''ve had is the true Nihonium zashiki and raid fights. I haven''t come up with a solution for the raid fights yet, but I think the Zashido can be solved by some kind of avatar thing that changes the appearance of the monster. I haven''t come up with much like that, so I''ve been asking Celeste a lot of questions. As expected of the wisdom of the family. In the blink of an eye, Celeste has come up with nearly 100 annoying patterns and solutions to them. The other thing you need to do is to go to ...... and talk to Elsa and Ena and the others about it. Elsa and Ena? Yeah, they''re opening a shop, aren''t they?I think we''re going to hear more different, live voices from the adventurers in the field. ''Oh, I see!'' I thought Celeste was right. It''s a common practice for those opening stores to pull information from customers. The points accumulated by the blue and yellow cards are actually an exchange of points for consumer information. It''s a waste of time not to take advantage of the fact that there are merchants in your ranks. Yes, I think so. Okay, well, I''ll ask. Thank you Celeste, that was very helpful. ...... You''re welcome. For some reason, Celeste looked away from me with a tinted cheek. 600 600. Purpose and means That''s why. When both Elsa and Ena returned, I caught up with them and explained the story behind the conversation. Elsa listened to me with a serious look on her face, and Ena listened to me with her usual flushed, somewhat inviting () look. ''I see, so that''s us. Yeah, I think you''ve heard a lot about the adventurers in the field. Yes, I''ve heard a lot about it - but I''m not sure, Ena. Well, most of it is just a matter of time before Ryota-san hears about it. Elsa and Ena turned to face each other and said with a light chuckle. ''''A ruling?'''' Yes, sir. I don''t care. Just let me hear it anyway. ''Really?Um, ...... then. How about that?You know, the one where you just walked. Yeah. Elsa clapped her hands with a pop. I pulled back a bit (,). It''s a sign that there''s going to be more of a "ruling story" than I expected. ''I have a visitor like this. Someone who just walks into a dungeon and asks if they can drop something for it. ''Yeah!Drop for walking?Not like the monsters will just die on their own when you walk? Yes, a walk and a drop, sir. That''s a lot better than I expected: ...... I chuckled more and more. ''Well, but you can''t be serious about that,'' I''m serious. ''Yeah, he''s serious. He said other things like drop just to breathe, drop just to sleep, drop just to attend. What do you mean by attending!I thought. There are people like that? It''s hard for two people to deal with that kind of thing while doing business. Yeah, but it would be nice to just attend, wouldn''t it? ''Yeah!I''m serious, Mr. Lyota. Don''t you know what a login bonus is? For example, just by entering a dungeon once a day, you can get something that will drop by itself. That way, even if you don''t want to do it, some people will just go and get it. Oh, ....... Yeah, I think that might be a good idea. Ha-ha, you could have used it. When I said that, Elsa and Ena were surprised. ''Do you understand now?What do I do? Well, yeah. The login bonuses were originally a "business" method. I recommend it because it''s quite effective. Well, it''s hard to find the right balance in terms of what to give away, but... Once there, I looked at Elsa and Ena and nodded. ''But, well, you two can handle it, right?'' Huh. ...... Totally. You just say it out loud. Elsa''s face colored slightly and Ena laughed dumbly. ''Well, but a login bonus might be a thing. ''''Well, if that''s how you''re going to go about it, can you hit the jackpot? Yes, it''s completely by luck, and if you can say that today is the day you hit the jackpot - that''s what motivates you to come to the dungeon. And if people who don''t normally make money suddenly make money, they''ll spread that money around the market. Ena said and grinned, a devilish smile on her face. Adventurers are originally of an Edokko-like temperament, and they don''t have any money for the evening!A lot of people say that. The lower the rank - the more likely it is to be the so-called "unearned" adventurer. If those adventurers get a lot of money from something, they usually spend it in a flash. Elsa and Ina seem to understand that in order to improve the economy, we need to keep bringing in more and more money - that''s what they understand. ''Is there anything else we can do?It''s not good bullshit. Someone said, "Yes, ......, oh, by order only, that would be easier. Yeah, there you are. By order? You know, sometimes adventurers are asked to go to a dungeon to catch someone. Yeah. I remember Ina asked me to catch a watermelon for her. Yeah, yeah. Ena nodded, and for some reason her face turned a little red. ''Adventurers take it and go to the dungeon, but some people take it from the dungeon and say it would be easier if the monster was the only one in the dungeon. Oh, ...... quest-order system? It reminded me of a game where you make equipment by defeating large monsters. That''s exactly what it is, and it''s designed so that only certain monsters that you order will appear. Well, there''s something called ...... intrusion, but that''s it. ''Yeah, that''s a good idea. It''s like making Sulphur even more beneficial to the adventurers. Sulphur...... might be. ''But, Lyota, can you do that?Now, with what we''re talking about, it''s not going to be a normal dungeon, it''s going to be a very different system. Hmm ...... maybe you can. I thought for a moment and nodded. Given the characteristics of the spirits in the dungeon, I think the story can be divided into ''ends'' and ''means''. Just as Nihonium has been mean to me a lot for revamping the dungeon, the ''means'' for the ''end'' seems to be quite flexible. ...... Yeah, I can definitely do that. Huh. ...... That''s great, as always. Elsa and Ena, they were both marveling at my "conviction". 601 601. Experience of company slaves Here''s what we can think of right now. After getting a lot of opinions, Ena said that. Elsa, who was sitting next to me, also had the color of fatigue visible on her face, although she didn''t say it with her mouth, probably because she had squeezed out a lot of opinions. ''''I see, thanks.'''' Oh, I''ll hear from the other adventurers when I''m at the store tomorrow. Thank you, Elsa. Thank you. ''Yes!We''ll take care of it! Elsa replied with enthusiasm. I was enthusiastic, but I was still tired. It couldn''t be better than this, so I cut off the conversation and separated from them. Instead of going back to my room, I used the mansion''s transporter room to head to the new dungeon - Satnium. It''s a quiet dungeon with no one in it. Rather, it''s in the company of a holiday. When I was an office worker before I was sent to this world, I used to work in a quiet office like this. ''Oops, I don''t remember it being this quiet.'' I chuckled and "reminded" the dungeon that I was in a dungeon. Then, out of nowhere, I heard the sound of air flowing. It was the sound of the air conditioner. The only sound other than my own is that of the air conditioner at the office, where I''m working alone on my day off. I''m sure you''ll be able to find a way to make that sound ...... somehow, but it''s strangely calming. "So it''s a dungeon spirit. I mumbled emotionally, probably because the story was starting to take shape all over again. A little while ago I couldn''t even think about that, but now it feels so natural and I''m trying to get the story going. It''s strange to me ...... and I''m going to take out the monster. Emily. Celeste. Alice. Eve... Sakura... Margaret. They are my friends, the adventurer''s group, and I took out a monster that looked just like them. I thought it would be a bit of fun if they became dungeon masters on a daily basis. Then I remembered my days with the girls. ''I can''t do the real thing, but I think I can boost my status as much as I want with these girls. I thought for a minute that that would be interesting, like Emily with an S MP and an S intelligence. Suddenly, I had an idea. I thought of the idea of boosting their status. The old Nifongnium, that kind of status-boosting thing. It is the same seed that boosted my status to the hilt. No, it''s the nature. I was the only one who could get hold of that seed. That''s why I couldn''t give it to anyone else - it wouldn''t be intercepted. I''ve had my share of black parties in this world, and I''ve been punished every time. I''ve talked to the spirits to change the dungeon to improve it. I''m the genie of this dungeon now. It''s not so much about the monsters as it is about the drops. That''s what I thought it was all about. That''s what the system is for, a system that can''t be taken away. ''It can only be taken by the person you beat, not by another person until you redeem it. I thought about how to make it work that way. ''Oh, yes. No one below a certain level of fitness is allowed in. Let''s not do a streak or anything like that. So that''s what I did, and I came up with a lot of ideas based on my experience working for a black company. I had to think of a lot of ways to make sure that the new dungeon wouldn''t be like that. 602 602. Emilys realm, again I was in a room labeled "break room". I opened the door with a clatter and walked in. ...... Hmmm. As soon as I walked in, I wondered for a moment what this was all about. The interior of Satnium (temporarily) is designed to look like the interior of any office I know of. This break room is the same, but it became ...... a break room in a different way. ''This is a smoking room, right?'' I chuckled. At my company, only smokers were allowed to take a break at work for "cigarette time". I don''t smoke, but I wonder if that''s because I don''t want to ....... I''m sure you''ve got an image of a break = smoking room. At any rate, this isn''t good enough. I stepped out of the room, then closed my eyes and re-imagined it. The blinding light shimmered for a moment, so bright that I could see it through my eyelids, and then quickly subsided. Then he opened the door to the common room again and walked in. ''No, no,'' The interior of the room had an extremely black feel to it. Desks like those used in an office are lined up in a row. Each of them had a sleeping bag underneath the desk. I can''t count the number of nights I spent in a sleeping bag under my desk when I was an office worker. Because of this, the image was so strong that the break room = sleeping bag under the desk. This isn''t a good idea, is it? I chuckled to myself, laughing more and more bitterly. I decided to make a rest room because I wanted to mimic the resting place that Cell had made in the dungeon. Before that, I also played the game and found that it helps tremendously when there are recovery points in the dungeon. So I tried to make a rest stop. But it didn''t work, somehow. By the way, it''s still working. When I''m in this room, I can feel my MP slowly recovering. It''s just that the "resting place" I made in my image isn''t very good, but the recovery effect is solid. By the way, unlike the HP and MP on the status page, there was a time when I called it HP and MP when I was in real life. Not to mention HP is physical strength. You can recover it by sleeping and eating things. MP is probably the only thing I''m talking about, but it''s a mental thing, and it''s recovered by watching manga or anime or some other form of entertainment - it''s like motivation. I''m making this resting place not only to recover actual HPMP, but also MP in the sense of motivation. I walked out of the room again, closed my eyes and imagined it. The room lit up again and the inside changed. I open the door again and go inside. ...... a little better, though. I knew I had to chuckle. It was my hut. It was a dirty room with a six-mat room, a futon made of rice crackers, and a room that looked like it would have G in the corner. It''s a room for sleeping, but you can''t rest in a place like this. Hmmm, what should we do? Oh, I found Yoda. Hmm?Emily? I turned at the voice and it was Emily. ''What''s going on, Emily?'' Hey Yoda, what''s going on here at ......? Yeah, a little bit. Do you mind if I clean up a little? ''What?Oh no. As I was muzzled, Emily was already in motion. I cleaned the room, imagining it to be my room in the real world. In the blink of an eye, the room became shiny - emitting a warm but gentle temple-like vibration. ''Awesome ......'' I mumbled to myself. Come to think of it, Emily had been nicknamed ''Dungeon Master'' for a while now. Clean up the dungeon and become like a ruler there. That''s what I mean by dungeon master. ''Emily!'' Yes! I need some help! She needed Emily''s help in making a rest stop. I took her hand, looked straight into her eyes, and worshipped her down. 603 603. Guide video It was truly a magical move. The once small and dirty common room became clean as soon as Emily''s hands started working on it. I stayed with her and had her work on the new break room from scratch, and I watched her for a long time, but I didn''t know how she managed to get it so clean in the process. It''s as if I''ve been kicked in the teeth, as if I''ve been shown only the beginning and the end, and the process has been skipped over in the middle. Huh. ...... How''s that? No, that''s great, that''s Emily. He wiped the sweat from his glistening forehead and wished Emily well. ''Thank you,'' ''No, thank you is a line over here, and it''s really amazing. I had no idea what to do to make it look so beautiful. It''s normal, right? Emily tilted her head slightly at Kyoton. ''No, no, ...... for example. I''m sorry. I said, and made a huge stain appear in the middle of the break room. It''s a huge, stubborn, old-fashioned stain that''s been sticking around for quite some time. How do I get rid of it? Yes, sir. Wet a rag and squeeze a little harder. Yes. I''d say squeaky clean. Yes. It''s gone. No, that''s not the theory. I gave it a big shove. In fact, the stain was gone when Emily wiped it off. But I know that the stain I just exposed is not something that can be easily erased. It''s not something that can be removed by wiping it off, just like a water stain on a mirror in the bathroom. It''s still more convincing to make use of a secret technique to erase it, just like Ike''s dining room table. You can''t get rid of it.Why isn''t it gone? It''s genius. ...... This is the work of a genius. ...... Seeing Emily, who is seriously knee jerk, makes me think that she''s the kitten-type protagonist of the reincarnation. At least when it comes to cleaning and maintaining the living environment of the house, Emily is undoubtedly a genius. ''Hmph. ......'' Hmm?What''s wrong Emily, you''re laughing all of a sudden. I remembered. You remember? Yes, I was remembering the place where we lived when I first met Yoda, when we both lived there. Yeah, ....... I nodded my head in agreement. Surely, it''s the same situation as it is now. The first cheap 20,000-pilo-a-month apartment I''d rented after I''d transitioned to this world and met Emily, earning squatting money to repay the favor. Needless to say, the 80+ year old apartment was a ramshackle mess. But under Emily''s care, it has been transformed into an incredibly bright and warm space. She says it''s just a cleaning job, but that''s a transformation beyond the work of a master craftsman. That and the current situation are very similar. Emily gives the battered common room a renovation-grade cleaning with some modifications. ''I sure do miss it,'' Yes, sir. I''m always sorry to have to ask you to do this sort of thing. That''s okay. It''s great fun. Really?I hope so. I know what Emily is saying is true. I''ve never seen her do a single thing she doesn''t want to do in regards to cleaning. She''s always happy to do it. It''s not surprising, really. If she is reluctantly doing it, there is no way she can create such a bright and warm space. It''s the kind of work that geniuses truly want to do, and that''s why their work surpasses Takumi''s. "I miss those days a little bit," he says. I kind of miss those days. ''Yeah. I was an all-F back then, too, and I had a lot more ingenuity than I do now. ''It''s all SS now. If I can do what Yoda could do back then, I can do it more easily now. ...... Huh? Emily''s words caught me off guard. I stared at Emily in surprise. ''What''s wrong, sir?Did I say something weird? No. ...... If I could do what I could do then, could I do it more easily now? Yes, sir. ...... Is that funny? No, I''m not crazy. I plucked my chin, slumped over and thought for a minute. ''That means that if I could do it then, Emily can do it now with ease, right? ''What?Yes ...... I think so, is? Emily nodded twice. At first she nodded confidently, then after thinking it over carefully, she nodded in a ''I knew it'' kind of way. That was also a given. It was me, right after the transition, with no guns and an all-F ability. If I was able to do it back then, it''s no surprise that Emily can do it more easily now. She''s now an advanced adventurer with Stars. She''s one of the most talented people in the world. That wasn''t the point. If I could do what I could do then, would it make it easier for the other adventurers? Mr. Yoda, what do you have in mind? ...... "Wait a minute. I said and left the break room. Then I touched my hand to the empty wall and made a new room. ''What is that?'' I think it''s called the Archives ....... The Archives: ...... He walked into the room and created a human-like appearance. ''It''s Mr. Yoda,'' The guy who was supposed to be in my all-F state. Haha. ...... "But therefore ...... This time I created a monster bureau. Immediately after, the all-F me and the Okyosama fought. My ability is low, so of course I was easily beaten. ''''Hmmm, well, let''s start with this. What are you doing? You know, like a video guide. "Guiding Video? ''A guide video to defeating monsters in the hierarchy with an all-F me. I''m going to make it sound like you can do it, even if you''re less capable. If I can do the all-F me, other adventurers can too, right? Oh. Emily''s eyes widened and she made a face of admiration. ''That''s great. That''s what I''m talking about, Yoda. With a big smile on his face, he praised me. 604 604. Under the edge Vanadium in the evening, the saloon in the mansion. Sakura came here in a straight line from the transporter room when she got home. Emily was in the room, cleaning the salon. ''I''m home, Emily.'' You''re on your way home, sir. Emily stopped cleaning and turned her body to face Sakura. ''I''ll make you some tea or something,'' Oh, it''s all right. It''s all right. I''ll be fine. Just do what you want, Emily. Really? Yeah. More importantly, is your uncle back already? Sakura spun around to look around the salon. The Lyota family has one characteristic. It was a trait that most of them would gather in this saloon, except for bedtime and when they were out and about. The mansions that Emily maintains and manages are all bright and warm, but this saloon for everyone to gather in is outstanding among them. That''s why, when you wake up in the morning or come home in the evening - everyone naturally gathers here. Ryota is no exception to this, in fact, it can even be said that he is the one who comes here on his own initiative. Sakura, who looked around the salon, thought that Ryota hadn''t come back yet. ''Yoda-san is on a job,'' Work? Yes, he''s building a dungeon. Maybe-- Emily said, and gave a slightly complicated smile. ''--I don''t think I''ll be back today,'' Again? In contrast to Emily, Sakura makes a distinct, gasping face. ''Yes, sir.'' She''s always at ...... Sakura has a look of amazement on her face. Even the newest member of the team, Sakura, is well aware of Ryota''s workaholic nature. Ryota''s default calculation for work-related calculations is 31 days a month. I''ve already seen him do the "impossible" many times since Sakura transitioned. It''s not surprising that he''s so dismayed. Shall I bring her back? Hmm, I don''t think I''m going to be any good today. Are you sure? Yes. Yoda, you seemed to be having a lot of fun. Sounds like fun. ''I''ve been working hard, Yoda, and I''ve been somewhat trapped and desperate. It was. ''This time it wasn''t, it looked a bit fun. So I think it''s better to keep it that way. ''Hmm. If that''s what you''re doing, Emily, that''s fine. When the option of taking her home disappeared, Sakura sat down with a thud on her seat on the sofa. ''Do you know what my uncle is doing in the dungeon?'' He said he was going to make a movie that would be a guide. A guide movie? He said it was to show us how to attack them even when they''re weak. I see that one: ...... Sakura nodded once, feeling satisfied. ''Oh, that''s no good.'' Yes? My uncle will probably end up with a TAS-caliber guy, and I''m gonna have to tell him that it should be a RTA and a stable chart. Haha. ...... There was no way Emily could understand another world, and an even deeper genre within that world. Sakura sensed this. ''I mean, it''s not something that your uncle can do, it has to be something that even Margaret can do. I see. That''s more like it. I think it would be better if you were doing a movie guide, Margaret, not your uncle. I''ll let Mr. Yoda do it. "Huh? Mr. Yoda, it''s cool and nice. ...... well, maybe. Sakura, who was unexpectedly sloughed off, decided to just affirm it. ''But uncle is too strong, so it''s still better to go with Margaret. That one has to be weak. Uncle is already at the top level of experience as well as ability, so he''s too strong and not worthy of it. ''I see, that''s it,'' Emily was easily taken in by the talk of lifting Ryota. ''So, ...... Emily-san, bring your uncle back with you. I''m sure you''ll be able to find the right person to do it, ''Yes. I understand. Emily stopped cleaning and stuttered out of the salon. She stopped once around the entrance, facing Sakura over her back. ''Thank you so much.'' He then went down the hallway to the transporter room. ''Totally, as soon as I''m distracted, I get lost in my work. Sakura complains in a dumbfounded tone of voice, but. The expression on her face, which no one was looking at, was not unflattering, that kind of thing. 605 605. Forced rest Salon in the late afternoon, I was alone in a daze. I took the day off today. Yesterday, I was working on some stuff at the Satnium (temporary) when Emily came to pick me up. Sakura advised me to get Margaret to do the guide movie. Sakura''s advice made a lot of sense. Margaret was certainly a better choice, both in terms of ability and popularity. That advice was entirely reasonable. On the other hand, Emily''s expression was a bit coy. The look on her face as she came to pick me up was one of relief that she now had a reason to stop me. As soon as I saw that, I knew I''d done it again. Whenever I let my mind wander, I always end up doing it begrudgingly, out of sight of everything. Even though I had just been pissed off at the vanadium, it hadn''t cured me of that after all. So I decided to take a break today. I''m going to take a break when I can, to show Emily and the others that I''m going to take a break. ...... I''m free. There was too much time on my hands to do anything about it. We had just finished breakfast and it wasn''t long before everyone was off to the dungeon. It''s still only mid-morning. And yet, it''s already getting painful because there''s too much time on my hands. It''s really hard to have nothing to do. ''Let''s figure out what kind of monsters we need. "Low Level Chip. Ouch. Right after I mumbled, I was tapped on the forehead. I wondered what was going on and saw Eve in front of me. She slapped me in my pajamas, dressed as a rabbit. "What the hell are you doing, for God''s sake? "A favor from a higher level. Sakura? He asked me to beat the low levels to death if they got cocky. No, no, no, no. Cheeky. ''I was just trying to think of some satnium monsters. That''s cheeky. Don''t get cocky. Yeah, cheeky. Um, ....... Eve is staring at me. Her stuffed right arm is still up in the air, and her fingers are lined up in the shape of a hand blade. It''s quiet, but she''s going to kill it. "So Sakura can see through this? I''m not going to have time to try and get back into work mode. ''It''s a high level, so it''s natural.'' Is it obvious? Yes. On what basis? High level, over 300. Now the best in the world. ''Huh?Was it that high, Sakura? I think the last time I saw it, it was a little over 100. ''The higher levels are always right.'' I''m not so sure about that. Regardless of that, which Eve bases it on, I was surprised to see that Sakura''s level was over 300. Her level limit is , so it''s not surprising that she''s up to 300, but it''s still amazing. Is that what happens when the upper limit of and endlessly circling around? ...... surplus experience could be reduced to something as well--that''s right. ''You''re so cocky for a low level.'' For the second time today, I got Eve''s chop. ''No, it''s a bit better than that, don''t you think?'' No, I''ll do my job. I''ve got a bunny on my tail. You didn''t have to be so hard on him. I chuckled. Apparently they won''t let me do anything work-like today, no matter what. Eve has the clearest "self" of all her friends. Once she makes a decision, she never bends it. So, that means she can''t do anything else work-related today. ...... I''m free. I was mumbling, trying to think of something else to do instead of work, but I couldn''t think of anything. In the end, I just sat in a daze until everyone came home. Time passed so slowly that it felt like the day had gone by three times longer than usual. 606 606. The princesss first time .606 Satnium (temporary), two floors above ground. In that elevator hall, I was with Margaret. ''Who are those people?'' There you are. Rato, Socha, Play, Builder. You wanted to see me, Your Highness? Margaret called out, and as usual, the four ninja knights appeared casually and knelt in front of her. They appeared so fast that even I couldn''t tell how fast they were showing up. No, I don''t even know if they were fast or not. Really, "Poof! Because he appeared like a momentary blur. ''There he is, Lord Lyota. Yeah, thanks. Sorry, I don''t have anything else to do. That''s enough. "As you wish. The four of them disappeared in a flash, just like when they appeared. I was just a little curious to see what would happen if I fought that one seriously. ''''Even so, I''m ...... glad you''re here. Yeah, happy? ''Yes. I can''t believe they''re letting me back into the place that matters to Lord Lyota. No, that''s my line. Thank you for your help. ''No way!The reason I am here today is because of Lyota-sama. I''ll do anything for you, Ryota-sama. Thank you. If Sakura was here, she would be like, "Hmm?I''m sure he''s about to make a "whatever now" or something like that, but today it''s just me and Margaret (and those four guys). I decided to proceed with the conversation. ''Today, I want you to try and defeat the monster. It''s kind of a test, so to speak, so don''t get too worked up about it. I''ll do my best! Margaret did so, and she was enthusiastic with her great sword. ''Well then, ...... please.'' I said and summoned the monster. It''s a young new employee in a tight suit. His suit is crisp and his hair is neat. Most importantly, his eyes sparkle. ''I didn''t last six months, though. Yes?What did you say? No, it''s nothing. I faked a bitter smile as the bitter memories came out of my mouth and turned to Margaret. ''Try fighting this guy anyway?You don''t have to worry about winning or losing. I understand. Margaret goes at the new recruit, dragging her large sword with her usual heavy hand. She makes an unaccustomed first strike - and is able to avoid it and get countered. ''''Hiyah!...... Oh, what? Margaret looked at herself curiously as she was blown up by the new recruit''s attack. ''It doesn''t hurt anywhere, does it? ''Yeah, that''s a magic attack, so it looks like he''s hitting you, but the attribute is magic. "Oh, speaking of which, a strong magical storm is brewing today. Yes. I nodded deeply. Yes, today''s weather is a magic storm. And it''s strong, and it''s at a level where all kinds of magic doesn''t work until inside the dungeon. It''s a terrain effect that applies not only to the adventurer''s side, but also to the monster''s side. By using the magic storm to turn the monster into a magical attack. It prevented Margaret from taking any damage. ''''I have zero worries about getting hurt with this. You''re very good, Master Lyota. So I think it''s safe to say, one more time, please. Yes! Margaret took the great sword and boldly went towards the new recruit. As I watched, I glanced around. Those four ...... didn''t seem to be showing up at all. It''s amazing how completely they read through what I was doing. On the other hand, Margaret was fighting with the new recruits. Still playing around, that''s the level of playfulness. Margaret, whose combat ability was all F, wasn''t originally suited for combat, and was a tome specialist adventurer who made use of her drop-all A. That''s what I fought from the beginning, and I was at an overwhelming disadvantage. Even so, I''m slowly getting used to it. It''s not that I don''t have any combat experience at all. I''m used to fighting itself and I have experience. On top of that, a situation where I can continue to fight with no damage. Margaret has gradually been able to keep up with the movements of the new recruits. It''s a slow-moving, but "after this comes this way, this comes that way" way of moving in a memorization game (). It''s the exact concept of the guide movie I''m trying to do, where even a less capable adventurer can take down a monster. After a few hours of fighting unscathed, Margaret was able to learn all of the new recruit''s moves and take that guy down by herself. ''''Yes!We did it! Good night. Thank you, Lady Lyota! What? This is the first time I''ve ever defeated a monster like this on my own! Yeah. Thank you so much! Margaret took my hand and, with eager eyes, gave me strong words of thanks. 607 607. SD Presidents Secretary In the midst of the satnium, I concentrated on "monster making" by myself. I tried many things, but I could easily create a monster that looked like it could be in a company. Other than that, I could just barely manage to create monsters that looked like they belonged in the real world. For example, an elementary, middle, and high school student in a school uniform. But if you make a monster like that, there''s something slightly wrong with it. It''s like being trapped in the so-called "Valley of the Uncanny", and it ends up looking very uncanny. No matter how many times I try, it doesn''t change, so I give up and decide to make people in the company. By the way, I couldn''t make ones that looked like they belonged in this world. For example, I couldn''t make a warrior in armor, a wizard in a robe, or a princess knight that Sakura loves to kill. I couldn''t make those kinds of things at all before I felt uncomfortable. It''s kind of starting to feel like it''s time to get a (temporary) from "Satnium (temporary)". The reason I don''t do that is because I''m feeling the urge to be cautious until we really get it up and running. Now, let''s see what''s next: ...... As I walked through the dungeon, I thought about things. Rather than imagining a place where there was nothing at all, it''s easier to create an image by looking around and imagining things like, "There was a cleaning lady in the bathroom or a stereotypical hot-water supply room, where the office workers seem to be hanging out together. Then I came to the place where the big guys seemed to be. When I was a new employee, I would often sneak over to their area and use their toilets. There was a washlet in the toilet on the floor where the bosses were, back then. The memory of that time made this floor with the big guy. ''You have the big guy, of course, and your secretary, right? Muttering this, I imagined and brought out the monster of a secretary. He''s the president''s secretary in a tight suit, tight hair and glasses, and he''s a very tight, competent type of president''s secretary. ''Yeah, I can''t miss this one. I was pleased with the monster I''d created. Unlike creating a student, this president''s secretary was very real. I wondered how it felt to have a secretary like this managing all those things. I''ve never been made, so I can''t imagine that at all. It''s kind of an image, but I think it''s usually more of a secretary who is in charge. ...... Well, that''s the kind of image I have, which is probably why I''ve become such a hard looking and competent secretary to the president. Putting aside the questions that seem to never come up even after thinking about it, this president''s secretary is definitely going to be put in place - that''s when I thought. ''''Lyota!'''' Hmm?Alice, what''s going on? My name was suddenly called and I turned around to see Alice coming from the stairs instead of the elevator. She came over to us with an excited look on her face, carrying numerous fellow monsters on her shoulders as usual. ''I''ve been called,'' Did he call for you? Yeah! Alice nodded deeply and turned her attention to the president''s secretary. ''Ooh, what a cool look! Cool or... It''s not pretty or anything. I chuckled a little bit. For me, it''s a 50-50 split between beautiful and cool, but I can understand how it feels to feel the cooler side more strongly. Hone hone, go! With Alice''s command, an SD-sized skeleton - Honehone - jumped down from her shoulder and returned to her original size. Even though it returned to its original size, it was still a cute, deformed figure. That Honehone - jumped on the president''s secretary. It unilaterally attacked the president''s secretary, who didn''t move at all, and knocked her down. Then--poof! With a sound, the president''s secretary changed her appearance. ''''Oh.'''' What a hone hone - or rather, the same deformed SD size as my fellow monsters. ''Come on, Kirikiri,'' The deformed president''s secretary trotted over to Alice and climbed onto her shoulder. ''Thank you, Lyota,'' ''You''re welcome - but it''s going to happen. I mean, I--I''m--I guess it has nothing to do with the will of the spirits. It was quite refreshing to see Alice joining the monster from a different perspective. 608 608. Miss Guide "Kili Kili Make-Up! While shouting a transformation-like dialogue, Alice pointed forward like a bishoujo. There, the Kirikiri on her shoulder popped up and transformed into a () as commanded (). What had been a palm-sized plush toy transformed into the same size as a human with a "pop". ''Ooh ......'' When I saw that, I blurted out. The transformed Kirikiri wasn''t the crisp president''s secretary from just before. The parts are the same in places, but it''s plumped up and curled up on the side and deformed to the hilt. ''It looks like a stuffed animal from an amusement park or a department store rooftop, man. What? I guess Alice, who was born in this world, didn''t understand my mumbling - the original story. Oh, well, that''s just as well. ''It''s this side of the story. I meant that Alice''s friends are as cute to look at as ever. Heh, heh, heh, heh. Alice said with a happy, proud look on her face. ''Go back, Kirikiri.'' Following the command, Kirikiri reverted back to his handheld size and jumped onto Alice''s shoulder. Then he high fived the other friends there. ''The flirting is amazing. You''re a monster, but you''re a jolly good group. The monster is more like a dark or dark attribute. ''''Okay?'''' Oh, ...... um. It''s not good. Maybe it''s because Sakura is here, or maybe it''s because I get distracted sometimes and I can''t help but use the words from the original world. ''I meant that everyone is so cheerful and fun to watch,'' Heh, heh, heh, heh. Tonight is a welcome party. ''Yes!I''m going to go ask Emily for help right away! Alice said and left this place at a run, taking her fellow monsters who were frolicking in a big hurry. Alice appeared like a storm and left like a storm. She''s enjoying the adventurer''s life, even though it''s a little different form of ordinary adventurer, I thought. ''...... Oh!'' As I watched Alice''s back as she left, an idea came to me in my head. Long time no see, Satou-san! Outside the cheap apartment--Satnium (temporarily), Cliff, who came in, bowed to me. He is an adventurer I saved from the Black Party before. He''s now under my umbrella, independent from his former place with his friends from that time. I''m sure you''ll be able to find out what''s going on in the dungeons, and if you''re in a dungeon, I''ll just say hello. I think this is probably the first time I''ve ever called out that cliff. "Sorry, this is so sudden. No. I''ll come running to you wherever Satou-san calls me. ''Right. Actually, I need you to go with me for a little test. Yes, what can I do for you? First things first: "...... I started by explaining Satnium (tentatively). I''m not in a gag order, but I''m not at the stage where I''m going to promote it in any way. So maybe Cliff didn''t know about it either, I thought, so I explained it to him. Sure enough, he doesn''t seem to know about it at all. As I explained it to him, his face was gradually overwritten by surprise. ''Is it true?'' Yeah, come on in and have a look. I grabbed Cliff and led him out of my cheap apartment and into Satnium. Cliff was astonished at the fact that we had just entered a dungeon from an apartment in town. ''It really is a dungeon!I''ve never seen that either. Yeah, so this is the monster. Then he summons the cleaning lady. ''Oh!''It''s true: ...... It''s crazy awesome, Satou. Thanks. So, I just need your help with something. Okay. What do I do? Just keep it in place for now. Yes, sir. As I was told, Cliff stood up and didn''t move. In front of Cliff, I summoned the president''s secretary. ''''Oh.'''' Welcome. I''m Shizuka, your guide. The president''s secretary spoke to Cliff in a reverent manner. ''Shah, she spoke.'' What''s your name? Well, it''s called ...... cliff. ''''Cliff-san ...... sounds like a strong name. I''m sure you''ll have a great time in this dungeon. ''What?So, yes, ...... When the president''s secretary praised him, Cliff looked unfazed. ''''First, let''s try to defeat the monster in front of us. ''''Cliff-sama''s power, please show me.'''' Yes, yes!I''ll try! Flattered and unflappable Cliff. The effect - seems to be immense. A beautiful guide character, common in shaggy games. The idea of putting the president''s secretary in that position and having her guide him through the dungeons--it seemed to be quite effective. 609 609. Sakura Sato In the evening, after the day''s work, all of my friends were gathered in the salon. The usual gathering, no one was making a sound, everyone was naturally gathered together. The adventurer''s group, the merchant''s group, the spirit''s group. Including Margaret, who has recently joined us, everyone is gathered again today, enjoying themselves in three or five different ways. As for me, Sakura and I are discussing it. I often rely on her knowledge of both worlds to help me give Satnium (temporarily) more form. Today, we''ve been talking about the guide character. ''From a shaggy perspective,'' Yes. You might want to give her a little ''candy''. Ame? You''re supposed to make it taste good. You know, the login bonus. You know. "Hmmm. ...... Guide character-like candy, huh? Maybe a dress-up or something. Oh, that''s a good idea. A new outfit for every ten days of continuous entry. By the way, there are many kinds of clothes, but what you get for every ten days is completely random. That''s disgusting. ''This is just fine. If you want to collect them, if you want them, you just have to go through them steadily. So that''s it. I pick my jaw and think about Sakura''s proposal. It has nothing to do with actual earnings, but there''s something pretty hard to underestimate about this kind of look that has nothing to do with actual profit at all. It''s not uncommon for people to get more excited about the look they like when they''re operating it, and it''s not uncommon for their movements to get better and stronger as a result. ''Okay, let''s adopt that. As for clothes, ...... Elsa, can you stock up on various women''s clothes? I''d like to see them in person for reference. Yes, I understand. I''ll see to it right away. Thank you. ''What?Why didn''t you ask me to do that? Of course you''ll take care of Sakura. You''ll give Sakura their clothes. Over there? I''d like to have an outfit that looks good in order because of how my character is over there, and an outfit that has a gap between the two. I''d like to have both. I see. I see. Sakura was convinced and agreed to it. For now, the meeting about the guide character was over. At the same time, today''s work, which had been a bit of an overtime period, is completely over. I tried to take a break and sipped the tea that Emily had made for me. ''''Come to think of it, there is such a thing as a spirit attached, isn''t there? The incident began with--this word from Sakura. ''Hm?Yes, there is, but what about it? ''When it comes with a genie, you take the name of the genie, or rather the name of the dungeon, as your last name, right? It''s kind of going to happen. It reminds me of what I''ve been through. The adventurers who came with a spirit. The first one was, I think, ...... Emily? Then there was Rebecca Neon. The H2O trio of Neptunes was interesting in a way. ''What happens when it''s your uncle''s?'' Me? For example, if I had a genie in my uncle''s pocket. Yes. Does that mean I''m going to be Sakura Sato? Sakura Sato, who is ....... Ha-ha, looks like you got married. Pow! Sakura said, and several friends reacted in unison. Emily ...... Celeste ...... Elsa ...... Margaret ....... Alice, Eve, Ena and others also reacted, although not as fiercely as these four, but they also reacted. All of them, in unison, gave me a ''that''s the way it works'' kind of look. ''Uh ...... or that ......'' I was lost. I wasn''t sure how I should cover it up. But Sakura laughed happily, and then I got the story straight. "A-ha-ha, you''re irresistible. Sakura laughed with all her might, as if she was enjoying the situation. 610 610. Sexy Three I was slowly woken up in the morning by the sunshine shining through the window. I''m in a vanadium dungeon, and humans are healthiest when they wake up with the morning sun - so I did a lot of things with the vanadium and made sure that the pseudo-sunshine would shine through the window in the morning. It was worth it, and I was able to wake up peacefully and briskly today. ''Let''s go wash our faces at Fluffy ......'' Hello, Mr. Lyota. Hmm. ......?Oh, thank you: ...... A towel was offered to me from the side, so I took it without thinking. It was moderately wet and wrung out, so I wiped my face with it. I felt refreshed and my consciousness was rapidly awakening. Huh? I wondered. This is my room, who''s going to give me a towel this early in the morning? He looked at the person who wondered why he had turned his head to the side and offered him a towel. "Nah! Instantly, I was startled beyond words. ''Eh, Elsa: ......'' ''Oh, good morning, Mr Lyota: ...... Erza, who has been cowering - or rather squirming. For some reason - she was in a swimsuit. It''s not just the top and bottom, it was an extremely revealing bikini. It''s a good idea to have a good idea of what you''re doing. That ...... er... ...... uh-huh. ...... ...... ...... ...... There is a silence. A tremendous amount of awkwardness passed between us. Elsa struck a s*xy pose that would show off her bikini to its fullest (...). It was a "cunnilingus" pose that emphasized her body line. The line of the body was fine and s*xy, but Elsa herself might have been embarrassed, but her movements were very awkward. The awkwardness of the movements created an awkward atmosphere between the two of us. I didn''t know how to deal with it, and I was confused. ''--I''m sorry, please forget it! Elsa half-belted and ran away like a de-rabbit. ''What the hell was that about ......?'' I was troubled by Elsa''s sudden odd behavior. However, I couldn''t do this forever, so I decided to get off the bed and change clothes. Then - konk konk. Quietly and discreetly. There was a knock at the door of my room. "Who is it? Good morning, master, if you would be so inclined. ''Is that Celeste''s voice?Okay--and master? Without thinking about it, I huffed and puffed right after a reflexive "okay". But without having time to think about it too much, the door opened and Celeste walked in. ''''--NAH! The same amount of surprise hit me as Elsa had earlier. The one who showed up was definitely Celeste, but I had never seen her dressed like that before. She was dressed as a maid. It wasn''t the original English-style maid, either, but an Akiva-style s*xy maid. Her skirt was short and her breasts were emphasized. It''s a type of maid''s outfit that lacks fabric here and there and is not suitable for work, but is specialized for seducing and tormenting men by showing bare skin. ''Nah, nah nah nah.'' ''Good morning, master. I have brought your breakfast. In spite of my panic, maid Celeste seemed really calm as she pushed the wagon into the room. On top of the wagon is a dish - breakfast. ''I beg your pardon, master, but would you like coffee or tea in the morning?'' ''What?Ah, ah, ...... then, coffee. Regardless of appearance and intentions, Celeste tries to perform her duties as a maid without embarrassment and as a normal person. Just like before, if the other person is embarrassed, I''m embarrassed too, and if I''m doing it properly, I''m going to get caught up in it and give a decent response. That decency seems to shut down my doubts, and maid Celeste brewed a cup of coffee on the wagon. Then she pours it into a teacup and tries to hand it to me. ''Here you are, master.'' Celeste held out her teacup - and then. The maid''s clothes got caught in the wagon--Don''t rattle! Celeste stumbled with a great deal of effort and slumped down. ''Aaaaaaatata ......'' Hey, you okay? Yes, I''m okay with ....... ...... Hmm?...... oh. I was about to curl my hands, when we both noticed it at the same time. Celeste slumped down and covered herself in coffee. That made her maid''s clothes wet, and what was just a very revealing outfit became even more transparent, revealing a lot of things (...). "--! When Celeste noticed this, her face turned red, she held her wet chest and ran away like a de-rabbit. ''Um, ......,'' Let''s just clean up ...... for now. Better not to think about anything, I thought, and I decided to put away the wagon that Celeste had flicked off. ''Low level, are you there?'' And then - three times my friends show up. A lot of things ran through my brain. Elsa the bikini, Celeste the s*xy maid, and Celeste the s*xy maid. And - Eve. And Eve?So I turned around to look at him. Are you dressed as you always are? Eve was dressed in her own bunny suit with her own bunny mimi. ''s*xy?'' No, it''s s*xy! Something was off with Eve, and I felt like I''d been shrugged off and given a grand plunge. 611 611. Sato Family (Completed) Cyclodungeon Society, President''s Office. I was facing Cell alone with him. There were several documents on the table, and Cell was looking through one of them with a straight face. They were the details of the Dungeon Satorium, and since the dungeon was starting to take shape and it was time to get it up and running, I came to report back to Cell. Cell looked up with a big smile on his face after reading through the materials I brought to him. ''''As expected of you, Satou-sama, this one dungeon is going to generate the same level of economic impact as all the other dungeons in Cyclo. ''I see. As far as I''m concerned, as long as every adventurer who comes to the dungeon is rewarded, that''s all that matters. There''s a hint of overprotection, but no, it''s not too surprising when you consider that this is just another example of Satou-sama''s selfless, God-like love! A cell that convinces one person and makes a strong case for one person. The way I''m holding up is evolving, or worse, it''s becoming more and more so, but I''m the kind of person who doesn''t listen when I stop ......, so I went through with it. ''So I guess that means you''re okay with this?'' Of course! ''That''s good to hear. Well then, as it says on it, we''ll open in a week, so use that schedule. All right. I''ll let the adventurers know. And I have one more thing you can help me with. What is it? I reformed and placed a sheet of paper on the table and held it out to Cell. Cell takes it and looks it over. ''I want you to spread the word about this list, too. Cell was surprised for a moment, then nodded quietly. The mansion in the Vanadium Dungeon. Emily greeted me with a smile as I came back from the front door. "I''m home. You''re on your way home, sir. I was instantly relieved to see the smiles on their faces, as if they were sunbeams, giving me a strong sense of ''home''. ''Hmm, I see you''re all here today. My brain''s radar caught it. All my friends were there, scattered all over the mansion. ''Yes, we''ve all been waiting for you, Yoda. As she spoke, Emily looked at me expectantly. Those eyes said, "How did it go? He strongly appealed to me. ''Oh, gather them all together,'' I understand. Emily ran in a flurry, and I slowly made my way to the saloon. A little later than me, my friends gathered in the saloon one by one. Celeste. Alice. Eve. Margaret. Elsa. Ena. Sakura. And last but not least, Emily. The family''s human group has all gathered in the salon. Like Emily, they all look at me expectantly. ''Uh ...... uh, I got permission from Cell. She says it''s okay. At the moment, everyone expressed their joy in different ways. ''Well, of course you are. Sakura said in a relatively calm tone. Even though she is like that, her cheeks are slightly upset. ''''I heard that was a decision made by one of the spirits, and that it''s strange for my uncle to go and ask. ''Well, just in case. It''s unheard of for a bunch of people to decide () on something like this, and there''s no way it wouldn''t affect them. I''m serious. I shrugged and looked at everyone again. Sakura first. ''Which one do you want, Sakura?'' I''m Sato. Okay. Next, he asks Elsa, Ena and the others. ''What about you two?'' Come on, Satou. Me too. He nodded, this time to Margaret. ''Margaret is,'' I''ll be in Sato. I turn to Alice next. ''Where''s Alice?'' I''d rather have Sato. Now it''s Eve. "Eve? "You''re so cocky for a low level. He chopped as he did so, but blurted out in a whisper, "Satou. ''What about Celeste?'' I''ll take Sato. Turn to Emily at the end. "Emily? Of course I''ll take Sato! My God, they all did. The dungeon satorium, the genie me. I made everyone with that spirit so that they could say their names, and they all chose "Satou" in unison. That made me both happy and embarrassed. ''Right. Well guys, keep up the good work at ....... ""Yeah!!!" We, the Sato family. We got the strongest bond in this world. We will continue to play an even more active role in the future.