kscans

Chapter 139 - Chapter Five: Settings + Bonus Content

Chapter Five: Settings + Bonus Content

● Characters

'Yagawa Kyouta' LV: 45 Race: Human, Awakened Person

Strength: 86 (Growth: A) Durability: 86 (Growth: A) Agility: 89 (Growth: A) Mana: 89 (Growth: A)

Skills

[Spirit Eye]

[Mana Conversion: Wind]

[Concept Interference]

Unique Skill

[Sage's Nucleus]

Notes: The protagonist of this work. As the title suggests, his communication skills are low, but since this chapter focused on his interactions with friends and acquaintances, that aspect was less prominent. The school building was also destroyed, so there was less of the 'high school student' element. I'm worried this might be false advertising. Without his knowledge, Professor Arisugawa's web is nearing completion. Off-screen, his parents have recently started warning him repeatedly, 'If you're going to the Arisugawa's house, make sure you behave yourself!' For certain reasons, he has taken to incinerating the contents of his trash can with alchemy every night. The strength of his self-control is like orichalcum. You could also call it his 'cowardice power.' However, in terms of combat ability alone, he may already rank in the top 5 among Awakened Persons.

'Rinzaki Erina' LV: 38 Race: Human, Awakened Person

Strength: 62 (Growth: C) Durability: 62 (Growth: C) Agility: 79 (Growth: A) Mana: 70 (Growth: B)

Skills

[Invisibility]

[Five Senses Enhancement]

[Spatial Magic]

Notes: A heroine-like existence in this work. A self-proclaimed ninja and beautiful girl with blonde pigtails and a large bust. The only daughter of Eric and Rina. Aside from her ninja claims, she is a perfect superhuman, excelling in both academics and athletics, with a beautiful face, great style, and a good family background. She was born without a sense of pain, which led her to engage in rather dangerous behavior as a child. Worried, her father had her learn martial arts, and he began showing her manga and anime to pique her interest, which is what led her to start calling herself a ninja. After Awakening, her sense of pain began to function normally... but for some reason, she can now 'turn it on and off.' As a result, when she sustains a serious injury, she consciously shuts off her pain to continue fighting. A certain part of her has recently increased in size, resulting in an 'H' cup.

Arisugawa Aira LV: 20 Race: Half-Elf, Awakened Person

Strength: 33 (Growth: E) Durability: 30 (Growth: E) Agility: 33 (Growth: E) Mana: 48 (Growth: B)

Skills

[Telepathy]

[Appraisal]

Notes: Heroine-like existence #2. A beautiful girl with silver hair, a large bust, and elf ears. Currently a 21-year-old university student. She spends most of her time at school in the research lab of her grandmother, university professor Arisugawa Eva. Normally a support role during explorations, she was caught in the Minotaur's dungeon and ended up fighting while fused with a spirit. As a result, she leveled up significantly in a single battle. However, in her normal state, she is not a combat-oriented Awakened Person, and her stats are low for her level. Her level cap is also '35,' so she may be the first among the Awakened to reach it. While she routinely praises herself, she secretly harbors a self-perception of being 'scum who would be better off dead.' This stems from a childhood where she felt unloved by her parents. However, she rarely lets this show so as not to worry her grandmother. Talking with Kyouta may have helped her slightly. Her chances of suicide were already low, as she had accumulated many 'reasons not to die.' A certain part of her is an 'F' cup. Her reliability rating with Kyouta skyrocketed after she organized the lewd cosplay party.

'Miyoshi Mia' LV: 34 Race: Elf, Awakened Person

Strength: 52 (Growth: D) Durability: 52 (Growth: D) Agility: 70 (Growth: A) Mana: 73 (Growth: A)

Skills

[Civil Engineering Magic]

[Water-Ice Magic]

[Mana Conservation]

Notes: Heroine-like existence #3. A beautiful girl with a blonde bob, an enormous bust, and elf ears. Currently an 18-year-old university student. She and Aira are half-sisters. She believed her birth mother loved her sister more, but it has now come to light that her mother may have loved Mia more. The truth remains a mystery. Her long-suppressed desires have recently begun to surface, and she has started directing intense, lingering gazes at her cousin Erina, her half-sister Aira, and Kyouta, who has been upgraded from 'curious creature' to 'person of interest.' She denies it, but she is quite the closet pervert. She is neither lesbian nor bisexual, but simply a lust demon whose objects of affection happened to be unconventional. The owner of a 'J' cup, meter-class bust. She has recently been troubled by the thought that 'it is immoral to love multiple people,' but she has been receiving devilish whispers from her own grandmother.

'Busujima Aika' LV: 18 Race: Human, Awakened Person

Strength: 34 (Growth: D) Durability: 33 (Growth: D) Agility: 41 (Growth: B) Mana: 44 (Growth: B)

Skill

[Cursed Poison Magic]

Notes: Erina's friend and classmate. Her heroine status is unknown. A slender beauty with long black hair. A certain part of her is a 'B' cup. Her father is a new-money tycoon who built his company from scratch. As such, he is very education-focused with his children, and the family atmosphere was strained even before the 'Day of Awakening.' When Aika awakened her [Cursed Poison Magic], her parents and siblings developed a one-sided fear of her. She herself holds no ill will toward her family.

Her [Arcane Gear] is a lewd dancer's outfit, so modified that it would likely draw complaints from professional dancers. As it makes her look like a harlot, she usually wears overalls during explorations. However, when she needs to use magic at full power, her [Arcane Gear] manifests automatically.

'Ooyama Shizuku' LV: 16 Race: Dwarf, Awakened Person

Strength: 38 (Growth: B) Durability: 36 (Growth: B) Agility: 33 (Growth: D) Mana: 37 (Growth: D)

Skills

[Mana Enchantment: Iron]

[Magical Engineering]

Notes: Erina's friend and classmate #2. Her heroine status is unknown. A short girl with a large bust, red hair in a short cut, and sharp, three-pointed eyes. A certain part of her is an 'H' cup. She was planning to use her power as an Awakened Person to rebuild her family's factory, but before she knew it, she had effectively taken it over from her father. Although there is a slightly awkward atmosphere at home, her relationship with her parents is currently good. Believing that 'skill proficiency is just as important as leveling up,' she is targeting Kyouta's materials. According to her, her skills are honed the most when using materials from the exquisite mine that is him... apparently. The truth of this is unknown, but her skill precision has indeed improved considerably. She regrets losing the spear made from Kyouta's materials and feels remorse, but since he told her not to worry about it, she is energetically trying to secure more Kyouta materials today. She gets genuinely depressed when called a pervert.

'Walkers'

Notes: The adventurer clan founded by Yamashita Hiroshi and his merry companions. Initially, they called themselves a 'guild' because it sounded cool, but recently they have come to be treated by others as 'a guild, a rank above a clan.' The largest Awakened Person organization. They have many non-Awakened administrative staff, are active in community service, and are known as the 'bridge between Awakened and non-Awakened.' They are allied with the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club,' and the key to their rapid expansion has been the loan of golems and equipment from them. In this chapter, they managed to suppress the public opinion that was on the verge of exploding into 'Awakened vs. non-Awakened' due to the Turohorse incident. However, the embers of conflict are still smoldering and could ignite at any time, so Yamashita's stress shows no signs of ending.

'Dungeon Agency'

Notes: The second organization of long-sufferers. The number of employees on the verge of getting less than an hour of sleep on average has been increasing, so a movement to force them to take vacations has begun. It's a minor miracle that no one has died from overwork yet. Their off-the-books work has also increased, such as secretly protecting the former U.S. ambassador Chris Mackenzie and negotiating covertly with Jack of Britain's MI6. Furthermore, Director Akasaka is aware of the 'mischief' of his daughter and her friends, and his stomach pain has become a serious problem. His stomach lining may require magical treatment.

'Turohorse'

Notes: An Awakened-supremacist organization. Its funding sources were tributes from subordinate adventurer clans, special fraud using effectively imprisoned non-Awakened individuals, and investment from Great Britain. However, they were annihilated this time after being attacked twice by a group of four barbarians. The cause was a 'weapon with unusually high-precision Concept Interference' crashing into their multi-layered barrier wall. Since it was something they had their subordinate clans steal in the first place, it was, in a sense, karmic retribution. The means they used to control their subordinate clans and non-Awakened was a 'magical contract.' If broken, it would unleash a curse, which non-Awakened and low-level Awakened had no way of defending against. Led by their representative, Yaguruma, they had a lineup of extremely powerful Awakened Persons. Their combat strength, limited to land warfare, was comparable to a battalion armed with modern weaponry. After being beaten to a pulp by the barbarians, their leader Yaguruma suffered a mental breakdown from fear, followed by retaliation from his female victims, which dealt a massive blow to their public image, rendering the organization unsalvageable.

'The Mysterious Group of 3, now 4'

Members:
- A short, large-busted beauty with long black hair in a two-side-up style. Her weapon is a greatsword whose blade splits apart to become a cannon.
- A slender beauty with gray hair in a ponytail. Her weapon is a great scythe, and she can summon and command wolf-like familiars from her shadow. She's actually repeating a year. Has past experience in mock battles with the GSDF.
- A busty, blonde elf. A beauty with a gentle face. Childhood friends with the two-side-up girl. She looks like a priestess and can use healing and buffs.
- A normal-busted beauty with long black hair and straight-cut bangs. Director Akasaka's daughter and a father-con. One of the barbarians who believes herself to be the group's restraining influence. Her weapon is a bow and arrow.

Notes: The original three members possess talent comparable to Kyouta. Akasaka's daughter may not have as much talent, but her barbarity is on par with theirs, so it's not a problem. Barbarians are drawn to each other. They are fundamentally good-natured girls who will help an old woman struggling with heavy bags, and if they find a lost child, they will not hesitate to speak to them and either take them to a police box or help them find their guardian. They are kind-hearted gorillas. It's just that 'violence' is always an option in the back of their minds. Their family environments are not particularly tragic; it may be that their natural talent and encounters with Stampedes made them this way... or they might just be natural-born barbarians. For the most part, they rarely resort to 'violence for their own sake' and often fight 'to help others who are being unreasonably oppressed.' Perhaps they aren't barbarians after all. Their activities have been discovered by Director Akasaka, so they are all confirmed to receive a lecture. Being good people at heart, they cannot argue back when lectured with sound reasoning. They will reflect on their actions, but they won't regret them, and they haven't said they won't do it again.

● Monsters

* 'E-Rank Monster'

'Giant Spider' - As the name suggests, a giant spider. Its torso alone is about the size of a large dog. Its fangs are not venomous, and it only produces a single strand of silk. It does not build webs but roams the dungeon on foot. Its strength is appropriate for its rank, a straightforward monster. However, few adventurers come to cull them due to their appearance.

* 'C-Rank Monster'

'Stymphalides' - It resembles a crested ibis but is more than twice the size. It has a crown-like crest of feathers. Its beak, claws, and the tips of both wings are made of magically infused bronze, making them extremely hard. They are also sharp, capable of easily piercing a one-centimeter iron plate. It can fly and can shoot its feathers like a machine gun. The feathers are also coated with a potent poison.

'Kelpie' - A monster in the form of a blue horse. It has a body so powerful it is recognizable as a fine steed at a glance. Its attack power, defense, and mobility are enhanced by water it creates with magic, and it can also shoot spears made of water. It can move underwater, and is in fact faster there than when running on water or land. It also has the ability to absorb mana from surrounding water, and its fuel efficiency is not bad.

* 'B-Rank Monster'

'Cretan Bull' - A monster that looks like a mix of a bull and a person, with seaweed growing like fur. It stands about two meters tall. Underneath the seaweed is a wooden doll, which is empty inside. There is enough space for a person to fit inside. It has skills for 'Water-Ice Magic' and 'Self-Regeneration,' allowing it to fight at close to medium range. It can also walk on water with magic, allowing it to move on the sea. It is also an excellent swimmer.

* 'Boss Monster'

'Minotaur'

Strength: 80 Durability: 70 Agility: 80 Mana: 20

'Super Strength' - As the name suggests, a skill that momentarily increases its physical power. It consumes a corresponding amount of stamina, but for the Minotaur's powerful body, it's not a significant drawback even when used continuously.

'Linear Acceleration' - Also as the name suggests, a skill that increases its speed, but only in a straight line. It puts a heavy strain on its legs, but the effect is extremely high.

'Lord of the Labyrinth' - Grants control over the passages of a dungeon with which it has a spiritual connection. It has no jurisdiction over the monsters inside or the opening and closing of the dungeon. However, by simply pouring in mana as a catalyst, it can perform large-scale reconfigurations of the passages.

Notes: This chapter's boss. A 'B-Rank Boss Monster' on par with the 'Rey Cuelebre.' Its mana is low compared to other monsters of the same rank, but its physical abilities are on par with a higher rank. It has the appearance of a mix between a bull and a human, covered in white fur. It is muscular and large, standing over three meters tall. Although not demonstrated in combat, it is an excellent swimmer. It can travel nearly 100 kilometers by swimming if it chooses. The Minotaur's drop item is a crystal magic tool engraved with a pattern resembling a ball of yarn. It grants the 'right to select passages' within a dungeon with which one has a spiritual connection. However, its mana consumption is much worse than when the Minotaur itself used it.

● Q&A

Q. When Eric-san was attacked, why was the gas airgun man using a hand warmer in the summer? It's summer, so the gas shouldn't get cold, right? Is it magic-related?
A. No. It was simply because the inside of the car was cold from the air conditioner. Since they were all dressed in black, including ski masks, they were running the AC on high.

Q. Why did they kidnap an old guy instead of a beautiful woman or girl?!
A.
Driver: "Because the wife was always with her 'C-Rank adventurer' daughter."
Airgun Man: "I heard the daughter was skilled, but there was also some kid with her who could jump across a two-lane road and catch up to a car. Isn't this job just awful?"

Q. Were those four kidnappers originally a team?
A.
Knife Man: "No. We all just met the day before. We usually work solo, occasionally teaming up with others. That was our first job with that lineup."
Stun Gun Man: "Keh-hih-hih-hih! Rerorerorerorero."
Knife Man: "Hey, my ears hurt. But my brother's right. We were Awakened too, but our opponents were a higher class."

Q. A maritime dungeon? Won't that kill logistics?
A. Japanese Government: "It's very bad. For now, we've asked the media to direct the public's attention to Turohorse-related news to buy time to formulate a plan. Otherwise, the whole country will panic."

Q. Did the news reports really say 'anus' on TV?
A. They did at first, but later they switched to more vague phrasing like 'the assault on Mr. Yaguruma.' The TV station in the story must have been flooded with complaints...

Q. That spear that pierced Yaguruma...
A.
Ooyama-san: "...What do we do?"
Kyouta: "Let's just pretend we didn't see anything. If it's that damaged, they probably can't identify the material or the creator..."

Q. Why not just build the mega-float where the seabed is really deep?
A. A dungeon that appears on the sea is a nest for monsters capable of crossing the sea... To be honest, just being in the seas near Japan is as dangerous as being on land.

Q. So logistics are still screwed, then?!
A.
Other Countries: "Yep. So let's sacrifice Japan and burn everything with some 'Wisdom of Humanity' bombs!"
Japan: "Wait a minute???"
United States: "That's right. It's not time for that yet."

Q. Fusing with a spirit is super strong! Let's just go kill all the monsters!
A. The downsides of spirit fusion and such might come up in the beginning of Chapter 6. Including the reason why Aira, who is unathletic, was able to keep up in high-speed combat.

Q. Who does Professor Arisugawa intend to make Kyouta's bride?
A.
Professor Arisugawa: "Now is not the time to reveal everything."

Q. What was going through Yamashita-san's mind when Kyouta called?
A.
Yamashita-san: "Aieeeeh?! The Invisible Ninjas?! Why the Invisible Ninjas?!"

"...It seems Turohorse has also made an enemy of the Invisible Ninjas."

"Wait, does this mean there could be an 'Invisible Ninjas vs. Turohorse' conflict in the country? Isn't that bad?"

"I-I managed to get confirmation that the 'Invisible Ninjas' won't intervene in this matter...!"

Yamashita-san barely made it through in a cold sweat. He will later be informed by the club that 'Professor Arisugawa's party was the one who conquered the maritime dungeon.'

Q. Will Eric-san and the others be okay with the impact on maritime shipping?
A.
Eric-san: "Well, we don't only do business with Japan, and we have many clients, so we'll be fine. ...And one of our rival companies just went under."
Rina-san: "...Wait, this might actually be an opportunity."

Q. What happened to the Minotaur's drop item?
A.
Director Akasaka: "Negotiate... can I even...?! With that 'Professor'...?!"
Professor Arisugawa: "Keeping it would be a waste of a good treasure at best, and a potential source of trouble at worst. If we can turn it into money, we should. My son-in-law-to-be worked hard, and Aira seems somewhat refreshed. Let's negotiate hard for this, as a celebration."

Q. Director Akasaka used to be in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, but doesn't he have a lot of dangerous connections?
A. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its various sides. + He's actually a very capable person.

Q. The U.S. pushed the first button?
A. That's a story for another time...

● Bonus 'Route Where Kyouta and Erina Didn't Take the Exam on the Same Day'

I was watching TV on an absurdly large sofa in an unnecessarily spacious living room.

A 'battlefield' was being shown.

'We, Turohorse, resolutely oppose the tyranny of the incompetent non-Awakened! We are the ones who will truly guide humanity!'

'Take a look. This is footage of the Turohorse headquarters taken with a special camera. A huge chunk of ice has been—'

'Early this morning, a third battle broke out. We have reports that police casualties have now exceeded 140, and the deployment of the Self-Defense Force is—'

'Well, they can't deploy the SDF. The SDF can only fight foreign enemies or terrorists. Even for anti-monster warfare, there was a lot of debate, wasn't there?'

'The SDF can't be deployed against Turohorse. The police have to handle it alone.'

'However, if it's a public security operation rather than a defense mobilization, the SDF could—'

'We have information that the key members inside have already escaped via teleportation, but as for that—'

'I'm sure I saw it! About four girls running at incredible speed away from the Turohorse headquarters! They were all badly injured—'

'Fierce battles are breaking out at Turohorse branches all over, and opportunistic crimes are on the rise—'

"Things have gotten pretty crazy..."

The world, or at least Japan, had become a place where the peace of just a few years ago was unbelievable.

Massive numbers of people had died in successive dungeon Stampedes, and apparently some dragon called a Cuelebre had gone on a rampage just the other day.

Because of that, the next town over suffered catastrophic damage, and many people from school died.

An acquaintance of my parents was also a victim, and it's rare for a week to go by without a funeral.

My own circle of friends is small, but I've been attending more funerals myself.

...There was also the funeral for those girls I met in June...

Rinzaki Erina-san, her friends, and her cousins.

I'd never had a proper conversation with them, but I didn't think that girl who called herself a ninja was a bad person.

But somewhere I didn't know, at a time I didn't know, she died, just like that.

Apparently, a dungeon had appeared on the sea. They were unlucky enough to enter it, and they all went missing.

After a certain number of days, they were presumed dead, and her parents held a funeral.

They apparently contacted everyone in her phone's contact list, but none of her unfeeling classmates attended.

Or maybe they were just tired of going to funerals.

So many people are dying. Perhaps because of the social anxiety, crime is on the rise. Especially crimes committed by Awakened Persons.

I hear more and more young Awakened are joining Turohorse. I've been scouted a few times myself. I turned them all down.

"Byakuren... what do you think will happen to this country?"

I asked the golem maid sitting next to me.

With long, black hair and a beautiful face, she was dressed in a maid uniform that couldn't conceal her ample chest. She replied in a monotone.

"I do not know. However, I believe it is necessary to increase the defensive capabilities of the 'Mansion.'"

"Well, yeah, I guess so."

In the first place, a 'mock-Homunculus' doesn't have that much of a thought process. The fact that we can even have a conversation is thanks to the 'Nucleus.'

Currently, myself, Byakuren and the others, and my parents live in a completely different house than before.

The empty lots around the house I used to rent have all been cleared, leaving a wide expanse of empty land.

I'd been earning a lot as an adventurer, and watching TV made me think this country was in serious trouble.

But moving abroad was also scary. So, I decided to just buy up the entire area.

After consulting with a lawyer I hired, I had a large mansion built, with a wall surrounding the entire property. I also built a separate house for my parents to live in.

Because I had earned so much, I became a target. Or maybe they were after me as an Awakened Person. My parents also started being targeted.

I felt bad for my dad, but I had him quit his job. Now he's studying law and accounting to support me. I'm clueless about taxes and stuff.

I've deployed an alchemical barrier over the entire property. Inside, there are 120 combat golems, 200 labor golems, and 50 maid golems.

While I'm home, I supply them with mana remotely, but I've also built a 'Core Reactor' for when I'm away.

There's also the 'Magi Battery' that the club made public. It's not as efficient, but the output of the reactor is enough to run the golems and the barrier without issue even if I'm gone for a while.

This might be overconfidence, but I think the defenses are comparable to the Turohorse headquarters.

Inside, I'm growing alchemically enhanced vegetables and raising livestock, which is going well so far. Legally, it's difficult to sell food altered with skills, so not having a market for it is a problem.

It's half a hobby, half insurance for the future. In any case, my daily life is fulfilling.

...Well. There is one thing I'm worried about.

My level. Currently, I'm 'LV: 50.' It's exceptional for a typical adventurer, but I feel like my growth has been stagnating recently.

I don't feel like I've hit the cap. I've been running a demon dungeon lately, but the experience points seem low.

I might need to find a dungeon that's better for leveling up.

It's legally impossible to enter a dungeon with only golems, so I need to go myself. I don't really want to travel far, so I pursed my lips.

I flopped down, resting my head on Byakuren's lap beside me.

"It's too much trouble to think."

"You've worked hard, Master."

I made her myself, but Byakuren's thighs are soft. They're the best, even through her skirt.

When I look up, half my vision is blocked by her huge breasts—a magnificent view. The other golem maids are standing by behind the sofa, and though it's still daytime, I think I'll enjoy myself.

I gave Byakuren's chest a squeeze before standing up and walking toward the bedroom.

"It's my first day off in a while, so I want to refresh myself. Byakuren, White, and about three others, come to the bed."

"As you wish."

I don't want to deal with people anymore. My parents and the golems are all I need.

But still... if another Stampede happens nearby, maybe I wouldn't mind lending a little help.

I remember the face of that self-proclaimed ninja whose funeral was held the other day.

During the demon Stampede, she went out of her way to escape with the dead weight.

...Maybe I'm being influenced. I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.

For now, I'll just indulge myself in debauchery.

To forget the troublesome and harsh reality.