kscans

Chapter 15 - The Dragon's Scars

A Great Tragedy Befalls a Small Town.

That was the headline that graced the front page the next day.

The afflicted town was one formed by the merger of several smaller towns during the great Heisei mergers, but it had been unable to overcome the wave of depopulation, and its population had been shrinking year by year.

What increased instead were elderly people living alone and lonely deaths.

This time, the gate had appeared in the home of one such deceased person. The house itself had been put up for sale by relatives, but according to a neighbor who was interviewed, it hadn't been properly inspected in several months.

The result of that was this disaster.

'Dragon'.

A monster whose name is almost guaranteed to appear in any fantasy work.

The first to capture its image was a news helicopter.

They were staff from a paranormal TV show, and they had apparently been searching for a UFO that had been sighted near the town in question.

That they found a dragon instead could only be described as misfortune.

They immediately reported it to the police and attempted to leave the area, but whether they had already been spotted by the dragon or it was simply bad luck...

A Wyvern appeared on their escape route. While taking a wide detour, they filmed the town, capturing what the newspapers would later call the 'tsunami of flames'.

Its true identity was the 'breath' unleashed by the dragon. A storm of fire that swallowed ten percent of the town in a single exhalation.

While they were distracted by the massive fire on the ground, they were struck by the Wyvern, and the helicopter is believed to have crashed.

Shortly after, the Self-Defense Force arrived on the scene. Two fighter jets distracted the dragon while combat helicopters shot down the Wyverns.

The dragon in question, surprisingly, retreated 'back into the dungeon'. A pursuit was impossible, but they succeeded in preventing any further spread of the damage.

Afterward, firefighting and rescue operations were carried out while remaining vigilant for any remaining Wyverns, but the scale was too massive for the SDF and fire department alone.

It was then that President Fudge Valentine of the United States dispatched the US Forces in Japan to the area as humanitarian aid, assisting in the rescue efforts.

Some voiced suspicions that they were there to scavenge for dragon scales, but thanks in part to the cooperation of the US military, the fire was extinguished about two hours after the dragon's retreat.

Nearly two thousand people were dead or missing. As far as damage from a dungeon overflow, it was the third largest in scale.

Currently, in the town... or rather, where the town used to be, the search for the missing by the SDF and US military is still ongoing.

On TV and the internet, naturally, the news is dominated by this incident.

'It would not be an exaggeration to say that the declining birthrate, aging population, and the concentration of people in urban areas led to this tragedy.'

'Can't the government be more proactive in investigating vacant houses?'

'Mutual support within communities is crucial, and communication between residents is...'

'The SDF's response was too slow. The fighter jets aside, their ground force deployment was far too sloppy.'

'A Wyvern, was it? When we were attacked by that flying lizard, a girl who looked to be in high school saved us.'

'Regarding the deaths among SDF personnel, the Minister of Defense will hold a press conference...'

'Minister! Is it true that SDF aircraft used missiles and machine guns while the evacuation status of civilians was unclear?!'

'Could the dungeon overflow not have been prevented?! Is this not a case of administrative negligence?'

'President Valentine has announced that he is deeply pained by the damage from this incident and others caused by dungeons. He told the media that the United States will provide as much support as possible in the near future.'

'There are many eyewitness reports of three girls who appeared to be Awakened Persons working hard to guide evacuees. Who were these people who risked their lives to save the townspeople? This time, we will...'

'Regarding the large number of fake news stories circulating on social media, Professor Uso states that this is a manifestation of social anxiety, and in order to avoid being deceived by such things...'

And so on. No matter which channel I turned to, the content was much the same.

On the internet, as feared, baseless rumors were flying around. Things like 'this is the work of aliens,' 'a US military conspiracy,' or 'the wrath of an ancient civilization.'

Furthermore, someone was arrested for doctoring an image of the dragon to make a video of it flying through the city and spreading it. It was utter chaos.

Thus, the impact of that incident on society was immense. And I, too, was affected, not insignificantly.

The final footage captured by the news helicopter. Because it was a live broadcast, an completely unedited version was shown in living rooms across the country.

It was only a few minutes long, but it was nothing short of 'intense'.

That was hell.

This 'Eye' of mine sometimes sees too much. The figure of a person being held in a Wyvern's jaws, the person on fire jumping into a river to escape the flames, the people who collapsed, bleeding from their ears from the dragon's roar, and stopped moving.

Even in a few seconds of footage, I could perceive all those scenes as information. To be blunt, it felt awful. I was truly glad I saw it before dinner. Otherwise, I would have thrown up.

After this incident, my parents told me, 'Maybe you should quit being an adventurer after all,' but a creature like that wouldn't appear in a dungeon that 'civilians' go to.

Dungeons are ranked from 'A' to 'F', but only those up to 'C' are open to the public.

A detailed investigation is still underway, but a dragon's dungeon would undoubtedly be designated 'B' or higher. Though, nine times out of ten, it would probably be the highest difficulty, 'A'.

Still, I understand how my parents feel. That incident in the town made them realize once again that monsters are terrifying creatures. I, too, felt my somewhat lax attitude tighten up.

But that is precisely why the conclusion I reached was...

"I'd like to increase the number of times I go to the dungeon..."

...to become more active as an adventurer.

'Hmm. May I ask why?'

I used the earring with the mirror to talk to Aira-san and Erina-san.

"Well... it's just that, after the dragon incident, I realized how scary dungeon overflows are."

'I see. So you want to actively 'level grind'.'

"Yes."

Right now, the city hall is calling and emailing every household to check if 'a gate has appeared somewhere in your home'. Since it's legally and logistically impossible for the city to check every house, they're asking people to at least check their own homes thoroughly.

Scam calls and visits are popping up amidst this, but that's another story.

As for vacant houses, city officials and the police are conducting investigations all over the place. In the midst of all this, what 'self-defense' can I do?

It's a little sad that the result of racking my brain was the overly simple answer of 'improving my self-defense capabilities'.

"If I focus on 'leveling up,' my chances of survival will increase, whether I fight or flee... and as a bonus, if I can help with the 'culling' in the neighborhood, it'd be killing two birds with one stone..."

I'm still an 'E-Rank Adventurer', but the dungeon closest to my house is also that rank. If I can cooperate in culling the monsters there, the chances of our area suffering damage will decrease.

But more than that, it's about leveling up. It promises a faster improvement in physical ability than regular strength training.

Leaving aside absurdities like dragons, I want to be able to choose whether to 'fight' or 'flee'. My survival rate should be higher than just hiding and waiting for the monster to go away.

In the recent incident, civilian Awakened Persons apparently played a major role in guiding the evacuation. In that hellscape where a dragon rampaged and Wyverns soared.

I may not be as capable as those rumored girls, but if I become stronger, I might be able to get my family to safety. At the very least, I can create that possibility.

"So, that's... uhm. What I'm thinking..."

'You sound incredibly timid, Kyou-chan-kun.'

'Your voice is even smaller than usual, Kyou-chan!! Speak from your gut!!!'

Well, yeah, because this is almost entirely for my own benefit.

It's a story that still has merits for Erina-san, but there's nothing in it for Aira-san. The professor probably chooses which dungeons to investigate. There shouldn't be any value in an unscheduled dungeon.

But if my parents found out I was exploring without her support, they'd worry even more...

Above all, Aira-san is my direct 'employer'. Even if I were to go to a dungeon solo after they refused, it's only proper to discuss it with them beforehand.

"Ah, well, if you two don't want to, I was thinking of just increasing the number of times I go to the dungeon by myself."

'Now, hold on, Kyou-chan-kun. Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions.'

"Y-Yes."

'Regarding your proposal, let me say this.'

"Yes..."

'Personally, I'm willing to accompany you on explorations of dungeons outside our research schedule. In fact, I'd like to.'

"Really!?"

'Yes. Well, I do have credits I can't afford to fail, so I can't say it's a guarantee.'

'A dungeon, huh. I'll go too! When are we going? Right now?'

"No, now's not a great time..."

It's already night. It's not a good idea to go to a dungeon at this hour. My mom would get mad.

'It might be a good idea to consult with Grandma... I mean, the Professor, and adjust the schedule. That way, you might get your usual reward, you know? If we make it officially part of the 'job,' it's easier for us to take responsibility in case of an emergency.'

"I'm so sorry for all the trouble..."

'Ha ha ha! Don't be so formal, Kyou-chan-kun. We're friends, aren't we!!'

"Uh... ah, yes."

'Hmph... I shall now sing a song. Please listen. Lyrics and music by Arisugawa Aira. 'Friendship Absolute Hypno-Max'.'

"No, please don't. Seriously. I apologize for hesitating."

'Woooooah! It's senpai's song! I'll sing too!!'

"Stop."

After that, the noise was so bad I seriously considered smashing the earring.

Her voice is beautiful, but the content of the song being some kind of friendship brainwashing is just... really something. And Erina-san is just plain bad at singing.

In any case, my adventuring activities now had a purpose beyond 'making money'.

From now on, I'll have to think about leveling up... strengthening my combat power...

As I searched for a site called the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club' on my phone, I flipped through the book that was part of my Arcane Gear.

＊　　　　　＊　　　　　＊

And so, the day after that conversation.

"Someone, anyone, help!"

"Hieee!"

'VUUUOOOOO!!'

I found a party running at full speed and an incredibly buff 'Kobold'.

...Could this be a bad situation?