kscans

Chapter 158 - The Mononoke

Monday arrived, the morning after a Sunday I couldn't decide had been heaven or living hell.

After attending class in a room with only four students, including myself, I went home, changed, and immediately started preparing to head to a dungeon.

...My 'daily life' has really changed a lot.

Dungeons and fighting monsters were becoming more and more a part of my world. And I was sure I wasn't the only one whose sense of normalcy had been warped like this.

I couldn't say whether this change was for the better or worse, but it was a fact that the world itself had changed.

I slung my backpack over my shoulder and headed for the front door with my hands full, when my eyes fell on the TV my mom had left on in the living room.

"It has been nearly two years and four months since the 'Day of Awakening,' and today we'll be discussing with our panel of experts just how the world has changed───"

"You see, the threat of monsters is what we should be most wary of! Especially those ghost-like ones that can't be harmed by conventional weapons, you see..."

"According to the results of our street survey, approximately sixty percent are opposed to making adventuring mandatory for Awakened Persons, with thirty percent in favor. Other topics include the Dungeon Law's───"

I turned off the TV with the remote and called out to my mom, who was hanging laundry.

"Mom, I'm heading out."

"What?... You're going to a dungeon again today?"

"Yeah. Well..."

My mom turned around, her brow furrowed with worry.

"I heard on TV a while ago that even going to a dungeon two or three times a week is considered a lot. Your team... party? Wasn't that what it's called? Aren't you going a little too often?"

"How many times you go a week varies a lot by rank. For 'B-Rank Candidates,' this is pretty normal."

According to the documents I got from the Dungeon Agency, some parties went as often as five times a week. At this rank, many adventurers did it as their full-time job.

Of course, my mother's concern was justified. For a student, this was definitely a high pace. I felt a little awkward and looked away.

"So, yeah, it's fine."

"...I trust you since that university professor is looking after you, but are you really okay?"

"I've never been seriously injured during an exploration. It's fine. If anything, things are more dangerous outside the dungeons."

"That's..."

As I gave a wry smile, it was my mother's turn to look away.

My parents had been caught in stampedes twice now. The first was with the `Orc Champion`, the second with the 'Demons.'

They knew the threat all too well.

"...Just don't push yourself too hard. Your father and I are doing Awakening training, too. If that goes well, you won't have to fight anymore."

"...You know. When you put it like that, it sounds like my parents have fallen deep into some new cult, and it's kind of scary."

"I thought the same thing as I was saying it... The world has really changed, hasn't it?"

"It sure has..."

'Adventurer' was now in the top three dream jobs for elementary schoolers.

Part of it was the increased income since some drop items became freely tradable, but I supposed a lot of kids were drawn to the RPG-like idea of fighting monsters in a labyrinth.

Even among adults, all sorts of rumors were flying around on TV and the internet—that starting Awakening training from a young age makes you more likely to Awaken, or that the children of Awakened Persons are more likely to Awaken.

While many people looked at the Awakened with prejudice, it seemed there were just as many who wanted to become one. And that number felt like it was still growing.

I'd heard that applications to the joint US-Japan Awakening Support Center were on the rise.

"Whoops, I should get going. I might be keeping Erina-san waiting."

"...Be careful on your way out. Safety first, you hear? If things get dangerous, run away immediately and call the SDF for help."

"Yeah, I know. They've distributed emergency magic tools to 'B-Rank Candidates,' so don't worry. Well, I'm off."

"Take care..."

I turned my back on my worried mother and headed for the door.

How many times had we had this conversation? I felt a little guilty.

But I needed power. In a world where a stampede could happen anytime, anywhere, the power to resist was essential.

I checked my shoelaces and touched the earring.

"Hello, Erina-san?"

"'Sup! What's up, Kyouta? You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Sorry to bother you, but could you?"

"Leave it to me! I'll teleport over to your place now!"

I readjusted the bag containing the disassembled `Byakuren` and picked up my locked weapon case with my other hand.

Sensing Erina-san's presence as she teleported just outside the front door, I opened it.

Right. Time to head to the dungeon again.

＊　　　　　＊　　　　　＊

Thanks to Erina-san's teleportation and Mia-san's driving, we all rode to the dungeon together.

This time, Mia-san was in a black van instead of her light truck. Apparently, the truck was her own, but the van was a rental.

Owning a car at eighteen must be a big deal. The fact that it's a light truck is a choice that makes me tilt my head, though I guess it makes practical sense when you consider her golems. Still, there are plenty of light trucks driving around my neighborhood.

For some reason, I have this image of rich university students driving sports cars. I'm aware it's a stereotype, though.

Anyway. After getting off the bypass and driving for a while, our destination came into view.

It was about an hour's drive, quite a distance, but there weren't many other ways to get here.

This was another B-Rank Dungeon, different from the `Dungeon of Utuq`. We pulled our van into the parking lot of a place barely serviced by public transportation.

"Mmm..."

Mia-san got out of the driver's seat and stretched lightly. I averted my eyes from her massive chest, which jiggled under her white shirt, and gave a small bow.

"Thank you."

"Is that sexual harassment, Kyouta-kun?"

"It is not. It was for the driving."

I'll keep my gratitude for the other thing to myself. If I said that out loud, I'd get punched or sued.

"Not at all. My shoulders are a little stiff, but I'm perfectly fine."

Mia-san said, lightly rotating her right shoulder. Her large chest swayed with a gentle bounce.

...Stiff shoulders.

"Senpai. Don't say that in front of Ā-chan, okay? For some reason, I made her mad the other day."

"Ā-chan?... Ah, right. Busujima-san. Yes, I'll... be careful about that."

Mia-san gave a wry smile as Erina-san launched a remote attack with her innocent eyes.

Poor Busujima-san. I've heard that women don't care about breast size as much as men think, but when you're surrounded by people who are all well-endowed, it's probably easy to develop a complex.

Come to think of it, most of the girls I've gotten to know recently have been quite gifted in that department... Even my new homeroom teacher looked like she had 'some' under her suit.

The only exceptions were Busujima-san and the professor... Awakened Persons are amazing. I hear your circulation improves when you Awaken; maybe that has something to do with it? It's a mystery.

"I wonder why Ā-chan got so mad... Is it one of those things where people hate it when you brag about your misfortunes?"

"Uh, you're asking me...?"

"Well, we're mutual friends."

I dodged Erina-san's gaze and tried to pass the buck to Mia-san.

She smiled awkwardly, then cleared her throat.

"Erina-san, everyone has their own worries. It's important to rely on others, but it's also important to realize things through conversation with them."

"Oh, okay! I'll ask Ā-chan about it next time!"

"W-Wait, let's not be so direct. It's the realizations you have during normal interactions that are most important."

"I don't really get it, but okay!"

I felt a vague sense of unease as Erina-san nodded with a triumphant look. Well, Ooyama-san will probably be with Busujima-san, so I'll trust her to handle it. At the very least, someone of the same gender should be better at mediating than me.

I gave Mia-san a small bow, making sure Erina-san didn't see.

"Thank you..."

"Is that harassment?"

"That joke fell flat the first time, you hapless university student."

"Wha-at...?!"

We continued our banter as we headed for the entrance.

After changing in the locker rooms, we went to the gate room. The basic procedure was the same as any other dungeon.

We presented our adventurer licenses and were led to a white door.

"Haaa..."

I took a single deep breath and deployed my `Arcane Gear`.

I finished activating the golems and confirmed my companions were ready.

"Aira-san, we're entering the dungeon now."

"Right. The monsters in there are just as dangerous as the ones in the Dungeon of Utuq. Be extremely careful."

"Understood."

Confirming that Erina-san and Mia-san had their hands on my shoulders, I stepped through the gate.

That familiar, unsettling feeling of the ground disappearing without any sense of floating. A moment later, my boots found solid, packed earth.

My lantern-style LED light illuminated the pale brown ground at my feet. In the darkness, a flash of 'lightning' directly overhead momentarily revealed our surroundings.

The road was about two or three lanes wide, flanked by long wooden buildings. They looked a bit like the row houses, the nagaya, you see in historical dramas.

As far as I could see, all the wooden doors were shut tight, as if unseen residents were cowering from the sound of thunder echoing from outside.

It was a city-type dungeon, a town enclosed in a rocky dome. But here, the ceiling was shrouded in dark, black storm clouds.

As intermittent flashes of lightning lit the ground, I touched my earring. The lightning here was special. As long as we just stood on the path, 'it alone' wouldn't strike us.

"We've entered the dungeon. Commencing exploration—"

"Kyouta!"

Erina-san's sharp cry and the vision from my [Spirit Eye] came at almost the same instant.

Immediately after, a sound like a mix between the wind and a bird's cry, SKREEEEEE, came raining down on us.

"Tch...!"

Just as I reflexively threw my left arm up to protect my head, lightning flashed.

It wasn't a lightning strike.

It was a surprise attack from directly above, as fast as lightning!

"SKREEEEEE...! SKREEEEEE...!"

Letting out a grating cry, the monster landed a few meters away, licking its long, broken claws.

Keeping my eyes on it, I drew my sword.

My own left arm, still clutching the scabbard, entered my field of vision. A deep claw mark was carved into the gauntlet, which was sturdy enough to act as a shield.

I readied my bastard sword, and the monster that had delivered the blow glared back.

Staring back at me was the face of a monkey. Its red eyes shone brightly in its black skin, and sharp fangs peeked from its mouth.

Its limber arms and legs, ending in long claws, were those of a powerful tiger. Its torso was that of a plump tanuki, and where its tail should have been, an amber-colored snake extended.

It was a massive beast, at least three meters tall. A famous 'yokai' from Japan stood before me.

`Nue`

"SKREEEEEE...!"

The mononoke, illuminated by the lightning, spread the monkey's mouth into a twisted grin.