kscans

Chapter 19 - Ways to Become Stronger

'Adventurer Training Ground'

Its purpose is exactly what the name suggests.

Shortly after the adventurer system was established, the government converted public gymnasiums and athletic fields across the country. The Dungeon Agency apparently negotiated with various parties, arguing that Awakened Persons needed places where they could practice with their weapons. Well, you can't use real swords, obviously.

I myself visit one of them from time to time.

"Ho, hah!"

I practiced with a rented wooden sword against a target called a 'pell.'

It's a simple thing—just a log stuck in the ground—that soldiers and mercenaries used in ancient times, but it was adopted at this training ground due to budget and durability issues.

Before, if I had tried to strike something like this with a wooden sword, the recoil would have immediately made me yelp in pain. But with my current body, it's not a problem.

In fact, if I use 'Mana Conversion,' I have to be careful not to break either the wooden sword or the pell.

Still, I come here to try and correct my swordsmanship, even if just a little.

...Of course, since there's no one to instruct me, it's all self-taught in the end.

I tell myself it's better than nothing and just keep imitating the Western swordsmanship moves I've seen in videos.

The sword I use is a 'bastard sword.' It can be wielded with one hand or two, but apparently, the center of gravity requires some thinking to swing properly... or so I've heard.

But I don't understand the finer details, so I just copy the moves that seem doable.

The 'Windmill Cut,' where you swing diagonally, then rotate the tip of the sword for another downward slash.

The 'Serpentine Cut,' which uses a diagonal stepping motion to make it difficult to defend against by changing your position.

The 'Viper's Stance,' where you grip the middle of the blade with your left hand for defense and to more easily target gaps in armor. ...The defensive part is just mental training for now, but remembering the movement might be useful someday.

Beyond that, I continued to mimic all the knowledge I could find online, like using the tip of the sword as a blunt weapon. Times like these, smartphones are really convenient.

With the appearance of dungeons and Awakened Persons, the number of gyms teaching swordsmanship and martial arts has increased. When I saw a sign in front of the station that said, 'Let's Have Fun Learning! Kaishakenjutsu!' I couldn't help but do a double-take.

After about an hour of training, I put the wooden sword in the return box. I handed the ticket I received upon entry to the front desk and paid the usage fee.

I didn't forget to show my adventurer license. Normally it's 1000 yen per hour, but with the license, it's only 500 yen.

I wasn't physically tired, but coming straight from school, I was mentally drained. I stretched lightly and was about to head home when...

"Yagawa-san. Yagawa-san, do you have a moment?"

"Yes?"

The lady at the reception called out to me, and I turned back with a questioning look.

Hmm, did I forget something?

That's what I thought, but the lady pointed to a man in a suit.

"Someone from the city hall would like to speak with you."

"...Huh?"

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'I see, a recruitment offer.'

"I was completely surprised, and now I'm exhausted..."

That night, the three of us were talking via Telepathy while playing 'Matsuo Sea Battle ☆ Squid-Octo Wild Dance.'

'Matsuo Sea Battle ☆ Squid-Octo Wild Dance'

The story follows the protagonist, Matsuo, a drunkard known as the 'Savior of Kyoto, Splash Matsuo' due to his exploits in a previous game. He accepts an invitation from a salmon who is gathering strong fighters from various lands to participate in a betting match called the 'Ink-Painting Battle' held at the Dragon Palace, aiming for the prize money.

The team that paints more of the battle stage with their own ink wins. Plus, the more ink you paint, the more the gauge at the bottom of the screen fills up, allowing you to use a special move: the 'Ultra Ink Splasher.'

Splatoon? I have no idea what you're talking about.

Anyway, back to the story. I thought the person from the city hall wanted to talk to me about something, but it turned out to be an offer to become a contract employee for the city office.

I didn't know much about it, but apparently, each municipality is starting an initiative to create a department of 'retained adventurers' to deal with nearby dungeons that aren't being sufficiently thinned out... the ones that adventurers don't often visit.

Usually, those dungeons are handled by issuing 'quests' to adventurers of the appropriate rank. But that lacks stability, so the city decided to secure their own personnel.

And that's why they went out of their way to recruit someone like me.

'How could you, Kyou-chan! Was our time together just a game to you?!'

'What a terrible man... To think a socially awkward virgin could toy with a woman's heart like this...!'

"If it's a game you want, that's what we're doing right now. And Aira-san, that's sexual harassment."

I dove into our team's ink spreading across the stage and went for a flank. Yes, one kill from a surprise attack. Now for another...

Ah, I've been sniped.

"I turned them down, of course. I'm not interested in taking on more risk for less reward."

Sadly, the city hall doesn't have much money either.

For now, dungeons don't generate any income, so dealing with them is purely an expense. Naturally, the compensation for a contract adventurer is also extremely meager.

I wouldn't get a reward as good as what Aira-san's lab offers, and my partners would be undetermined. In the worst case, I'd have to go in solo.

If they had approached me before my adventurer exam, I might have considered it... but as things stand now, there was really no merit in switching over.

"Still, I wonder why me? Are they just taking potshots, trying to recruit every adventurer in the city?"

'No, they were definitely aiming for you. Considering your boss monster kill, the record of you undergoing 'Appraisal' at the prefectural office, and your exam results, it's a logical choice.'

"Ah..."

Now that she mentioned it, there were plenty of reasons for them to recruit me.

To be honest, when I'm teamed up with Erina-san, it's hard to think of myself as being that strong. She's pretty exceptional, after all. In fact, sometimes it's me who gets discouraged.

She's beautiful, quick-witted, and has skills suited for exploration. Her personality is bright and kind. Other than my stats and number of skills, there's nothing I have over her.

'However, the fact that they went out of their way to approach you when you were alone suggests they were serious about getting you.'

"Maybe so. The official did say that they intended to talk to my parents as well, but they wanted to hear my thoughts first..."

But let's be honest, that city hall guy was trying to sweet-talk me. He probably thought a high school kid would be easier to persuade than his parents.

It's his job, and it concerns the safety of the city, so I'm not going to complain. I was just surprised. It was a risky move that could have easily blown up in his face.

'It just goes to show how attractive of an SSR you are.'

'You're so popular, Kyou-chan!! You're even getting love letters from the other team!!'

"Those aren't love letters, that's focused fire. Help me?"

This is strange. I'm a complete beginner with only three hours of playtime, so all I've been doing is spamming Matsuo's special move, the 'Cow Dung Missile,' which the system automatically multi-locks for me...

No, wait, that's a perfectly good reason to be targeted.

'Hahaha! I just got spawn-camped, so I can't.'

Ah, they've pushed us all the way back to our base. Isn't this bad?

'Leave it to me! Take this, my ultimate Poo Attaaaaack!!'

"Don't say 'poo.'"

Please just say the 'Ultra' part properly.

What? Did you think I meant Ultra-Poo? No. As you can see, it's a move where you swing down a dog-shaped hammer: the 'Ultra Doggo.'

'Hang on, Kyou-chan! I'll throw some poo your way!!'

"That sounds kind of gross..."

'Excretion!!'

"Now that's just regular poo."

'Wait for me, Kyou-chan-kun! I'll charge my gauge and get on the urchin!!'

The urchin? Ah, the 'Sea Urchin Tank.' A small tank with cannons that looks like a sea urchin.

Incidentally, its aim is all over the place and its power and armor are low, so online, the duration of its activation is called 'serving a prison sentence.'

"Why did you bring such a weak special move?"

'Tanks are cool, aren't they? Now, ride on! From now on, it's my time... ah. Aaaah...'

"Is falling off the stage and self-destructing cool?"

Maybe she messed up the motion for getting into the tank, because Aira-san's character just fell off the map.

'Hmph... The rest... is up to you...!'

"Don't give up, fight."

'Get fired up, senpai!! You use your poo too!!'

"Stop abbreviating it."

We lost, of course. It was a four-person match, so I apologize to the random person who got stuck with us.

'But seriously, Kyou-chan, aren't you too strong?'

"Nah. It's just because you two are using joke weapons."

'Nuh-uh. I'm not talking about the game, I'm talking about the dungeon.'

"Oh..."

Even if they say I'm strong, I think it's only within the context of 'E-Rank.'

After the game, I was scrolling through videos uploaded by other adventurers on my phone while we continued our telepathic conversation.

Watching these is helpful for reference, and more importantly, it makes me realize that there are people on a whole other level.

I'd rather not get a big head in a dungeon only to have not just my nose, but my entire neck broken.

'Your stats are certainly high, but is that enough to overpower a Kobold Lord by brute force?'

'That's an excellent question, Erina-kun.'

What's with that game show host reply?

'The secret lies in 'Mana Conversion.''

'The thing that makes the wind go whoosh?'

'That's right. First of all, as a premise, that's not something you can just activate constantly. It's a self-buff that's more like a finishing move, something you'd be lucky to use five times in a single exploration.'

...Come to think of it, I think I saw something like that online.

I once looked up videos and posts from people who had the same or similar skills as mine.

In fact, right now I'm watching a video from an adventurer who has the 'Concept Interference' skill.

It seems there are a lot of people in the world who are willing to reveal their hand. I'm grateful for that. This particular uploader seems to be more motivated by a need for approval than by ad revenue, so they provide a lot of explanations about their abilities.

'Kyou-chan-kun negates the weakness of high mana consumption with his 'Sage's Nucleus.''

I had previously given Aira-san my prepared explanation: 'Thanks to this skill, my body and mana recover quickly, and my head feels clear!' It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

Incidentally, upon hearing that, she had burst out laughing, saying, 'That sounds like some crazy drug!' Was that really something to laugh at...?

'While 'Mana Conversion' is active, you could say Kyou-chan-kun's 'Strength' and 'Agility' are effectively increased by '+10.' On top of that, his unique skill and 'Spirit Eye' combine to allow him to master rapid acceleration and deceleration.'

'Whoa.'

'To put it in game terms, it's like he gets to take two actions for every one action others get.'

"Aira-san, you really like your game analogies, don't you..."

'My hobbies are gaming and drinking!!'

Is that really something a young college student should be saying so proudly?

'But in reality, having a gamer's mindset can actually make dealing with Awakened Persons and dungeons easier, you know?'

'That's true. The knowledge from that TTRPG we played before, senpai, has actually been useful in explorations.'

"Ah..."

Now that she mentioned it, it was hard to deny.

Of course, games and reality are different, but it's true that they can be a 'good reference.' Living in the modern world, you don't really imagine 'what to do if you encounter a monster in a cave' until dungeons actually appear.

'...That's what I'm wondering about.'

"Yes?"

The playful tone in Aira-san's voice faded slightly.

'Why do monsters that we know, like Kobolds and Skeletons, actually exist? Don't you find that strange?'

"...Are you saying that people in the distant past actually saw real monsters?"

'I don't know. But perhaps the story is more complicated than that.'

"...?"

'...It's all just hypotheses. Any further talk is meaningless. Forget I said anything.'

Even if you tell me to forget it, saying something so profound makes me think all sorts of things.

'Senpai! It's not cool to end things with a mysterious comment just because you'd be embarrassed if you were wrong!!'

Oh, so the mysterious ending was intentional.

'Silence, Erina-kun! I want to maintain my mysterious older sister persona who always seems to know everything! I don't want to tarnish this cool beauty vibe!!'

"No, you only had that vibe when we first met."

'Zat is correct! I am ze true cool beauty!!'

"Don't compete with her."

'Very well. Then let us settle which of us is the true cool beauty, Erina-kun!!'

'I accept your challenge!! I'll make your teeth rattle in your jaw!!'

"Excuse me, I think I'll be leaving now. Good night."

'Wait, Kyou-chan-kun! Don't you want to be the witness to this battle of the century?!'

'Don't run away, Kyou-chan!! You're going to become a cool beauty too!!'

I removed the earring, wrapped it tightly in a towel, and put it in my desk drawer.

Then, on my phone, I opened the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club' website that I had looked up before.

Truly, the internet is convenient. As an excuse for creating 'Byakuren,' I had fudged it by saying 'I found the instructions on my phone before,' but there really is a site with that information.

It seems that those with the 'Alchemy' skill, instead of just accepting the knowledge that suddenly appeared in their heads as 'just how it is,' have gathered to deepen their understanding by putting it into writing.

Their posts align with the contents of the book that came with my 'Arcane Gear,' so they are undoubtedly 'the real deal.' They're different from the delusions written by the 'self-proclaimed alchemy skill holders' you sometimes see.

But well, the reason they go to such lengths to deepen their knowledge of alchemy is...

'The 108th Meeting to Create the Ideal Homunculus Wife.'

...80% lust and 20% a desire for 'the ultimate bodyguard who will do whatever you say.'

Putting the 20% aside, I felt a little pathetic for having instinctively empathized with the desires that made up the other 80%.

I mean, who wouldn't want one? A beautiful girl homunculus who is perfectly convenient for you.

Of course, I have no intention of actually making one. There are ethical issues, but more than that, I'm afraid of what others would think...!!

The thread also had a story about someone who, while living with his parents, created a golem body that looked exactly like a human woman and made his parents cry. At first, they seriously suspected a murder, and then they were saddened to think their son was making a custom love doll at home.

...You should cherish your parents!