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Chapter 26 - Settings

Chapter One: Settings

● Characters

'Yagawa Kyouta' LV: 10 Race: Human, Awakened Person

Strength: 34 (Growth Potential: A) Durability: 34 (Growth Potential: A) Agility: 37 (Growth Potential: A) Mana: 37 (Growth Potential: A)

Skills

'[Spirit Eye]' An otherworldly eye, a type of Mystic Eye. It can see through illusions created by powers that defy worldly logic, including magic, and can visualize the flow of mana. It also functions as a very limited form of future sight concerning danger to himself and his allies.

'[Mana Conversion: Wind]' Converts mana into wind and releases it. A powerful self-buff skill with poor fuel efficiency. However, in Kyouta's case, his unique skill nullifies this weakness.

'[Concept Interference]' Allows him to ignore defenses that are magical, skill-based, or otherwise defy worldly logic. However, it cannot interfere with physical strength or weight. Can be applied to perform 'Magic Slaying' or 'Magic Returning'.

Unique Skill

'[Sage's Nucleus]' His heart harbors the same power as the Philosopher's Stone, the ultimate treasure of alchemy. It heals any wound in an instant and nullifies all diseases, poisons, and curses. A 'power that strives for perfection,' it can even defend against offensive interference from time and space. It also has a support function for high-speed thinking, though it does not enhance intelligence—it only increases the speed of thought. Additionally, due to its nature, it can influence his [Arcane Gear], allowing him to materialize a grimoire containing the fundamental knowledge of alchemy.

Remarks: The protagonist of this story. A high school student with a communication ability of only 5. He has recently begun showing the rather sad traits of being an 'introvert who acts tough online' and being 'bold with his family but timid with others.' His original looks were plain, but after Awakening, the quality of his hair and skin improved, bringing his appearance up to 'above average.' His eyelashes have apparently grown longer, too. However, since all Awakened Persons' looks improve, he's still just average when compared to the whole. His [Arcane Gear] also has a plain style, but in terms of pure performance as an Awakened Person, he is without a doubt 'SSR' class. Incidentally, Yagawa Kyouta's true strength is thought to be a 'high-firepower evasion tank'... which is a front for an 'indomitable vanguard who uses high durability and regeneration'... which is a disguise for a 'high-firepower, high-mobility, medium-armored humanoid cavalry with infinite stamina and auto-recovery.' His most suitable fighting style is not in the narrow corridors of a dungeon, but running freely across a wide area, cutting down enemies as he passes. However, this is difficult to utilize in dungeon exploration. In his usual explorations, he brute-forces his way through with his overwhelming specs. Despite this combat power, on the inside, he is still a 'socially awkward, introverted virgin.'

'Rinzaki Erina' LV: 8 Race: Human, Awakened Person

Strength: 23 (Growth Potential: C) Durability: 23 (Growth Potential: C) Agility: 34 (Growth Potential: A) Mana: 27 (Growth Potential: B)

Skills

'[Invisibility]' By consuming mana, she can make herself invisible. Her [Arcane Gear] is considered part of her body and turns invisible with her. According to Erina, this is the 'Art of Invisibility Jutsu.'

'[Five Senses Enhancement]' Allows her to arbitrarily enhance any of her five senses. She can enhance up to two at the same time. The 'enhancement' is a 'conceptual enhancement,' meaning that she won't be blinded by strong light while her vision is enhanced. According to Erina, 'A ninja's five senses are the best in the world!!'

'[Spatial Magic]' A magic that allows her to use an '[Item Box]' and 'teleport to marked locations' by consuming mana. Due to its powerful abilities, its mana consumption is high. According to Erina, it's 'Ninpo! Spatial Ninjutsu!!' She apparently wants to replicate a certain technique from a manga someday, but it's unclear when that will be.

Remarks: The heroine of this story? Probably the heroine. A self-proclaimed ninja and Awakened Person, and a member of Kyouta's party. Her true identity is his classmate. Being a quarter British, she is a beautiful girl with blonde hair and emerald eyes. Her figure is also outstanding, and rumors say she is the 'ideal young lady, as long as she sits there silently.' Her past has yet to be revealed in the story, but she is fixated on the words 'family' and 'ninja.' Her bust size, not to mention where, is a 'G.'

'Arisugawa Aira' LV: 1 Race: Half-Elf, Awakened Person

Strength: 11 (Growth Potential: E) Durability: 8 (Growth Potential: E) Agility: 11 (Growth Potential: E) Mana: 20 (Growth Potential: B)

Skills

'[Telepathy]' A skill that allows her to converse with people far away by consuming mana. It often manifests as simple 'telepathy,' but in her case, it is activated through a 'pair of mirrors.' Depending on the size and orientation of the mirrors, it can also be used like a remote camera.

'[Appraisal]' A skill that allows her to discern the nature of living and non-living things she sees. However, it can only make a rough judgment and cannot identify detailed information.

Remarks: The other heroine of this story. Probably, most likely, a creature that resembles a heroine. She is Erina's cousin, and they are very close. She currently lives with her grandmother. She requested that Kyouta and Erina's party act as her hands and feet inside dungeons. She uses [Telepathy] to provide support while collecting research data. Her past has not been detailed either, and what is known is: 'Her hobbies are games and drinking alcohol.' 'She is taciturn with anyone she can't feel superior to.' 'She has few to no friends.' 'She is ridiculously good at fighting games.' 'She taunts other players relentlessly in online games.' 'She is surprisingly unathletic.' 'Despite that, she is in excellent health.' 'In middle school, she got into a fistfight with a grade school girl and was made to cry.' And she has some kind of attachment to 'family.' A lot is known about her, yet the crucial parts are a mystery. The currently revealed information paints a picture of a rather hopeless person. However, she is apparently an excellent student, attending a famous national university in the prefecture and belonging to the laboratory run by her grandmother. She is also beautiful, with a good figure, and could be called a peerless beauty if she were silent. She is characterized by her long silver hair and elf ears. Her size, not to mention where, is an 'F.' She's well-endowed despite having elven blood.

'Yamashita Party'

Average LV: 7 Race: Two cat beastmen and two human Awakened Persons.

Remarks: An adventurer party consisting of the Yamashita siblings, their childhood friend, and the sister's friend. Being a group of four close friends, their teamwork is good, but as Awakened Persons, their stats and skills are quite ordinary. However, they are steadily working hard. Yamashita's older brother believes that 'dungeons will one day become a huge market' and is apparently planning a vague future for himself. They had an unlucky encounter with a Kobold Lord in an 'E-Rank Dungeon' and were on the brink of death before being saved by Kyouta and his party. Afterward, they were also caught in the dungeon stampede in Chiba Prefecture, showing their terrible luck. However, they showed their strength of heart by rescuing people during the incident. They are currently aiming to establish a 'guild,' which is why they were in Chiba. They are scheduled to make contact with the 'Alchemy Enthusiasts Club' soon.

'Dungeon Agency'

Remarks: An agency newly established to deal with the emergence of Awakened Persons and dungeons. It is perpetually understaffed and underfunded. They are constantly given unreasonable demands from both above and below, and some employees haven't been home in a week. It's a collection of misfits and heretics from various departments, but many of them are highly competent in areas other than social skills. They also have surprisingly high morale and take pride in their work. Currently, the director is negotiating with the higher-ups for 'an increase in monster subjugation rewards,' 'permission for public sale of certain drop items,' and 'a partial relaxation of the Swords and Firearms Control Law for adventurers.' The director's stance is, 'Even if my ideas are proven wrong in ten, or even five years, I've judged them necessary for now.' It is still unknown if he will get approval from above.

'The Mysterious Trio of High School Girls'

Average LV: Unknown. But all are '10' or higher. Race: Unknown. One has elf ears.

Remarks: Their names and detailed appearances are unknown. It is said that they are all beautiful girls. The main attacker and tank is the 'Greatsword User,' the 'Elf-eared Girl' handles healing, offense, and support, and the 'Great Scythe User' acts as scout and skirmisher. These girls were present at both the dragon's dungeon stampede and the one in Chiba. At both scenes, they worked to protect civilians, which speaks to their good nature. In the Chiba incident, the 'Greatsword User's' family was also caught up in it, and she was deeply relieved and grateful to the Yamashita Party for rescuing them. If the Yamashita Party had not been able to save her parents... a different outcome might have occurred.

'Byakuren'

Strength: 21 Durability: 37 Agility: 15 Mana: None

Remarks: A 'golem' created by Kyouta. Its head is a modified kettle containing a 'pseudo-homunculus.' Normally, the creator's semen is used as a material for a homunculus, but Kyouta, not wanting to form an attachment, created it using only 'mana and several types of herbs.' As a result, the flask contains something like an AI without an independent ego. Believing that it wouldn't hurt his heart or his wallet much if it broke, Kyouta uses it as a tank and luggage carrier during dungeon explorations. Golems with a homunculus as their brain are generally terrible in terms of fuel efficiency, and 'Byakuren' is no exception. It requires frequent mana refueling. Because he was in a hurry and it was slow by his standards, it was left at home during the Orc battle in Chapter 1.

● Dungeons

A place of complete mystery. For the most part, the environment is habitable for humans. There are monsters inside that attack any humans who enter. There is a white gate on the outside that only Awakened Persons can pass through. There is also a door on the inside, which allows one to exit. SDF experiments have shown that even if the interior is damaged to some extent, it regenerates over time for some reason. For structures like fortresses and castles, investigations are underway to determine 'what lies beyond these walls.' However, progress has been slow due to monster attacks and other factors. A surveillance camera recorded the salt from a monster that died in a dungeon melting into the floor after a while.

● Monsters

Creatures that are active inside dungeons. Some have biological appearances, while others look non-biological. When they die or are destroyed, they leave behind some kind of item and turn into 'salt.' Be warned that if you try to take this monster salt out of the dungeon, all the monsters in the dungeon will target you. If their numbers increase beyond a certain point inside the dungeon, they will overflow through the exit to the outside. Their ecology is full of mysteries, such as their numbers increasing despite having no reproductive organs, and many other points that differ from normal creatures. Also, while they didn't need to eat inside the dungeon, once they got outside, they were seen eating humans, suggesting a need to intake energy from external sources. A characteristic of individuals that have left the dungeon is that their aggression increases and their eyes glow red.

● Monsters Encountered

※ 'F-Rank': Characteristics of this rank include 'low intelligence,' 'do not use weapons,' and 'are simply weak.' The first enemy for any adventurer.

'Zombie Kobold': As the name suggests, it looks like a zombified Kobold. Its intelligence is reduced, but its physical strength is greater than a normal Kobold's. In return, it cannot use weapons and its fur is rotten, making it weaker overall.

'Matango': Commonly known as the 'weakest monster.' It's just a giant mushroom with mushroom-shaped legs. It doesn't even have a spore attack. An area where a stampede occurred had zero fatalities because it was their territory. Apparently, they would even lose one-on-one fights to unawakened old ladies and high school girls who were just around. There are reports of a swarm of about 50 being crushed by 10 construction workers.

'Lesser Treant': A monster suspected of being mis-ranked. It has arms like thick branches growing from a tree stump, which it uses to thrust like a spear. Its toughness is equivalent to a normal tree stump, making it difficult to defeat with swords or spears. According to Kyouta, it's 'more troublesome than a clumsy E-Rank monster.'

※ 'E-Rank': The main characteristic of this rank is 'having the intelligence to use weapons.' The majority of adventurers are in this rank.

'Skeleton': A self-explanatory moving skeleton. They are armed with tattered swords and spears, and some individuals even wear rusted armor. They seem to have some level of intelligence, destroying lighting set up by the SDF and attacking from the darkness.

'Kobold': A bipedal, dog-like monster. It possesses the agility and sense of smell of a beast. It wields weapons and cooperates to 'hunt.' Its fur also serves as natural armor.

'Goblin': So common it's hard to know what to explain. A small, goblin-like fae with green skin. Not only do they use weapons, but they also set up traps and ambush points throughout the dungeon. When the SDF first entered, they were seen using weapons stolen from the soldiers.

As a particularly dangerous presence in 'E-Rank,' there are calls for adventurers to be prohibited from entering goblin dungeons.

※ 'D-Rank': Characteristics include 'strength greater than E-Rank,' 'use of magic,' and 'area-of-effect attacks.' Adventurers who challenge this rank are called 'first-class' or 'pros.'

'Orc': A pig-faced creature with a portly belly. However, its limbs are muscular, like those of a sumo wrestler or a heavyweight wrestler. Its power and speed are comparable to a brown bear's, and it can also use weapons and breathe fire. It is an extremely dangerous monster that 'basically acts in groups of three or more.' However, there are apparently stragglers that act alone.

※ 'Boss Monster': A being that acts as the boss of its dungeon. Defeating it has no effect on the dungeon as a whole, but they have been observed leading other monsters, so the SDF prioritizes their elimination. When this type of monster appears, the dungeon is temporarily closed to the public, and an SDF unit is sent to exterminate it.

'Kobold Lord'

Strength: 25 Durability: 22 Agility: 27 Mana: 15

Skill

'[Intimidation]': Temporarily causes a glared-at opponent to flinch. The target can resist by pitting their highest stat against the user's.

Remarks: It was chasing the Yamashita Party in a Kobold dungeon. The reason their frontline was so easily broken was mainly due to this skill. It was defeated by Kyouta before it had a chance to use it, but it would have been useless anyway as he would have resisted it.

For reference, a brown bear's stats look like this:

'Brown Bear' Race: Brown Bear

Strength: 25 Durability: 22 Agility: 20 Mana: 5

Although it's an 'E-Rank' monster, the Kobold Lord's individual performance is higher than that of a 'D-Rank' Orc. On top of that, it has more stamina than Orcs, so without someone's help, the Yamashita Party would have certainly been annihilated.

'Orc Champion'

Strength: 35 Durability: 40 Agility: 35 Mana: 20

Skills

'[Monstrous Strength]': Temporarily adds '+10' to its strength stat. It can be used consecutively, but overuse carries the risk of injury due to strain on muscle fibers and bones.

'[Flame Generation]': A skill that is between magic and mana conversion. It can knead mana and unleash a flamethrower without chanting.

Remarks: The chapter boss of Chapter 1. Not only does it have high physical abilities, but it is also a master of spearmanship. It can create flames with mana and release them in a fan shape, allowing it to handle multiple opponents. It is an extremely powerful monster, but its weakness is its low stamina, caused by its armor of thick muscle and fat.

● Below is a dialogue-only digest of the encounter between the self-proclaimed ninja and the Orc Champion, from their meeting to Kyouta's arrival.

※ The actual statements and cries may differ. Please be aware.

"I'll switch with Kyou-chan's mom and dad now!"

'An opening, you little wench!!'

""Aieeeeee!?""

"Whoa! My arm got torn off! How careless! My scouting was sloppy due to fatigue!"

'And here's the follow-up! I'll put a hole right through that pretty face of yours, darling!'

"What a dastardly ambush! But I dodged it! Aw, my earring broke."

'Nice dodge, isn't it? But I wonder how long you can evade my spear, hmmm!'

"Take this, pepper bomb!"

'MY EYES!?'

"Mom! Dad! That thing is huge, so let's run into one of those shops!"

""A-Aieeeee...""

'How dare you do that to me, you little brat! I will never, ever forgive you!!'

"Escape through the back door!"

'Ugh, this shop is so cramped! What's the deal!? Orc discrimination!? That's so not in fashion right now!'

"Here you go. A Carolina Reaper bomb."

'MY NOSE!?'

"Fwahahaha!! Farewell, big Orc! Rinzaki Erina makes a cool retreat! Ah, I've lost too much blood. Mom, Dad, stay close to me. I'll definitely protect you."

""A-Aieeeeeeee...""

'Hmph! I wiped my nose with a nearby cloth, but it still hurts... I'm never coming to a store like this again! Whatever! ...Oh my, what's this? There's a delicious-looking little boy over there. I could just eat you up (physically)!'

"You..."

'Oh my, oh my. You have a strong presence, but you're just a raw recruit, aren't you? Such a wild bloodlust. But I like it! I am the champion. I'll be happy to take your first time, my dear ♡.'

"You... RAAAAAAAGH!!"

'—Those eyes... you're prepared to die to take me with you. Very well, human warrior. I shall face you with my spear.'

It was something like that. By the way, the Orc Champion's lines are just a guess. It can't talk, but that might have been what it was thinking! The truth is lost to the darkness.

● Q&A

Q. Was Kyouta's healing of Erina alchemy? A. Technically, yes. It's an application of the power to make people and things 'perfect,' which can also be used to heal others' wounds. Kyouta had some knowledge of alchemy, so he could do it quickly, but without it, it might have taken a few seconds. In that situation, it might not have made a difference, though.

Q. What's the average annual income for an adventurer? A. After subtracting insurance premiums and taxes, most adventurers make around '2 million yen' a year.

Q. Isn't the buyout reward for drop items too low? A.
Government: "We're... out of money!"
Foreign Countries: "Hey Japan, give us your research data. This is international cooperation! Huh? Payment? Why?"
Dungeon Agency: "We have to do something..."

Q. Do any adventurers become SDF members? A. It's actually more common the other way around.

Awakened General SDF Member: "This job is tough... The pay is low... I get deployed to dangerous dungeons first... Where are my days off...? I get insults from my superiors and the public..."
"...Wait a minute. Wouldn't it be safer and more profitable to be an adventurer?"

Incidentally, former SDF members who become adventurers are apparently excellent due to their skills in 'hand-to-hand combat and bayonet fighting' and their practical experience, even without equipment.

Ministry of Defense: "Someone! Give us a budget! And personnel!!"
Dungeon Agency: "Like we have any, you moron!!"

Q. Is America suspicious? A.
President Fudge Valentine: "Hm? Japan. You don't suspect me, you don't suspect our America, do you?"
Government: "...No, sir!!"
Director: "Suspicious..."

Q. How strong is Kyouta in the story? A. He's definitely not the strongest. He lacks both level and resolve, so he's merely a 'promising star among the rookies.' Still, his combat power is currently in the upper class among adventurers.

Q. What level are the top-tier adventurers? A. There are quite a few people around level 20. They are basically 'affiliated with someone,' 'battle junkies,' or 'some kind of pervert.' There are also quite a few with 'SSR' class talent.

Q. What's the level cap? A. It depends on the person. I don't think the main characters will reach their limits in the story, so I'll just say it: Kyouta's is '100.' Erina-san's is around '75.' A general Awakened Person like Yamashita is '60.' People like Aira-san are around '35.' However, there are various ways to break through this limit...

Q. Is an Awakened Person's talent hereditary? A. It is, to an extent. But it's not absolute.

Q. Is the Alchemy Enthusiasts Club a bunch of dangerous people? A. More details on that will be in a future story.