kscans

Chapter 57 - I Don't Think I'll Ever Get Used to It

A lot had happened, but it was now the day after Busujima-san and her friends made their proposal.

Our trip to the dungeon with them was set for the end of this week. That was when I would give them my hair and nails and talk about the golem.

Which meant today was just about going to the dungeon and killing monsters.

It was a D-Rank. I hadn't been promoted to C-Rank yet.

Including the fact that all the enemies would be weaker than us, what a relief.

"Dungeons are great... the only ones here are people it's okay to hit..."

"Senpai! Kyō-chan is saying some dangerous stuff!"

'Let him be, Erina-kun. He's most likely just looking for something to take his school frustrations out on.'

"Please don't analyze me, Aira-san."

At the Dungeon Store, my mouth twisted into a frown as we finished our preparations and headed for the gate room.

"I'm sorry, Kyō-chan. Ā-chan said you seemed terribly nervous, so we decided not to invite them today, but let's all have lunch together tomorrow, okay!? I'll convince Ā-chan!!"

"That's not it, that's not what I mean. And please don't. I'll die."

"That's grim!?"

'Erina-kun. Out of samurai—no, ninja's honor, please don't press him for details. The psychic damage is starting to hit me...! Begone, foul memories...!!'

"Senpai, you too!?"

If you throw me into that hell again, from now on I'm calling you a jailer of the underworld. Seriously.

I had been treated like part of the classroom scenery until yesterday's incident, when I suddenly job-changed into 'harem-bastard-loner.'

It was understandable. From my classmates' perspective, I must look like a total jerk who won't talk to them but has no problem talking to a bunch of beautiful girls.

I can't talk to Busujima-san's group about anything but work. It's just that this disappointing beauty and bombshell are the exceptions.

Even if I tried to explain, the atmosphere was so hostile that I couldn't bring myself to talk to anyone. And I had a feeling anything I said would just sound like an excuse...

I wasn't being directly bullied yet, but some guys were starting to glare at me openly. The whispers behind my back had increased a little, too.

It was more than just uncomfortable. At this rate, I might really become a target after the sports festival...

There hadn't been any cases yet of an Awakened Person killing someone in retaliation for being bullied. But there had already been double-digit cases of serious injuries.

I just had to hope that fact would make them hesitate.

...It was a little sad that a part of me was already considering using bullying as an excuse to stop going to school and focus on dungeons.

Well, for now, I had to focus on the dungeon in front of me.

After passing reception and finishing our final check in front of the gate, I let Erina-san grab my shoulder and stepped through the white door.

That feeling I could never get used to, like the ground suddenly vanishing beneath my feet. And yet, the lack of any sensation of floating felt deeply wrong, until a moment later, the hard feeling of the floor returned to the soles of my feet.

It was a floor of worn-out wooden planks, with stone peeking through the gaps. The walls were made of stacked stone, as was the ceiling.

The smell of rotten wood and mold reached my nostrils. There were no windows and no breeze; just a dark, damp stillness stretching on ahead.

There were no SDF lights in this fortress-like place. I'd heard that the higher the rank of the dungeon, the more likely the monsters were to destroy such things.

By the light of my lantern, I did a quick survey of our surroundings and took the head of `Byakuren` from my bag.

Its exterior, which had been covered in scratches from the battle with Lefcourse, had been repaired with alchemy, and now it looked flawless.

Since the custom body wasn't finished yet, it looked like we'd be using the usual makeshift body for this exploration and the one with Busujima-san's group.

"Erina-san, please keep watch."

"Okay!"

I used my heel to push aside a crumbling wooden plank and placed Byakuren's head on the stone beneath, along with a piece of paper inscribed with a transmutation circle.

After `Byakuren` gained a body of stone through alchemy, I explained the monsters we'd be facing this time, showing it pictures. Then I attached a penlight and a mirror.

"Sorry for the wait. Aira-san, we're beginning the exploration."

'Understood. To you two, D-Rank may no longer be a threat, but proceed with caution all the same.'

"Roger."

"O-kay!"

I drew my sword and started walking slowly.

After a short distance, I found an SDF paint mark and reported it to Aira-san. Following her navigation, about three minutes after entering the dungeon, Erina-san let out a quiet warning.

"Three sets of footsteps. They're light for the kind of gear they have... definitely monsters. Coming straight at us from the front."

"Got it."

I nodded and tightened my grip on my sword.

In the distance, illuminated by the artificial light of my lantern and the penlight, I began to hear a clattering sound—gasha gasha.

Then, a pair of eerie, glowing eyes peered out from the darkness, glaring at us.

'Kak.'

A voice, like the sharp rap of a wooden plank.

The glint of rusted steel was caught in the lantern's light.

'Kakakakakak!'

Its form could only be described as a skeleton clad in armor. It wore a helmet, a cuirass, and even gauntlets and greaves. Its weapons were also a slightly better-quality sword and shield, but that was the extent of the visual difference.

However, this monster's physical abilities were in a different league from a normal skeleton.

Skeleton Knight. A rather uninspired name, but that made it easy to understand.

A common soldier skeleton and a knight skeleton. It was better if you could tell which was stronger just by the name.

Whether it was a difference in their physical abilities when they were alive, or some other reason entirely, one thing was certain.

These things possessed a power that ordinary skeletons couldn't even dream of.

Two with shields, one with a bow. The enemy seemed completely unbothered by the darkness and loosed a preemptive arrow.

But a shot like that, I could deflect with the wind without even trying. And they weren't the only ones who could see in this environment.

Even in the dark, I could see mana. At almost the same instant the arrow was fired, a small knife I'd thrown struck the bow-wielding Skeleton Knight in the left shoulder, blowing its arm clean off.

Of the two remaining knights charging toward me, a grappling hook latched onto the shield of the one on the left.

'Kak!?'

"Hup, ho!"

Before it could shake the rope free, Erina-san gave it a powerful tug. As the knight stumbled forward, its shield pulling its body with it, `Byakuren` rushed in to attack.

Watching that out of the corner of my eye, I engaged the Skeleton Knight that had reached me. It raised its shield while swinging its sword with its right hand.

Too slow. I swung my longsword sideways, batting the shield away with the flat of the blade. Taking another step forward, I cleaved through its torso diagonally, armor and all.

Stepping over the scattered bones, I turned my gaze to the one-armed archer.

The knight in the back switched its weapon to a dagger and tried to intercept me. As it thrust the dagger, holding the blade horizontally, I slapped it away with my left hand and brought my sword down on the top of its head.

A single clean cut. Having reached Level 20 after the battle with Lefcourse, my blade passed through the monster's body with ease.

While keeping an eye on the collapsing enemy, I turned my gaze to the last one, my back to the wall. Just then, where `Byakuren` was pinning the Skeleton Knight down, Erina-san smashed its skull, helmet and all, with a flail.

I remained vigilant. Readjusting my grip on my sword, I watched until all three had turned to salt before letting out a small breath.

"Erina-san, are you hurt?"

"Nope! Glad to see you're okay too, Kyō-chan!"

'Well... it's beyond just being 'okay.' You two really are unmatched at this rank, aren't you...'

"Well, probably...? But we can't let our guard down."

I replied to Aira-san as I picked up the dropped items.

That's when I noticed a sword was left behind.

"Whoa!?"

I let out a loud cry as I picked up the longsword lying right next to the salt.

The blade was rusted and badly chipped. The hilt was slightly bent, and the guard was loose. It was completely unusable.

But this was, without a doubt, a treasure.

"Wow. You're lucky!"

'Hoh, a weapon drop is rare indeed. Please be sure to bring it back!'

"Yeah. Erina-san, if you would."

"You got it!"

Along with the other coins, I handed the sword to Erina-san, holding it by the blade.

In most cases, the equipment a monster was holding doesn't drop. It turns to salt just like its body.

But on rare occasions, a weapon or piece of armor is left behind. Items like these sell for a very high price.

However, a rare drop doesn't necessarily mean it's a powerful item or weapon.

With a few exceptions, items dropped by common monsters out in the field contain very little mana and are usually just plain iron weapons.

Even so, to collectors and researchers, they are apparently items to die for.

In fact, I could hear Aira-san humming through the telepathic link.

'Hmm-hmm, hmm-hmm-hmm~'

"Aira-san. I'm glad you're happy, but we're in a dungeon right now, so please be serious."

'It's not trash, it's research mate~rial~'

"Be serious."

'Yes, ma'am.'

"Hmph! Hmph! Hmph-hmph-hmph!"

"Don't join in. Get back here."

"Yes, ma'am."

After pulling the two idiots back to reality, we resumed our exploration.

From there, we marked a spot near the exit and then wandered through the dungeon, guided by Aira-san's navigation.

For about two hours, we continued on, scattering Skeleton Knights as we went.

For some reason, it felt like there were a lot of Skeleton Knights. No, my combat time was short, so it didn't feel like that many, but if I thought about it calmly, the number of encounters was definitely high.

Considering the number and length of the battles, it was probably time to head back. Just as I was thinking that, Erina-san let out a small voice.

"Mm... Kyō-chan. There's a lot of noise coming from the direction we're headed. Probably Skeleton Knights."

"Huh? Is someone in a fight?"

"Nah. It's all the same sound, so I think it's just a lot of them."

"...I see."

Come to think of it, I remembered hearing a rumor that dungeons with weapon drops had more monsters.

I thought it was just a tall tale, but maybe you can't dismiss rumors so easily.

'What should we do? Take another route?'

"...No. Aira-san, what kind of place is ahead of us on this path?"

'It should be a room with a structure like a small chapel. As for its size... to put it in terms you'd understand, about two classrooms' worth?'

"By the way, I think there are about ten monsters, give or take."

I nodded at Erina-san's words, her ear pressed against the wall.

"If that's the number, I think we should take them out. Is that okay with both of you?"

"Okay. If we have to retreat, I'll throw a net to slow them down, so try not to get caught in it, okay?"

'I'll respect the judgment of those on site, but don't overdo it.'

"Right."

After a deep breath, I kicked down the door that had come into view.

The interior, illuminated by lanterns and lights, was indeed a chapel, just as Aira-san had said.

But the pews had rotted away, and the statue of something at the far end was shattered and scattered. There was no sign of a god; instead, the living dead were milling about.

Swords, spears, bows—the monsters all turned toward me at once, raising their weapons with bony hands. In response, I tightened my grip on my own hilt.

I shrouded the blade in wind and, at the same time, supplied mana to the ring on my left hand. With `Concept Interference`, I forcibly mixed the two powers.

Flames enveloped the blade, swelling outwards with a whoosh.

"Hah!"

From a low stance, a horizontal slash.

A strike that should have done nothing but cut through empty air, with no thought given to range. But the supernatural power of a 'skill' transcends the laws of physics.

Released at the same moment I swung my sword, a storm of fire. Raging crimson ravaged the chapel, instantly swallowing the Skeleton Knights within.

Bathed in the hot wind, I slowly lowered the sword I had swung through.

It took all of three seconds. The mana I had poured in was exhausted, and the raging fire and wind ceased. All that remained were scattered embers and salt.

Without so much as a dying scream, more than ten Skeleton Knights had been incinerated. That ring was an even better find than I had thought.

"...Alright."

I had thought it would be effective against multiple enemies, and I was glad to have a place to test it out.

Survivors... well, that's not quite the right word, but I used my Spirit Eye to confirm there were no more moving Skeleton Knights. I stepped into the room, still thick with residual heat.

'...You do things in a flashy way, Kyō-chan-kun. You look more like the master of this dungeon than they do.'

"You think so...?"

I replied with a wry smile to Aira-san's own wry comment.

She was probably complimenting me, but I felt more embarrassed and confused than happy.

I was confident I could overwhelm the Orc Champion now, for sure. But I still didn't have a good sense of where that placed me 'as an adventurer.'

I'd been watching videos that some adventurers uploaded, and everyone had different strengths. In terms of sheer firepower, some people could use magic that far surpassed my recent attack.

I wondered, where exactly did I stand as an adventurer?

In terms of rank and level, I was probably on the higher end, but if I looked up, the sky was the limit, and if I only looked down, I might slip and fall...

Not knowing my exact standing was frustratingly vague.

"That was amazing! Your fire-style jutsu, Kyō-chan!!"

"Yeah, it's not ninjutsu."

"But... it might be hard to find the dropped items."

"Ah."

I looked around the room again.

The pews were ash, and the salt had been scattered by the wind. It was safe to assume that any dropped coins had been blown away as well.

Needless to say, we spent more time searching for coins than we did fighting. It was a small mercy that the coins we recovered were only slightly deformed.

...Next time, I'll have to be more careful about how I direct the wind.

With that, our exploration for the day was over. I reflected on my mistake as Erina-san and I teleported out, hand in hand.

...By the way. This hand-holding teleportation thing, I still get nervous.

I shouldn't be able to feel any warmth or softness through my gauntlets, yet my face grows hot.

For a different reason than passing through the gate, I had a feeling I would never get used to her teleportation either.

And so. Our earnings for this run were about '3 million yen,' thanks to the large number of coins from all the monsters we defeated, and also because of that decrepit sword. Apparently, about half of that was for the sword alone.

...I don't know when, if ever, I'll get used to this kind of money.

Apparently, there was another sponsor behind the research lab, but who on earth could it be? As Aira-san gave me the estimated earnings, I stared blankly, my thoughts drifting as a way to escape reality on the bus ride home.

Well, they seemed to be loaded, so I guess it didn't really matter either way.