kscans

Chapter 64 - Kamaitachi

We’d been walking through the dungeon for about twenty seconds when we found the first paint mark.

Seeing letters and numbers scrawled in yellow paint on the side of an old Japanese house was jarring, to say the least.

"It’s like we’ve walked into a ninja movie. I’m getting pumped!"

"The scenery feels more like a horror movie, if you ask me."

‘How nostalgic... When we were little, Mia and I watched The Ring on DVD and clung to each other. She used to be so much smaller than me back then...!’

"Sorry, but I have a feeling this is going to derail the conversation, so maybe save the trip down memory lane for later."

‘What, you don’t want to hear about how little Mia was such a scaredy-cat she used to sneak into my bed all the time!?’

"I’m telling you to stop now, you hopeless college girl. I’ll ask for the details later."

‘Geez, Kyouta-chan, you’re so impatient.’

Even with our stupid conversation, being in the dark with only my flashlight as a source of light was pretty terrifying—both physically and mentally.

Normally, this wouldn’t be much different from any other dungeon crawl, but the old Japanese townscape gave it the distinct feel of a J-horror flick.

But then...

"...Kyouta-chan, stop."

Since actual monsters were about to appear, that fear was probably justified.

"Enemies?"

"Yeah. Front right. I can hear faint breathing from inside the house. Nothing else, though. Number of targets... probably two."

"Roger that."

For Erina-san to say ‘probably’ meant the enemies here were just as troublesome as the intel suggested.

Normally I’d have Byakuren take the lead, but this time, I stepped forward myself.

One step, then two. I must have entered their range.

With a loud thud, the wooden door fell outward and a shadow emerged.

‘Kikikikiki!’

With a high-pitched shriek, a single weasel appeared. Its eyes glittered as it bared its fangs and glared at us.

But there were two things that made it different from a normal weasel.

First, it was about the size of a large dog. Second was its tail.

A sharp sickle, like one used for farm work, grew from the tip of its unusually long tail. And it was winding up to swing it right at us.

Kamaitachi.

The monsters that appeared in this dungeon were strikingly similar to the famous yokai from Japanese folklore.

The sickle on its tail swung through the air. In response, mana converted into wind, launching an invisible blade straight at me.

But since it was a type of magic, I could see it. And touch it.

Spirit Eye.

Concept Interference.

I swatted the blade of wind away with my left fist and closed the distance in a single step.

Before it could react, I brought my sword down with my right hand. It seemed less durable than the cockatrice; my hand-and-a-half sword easily split the Kamaitachi’s skull.

But Erina-san had warned of two enemies. Which meant...

‘Kiki!?’

Just as a cry came from the rooftop, a Kamaitachi with a throwing spike lodged in its neck came tumbling down.

"Sorry, Kyouta-chan. Looks like it went out the window and climbed onto the roof."

"Don’t be. Nice support."

It seemed she had finished her throw at almost the exact moment I’d spotted it with my `Spirit Eye`. I’d noticed this during our level-grinding with Busujima-san’s group, but she really was a high-spec individual in many ways.

I collected the coin from the pile of salt and handed it to Erina-san. Even though the dungeon had a Japanese aesthetic, the coin’s design was the same as in any other dungeon.

‘Hmm.’

"What is it, Aira-san?"

‘Oh, nothing. I was just wondering if the gold content of the coins here is the same as in other dungeons. My gran—I mean, the professor—had the same question, which is why I sent you two on this request. I’ll be eagerly awaiting your safe return.’

"Understood."

"You got it!"

I think I remember hearing on TV once that ‘you can understand a culture by its currency.’

It’s all Greek to me, but I suppose a scholar would be able to figure something out. We resumed our exploration.

After a while, we reached the sector with the exit.

...I think this about other dungeons too, but seeing a building that looks like a police box staffed by armed SDF soldiers is incredibly out of place. Compared to the surroundings, that spot alone is completely modern.

In any case, the marking was done.

We moved away from the SDF post, cutting down any Kamaitachi we encountered. If the `Daisharinmaru` flew toward the soldiers, it would be a major disaster.

As we were moving...

"Kyouta-chan, I hear three sets of footsteps approaching. I think one is a Kamaitachi."

"What’s the chance the other two are human?"

"Can’t rule it out, but they sound ‘barefoot,’ so I think it’s low."

"Got it."

This wasn’t a very popular dungeon.

Not because the drops weren’t good, but because the difficulty was high for a ‘D-Rank’ dungeon.

Besides the Kamaitachi, there was one other type of normal monster that appeared here.

‘Gaaaaah!’

A beast-like roar echoed as a monster rounded the corner. Its silhouette was almost human.

But its skin was a sickly gray, and its eyes were sunken pits with no eyeballs to be found. In their place, a small horn grew from its forehead, and sharp fangs peeked out from a mouth that drooled incessantly.

Amidst the old Japanese houses, these monsters wore what must have once been white kimonos, now stained with dirt and worn loosely. Their limbs were long and spindly, nothing but skin and bones. And yet, their stomachs were strangely bloated.

Gaki.

I couldn’t believe these were actual humans who had fallen into hell. They were just monsters that happened to look like them.

Still, some people found them repulsive, and they were troublesome enemies to begin with, which was why most adventurers stayed away from this dungeon.

The Gaki twitched their wrinkled noses and turned toward us. At almost the same instant, a knife and a throwing spike flew toward the one on our left.

Both hit their mark. The throwing spike pierced its throat, and the knife sank into its left flank. The impact sent it flying into the house behind it, and the Gaki disappeared from view.

‘Gya gya gya gya!!’

The remaining one leaned forward until it was nearly horizontal and charged. It moved with the speed of a racehorse, closing the twenty-meter gap in an instant.

Further back, a Kamaitachi had emerged and was winding up its tail.

‘Giiiihhaaaa!’

‘Kikikikiki!!’

A pouncing Gaki and a Kamaitachi launching a blade of wind. Nasty teamwork.

However, we hadn’t come here to walk a tightrope.

"—Move."

We were here with the confidence that we could overwhelm them.

I sliced through the leaping Gaki’s torso with a horizontal slash and moved forward. I caught the incoming wind blade with my gauntlet and, using `Concept Interference`, batted it away.

The Kamaitachi tried to retreat with a leap, but I brought my blade down on its head before it could.

Flicking the blood off my sword with a gust of wind, I glanced at the hole in the house. The Gaki that had been hit with the spike and knife had also turned to salt.

I held my guard. The Kamaitachi I had just cut down turned to salt as well, and I finally let out a sigh of relief.

"Good work, Kyouta-chan."

"Yeah. Can you get the coins again?"

"You betcha."

I collected the drop from the pile of salt and handed it to Erina-san. It seemed she had already picked up the coin from the Gaki that was now in two pieces.

The Kamaitachi sometimes drops a ‘Scythe’... but it doesn’t seem to be an easy drop. Aira-san said her research lab would buy it for a high price, though not as much as that sword from before.

After another five minutes of walking, Aira-san, who had been watching the paint marks through the mirror, spoke up.

‘Kyouta-kun, Erina-kun. This spot should be good, don’t you think? It’s separated from the exit by about three corridors. And that road is a straight shot, right?’

"Yeah! And I don’t hear any monsters around."

"Understood. In that case, Byakuren and I will fall back while keeping watch on the perimeter."

I let Erina-san take the lead, drawing my sword to scan our surroundings.

She took the giant shuriken out of her `Item Box` and, just like last time, wound up for a big throw.

Wooden buildings lined both sides of the street, but the road ahead was clear for several dozen meters.

"Speciiiial move! Invisible Ninjas Attaaaack!"

"Sooo lame."

That was a truly terrible name. The only saving grace was that we were far enough from the exit that the SDF soldiers couldn’t hear it.

The thrown `Daisharinmaru` accelerated, releasing wind from each of its four blades. It spun at a furious speed as it flew straight ahead.

It was certainly fast, and its high power was evident as it plunged deep into the ground about fifteen meters away.

But compared to when she threw it at the Lesser Treant, it seemed much tamer.

‘Kyouta-kun. Did you see any change in the mana this time?’

"No. The mana was just released from the shuriken as wind, same as usual. There was no change in the dungeon itself."

"Hmm, the way the mana went vwoosh! back then... maybe it had something to do with the Lesser Treant?"

Erina-san retrieved the `Daisharinmaru` and tilted her head as she jogged back.

"No. It didn’t feel like the Lesser Treant did anything. I still think it’s something to do with the dungeon."

‘...Did it react to a certain speed? But powerful adventurers like Kyouta-kun move at high speeds all the time. Is it because it’s a projectile? But a C-Rank adventurer who uses a bow could achieve the same velocity...’

Aira-san was muttering something on the other side of the earring, but it seemed she hadn’t reached a conclusion yet.

For now, we decided to try throwing it at a monster.

After walking for about thirty seconds, we ran into two Gaki and one Kamaitachi, so Erina-san immediately wound up the `Daisharinmaru`.

"Super Gyuin Gyuin Slasher!!"

At least pick one name and stick with it.

Ignoring my silent retort, my `Spirit Eye` caught the surge of mana.

Mana swirled into a vortex, forming a wall between the approaching `Daisharinmaru` and the Gaki. The moment the blade struck it, my `Concept Interference` activated.

The shuriken, now wrapped in a massive amount of mana, amplified the wind it was sheathed in, transforming it into a small tornado.

I squinted against the fierce wind and dust cloud, watching as the Gaki were torn to shreds. The Kamaitachi further back seemed to have dodged, but the passing wind lifted it off the ground.

It landed, off-balance, and I ran over and cut it down. Even though I ran at about the same speed as the `Daisharinmaru`, the dungeon’s mana made no attempt to hinder me.

—CRAAAAAAASSH!!

With a tremendous roar, the shuriken slammed into a house. Wooden planks and fist-sized stones rained down, kicking up another massive cloud of dust.

I batted away a flying stone with my left hand and looked back and forth between Erina-san and the destroyed house.

"So, it seems to be a phenomenon that only happens when it’s thrown at a monster."

‘The number of trials is too low to say for sure, but that seems to be the most logical conclusion. ...Hey, Kyouta-kun.’

"Yes?"

Over the `Telepathy`, Aira-san’s voice was tense.

What was wrong?

"Aira-san?"

‘...No, it’s nothing. It’s probably just my imagination.’

"Huh...?"

"Hnnguuuuh!? I-it won’t... come... outttttt!!"

As I stood there puzzled, Erina-san was letting out strange noises as she tried to pull the `Daisharinmaru` out of the ground where it was deeply embedded.

She was making a face a pretty girl shouldn’t make, so I pulled it out for her.

"Phew... Thanks, Kyouta-chan!"

"No problem."

"Hey, Kyouta-chan!"

"Yes?"

As she put the `Daisharinmaru` back in her `Item Box`, Erina-san turned to me with her usual smile.

"Let’s work hard and level up, too! So we don’t lose to Ā-chan and Shī-chan!"

"Uh... sure."

"All right, let’s do this!"

An unusually energetic Erina-san started collecting the coins. I bent down to retrieve the drop from the Kamaitachi.

Oh.

"Aira-san. A scythe dropped instead of a coin. We’re in luck."

We got a special bonus. This one item was apparently worth 200,000 yen, so that professor person must be really generous.

‘...Yeah, it is!’

There was a strange pause before Aira-san replied.

I wondered if something had happened. But it seemed I didn’t have time to ponder it.

"Kyouta-chan, the noise attracted a bunch of monsters. They’re coming this way. Looks like a lot of them."

"Got it. Let’s try to engage them without using the Daisharinmaru for now."

It was a weapon we still didn’t fully understand, and another loud crash might just attract more enemies.

"Roger! You gotta save your special moves for when it really counts!"

"Right, right."

I replied while glaring at the ten-plus Gaki running toward us, and the Kamaitachi darting across the rooftops.

I couldn’t use the `Bracelet of the Flame Horse` here for fear of starting a fire. It looked like I’d have to cut them down the old-fashioned way.

＊　　　　＊　　　　＊

About two hours later, we finished our exploration. We had defeated over eighty monsters of both types combined. Being an unpopular dungeon, it seemed quite a few had accumulated.

Because of that, the earnings were good, and we both gained a level, which was a personal stroke of luck. Byakuren had been walking without any issues. At this rate, I could look forward to the tests after its armor arrived.

Now that we were out of the dungeon and I could relax, my thoughts turned to the questions that had arisen inside.

Rocking with the motion of the bus on the way home, I dug through my memories.

Aira-san’s panic, Erina-san’s declaration to level up. Assuming the `Daisharinmaru` was related... why?

The special materials used in that weapon were my hair and nails, Ooyama-san's skill, and dungeon-sourced metal. What about them?

...Was there something about me or Ooyama-san? That seemed strange. Then, the metal?

The `Daisharinmaru` was made with metal from a dungeon. That way, the experience gained from defeating monsters with it was about the same as using `Arcane Gear`.

That mana vortex appeared when it came flying at high speed.

...What would happen if we tried to level up using guns?

If the bullets were made from dungeon metal, would that mana vortex appear and form a ‘wall’?

I didn’t know the speed or strength of that wall's appearance. But I assumed it was meant to block attacks.

In that case, were the Self-Defense Forces having trouble leveling up?

So I thought, but...

"Aira-san."

‘What is it, Kyouta-kun?’

"Forgive me if I’m mistaken, but are you all worried that the SDF isn’t able to level up properly?"

‘...So you noticed too.’

"Yeah, I think so. But isn’t that an unfounded fear?"

I tilted my head as I spoke through the earring.

"Ooyama-san made that thing using my hair and such as materials. The SDF has probably come up with some kind of countermeasure already."

She certainly had a rare skill, but it wasn't like she was the only one in existence. The same went for my `Concept Interference`.

They probably couldn't mass-produce bullets the same way, but if a mere civilian could create the `Daisharinmaru`, then the SDF had surely devised a much more amazing method.

‘...You’re right. I want to believe so, too.’

"Besides, I don’t think we’re all that special."

Sure, the `Sage's Nucleus` was unique, but I hadn’t used its mana for that.

In fact, we only had hypotheses about the cause of that phenomenon anyway. For all we knew, bullets might pass right through.

Heck, even that terrifying dragon turned tail and fled from the SDF’s fighter jets. With modern weaponry, they could probably handle things just fine without levels, though I didn’t know the details.

I didn’t think it was something we needed to worry about.

However, I did agree that leveling up was necessary. Thinking back on the dragon, I realized self-defense capabilities were essential.

If I ever ran into something like that, I wanted to at least be able to escape.

"Hey hey, senpai. For the promotion to C-Rank, is there a designated dungeon we have to clear, like when we ranked up to D?"

‘That’s right. There’s also a written exam and an interview.’

"It’s the same as last time, then..."

As expected, brute force alone couldn’t solve everything.

Already weary at the thought of interviews and whatnot, I headed for home.