kscans

Chapter 72 - Rematch

I still remember the events of that day.

The crumpled cars. The broken doors. And the blood-stained roads, with people lying on them.

Sometimes, I see that scene in my nightmares. I can't help it.

It's in the past. It was an event where, thanks to my navigator and my partner, I lost nothing.

But if there's still a thorn in my heart.

"BUOOOOH!!"

Then it's something I have to settle.

An Orc roared and charged out from the corner. I threw a small knife at it. At almost the same time, Erina-san threw a throwing spike.

Both projectiles had the destructive power of a rifle bullet, or even greater. The beast blocked them by using its right arm as a shield.

Flesh and blood burst, and the bone must have shattered, as the arm was left hanging by a sliver of skin.

But the monster didn't stop. On the contrary, the two following it also charged out from the corner.

Their weapons were two axes and one spear.

First, I would take down the one charging at me.

The Orc roared as it swung its axe, and I stepped in to meet it. We crossed for only an instant. With a single diagonal slash, I cut it down.

Two remained. As if to give me no time to regain my stance, the monster gripping its axe with both hands swung it in a wide arc.

I wouldn't have time to ready my sword. But with a 'pinwheel slash,' I could.

I rotated the tip of my sword, and without losing momentum, I slammed the blade down diagonally. It struck the handle of the swinging axe, severing it, and the blade slightly cut the Orc's chest.

A shallow cut. For this monster with its thick skin and flesh, a wound of a few centimeters wouldn't be fatal.

Therefore, I took another step forward.

The Orc, realizing its weapon had been broken, came at me with its fist. Coincidentally, our next move was the same.

But I overwhelmed it with speed. By the time it had started to swing its fist, my left fist had found its jaw.

Due to the height difference, the blow landed like an uppercut, and with a sound like a gunshot, it shattered the creature's bones.

The over-two-meter-tall behemoth was lifted off its feet. I drew my sword horizontally across its stomach, which was now at the perfect height.

Blowing away the splattered blood with a gust of wind, I took two steps back and glanced to the side.

There, White was facing the other Orc, but the makeshift golem body was at a disadvantage.

As expected, its right forearm was gouged out by a single thrust of the spear, and it was sent rolling by a second blow from the butt of the spear to its side.

But it had served its purpose as a distraction. My gaze met the Orc's glittering eyes.

We both immediately tried to aim our weapons at each other, but a grappling hook flew out and wrapped around the spear's tip, interfering.

Before it could be shaken off, my sword pierced its thick throat. Immediately after, I swung sideways, using the wind to wrench the wound open.

With its cervical vertebrae severed, the Orc collapsed powerlessly.

I readjusted my grip on my sword and breathed quietly. I watched as the three fallen Orcs turned to salt, and then let out a long sigh.

"Good work, Kyouta-chan. You okay?"

"Perfectly fine. More importantly, Erina-san, are you feeling sick or anything?"

"Nope! But Who-chan might be in trouble."

Where she looked, White was heavily damaged.

"I'll fix him now. Erina-san, keep an eye on our surroundings."

"Okay."

I took a file from the 100-yen store out of the backpack on the golem's back, and from it, I pulled out a piece of paper with an alchemy circle drawn on it.

I placed it on the floor and performed the alchemy. The shattered forearm and cracked side were restored as if they had sucked up the surrounding stone pavement.

This was a major advantage of a makeshift body.

I returned the alchemy circle and file to the backpack and turned back to Erina-san.

"Repairs complete. If you're okay too, let's resume the exploration."

"Yep. Let's do our best!"

I gave a quiet 'r-right' in response to Erina-san's small fist pump, then cleared my throat and touched my earring.

"Ahem! ...Combat over. Resuming exploration."

'Oh? You won't do the cheer with me?'

"Don't tease me. Please navigate."

'Yes, yes. Good grief, you're such a shy one.'

Shut up. It's surprisingly embarrassing to respond with 'right.'

It seemed Erina-san had collected the coins, so we walked on, avoiding the piles of salt on the floor.

At any rate, it seemed I could handle Orcs without any problems now. My blade cut through that thick flesh more smoothly than before.

However, while I could defeat them in close combat... perhaps I should try my other options.

"Erina-san. I'm thinking of using the Bracelet of the Flame Horse in the next battle, is that okay?"

"Hmm? It's fine, but why?"

"Orcs are tough, so I don't think it'll blow away the drop items like before. And the shorter the battle, the better."

The longer the fight, the higher the chance of taking a hit.

I think that's ultimately why one-hit kills are so valued. Therefore, I want to always have a means of delivering a powerful attack to multiple enemies.

It was partly out of caution for the Orcs' strength, but also partly for practice. I explained this to Erina-san.

"Okay. I think that's a good idea."

'I agree. Fortunately, dungeons are enclosed spaces, but you don't run out of oxygen easily. It won't hurt to try. ...Though it really is strange.'

"Understood. I'll use fire in the next engagement."

We proceeded for about three more minutes before Erina-san's warning came.

"I hear four sets of footsteps from behind the door up ahead. They're coming this way."

"Got it."

An old wooden door came into view in the torchlight. It was quite large, presumably to accommodate Orcs.

But it was still only wide enough for two humans to pass. Only one Orc could pass at a time.

It was a perfect situation for a melee, but...

"Kyouta-chan. It's okay, I think you should test out the fire."

"...Yeah."

I decided to use the Bracelet of the Flame Horse.

We stopped a short distance from the door and waited for the enemy. After about ten seconds, the door slowly opened.

The door was pushed open by the butt of a spear. The Orc in the lead and I made eye contact.

"BUOOOH!!"

With a roar, that Orc charged. As if to follow, the remaining three also readied their weapons and started running.

A veritable boar rush. However, their physical abilities far surpassed those of a real boar.

I couldn't be careless. I channeled mana into the sword I held at my hip. At the same time, I channeled it into the bracelet on my left hand.

I mixed fire into the wind enveloping the blade using Concept Interference. Then, using the 'swinging of the sword' as a trigger, I released it forward.

The storm of liberated flames raged through the wide passage.

"Buoh?! Buoo—..."

The Orcs' massive bodies were swallowed by the inferno, along with their cries of surprise, and disappeared from view.

The release lasted a mere six seconds. The mana I had poured into the wind and fire was depleted, and the scorched passage came into view.

The walls and ceiling were blackened, and the torches and the door they had opened were gone.

And,

"Gurg... gurg, gaaah..."

The carbonized monsters fell to their knees and slowly collapsed. Their blackened bodies hit the ground and turned to white salt at almost the same time.

I let out a small sigh at the remaining piles of salt.

"You did it, Kyouta-chan! Nice fire!"

"Thanks."

As expected, this attack was just right for Orcs. We proceeded down the passage, which had darkened with the torches burnt out, illuminating it with the light of our LED lantern and penlight.

I collected the dropped coins from the salt and handed them to Erina-san.

'Hmm. I was watching through the mirror attached to Byakuren... no, White this time. That's incredible firepower. You might as well use it for the next battle too, don't you think?'

"Oh. But I want to attack too, you know."

"Then, how about I burn them right after you throw your spikes...?"

"That would be great."

"Got it."

We resumed our exploration. Now that I had the go-ahead to use both fire and wind, all I had to do was keep burning them.

Whether there were three or four, the Orcs we encountered were hit with a preemptive throwing spike before being bathed in flames and burned to death.

I thought they might have some resistance since they breathe fire, but that didn't seem to be the case. Or perhaps, because I used Concept Interference during the release, their mana defenses were nullified.

I wondered about this and observed as I burned them, but it seemed to be the former. I couldn't tell here if the latter would also be effective.

It had been almost two hours since we entered the dungeon. Thanks to the short battle times, our exploration was going smoothly.

"You're amazing, Kyouta-chan! We've defeated eighty of them today alone!"

"Eh, that many...?"

Apparently, I had burned more Orcs than I thought. Now that she mentioned it, I did feel like I had accumulated a lot of... experience points.

I didn't really understand what these 'experience points' were in the first place, so I couldn't say for sure.

'Normally, anyone would have run out of gas long ago after using that much mana. When it comes to battles of attrition, Kyouta-kun, you might just be invincible.'

"Well, invincible is a bit of an exaggeration..."

I averted my gaze from the mirror attached to White and smiled wryly. I knew these people wouldn't pry too deeply into my unique skill, but it was still awkward.

But... surprisingly, this dungeon might be a good place for 'farming.'

Thanks to the Nucleus, I didn't have to worry about running out of mana, and since the Orcs were reasonably tough, collecting drop items was easy.

The store had just been built, and since the 'D-Rank' population was small, there were no other adventurers. On top of that, it was just a short bus ride from my house.

However, I was afraid my skills would get rusty if I kept fighting this way.

...I never thought I'd have such an impression of these enemies, who I considered to be an old foe.

I could say that I had overcome my aversion to 'normal Orcs.'

It was then, as I was smiling wryly.

"Hm, something's approaching."

"An enemy?"

"Should be. There are five... no, one is a little behind, so a total of six. They seem to be running towards us from behind the door up ahead."

"Understood."

I looked ahead and saw a slightly steep uphill slope. There was a wooden door at the top, and I could hear footsteps. The slope was about ten meters long.

I wanted to fight in front of the door, but the slope... The footing was a bit bad. It wasn't good to back up too much, but if I was in a halfway position, the attack would come from above.

"Let's back up a little."

"Good idea."

After taking a few steps back, the door was thrown open with great force.

An Orc came running down, trampling over the door that had been knocked off its broken hinges.

It was already on fire.

"Huh?"

"BUGYAAAAA!!"

A flaming Orc charged at me, swinging its axe wildly. I threw a knife at it on reflex. With no attempt to dodge, it was a success, piercing its head.

But its momentum didn't stop. It seemed to lose its balance and came tumbling down.

"Buoh! Buoh!"

"Bugaa!"

More of them burst through the door. Were they really setting their own allies on fire to use as decoys and attacks?!

A chill ran down my spine. I had imagined an opponent who would fight like this in this dungeon.

But it wasn't certain yet, and thinking too much in front of an enemy was the height of folly.

Somehow, I rebooted my accelerated mind. I immediately released wind and fire.

The red storm of flames swallowed both the tumbling Orc and its followers. But I couldn't generate enough wind to lift their massive bodies.

"Block it, White!"

I used White as a shield to weather the rolling, carbonized corpses.

The Orcs quickly turned to salt. As the golem staggered from the impact, a single spear flew from somewhere.

—CRACK!!

With a roar, the spear pierced through White. At the same time, a huge shadow leaped from the top of the slope.

It was fast. But my Spirit Eye accurately captured its form.

"Wha—"

Erina-san threw a throwing spike at the giant in mid-air. The monster landed, catching it with its crossed arms, and forcefully pulled out the spear that was stuck in White.

The homunculus-like being couldn't maintain its golem body, and its head rolled off. But I had no time to worry about that.

"BUGOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

An Orc Champion.

Its burnt-brown body was a size larger than the other Orcs. Black tattoos were carved on its limbs, and its torso was covered in navy and gray armor.

There was no mistaking it. This was the boss of this dungeon, the opponent that had almost killed me the first time.

Our eyes met at almost the same time as its spear moved.

"Kyouta-chan!"

Erina-san's voice rang out. I don't know if she meant to scold me or something else.

But either way.

"Hah."

My course of action was set.

"OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!!"

With a roar as loud as my opponent's, I charged forward.

It was the same as the first time I entered the dungeon. To overcome fear and anxiety, I had decided to 'roar' if I ever encountered this thing.

I was already a little too close to be in spear range.

But this thing would definitely hit me. My reason and Spirit Eye gave me the answer, and I moved my left hand into the spear's path.

The rugged tip aimed for my brow. It collided with my left gauntlet, sending out fierce sparks and a high-pitched metallic sound.

The stalemate lasted only an instant. I forcefully deflected the spear, which carried the weight of the Orc Champion, with the help of the wind.

The Orc Champion, while losing its balance, used the impact to pull back its spear. Just before its next thrust was unleashed, my blade reached it.

A diagonal slash. It bit into its shoulder and reached the center of its chest, but it couldn't cut through the flesh and bone.

It was a fatal wound. But it wasn't dead yet. The Orc Champion's eyes blazed, and it swung its left fist like a hammer.

At the same time, I gripped the handle with my left hand. I supplied mana to create wind and deployed flames.

"OOOOOOOH!"

The blade split its torso and swung through. A scorched arc was drawn on the stone floor, tracing the path of the sword's tip.

The giant, cleaved in two diagonally, slid apart.

The upper half rolled backward, and the lower half fell to my right. I brought my sword back and took a ready stance.

My gaze was fixed on the part of its body with its right arm and head, which had rolled onto the floor. I watched for a counterattack, but after a few seconds, it turned to salt without incident.

It was an all-too-anticlimactic end. I processed this fact and let out a breath.

"Haaaah..."

I lowered the tip of my sword and looked up.

I had won. And without a scratch.

"You did it, Kyouta-chan! Revenge is sweet! Hmm? You won last time too, so... is this a winning streak?"

"Either way is fine. More importantly, are you okay, Erina-san?"

I looked at my partner, who was giving me a smiling thumbs-up. More specifically, at her arm.

She had lost an arm to the Orc Champion before. I wondered if the trauma had been triggered.

"Hmm? Why me?"

Her blank expression gave me a slight headache. Seriously?

But if she was okay, then I guess it was fine. I convinced myself of that.

"Oh, it's nothing. More importantly, let's collect the drop items and go home."

"Yeah. We defeated it, but we still have to report defeating a boss monster, just in case."

I retrieved White's head, and Erina-san and I quickly picked up the drop items from the salt.

Besides the coins, there was also something that looked like a crystallized Orc skull.

"...What's this?"

'Oh. It's rare for that to drop. I'll buy it at a high price, so bring it back.'

"Well... okay."

To me, it just looked like a morbid decoration, but I guess scholars are different. I wasn't particularly interested, so I collected it without asking any more questions.

Then.

"Oh! Kyouta-chan, Kyouta-chan! The champion dropped this!"

"Hmm?"

A very excited Erina-san showed me a bracelet with a navy base and gray decorations.

As far as I could see with my Spirit Eye, it seemed to be some kind of 'magic tool.' I see, that's certainly something to get excited about.

It didn't feel as powerful as the 'Flame Horse' one, but it was still a rare item.

"We're lucky. We've earned enough, so let's go home."

"Yep! A big haul!"

Blushing, I took Erina-san's hand and teleported. We moved to near the exit and reported to the SDF personnel.

I received a larger-than-usual reward from the research lab, and I got a lot of experience. I felt like I had leveled up. On top of that, I had obtained a magic tool-like drop item. According to Aira-san, it was a 'disposable strength-enhancing item.'

It was a dungeon with a history... but in the end, it was a place where I had gained a lot.

It was about time for the results of the written exam and interview for the promotion test to come from the government office. I felt like I had finally closed the chapter on 'D-Rank.'

My steps towards the bus stop on the way home were naturally light.

*

'Yagawa Kyouta' LV: 23 Race: Human, Awakened Person

Strength: 53 Durability: 53 Agility: 56 Mana: 56

Skills

'Spirit Eye'

'Mana Conversion: Wind'

'Concept Interference'

Unique Skill

'Sage's Nucleus'

'Rinzaki Erina' LV: 17 Race: Human, Awakened Person

Strength: 35 Durability: 35 Agility: 47 Mana: 40

Skills

'Invisibility'

'Five Senses Enhancement'

'Spatial Magic'