kscans

Chapter 95 - What Lies Beyond the Door

What Lies Beyond the Door

'VVVAAAAAAAAAAH!!'

A horde of monsters roared, closing in on me.

In response, I channeled mana into the sword I held at my waist.

[Mana Conversion: Wind]

[Bracelet of the Flame Horse]

[Concept Interference]

The mana I poured in all at once enveloped the blade. For a fleeting moment, a sphere of crimson flame swelled around it.

With a horizontal slash, I launched it forward.

"Burn...!"

A fiery horse formed from mana charged into the center of the approaching werewolf pack, accompanied by a sound like a whinnying inferno.

The raging flames consumed the monsters at the front, turning them to charcoal before they could even scream. Most of them managed to dodge in time, but those who were blocked by their comrades and took a direct hit collapsed onto the bridge, charred black.

I'd only taken down a few, but I had halted their momentum.

Sensing a tornado erupt behind me, I charged forward. Propelling myself with blasts of wind from my feet, I closed the distance in a single leap and bisected the nearest beast's torso with the force of my momentum.

Next, I cut down another werewolf in a diagonal slash as it finally turned its attention from the dissipating flames to me. Then I pushed further, forcing my way into a clump of them. Immediately, I released wind and fire from my blade at maximum output, killing them all with a spinning slash.

'VAAH!'

One that had been just outside the range of my attack bared its fangs and lunged at me. I met it with my left fist. I sent its jaw flying with the back of my hand and grabbed its defenseless neck.

Focusing mana in my palm, I released it!

Wind and fire mixed, forming a heat ray that melted through the werewolf's thick neck.

'GAAAH!'

'VO!'

Next, I deflected claws coming from behind with my breastplate and smashed the pommel of my sword into the side of the wolfman's head, sending it flying. Immediately after, I parried another one's arm with my blade and lopped its head off with the return swing.

Don't stop, keep moving. You've fought against many before.

"Shiiii..."

I exhaled in a short, low breath, lowering my body in sync.

A monstrous arm passed over my head, a light impact against my helmet. I ignored it and slammed my sword into the torso before me.

Even without destroying the brain and heart, if I separate their body parts, they'll die regardless of regeneration. In that respect, they're clearly more fragile than trolls.

In exchange, they have speed and coordination. I leaped to evade the wolfmen trying to grapple me in a suicide attack from all sides, and before I reached the height of the rooftops, I flipped my body upside down.

[Concept Interference]

Kicking off the wind cloaking my feet, I fell at high speed, spinning my entire body horizontally as I swung my sword. I bisected the necks and torsos of four of them at once.

Shattering the stone pavement as I landed, I straightened my bent legs and drove my iron fist into a nearby creature. The wolfman, bent into a 'C' shape, was knocked off the bridge along with several other monsters.

It probably wouldn't hurt them much, but I just needed to reduce the number of enemies in close quarters.

I 'foresaw' an attack from behind and countered. I slapped away the extended arm with my sword and immediately lopped off its head.

For the few seconds it took to turn to salt, I grabbed the collar of the remaining body and used it as a makeshift shield.

I threw it at another one that had leaped at me, and just as it turned to salt, I swung my sword. The blade, emerging from the white powder that offered no resistance, sliced through the wolfman's torso.

Next...!

I took three steps back to evade an attack from the side, then shifted to avoid claws descending from above. I caught a body slam from diagonally behind with my left hand, grabbed the attacker's head, and used it as a club to smash into the one that had come from above.

With a roar and a cloud of dust, I stomped on their bodies, crushing them, and then beheaded another wolfman.

The one underneath died, but the one I'd used as a club was apparently still alive. I saw it trying to stand up in the corner of my vision and threw a knife into its cracked head to put it to sleep.

Are the only ones left the ones I knocked off the bridge...!?

Just then, a group of wolfmen leaped over the railing. 'Foreseeing' them a moment before, I cloaked my blade in wind and fire.

"Hah!"

Hellfire for those with no escape in mid-air. Even if their fur was wet, it wouldn't matter; I'd burn them to death.

—No.

From behind its burning comrades, one werewolf broke through the wall of flame.

A creature that had jumped slightly later had used the others as a shield to get through, its fur singed.

'GAAAAAAAA!!'

Was it devotion among monsters? Or a one-sided strategy?

Either way, the wolfman's claws were closing in on me just after I'd swung my sword.

But it was pointless.

I stopped the arm right before my eyes by grabbing it with my left hand and, without a moment's delay, slammed it onto the bridge. The sound of something shattering came from my feet and my hand at the same time.

'Gi, a...'

I plunged my sword into the neck of the monster as it still tried to reach with its left arm, and released my mana.

Flames erupted from within, and a pillar of fire rose. With that, all the enemies I was responsible for were dead.

I walked through the air heated by the flames, my hand still gripping the hilt of my sword tightly.

As for Erina-san and the others, right now...

I turned to look her way, my senses on full alert, but it seemed my worry was needless.

'Gaaa!?'

'Voooh!'

Two werewolves, caught together in a rope dart, were desperately trying to brace themselves. The end of the rope was out of sight, extending over the railing and down below the bridge.

And then, a blonde girl leaped out from the opposite side with great force.

She swung in like a pendulum for a flying kick... no. She 'stepped' onto the werewolf's stomach and thrust her reverse-gripped ninja sword upward.

The blade passed through its jaw and into its brain. As one died that way, the other had its head lopped off by a swing from the golem's axe.

That seemed to be the last of them. There were no more enemies on or under the bridge.

I scanned the area one more time as I approached Erina-san. Byakuren seemed to have just run out of mana, as it hung its head and stopped moving.

"Erina-san, good work. You okay?"

"Yep! You look fine too. Glad to hear it!"

Erina-san nodded, her hands on her hips and her chest puffed out.

I quickly averted my eyes from her bouncing chest and placed a hand on Byakuren's shoulder to replenish its mana.

"That was a huge number of them, though... I guess this area hasn't been thinned out much."

"Maybe? Maybe they're a pain to just mow down with a machine gun, dwa-wa-wa~!"

"What is that sound effect...?"

'Heh heh heh... I was seriously considering contacting the Store and calling for backup. That horde was terrifying.'

"Ah... If things get really bad, I'll let you know. Please help us out then."

'Understood... On the other hand, does that mean a horde of that size isn't considered 'really bad'...?

Aira-san's voice sounded a bit taken aback, but I was tired too. A horde of monsters is never welcome. I could feel that my level had gone up, so it wasn't a total waste of effort, but still.

After rebooting Byakuren, we moved on to collecting the drop items. Erina-san went to retrieve the Daisharinmaru she must have thrown at the start of the fight.

That thing is useful, so I'd like to make one or two more, but... Ooyama-san's schedule is apparently pretty tight.

It's not like she's our exclusive blacksmith; she's busy with weapon orders she's taken online. And she's apparently leveling up for her own self-defense, too.

With that in mind, I started collecting the 'Old Fangs' from the piles of salt covering the bridge.

This was the werewolf drop item. The lab was scheduled to buy them from us for 2,000 yen each.

The market rate is 500 yen cheaper, so this is a good price. The reason the profit is so low for a C-Rank monster is that there's virtually no demand for this drop item.

About the only use for these fangs is to decoct them as an ingredient for 'magic potions'... which can be used to make two things.

'Cold medicine' and an 'aphrodisiac.'

...Yeah.

The former is slightly less effective than over-the-counter medicine and doesn't work on curses or anything.

As for the latter, while the 'manufacture of magic potions' itself isn't legally restricted, 'poisons' are a different story. If you're caught making one, you'll be arrested.

Even an aphrodisiac can be classified as a poison depending on its ingredients. And the magic potion made from these fangs falls into that category. I've heard rumors online that it fetches a high price in the underworld, but I have no intention of getting involved in that kind of business.

As a result, this drop item barely sells. Only collectors and researchers will buy it.

...Could the reason there were so many werewolves be because this place is so unpopular?

I took a plastic bag out of Byakuren's backpack, filled it with fangs, and added the ones Erina-san had gathered before putting it all in her Item Box.

Well, in exchange, I'm getting 100,000 yen for helping with the 'investigation of the culture remaining in the dungeon,' so I have no complaints about this job.

"But the bridge decorations got pretty destroyed, didn't they?"

I said, touching my earring and looking around.

I didn't have the luxury of worrying about that during the fight, and more importantly, the enemies were moving all over the place. Inevitably, the 'remnants of civilization' got torn to shreds.

If this had been outside a dungeon, it might have been called a historical loss. But since it'll repair itself on its own anyway, the labyrinth is convenient.

'Don't worry. I got the photos I needed for this investigation. Besides, Grandma will probably raise her rank soon enough. We can have her investigate it herself next time.'

"Right... Wait, the Professor is D-Rank right now?"

'That's right. Did I not mention it?'

"No, you didn't. I heard she was strong, but I didn't realize she was such a fighter..."

The Professor Arisugawa I knew was, despite her mischievous side, fundamentally a strict but kind lady.

I really can't picture her in a fight.

'I see... You haven't seen Grandma give Grandpa a Thai kick to the butt, have you, Kyouta-kun?'

"Excuse me?"

"That brings back memories. Grandpa and I used to get scolded together all the time. Sometimes Grandma would give Grandpa a low kick to the shin."

"Excuse me?"

That professor, delivering Thai kicks and low kicks?

...Well, she is an Arisugawa. And considering she's Aira-san's and Erina-san's grandmother, I guess I can believe it.

'Now then. Do you two still have energy left? I don't mind if we end the exploration here.'

"I'm still good to go, but..."

"I can still go on and on!"

'Alright. In that case, I'll ask you to investigate a little more. Find a relatively intact house and show me the inside with the hand mirror.'

"Understood."

We crossed the bridge and resumed our exploration. It seemed we had wiped out most of the werewolves in the area during the previous battle, as there was no sign of them.

After walking a short distance, we found a house that matched her request.

"I'm going in. Erina-san, you and Byakuren keep watch outside."

"Okay!"

I took out the hand mirror and put my hand on the doorknob.

—Creeeeak...

A scream-like creak echoed from the door, and I almost choked on the dusty air that wafted out from inside.

My hands were full with my sword and the mirror, so I couldn't even cover my mouth. Regretting not bringing a mask, I stepped inside.

With every step, the floor groaned. It sagged slightly, and I was a little worried I might fall through.

"Can you see, Aira-san?"

'Yes. The light from the nearby streetlamp is coming in as well.'

As I moved the hand mirror, I also took a look around inside.

To the right of the entrance was a door, and to the left was a living room... or what seemed to be one.

The remains of a wooden table and chairs. A shelf, also made of wood, had collapsed, and broken plates were scattered about.

There was a fireplace along the wall, with nothing but ashes inside. Looking toward the back, there was no door, but a section of the wall had been carved out to form a passageway, and I could see what looked like a stove. That might be the kitchen.

'...What a mess.'

"It is. Is it just from age?"

'No. That's part of it, but it's not just that.'

"Huh?"

'The exterior was similar to 19th-century Eastern Europe. But the floor plan and the objects inside don't fit the period. Well, the floor plan might just be because they're using an old house as is, but the scattered plates too... bring the mirror a little closer.'

"Oh, okay."

Confused by Aira-san's sudden rapid speech, I carefully approached the collapsed cupboard.

'...It's strange.'

"Is it...?"

I've heard that dishes differ by era, but unless I'm comparing them to the Stone Age or something, I have no idea how to tell the age of ceramic plates or wooden tableware.

I probably couldn't tell the difference beyond whether it looks like something sold in a department store or just old.

'Kyouta-kun. The possibility that dungeon interiors are modeled after countries or cultures that once existed on Earth is low. It's more reasonable to assume they are something completely unknown.'

"Um... so what are you saying? That dungeons were teleported here from another world...?"

'I can't say for sure. But teleportation... if it is teleportation...'

Aira-san was muttering, but her voice was too soft for me to hear clearly.

'...It's still just a hypothesis. It's frustrating to have to wait for the SDF's investigation. Hey, Kyouta-kun. Could you maybe smash through one of the dungeon's outer walls and see if there's anything outside?'

"Like I could do that."

'Yeah, I know. Just kidding, forget I said it. Now, let's head to the kitchen. Oh, and don't forget to check for enemies, okay? Show me some cool room clearing.'

"Yeah, yeah."

...Still, the idea that dungeons might have been teleported from another world, huh.

It sounds absurd, but since the Day of Awakening, everything has been absurd.

But considering how concerned Aira-san was about the 'teleportation' and the 'outside of the dungeon'...

Could it be... that we're the ones who have gone to another world? No, that's impossible... right?