Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #9
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 9 Because I have a zashiki-warashi.
That day, I prepared
more carefully than usual for the dungeon exploration.
We had a charged stun
rod, a slingshot for monsters, a tear spray, and
goggle masks that covered the mouth. The tear spray was
a powerful bear repellent, and the goggles were in case the wind blows the chemicals back. I also pack other items that might be useful.
Today was the day I
planned to finish my first dungeon exploration.
Luckily, today was
also a school vacation. There was plenty of time for trial and error while
getting adequate rest.
I have already spent
more than a week on the F-rank dungeon. I had no intention of spending any more
time on this dungeon.
Once I clear this
dungeon, I also intend to lift the restriction of challenging the dungeon
without buying any information about it.
I have already gained
enough experience in tackling unknown dungeons. I plan to get to know various
types of enemies and dungeons by going through more and more dungeons.
As I was getting
fired up, I saw a shadow coming down from the second floor. It was my sister,
Ai.
She was probably
still sleepy, but the way her fluffy chestnut hair swayed was so cute. She had
a face like a child actress, and because of her small stature, she was adored
like an idol by the neighbors.
My popularity in the
neighborhood was not good though.
What is it that they
say, "Even though your sister is so cute...... But don't worry! A man’s face is not everything! Become rich! Then you'll be irresistible! Then
Utamaro-kun will be popular too!"
Are you trying to say
that I'm not popular if I don't become rich?! You idiot! Even if you don't tell
me... I know...
"Fwaaa, good morning......."
“Good morning."
While I was wiping
away the liquid that surfaced on the corners of my eyes for some reason, Ai
greeted me with a mix of yawns.
Ai sat on the sofa as
if she was slumping over, staring at my luggage with a vacant expression, but
then she suddenly ran up to me with her eyes shining brightly.
"Ah! By any chance, Onii-chan,
are you going to the dungeon!?"
"Yeah, I'm going to the dungeon! Today's the day I'm
going to finish exploring this one dungeon.”
“I want to go, too! Take
me with you, okay?”
Ai was begging
adorably, but what she was saying was not funny.
“No, no, no, no, no! Of
course I can't!”
"Eh, why, why? I
want to go there at least once.”
“No one other than adventurers should enter the dungeon.
If I bring in civilians, they will confiscate my card.”
It was easy to become
an adventurer as long as you have money, but once you became one, the rules
were sometimes more strict than you might think. For example, if you brought a
non-adventurer into the dungeon or attacked another adventurer, your license
would be confiscated and you would never receive it again.
Therefore, no matter
how much my sweet little sister asked me, I could not fulfill her request.
"Ah, I want to become an adventurer soon. Then I can
brag to everyone in my class."
This thought process
...... she is completely my sister.
The only difference
was that Ai was already at the top of her class caste because of her looks and
personality.
Brother and sister,
how did we become so different....... If I could have a conversation with
genes, I would have questioned them for an hour.
"Well, it's okay. Right now, Onii-chan is
the only one who is an adventurer. To be honest, I really love Onii-chan
because you're kind〜, I thought you were a little
dull. But Onii-chan is cool these days and I'm very satisfied!!"
"Well, thank〜 you."
I chuckled wryly at
my younger sister's transparent evaluation.
Since I used to play
with her instead of our parents, who were busy with work, Ai and I were closer
than siblings in most families.
However, as Ai grew
older and became interested in clothes and accessories, my sister, whose
fashion sense surpassed my own at elementary school, gradually began to give
her brother subtle glances.
I was taking it easy
on her, thinking, "Maybe it's time for Ai to grow apart from her older
brother," but it seems that she was simply disappointed by my dullness.
A woman is a woman,
even if she is small.
But now that I have
become an adventurer, she said herself, "My brother is amazing after all!”
My initial goal of
rising in my class caste did not go as planned, but at least I seemed to have
improved a little in my family caste.
"Oops, is it that late already? I'd better get
going."
“Good luck!
My sister saw me off
and I hurried out of the house.
After a week of
continuous visits to the dungeon, the dungeon stroll to the lowest floor went
extremely smoothly.
The adventurer's app
on my phone contained a map of the places we had explored so far, as well as
various other information.
By taking the
shortest route while avoiding enemies as much as possible, we were able to
reach the stairs leading to the lowest floor with almost no wear and tear.
“......Roughly five hours, I guess.”
I muttered to myself
as I looked at my watch in front of the stairs leading to the lowest floor.
Even though it was a
road that I'd trekked many times, there was something about it that makes me
think that a road that took a week to be trekked can be completed in a few
hours.
Three days at the
most, or one day if everything goes smoothly. That was how long it takes to
conquer the F-rank dungeon.
I didn't understand
it when I was just groping my way through the dungeon, but I see that knowing
the map and the enemies makes it so much easier to attack the dungeon.
After all, was it a
strange commitment to conquer the dungeon only by my own power for the first
time? If I had bought information from the guild from the beginning,......
wasn't I just wasting my time?
......No, that's not
true. Because I have come this far with my own strength, there should be
something called experience that will live on in the future.
I told myself that,
then I put down my bag and turned back to Coosie and Zashiki-warashi.
“Okay, let's take a short break before entering the
bottom floor.”
“Yes!”
“Ah, I'm tired. Hurry up and give me sweets. Sweets---”
“You're not working hard, are you?"
While saying that, I
handed sweets to Zashiki-warashi.
Well, just
once, just this once. And it’s not like she doesn’t do anything at all along
the way......
Today's sweets were
the limited-time strawberry mousse from the convenience store above.
It was a bit of a
luxury item, costing 500 yen each even though it was a size that could be eaten
in two bites.
“Hmm, the harmony of sourness and sweetness. It melts on
the tongue. ......What a delicious taste! Call
the chef!”
Seeing her spouting
stupid things, I thought she was influenced by the gourmet manga I lent her the
other day, or maybe she was just a little kid.
Leaving the silly kid
alone, I also took a bite of the mousse in my mouth.
Mmm, this is
definitely delicious. It's a level that can't be thought of as a convenience
store item.
...Once you get used
to it, being an adventurer isn't so bad.
Well, it's exhausting
both physically and mentally to carry heavy luggage and move around the dungeon
where monsters roam for hours
The three cards I
rely on are all difficult to deal with: doesn't listen, inflexible, and
cowardly.
For all the talk on
TV about high income and high earnings, the income I have earned so far had
been about 10,000 yen at most, and I didn't think it was worth all the hard
work.
I didn't make it to
the top of my class caste, which was important, and to be honest, I'm not happy
about it.
I was not able to
make it to the top of my class caste, which is the most important thing, and to
be honest, I'm full of dissatisfaction.
……But at the same
time, it was also true that I felt a sense of fulfillment that I had never
experienced before in my life.
It isn't as
life-threatening as I had initially assumed. Ghouler is gradually becoming more
capable of fighting, Coosie is cute as a pet, and the way the impertinent
Zashiki-warashi is obsessed with sweets like this is quite charming---
“Hey, Blockhead. I'm
finished eating this one, give me another.”
--- No, I don't think
she's charming after all. I'm just being cheeky.
I instantly came to
my senses and stood up with a sigh.
“There’s no more. Come on, break's over. Let's go.”
“What the hell, you're so cold. That's what poor people
do.”
“I'm going to beat you up.”
As we were exchanging
such casual remarks, Coosie said to me timidly,
"Um, I'm... that…"
“Ah, yeah. I know, I know. I'll switch you here with
Ghouler. Good job.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you.”
I patted Coosie’s
head, who thanked me with a relieved expression, and then switched her with
Ghouler.
“Ghouler, are you ready?”
“Yes, Master.”
“Good.”
Finally, the bottom
floor.
An adventurer who has
not conquered a single dungeon is not an adventurer.
I would finally take
my first step as an adventurer.
I stepped into the
lowest level with great enthusiasm.
“......!”
At that moment, the
air suddenly changed, sending shivers down my spine.
The surroundings,
which until then had the atmosphere of a summer forest, suddenly changed into
something dark and cold.
It was not that the
weather inside the dungeon had changed. It was simply that the trees in the
forest had become thicker and denser, blocking out the sun's rays. Because of
that, it got darker than before, and the temperature dropped.
While I was thinking
like this ......, I felt an indescribable sense of incongruity.
The darkening can be
explained. But what is this chill that clings to me? Why has the vegetation, which had remained unchanged,
change now? And what is this
sewer-like stench that I can faintly smell since a few minutes ago ......?
Is ...... this really
an extension of the dungeon we were in earlier?
Maybe we should
retreat for once.
Thinking about it
instinctively rather than logically, I turned around and my eyes widened.
"A, the stairs...!"
The stairs we had
just descended from. The staircase, it was completely gone.......
What does this mean? Could it be because this is the lowest floor? Is it that once you enter the lowest floor, you can't
return home without defeating the Boss? No,
I have never heard of such a thing. On the contrary, I have heard many times of
people withdrawing from the dungeon because they did not think they could beat
the Boss.
If that is the case,
this is not a specification of the dungeon as a whole. It's a phenomenon unique
to this dungeon.
Oh, shit. I knew I
should have checked this out beforehand! If I
had known that it was impossible to retreat, I would have never come to this
dungeon!
As I was regretting this,
I felt a firm grip on my shoulder. A small hand. It's Zashiki-warashi.
"Hey, get a hold of yourself! You've noticed,
haven't you? This place isn't normal."
"Oh, yeah."
I nodded curtly,
thinking ...... how this kid would say something like that to make me feel
better.
“...... Shit, I didn't expect the stairs to disappear. If
I had known, I never would have picked this place in the first place."
Zashiki-warashi
frowned suspiciously at my words.
“Ah? What
are you talking about? There's no way you'll be able to detect a boss who can isolate a
floor from the beginning. Seriously, get a grip, or you’ll die.”
......? What the hell? What
the hell is this kid talking about?
“Oh man, are you still
confused? I can tell you’re not
thinking straight. Calm down and think carefully.”
First of all, what
did Zashiki-warashi say? Unn,
she said something about the boss, not the dungeon, right? This means that this is a phenomenon caused by the boss,
not by the dungeon itself.
But the master of the
dungeon basically doesn't change. Some types of dungeons randomly change each
time the boss gets defeated, but that is a characteristic of the dungeon rather
than a characteristic of the boss. And this is not such a special type of
dungeon.
Zashiki-warashi said,
"There's no way you'll be able to detect a boss
who can isolate a floor from the beginning,” In other words, this is not
a normal dungeon boss——
As soon as I thought
of this, I felt the hairs on my body stand on end.
“This, this is the [Walking-alone
Reaper (irregular encounter)]......!
An irregular
encounter. It was an accident of sorts that shone as the number one cause of
death for adventurers.
In the dungeon, there
were unique monsters that roam throughout all the dungeons. They have the habit
of feeding on the original dungeon boss, taking over the said dungeon, and
waiting patiently for their prey to arrive.
It was said that it
was impossible to be noticed from outside, and it was only when you step into
the lowest floor of the dungeon like this that you will find out. It could come
to you at any time, a completely unexpected misfortune ....... Hence,
accidents.
Irregular encounters
were not invincible monsters. Their fighting power was suppressed to be
appropriate for the dungeon in which they appear, and they had been defeated
many times in the past. Bounties were also placed on them, and once they
appear, they will remain there until they were defeated, so there were even
bounty hunters who seek out irregular encounters.
For adventurers who
encounter them unexpectedly, however, irregular encounters truly mean the grim
reaper.
Because even though
their combat power was suppressed, their skills were not restricted in any way.
---All of the irregular encounters have A-rank class
skills.
In the past, during
the time of Angolmore, irregular encounters also made their appearance.
They can
only be described as hell......
The [Little Match
Girl], who appeared in France, drove a whole city to death in a hallucination.
In India, [Urashima Taro1] transformed thousands of innocent boys
and girls into old people, and all the adults died of old age.
In Japan, [Frog
Prince] appeared, and those who saw it had iron bands burst from inside their
chests, dying a cruel death like a dissected frog.
Tragedy was always a
part of Angolmore, but the terror and tragedy brought about by irregular
encounters were different in quantity and quality.
And.
I am now.
I am in a cage set up
by such a monster.
“---!”
I almost fell
unconscious before I came back to myself.
Oh...... that was
close. I almost fainted just now. But if I faint here, it will be the end.
......! That's right!
I hurriedly took out
my adventurer's license.
The card was not just
an ID card. It was a kind of magical equipment, and in case of emergency, the
license allows you to send a rescue request to the guild. Of course, it costs a
certain amount of money, but now was not the time to spare it.
I tried to send a
distress signal...
"Damn it! It's
not working! It won’t reach!"
I slammed the license
to the ground.
Damn it! Not only are the stairs gone, but the whole space is
isolated---!
Oh, shit, what should
I do?
I scratched my head.
‘If push came to shove, I could ask the guild for
help’...... even though I had dived into the dungeon with that in mind......!
I felt like my only
lifeline had been removed
The Zashiki-warashi
quietly admonished me, who was cornered,
“Hey, for the time being, call Coosie instead of Ghouler.
It's more reassuring to have a spotter now.”
“Oh, yeah, right.”
With a trembling
hand, I took out Coosie's card and called her out, changing place with Ghouler.
Coosie appeared,
looking around with a dazed look on her face,
“Ma, Master. Wha, what is this?”
"It's an ...... irregular encounter. Use your nose
to find the enemy right away.”
“Yes, Sir!”
Coosie started
sniffing at my slack-jawed words, then her eyes widened in shock.
“Th- over there! There's
a scent other than us!"
“What?!”
Zashiki-warashi immediately
shot a light bullet in that direction.
"...... A rat?"
There was a rat. The
size was quite large. About as big as a prairie dog. However, its face was that
of a hideous rat, without a shred of cuteness.
"...... This isn't the irregular encounter, is it?"
"Damn right, it’s not. It should be a
vassal. This is bad, this kind of monster will spring up inexhaustibly. No
matter how many times you defeat it, it won't end."
Zashiki-warashi
pointed at the rat. It was struck by a light bullet and became a corpse. The stench was so unbearable that I wondered if its
entrails had rotted away.
Could this be the
source of the smell in the forest? If
so, how many of them are there...... all over the forest?
“Ugh, then, then we should move forward for now, right? After all, if we don't defeat them, we can't go
home.......”
Zashiki-warashi did
not make any comment on my trembling words.
For a while, we
proceeded through the dungeon under the guidance of Coosie.
The rats that
occasionally appeared were killed by Zashiki-warashi. She was cooperating with
us now without any reward. I was relieved from the bottom of my heart.
"Master, Master..... I can smell blood…”
“What?”
*Thump*
My heart jumped.
“Where did it come from?”
“Uh, over there.”
Coosie pointed to the
trees in the forest that formed the walls of the dungeon. As we approached
fearfully, I saw .......
“...... Ugh!"
I put my hand over my
mouth and groaned.
What was there was
the corpse of a child who had been dismembered. A blonde-haired Caucasian boy
of about ten years old. His young, freckled face was contorted with fear and
pain.
The iron smell of
blood and the indescribable odor of internal organs filled my nose.
First of all, it was
an object of poor taste, though probably not a real one.
I sighed deeply at
the depressing sight.
“......This is a real corpse,"
Zashiki-warashi
frowned and said.
"...... What?"
“There is no doubt about it. I know. And ...... what the
hell, this kid ...... still has his soul trapped in here.”
"...........................”
I slowly processed
her words.
No, no, that's funny. Uh, no, that's not funny. Even if a
child was to wander into the dungeon, they'd be immediately recognized and it
would be all over the news. Besides, this is Japan. This kid is a foreigner,
isn't he? This is an imitation from the dungeon. It's a stunt to scare off
adventurers.
I was so convinced.
Zashiki-warashi looked down at me with a gloomy expression.
“...... Angolmore."
“Huh?”
“It's Angolmore. That's what you call it, isn't it? This
must be the catch of that time. They take it home and use it as a trophy.”
"Angolmore… you say? Do you know how long it's been
since the last one......?"
After I said that,
Zashiki-warashi pointed at the sun.
The sun is still rising.
“Time does not pass in the dungeon.”
She said so briefly.
"Uh......."
Oh, my God, my eyes
are ....... The world is spinning around. I don't understand anything. Where am
I now? In the forest? Why am I in the forest? Oh, I see, I'm an adventurer now.
Well, what's this?
That's right. It's a
corpse. A real person from some other country.
Our eyes met. The boy
is talking to me.
“I don’t want to die----“
"...... Uh, ugh, hoekkk!"
I vomited.
Twice, three times. I
vomited everything out as if my stomach was turned upside down.
The strange smell of
the vomit and the dead body mingled together, and it brought more nausea. I
kept vomiting over and over again, with tears streaming down my face, until my
internal organs began to peristalsis and I felt
as if my stomach itself was about to be expelled from my body.
Worried, Coosie kept
rubbing my back.
When the nausea
subsided after a while ......, Zashiki-warashi offered me a plastic bottle of
water.
"Have a drink. My treat.”
“............I’m the one who bought it, though?"
Zashiki-warashi laughed fearlessly when I received the plastic
bottle while muttering so in a hoarse voice.
"Oh, you are feeling better now? That's
why you’re my master."
You impertinent brat.
....... Nn? What did she say about me just now?
"Now then, what are you going to do? If you want, I
can go beat him by myself this time.”
“Wha, what’s with you today? How should I put
it…”
I was confused by the unexpected words and the cooperative
appearance of Zashiki-warashi, who was completely different from usual.
The child laughed
pleasantly, not seeming to mind. Unlike her usual nasty smile, it was a
refreshing smile appropriate for her age.
"In place of the shaky Master, I'll face a strong
enemy by myself! There's no way I won't get a reward with this!"
And so, I was made
aware of the inevitable.
This kid ...... Oh,
that's what she’s been on about. Oh, my God!
You're trying to
cheer me up?! You little shitbag?! You're
trying to ...... for me?!
My heart grew hot,
and my vision became cloudy, so I hurriedly looked down.
I can't let her see
my crying face. ......
I pretended to rub my
eyes to wipe away the tears, then I stood up with trembling legs.
"... If you do that, I have to buy an unthinkable
amount of sweets. There aren't that many sweets in this town."
"Well, then what are you going to do?"
“I'll come with you, and we'll go on as usual.”
"That's a pity. It was the perfect opportunity to
bankrupt the master I hate."
“You can't bankrupt me.”
"What?"
She was waiting for
my next words with amusement, and I proudly puffed out my chest.
"Because I have a zashiki-warashi."
[Tips] Irregular Encounters
A special monster that
is always only one in the entire dungeons. They have the habit of eating the
original dungeon boss and hunting adventurers who come to the dungeon without
knowing it. They are feared by adventurers because while their fighting
strength is commensurate with the dungeon, their skills are not weakened. They
appear completely at random regardless of the dungeon's rank, and once you set
foot on the deepest floor, you must defeat the irregular encounters to return
alive.
Irregular encounters
tend to appear mainly in low-rank dungeons, as the number of dungeons decreases
with higher the rank, just like cards. As a result, many rookies are the
victims of irregular encounters, so they are also known as ‘rookie killers’.
It should be noted
that there are no reported cases of irregular encounters being successfully
made into cards.
***
Translator(s) note: We might continue to change the schedule to Monday since we are still unable to get it back on Saturday...
Notes:
1 The protagonist of a Japanese fairy tale (otogi banashi), who in a typical modern version is a fisherman rewarded for rescuing a turtle, and carried on its back to the Dragon Palace (Ryūgū-jō) beneath the sea. There he is entertained by the princess Otohime as a reward. He spends what he believes to be several days with the princess, but when he returns to his home village, he discovers he has been gone for at least 100 years. When he opens the forbidden jewelled box (tamatebako), given to him by Otohime on his departure, he turns into an old man.↩
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