Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #11
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode
11 - There's a value that money can't buy
At
that moment, everything became slow.
A
scythe swung down. Zashiki-warashi, noticing the enemy behind her, twisted her
body and tried to duck, but it was too late. No matter how she tried, the
scythe would tear the girl's slender body apart.
Rear-guard
type monster cards like Zashiki-warashi's generally have low vitality and
defense. Even though there was a difference in rank, heavy damage was certain. What
special effects does that scythe have? If it’s bad, I may lose her
in one hit.
Lost
- at the thought of losing Zashiki-warashi, I
felt goosebumps all over my body.
Wait,
please wait, anything but that.
Our
eyes meet. Zashiki-warashi had a frustrated, yet tearful look on her face.
What
is that? That kind of face .......
That
was where the world that slowed down ended.
What
happened from there was really an instant, and I didn't know what happened at
first.
“Huh?!"
Something
pushed Zashiki-warashi. Being slashed from the shoulder and fell down in half.
What? What happened?
I
asked myself, and then immediately answered myself.
Fool,
of course there is only one who can do that.
“Ghouler.’
She
acted and protected Zashiki-warashi.
When
we realized what that meant, Zashiki-warashi both roared at the same time,
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
The
sensation of invisible lines connecting. Zashiki-warashi's anger flowed into me
and my anger flowed into her.
Zashiki-warashi,
carrying the rage of two people, unleashed a barrage of rage. The Reaper
suddenly disappears, and the barrage cuts through the air.
Teleportation. With this hidden skill, he made it look like
he was dead.
I
should have noticed it with the drop items that didn't appear when the rats
disappeared in the time gap after the Reaper disappeared.......!
At
the same time, I understand the chain of events that kept him alive. Even now,
he has a huge hole in his chest. Normally, it should be a fatal wound. Despite
this, he was moving as if nothing had happened. It was for a very simple
reason.
He
would not die unless his head was crushed. That is the characteristic of the undead
type. I should have known by this bizarre stench.
All
because of my inexperience.
But
that doesn't matter now.
“Ghouler!”
I
picked up Ghouler, whose body had been reduced to two, and I could just hold her
upper half. She looked up at me with empty eyes.
They
looked blank. But in reality, feelings reside there.
That
certainly that been seen now.
--Because
I had not ordered her to protect her comrades.
She
protected Zashiki-warashi of her own volition.
I
absolutely had to save her.
Don't
worry, she is an undead. She won't die unless her head is crushed. And she can regenerate
by eating corpses.
I
looked around and saw several dead rats lying around. Ok, that's good. Apparently,
he can only pull back the living rats.
I
carried a corpse over, aligned Ghouler’s
wound so that her upper part and lower part were connected, and gave her the rat.
Ghouler
ate it without me having to say anything.
As
expected, she can think for herself.
When
I gave her all the rats that were lying around, it seemed that the core of her
body somehow connected.
As
soon as Ghouler tried to get up, I held her back.
"Wait,
your body isn't ready to move yet!"
Hearing
my command, Ghouler stopped moving. Then she looked up at me with eyes that
seemed to be… pleading.......
“Ghouler
...”
....But
I can't let her fight now.
In
the meantime, the Reaper took further action.
"The
man gathered the children from all over the city and took them away to the
forest. The adults tried to take the children back, but the rats that appeared
out of nowhere stopped them. They finally learn who has orchestrated the whole
thing. The man, now in possession of his favorite children, decides to have a
blast. “Tonight is a feast!” The forest echoes with the screams of the children
as they play. Please listen to the music. [Lambs' Dinner Party]"
With
that pronouncement, countless musical notes burst forth from the large hole in
the Reaper's chest. The notes wandered aimlessly in the air, but when one of
them flew toward the Zashiki-warashi, it bared its teeth.
“Nah!"
Zashiki-warashi
jumped back and struck down the note that had attacked her. Then the musical notes
were ...... the children's souls that looked like musical notes screamed with
anguished expressions on their faces.
"Good
music is sound that is alive. How about my melody? It's so lively, isn't
it?"
“Fuck
you, you lowlife!"
The
Zashiki-warashi, in a rage, fired a flurry of light bullets, all of which were
blocked by the notes-looking souls.
On
the contrary, the musical notes turned into a barrage and attack, resulting in
a one-sided defensive battle.
Ghouler
saw this and tried to move her body with a bit of stagger.
“Ghouler!”
“Master,
your order.”
“!"
This
was the first time Ghouler asked for an order.
No
doubt, her ego is ...... growing rapidly here.
It
gave me joy, and hesitation.
She
is trying to save her comrade of her own volition. That makes me happy. But
that's why I hesitated. I shouldn't lose her here.
What
should I do ......?
As
I looked down, I noticed a faint glow on my chest.
This
is .......
Coosie's
card flashed faintly like a firefly and seemed to be calling out to me.
Coosie…
I see.......
“Ghouler,
come back. You did a good job. Leave the rest to me and the others.”
"Master."
I
stroked Ghouler's head, who looked up at me vaguely, and put her back in the
card.
Here
we go.
“COOSIE!"
She
appeared with a roar that seemed to lift the spirit.
“Guooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!”
The
roar shook the air. The ferocious, teeth-baring, and snarling figure was no
longer the timid puppy.
As
if to prove it, the card's skills had also changed.
[Race]
Coosie
[Combat
Power] 150
[Inborn
Skill]
・Fairy
Watchdog
・Group
activities
[Acquired
skills]
・Obedience
→ Loyalty (CHANGE!)
・Cowardice
→ Little hero (CHANGE!)
・Awakening
of instinct (NEW!)
The
wimpy puppy lit up her courage for the first time when the herd was in danger and
here she is, a brave hero.
A
very small hero. But that very figure was exactly my hope.
Coosie
caught sight of the enemy and ran like a bullet toward the Reaper.
"Hihi
......"
When
the Reaper noticed Coosie coming towards him, he set up his scythe and attacked.
In response, Coosie bent down to the ground and then leaped.
The
color of the Reaper's face changed. The Reaper twisted his body to avoid it,
but he was too late. Coosie's sharp claws gouged the flesh of his upper arm.
When Coosie landed on the ground and was about to make more attacks, a soul in
the form of a musical note struck her. Coosie tried to shake it off, but her
claw went right through the note and the note clung to her arm.
Damn,
those notes ...... aren't just a trick, they're treated as phantom-type monsters!
When
more notes rushed in to attack Coosie,
“Don't
get carried away!"
Zashiki-warashi's
light bullet obliterated the notes. She also lightly swept Coosie's arm, and
the notes that clung to her disappeared.
“Leave
the notes to me. It's a little annoying, but I'll leave the punching of that
bastard to you."
“Grrrrrrr
......."
Coosie
nodded her head and jumped at the Reaper.
The
Reaper was ready, but Coosie's physical abilities were completely superior to
his. The difference in status due to the original difference in rank came into
play here. The silver whirlwind chipped away at the enemy's body, bit by bit,
little by little.
The
flying notes were knocked down by Zashiki-warashi, and the scales of victory
were now completely tilted in our favor.
Just
as I pictured victory in my mind, the Reaper spoke again,
“The
anger of the adults who had lost their children was turned to the mayor, who
had not paid the man. “If only you had paid him properly!" ”
This
flow is ...... dangerous!
“Stop
that guy!"
My
shout made their offense even more intense, but the Reaper's mouth doesn't
stop.
“The
mayor says: “You saw how he manipulated those rats, it was a setup from the
beginning!” But the people no longer stop at his words. Alas, the mayor was
dismembered by the townsfolk. They left behind the mayor's two children, one
blind and the other crippled. Now please listen. [The Pied Piper of Hamelin]."
Along
with the declaration, the notes let out a terrifying scream.
The
volume was so loud that even I, protected by the card barrier, had to cover my
ears and crouch down. The first to be affected by this was Coosie, who was not
wearing an intercom.
Her ears were bleeding and her body tilted to the side. Even the
Zashiki-warashi, who should have been wearing an intercom, collapsed to the
ground.
Why?
My
question was quickly answered. A black haze clung to the legs and eyes of the
fallen Zashiki-warashi. The eyes and feet ...... in the fairy tale, only blind
children and crippled children were left behind in the city. Is this a status
ailment imitating that anecdote!?
In
an instant, the situation was reversed.
The
Grim Reaper looked at me with a big smile on his face. As I involuntarily
backed away, he disappeared.
Where
the hell is he?!
The
answer came from right behind me.
“The
concert is now over. I hope you enjoyed it. I'll
take your life for the payment."
I
turned around and saw the figure of the Grim Reaper with his scythe raised in
the air. My thoughts rapidly accelerated.
Attacks
on the master are taken over by cards. That means that if he lands an attack on
me, he can damage all the cards efficiently, and I myself am just a fragile
human being with no defense after that.
If
it's just one blow, the cards might be able to withstand it somehow. But if I
am attacked continuously, the result is obvious. What awaits us is .......
I
tried to turn and duck, but my movements were too slow compared to my
accelerated senses.
Only
the Reaper moved normally in the slowed world.
Ugh,
I won’t make it in time...
At
that moment, I felt as if I had stepped off something, and my movement suddenly
accelerated.
It
turned out that I had slipped on a rat's bodily fluids. It was the result of my
good fortune from Zashiki-warashi's skill, [Misfortune and
fortune are like a rope1].
The
scythe passed right by my head. Dark green bullets flew over my head as I
clumsily landed on my buttocks. The Reaper’s arms fly through the air together
with the scythe, and Coosie landed lightly on the ground.
(Coosie! I'm
saved! But how could you move?)
My
thoughts crossed incoherently.
The
answer was answered by the Reaper.
"[Hero]
skills, huh!"
The
reaper who said this seemed genuinely surprised. [Little hero],
did that skill resist the status ailment? Or perhaps Zashiki-warashi's granting
good luck also helped.
Anyway,
at the last minute, it seemed certain that the goddess of fortune had smiled at
me.
The
god of death laughed.
“Kihihihi,
it can't be helped. No need to pay this time. I'll take it next time we meet.”
"...
No matter how many times we meet, I'll step on you."
“What
a customer!"
That
was the last line of the Pied Piper of Hamelin. His head, which had been
showing a deliberate surprise, blew off by itself, and a beat later, his body
came crashing down on top of mine. Rotting blood sprayed onto my face.
......
Fuck your parting gift.
As
I desperately endured nausea, his body and blood slowly faded away. All that
was left was a blood-red pebble and a long vertical flute.
That
gave me the feeling that this time the battle was over.
Ah
...... anyway…
"I-I'm
so tired~"
I
lay sprawled out on the ground with the loot in my arms.
"Master!
Are you okay?"
Coosie
immediately rushed over to me. I could recognize her timid face even if she was
a dog.
It's
the same old Coosie I know and love. It seems that her cool mode is
over.
She
had blood on her ears, but she doesn't seem to be deaf, perhaps having been
healed by Zashiki-warashi.
"You're
slacking. You probably didn't fight. Rather, you should be thanking me for all
my hard work.”
Zashiki-warashi
immediately flashed her sarcasm in a lighthearted manner. It seemed that the
gentle mode was over for her too. I was relieved when I confirmed that there
was nothing wrong with her eyes and legs.
I
picked myself up and said,
"I
know, I know. I've thought of a proper reward.”
“Oh? What is it? Maybe it's a
candy house or something?”
"Zashikiwarashi-san,
how can a card ask the master for a reward?"
Coosie
reprimanded her, but her swaying tail couldn't hide her expectations.
Well,
I'll do that kind of physical reward after I redeem the items. Right now, it's
just the ones I can give you right away. “
“Something
you can give here? Seems kind of
shabby.”
“Well,
yeah. It's just a name, after all.”
I
said that with a wry smile, but the reaction of the monster cards was dramatic.
Coosie's
tail stuck up, and Zashiki-warashi asked me with a serious look on her face,
"What
do you mean by… ? You... do you know what that means?"
“Of
course I do.”
Name
the card. It is a kind of contract between the adventurer and the card.
Once
a card is named, it can no longer be initialized - that is, it can never be
sold again.
Basically,
adventurers raise cards, earn money, sell the cards they have been using, and
use their savings to buy higher-ranked cards...... it is a cycle.
Cards
of adventurers who have been active in MonColo can be auctioned off for more
than double the market price.
For
adventurers, cards are a kind of asset management, like stocks.
Therefore,
in a sense, naming a card is an act that disqualifies one from being an
adventurer.
When
I first bought the cards, I was warned by Shigeno-san not to name them without
thinking.
However,
naming has its advantages. It means that the card can be revived.
Even
if a monster dies, the card's information remains in the form of a soul card,
and by consuming unused cards of the same gender and race, it is possible to
revive it with its personality and appearance intact.
......
Originally, Zashiki-warashi and Coosie would have been these resurrection
cards. The cards needed for resurrection don't matter what skills they have as
long as they match their gender and race. Therefore, there is a certain demand
even for cards that cannot be used normally. I guess that was what Shigeno-san
was saying that day.
Perhaps
Shigeno-san thought I would sell off the Zashiki-warashi as it was and use the
money to buy a more manageable card.
That
was why he told me the purchase price of the Zashiki-warashi.
But
I continued to use these cards.
I
wonder what would have happened if I had sold them and switched to
easier-to-handle cards. Probably, I would not have faced the cards head-on.
I
would have seen them as convenient tools because they were easy to use.
Then
I would have encountered the irregular encounter and died.
I'm
glad my first cards are these guys.
I
really think so.
That's
why I decided ...... to never let them go.
“First
of all, Zashiki-warashi, your name is Renge.
"Renge......"
At
first glance, this kid has black hair and black eyes, but if you look closely,
you can see a hint of vermillion in her hair. For some reason, this reminded me
of a lotus flower, so I named her Renge2.
I changed the way I read it because it's a little cuter that way.
“Next
is Coosie, and you are Yuki3. In katakana.”
“Yuki......!
The
reason why I chose Yuki (in katakana) as Coosie's name is because I
wanted it to have various meanings. This time, she had the courage to become my
hope. It could also be Yuki4, which combines courage and
hope, or Yuuki5, which
means kindness. I named her Yuki with
various meanings. It's a little cheesy, but I think it's better to be
straightforward with this girl.
"Although
she's not here, I've also thought of Ghouler's name."
Eliza.
I hesitated a lot for her name. At first, I was thinking of naming her Gura6 because it's related to vampires. However, I changed my mind after seeing her
action of protecting Zashiki-warashi, no, Renge.......
That
time, the anecdote about Pygmalion, a doll that turned into a human, came up
into my head.
In
Greek mythology, a man falls in love with a doll that he made himself, and when
the man's love is so great that it almost weakens him, a goddess named
Aphrodite takes pity on him and turns the doll into a human being. Since the
doll's name is not mentioned in the original story, I decided to take the name
of the heroine of the movie "My Fair Lady," which was based on the
myth.
I
will give her the name properly later.
“Thank
you, Master! Thank you very much, I will do my best from now
on!’
Yuki's eyes were moist as she thanked me. Her tail
wagging like it was about to break into a thousand pieces.
“Aa--h, poor me. Now I have to take care of
this incompetent master even if I die
from this.”
Anyone
who can't translate Renge's words properly should probably start over from the
beginner's level of the tsundere test.
Look,
even Yuki
guessed it and smiled.
When
Yuki
and I exchanged glances, Renge noticed this and raised her eyes.
"You
guys! What's so funny, ah?!"
"Hey,
please stop it! Oh my god! Hey, what are you doing?!"
Renge
jumped onto Yuki's back and started plucking her fur. Smiling wryly
at those two, I turned my eyes to the back.
There,
floating in the air, was an ornately decorated treasure chest and a gate for
returning.
It
was the reward for breaking through the dungeon, commonly known as the ‘disappointment box7’.
The
two were still joking around with each other, but they walked to the disappointment box from behind me.
The
corpse of the dead children had somehow disappeared, replaced by small piles of
dirt. The atmosphere of the forest seemed to be gradually matching that of the
upper floors.
The
reward for my first dungeon expedition made my heart beat undeniably fast.
As
I slowly reached for the box…
“Ah! What are you trying to open on your own!”
Renge
jumped on my back. The unexpectedly soft sensation, the hot body temperature,
and the pleasant scent of flowers made my heart jump.
“Hey,
don’t dodge!”
“Oh,
oh, I'm sorry."
"It's
okay if you understand. Look, I'll bless you. Good things will come out then,
right?"
*Pop*
My
body was wrapped in a faint light for a moment. It seemed that she used her
skill.
This kid ...... has become really cooperative.
I
opened the box while feeling the gap between when we first met.
There
was----
"......What's
this?"
“Magic
stones and...... potions, it seems?
There
were white pebbles and
test-tube-sized bottles.
The
pebbles must be the conquest reward. Compared
to normal magic stones, white magic stones contain more energy, and the guild
buys them according to the depth of the dungeon. It is around 60,000 yen for
this place. As for the bottles, I don't know exactly what kind they are without
an appraisal, but it's probably the most popular reward... potions.
If
you sprinkle it on the affected area, it heals the wound in an instant, if you
drink it, it regulates the stomach and internal organs, if you put a bottle in
the bath, it makes your skin shiny, and if you put it in your mouth, it even
cures tooth decay. Potions that were hailed as such dream medicines are
steadily dropping in market price as the supply increases.
This
item is not very useful for our party since there’s already someone with
recovery magic. I should sell it,...... or no, it might be more pleasing to
give it to my mom or sister than to sell it.
The
rewards were so lousy for such a life-threatening task that I somehow understood
why this was called a disappointing box.
“Don't
put such shoddy things in such a luxurious box! Stuff
it with gold and silver treasures!"
While
laughing wryly at Renge who kicked the box with disappointment, I was strangely
convinced.
Well,
it's like this, isn't it? An F-rank dungeon reward.
This
really meager reward,
on
the contrary, gave me a sense of security.
Come
to think of it, I had been so lucky up to this point. Winning these guys for
only one million yen is, in all likelihood, using up all the luck in my life.
Maybe the fact that I ran into such an irregularly strong opponent as the Pied
Piper of Hamelin this time was a reversal of that luck?
Thinking
about it, these rewards are not so bad.
Yeah,
pebbles
and potions that could be found anywhere suit
me just fine.
But
I can only think so because......
I looked
back at the two who were still clamoring.
————Maybe
it's because I got something that money can't buy anymore.
[Tips】Naming a card
Cards
can be given unique names. Since named cards cannot be initialized, they cannot
be sold. On the other hand, even if the monster lost their lives, a soul card
that contains the card's soul will be left behind and can be revived by
spending unused cards of the same race and gender.
This
is a relief for masters who have thought of their cards as more than cards.
Among
adventurers, there is a tendency to label masters who name cards as ‘embarrassing one’.
***
Notes:
1 Changed it from the previous skill name translation (Good fortune is like a rope that ends in misfortune)↩
2 Renge (れんか : Renka) , means ‘lotus flower’ ↩
4 勇希 (勇= brave, courageous; 希= hope)↩
7 Yes, you’re not reading it wrongly ↩
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