Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #36
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 36: Trading Cards
"You've been slacking off lately, haven't you?"
The next day. Renge
said that to me as soon as I came to dungeon in the morning because it was my
day off.
'Wh- what is it, all of a sudden?"
"Hey, you haven't made any progress in the dungeon
recently, have you? What have you been doing without even coming to the
dungeon?"
"Uu....."
I was a little
frightened when I saw Renge putting her hands on her hips and glaring up at me.
As she said, I haven't been to the dungeon much in the
past week.
This was because I
had been so busy looking for club members and other things, driven around by
Anna.
Even if I did come to
the dungeon, it was only for a short period of time, about two hours.
Through the Link, I
had somehow sense the dissatisfaction of my cards...
"Before, you used to dive into the dungeon every
day, but now that things are going well, suddenly you're slacking off. First of
all--"
"Please calm yourself, Renge-san. Master, unlike us,
has a life as well."
"Ye- yeah, yeah. I've been busy with a lot of
things."
Yuki gently soothed
Renge, who began to pour out her dissatisfaction like a flood of debris. Taking
advantage of that, I made excuses too, and Renge stared at me with a glare.
"You've been busy, huh? But to me, it looked like
you are having fun playing with a girl you recently got acquainted with,
though?"
Ugh, how did you...
When Renge pointed
that straight out, I couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
"Eh? Is that true?"
"Huh?! What's that?! So cruel~!"
Yuki, who heard
Renge's words, looked at me as if a little surprised, and Mea approached me
with a slightly angry look on her face.
“Ah,
no, it's…”
As my eyes wandered
around, troubled by the intense look of my companions, I spotted Eliza standing
quietly at a short distance away from me.
If it's Eliza, if it's Eliza-san, she can do something
about this situation...!
When I looked at her
with such faint expectations, she smiled and nodded at me.
"...I suddenly wondered......, can Renge-san see
what's going on outside the dungeon as well?"
"An?"
"Ah, that's what Mea was wondering too! It seems
like Renge is different from normal cards in many ways! Why is Renge the only
one who knows that Master was playing around outside the dungeon?"
Ooh, as expected of Eliza-san, that was a good change of
subject!
Naturally, everyone's
interest turned towards Renge.
What's more, the
content itself was something I had been subtly curious about.
We had talked before
about what it was like to be in the cards during intermission.
I was told at that
time that when they were in the cards, it was as if they were in a dream in the
sense of a human being.
To be more precise, I
guess you could say that the sense of the physical body was vague, and the mind
was just floating around...
At that time, it
seems that the cards may acquire information about external conditions in the
form of dreams, or they may completely lose consciousness to speed up the
passage of time.
This was why the
cards may or may not be aware of their surroundings when they were summoned.
However, when the
subject came up in the past, nobody seemed to know what I was doing outside the
dungeon.
Therefore, I had
thought on my own that the cards could not grasp the situation outside the
dungeon,......, but it seemed that Renge was different.
Renge, who had
received all of our gazes, conversely made a face of surprise.
"You mean, you guys can't make out the situation
outside of the dungeon?"
"Uh, yes. When the Master leaves the dungeon, I
naturally loses consciousness..."
"I- I see....."
At Yuki's confused
reply, Renge began to look rather concerned with a difficult expression on her
face.
"Hmm...Is it one of the efffect of [Zero
Existence]?"
"Nnn, I'm not sure....... I've been able to use it
from even before I got [Zero Existence],......."
And right then, Suzuka,
who had been watching quietly out of the circle, slowly come closer to me.
"Master, actually, I can see the outside world
too..."
"Eh? Really?"
This unexpected
statement made me stare at Suzuka carefully.
Aside from this
yankee zashikiwarashi who was 'out of the norm' in many ways, it was a little
surprising that this female demon, who was ordinary except for her personality
and breasts, could see what was going on outside the dungeon.
“What
do Renge and Suzuka have in common?” I asked.
"They're both monsters of Japanese origin, aren't
they?" Yuuki tilted her head.
"That our names are in Kanji characters?"
"That's irrelevant. You are able of it even before
it you are given a name after all." I shook my head at Renge's words.
"Ah, I got it!"
As everyone was
guessing thoughtfully, Mea suddenly exclaimed.
"Renge and Suzuka are both weirdos with bad
personalities!"
"I'm going to hit you!"
"Ouch! Don't
say that after you hit me!"
"We are talking seriously, and you're just messing
around."
"I'm serious too! No
matter how you look at it, you and Suzuka have different personalities from the
cards of your kinds!"
""Ugh...""
We groaned at Mea's
rebuttal, knowing she had a point.
If you ask me, it's
true. These two cards possess personalities that deviate far from the normal
Zashikiwarashi and Demon card.......
The normal Zashikido
has a more straightforward and docile personality, and the Demon has a vibrant
and open personality, like a split bamboo, by default.
No matter how much the
personality of a card may be distorted by how its master treats it, it was rare
to find an individual with a character deviation as intense as that of Renge or
Suzuka.
''But it's weird to think that because their
personalities are different, they can see outside the dungeon."
"Mmm, I guess so..."
I nod at Yuuki's
words.
And at that moment,
“————That
kind of thing isn't importa~nt.”
Suddenly, something
white wrapped around my body. At the same time, I felt a hot body temperature
and a soft, huge sensation. ...It's Suzuka.
Although it wrapped
around my body like a snake, it was actually her arms.
"Master, I saw you. You seemed happy to be
surrounded by sparkling girls, didn't you? You're so sneaky. This is a
betrayal."
Suzuka whispered in my ear, accusing me with a terrifying
voice. The sticky way she spoke resonated strangely in my brain, as if her
voice was tentacles coiling me.
"You're creating a club, right? Don't get it wrong,
Master. No matter how much you mix in with the main characters, you can't
become one of them. The main character is the main character, and the mob is
the mob. The role you were born with can never be replaced. Even if you can
work together now, you're just a substitute until they find another
protagonist. When they're done with you, they'll just throw you away, you
know?"
"Uu......"
The words of Suzuka, accompanied by dizziness, shook the
insecurity that had been lying dormant in the depths of my heart.
She was right. Anna
and I were born with different personalities. Anna is a beautiful girl of
half-Japanese descent, the daughter of the president of a large company, and a
genius child who became a semi-professional while still in middle school. Oribe
is also a beautiful girl comparable to Anna, and even as a junior high school
student, she has the vitality to become an adventurer.
Unlike me, they were
capable of shining on their own.
I'm just an ordinary
guy who got a special card.......
"You see? Don't
force yourself to be one of those special people. Let's let's just get along
with other mobs."
It's true......
forcing myself to be one of those special people will probably only lead to me
getting dumped one day.
If that's the case,
I'd be happier if I just used regular cards like Suzuka and went on with my
life as a normal person--
"----Hey!"
"Huh!?"
*Snap!* I came to my
senses with a feeling as if a brake was forcibly pulled down.
What the heck, just now ...... it was like I wasn't me
anymore ....... No, it was as if a negative feeling in a corner of my heart was
made to grow like a balloon being inflated......
Confused, I looked at
Renge, the owner of the voice, and saw that she was glaring at Suzuka with an
unusually stern look on her face.
"...I don't really care, if this guy makes that
decision based on his own will, that's fine. But what you're doing is a little
different."
"If a child who can't swim tries to jump into a
muddy stream, isn't it a form of love to stop him? This is my version of
love."
"Love? I
think you are mistaking it for shackles. The
important thing is to live according to one's own will. And then it's our duty
to exorcise the sparks of fire that fall on him."
"Ahhhh~, as expected of the ...... special ones,
what they say is different. Truly, pompous and ruthless......"
The air was tense, as
if they were about to start killing each other at any moment.
I don't quite grasp
what they were saying, but ...... this can't go on like this!
Some rushed to
intercede.
"Hey, hey, calm down!"
"Tha- that's right, what's going on all of a
sudden?"
Mea and Yuki
intervened between the two, and Eliza casually stood in front of me as if she
was protecting me.
Seeing this, Renge
exhaled with a "huff" and slowly released the tension in her body.
Suzuka stared at her.
"Haa-h, it's nothing. Rather than that, let's get
going."
"Ah, yeah......."
There were so many
things I wanted to say and ask, but I swallowed it all down... and the exploration began.
"...Okay, I guess we'll stay here today."
Arriving at the safe
area on the 21st floor, I called out to everyone and got off Yuki's back.
As someone who owned
the Flute of Hamelin, I basically don't do overnight expeditions.
However, there were
times when I wanted to resume early in the morning, or when I wanted to deepen
my relationship with the others by camping in a safe area near the stairway.
This time it was the
latter, as a way to make up for the lack of attention I had been giving them
lately.
Working together with
Yuki and Eliza, I quickly set up camp.
At times like this,
Renge, Mea, and the rest don't help me. The two girls were playing kickball
together. They were as childish as they looked, and they were absolutely
determined not to do anything they weren't interested in.
Suzuka was a fickle
individual who may or may not help, but it seemed that she would not help this
time, perhaps because of what had just happened.
"Yosh. I guess we are done now."
This dungeon's
setting was a forest on a clear summer night, making it possible to quickly set
up camp without the need to bother putting up a tent.
Our dinner when we
set up camp always consisted of a hot pot or barbecue.
In the beginning, we
would go to the convenience store above to buy lunch boxes, etc., and eat them
individually as we saw fit, but eventually it started to feel a little bland,
so we tried making hot pot and it was well received, so ever since then,
hotpots and barbecues became the norm.
The choice of hot pot
or barbecue depended on the mood of the day, but in hot dungeons we often
barbecue, and in cold dungeons we usually have hot pot. On this particular day,
we decided to barbecue.
"Hey, Mea, you can't put meat on the fire just
because the fire starts! The
meat will stick to the grill. Residual heat is the basis of barbecue, residual
heat. Hey, Utamaro. I told you before to keep the meat cold. If you cook it at
room temperature, it will be tough and dry in texture."
Renge never helped
with camp preparations, but when it came to the barbecue, it was a different
story. She suddenly becomes very enthusiastic and starts to take charge.
Even Mea, with a
fed-up look on her face, meekly followed her lead.
"Phew~ So full, so full~"
And so, after the fun
barbecue (mainly for Renge) was over, I laid down using Yuki's soft coat of fur
as a pillow. The fluffy fur and the faintly warm and resilient belly gently
cradled me. It's the best bed one could ever have in the dungeon.
I looked up at the
sky and saw that it was filled with stars.
Whenever I look at
the stars in the dungeons, I think to myself,
'If
someone sends a rocket towards the moon that I can see over there, will it be
able to reach the moon?'
'Are
the stars there real? Or
are they just pictures of stars like in a planetarium?'
'Great
scholars say that the inside of the dungeon is a different space.'
'So
how big is this another space exactly?'
'If
one were to smash through the walls of the dungeon and go as far as they can,
what would await him or her at the end of the dungeon?'
'Is
it infinite, has a dead end in the middle, or is it round like the earth...?'
'We
humans don't even know that.'
I was thinking about
this in a daze when I heard a voice,
"Hey, Eliza. Play a piece for us."
Suddenly, Renuka said
something like that.
"Okay. Do you have any requests?"
Eliza asked Renge as
she swiftly took out her flute.
"Let's see......."
After a few seconds
of contemplation, Renge requested a song that had been a particular favorite of
hers recently.
Eliza smiled and
began to play.
Nostalgic music began
to flow through the forest at night.
It was the BGM of a
retro game that was a huge hit just before the dungeons appeared.
In this RPG, the
protagonist, who has found a way to travel back and forth between the present,
past, and future, go on an adventure to save a world that is facing
destruction.
It is known as a
masterpiece even in modern times due to its groundbreaking story and system,
worldview drawn by a nationally popular animator artist, and attractive BGM.
I played this game
when I was a kid, and I couldn't believe that it was made for the Super
Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES).
Unfortunately, it was
born in the wrong time......
The storyline, [In
1999, monsters appear and destroys the world], was a little too provocative.
It was not funny
because the dungeons actually appeared in 1999 and Angolmore happened shortly
thereafter.
Since the game was
released before the dungeons appeared, it was not directly criticized, but the
long-awaited sequel was postponed indefinitely.
In a sense, the game
became a book of prophecy, and its popularity, combined with its quality, was
legendary, and today it fetches over 100,000 yen.
I was able to play it
when I was a kid because my father, who loved games, bought it for the regular
price at the time.
It may sound
ridiculous, but it just proved how uptight people were back then.
However, as time went
by, the atmosphere surrounding the world changed, and now games and manga
featuring dungeons and monsters are commonly sold.
Accordingly, remakes
and the sequel were also released a few years ago.
The one Renge played
was the remake of this game.
Her interest was now
not limited to manga, but has expanded to games and anime as well.
By the way, the fact
that Eliza can play the background music of the game was not because I trained
her to do so, but rather because she had been listening to the BGM of the game
Renge was playing and had copied it by ear."
Eliza-san, you are
awesome!
And then, while I was
relaxing like that....
"......Master, there's a sign of someone."
Yuki, who had been
acting as my cushion, warned me quietly.
At those words, I immediately
Linked up with the cards and got up.
The crowd, which had
been spending a leisurely time together, began to take on a somewhat tense air.
.....It was quite
rare to see other adventurers in this dungeon.
Basically, dungeons
with night settings when visibility was poor, or during heavy rains or heavy
snowfalls when activities were difficult, were not popular.
Therefore,
adventurers who choose these night dungeons were limited to those who, like me,
have the cards they want ...... or have the means to work around the darkness
with Links or other methods.
Either way, it was
worth being wary of.
After a few moments
of waiting and observing, an adventurer with a lantern-shaped light in his hand
appeared.
He was a man. He was
about the age of a college student. A fresh, handsome, Japanese-looking guy.
When he saw us, he
greeted us with a friendly smile.
"Oh, I knew there was someone else in the place.
Good evening!"
"Good evening ......."
As I returned the
greeting, I had a faint feeling of discomfort.
I wonder what it is,
I feel like I've seen this guy somewhere... Ah!
That's when I
remembered the young man's face.
This guy is the handsome guy who is always standing
around in front of Hachioji station! Was
he a three-star?
I was so upset by
this chance encounter with someone I was not expecting.
"Um, I'm sorry, but can I take a break here too?
It's really tough to move to another floor now."
"Ah-- ......Well, I don't mind."
I really don't want
to, but it would be rude to say no here. It's like saying, in a roundabout way,
that "I think you're a bad person".
When I glanced at
Eliza, she silently nodded.
As a vampire, she can
continue to move without sleep or rest in this nightime field.
She was perfect for
keeping watch while I slept.
I nodded, and he
placed the lantern between us and sat down.
"Ah, thank goodness. .....By the way, are you
Kitagawa? The one that won that student tournament."
"......Why?"
"No, I just feel like the card you're bringing with
you looks familiar...like the Zashikiwarashi over there."
I glanced at Renge
and smiled vaguely.
'Yeah, well, you're at the station a lot too, aren't
you?"
"Ah! I
knew I had seen you somewhere. Wah~ to think I unexpectedly met a famous person
in a place like this. Oh, maybe I should get your autograph or something while
I'm at it? You're going pro
someday, right?"
"No, I don't do that kind of thing. I'm sorry."
“I
see, that’s a shame.”
When I gently
refused, he backed off more easily than I had expected.
His tone was soft,
but I think he read from my expression that I was seriously refusing. Or maybe
he didn't really want it that badly.
He was a man with a
hint of a cheerful personality, as he spoke to me without fear, even though we
had just met for the first time.
After that, we spent
a few minutes making small talk.
"...By the way. Kitagawa-kun, are you interested in
card trading?"
The young man
suddenly asked.
Finally, he got down
to business,......! Although
I was nervous on the inside, I appeared calm on the outside.
"...Well, not a complete no."
"I see, I see. Actually, I have a pretty rare card
right now. It's one that Kitagawa-kun might be interested in. What do you
think? Would you like to take a look?"
"Mm, I'll just take a look for now."
"Yosh, it's here! Let's
see, this is the one."
"Ah! This is...!"
I was careful not to
show any emotion on my face, but the moment I saw it, I couldn't help but let
out a cry.
[Race] Dragonet
[Combat Power] 145
[Inborn Skills]
・Little Dragon Ball: A
dragon's heart that generates and stores life force.
・Dragon Scales:
Extremely sturdy dragon armor. Has resistance to physical and magical attacks.
[Acquired skills]
・Zero existence
・Selfless devotion:
The spirit of suppressing one's own selfish desires and devoting oneself to
service. Positive compensation for ordered actions, negative compensation for
free actions. Occasionally explodes when too much stress builds up.
"Zero existence......"
"What do you think? You're
interested in it, aren't you?"
"Yeah, I guess so. Nowadays, the [Zero existence]
skill is really valuable."
"Right? So,
what do you think? Are you starting to feel like making a trade?"
I crossed my arms and
began to agonize over this as he leaned forward.
This was really
starting to make me distressed.
Several months had
passed since I discovered [Spiritual recurrence]. There also hasn't been much
research done on [Zero existence] and [Spiritual recurrence].
In fact, although
there may be a lot of research being done, not much information about it was
being shared with the public.
For example, what
items should be given to which cards in order for them to attain [Spiritual
recurrence]? What happens to the skills of a card that has the [Zero existence]
or [Spiritual recurrence] when it is ranked up?
Such information does
not reach the general public.
To be more precise,
it was difficult to know which information was correct and which was incorrect.
For instance, I heard
that when a C-rank card with the [Zero existence] skill is ranked up, the [Zero existence]
skill disappears. On the other hand, if a D-rank card with [Spiritual
recurrence] is raised in rank, the [Spiritual recurrence] is carried over.
There was also the
talk of luck element involved in the transfer of skills through rank upgrading,
and the information was so mixed up that I, as an ordinary person, was unable
to determine the truth or falsehood of it.
The most troublesome
case is if all the information is correct.....
If the [Zero
existence] skill and [Spiritual
recurrence] do or do not disappear with rank up, regardless of use or luck, it
will have a big impact on future strategies.
For Renge, if the
[Spiritual recurrence] is carried over after rank-up, I would like to aim to
rank her up at all costs, but if not, it would be better for her to remain as a
Zashikiwarashi.
I'm also curious as
to whether Renge's many peculiarities were due to [Spiritual recurrence].
I'd like to have at
least one more card with the [Zero existence] skill to investigate such a
thing.
I had always thought
so.
But the question was
whether this trade is safe, and even if it is, how much would the price be?
The guild does not
prohibit the exchange of cards between individuals, but they do not deal with
any problems related to it, nor do they allow you to write off the cards you
purchase as an expense.
The only exceptions
were those related to crimes, such as being forced to engage in unequal trade
through intimidation or other means.
If the trade was
fraudulent, they still won't take action.
In other words, if
this trade involved some gimmick that I can't even guess at, there would be
nothing I could do about it.
"......Just out of curiosity, if I would trade for
cash, how much would you expect to get? How
would the trade work?"
"Ah-ha... First of all, I don't like trading with
cash. It's not that I doubt someone as well-known as Kitagawa-kun, but it's
still going to be a very troublesome method. As for the card trading, first we
revoke each other's ownership in front of each other's eyes, then we register
as masters in front of each other as well. How is the sound of making sure that
the summoning is done at the end?"
"I see."
Then at least I can
avoid the worst case scenario of the card being a fake.
In the meantime, a
method of faking the ownership removal and summoning the card himself as the
other summons it ...... could be considered, but that could also be determined
by whether or not the Link can be connected.
As of now, I can use
at least a telepath even if it's with a card I just got.
"As for the card to be exchanged, if possible, I
would like a card with a market price of around 30 million yen.''
"Mmmm........"
A card of 30 million
yen in price. That was the middle level of C-rank cards, which was far too
disproportionate considering that it was exchanged for a D-rank card, but it
seemed to be a reasonable figure since cards with [Zero existence] skill were
more difficult to obtain than their actual value.
Incidentally, the
current market price for a [Zero existence] card was about three times that of
the same type of card. However, since the price of those with [Zero existence]
skill fluctuates so wildly, it was pointless to talk about the current market
price. ......But it still gives you a certain idea of what to expect.
In the meantime, I do
have my bullet. The lycanthrope that I had been put into storage... is my
ammunition.
[Race] Lycanthrope
[Combat Power] 400
[Inborn Skills]
・When the moon is
full, it follows: Physical abilities increase with the phase of the moon
'outside the dungeon'.
・Wolf Clothing: Can
transform into a human form, which reduces stats but has skills such as
blocking presence, and into a werewolf form, which improves stats.
・Awakening of instinct
[Acquired skills]
・Presence detection
・Lord of the pack:
Positive compensation for themselves and their allies when acting in a group.
・Martial Arts
If I offer this for a
trade, the other party will most likely agree to the exchange.
Although the Dragonet
has the valuable [Zero existence] skill, its fighting power is only 145, and it
has lost its skills. Until it awakens its [Spiritual recurrence], it won't be
of much use, and its key items have yet to be discovered.
On the other hand,
the Lycanthropes I got are all brand new with no flaws in their abilities.
For a three-star
adventurer who wants at least one C-rank card, this Lycanthrope is probably
more desirable, no matter how I think about it.
Given that, I'm
slightly reluctant to let this one go.
After much
deliberation and agonizing, ...... I made up my mind.
"I am------"
[Tips] Card stereotypes.
It is said that the
personality of each race of monsters reflects the image of monsters as
envisioned by the populace. Many monsters have the same personality and
characteristics as the popular image: "fairies are capricious and
mischievous," "devils are cunning and cruel," "angelsare
basically angels," and so on.
However, there are
always exceptions to everything, and there are some oddballs such as the
"unruly Zashikiwarashi," the "man-phobic succubus," and the
"clingy ogre".
Most of them are
cases in which their personalities have changed due to problems caused by their
master's handling, but there are also occasional reports that they have been
like this since they were first dropped.
***
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