Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #41
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode
41: Total Damage: 126 Million Yen
----
In my slight sleep, there was a voice speaking to me.
『......You
want to catch that dog bastard?』
The
voice sounded friendly, but cocky. I replied, 『Of course.』
『I'll
tell you something, that dog bastard is going to get himself destroyed without
you doing anything about it. As far as I can see, there is not a single future
in which he will be able to escape. Or should I say, he has no intention of
escaping.......』
It
doesn't matter. This was a matter of will. I abandoned Renge and the others as
pawns and ran away. If I let it end like that, I'd be on the run forever. That
would distort my path to some degree.
To
put it in Renge's style, I would get
into the habit of running away.
If the
attacker is caught without my involvement, that's fine. On the contrary, I
might be able to be a part of the outcome.
『Kukuku......
I see, you're being stubborn. In that case, it can't be helped. Well, do your
best, and I'll see how far you can go... through your eyes.'』
I
felt like something was approaching and touching me. That was when I woke up.
Morning,
was a depressing time for everyone.
Unless
you like school or work very much, it was a chore to endure sleepiness and get
ready to go out.
I
can't help but feel less excited.
Especially------
『----The
detailed reason for the disappearance of the dungeon has yet to be determined.
A national research team is on site, but it seems that the dungeon that was
there has definitely disappeared. If we can find the cause of the disappearance
of the dungeon, we may be able to control the number of dungeons, which is
drawing attention all over the world.
Here
is the next news. A first grade boy, who was camping at the river with his
family, drowned and died in the river at around 2:00 p.m. recently. The flow of
the river is said to be calm overall, but the water is deep and rapid in the
center--』
--It
was even more so when the news was so depressing in the morning.
"Haa......"
I
turned away from the TV and let out a small sigh.
...It
had already been three days since I was attacked in the dungeon.
The
TV was full of news about the disappearance of the dungeon from morning to
night. No surprise. After all, this was the first time in the world that a
dungeon had disappeared.
At
first, I was wary of media coverage because I was in the dungeon that had
disappeared, but so far there was no sign of them coming. Perhaps the police
and Guild were protecting my personal information. At the same time, I had no
way to respond to their questions other than to say "I knew nothing about
it."
On
the other hand, the frequent disappearances within the dungeons were briefly
mentioned.
However,
it does not say that a serial killer was attacking adventurers, but rather it
said, "The number of unreturning people in low-rank dungeons is
increasing, so adventurers should be careful. Especially when traveling alone.
Please avoid this situation at all costs”,
This was
probably because the other missing people could not be confirmed to be also the
work of the assailants based on my testimony alone, and also because they were
wary that the assailants would go underground if they declared it to be the
work of criminals.
Since I
knew little about it, it was natural for the government to believe that the
attackers held the key to the disappearance in the dungeons, and it was only
logical that they would be cautious to ensure that the culprits were caught.
However,
with so many victims already missing, the Guild and the police could not afford
not to warn anyone, and this warning/advice seemed to be the result.
As someone
who had actually been attacked, I can't help but think that the warning and
advice should have been more in-depth ......, but since the future of humanity
was at stake, I couldn't say anything about it.
After all,
as long as the principle of the adventurer entails self-responsibility, there
was no way around it.
If we did not
dive into the dungeon, we could avoid any danger.
As I was
thinking about this and nibbling on my breakfast toast, my mother suddenly
spoke to me,
"......
Are you sure you're okay to go to school? You
just got out of the hospital yesterday."
I looked at
her concerned eyes and answered, feeling itchy and a little guilty,
"It's
okay. I'm feeling good thanks to the IV drip and resting."
"But
didn't you collapse from overwork from diving too much into the dungeon?"
"Aah,
that... I didn't sleep well after the overnight mission, and I was just tired
after encountering the Monster House."
"That's
fine, but... you should stay off the dungeon for a while."
"I know."
I replied
shortly and stuffed my mouth with ham and eggs as if to cover it up.
...I had
only explained to my family that I had collapsed from exhaustion and was rushed
to the hospital after finishing the dungeon attack.
It wasn't
because the police were keeping me quiet about the incident... but because if I told them the truth, they
would surely ask me to quit my job as an adventurer.
As you can
tell, my parents are not so dismissive as to not stop their son when they hear
that he was almost killed by a criminal in the dungeon.
When I was
admitted to the hospital, I was worried that the police might have given them
some details, but for some unknown reason, the police had not informed them of
any particular circumstances, so I took advantage of the situation and twisted
the facts to suit my own convenience.
I felt a
little guilty about lying, but I really wanted to take this matter into my own
hands.
Despite
this ......, I don't intend to go for a revenge match anytime soon either.
Now that my
main members have been wiped, it would be beyond foolhardy to challenge that
assailant with less than our previous strength.
The
immediate goal was to earn enough money to revive Lotus and her team while
searching for information about the attackers on the ground.
First, my
immediate goal was to find information about the culprit of the attack and to
earn money to revive of Renge and the others.
"......But, at least a little over 100
million, huh? Sigh......."
I couldn't
help but sigh.
At the
current market price, Empusa starts at 6 million at the lowest price,
Zashikiwarashi starts at 40 million, and female vampires start at 80 million.
At the end
of the day, the price is 126 million yen. Just looking at this price made me
dizzy.
And this is
only if I can buy it at the lowest price. Prices rise and fall depending on
market demand and the skills possessed. Honestly, I'd be lucky if I could buy
it at this price.
In
particular, the popularity of Zashikiwarashi had increased due to the success
of Renge, and the overall market price had risen, which pained me.
By the way,
my current assets that can be quickly converted into cash were approximately 35
million yen. The breakdown was as follows:
・Income from
MonColo and other sources: about 12 million yen.
・Uncashed
magic stones obtained as expedition rewards: approximately 17 million yen.
・The magic
stones as dropped items: about 6 million yen.
In addition
to this, I also have various magic items that I have acquired through my
dungeon attacks, two lycanthrope cards, and about a hundred or so D-rank cards,
thus making the aforementioned my total assets.
Although a
hundred or so D-rank cards may sound like a fortune, in reality they were all
inexpensive cards such as lylaps and orcs, and even if I sold them to the
guild, they would be haggled over and not bring in much money.
How to find
someone who will pay a high price for the magic items and cards will be the key
to reviving Renge andthe others.
"Nn,
well, I'd better get going."
"Be
careful, you're still recovering."
With my
mother's voice at my back, I left the house.
On the way
to the school, I was thinking about the next game of MonColo.
The cards
that could be used were limited to humanoid girl cards, so as expected, it was
impossible to participate in the game as it is now. Yuki and Suzuka were fixed
for now, but I needed one more girl card.
The
quickest way is to revive Mea first, but with the combination of ......C×D×D,
there are concerns about the strength of the team.
Also, now
that things are like this, I want to increase the number of matches in order to
earn money for their revival... Ugh, how long will I be able to hide the Lost
of Renge and Eliza?
The TV
station's decision to use me on MonColo was largely due to the fact that I am
the master of a star card called Renge.
If they
fond out that Renge was Lost, no matter how much I can revive it, of course the
TV station's evaluation of me will go down......
"Oh,
Shishou. Good morning, are you feeling better now?"
As I
approached the school while being worried, a familiar voice called out to me
from behind.
"Oh,
Ono... Good morning. I'm fine."
"Hmmm,......? You look a little gloomy for that,
though.
"Ah......"
For a
moment, I tried to pretend otherwise, but then quickly changed my mind.
"Ono,
lend me your ear."
"Eeh,
it's kind of cree--py, what the heck is going on?"
"It's
okay. Actually, it's the reason I was hospitalized..."
I whispered
to Ono and told him that I was attacked by someone in the dungeon and managed
to escape with my life.
Ono was
smiling at first, but soon his face became stiff.
"...Seriously?
Injuries... There don't seem to be any on you. What about the cards? How much
damage was done?"
"Huh?
Oh, oh, ....... Three cards: Lotus, Eliza, and Mea. ......What happened to your
Kansai dialect?"
"That's
not important! Doesn't that mean your main C-rank cards were wiped out?! Did
you already tell others?"
"No, the
only one besides you is Anna, our junior."
"That means
you haven't told the rest of the class yet, right?"
When I
nodded, Ono let out a deep breath of relief.
"Haaaaaaa~...In
that case, it's barely safe. Kitagawa... no, Shishou. You'd better not talk
about that to anyone else. Especially to Shishido."
"Shishido? Why?"
When I
asked that question, Ono looked blatantly shocked.
"......
Shishou, you've been slacking off too much with school lately, haven't you? I know it's a small world compared to
the world of adventurers... but you never know where people's grudges will get
you. After all, the most fearsome monsters
in the world are human beings."
"............................."
Ono's words
made me choked up.
After all,
just the other day I realized just how terrifying the monsters called humans really
are.
For humans,
the greatest natural enemy is humans. This is true both inside and outside the
dungeon.
Indeed, Ono
is right. Adventurers are strong only in the dungeon. In the outside world,
they are no different from ordinary people. The power that matters here is the
power of numbers. The power of public opinion.
No matter
how much there was another world of adventurers, there was no way I should
neglect the world of school.
But...people's
grudges, huh?
Minamiyama's
face flashed across my mind for just a moment.
No way, no
way,.......
I reminded
myself that I was being too paranoid.
"My
bad.. I'll keep that in mind. So, what's up with Shishido?"
"I'm
sure you know that Shishido's been trying to get the top spot of the caste for
a while now, right?"
"Don't
make fun of me, I'm aware of that much."
I don't think there was anyone in my class
who hadn't noticed. That was how obvious Shishido's approach was.
“Then, of
course, you realize that the one Shishido regards as his enemy is Shishou,
right?”
"O, of
course...?"
I pretended
to know, my face twitching.
...Eh?
Shishido? Towards me? Why? Wasn't it
Shindo that he was against?!
"Haa, as
expected, you didn't catch that."
Ono sighed
deeply when he saw my face.
"Well,
to be precise, it's more like a target than an enemy."
“…Isn’t that
the same thing?”
It's not the
same thing. Enemy is mainly based on personal feelings, but a target is related
to gains. Listen, okay? I'll
explain from the basics. Currently, there are five people in our class who have
the potential to be at the very top of the caste. Shinomiya-san, Shindo,
Ichijo-san, Shishido, and Shishou.”
"Hmm?
What about you and Ushikura-san?"
The top
caste group in our class was supposed to be me, Shinomiya-san, Ushikura-san,
Shindo, and Ono.
Ono quietly
shook his head in response to my question.
No, we belong
to the top caste group, but we are not necessarily in the top caste. I don't
mean to put it this way, but Ushikura-san is a sidekick to Shinomiya-san and I
am a sidekick to my Shishou."
"Really?"
I tilted my
head.
As someone
who knew Ono and Ushikura-san, who had been at the top of the caste since their
first year, the story didn't quite make sense to me.
"Hmm-,
do you understand if I put it this way? Shishou and Shinomiya-san woulde
definitely be at top caste even in different classes. But it's possible that
Ushikura-san and I wouldn't have been top caste if we were in a different class
from Shishou and Shinomiya-san."
That made
sense to me. I see. So that's what he was saying.
It was true
that if Ushikura-san was in a different class from Shinomiya-san, she would not
have the image of being at the top caste. Her appearance was suitable for the
top of the caste, but she does not have a forward personality. The fact that
she was in the top caste group now was largely due to Shinomiya-san's pull.
Ono's case
was the opposite of Ushikura-san's. Although he had the ambition to be at the
top of the caste, he only had one weaponthat was dependent on his surroundings:
his communication skills.
If one of
the classmates had communication skills comparable to Ono's, or if he was
disliked by other top caste members, it will be difficult for him to join the
group.
He also had
the advantage of being a two-star adventurer, which was rare within the school,
but the main reason he was able to show off this weapon was because he was able
to use his title as my apprentice, a three-star adventurer who also appeared in
MonColo.
However,
Shinomiya-san, who was a magazine model and was charismatic, Shindo, who was
good-looking and accomplished in tennis, and me, who was an adventurer and had
appeared on TV, would naturally be at the top of the caste in any class.
"Me and
Ushikura-san are at the top of the caste in this class, but Ichijo-san and
Shishido are not. They would have been at the top of the caste in any class
except this class. It's just really bad luck to have Shinomiya-san and Shindo
in this class.
Ichijo-san
and Shinomiya-san are both magazine models, and the only reason Shinomiya-san
became the top of the caste was because she had more support from the girls in
the class.
Shishido,
on the other hand, is a Yankee-type head of the school and is better looking
than Shindo. The only reason why Shindo ended up on top is because his tennis
is at a level where he can aim for the national level...and it's also because
of Shishou."
"Me?"
"In
fact, Shindo and Shishido are different types of good-looking guys, so they can
be in the top caste group at the same time. ......To be honest, Shishou is not
good with that kind of DQN-type1 guys, right?"
"Oh,
yeah...... frankly."
Perhaps it
was a sad habit of a negative person, but I don't really like the arrogant type
like Shishido.
I was not
scared of them because I was usually dealing with something much deadlier than
humans, but it was painful to be with a kind of person who was always
intimidating to those around him or her.
"I guess
he must have sensed that. Shindo is a fresh, athletic type, which Shishido
disliked, so he backed off from him. But of course he didn't give up on
reaching the top of the caste."
I see.
...... So that was the reason behind Shishido's temporary withdrawal from the
top of the caste.
"You may
have understood from what I have said so far that the battle for the top caste
is actually not five against two, but three against two. It only takes one
person to beat one other person to bring the score to a tie. Moreover, the
three individuals are focused on modeling, club activities, and adventuring,
and are not really attached to the class caste, so if the number of competitors
can be brought to an equal number, there is a high possibility that the caste
will be overturned. So they targeted......"
"You
mean me."
"That's
right! Unlike Shinomiya-san and Shindo, who are naturally good-looking,
Shishou, you who only has the weapon of being a high-level adventurer, could be
seen as an opportunity that can be taken advantage of."
......I
have a mob face anyway. If I lose my cards, I'm just a nobody.
"He was
trying to create a bad reputation for you as a creepy nerd who collects all
kinds of girl monsters and as a miserable guy who started getting excited as
soon as you became an adventurer, but it didn't seem to work out so well. You
started appearing on MonColo and became popular with the girls, as they said
you had a different vibe after you became an adventurer......"
"What? Care to tell me more?"
I was
intrigued by the fact that I was popular with girls, but Ono just laughed and
ignored it.
"Well,
Shishido has been trying to bring Shishou down without success so far, so if he
hears that your C-rank cards have been wiped out, what will he do...you know,
right?"
"...Ah,
that's... I mean, it's not like all of my C-rank cards have been wiped out. I
still have three more anyway."
......But two
of those cards were for cash, and one of them had been upgraded to a higher
rank before I knew it.
Ono, who
didn't know my inner thoughts, looked as if he had just been hit by a shotgun.
"Huh? Three more C-rank cards?! Tell me that sooner or later! And I was so worried!"
Ono said
that and then patted me on the shoulder with a serious look,
"But
still, it's better not to mention that your main members were destroyed. I'm
sure there will be people who will say all kinds of things behind your back,
and I'm sure...... Shishou wouldn't enjoy hearing such things right now, would
you?"
"Well,
.......yeah."
It was my
fault for the Lost of my cards, so I don't really blame them for making fun of
me for that.
However, if
they made fun of Renge and the others for their efforts...I didn't have the
confidence to remain calm.
While we
were talking like this, before we knew it, we had arrived at the classroom.
Perhaps it
was because it was still early in the morning. The number of students coming to
school was also sparse.
Among the
top caste group, I could only see Shinomiya-san.
She was
sleepily playing with her phone in her seat, but when she finally noticed us,
she started waving at us.
"Good
morning, Marocchi ...... and Ono."
"Good morning."
"Am I a
bonus?"
Shimonomiya-san
brushed past Ono's prodding with a graceful smile, then looked dubious as she
studied our faces.
"It's
rare for Marocchi and Ono to come to school together."
"We met
by chance on my way to school... What about your side? Where is
Ushikura-san?"
It was
unusual for the girls who were usually together to be separated from each
other...
When I said
that while looking around, Shinomiya-san gave me a slightly stunned look.
"Marocchi
is still crazy about Shizuka as usual~. Shizuka has morning practice with the
brass band. You know, because the sports festival is coming up."
"It's
not like that. But I see, it's in May, isn't it?"
I answered
with a little less tension.
Sports
festival. For people like me who don't particularly like exercise, it wasn't a
very welcoming event.
Ono, seeing
me like that, said teasingly,
"Master,
do you think you'll be able to do well at this year's sports festival? You've
been training a lot since you became an adventurer, right?"
"Uh, I
do a little running and muscle training, but to be honest, it's for physical
fitness, not for sports."
"Even if
you could be active, it would be something obscure like the marathon or
tug-of-war, right? Well, there's no need to be outstanding at the sports
festival.
Shinomiya-san,
who was listening to our conversation with her hand on her chin, suddenly asked
me a question,
“...Hey,
don’t adventurers need a lot of physical strength? Card knowledge etc.
I answered
with a slight doubt in my mind, as she usually doesn't ask me in-depth
questions about the adventuring business,
"...Well,
if it's an F-rank dungeon, you'll get the minimum physical strength as you go,
and you don't need that much knowledge....Why all of a sudden?"
In response
to this, Shinomiya-san began talking in a low voice so as not to overhear by
other classmates,
"Mm~,
actually, I was recently asked if I would be an exclusive model..."
"Oh~! Finally!"
"That's
great! Congratulations!"
Ono and I let
out a small cheer.
To be
honest, I am not familiar with the fashion world. I knew that Shinomiya was a
magazine model, but I didn't know how much of a model she was.
However,
even as a mere student, I could tell that she must be a cut above the rest of
the magazine models, since she was asked to be an exclusive model.
While we
were honestly congratulating her, however, Shinomiya-san looked somewhat
troubled.
"Uh,
well, ......, it wasn't just about becoming an exclusive model, but about
becoming an adventurer model......."
"Adventurer
model......? Is it some
sort of a model version of an adventurer idol? Like REIKA?"
--REIKA, a
top idol who was extremely popular right now, especially among young people.
She was
called the 'Adventurer Idol' because she was a talented adventurer with a
four-star license in addition to being an idol.
Originally
a professional adventurer of the professor type, she had been editing her
dungeon exploration videos into an easy-to-read format and posting them on the Internet
since her amateur days.
The videos
of a beautiful idol-class girl adventuring through the dungeon, appearing
entertaining at times and risking her life at other times, gained views at an
exponential rate, partially thanks to her video-editing sense.
The video
posting site [My Tube] was flooded with videos imitating hers, and before long,
those who dived into the dungeon for the purpose of posting videos came to be
called 'dungeon-tubers'.
Of course,
the media would not leave her alone, and she gradually began to appear on TV,
singing songs, and before long, she became an idol.
The
dungeon-tuber genre had now spread around the world with Japan as its source,
and it was no exaggeration to say that REIKA was more famous abroad than the
prime minister of Japan.
The
entertainment industry had seen how popular REIKA had become and was eager to
create a second and third REIKA, but so far no one had emerged to follow in her
footsteps.
The project
that came to Shinomiya-san this time was probably one of those kinds of
projects.
However,
unlike REIKA, Shinomiya-san was not originally an adventurer.
In other
words...
"You
mean you are also asked to debut as an adventurer for the sake of the
tagline... 'adventurer model'?"
"That's
right."
They looked
for a REIKA-class beauty among the dungeon-tubers, but couldn't find one, so
they decided to do the opposite and turn a beauty into an adventurer. I guess
that's what they have in mind.
I see
...... now I understand why Shinomiya-san's mood is so different from usual.
"Forcing
a talent to be an adventurer, isn't that a little too risky?"
Ono said
with a furrowed brow.
According
to current Japanese law: [No one should be prevented from becoming an
adventurer, but no one should be forced to become one, no matter who they are.]
The
profession of adventurer is one that one must become only of one's complete
free will.
This was
said to be influenced by the United States, the birthplace of the adventuring
profession.
"It
could be a problem if the agency makes the talent an adventurer, but it would
not be a problem if the talent was an adventurer before he or she joined the
agency. That's basically the point."
"Yeah.
......But do you have the money to become an adventurer?"
"The
registration fee is paid in advance from the first job. The office will help
rent the card. If I lose the card while working for them, I don't have to pay
anything. However, if I lose it in my private time, I will be charged for
it......."
""Hmm......""
Ono and I
groaned.
Frankly
speaking, the conditions for becoming an adventurer were quite good. She can
become an adventurer for practically free. But that was only if she originally
wanted to be an adventurer, and if she weren't particularly interested in
becoming one, it would just feel like she was being forced to take a risk.
"...What
do you personally think, Shinomiya-san?"
"I
...... honestly find it both intriguing and frightening. After all, the compensation will be different
between being a magazine model and a specialist, and if I receive this offer,
the compensation will change as I work as an adventurer, and the manager said
it will make it easier to get a job. ......, but looking at Maro and Ono, I
think that adventurers may look dazzling, but in reality it can be quite scary
and dangerous."
"I
see......"
If that's the
case, there's only one answer I can give.
I had heard
rumors several times since I was a first year that Shinomiya-san's family was
not very wealthy.
She lost
her father in an accident when she was in elementary school, and in place of
her mother who went out to work, she took care of her younger brother and did
housework.
It seemed
that she started becoming a magazine model because she wanted to help her
family even a little.
I had never
actually heard from her, but if the rumor was true, I could understand how she
would want to bite the attractive reward.
"To sum
up, you should definitely refuse that offer for now."
I told her
clearly. Ono nodded silently next to me.
"Seriously? Why......?"
Shinomiya-san
asked with her eyebrows raised in uncertainty.
What should
I say to her to persuade her? I was a little lost, and after a little
hesitation, I decided to subtly tell her about the incident,
"...I
don't want people to talk too much about this, but... I heard that there is
actually someone who is doing something like hunting newcomers in the dungeon
these days."
"Really?!"
Shinomiya-san's
face paled slightly.
"But I
haven't heard of such a thing on the news or anything......?"
"I
wonder if you've seen the news about a lot of people going missing in
low-ranked dungeons. They said the cause of the disappearances was unknown, but
it seems that they were committed by human hands. Even assuming that it's
actually an anomaly in the dungeon, I definitely don't recommend becoming an
adventurer right now."
......If
she still won't give up on this, I'll have no choice but to tell her that I was
attacked.
Even though
the police inspector had told me to keep quiet, I can't take the chance on
Shinomiya-san's life.
When I
secretly made up my mind,.......
"It
can't be helped, I guess I have no choice but to give up. Aa~h, the conditions
were so attractive too."
Shinomiya-san
looked up and sighed. Thank goodness, she gave up. I exchanged glances with Ono
and patted my chest in relief.
"Well,
everything happens over the course of life,......."
I said this
while thinking back on my failure in the recent incident, where I got caught up
in short-term profits and caused the destruction of the main members of my
team.
Shinomiya
seemed to have realized something from my behavior, and her expression seemed
to be somewhat solemn.
Just as she
was about to open her mouth,
"Good
morning, everyone~"
"Oh,
good morning!"
Ushikura-san
and Shindo had finished their morning practice and came over to us.
Looking
around, most of the seats were filled before I knew it, and there was only one
minute left until morning homeroom.
"Whoa,
is it that time already? Well then, Shinomiya-san, if you need any further
advice or questions, don't hesitate to ask."
"Ah,
yeah. Thank you. Ono as well."
"I'm a
bonus again, aren't I?"
I parted
with Shinomiya-san and the others and took my seat.
Then I
casually looked at my smartphone (not so much a spare, rather, one that I use
for daily use) and noticed that I had received a message from Anna.
『Adventurer's
Club, let's meet after school! The
place is the usual family restaurant. From Anna.』
[Tips]
Dungeon Tuber
A generic
term for adventurers who dive into dungeons for the purpose of posting on the
video posting site 'My Tube'. Most of them are one-star adventurer, and their
earnings from ads from video views are like a sparrow's tears. Some of them,
however, earn more than the professional adventurers despite their one-star
adventurer status.
Many
dungeon tubers do reckless things or get involved with other adventurers for
the sake of video clips, and they tend to be disliked by the serious
adventurers.
***
Notes:
1 DQN in Japanese are people who like to harass others or to annoy them or enjoy dragging their feet on purpose for fun or laughing.↩
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