Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #58
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 58:
The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions
A
few days after meeting my Teacher.
I
had come alone to the D-rank dungeon closest to my home.
Today,
I finally received the zashiki-warashi and female vampire cards that I
requested from Tono-san...... The day has come to revive Renge and Eliza.
I
gently stroke their soul cards with my fingertips.
It
really had been a long time.......
How
much time had passed since that attack by the Hound Master? For some reason, I
missed Renge's cheeky attitude and the sound of Eliza's flute very much.
...After
losing Renge and the others, I realized one thing.
That
was, the core of Utamaro Kitagawa as an adventurer was not me, but Renge and
the others.
There's
a saying: "Adventurer, without card, is just a person..."
It
was a sarcastic commentary on the recent adventurer boom, where even if you
call yourself an adventurer and get carried away, if you lose all your cards,
you're just an ordinary person... but it exactly describes me.....
If
I lost Renge and all the others, the adventurer named Utamaro Kitagawa would
die.
Even
if I gets a different card and continues to be an adventurer, it will be a
different adventurer with the same name.
This
was because the feeling of 'moving forward together with Renge and the others'
was the core of me as an adventurer.
My
view of life underwent a major distortion after drawing Renge and the others
from a card pack, encountering the Pied Piper of Hamelin, and a fierce battle
with my Teacher.
The
unexpected surprises that the Renge and the others bring and the sense of
togetherness when I overcome a crisis... I can no longer live without them.
A
desire... something that was just a little different from the addiction to
drugs, gambling, and thrills.
Even
when I was chasing a dangerous serial killer with Anna and the rest of the
team, that desire was never satisfied.
I
felt like there was a gaping hole in my heart.
Without
Renge and the others, I'm no good.
I
am aware of the fact that the special something that Renge possessed brought me
both unusual good fortune and misfortune that can be said to be a reversal of
that fortune.
Even
so, I cannot help but go to the dungeon to see Renge and the others.
Even
if destruction awaits me at the end of it.......
In
that sense, Renge was truly a cursed card.
Now, it's
time to call her.
"......
Come out, Renge!"
The
card for resurrection disappeared as if melting, and Renge's card regained its
color.
Renge,
who appeared for the first time in a while, was sitting in a Yankee posture
just like when I first met her... For some reason, she was eyeing me really
hard.
"R- Renge...?"
"…You
punk."
When
I timidly called out to her, who seemed extremely angry for some reason, she
stood up slowly and grabbed me by the chest.
"Why
didn't you revive me first, huh?!! Normally, it should be...... tsk! Forget it!"
Renge
was about to say something, but midway through, she clicked her tongue and let
go.
......Might
this fellow be sulking that I didn't resurrect her first?
"Sorry,
but I really needed to resurrect one of you.'
"......So
why was it Mea?"
"Well...”
I
felt it would be rude to say it was because hers was the cheapest, so I clammed
up.......
"I'll
tolerate it this time. It looks like I made it just in time to settle up with
the Hound Master."
With
these words, I realized the nature of the discomfort I had felt earlier.
'You know
what's going on outside even when you're still a soul card?"
"I told
you I would watch through your eyes,"
Did
you say that? As I tilted my head...
"That's
that, aren't you ready to resurrect Eliza, too?"
"Ah,
ah...that's right."
I
decided to postpone the question until later and decided to revive Eliza first.
"Come
out, Eliza!"
The
card emitted a flash of light, and a beautiful female vampire appeared.
Her
gaze drifted blankly for a moment, but as soon as she caught sight of us, she
knelt at my feet.
"Master,
I am sorry. I was careless."
"You
didn't do anything wrong. You did your best. Thanks to you, Yuki and I escaped
safely."
"Master......"
When
I crouched down and looked at her, Eliza's crimson eyes flickered slightly.
"...This
time, I'll protect you. Even if it costs me my life."
The
moment she said this strongly, her card released a bright light.
[Race]
Vampire (Eliza)
[Combat
Power] 840 (MAX!)
[Inborn
Skills]
• Plaster of
Blood
• Monsters of
the Night
•
Intermediate Attack Magic
[Acquired
skills]
・Absolute
obedience
・Multiple
Skills (sexual skill, musical performances, trap release, etiquette, martial
arts)
・Pheromones
・Ambush
・Quiet
mind
・Protect
→ Shield of Devotion (CHANGE!)
・Precision
movement
・Intermediate
Auxiliary Magic
・Magic
Enhancement
・Chant
shortening
・Intuition
[Shield
of Devotion]. It was a famous high-level defense skill, and I believe the
effect was to improve one's own sturdiness and vitality... and to be able to
shoulder the damage of nearby comrades.
I
had been training Eliza for a long time, hoping she would get it eventually......,
but to think that she got it at this time... her determination must have given
her the final push.
"Ah,
right, I should call everyone as well."
With
that, I summoned Yuki, Mea, Suzuka, Dragonet, the other regular members, one
after another.
"Renge-san! Eliza-san! You made it
back!"
"Yo,
Yuki. I see you've moved up in rank, congratulations."
"Renge! Hehe~! I was the first
one to be revived, aren't you jealous~"
"Aah? You must be a
cheap ass in many ways to be so happy about something like that."
"Huh!?
What do you mean!"
"It
means you're cheap in body and soul."
“Huh,
I dare you say that again!”
"Wanna
take me on, huh?!"
While
I was smiling at the sight of the lively atmosphere surrounding me in a flash,
Suzuka called out from behind me in a depressed voice,
"Ah~h,
now things are completely back to normal. Now I'm back to a supporting role,
huh? No, I wasn't the main character to begin with, I guess."
"Suzuka..."
"Hey,
Master. if it was me who got Lost, would you have revived me properly?"
"Of
course."
I
answered immediately and took out a card.
[Race]
Hashihime1
[Combat
Power] 450
[Inborn
Skills]
• So Cute
that The Hatefulness is a Hundredfold: Amplifies one's own negative emotions
and converts them into magical power. Greatly increases the power of spells.
The deeper the feelings towards the master and companions, the better the
output will be.
• The Hour of
The Ox: A powerful spell attack that ignores the target's resistance to a
certain degree. If an enemy sees it in use, the curse will be returned.
•
Ever-changing: The body of the demon can change at will. Not only the
appearance, but also the presence, speech, and behavior can be imitated.
Includes toughness, superhuman strength, and self-regeneration.
[Acquired
skills]
• Good wife
and wise mother: Possesses all the ideal skills for a wife and mother... as
long as the love is not betrayed. It encompasses cooking, cleaning, child
rearing, and sexual skill.
• Tracking: Able
to track the presence of the marked target.
• Deceit
Detection: See through the deceit of the target.
"This
is......"
Suzuka's
eyes widened when she saw the card.
Hashihime.
It's a C-rank card of the Demon・Shinto-Buddhist type.
The
third card I chose in the transaction with Tono-san was the card that would be
Suzuka's rank up.
To
be honest, there were many other attractive cards on the list, such as
Dullahan, which possessed the equipping skill.
Still,
I chose this card because I wanted Suzuka to have some confidence.
She
called me her 'mob buddy'. She said that we had nothing special to offer.
But
I consider a mob character to be someone who lacks self-confidence.
Because
they lack self-confidence, they are unable to actively challenge anything, and
as a result, they are buried under the 'masses'. That was the true nature of
mob characters.
Even
though I became an adventurer, met Renge and the others, and even reached the
top of the school caste, I still remain a 'mob' character.
Because
I have no confidence in myself.
I
just have these special cards. What’s special, was external.
I
guess that's why Suzuka called me a fellow mob, because she saw right through
it.
But
what's wrong with that?
What's
wrong with being proud of my cards? What's wrong with bragging about how
amazing my cards are?
I
wanted Suzuka to know that she is one of the cards I was proud of.
It
was a small price to pay if it would make her feel confident about herself.
"My
master is apparently......."
Suzuka
said while smiling, trying to cover up her face that was contorted as if she
was about to cry.
"Seems to have talent to win over
cards..... but he doesn't seem to understand women's hearts."
"So
noisy."
A
tear ran down her cheek...and I decided to pretend I hadn't seen it.
[Race]
Hashihime (Suzuka)
[Combat
Power] 630 (+180 UP!)
[Inborn
Skills]
•
So Cute that The Hatefulness is a Hundredfold
•
The Hour of The Ox
•
Ever-changing
[Acquired
skills]
•
Blindfolded Demon
•
Martial Arts
•
Judgment
•
Good wife and wise mother (NEW!)
•
Tracking (NEW!)
•
Deceit Detection (NEW!)
Suzuka,
who became a Hashihime, did not undergo a major difference in her appearance.
The
only difference was that the short pair of horns protruding from her forehead
grew out in a large, curved manner
"Fufu, I
made sure not to change my appearance too much since Master seems to like it.
If I use Hashihime as a base, it would make my breasts smaller."
"I-I
see..."
I
internally shouted, "Good job!"
“By the way,
Master, about those eyes.”
Suddenly,
Suzuka looked into my face.
"What's
wrong with my eyes?"
"...Wouldn't
it be faster to actually look at it? Why don't you look at that one's card? You
should probably be able to see it by now."
That
one? I
guessed she was talking about Renge. I took out the card and found......
[Race]
Zashiki-warashi (Renge)
[Combat
Power] 800 (MAX!)
[Inborn
Skills]
・Misfortune
and luck are like a rope
・Hide-and-seek
・Intermediate
recovery magic
[Acquired
skills]
・Eyes
of the bright star (UNLOCK!)
・Spiritual
recurrence
・Free-spiritedness
・Intermediate
attack magic
・Chant
shortening
・Magic
recovery
・Friendship
linkage
・Elementary
status ailment magic
Written
there, was the name of a skill I didn't recognize.
Did
she acquire a new skill at the time of her resurrection? No. newly
acquired skills are added to the bottom of the list unless the master changes
their placement, and they will be marked with 'NEW!'
The
fact that it was at the top of the list means that she had it even before the
[Spiritual recurrence]... no, the [Zero existence] skill.
Also,
this is the first time I've seen the notation of 'UNLOCK'...does that mean it
was ......locked?
Eyes......
of the bright star......? Don't tell me that I could see ghosts
because of this skill? Why did I, a human, have the skill
...... of the card?
Suzuka
whispered softly into my ear,
"She
herself seems to favor the Master, but that doesn't necessarily mean that even
the thing that lies within her is like that. Often, the road to hell is paved
with good intentions,...... so don't let your guard down too much. ”
"What do
you mean..."
Just when I was about to ask back,
"Ah!
Suzuka is moving up in rank!"
Suddenly,
Mea let out a loud voice.
Mea,
who was fooling around with Renge, noticed that Suzuka had moved up in rank.
"Wasn't
I next after Yuki!? Why, why, why!? Master!"
"Oh, no,
that...... I got it by chance."
While
I was dealing with Mea's fierce protests, Suzuka, not wanting to get involved,
slipped away.
"You
can't get a succubus that easily. Give it up, you'll be the last to rise in
rank."
"The
last one!? Does that mean it's after this Dragonet?!"
"Eh...me?"
"No...maybe
if a new member joins after Dragonet, it might be next after..."
"Oh,
no!"
As
I was looking at Renge making fun of Mea like that, our eyes suddenly met.
"What
is it?" she asked me with just a movement of her lips without making a
sound.
To
which I shook my head and said it was nothing.
The road to
hell, paved with good intentions, huh?
Even so, I am
the one who decided to walk on that road.
Then all I
have to do is to believe and go forward until the end.
Now
was two weeks before the day of the operation.
My
Teacher and I continued to dive into the dungeon that was said to be perfect
for training.
The
dungeon was usually managed by the Self-Defense Forces and only professional
adventurers were allowed to enter. In exchange for a daily entrance fee of 1
million yen and the confiscation of all dropped items, the dungeon is ideal for
experience gain, as one carbuncle is guaranteed to appear each day at each
floor.
I
was a bit annoyed when I was charged a hefty entrance fee and all the
confiscated items, like the garnets that could be sold for several million yen
each. But apparently, this is a training ground for the Self-Defense Forces and
a garnet mining site, so I decided to be thankful that I was allowed to use it
for my training.
By
the way, regarding the entrance fee, I borrowed money from my Teacher as an
advance payment of the reward.
Normally,
it is not my policy to lend or borrow money, even when we are close friends,
but this time I decided to compromise because I had a good prospect of repaying
the debt and also to increase the success rate of the operation.
If
some other team let the Hound Master to commit suicide or kill them, we would
be in a bit of trouble, but that's about it.
Coming
here was worth it. I was able to grow Suzuka (MAX 900) and Dragonet (MAX 340)
to their growth limits.
Unfortunately,
Yuki could not be raised to her growth limit, but her combat power still
reached 1,370, and her two subordinate lycanthropes (since it was no longer
necessary to keep the lycanthropes to fund the revival of Renge and Eliza, the
remaining one was also taken in by Yuki), I was able to raise them to around
600 each.
The
fact that I couldn't fully develop Yuki and the others even though I
intensively focused on training them after I finished with Suzuka and the rest
may indicate that the disadvantage of the increased experience required to
summon a true follower is more than what I thought.
The
name of the new one is Shiro. He is a white-haired boy with a rather weak
impression, reminiscent of Yuki in the beginning.
Since
Shiro was obedient from the beginning, he was never beaten by Yuki, and Kuro
does a good job of taking care of his finally-arrived younger sibling. It
seemed that the youngest child gets the benefits also applied in the world of
cards.
Finally,
the day of the operation arrived.
[Tips] Secret
Dungeon
Not
all dungeons are open to the public. The dungeons where rare magical items tend
to drop or where popular cards appear are monopolized by the state for national
interest. Such military-controlled dungeons are called secret dungeons.
The
dungeons that are open to adventurers are of little value to the country, and
by entrusting adventurers with the task of dealing with these dungeons as
Angolmore countermeasure, the military can concentrate its limited resources on
dungeons that will provide the greatest return. This is one of the purposes of
the adventurer system.
Some
secret dungeons are open only to professional adventurers, but they come with
various conditions, such as prohibitions on taking dropped items out of the
dungeon and high entrance fees.
***
Notes:
1 Hashihime (the princess of the bridge) is a character that first appeared in Japanese Heian-period literature. Very little is known about the origin of Hashihime. The most common interpretation is that she was a lonely wife pining for her husband / lover to return but due to his infidelity, she became jealous and turned into a demon. She came to be associated most often with a bridge in Uji (a city).↩
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