Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #81
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 81:
The Race Begins!
The Adventurers'
Club training camp was over, and the next day was spent resting. Then, the
fifteenth day of the summer vacation arrived.
Finally,
the day of the race was here.
The Tokyo
Dome dungeon arena, the starting point of the race, was crowded with as many as
100 three-star adventurers, and a tense atmosphere that was almost murderous
was in the air.
As I looked
around while doing my warm-up preparations, I noticed that most players were
alone, meditating or doing preparatory exercises. Still, a few people gathered
together in groups and chatted.
Although I
could not hear what they were talking about due to the soundproofing, I guessed
that they were not simply deepening their friendship.
The fact
that there were players who had already established groups and were planning a
strategy had given a strong sense of caution to the players around them.
There were
three main reactions to this.
Those who
quietly kept to themselves while preparing their own state, as if it was none
of their business.
Those who
went around talking to others, saying that they, too, should build friendships.
Finally,
the majority of the players simply looked around, concerned, wondering, “What should I do, should I make friends
too...?”
Among them,
I belonged to the minority, the 'quiet and just conditioning themselves' camp.
The reason
was simple: there was little point in forming a group now.
Those
already in groups must have known each other before the race or have
pre-arranged and formed teams for this race.
They must
already have talked about the distribution of rewards after the race and will
be working extremely efficiently.
On the
other hand, those who formed their group now would have to start by discussing
the distribution of rewards and the division of roles. Even if they do reach an
agreement, there is no guarantee that it will be adhered to, and they will
simply run the risk of breaking up the group.
I commend
them for their initiative in moving quickly here, but they were a step or two
behind those who had already formed their own groups. Even compared to soloists
like me who have made preparations and come up with a plan to win on their own,
they were probably one step behind in terms of determination and preparation.
The last
camp was out of the question. They do not have a strategy to win alone, nor do
they have the drive to create a group here and now. It was already clear that
their primary goal was to survive the race safely not to lose their cards.
Among the
three-star adventurers present here, these people belong to the lower ranks.
They were
now as good as tributes to the groups and soloists for earning stars.
While I was
observing my surroundings in this manner, a young man in an eccentric outfit
with a camera held by his monster card - probably a Silky, since she was
wearing a maid's outfit - approached me.
“Ee~,
everyone is very tense, as I expected. ...I wonder if anyone would be
interested in talking to me. Ohh, I found a celeb. I think he'll be okay. I'll
talk to him."
At the same
time that I had a bad feeling about that remark, a man who looked like a
dungeon tuber started talking to me. He had two-tone red and black hair, a
clown-like phantom mask, and a very flashy appearance.
This guy...
I've seen him before. He's not as bad as the flaming types, but he does get
into flames from time to time......, right, he's a dungeon tuber called
'Solomon' or something like that.
"Hello! You are Kitagawa-san, the student
tournament champion, right? Do
you have a few minutes to talk?”
Solomon
greeted me in an affable voice and a surprisingly polite manner.
I hesitated
about how to respond, but in the end, I decided to talk normally.
Solomon had
a lot of haters, but also a lot of fans in general. Instead of responding
poorly and risking a malicious edit and having the fans latch onto me, I should
play it safe and slide away.
"Um...
it is fine."
"Thank
you! I'm actually filming as a dungeon
tuber, is it okay if I tape it? Of
course, if you are not okay with it, I'll cut this footage."
"Well,
as long as it's before the race starts... Erm, you must be Solomon-san,
right?"
"Oh!
You're watching my video! Thank
you! Uwaa, I'm so happy!"
I mentioned
his name before he introduced himself, just to flatter him, and it was easy to
see how it elevated his spirits.
“Well,
sometimes. I've been so busy lately that I haven't seen much, though."
"No, no! In fact, I'm glad you know my name! Kitagawa-san has been the talk all
over the place. From the discovery of [Spiritual recurrence] to solving a
heinous crime! ...Are
there any other team members here today?"
“No, it's
just me.”
Hearing my
answer, Solomon sighed in relief.
Hearing my
answer, Solomon sighed in relief.
"Ah!
That's good! Well, if the members who caught the Houndmaster are all here,
there's no way I could win! No, but Kitagawa-kun alone is still a formidable
competitor!"
"No, no.
I'm already lucky if I can reach the finish line."
"No, no,
no, no, that's not true! You're the favorite to be the champion!"
…… A favorite to be the champion, huh?
Since this
was a type of MonColo, the process and the winners were subject to betting.
The most
basic betting method was to divide the 100 players into 20 groups and predict
whether any one of them could finish in 1st place or the top three.
The groups
were made up of an assortment of well-known and unknown players, and the odds
were determined primarily by the popularity of each of the players.
The ten
most popular players, in order of popularity, were considered the favorites to
win this year's contest.
...By the
way, all of these ten players were recommended by the program, and I was about
the third or fourth most popular. So, some people still consider me a favorite
to win.
I have some
popularity, but not so much that I am the front-runner.
Solomon
lifted me up a little, then said,
“......This
is a very impolite request, but could you show me the deck you will use today?”
He begged
me with his hands together.
......Here it
comes, at last, the real point. There's no way I can show it, you idiot!
I swore
inwardly, then folded my arms and pretended to be thinking about it for at
least a minute.
“........................Mmm,
I guess that's a tough one.”
"Please! I swear I won't let anyone catch it
during this race! I swear! If I break it, I'll quit being a
dungeon tuber!"
You will post
it online as a video after the race, right? No way I will reveal that.
"Hmm, I
see............"
Then I
pretended to be contemplating hard about it for another minute.
"Hmm,
after all, I think I can't do it. I don't think it is good if I show it to
Solomon-san. In fact, I consider you my biggest competitor."
"No, no,
no, no, I'm not even close to Kitagawa-kun, really! Okay, think of it as a handicap! I'm sure the people watching the video
will be very happy!"
You keep
saying things you don't mean. I won't expose my cards for the sake of your
video's rating. That's why I don't like dungeon tubers.
They have a
lot of influence and the power to spread their opinions, which is very
troublesome.
"Ah,
handicap? I'd rather have you with a handicap, you see."
"Isn't a
handicap given to the higher-ranked player? If it's too hard to show it because we're competitors,
why don't you team up with me? If
we teamed up, we would definitely finish in first and second place!"
..................
Oh, maybe this was the real plan all along?
I glanced
at the program staff. ......A little more, huh?
“Hmm, isn't
it a hassle to share the rewards when you work with other people?”
"I think
we can divide it equally. We can discuss it in detail along the way,
right?"
And,
Solomon proposed that we split up in the middle as a strategy. It seems like he's
going to use me and throw me away. I guess this is not his real purpose after
all.
“Hmmm...........................”
As I
crossed my arms and pretended to think, Solomon gradually got impatient toward
me. “Don't dwell on every single thing,
you idiot! If you are
an adventurer, make a decision quickly!" It was as if I could hear his
voice in my mind.
I was
blatantly stalling for time like that, when,
『 To all the
players gathered here! I will now give you an additional explanation of the
race and some rule changes, so please be quiet.』
Finally, it
was time for the race to begin.
"Ah, I
see the time has come. I'm sorry, but it seems there's not enough time for us
to talk about teaming up. Bye!"
“.........................Tch.”
Ignoring
the slight click of his tongue that I heard, I left the place with a relieved
look.
『Thank you
for coming today. We have some additional explanations to make before we start
the race. First of all, please receive the magic item that will be used during
this race.』
As the
emcee man said this, a sphere the size of a basketball with a propeller flew to
each player.
A sphere
flew to me, dropped a watch-like object in my hand, and hovered around me.
『What flew
over to you is a camera eye that will take footage of the race and forward it
to the management. As stated in the official rules, if the camera breaks,
please return to the previous checkpoint as soon as possible. Please note that
if you go to the next checkpoint with a broken camera eye, it will be invalid.
Now then, please take a look at the clock-shaped magic item in your hand.』
Asked by
the emcee, I dropped my gaze to my hand. The watch-shaped magic item had a
simple design, silver-colored, with only a rectangular black crystal-like object
on the watch part.
It was said
to be a magic item, but how in the world is it used?
『The magic
item you are looking at is called Card Gear, a new product from Emerald Tablet Company.
The person in charge will be here to explain its functions in detail.』
The emcee
stepped back, and a beautiful woman in a suit and career-woman look went up the
podium.
The Emerald
Tablet Company..... it is the largest company in Japan that develops and sells
artificial magic items.
The Air
conditioner pendant, the Magic stone generator, and the Mermaid's swimsuit I
won from the packs were all developed and sold by this company.
『My name is
Sagawa and I am in charge of public relations for Emerald Tablet Company. I
look forward to working with you. Please allow me to explain about the Card
Gear. First of all, please put a drop of your own blood to the crystal for
activation. A needle is stored in the side of the magic item.』
The players
frowned for a moment at Sagawa-san's words, but then quietly used the needle to
stab their fingers and drop a drop of blood on the crystal. There were
obviously no adventurers here who would complain about dripping blood with a
needle at this point.
As blood
dripped onto the Card Gear, a three-dimensional image of about 30 centimeters
in height and 20 centimeters in width emerged from the Card Gear's crystal.
I couldn't
help but let out a startled “Ohh!".
It's kind of
cool, like something from science fiction!
The
three-dimensional image had a number of icons lined up like a smartphone
screen.
『Next,
please place one of your cards over the crystal. It will only take a moment.』
Then I
tried to put Renge's card in contact with the crystal.
And then
.......
『...Huh?!
This is...』
"Renge?!"
The upper
half of Renge's body appeared in the three-dimensional image.
“What is
going on?"
『I don't
know...... it's like a window to the outside suddenly appears inside the card.』
I see...... it's
a magic item that allows you to talk to the card without summoning it. This is
very convenient.
Just as I
was thinking like this, Sagawa-san said something that caught me off guard,
『With Card
Gear, you can now talk to your cards outside the dungeon, something you could
only do inside the dungeon in the past.』
----!!!
The place
was abuzz with commotion.
What did
she just say? Did she say
that we will be able to talk to the cards outside the dungeon?
『Card Gear
is a next-generation adventurer's equipment developed based on the concept of
making it easier for people to become closer to their cards....... At present,
the number of cards that can be registered is only eight, but we plan to
gradually increase it.
In addition
to the conversational function with the cards, it has various functions such as
auto-mapping function within the dungeon, rescue request function equivalent to
the license, communication function with other Card Gear owners in the same
dungeon. And as a new type of artificial magic item that is machine-free, it is
not subject to [Mechanical Destruction] by gremlins.』
I, see......
so, it's, like that.
It had an
auto-mapping function in the dungeon, rescue request..... and the
characteristic of not being destroyed by gremlins.
Obviously,
it was a magic item that was developed under the influence of the Hound Master
case.
Probably, it
was not developed only by the Emerald Tablet Company... Behind the scenes,
military technology is being appropriated by the country.
Countermeasures
against mechanical destruction by gremlins and other means have long been the
biggest challenge for the militaries of various countries.
If it is
just gremlins, it would be enough to find and eliminate them first, but in
dungeons of C-rank or higher, it is not uncommon for the floors themselves to
have a machine-destroying effect. The difficulty level of the conquest surges
simply because some of the dozens of floors have a machine-destroying effect.
Therefore,
every country has been researching countermeasures against mechanical
destruction as a top priority.
The most
promising research project was the creation of artificial magic items that do
not rely on machine operation.
With the
exception of those that were slightly modified from magic items found in
dungeons, most of the artificial magic items that are currently being made
incorporate microchips and circuits for control.
When it was
first announced, it made headlines: “At last, mankind can make magic items on
their own!", but unfortunately, it was not the all-important
countermeasure against mechanical destruction.
A few years
later, before long, it seemed that it had become possible to create artificial
magical items that did not use machines at all.
Until now,
the military probably had a monopoly on this technology, but after the criminal
case, the government decided to start appropriating it to private use.
That was
how seriously the government was taking the case of the Hound Master.
I thought
it was quite generous to offer a participation fee worth 10 million yen to each
of the 100 adventurers, and to reward the top finishers with nearly 1 billion
yen, no matter how big Catfight was...... I see, so the government and Emerald
Tablet Company were the sponsors.
Most likely,
this race was also a final test for this Card Gear to see if it works properly,
as well as a publicity stunt.
『The Card
Gear we handed out to everyone is a prototype in the development stage, but its
performance is that of the high-end product. If you like it, please purchase
the official version.』
Sagawa-san
stepped back and the emcee stepped forward again.
『The
prototype Card Gear will only be usable by those who have registered their blood,
so the Card Gear handed out this time will be given to you all free of charge
by Emerald Tablet Company.』
Woow!! The
crowd cheered and a burst of joyous applause was directed to Sagawa-san on the
stage. She bowed her head in embarrassment at that.
To get a
pre-release product in advance....... I'm honestly happy about this.
『Now, let us
go back to the rest of the explanation of the race. In the race, you will use
this Card Gear to choose between 'fight or flight' and enter the number of
stars you wish to bet. The map app will also show you the distance and
direction of checkpoint hints, so you can rely on that to help you reach the
finish line.』
After
explaining the detailed operational instructions for the Card Gear, he moved on
to talk about the stages of the race.
『First, I
would like to inform you about the two dungeons you will face. ...... One is a
daytime ocean-type dungeon in Tokyo Dome City LaQua, which is not far from
here. The other is an underground dungeon a little distance away, in the Tokyo
Station area.』
Upon
listening to this, I looked at the location information sent to the map app.
......The distance to the underground dungeon is about 30 minutes one way by
train plus walking.
Even if I
check the Guild's app for these two dungeons, there was no information on how
to conquer them. In other words, they are secret dungeons that are not open to
the public.
I had
expected this since there would be some drawbacks with dungeons open to the
public, but this confirms what I had expected.
Moreover,
unlike lower-level secret dungeons, which are open to professional adventurers
only, these secret dungeons are completely monopolized by the government.......
I could
feel the entire crowd of adventurers in here get excited. We could dive into
secret dungeons which were usually closed to the outside world. It was natural
for adventurers to be excited, regardless of the competition.
『The
dungeons are a little special, with a definite appearance of Vivilles in the
ocean-type dungeon and several Carbuncles1 per floor in the underground dungeon.』
Hey,
hey......! Viville,
seriously?!
In short,
Viville is a monster that is a direct superior version of Carbuncle. When
defeated, it increases the combat power of monsters participating in the battle
to their growth limit and will definitely drop a diamond from its forehead.
The
diamonds are called 'Viville diamonds', and they can be traded for a minimum of
100 million yen. By giving them to cards, the cards could learn skills that would
increase their fighting power.
『Because
of the expected disorder in the main battle on this occasion, there will be a
one-hour bonus time at the lowest floor of each dungeon for the first one who
arrives. During this bonus time, the following adventurers will not be allowed
to enter the lowest floor. The prohibition will not be lifted even if they
defeat the Boss within one hour. However, if they fail to defeat the Boss
within one hour time, the first to arrive will be asked to leave the lowest floor
and the second place to arrive will take their turn.』
So if you
can kill the Boss in the blink of an eye, you can be ahead of your competitors
for an hour.
There's a
lot of merit in being the first.
I don't
consider the latter case it is impossible for a player who is strong enough to
arrive first to not be able to defeat the Boss.
『Also, we
will buy the Viville diamond for 100 stars and the Carbuncle garnet for 2 stars
apiece. Of course, you can choose not to sell them to us and take them home
with you.』
One hundred
stars for the diamond and two stars for the garnet. Considering that several
Carbuncles appear on each floor and that the dungeon has more than 25 floors,
the total number of stars is probably greater in the underground dungeon.
However, no
matter how hard you try, it is impossible to monopolize all the Carbuncles.
Should I go
for the Viville diamonds to get the 100 stars exclusively, or should I go to
the underground dungeon to obtain a small portion of stars....?
『That will
be all for the explanation. The race will start in five minutes from now, at
exactly 10:00 a.m.』
With these
words, the emcee stepped back, and the adventurers began to finalize their
preparations and review their strategies with each other in their groups.
The groups,
in particular, seemed to be in a bit of a panic because of the revelation of
new information that could cause a deviation from their initial strategy.
However, as
the time drew nearer, the clamor died down, and about 30 seconds before, the place
became completely quiet.
……１０、９、８、７、６、５、４、３、２、——１。
『Race!! Staaaaaart!』
The
starting buzzer rang loudly, and the players all took off running at once.
[Tips]
Emerald Tablet Company
A large company
with the largest market share in Japan for the development and sale of magic
items. Almost all of the magic items that Maro won in the pack were
manufactured by this company. In addition to magic items, the company also
sells a variety of goods for adventurers.
With the
motto of 'Making the world a better place', the company aims to create magic
items closely related to daily life and is highly trusted by people, but behind
the scenes, there are many black rumors.
For some
time, they have been working in secret with the government to develop magic
items that cannot be destroyed by mechanical destruction, and now they released
Card Gear which can be called the culmination of their efforts.
This race
also serves as an advertisement for the product.
***
Notes:
1 Chilote mythology of southern Chile told that the carbuncle is the 'guardian of the metals'. The descriptions vary: a luminescent small dog; a luminescent bivalve; a cat with a luminescent chin; a greenish-red fiery light reminiscent of fireflies.↩
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