Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #83
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 83:
Is the Desire Sensor Real or Not? (2)
Both
sides' initial moves began with the standard actions.
In
other words, defense and surprise attack.
I
had Eliza activate her [Shield of Devotion] and retreat to the rear. Helen put
on her Dullahan and solidified her defense.
At
the same time, I sent Yuki to her rear with Shukuji1 to finish off the
mysterious dwarf.
Even
if this dwarf had some troublesome ability that I didn't know about, there
would be no problem if I got rid of her before she could use it.
Just
as Yuki's hand was about to pierce the dwarf, ---- a dark green shadow jumped
at her from the side. The enemy Coosie, who had reacted in an astonishing
sequence, intervened. --She is fast! This is definitely not a Coosie that I
know of.
In
response, Yuki quickly shifted her hand into a backhand blow, and then she decisively
struck the snout of the wolf monster that was about to bite her in the throat.
Gyak! The
Coosie shrieked and slammed into the wall, but by then, the dwarf had taken
refuge with her master.
The
dwarf on the master's shoulder melted away and became one with the armor. Then
a pattern reminiscent of runes appeared on Dullahan's jet-black armor.
This
was a different type of equipping skill from the armorization of the Living
Armor and Dullahan....... It was also not the ability of Deena Shee2 that I
knew.
---- As I
thought, they were native cards from Ireland, the homeland of those cards.
The
performance of a card is influenced by the lore and knowledge in the land.
Even
cards with the same race are completely different in Japan compared to the rest
of the world.
For
example, Zashiki-warashi is a C-rank card with the attribute of god or youkai
(strange apparition) in Japan, but in other countries, it is only an E-rank
card with the attribute of house spirit.
Dullahan,
Coosie, and Deena Shee ....... All of them are fairies who originated in
Ireland.
Their
ranks would be one to two higher than those in other countries. Those three
cards and their ranks were probably BxCxD or BxCxC.
The
B-rank card was a professional class card. The fact that she had it indicated
that this unknown woman in Japan was a three-star adventurer who was very close
to being a pro.
As
expected from someone recommended by the program.....
Helen
said in a muffled voice through her helmet,
"That
was quite an exciting surprise attack, but... it's my turn next."
Helen
converted a card into two spears.
One
spear was longer than her height and one more was a short spear about half that
length.
......
Two Irish people's spears of different lengths. I have a bad feeling about
this.
Breaking
out in a cold sweat, I equipped Eliza with Dáinsleif3 and increased our
synchronization rate.
Seeing
this, I felt a faint hint of a smile from Helen.
"Now,
let's get this over with...!"
Helen
came toward us with a terrifyingly powerful thrust.
The
thrust was incredibly fast and so acute that even Eliza, who was in full
synchronization, could not fully perceive it.
Even
so, the intuition of this versatile vampire caught the trajectory of the spear,
and with the magic sword, which had the anecdote that 'never misses its
target', it accurately and flawlessly hit the tip of the spear.
However,
even faster than the metallic sound reached our ears, the second spear came
down without a pause.
The
seamless barrage of thrusts, similar to a one-two combo in boxing, slightly
nicked Eliza's side as she twisted her body swiftly.
She
immediately leaped backward, healing the wound with her blood savings through
[Plaster of Blood].
『Kh!』
......
But no matter how much she tried to heal it, the wound showed no sign of
mending.
So
I asked Renge to cast a healing spell on her, but it was also ineffective.
----Damn,
it's the ability to impede healing.
I
gritted my teeth hard.
I did have a
bad feeling about them, but now, I'm sure of it. Those two spears are ‘Gae
Dearg4 and Gae Buidhe5’.
The Gae
Dearg had the power to dispel any magic. The Gae Buidhe was a magic item with
the anecdote of inflicting wounds that never heal.
I don't
know the details of its abilities beyond that, but at least it seemed to have
the ability to impede recovery.
I tried to
send out an elementary attack magic to test it out, but it was easily dispelled
by the long spear. The fireball disappeared as if it was dissolving in
midair...... This was no ordinary magical disappearance.
This
confirmed the power of dispelling magic. ......Hmm, this is kinda bad.
Even with
that short exchange, I could tell that the other party's stat and skills were
superior to mine.
Helen was a
martial arts expert in her own right, the type that brings out all the
potential of her equipping and martial arts skills. She was not flashy, but she
was solid with no obvious weaknesses, making her the kind of person who was
plainly disliked in MonColo.
In terms of
combat power, we were at a disadvantage with the B-ranked Dullahan+Deena Shee
(D or C-rank)+magic item, compared to the C-ranked Vampire+Dullahan
(C-rank)+magic item.
If we add
the difference in reach between swords and spears and the disparity in the
number of moves between one and two weapons, it would indeed be tough.
--But that
was only if it was one-on-one.
"It's
our turn now," said the vampire. With her blonde hair flowing, she slashed
at the knight with the twin spears. Just as the other party was about to
intercept it, a werewolf attacked from behind.
A vampire
armed with a Dullahan and a magic sword, and a lycanthrope with B-rank combat
power. No matter how home-grown a Dullahan may be, it was no match for them.
But .......
"Are
you, serious.......?"
I can't
help but shudder.
Despite
being pushed back and forth by the onslaught of the two of them, Helen
continued to handle the situation properly.
She easily
evaded attacks from angles that should have been invisible to her, handled two
attacks with one move, and sometimes even took advantage of our attacks. It was
like watching a meticulously planned sword fight in a historical drama.
O- oioi,
......, she is seriously an expert. Eliza and Yuki working together can't take
her down... you've got to be kidding me, right?
Helen's
skill surpassed my expectations and I was in a cold sweat, but on the other
hand, the scales of victory were definitely tilted in my direction.
It looked
as if I could still push her over the edge at this point, but I was not going
to take any cheap chances with an expert of this caliber. I made a move that
would give it a good enough push.
『Renge! Now!』
『Oh!』
I signaled
to Renge, who had been keeping Coosie in check, and Helen suddenly slipped.
Slip magic
and [Misfortune and luck are like a rope], it was an unavoidable trouble.
"Wha~tsu!?"
She, an
expert who would have had absolute confidence in her footwork, widened her eyes
at the impossible mistake.
This is the
end. I'll show you that you're not the only one with the ability to hinder
healing.
Eliza
slashed at Helen, who had lost her balance, with all her might.
『Hwu-h?!』
She slipped
on her feet.
『……………………』
Helen and
Eliza, both of them who had fallen on their butts, coughed awkwardly, stood up,
and jumped back as if nothing had happened.
『Hey,
Dullahan......』
『Awawa, it's
not my fault!』
『No, it's
definitely your fault. Ugh, I know you didn't do it on purpose, but...』
I didn't
expect Dullahan's [Clumsy} skill to kick in here.......
During the
training camp, the [Clumsy] skill only appeared once, so I was a bit optimistic
that the probability was not that high, and let my guard down a little.
I guess it
was too risky to use Dullahan without Silky.
But I can't
afford to use Silky in this race where the number of cards is limited.......
I was
thinking about that kind of thing with a sense of escaping reality when,
''That was a
bit rash of me. ...... Although I'm not sure why yours fell like that."
"What? Isn't that your skill....?"
I shrugged
it off with a dubious look on my face. Since it was also being filmed, it would
be too embarrassing to be found out that Eliza just fell because of clumsiness
Helen was
silent for a while, giving a suspicious look, but then she said,
"......Well,
that's okay. Anyway, since you are stronger than I expected, I'm going to go all
out from here."
All-out? I tilted my head and she jumped onto
the Coosie with a leap.
A combo of
riding and cavalry beast skills? It's
certainly a nuisance, I thought to myself.......
"Ppat......!"
Coosie and
Helen disappeared as if melting into thin air.
Is this an
invisibility skill?! I see, sure
enough, when they first appeared, they were also invisible!
The skill to
make not only oneself but also the whole group invisible is rare... but after
all, the skill of invisibility is only to make oneself invisible. It is not
that they really disappear!
I had Eliza
and Yuki stay around me, and I had Renge throw a barrage of bullets in all
directions.
The space
where this barrage was snuffed out by the magic spear will be where Helen
lurks!
----But
"........................?"
The barrage
was neither snuffed out nor hit anything, but hit the wall and disappeared.
What does
that mean? So it
wasn't invisibility, but teleportation?
『Yuki,
where's the smell?』
『It's...
gone.』
『Gone? Wait, I see...... as I recall, the
smell was completely missing earlier too. ...... No way!』
『?! --Master!』
The moment
a flash of realization flashed through my mind, Eliza pushed me away.
What I saw
as I fell and turned around was the sight of Helen's spear ripping through
Eliza's white shield she had produced like a piece of paper, right at her
chest.
Eliza,
struck in the chest, leaned back and turned into a smoking log with a bang.
Just in the nick of time, Yuki's utsusemi6 technique was activated.
Seeing
this, Helen clicked her tongue and disappeared again.
『Eliza...!』
『It's okay.
There's no damage』
『Huu...』
I breathed
a sigh of relief and composed myself.
Gae Dearg not
only cancelled magic attacks, but also penetrated the defenses of skills that
use magic power......
No, more
importantly, this skill ....... What the hell is the trick?
It's... not
just invisibility....... Invisibility does not go as far as being able to
transcend physical existence.
I think it's
close to transference magic, like teleportation...... but it's also different.
The earlier surprise attack was clearly an attempt to take advantage of an
opening after observing me.
『Kh! Master!』
The enemy
attacked again there.
The only
one who could barely react to the completely unannounced attack was Eliza, who
had the [Intuition] skill.
She
defended me despite being wounded, and the enemy disappeared again. It was a
perfect hit-and-run.
I desperately
probe for the nature of the enemy with a sense of frustration.
They are
definitely here, but it is not the usual invisibility skill. It is a skill
similar to teleportation, but not teleportation.....
Dullahan,
Coosie, Deena Shee ...... Which card is that skill?
Dullahan is a
death fairy who heralds death. Coosie is the watchdog who protects Fairyland.
Deena Shee is the fairy of a fallen hero. ...... Fairyland?
Right! This
is a skill that allows you to travel to another space!
I hear that
some of the cards have skills that allow them to move freely in and out of
spaces that are slightly out of phase with this world, such as Fairyland, the
Divine Realm, and the Underworld.
Perhaps the
native Coosie, as the 'Watchdog of Fairyland', is able to enter and leave
Fairyland at will with their skill.
And it should
be possible to take along any card with fairy attributes to that space.
This would
explain why Helen has all her cards of the fairy attribute.
This is
speculation on speculation, but it's probably correct. ...... Even if it is not
true, there is no doubt that the other party is coming in and out of a strange
space to attack us.
But if so,
that's pretty shitty .......I understood how the ability worked. But I couldn't
think of a way to break it.
The standard
for this type of enemy is to put them down at once the moment they appear, but
if that were possible, we would have already settled this before they became
invisible.
Only Eliza,
with her [Intuition] skill, can detect the signs of an attack, and even then,
she can only really detect it just before the attack. By the time the other
cards attempt to counterattack there, they have already disappeared.
It's such an
impeccable strategy....... To break it ...... Wait, I see!
I came to
my senses.
Yes, I don't
have to break it.
My flash of
insight spread through the Link to all my cards. Everyone grinned.
"Aooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!"
Yuki let
out a howl and transformed into a werewolf.
She
completed her transformation in the blink of an eye, picked me up with one arm,
and ran off with me clutched to her chest as if to protect me.
The
destination was at the back of the chamber---- A passageway leading to the
stairs.
If I went
down the stairs, I would be declared fled by the management.
But that
won't be a problem. I would be restricted from moving through the floors for an
hour, but I would already be at the bottom (most likely). I can take my time
fighting the Boss during the one-hour bonus time and use the remaining time to
rest.
Helen, the
winner, could only wait with her fingers in her mouth.
In the
worst case scenario, even if it wasn't the lowest floor, it would still
probably take an hour to get to the next staircase. No matter how things turned
out, I wouldn't be too bothered.
I had two
conditions for a victory.
『Master!』
Eliza's
warning voice came as soon as we entered the passageway. A sign of an enemy
surprise attack.
As
expected, they come to interfere! Helen
must have noticed that we had found another victory. But....
『---An
expected surprise attack isn't scary, you idiot.』
『......?!』
As expected
(・・・・) Helen and her party appeared behind
us and were swallowed by the torrent of lightning bolts released by Renge.
The
majority of them were snuffed out by the Gae Dearg, but they succeeded in
inflicting no small amount of damage to the Coosie Helen was straddling.
The
dark-green monster wolf's body stiffened from the electric current.
This also
means that the retreat to the Fairyland will be delayed by a beat.
"Gaaaaaah!"
There was
no way Yuki would have missed that opening.
She struck
Coosie in the head with a blow like that of a hammer, knocking Coosie out of
consciousness with a single punch.
"Coosie?!"
Helen's
scream was finally heard, and I couldn't help but grin.
The plan
worked better than expected.
The reason
we had been struggling with Helen's surprise attacks was that we didn't know
where or when it would come from.
With all
directions alarmed, even if we received a warning almost at the same time as
the attack, there was no way we could intercept in time.
--But if
the attack was limited to the rear only, it would be a different story.
If there is
only one direction and it is in a straight line, even if we took a blow, we can
strike them too before they disappear again.
If that
strike can bring down Coosie, that's good enough. If it is dodged or
ineffective, I can go for the stairs again. If they attack again in the
process, we aim for a counterattack, and if they are alert and do not attack, I
will just go to the next floor.
If the next
floor is the lowest, then I have essentially won. If it's not the lowest floor,
then I have lost... but there is no way for her to confirm this right away.
She has to
go to the checkpoint and face the winners of the third and fourth runners.
In the
meantime, I will proceed to the next floor.
Therefore,
she needs to obstruct my getaway at all costs, at which point she will be
killing most of the benefits of Coosie's ability herself.
As a
result, she made the fatal mistake of letting Coosie be knocked unconscious
---- and it doesn't end here.
Without a
moment's hesitation, Yuki tried to bite Coosie who was thrown to the ground
with her huge jaws.
Naturally, Helen
tried to stop her, but Eliza intervened.
It would
have been pretty bad if Dullahan's [Clumsy] had been activated now, but
'fortunately', that didn't happen.
When Yuki
was on the verge of biting Coosie’s head off——
"Wait...!"
Helen's
voice stopped Yuki's movement.
"You got
me. I'm defeated."
Saying
that, Helen unequipped Dullahan.
She
immediately operated her Card Gear.
『Kitagawa
wins! Helen's stars will be transferred.』
That was
the decision. I looked at my Card Gear and saw that the stars had been
transferred properly.
After
confirming this, I had Yuki release Coosie. She immediately ran over to Coosie
and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the wound was not too deep.
"Thank
goodness... this card is pledged to the bank, so if I'd lost it, they would
have taken the Dullahan back."
Helen
expressed relief as she said this, making me tilt my head for a moment, and I
quickly understood.
Oh, she means
the bank's loan program. That means this Dullahan is a card bought with a bank
loan. I envy adventurers overseas......
In Japan,
the social credibility of adventurers was very low with banks......, while
overseas, the credibility of adventurers was second only to military personnel
as they protect people's daily lives at the risk of their own lives. (This may
not sound like much in Japan, but overseas, military personnel are a highly
respected profession.)
For this
reason, it was apparently possible for adventurers to receive loans there,
which were rarely granted in Japan, by pledging their credit cards or
themselves as collateral.
Pledging
oneself as collateral may sound like a revival of slavery at first glance, but
in reality, one just becomes liable to be kept in a secret dungeon until the
repayment is completed, and have almost all of one's harvest taken away.
If a card is
used as collateral, the card purchased with the loan is temporarily confiscated
when that collateral card is Lost.
Despite the
various restrictions, this loan system was said to have created a virtuous
cycle that allowed overseas adventurers to own higher-ranked cards, thereby
making it safer for them to conquer the dungeons and more prudent in their
behavior.
On the
other hand, the disadvantage of this system was that adventurers were forced to
surrender and retreat as soon as they were at a slight disadvantage... but that
was actually not much different from Japanese adventurers who were paying for
things out of their own pockets.
If loans to
be made available to adventurers were to start in Japan, I am sure quite a few
adventurers would seek loans.
Well, as
for me, my Kitagawa family's motto is that we don't borrow money, including
loans, so I won't be borrowing.
Also, I
don't like the fact that I can't name my cards because I would have to pledge
the cards I have as collateral.
"......It's
not often that I get a chance to meet foreign adventurers, so I'd like to talk
about all sorts of things, but I've got to get a move on, so I'd better be
going now."
"Yeah,
you beat me, so you better do well. Otherwise, my friends back home will laugh
at me."
"Yes,
see you!"
I parted
ways with Helen, who was smiling so much that it was hard to believe that she
had just been in a lethal fight, and I headed onward.
...But the
native Coosie is a formidable foe.
The ability
to move into different spaces and transform into a beastman ...... are both
quite rare skills. Although they are only different by a single rank, their
performance is far different from that of the Japanese Coosies.
It would
have been easier to deal with this one if we also could move into different
spaces...... but this kind of rare skill is not something you can always get
even if you want it.
However,
this was only the case in Japan, and the situation was probably a bit different
in Ireland
I heard
that in Ireland and the U.K., fairy and spirit cards are strong, just as youkai
and Shinto/Buddhist cards are strong in Japan.
Like
[Fairy's Path], the ability to move in different spaces. and [Changeling], the
ability to transform into another form is often synonymous with fairies.
It would
not be surprising if a good percentage of the native fairy species possessed
these skills.
If Yuki was
still a Coosie, I would have tried to get a native Coosie card for her somehow.
...... Well,
I didn't have any connections to any card dealer at the time, so that's a
meaningless assumption.
You can't get
foreign native cards unless you're a card dealer after all......
While
thinking of this, I went down the stairs and found a program staff waiting for
me in the safe zone.
"You're
a player, correct? Congratulations
on being the first one to arrive!"
'Thank goodness, this is the lowest
floor,' I thought as
I spoke to the male staff member who was in his thirties or so.
"Umm,
what do I do? Can I
challenge the Boss now?"
"Before
you do that, please do a misconduct check over here and touch your crystal
here. Well, then, please answer the questions I am going to ask you without
lying. Did you commit any form of cheating before you come here?"
"No."
"Yes! That's enough! ...Just between you and me, the Boss
of this place is amazing. Please give it your best!"
"Hm? Uh, yes."
Tilting my
head at the man who was whispering to me in secret with a slightly sly look on
his face, I ran out of the safe zone to look for the Boss.
....The
enemy, though, did not seem to hide its presence, and it seemed to be waiting
for us in the center of this floor.
As we got
closer to the enemy, a sweet aroma gradually began to waft through the air.
Even though
the master was protected against abnormal conditions by a barrier, it was a
smell that stimulated my instincts, numbing the back of my head somehow.
It was a
scent that made me want to smell it more, along with a sense of caution, but
the cards around me were frowning at the scent. The only exception was Eliza.
"Really,......
I knew it as knowledge, but is it actually this stinky in real life?"
Renge said
with a frown, and Yuki nodded.
"That's
for sure, this is too much... I'm starting to feel a bit nauseous."
"Is it
really that bad? It smells amazing to me..."
As I tilted
my head, Renge scoffed,
"Well,
that's probably true for you. ...Hey, Eliza, maybe you can offset it with your pheromones?"
"I'll
give it a try."
Then a
delicate, faint citrus scent spread around her, sweeping away that distinctive
scent.
"Ahhh,
that's refreshing! But, if I
have to be subjected to that stinky smell all the time, I might lose my
[Friendship linkage] skill."
"Huh?
What do you mean?"
The cards
didn't answer my question, only Renge replied shortly, "You'll know when
yu see it."
A little
while later....
When we
reached the Boss, I finally understood the meaning of her words.
In the
great hall located in the center of the floor, a luxurious and huge bed was
unnaturally placed.
On top of
it, a woman, too alluring and too beautiful to be human, was lying on the bed,
looking languid.
"Are you
seriously..."
Stupefied,
I muttered.
She had small
wings reminiscent of a bat and goat-like horns extending from the sides of her
head.
Over there
was a---- succubus.
Her skin
was flawless white. A body that displayed a strong sexual appeal. The sorry
piece of cloth covering her body was not at all useful in hiding her features,
as the lines of her breasts and hips were completely visible. Rather, the
design seemed to make us imagine a halfway hidden area. Even her long, wavy
silver hair, spread across the bed, was somewhat seductive.
Suddenly,
my eyes met those of the succubus. Her golden eyes, a sign of her magical
nature, arched amicably. Her bountiful breasts swayed heavily as she leaned
forward, conveying their weight and softness to me.
I swallowed
with bated breath at the sight, which was too stimulating for such a virgin.
...I never
thought I would be able to meet a succubus.
Although it
was not impossible since this is an underground dungeon type where any monster
can appear, the probability of it being a miracle is fair to say.
Could it be
that the program adjusted the monster so that it would look good on TV?
It is
possible. This is a Catfight. It would not be surprising if they adjusted the
monster to be at least a girl monster.
『So, what
are you going to do? 』
Renge asked
with a somewhat cold gaze.
What does she
mean? Does she think I will use Fate Manipulation? It has been about two weeks
since the last use. The distortion of causality has already almost disappeared.
Even if I use
it, there is almost no risk...... such was my thought, but I shook my head.
『No, I won't
use Perfect Link or Fate Manipulation. I won't use my Luck Savings either. Even
if I get this succubus, it won't have the [Zero existence] skill. I'll save my
trump card to make sure I win the race.』
This was
not the time to play my trump card. I want a succubus, but it would be
meaningless if it did not have the [Zero existence] skill. It would be a
mistake to get caught up in immediate profit and miss out on the main objective
of the race.
If I am
going to use it in this race, I should have used it to make sure I win the
prize for Mea.
『Is that so?』
Hearing my
answer, Renge grinned for a moment.
......This
guy, she made sure I wasn't blinded by greed again.
You don't
have to do that, the moxibustion7 from the packs is working just fine.
I said with
a chuckle,
『Well, let's
beat her up.』
『Ok.』
This is
merely a passing moment. For Mea's sake, we have to hurry ahead.
---- And
then, a few minutes later.
"......E~."
Somehow, in
my hand, there was a succubus card with the [Zero existence] skill.
[Tips] Native
Cards
Cards of a
race that originated in that country or region and have higher performance than
those of other countries are called native cards.
Not only
are native cards one to two ranks higher in combat power, but their skills are
also far superior to those of cards from other countries.
For
example, while Coosies that appeared outside of Japan only have the skill of
blocking out presence or, at best, invisibility, native Irish Coosies have the
skill of traveling to and from Fairyland (a separate space of different
dimension) with fairies at their disposal.
Some researchers
claim that this is due to the difference in the local people's 'understanding'
and 'affinity' towards the existence of Coosies......
***
Notes:
2 Daoine Sidhe (deena shee) - Faery folk of Ireland. They are supposedly fallen angels, too good for hell.They were usually of human size, but it was not uncommon for them to be more than human size or smaller. ↩
3 It is said that once drawn, the sword will not be sheathed until it is soaked in living blood. That single flash leaves a wound that can never be healed. If it were a card, it would have a combat value of 500. ↩
4 (Crimson Rose of Exorcism) is a spear that renders magical enhancements and projections useless by severing all ties with magical energy. It was passed down to Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, given as a gift from his foster father, the druid Aengus. Diarmuid Ua Duibhne himself was a hero and demigod in the Fenian Cycle of Irish mythology, traditionally thought to be set in the 2nd to 4th century.↩
5 (The Golden Rose of Mortality) is a cursed spear that inflicts wounds that cannot be healed naturally or with magecraft. It was a gift given to Diarmuid Ua Duibhne by Manannán, the king of fairies. ↩
6 One of ninja arts: exchange oneself with an object. ↩
7 A type of therapy, but here, it is more of a metaphor. One of the aim is to stimulate the body's flow of vital energy or “qi”↩
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