Mob
Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #95
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 95: Gateway to Success
The
next morning, we resumed our exploration of the dungeon early in the morning.
E-rank
floors. Although the enemy’s rank was one rank higher than yesterday, it was
still not an obstacle.
Yuki's
[Lord of The Territory ] skill was in effect, and we moved forward without
encountering enemies.
The
only enemies in the F and E rank floors were the environment and field effects
...... and that was it.
Even
with those things, today's challenge felt much easier than yesterday's, perhaps
because it was a four-person expedition.
Perhaps
it was because there were more magic items than when I was alone, or maybe it
was because I had friends with whom I could share my difficulties.
Thanks
to Kimaris' presence, we could collect the Carbuncle Garnet smoothly, and in
just six hours or so we had broken through the E-rank floors.
That
concluded the easiest part.
The
effect of [Lord of The Territory] was only effective up to two ranks below.
Yuki, who possessed combat power equivalent to a B-rank, could keep D-rank
enemies at bay, but it would appear quite unreal when a C-rank lycanthrope
keeps D-rank enemies away from us.
Although
I explained to Anna and the others that Yuki was only using a skill to ward off
enemies, Teacher who is a professional would have guessed that the skill was
actually [Lord of The Territory].
Since
the [Breakthrough of Limits] skill is a matter of the highest priority to be
covered up, [Lord of The Territory] cannot be used from the D-rank floor.
Depending
on the field effects, even a D-rank enemy can become a threat that cannot be
ignored.
In other words, the real battle begins now.
With
that in mind, I had prepared myself, but...
"————We're not going to conquer the D-rank floors.
We're going to take a shortcut."
Anna's
statement left me open-mouthed and in a state of shock.
We
were now taking a break and having lunch in Mayoiga.
While
savoring the delicious sandwiches Audrey had made for them, the conversation
naturally turned to how to efficiently clear the D-rank floors.
There,
Anna opened with the unexpected statement that there would be no attempt to
conquer the D-rank floors.
"What do you mean..."
I
was about to ask her how when I immediately realized,
“Could it be, using [Distress] magic card?”
"Yes. To be honest, clearing the D-rank floors is a
waste of time. Since there is a time limit until summer vacation, we should
reduce the possibility of running out of time even if just a little.
Even
though this is a C-rank dungeon, conquering the D-rank floors now won't help us
grow much, so if we go to the Boss room and have enough time, we can then
explore those floors while collecting the Carbuncle Garnets... which I think is
better."
Anna's
explanation convinced everyone..... that was the best way to proceed.
The
battle on the D-rank floors will be a good warm-up for the battle on the C-rank
floor, but conversely, it will not serve as anything more than a warm-up.
Since
the real stage will be the battle on the C-rank floor and there is a time limit
due to the end of summer vacation, the D-rank floors should be skipped if it is
possible to be skipped.
However...
“Using Distress...... is extravagant.”
I
can use the Hamelin's Flute as much as I want, so it doesn't really feel
apparent to me, but the Distress card was extremely expensive.
Even
when the price was low, the Distress card was worth at least 3 million yen1......
so, to use it to conquer a C-rank dungeon, even if it's a semi-secret dungeon
is...
Normally,
it's used to conquer B-rank dungeons... I looked at Anna with a mixture of
incredulity and admiration.
"Well, it does cost money, but the probability is
more than two-thirds that we can teleport somewhere in the C-rank floors, so
it's not such a bad bet."
"I see..."
"Oh, of course, this is all out of my own pocket, so
don't worry. I won't burden you."
"No no! I'll pay for it too. It's for the
team."
When
Anna said she would pay for it out of her own pocket, everyone rushed to say
that they would pay for it too.
"No~, you really don't need to worry about it. It's
my own decision."
"No, no, no, we have to be firm about this kind of
thing. ...... On the other hand, if it's a bad use of money for the team, I'll
be sure to oppose it."
When
I said I could lend Kimaris, it was Anna who said that I had to be careful
about this kind of thing.
Magic
cards are expendable, unlike monster cards, so we have to be even more careful.
“U-n ...... I see. In that case, I'm sorry, but this will
be shared by the team."
“Yeah. Oh, and I know this is a little late, but what
about the Emergency Evacuation card you're lending me now? Would it be okay if
I pay it off bit by bit with the Garnet share?"
I
mentioned the Emergency Evacuation card that I had been borrowing since the
Hound Master investigation.
“Oh, I take full accountability for that as the one who
invited you to join the team, so please keep it. Actually, if we get into those
kinds of details, it'll get complicated, like separating the compensation for
Senpai's Hamelin's Flute, or Kannadzuki-Senpai's fee for his professional
license. So let's keep it loose to some extent."
......
Indeed, it would be a hassle if we start to calculate the lending and borrowing
too strictly.
I
have a Hamelin's Flute, Teacher has a professional license, and Anna has her
family's money and connections from her family; each member has their own quality
and we all help each other out in many ways.
It
was hard to convert them into monetary value, and above all, I somehow don't
like the idea of putting a price on friendship and trust.
“Mmm...... when you think of it that way, my contribution
is not so great......”
“No, no, Sayo contributes in terms of brains, doesn't
she?”
"Yeah, Sayo's test predictions helped me a lot
too."
"Right right, I just transferred to a new school, so
you saved me."
“Anna might still have been taking supplementary classes
right now."
"Yeah... that's really possible."
Anna's
head drooped, perhaps imagining herself having to take extra classes in all
subjects.
Oribe,
seeing this, seemed to be somewhat convinced.
"Nn... I will take everyone's kindness for now. But
I think I have to think of some way to be of better help..."
“Well~, don't be too anxious about it.”
Aside
from Teacher's professional license, which he obtained through hard work, my
Hamelin's Flute and Anna's birth were largely determined by luck.
Even
for the professional license, Teacher won't be the only one with it forever.
Thinking
too much about who is or isn't contributing will just make things more awkward.
I like the current atmosphere, so I'm fine with it as it
is.
It's not like I'm going out with them just for the sake
of profit.
After
finishing the meal and leaving Mayoiga, we immediately used the Distress card.
The
destination of the transfer was a forest at dusk...... No, it seemed to be a
mountain field.
"Senpai, do you know what floor we're on?"
"...Eliza."
"Yes, Master."
I
passed Anna's question directly to Eliza.
She
answered with her forehead resting against Hamelin's Flute and concentrating.
"...... I get it. I think this is the 42nd
floor."
"Wow, isn't this a pretty good location!"
Anna
shouted in delight at having drawn a position that could be called a 'hit'.
“The subroute is ten floors long, so this route is the
main one.”
"Well, we can't challenge the Boss without defeating
the guardian."
“Still, we're lucky to skip ahead before the Boss.”
"What do we do now? Should
we continue on to the Boss route for the time being? Or do we turn around and start from the subroute?"
I asked Anna.
“Hmmm......... let's go to the Boss area first."
"Is that okay? If
we get caught in a teleporter trap along the way, it will reset our
location."
If that happens, we
will have wasted several floors of the main route, even if it is only a few
floors.
"Yes, it's okay. The original plan was to map out a
safe route to the stairs on the skill-sealing floors without you first. No need
to worry about the location."
Oi oi, excluding me....?
But considering the
risk of losing the location information of Hamelin's Flute, it is certainly
less risky to clear it without me and then accompany me after finding a route
without any teleporter traps.
Even if a club member
gets lost, I can pick them up immediately if the floor has already been
cleared.
While Anna and the
others attack the skill-sealing floors....., I can attack the D-rank floors.
"Then, let's start with the main route strategy.
What's the subfield effect here?"
"Um let's see~, the effect of the 42nd floor is...
oh, it limits summoning to two cards."
"Ugh... If the worst-case scenario is a skill seal,
then this feels like we're one step away from that."
"But two cards per person? Who summons which card is
the question," Oribe said while folding her arms.
Normally, each person
can summon up to eight cards, so there is no need to worry about who will
summon which cards, but on this floor, where each person can only summon two
cards, it is important to divide up the roles of each individual.
"First, cards that can disarm traps. Next is the
search and detection skill. Then, healing skills are also essential."
“Umu, to make up our numerical disadvantage, we also need
one card that can summon dependents/subordinates."
“Then, 2 vanguards, 2 scouts, 2 rearguards, and 2
supports would be about right, isn’t it?”
"No, we need more vanguards."
"Well, then 3 vanguards, 2 rearguards, 1 scout, and
2 supports?"
Then Teacher, who had
been watching silently, interrupted the conversation,
“...... No, wait a minute. Maybe we won't be able to move
as we are supposed to."
It was Oribe who
immediately realized the meaning of those words.
“...... I see. Lack of coordination, huh?"
“Yeah. The arrangement would be different than when a
single master uses Link to fight, which is the best."
There is no Link
between masters. In other words, each pair of cards fights separately......
If that's the case,
I'd be worried about leaving the vanguard, which is the key to defense, to
someone else.
“...... Would it be safer to allow each person to invoke
one card for the vanguard, then?”
“Hmm, I suppose so.”
"If so, we should give them a role to disarm traps
and so on, and then consider who is in charge--”
As a result of
everyone's discussion, the cards to be called were as follows:
Me: Eliza (C-rank,
vanguard, trap disarmer), Yuki (C-rank, scout, spotter)
Teacher: Zenki and
Goki2 (C-rank, vanguard, rear guard, pair of two), Aradia (B-rank, support,
healer)
Anna: Dunamis
(B-rank, vanguard), Elf (C-rank, rear guard)
Oribe: Dullahan
(C-rank, vanguard), Honoikazuchi no Kami (C-rank, support, summoner of
dependents) or Jorogumo (B-rank, support, summoner of dependents)
We decided to start
from Oribe and Anna, who had few high-ranked cards, and then me and Teacher to
fill in the gaps.
For the healer, we
deliberated between Renge, who can use [Rain of Amrita] with her [Spiritual
recurrence], and Aradia, who possessed [Advanced Magician] skill and was
versatile as a rear guard. Ultimately, we opted for Aradia because her passive
skills, which recover magic and reduce its consumption make her better suited
for prolonged battles.
For the rear guard,
since Teacher had a pair of two cards that could handle vanguard and rear guard,
it was decided. So I would be in charge of disarming traps and scouting for
enemies.
As for the scout,
Teacher's Goki can do a similar job, but she doesn't have the [Presence
detection] skill, so Yuki, who also possessed the [Presence detection], was
chosen as the scout.
However, this lineup
was just a starting point, and these cards could be switched as needed while
maintaining a high degree of flexibility depending on the damage and magic
power consumption.
The strategy was
decided, and our real C-rank dungeon attack was about to begin.
---I guess that was a
little naive.
"More enemy reinforcements! Three C-ranks! Ten
D-ranked subordinates! Send
in your subordinates, Sayo!"
"I've already sent them!"
"Shoot the meteors! Jushichiya-san,
clear the line of fire!"
"Wait a minute! ......Now!"
"Got it!"
I couldn't help but
reflect on this as I watched the flurry of exchanges.
Right now, we were
under the onslaught of the enemy.
Each of the enemies
that surged forward was no big deal. We had the fighting power to defeat them
alone.
However, it was a
different story when they came at us intermittently, several at a time.
At first, we failed
to defeat one of them. Then reinforcements arrived, and two more were missed.
Gradually, the number of enemies that could not be killed piled up, and
eventually the balance of power was completely thrown off when a subordinate
summoner showed up, and the number of enemies finally exceeded 20.
It was getting harder
and harder for us, who only had eight cards.
"Ah! Sorry, senpai, one slipped that way!"
As soon as Oribe sent
out a warning, an enemy appeared in front of me.
It was a huge brown
bear full of life force that even looked divine--Kimunkamui3.
The
mountain god of Ainu lore, who had broken through the encirclement of Oribe's
subordinate monsters and approached me, waved its massive tree-like arm at me,
its fur stained with both the blood of its enemies and its own blood, but its
hostility undiminished.
The
claws, which could cut through a fragile human body like butter, do not reach
me, however. Instead,
A
cold-faced, beautiful woman was straddling the wolf's back, holding a long sword
and golden reins in her hands.
With
the momentum of her charge, the woman plunged her sword into the bear's brow.
Even
though monsters had life force incomparable to that of normal living creatures,
they still had weak spots. Kimunkamui struggled for about ten seconds after the
sword was thrust into its brain, but eventually, its body collapsed and left
only a magic stone.
After
confirming this, I addressed Oribe,
"This is Kitagawa, Kimunkamui has been
defeated."
"...... As expected of you."
Oribe
smiled slightly.
But
before we could catch our breath, more enemy reinforcements appeared.
"Sorry, Oribe-san! I'm
going to use your subordinate monsters a little bit!"
"Understood! They'll
keep on coming anyway! Don't worry and blow them away!"
“Sorry, Sayo! Your
subordinates here got done in! They're about to breach the
wall, so send in more ASAP!"
"Die."
"Wha......! You
only act differently when it's me!"
When
Anna protested after receiving such a harsh reply only when it was her turn, Oribe
raised her voice, which was unusual for her,
“Of course, you moron! How
many times do you think this has happened? You've killed more of my monsters
than the enemy has killed!"
"Ugh, but they were suddenly in the line of
fire..."
“I know how you feel, but unlike the cards, subordinates
invoked by summoning can only be moved roughly. You have to be considerate.”
"Oka-y......."
Mm..... there is still some problem in terms of
coordination. ...... Well, it can't be helped because we haven't practiced
enough.
Unlike
cards that can move in unison through a Link, the coordination between humans
who are not interconnected can only be improved through pure practice and
experience.
Even
then, no matter how much they improve, they will never be more proficient than
the Link.
If only there was a magic item that allowed humans to
link with each other...
As
I was fighting while thinking about such things,
“Maro! I found the target!"
Teacher,
who had been flying Goki's shikigami4 like a drone from earlier, informed me
that he had finally found the enemy's subordinate summoner.
It
would be a lot easier once the subordinate summoner had been dealt with!
"Got it! I'm
on my way!"
I
immediately replied, grabbed the palm-sized shikigami, and straddled the back
of the giant wolf - Yuki, who had transformed into her wolf form.
Eliza
held me from behind and Yuki took off running like the wind.
The
scenery flashed by behind me at an incredible speed.
I
hadn't ridden Yuki like this since she was a coosie, and to be honest, the ride
was much more comfortable than before.
The
fur was thicker and the natural cushion was so soft that my rear end sank
halfway into it, and the texture was superb.
Perhaps
it was due to the Golden Reins, but even though she was galloping like a
jumping horse, I could hardly feel any shaking.
With
this, even on rough roads, my buttocks wouldn't hurt.
Yuki
also got the wolf form, and I gloated that I had made a good bargain......
After
a few minutes of slaughtering the lower demons (lesser demons) that began to
attack sporadically as we approached our target, we spotted a sheep-headed
demon that kept spitting out its dependents/subordinates.
The
sheep-headed demon noticed us approaching at a high speed, turned around and
immediately tried to run away.
If
we let it escape, it would be troublesome! I
decided to play one trump card.
『We're
doing it, Eliza!』
『Yes,
Master.』
————[My
Fair Lady].
Eliza's
card glowed, and a new skill appeared on it.
I
confirmed the still unstable activation of it, grinned, and then copied Yuki's
[Breakthrough of Limits] skill.
Furthermore,
I maximized her combat power with level-up magic. The combat power of the
rider, Eliza, increased dramatically, which in turn increased the speed of the
mount, Yuki.
It
may seem a little strange that an increase in the rider's power increased the
speed of the mount beast..... but the [Riding] skill was a skill that increased
the rider's own power and speed to that of the mount beast. There was nothing
strange in this development.
With
a speed more than four times faster than the normal C-rank, we quickly closed
the distance between us and the sheep-headed demon, and with the momentum, we
decapitated it.
After
that, we continued to leap around and engage in battle, and after 30 minutes,
we took care of the subordinate summoners and gradually reversed our numbers
gap and won the battle.
"Phew~, we can finally take a break," Anna
said, holding a cup of tea brewed for us by Audrey.
After
gathering up the loot, we retreated to Mayoiga to rest.
“We're lucky that there are no enemies with cross-space
skills, so we can rest peacefully,"
Oribe
said while munching on a cookie like a hamster.
Her
face was clearly showing signs of fatigue.
"Well, if we take even one step outside Mayoiga,
we'll have to fight the fans waiting for us."
Mayoiga
will not receive interference from enemies who do not possess the cross-space
skill, but it does not mean that it does not exist there.
Once
the enemy perceives us, they will be there, waiting for us to come out
indefinitely.
If
we holed up in the wrong place, we could be surrounded by monsters all around
us... and we could be under siege.
Although
we did use [Hide-and-Seek] skill to hide our figure and presence, the enemy
would persistently sniff around this area where our presence had disappeared.
I
mean.......
"This, maybe it would be better to go back to the
D-rank floors and practice coordination first?"
"Uu......!”
Anna's
face twitched at the words I'd blurted out.
I
realized I had misspoken. I must have sounded a little like I was blaming
Anna's judgment.
"...But considering that we haven't been able to
clear this floor even after three hours, there's no way we have that much
time."
I
hurriedly added, and Teacher followed suit,
“Un, I think that the only thing that will require this
much time is the skill sealing floor...... but practicing on the D-rank floor
is indeed a waste of time. Practicing on a D-rank floor for a week or two won't
dramatically improve our teamwork. It would be much quicker to improve while
experiencing the struggle in the C-rank floor, which has a high level of
difficulty."
From
Teacher's words, I could read an unspoken meaning: “...... Even if you don't
make it through this dungeon, you will gain a lot from it."
Could it be that Teacher thinks this dungeon is
difficult, or impossible to conquer ......?
It
was certainly even hard to believe that Teacher could break through this floor
all by himself.
In
the professional examination, maybe he was assigned a dungeon with no summoning
limitations, or maybe he made full use of artificial magic items and the like
to get through it...
Either
way, it must not have been as shitty as this dungeon.
That means that the difficulty level of this dungeon is,
in a sense, more than the four-star promotion test... you can think of it that
way.
"Maybe this dungeon is more difficult than we
thought...? I was wondering... why the school doesn't take any money from
us."
The
profit from one lap of this dungeon is 200 million for the Carbuncle Garnet and
the Viville Diamond alone.
If
a team can make one lap a month, they could make a profit of over two billion
yen a year, and with a full-time professional team, they could make even more.
The
management of dungeon usually required a fee, but this profit was at the level
where the adventurers would pay for the exclusive rights (and the obligation to
conquer the dungeon).
I
am not familiar with the laws regarding educational corporations and revenues,
but if the school were to receive even 10% of the profits from the dungeon as a
utilization fee, they would definitely want to have it.
Of
course, they probably wanted to avoid letting outsiders in as much as possible,
but that alone doesn't explain it.
If
there was a reason for daring to entrust the management of a dungeon which
generates huge profits, to students for free of charge, it would be.......
"Even if the utilization fee is free, the difficulty
level is something that even pro teams would hate... is that right?"
“Well, it's true that even for a pro, this dungeon isn't
exactly something you'd want to tackle. If it weren't a semi-secret dungeon,
I'd definitely avoid it too."
Teacher
laughed wryly, but he continued,
"That's why I think this dungeon can be a gateway to
success,"
Was
what he said.
***
Notes:
2 Zenki and Goki: Pair of Oni said to have dwelt in the mountain ranges close to Nara, they would regularly terrorize the people there by taking their children. En no Gyoja (founder of Shugendō, a mixture of both Buddhism and native Japanese mountain worship) eventually learnt this and decided to intercede. Upon finding the Oni, he stunned them using the powers of a Buddhist Deity and then takes the five children of these Oni. He then hid their children in a large cauldron, which caused Zenki and Goki to believe their children had been killed. This caused the Oni to realize how they had been making the families of those in Nara feel by stealing their children, and so they told En no Gyoja that they will change their ways. They also then pledge to renounce their evil and follow En no Gyoja. And so, their children finally returned to them. ↩
3 Kimunkamui: Mountain god or bear god ↩
4 Shikigami are servant spirits. They come in many forms. The most common are enshrined in small objects, such as strips of paper or amulets. Others may come in the form of animals.↩
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