Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha
Ni Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #98
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Translator(s) note: Sorry again for the very late translation update here. January has been so hectic that it was quite difficult to hold a computer... but we made sure to update on time properly on Patreon, so head over if you like :)
Episode 98: What Happens Twice, Happens Three
Times
A volcano erupted, and the lava flow became a river and a 'wall' in the
hellish scene of this floor.
There, I was confronted by more than ten C-rank monsters.
The muscular oni(demons) with the heads of animals such as cows, horses,
pigs, and tigers were all prisoners of hell, befitting the field.
The oni, all standing over two meters tall, raised their clubs, which
looked like torture devices, and approached us ready to smash us to bits.
The oni also faced against oni. A bewitching female demon and a graceful
female vampire ...... Suzuka and Eliza.
Eliza, clad in the armor of Dullahan and Dáinsleif, and Suzuka, wielding
the Daitoren sword, were able to put up a good fight, dodging, throwing,
dodging, tripping, and parrying the stronger demons who outnumbered them with
refined martial arts. Still, they were fundamentally at a disadvantage and were
being gradually pushed back.
Their beautiful skin was gradually scarred, and the opposite demons'
wounds were clearly healing from the edges.
The field effect of this floor was 'irrecoverable'. Our wounds cannot be
healed, and the other party's wounds heal without effort due to the
self-regeneration of the inborn skills of the demon type.......
We gritted our teeth at this, but for now, we have no choice but to let
Eliza and the others endure.
Finally, the girls were cornered against a wall of lava flow.
『Now!』
I commanded all the cards that had been lying down at once.
Renge's attack magic rained down on the demons from her hiding place,
and Yuki rescued Eliza and the others with her utsusemi jutsu.
The beast-headed demons were confused when they suddenly lost sight of
their enemies, to which the newly summoned Mea's skill was applied.
The [Butterfly Dream], with its range of effect and state abnormality
rate enhanced by the [Friendship linkage] skills of Renge, Suzuka, and Mea,
cast an illusion on all the demons and enchanted them.
The captivated demons, led by Mea's illusion, gathered in one place in a
daze and stepped through the trap ---- with grand fanfare.
A resounding roar. The ground blew up and a red pillar rose up.
It was, in a word, a geyser of lava.
The lava that erupted burned up all the demons there, but somehow it did
not affect the surroundings except for a little heat.
When the red pillar disappeared, only the drop items of the demons were
left.
Seeing this, I couldn't help but mutter,
“C-ranks die instantly....... The destructive
power of this trap still gives me chills.”
Well, we who exploit it should not be the ones to say that.
At that moment, Teacher came over and said,
“Good work, Maro. It's time to switch."
"Got it. Thanks."
After thanking Teacher, I returned to the Koshta Bawar carriage that
Oribe's Dullahan had summoned.
"Uha ......! It's
cool!"
I shouted in delight at the cool, refreshing air as I stepped inside.
Inside the carriage was a large block of ice in a basin, which was the
source of the cool air.
"Good work, Senpai."
"Goshujin-sama, please have a drink.”
"Oh, thank you, Audrey."
I gratefully accepted the sports drink offered to me by Audrey, who had
been working on our Dullahan's clumsiness from behind. The drink, chilled in a
tub of ice water, was criminally delicious.
"Fu ~u 〜...... but
we're getting quite used to the C-rank dungeon, aren't we?"
“Yeah, we don't always have to fight
together, and we can take turns if the field effects aren't too severe."
Anna shrugged, saying that she and Sayo still barely managed to fight
together.
It had already been two weeks since we began our C-rank dungeon attack.
We had already conquered most of the subroute and were just about to
reach the level where the guardian, Vouivre, was located.
At first, it took us almost an entire day just to break through one
C-rank floor, which made us doubtful about our ability to complete the test,
but the floors other than those with troublesome field effects such as skill
seals and summoning restrictions were not that difficult, and we were able to
advance two to three floors per day.
The results for the past two weeks were as follows:
■Card Drops
・24 D-rank cards in total (8 of which are popular cards)
・4 C-rank cards in total
Dryad1: A wood spirit nymph. A popular girl card with good looks almost
as good as an elf. Has the ability to summon Arlaune2 as a
dependent(subordinate).
Leonard: A sheep-headed demon called the Male Goat of Sabbath. He is a
kind of incubus and is in charge of the witches of Sabbath. Has the ability to
summon lower ranked demons equivalent to D-rank.
Mezuki: Horse-headed prison guard from Hell. It is a pair of two cards,
and its true value is demonstrated when paired with Gozuki3.
Yamara no Orochi: Not Yamata no Orochi4. It is a yokai5 with men's pen*s
instead of the eight snake heads, like the embodiment of dirty jokes. Its other
name overseas is the Japanese Hentai6 Monster. Because of its appearance, this
pathetic card is often Lost immediately after being dropped, mainly by female
adventurers. In fact, it is usually quite strong, especially against women.
■Total of 262 items dropped
・Rare drops (13)
Bundle of Blank Cards: A carding magic item. It contains ten cards and
can store the target into cards. A magic item of the prohibited kind.
Baromets (2): a strange tree that bears sheep. Sometimes there are
crab-tasting ones mixed in. It is not harmful to the human body even if
eaten...... apparently.
Flying Dragon’s Wing Membrane (2): Wyvern's Wing. When used on a card,
wyvern-like wings will grow for a certain period of time, allowing flight. Can
be used 5-10 times.
Poison Dragon's Eyes: When used, it will cause the target to become
poisoned and petrified. Can be used 5-10 times.
Medicine jug
Magic stone bag (2)
Distress Magic Card
Transfer Magic Card
Level Up Magic Card (2)
・Normal drops (249)
Middle potions (134)
High potions (29)
Intermediate Attack Magic Cards (51): Various types of Intermediate
Attack Magic Cards.
Immunity Magic Cards (6): Magic card of immunity. Increases the chance
of preventing abnormal status for a certain period of time.
Unlock Magic Card (4): Magic card for unlocking. It disarms the traps of
locked doors and treasure chests.
Concentration Magic Card (7): Magic Card of focus. It doubles the power
of the next spell and the magic it consumes.
Magic Web Magic Card (4): A binding magic card. It binds the opponent
with magical threads.
Refresh (5): Intermediate recovery magic/refreshment magic is contained
in this card. It restores physical and mental strength, as well as various
status ailments.
Breath (5): Contains intermediate restorative and blessing magic. It
restores magical power.
Regenerate (4): Contains intermediate restorative and regenerative
magic. The target is continuously healed for a certain period of time.
■Carbuncle Drops
・Garnets: 49 Garnets total. There are 6 Garnets left to collect (3 for
the C-rank floor of the skill seals, and 3 for the D-rank floor that have not
been broken through).
・Gold disappointment box
Lottery (2): A set of ten plain black cards. When used, they are
randomly transformed into monster cards.
Transfer Magic Cards
Middle potion (15)
High potion (2)
Disappointments (29)
For the drops and golden disappointment boxes, I did not perform any
particular luck manipulation, as I did not want people to know about Renge's
unique abilities, but perhaps the luck of the entire Adventurer's Club was on
the rise, and the harvest far exceeded the expectations.
Of these, the most noteworthy were the card drops and the forbidden
magic items that could convert items into cards.
First, let's talk about the cards.
It was decided that dropped cards could be claimed by paying from each
individual's allocation of Carbuncle Garnet and Vouivre Diamond.
As for the price, it would be based on the Guild's purchase price, which
the other members of the club take a quarter from...
For example, if there is a card with a purchase price of 40 million yen
at the Guild, a potential purchaser would first buy it for 40 million yen worth
of Garnet.
After that, the 40 million yen worth of Garnet is divided into four
equal parts, including the buyer......
If there are two or more potential buyers, an auction is held.
Regarding each card, first, Dryad was taken by Anna.
Dryad had a good synergy with elves, so she was probably aiming for
that.
Actually, I wanted to buy Dryad, but I gave it up in tears because it
was a popular card and its purchase price at the Guild was more than 80 million
yen.
The reason why I wanted it was for collection purposes and not for
strategic reasons, so my rationality just barely overcame my desire.
Next, Oribe and Teacher fought over Leonard, and as a result, Teacher
acquired him for 60 million yen.
This was thought to be an attempt to exploit the synergy between
Leonard, who oversees the witches of Sabbath, and Aradia, the patron deity of
the witches.
After losing the contest over Leonard, Oribe picked up the horse-headed
oni (Mezuki) for 20 million yen. If Gozuki dropped in the future, Oribe would
have the preferential right to take it.
As for Yamara no Orochi, no one wanted it.
Cards like Yamara no Orochi that no one wanted would be kept by the team
for a while, and if no one wanted them until the end of the year, they would be
sold off. The same applied to other magic items, and considering the taxes, the
settlement of hoarded cards and magic items would basically be made in the new
year.
The only exceptions were when all club members agreed or ...... when the
team decided to disband.
Since all members except me purchased cards, my allocation of Garnets
was 90 million yen worth ...... and I received 45 Garnets, almost all of them.
With this many Garnets, I can use them for various experiments.
Next, let's talk about magic items.
First of all, I would like to talk about the carding magic items, which
are prohibited to be possessed and used by law.
This was sold to the Guild on the same day it was dropped. The more time
that elapsed between the acquisition and sale of prohibited magic items, the
longer the Guild's investigation would take, so it was recommended that they be
sold immediately.
The Guild used a magic item that could detect lies during interrogation,
and if caught, a magic item that could read minds would be used to thoroughly
investigate whether there were other crimes as well.
By the way, those who enter C-rank dungeons more than once a year are
obliged to undergo the Guild's interrogation once a year, so there is no way to
avoid it.
As for the purchase price of the carding magic items, it was 10 million
for a pack of 10 cards. Since the Guild's carding service is one million per
card, the Guild's share is zero.
By deliberately setting the Guild's share to zero, this measure was
taken to eliminate the advantage of holding them secretly and to encourage the
active sale of them to the Guild.
Therefore, no taxes are charged on income from the sale of prohibited
magic items.
For the average adventurer, unless they intend to use it for a crime,
they can simply sell it to the Guild and use their services only when
needed..... that's how it was.
I wanted to try something regarding the carding magic items...... but it
wasn't something I wanted to break the law to try, so I gave up on it.
In addition to drops from monsters, two other items dropped from the
golden disappointment box: a Transference(teleportation) magic card and two
Lottery cards.
The Lottery cards were magic items with the appearance of a normal
monster card with its surface dyed black, and by using them, the card would
change into one of the cards with ranks from F to A.
Naturally, the higher the rank, the less likely it is to appear, and the
probability of getting a D-rank card or higher is less than 1%, but there was
once an A-rank card in one country, and the government bought it at a strangely
high price of 1 million yen for one card, contrary to the expected value of the
card's effect.
Therefore, it would be wiser to sell them to the Guild than to use them
yourself and have them turn into F or E-rank cards, but...... this kind of
magic item that depends on luck is what I, or rather Renge, specialize in the
most.
They were originally planned to be exchanged for cash at the end of the
year, but I negotiated with everyone and got them to split it up on the spot.
It was probably good that the number was exactly twenty and could be
divided between the four of us, and I succeeded in getting five of them, even
though Anna laughed at me and said, “You're pretty much a gambler,
Senpai."
Perhaps it was a magic item whose outcome was already determined when it
appeared, but one of my objectives was to find out.
I was going to try various things after receiving the Garnets after the
dungeon attack was over.
Other than that, the magic stones from defeating the monsters and the
rewards for conquering the dungeon will be used as expenses for the club's
activities and will be spent on the supplies needed for dungeon diving.
This would also be used to make up for Lost cards, so no one
particularly objected.
As mentioned, the C-rank dungeon attack produced a variety of results,
but it was not all cards and magic items that were gained.
The experience and tactics gained from battling in the C-rank dungeon
were also a major achievement.
One such tactic is to take advantage of traps and the environment.
Normally, monsters in dungeons have a default trap-sensing function, so
they do not fall into traps.
Therefore, adventurers tend to think that traps in the dungeon are only
a hindrance to the adventurers, but this does not mean that traps are
ineffective against monsters.
Thus, by using magic to force them into the traps or charm them into
stepping on the traps, it was possible to do great damage by ensnaring them in
the traps.
I had never thought of this tactic until the D-rank dungeon because I
always succeeded in winning by force without having to resort to such tricks,
but in the C-rank dungeon, where the ranks are equal, I often needed a 'just
one more push!", so it was one of the tactics that I acquired out of
necessity.
By the way, it was said that tactics using traps and the environment of
the field are essential skills for professionals, but Teacher did not teach
that until we came up with the idea.
According to him, it would be meaningless unless we came up with the
idea on our own.
I wonder if it is because young people nowadays tend to think, “Just
teach me everything from the beginning," ......?
————And so, although we stumbled a bit at first, we made steady progress
and finally reached the point where all that was left was to defeat the
Guardian and the Boss.
“......Now then, if we go down these stairs,
we'll have to fight with Vouivre. ......Do you remember the characteristics of
the guardians, Maro?”
Teacher, who had been in a subtle teacher mode since entering the C-rank
floor, asked that question.
“Yes, Teacher. First of all, the Guardian is
supported and strengthened by the dungeon just like the Boss. Although they do
not increase in rank, they are given the ability to strengthen a single target
or summon subordinates. Also, one sub-field effect will be added, and together
with the main field effect, everything will be changed to the Guardian's
specifications.”
Kannadzuki-sensei nodded his head at my answer, “That's right."
“The main field effects are often designed to
boost the strength of the Guardian's race. In the case of this dungeon, the
mechanical destruction would be the race/vouivre strengthening. For a guardian
that can summon a subordinate, the effect may be slightly reduced but the range
may be wider, such as the strengthening of the dragon race. Well, you can think
of this as roughly double the normal stats when combined with the buffs from
the dungeon.
Now, as for the remaining subfield effects, they are somewhat random.
Even though they are random, no effect will be meaningless for the guardian.
For example, a yuki onna(snow-woman) guardian
might get a flame buff.
Now, here's a question. What would you all do if the subfield effect was
a skill seal or a summoning restriction?"
"Here!"
Anna raised her hand vigorously.
"I'm going for the reset!"
"Yes, that's right. Subfield effects
change after a day, so if it's too hard, it's safer to restart."
Well, in our case, we have a time limit, so we can't restart forever,
but if a skill seal or something like that comes up, we'll have no choice but
to restart.
Still, considering the Boss, we can only restart twice at the most.
“I'm sure everyone has done their homework on
Vouivre's weaknesses, so I wouldn't worry.”
Teacher's words were met with nods from everyone.
Vouivre is resistant to magic but weak against physical attacks. In
other words, it is an easy monster to deal with in a sense, as you can just hit
it with physical attacks.
One thing to keep in mind is that it has an inborn skill that allows it
to reflect all kinds of attacks only once, but this is not a problem because
all you have to do is attack it slowly with jabs and body blows, rather than
trying to knock it down with one big move.
"Then, let's go.”
After making sure that we were all prepared, we stepped into the
Guardian's floor.
"Guwaaaaaaa————hhhhh!!"
Vouivre's scream echoed through the lakeside, where the gentle sunlight
shined through the trees, cutting off the battle scene.
Thud! Vouivre fell to the ground and glared at us with resentment for a while,
but soon, its deformed body - the upper body in the form of a beautiful woman
and the lower body in the form of a flying dragon - changed into a single
treasure chest.
Anna wiped her forehead and said,
“Huu~ Vouivre was a tough opponent!”
"How bland .......”
It was a battle where we just surrounded it and beat it up, so there's
no such thing as a tough opponent.
No matter how much it was strengthened as a guardian, there was no way
it could struggle in a 32 to 1 fight.
It would have been a different story if the field effects were skill
sealing or summoning restrictions, but if that were the case, we just had to
try again.
In other words, the opponent had no chance of winning.
That was why Vouivre looked at us with such resentment.
"Well, it's just an enemy we defeated,
so it doesn't really matter. The important thing is the treasure chest, the
treasure chest. I wonder what's in there besides the diamond~"
Anna eagerly opened the treasure chest, and we, too, surrounded her,
curious about what was inside.
While everyone was watching, the lid of the treasure chest opened.
"Oh, oh...? The diamond... there are
two?"
Inside the treasure chest were large diamonds.
One was a colorless, transparent diamond that was ordinary except for
its size.
The other diamond was so blue that one would have thought it was a
sapphire, with a mysterious sparkle.
I thought the colorless transparent one was probably the Vouivre
Diamond, which was a definite drop, but......
"Is this ...... possibly, Hope Diamond7?”
Oribe, peering at the blue diamond, said as if muttering.
"Hope diamond? I'm pretty
sure that's the one they say brings bad luck......?”
"Yeah. It's a cursed diamond that passes
through the hands of people, bringing ruin to its owner one after the other...
that's the Hope Diamond. However, that's merely an embellished urban legend,
and the real thing is in a museum in America. But this--"
"A magic item born from the legend of
the Hope Diamond... so it's a real cursed diamond?"
Oribe nodded when I took over and said that.
Hmm, what do we do now.... this is a
troublesome thing to find.
If this was just a gem with some urban legend about it being a cursed
gem, we wouldn't have to worry and could just bring it back to sell, but if
it's a magic item with actual effects, it's a different story.
Any kind of magic item based on legends basically had an effect in line
with the anecdote.
If it had an anecdote about it bringing misfortune to its owner, then it
would definitely bring about misfortune to its holder.
"...... What should we do? Should we just
collect the Vouivre Diamond and leave the Hope Diamond here? Or should we
just take it back and see if we can sell it?"
"Hmm, I wonder. If it really does have
the powers that the legends say, even touching it might be dangerous... Maybe
it absorbs all the luck of the owner before moving on to the next
person..."
“Oh...... that could be the case.”
As Anna and Teacher were discussing this, Oribe and I were observing.
『Hmmm? Hey, Utamaro. It seems that this diamond doesn't just bring misfortune.』
Renge, who was looking into the Hope Diamond, commented.
『What do you mean?』
『This diamond has a perfect balance of good luck and bad luck. Usually,
good luck and bad luck cancel each other out, but in this diamond, good luck is
still good luck and bad luck is still bad luck at the same time.』
『So, what does that mean...?』
After giving me a momentary look of exasperation at my lack of
understanding, she said,
『In other words, this diamond has the effect of widening the swings of
the owner's luck. So, the good luck that would normally earn a small fortune
can become a large fortune, and the misfortune that would normally cause a
minor injury can become a major injury. ......That is the effect of this
diamond.』
『I see...』
If that is true, it may be a very useful tool for us who have control
over our luck to some extent.
Unexpected troubles, such as Irregular
Encounters, are frightening...... but the kind of magic tool that is effective
just by having it is not effective when it is in the form of a card. Normally,
if they're turned into cards, that should function as a kind of seal.
I was thinking to myself like that.
"Then, everyone, is it okay if we don't
take this Hope Diamond home and just leave it here?"
"I don't mind."
"Me too."
"............"
"Senpai?"
“Ah, no...... if nobody wants it, I will.”
When I said that, they all looked at me in surprise, exclaiming
"Huh!?"
“No, Maro,......, you shouldn't underestimate
the effectiveness of magic items.”
“If it really is a Hope Diamond, the Guild
won't pay a lot for it, and they might even charge you a retrieval charge in
the worst case, you know?"
"That's right, and besides, you're
already a troublemaker despite your appearance."
My appearance is unnecessary.
"...Considering the legend of the Hope
Diamond, this diamond doesn't seem like a magic item that just brings
misfortune."
"You mean?”
"According to the anecdotes, while the
owners of the Hope Diamond inevitably meet their demise, there's no doubt that
it always ends up with a successful individual. In a sense, it's undeniably a
symbol of wealth. That means we could consider this diamond as a magic item
that collects the misfortune brought by the good luck it grants in the end, or
simply a magic item that amplifies the swings of luck."
I told them what I had heard from Renge as if it was my own opinion.
Hmm... well, I guess you have a point. But
even so, it doesn't change the fact that there are risks."
"It should be fine because I will keep
it carded. I'm only going to use it when I open treasure chests in the
dungeons."
"I see...... so you say it's okay?”
Everyone nodded their heads at my words.
"Well... if you don't need it anymore,
you can just throw it away in a random dungeon. If the effect is as good as
Senpai said, it's not useless. If Senpai wants it, I think it should be okay,
but..."
"I don't mind either,
however......"
"Mmm... I'm a bit worried, but I'm also
curious about its effect."
And so, this Hope Diamond is now safely mine.
I'll go to the Guild as soon as I get out of the dungeon and turn it
into a card.
"Well, there's still some time left, so
what should we do? Should we go collect the Garnets in the D-rank floor or take a peek at
the Boss room once?”
“Un...... I think it's okay to take a look at
the Boss's room. If the field effects are just right, we'll collect the Garnets in the D
rank tier as fast as we can, take a break once, and take on the boss within 24
hours. If the Boss's field effects are just too harsh, collect the D-rank tier Garnet,
and take a day off ...... I think this would be the least time consuming."
"Then, let's do that?"
Oribe and I, who had no particular objections, nodded our heads and we
jumped to the final floor, which we had marked with Hamelin's Flute.
"Oh, the field has changed."
The field, which was a desert at night when we glimpsed it before, had
transformed into an inorganic underground dungeon.
Or should I say, it had reverted to its former state?
As expected of a B-rank monster, its ability to rewrite the surrounding
environment to its liking became much stronger, and it rewrote the field in a
very bold manner.
Even a D-rank Water Tiger was able to flood a passageway, so it should
be easy for a B-rank monster to turn the place into a desert.
Since it was an underground dungeon, it meant that the opponent would be
a type of monster that would not be disadvantaged by this terrain.
"Um, an underground dungeon, huh? If
that is the case, it is impossible to find out the characteristics of the Boss
from the field, isn't it?'
"Right. Well, let's start by checking
the field effects."
"Yeah."
After that, everyone checked the field effects, but no troublesome
effects such as skill seals or summon restrictions were found.
"There is no significant debuff. I guess
the focus is on strengthening the Boss."
“Then...... it's a jackpot. To be honest, the
debuffs are harder than the Boss' buffs because they mess up the
strategy."
"If this is the case, I would like to at
least check the race of the Boss. If he seems easy to deal with, let's quickly
retrieve the D-rank floor Garnet and break through this dungeon today!"
""No objections.""
We reached an agreement, and to check things out, we went to the safe
zone and each sent out a card with presence concealment skill as a scout.
"For now, it doesn't seem like it's a
subordinate summoning type."
We let cards explore for a while, but so far there was no sign of
anything like a presence.
If it was a summoner, it would not be surprising if someone had already
been in contact with a subordinate monster at this point. Since there was no
sign of them means that at the very least, it is not a summoner type.
This is an increasingly tasty opponent...... I thought to myself.
“Maro, don't let your guard down. The Boss
could still very well be a summoner, and the field effects include blocking the
presence and invisibility, so it could be an assassination-specific
formation."
"Ah..."
I see, there's that pattern too. Damn, I was
thinking of the D-rank dungeon as a standard.
"..... Speaking of which, Maro, have you
decided what you're going to do from here on out?"
As I reflected on myself, Teacher suddenly asked me a question.
The other two, Anna and Oribe, were also looking at me with interest.
“Nn, well, I think so."
"Can I know?"
"Yeah... I've decided to aim as high as I
can for now. That's the best way to achieve my goal."
"Oh oh, and what is that goal?"
"That's a secret."
I laughed and brushed it off.
…As expected..... It is indeed too childish
for a high school student to say, “I'm going to make the best deck."
I couldn't bring myself to say it out loud, especially in front of the
members of the Adventurer's Club, who were all so mature.
"Eh- why? Please tell me, come on. Oh, I
get it! Is it to collect all the girl cards and make a harem?”
"No way~"
While denying it, I secretly note in my mental notepad that it is also a
good idea.......
Once I've made the best deck, I can aim for that as my next goal.
“Hum... I'm curious about Senpai's goal, but
since it's like that, I'm going to stick with Anna."
"Me as well. I'll help as much as I can,
as I said before."
Teacher and Oribe said so, making Anna smile a big, happy grin.
"Ah! I'm glad to hear that! Now we can all
work together as one in the Adventurers' Club and aim for the top! I've prepared
a chair for you all in the executive of Anna and the Kingdom of Delightful
Companions, so you can count on me!"
"If you're serious about that name, I'm
not going to cooperate with you."
As we converse like this while moving on, Yuki catches a hint of the
enemy.
After telling this to everyone else and joining up our cards, we
cautiously approached the target.
The Boss’s presence did not seem to move from one spot.
Soon the Boss's figure came into view...
"...A cow?"
It was a cow.
Was it a dairy cow? A large cow with a black and white pattern, its udder swollen, lay on
the ground, its heavy breathing suggesting it was distressed.
I wondered if there was such a monster in the B-ranking ...... and
searched the monster list in my brain.
“No, way......"
Teacher muttered.
His face was more tense than I had ever seen it before, and he seemed to
have paled somewhat.
At the same time, Teacher's Jinhua Cat8 - perhaps the Cat Sith that I had
battled before? -- approached the cow.
"Wai-! If you get too
close, you'll trigger a battle......!"
"Wait, Anna!"
Anna saw this and rushed to stop that, but Oribe intervened.
Oribe also looked pale.
"Senpai, let's get closer as well. It
probably won't turn into a battle."
It's not going to turn into a battle? ..................
No way.
So, I finally have a vague idea of what that cow is.
If so, then .......
I moved Yuki closer and closer to the cow.
Soon all the scouting monster cards approached the cow, and......
"BU MO -O-O-OOOOOO-O!!!"
The cow was in terrible pain, and her belly began to pulsate eerily.
Upon seeing this, Teacher whispered,
"No doubt about it---- it's Kudan."
At that moment, it burst through the cow's belly and emerged.
The smell of rotten eggs wafted through the air.
The stench was so bad that even though we were acting through the cards,
we backed away a few steps.
"Ah, eh, eh...!"
It was a very strange-looking creature.
The pink skin was so clear that you could see its internal organs
through the skin.
It had no arms or legs, and its writhing form resembled that of an ugly
caterpillar.
——It didn't have the head of a cow, but the hideous face of an old
human.
It had its eyes closed as if it was dazzled, but then it opened them.
Then, after moving its eyes, which looked as if they were half popped
out of their sockets, it spotted us and slowly opened its mouth.
"It's coming, so listen carefully."
I nodded silently to Teacher who spoke quietly.
As we watched, the calf with the face of an old fellow said in a strange
high-pitched voice,
“A, ah, ah...... third calamity will strike
this land. The lid of hell will be opened and overflowing destruction will
cover the earth. The shield of protection has already fallen to the scheme. If
you wish to survive, prepare for destruction."
The calf drooped and hung its head.
Bit by bit, his body disappeared, and in the end, a single treasure
chest was left behind.
"..........................................................”
Silence reigned over the place.
For several minutes, no one spoke, and no one can speak.
I continued to ruminate over the Kudan's prophecy in my head.
The monster known as Kudan is extremely special.
It appeared on the lowest floor of the dungeon on extremely rare
occasions and died ...... after leaving a prophecy.
If that were all, it would just be a strange monster, but the problem
was that Kudan only appeared before a major disaster, and ---- that prophecy would
absolutely happen, and within six months at that.
There was a term called ‘self-destruction of a prophecy’.
It was a phenomenon in which a prophecy is made and those who know about
it change their behavior and as a result, the prophecy is not fulfilled. ......
However, with regard to Kudan's prophecy, there is no such thing as
‘self-destruction of a prophecy’.
Past prophecies have proven that no matter how hard we try, we will
never be able to avoid the disaster, be it a man-made or natural disaster.
There is only one thing humans can do regarding Kudan's prophecy. We can
only prepare for it as if it will happen and try to minimize the damage as much
as possible.
And now, this Kudan's prophecy.
Third calamity...... only two things come to mind with that word: World
War III and Third Angolmore.
Of the two, the possibility of a world war seemed to be quite low, as
the emergence of the dungeon had made each country turn its attention inward.
So the most likely scenario is a Third
Angolmore.
However, considering that the measures taken against Angolmore are
almost flawless, the possibility of a Third Angolmore within six months is
still low.
Nevertheless, compared to World War III, I must say that the possibility
is higher because of the fact that the Second Angolmore, which was supposed to
never happen again, did occur.
Because of the failure of the First Angolmore, mankind had taken all
possible measures to prevent the Second Angolmore from occurring.
Despite this, the second tragedy occurred.
Moreover, it was an unprecedented catastrophe that struck the entire
world at the same time.
Even now, ten years later, the cause remains unclear.
Some researchers claim that the fact that the cause has not been found
is the reason ...... that even if measures have been taken, some kind of burden
will accumulate in Angolmore, and it will surely happen sooner or later.
Well, as far as this is concerned, the time-bomb theory could be ruled
out for the moment because the Second Angolmore occurred only five years after
the First Angolmore was triggered artificially by the Chinese to increase the
number of dungeons.
Anyway, since there was a track record of things that were supposed to
never happen still happening, the possibility of Angolmore cannot be denied.
In fact, we should act assuming that it will definitely happen.
For a note, there was one other thing that bothered me.
It was the phrase “the shield of protection has fallen to the
scheme."
What does it mean by 'shield of protection'?
What is the scheme? Who set it up and by whom?
It could simply be a metaphor.
But I couldn't help but have a bad feeling about it.
"...Let's report Kudan to the Guild for
now."
Teacher said half to himself.
Whenever a kudan appears, it is mandatory to report it to the Guild as
soon as possible.
Normally, it is advisable to make a recording and submit it, but if you
tell them that you dived into a dungeon with machinery destruction
characteristics, they will verify it by using the magic item of detecting
falsehoods.
After collecting the reward for breaking through the dungeon, we headed
for the exit gate.
“--Senpai.”
Just as I was about to pass through the gate following Teacher and
Oribe, Anna called out.
I casually turned around-- and froze.
"Things have gotten pretty awful, but
let's do our best from now on!"
Anna smiled carefreely, her face somewhat joyful .......
It was so bewitching that it made me dizzy.
[TIPS] The Prophecy
Kudan. There is probably no other monster as hated and yet as important
as this eerie and pathetic calf.
There is only one reason why this powerless monster, which has not
harmed a single person since its appearance in the dungeon, is so hated:
because it is an omen of bad luck.
It is said that the Kudan monster only appears before a major disaster.
If that were all, Kudan would not be hated because disasters could be
prevented, but the bad thing about Kudan is that its prophecies are said to be
inescapable.
And in this era, when large-scale natural disasters and wars have
virtually disappeared, calamity can mean only one thing: the end of the world.
It was during the Second Angolmore that the name of Kudan9, this minor
Japanese yokai, became known throughout the world.
When Kudan appeared almost simultaneously all over the world, the
nations of the world joined hands to prevent Angolmore, but in the end, they
were unable to prevent it. A bitter experience.
***
Notes:
1 A dryad is a fairy-like mythological creature. Dryads are known as tree spirits in Greek mythology.↩
3 In Japanese Buddhism, Gozuki and Mezuki are the demon generals guarding hell’s gates. They appear as terrible oni with animal heads; an ox head for Gozuki, and a horse head for Mezuki. They are extremely powerful and have the strength to move mountains. They are servants of Great King Enma, the ruler of hell, and are among the chief torturers and punishers of the wicked. Gozuki, Mezuki, and other animal-headed demons originate in Indian mythology, which was imported along with Buddhism to Japan by way of China. ↩
4 Yamata no Orochi: a legendary eight-headed serpent↩
5 Yokai: supernatural entities ↩
7 A real diamond that has been famed for its great size since the 18th century and has the story of bringing bad luck to the owner. Extracted in the 17th century from the Kollur Mine in Guntur, India↩
8 A legendary creature in ancient China. The Jinhua cat is three years old. At night, it crouches on the roof and opens its mouth to the moon, absorbing the essence of the moon and gradually transforming into a monster. It charms everyone it meets, and when it encounters a woman, it turns into a handsome man, and when it encounters a man, it turns into a beautiful woman. When it enters a person's house, it urinates into the water, and if the person drinks the water, it becomes invisible. ↩
9 Decided to put the note here to let the surprise hit you the first time it appeared. The kudan is recorded as being 'human-faced, cattle-bodied' (人面牛身) in an early attestation from a samurai scribe's diary in 1819. Kudan that allegedly appeared in Mount Kurahashi, Tango Province (in today's Kyoto Prefecture) in the year 1836 was reported in a contemporary kawaraban(Japanese newspaper). It predicted bountiful harvest in the ensuing years and instructed people to paste up the picture image of itself for the home to ward off evil and prosper. ↩
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