Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #134
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 134: Groping for a Way Forward (2)
"…Bingo!"
Surrounded by the sea on all
sides, a small island stood. In front of a massive gate at its center, as
expected, was a C-rank monster, a Siren1,
seating upon a throne.
At the sight, I couldn't help
but pump my fist in triumph.
The fact that the Gatekeeper
was a C-rank despite Chiron being on the area confirmed that even if stronger
monsters appeared after the spatial isolation, the Gatekeeper wouldn't be
replaced.
The other monsters around her
were all D-rank, like Mermaids and Harpies, with no other C-rank monsters in
sight.
I hadn't seen any other B-rank
monsters in Hermes's domain either, so it's highly likely that a domain only
contains monsters ranked lower than its Gatekeeper.
From now on, I should be able to estimate the
Gatekeeper's rank by looking at the monsters in the domain.
With this in mind, we
approached the Siren.
She seemed to have noticed us
already, her beautiful face contorted into a fierce glare.
I wondered if this would lead
to a fight, but her entourage showed no signs of attacking, and we reached the
Siren without incident.
"Child of man, what is your business here?"
"I'd like to pass through to the other
side."
"…As a Gatekeeper, I cannot allow you to
pass for free. If you truly wish to pass, you must leave an appropriate tribute."
So far, it was the same
exchange I had with Hermes...
"What is the tribute?"
"If you only wish to pass through once,
I'll take a Magic Stone of the rank you call C. If you desire the right to pass
repeatedly, I shall demand a B-rank Magic Stone."
Hmm, so the toll is proportional to the
Gatekeeper's rank.
I didn't mind paying, but I'm curious how
she'll react if I refuse, and I want to know how much a Gatekeeper gets
strengthened.
I thought for a moment and then
replied,
"Hmm, could you perhaps lower it a bit?"
"No."
Siren flatly refused.
So, haggling is out.
"In that case, I have no choice. Let's
fight."
"Ah! W-wait..."
When I so readily chose to fight,
Siren looked clearly intimidated.
Oh ho?
What's this…?
I thought, but I asked anyway,
"So, will you lower it for me?"
"That... I cannot do. This is a rule that
even I cannot bend."
A rule... I see. So Gatekeepers aren't simply freed
from their shackles; they've been fitted with a new set of shackles in exchange.
For the sake of gaining new
information, I decided to torment her a little. I felt a bit bad for her, but
it was necessary.
"Then, what will it be? Just so you know,
if it comes down to it, I'd rather fight than pay a Magic Stone."
"Ughhh..."
The Siren looked terrified and
helpless. I decided to offer her a proposal,
"How about this? You give me a Magic Stone,
and I'll use it to pay the toll."
It was a ridiculous suggestion,
like paying for a purchase with money you extorted from the shopkeeper, but the
Siren seemed to consider it for a moment before shaking her head in dismay.
"That won't do. That would be the same as
letting you pass for free."
Hmm, this feels like she wants to but can't.
This confirms that the only way to pass is to
either pay with Magic Stone of a rank appropriate to the Gatekeeper or defeat
them.
Well, I've pretty much figured out how the
system works now.
And so, I was about to pull
out the Irregular Encounter Magic Stone to pay—partly as an apology for
tormenting her—when suddenly,
"---Then, how about this?"
One of Siren's entourage, who
had been watching our exchange with bated breath, spoke up.
I nonchalantly turned my gaze
toward her―――― then found myself doing a double-take.
Over there was a beautiful
mermaid with ridiculously massive chest.
...H-huge. An overwhelming mass that easily surpasses
Suzuka's, our greatest contender, and could even rival the Kishimojin Renge. Overwhelming!
And yet, the shape is perfect, not sagging or misshapen at all!
Her beautiful golden hair reaches her back, her
skin a radiant white, and then there is that chest. There is no mistaking her—
"......Näkki-Neito?"
"Oh? Wow, you recognized me so quickly."
Näkki-Neito said with an
enchanting smile at my immediate recognition. Her chest, barely covered by a
seashell bikini, swayed.
How could I not?!
I roared internally.
Näkki-Neito. A mermaid from Finnish
folklore said to have beautiful golden hair, radiant white skin, and
exceptionally large breasts, who tempts sailors and drags them into the water.
Even though there were
individual differences in card’s styles, only races with genetically guaranteed
large breasts, like the earth mother goddess, could be in this class.
While there were several races
in this world that made a point about breast size, but the only mermaid kind that
fell into that category was the Näkki-Neito.
"So, what do you have to say?"
I felt my awareness almost
drawn away by her chest's overwhelming presence, but I maintained my composure
with a will of steel and asked that to Näkki-Neito.
"You wish for the toll to be reduced.
Siren-sama does not wish to fight, but she cannot lower the toll. So, why not
have a substitute for the discount?"
"A substitute?" I echoed.
Näkki-Neito smiled brightly at
my question. "Me."
"Despite appearances, I possess the
[Songstress] skill. Would you consider taking me under your command as a
deduction for the toll?"
"Ho..."
Songstress. That's the master-class for singing
skills.
Näkki-Neito may be a D-rank, but if she
possesses a master-class skill, she's certainly valuable.
Besides, I’m interested in the process of
turning a monster from a domain into a card.
"What do you think?"
"Alright. If that works for you, I have no
problem with it."
"The negotiation is a success, then!"
Näkki-Neito clapped her hands
and beamed.
Hmm, she didn't seem to be reluctantly selling
herself off.
"Okay, what do I do?"
"Do you know that to card monsters from
domains like this, you need an empty vessel?"
I nodded, indicating I knew.
Näkki-Neito smiled, saying, "Then this will be quick," and pulled a
Blank Card magic item from her cleavage.
"Please use this. Both parties will state
the terms of the contract, and if both agree, the contract will be concluded
and I will become a card."
Hmm? This level of preparedness... Has she
intended to become a human's card all along?
...No, that can't be right. The monsters here
are free. She probably just happened to have it on her or something like that.
"So, I'll pay Siren the proper toll. In
return, you will become my card. Is that right?"
"Yes. However, if I am carded as is, I
will become a card without shackles. It would be better to add a condition to
impose the same restraints as a normal card."
What? Even after becoming a card, the shackles
that were removed stay that way? And why is she telling me this? If she said
nothing, she would have kept her freedom.
"What exactly are these shackles? And why
are you telling me this?"
"If a being like myself, who has had their
shackles removed, becomes a card, it is possible for us to harm our master. If
I were to hide this and become a card, Master would one day find out and see me
as a threat. I simply thought it would be better to be honest from the start to
earn your trust, since I have no intention of harming you."
”...I see."
Indeed, if I had found out
about this specification of turning domain monsters into cards later, I would have
definitely seen Näkki-Neito with suspicion.
But her obedience still bothered me...
At least, until she said:
"However, I do have one request regarding this
card transformation."
Näkki-Neito said, her eyes
gleaming.
"What is it?"
"Someday, when deem me useful, I would
like you to rank me up. ――――Preferably, to the same level as your
companions."
Ah, I see now.
I finally understood why she'd
proposed such a deal. It all made sense.
So this is her true aim, huh. Seeing that I
have high-ranking cards with me, she must have seen an opportunity for a
rank-up if she joins me?
As a human, I don't know what
ranking up means to cards and monsters, but at least to her, it must be worth trading
her freedom for.
"If you are willing to include that as a
condition, I will vow Absolute Obedience."
"Hmm, what happens if I break that?"
"If the promise is broken, or if the
contract is made with the intention to break it from the start, the card
transformation will be cancelled immediately."
『...Suzuka, any lies so far?』
『Nope. She's completely
serious.』
Good! It's settled then.
"Alright. That works."
" ! Thank you very much!"
When I nodded, Näkki-Neito
exclaimed, her face lighting up with joy as she bowed her head.
Humm, she has incredible ambition. Maybe she
even possesses a skill like [Ambition
to Rise in The World].
"Then I will summarize the conditions. I
will pay the Siren the proper toll in exchange for Näkki-Neito 's card
transformation and promise to rank her up. In return, Näkki-Neito will have the
same shackles as a normal card and vow Absolute Obedience to me... Is that
correct?"
"Yes."
The moment Näkki-Neito nodded,
her entire body glowed, transforming into a sphere of light that was sucked
into the card.
And then――
[Race] Näkki-Neito
[Combat Power] 130
[Inborn Skills]
・Magic Song: Infuses songs with
magic skills, expanding their area of effect.
・Seduction: Charms opponents
through appearance and alluring gestures.
・Elementary Status Ailment
Magic
[Acquired Skills]
・Songstress: Possesses an
extreme mastery of skills necessary for a singer, even those clearly
unnecessary for the role. Greatly enhances the effects of singing skills and
provides a positive bonus to the actions of those performing with her.
Encompasses: Singer, Chorus, Beautiful Voice,
Perfect Pitch, Low-level Storage, Group Coordination, Teaching, Sexual Skill,
Etiquette, Swimming, and Fishing.
(Singer: Contains skills necessary for a
singer: Singing, Musical Performance, Dancing, Precise Movement.)
(Beautiful Voice: Enhances the user's voice
quality and allows for consistent maintenance of voice quality.)
(Perfect Pitch: Allows complete recognition of
pitch range and the ability to produce any desired sound.)
・Ambition
to Rise in The World: Possesses a strong drive for
improvement. Under a master from whom no growth can be expected, the user
becomes extremely rebellious and will rarely obey. Improves skill acquisition
rate.
・Elementary Auxiliary Magic
・Absolute Obedience (NEW!)
"Ooh......!"
What an incredible number of acquired skills!
And it’s there, the newly acquired [Absolute Obedience]. I've never seen this
on a card other than Eliza... So this is a result of to the contract? Does this
mean I can make them learn new skills depending on the contract?
I had a lot of questions, but
first, to uphold my end of the deal, I summoned Näkki-Neito and came closer
toward the Siren with her.
"Siren-sama, thank you for
everything,"
"Mm..."
The
Siren wore a complex expression as Näkki-Neito bowed her
head.
This wasn't regret for her
comrade having to ‘sell herself’ due to her own lack of power... no, it was
more like half appalled, half impressed at how Näkki-Neito had so cleverly used
a difficult situation to cozy up to the enemy.
"So, what will it be?"
"I'll take the free pass,"
I replied, requesting the free
pass to confirm later if I can enter from the ascending staircase side as well.
The
Siren momentarily winced, as if thinking, "This
guy's going to come back again?"
It seems I managed to make her dislike me. Well,
once I've confirmed this, I probably won't come back, so she can forgive me.
"Mm, well... farewell."
With a somewhat weary look,
the Siren saw us off as we headed to the gate.
With this, I had passed two
gates in a row without a fight.
I even got a new companion, Näkki-Neito. Maybe things
would continue smoothly like this?
"Kh...! What is this!?"
――――My optimism was shattered
the moment I passed through the gate.
Beyond the gate lay countless
corpses. Corpses. Corpses.
A multitude of bodies… likely
people who had desperately climbed the stairs seeking an escape, only to die in
despair before an unopened door. The corpses continued far up the stairs.
The gruesome sight and the
nauseating stench of death made me instinctively recoil. I suddenly noticed
that a few of the bodies were wearing the same uniform.
It was unmistakably the
uniform of the Guild's staff――
"Don't tell me, these people are from the
Guild's shelter...?"
――――This, meant that an entity
capable of breaking through the Guild's shelter awaited us further ahead.
[Tips] Drop Rates
During Angolmois
It has been confirmed that
during Angolmois, the card drop rate increases as the phase progresses.
This is because Angolmois
itself serves as a trial. More accurately, it means that
‘the card drop rate returns to its original
state'.
In peaceful times, the drop
rate in dungeons is lower because the difficulty of the trial is reduced by the
ability to 'choose your battlefield' and 'you can retreat if necessary'.
Consequently, the rewards are also stricter.
Therefore, once the drop rate
reaches its original value, it won't increase any further.
Here are the original drop
rates:
A-rank
Drop Rate: None (only if acknowledged by the opponent)
B-rank
Drop Rate: 0.1%
C-rank
Drop Rate: 1%
D-rank
Drop Rate: 10%
E-rank
Drop Rate: 50%
F-rank
Drop Rate: 100%
***
Notes:
1 Sirens are mythical beings of Greek who possessed enchanting voice and alluring beauty. They lured sailors to their death with a bewitching song. They were often shown with features that combined those of beautiful women with birds. Later, they were depicted in a more mermaid-like form. ↩
[ANNOUNCEMENT]
We decided to have
a GOAL starting now:
IF WE
EARN $225/month for AT LEAST 3 MONTHS STRAIGHT from Patreon membership, WE
WILL ADD ANOTHER ADVANCED CHAPTER ON EACH TIER on our Patreon!
The advanced chapters are
based on the original schedule, and we make sure we stick to it on
Patreon, so you might get MORE than that! Please check our Patreon!
We set the “earning
visibility” public so you can always see it.
More people joining means
more advanced chapters for you Patreon members!
Previous chapter | Novel page | Next chapter
Please help
us out and get Advanced Chapters on our Patreon!
Or you can
keep our spirit up by buying us Coffee (人ゝω・）
