Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #162
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Translator(s) note: We will release some translated chapters here today, so don't forget to check the rest too~
Episode 162: The
Ikebukuro Conquest Mission
"GRAAAAAAAAAGGH...!?"
The death throes of a beast
echoed through the vast entrance hall of Fensalir.
A monster with the head of a
lion, the torso of a goat, and the tail of a dragon—a Chimera—had its flank
deeply pierced by the fangs of Scylla1, a monstrosity
with the upper body of a beautiful woman fused to a bizarre lower body
resembling multiple dogs.
This
was Myra, manifesting her newly acquired transformation.
The
Chimera attempted to fight back, spewing torrents of flame from its maw at her,
but the fire swerved around Myra as if actively avoiding her.
This
was due to the protection of Pele's Tapa, which caused all manner of flame and
lava to veer away.
Though
Pele's Tapa was primarily noted for its beautifying effects, its efficacy as
armor was also top-tier.
As the Chimera lay pinned,
unable to move under the crushing bite of the six dog heads, Eliza teleported
into range, her great scythe already being swung.
Just as the blade was about a
fraction of a second away from severing the Chimera’s head————
"W-Wait...!"
Eliza’s scythe came to a dead
stop at the Chimera’s desperate plea.
The edge hovered a hair’s
breadth from its throat.
Seeing this, the Chimera’s
lion face revealed an expression of visible relief before its form began to
shift into that of a human.
In an instant, it transformed
into a naked beauty with goat-like horns. She struck a seductive pose,
flaunting her voluptuous, provocative curves as she appealed to me.
"I yield, I am bested. Since I shall be at thy beck and
call, I prithee, grant me thy mercy."2
"……………………"
"Oh!
Upon closer look, thou art a man of most charming handsomene--... han... ha- a
stalwart hero of truly magnificent mien! For a man of thy caliber, even I would
not be loath to submit."
At least
lie and say I'm handsome, dammit.
I grumbled inwardly even as I
struck a contemplative facade,
"First
off, are you the Boss of this dungeon?"
“'Tis
as thou sayest.”
I stole a glance at Suzuka. She
gave me a small, firm nod of confirmation.
...In
that case, I can’t kill her just yet.
Well,
I had suspected as much, given that she‘s on the lowest floor.
"Fine,
then."
"Oh!"
"However,"
I said, cutting through the Chimera’s sudden joy, "there are conditions."
"What
would they be? If 'tis my body thou desirest—"
"No,
that’s not it,"
I interrupted.
Since the Middle Ages,
Christianity had come to treat the Chimera as a symbol of lust.
In other words, she was a bona
fide succubus-type, and I wasn't foolish enough to fall for the seduction of an
enemy clearly trying to ensnare me.
...Though,
it would be a lie to say I wasn’t tempted at all.
"First:
can you order all the monsters that have left this dungeon to return
inside?"
"That...
is beyond my power. My decree as Sovereign reacheth only those of lesser rank currently
within these walls. Once they have departed, they shall heed no command of
mine, save for the command laid down while they yet remained within."
I had asked on the off-chance
it might work, but the answer was exactly what I expected.
It matched the accounts of
every other dungeon Boss we’d encountered so far.
Now, I could safely assume it
was a standard setup for the dungeon bosses.
"Got
it. Then command them to stop leaving. No more monsters are to exit—including
those newly spawned."
"It
shall be as thou wilt."
The Chimera nodded, her chest
bouncing with the movement.
...Could
you please put some clothes on? Casual gestures like that are actually more
distracting than blatant seduction.
Quelling the stirrings of
‘Little Utamaro’, I continued with a straight face,
"…Next.
When I give the word, you will surrender the lowest floor to me without a fight."
"Mm…
dost thou mean for me to renounce my sovereignty?"
"That’s
exactly what I mean."
A dungeon can be Calmed by
conquering the lowest floor while its Boss is absent.
At that moment, the original
dungeon Boss loses all their special privileges. Even if the Calming got undone
later, this Chimera would never return to her position as the Boss.
Perhaps disliking that
prospect, the Chimera showed a flicker of hesitation for the first time.
"…Well,
if you don't like the idea, I can just kill you and Calm the dungeon that
way."
"Nay!
’Tis not that I refuse thee!"
The Chimera shook her head hastily,
denying it.
"I
only… crave thy word that once I am no longer the Sovereign, thou wilt not see
fit to slay me."
Ah, I
see. That's what she was worried about. It made sense. If she thought the only
reason I’m sparing her is to exploit her privileges as a Boss, she’d have every
reason to fear being disposed of the moment she loses them.
I
could make the promise, but… I'm not keen on giving my word to a devil.
I directed a cold stare at the
Chimera. Sensing the mood perfectly, Eliza pressed the edge of her scythe
harder against her neck.
"Are
you in a position to set conditions?"
"..................."
Breaking into a cold sweat,
the Chimera fell silent.
Having confirmed that, I
motioned for Eliza to lower her scythe.
To cards and monsters, death
isn’t the absolute end. If you push them too far and wound their pride, they’re
highly likely to defy you even at the cost of their lives.
This Chimera feared death only
because of the time loss involved in respawning and returning to the surface.
It just goes to show how
attractive the current surface world is to monsters.
"
Well, I don’t plan on killing you the moment you’re no longer useful. Don’t
worry."
"A-Ah..."
Seeing the Chimera nod, I
turned to Audrey.
She stepped forward,
understanding the cue perfectly.
"Then,
I shall summarize the terms of the covenant. Utamaro Kitagawa and his cards
shall spare the Chimera here and now. In exchange, the Chimera, as the sovereign
of this dungeon, shall ensure no further monsters depart its bounds. Additionally,
should Utamaro Kitagawa demands the surrender of the lowest floor, the Chimera shall
obediently comply. Are these acceptable?"
"Yes."
"...Umu."
In that instant, I felt the
contract snap into place.
With this, the Chimera can no
longer abandon the contract. Since the price of the contract was her life,
breaking her word would mean forfeiting it.
As for why I didn't demand
absolute obedience in the contract? Simply put, it was impossible.
To begin with, a one-sided
contract like『I’ll
spare your life in exchange for your obedience』 simply wouldn’t hold up under
normal circumstances.
In Frigg’s contracts, what we
offer and what we demand must be in balance. While we can make some compromises,
we cannot force the other party to do so or deceive them.
In a case like this, where the
exchange involved 『sparing
a life』, what goes on the scales is
not the value of one’s own life to the other party, but rather 『the effort required to kill
them』.
In other words, the most one
can expect from an opponent who can be easily killed is a simple request at
best. The reason this contract was even established was because the other party
happened to be the Boss of a C-rank dungeon, and clearing it required a
considerable amount of effort. Consequently, the most I could demand in return
would be things like, 『Make
sure no more monsters leave the dungeon』
or 『Surrender your position as the
Boss when I tell you to』.
Conversely, no matter how
valuable something may be to us, if it holds no value for the other party, the
contract still cannot be formed. Only when both sides recognize its value does
the scale reach equilibrium.
By the way, concerning the
contract with Kurohara-san of Izayoi Shoji, not only has the contract not been
formally established because I haven't paid the agreed-upon price yet, but
since the price I'm offering is overwhelmingly greater, it doesn't constitute
deception.
For that reason, the other
party probably hadn't even realized that the promise was made under Frigg’s
Authority of Contract.
"Well
then, let’s head back."
I glanced once more at the
pensive Chimera before turning on my heel.
"Alas...
'twould seem our dominion shall not be secured with such ease..."
I thought I heard her mutter
behind me.
――――It had already been two
weeks since we began clearing the Ikebukuro Area.
Over those two weeks, I had
already finished conquering every dungeon ranked C below.
Roughly speaking, each C-rank
dungeon took me about 2-3 days, with the remaining time spent clearing the
D-rank and lower dungeons.
To be honest, even I was
surprised by how smoothly the clearing had gone.
Naturally, I expected the
C-rank dungeons to be a challenge, but I’d also anticipated that the D-rank and
lower dungeons would give me a bit more trouble.
In the midst of Angolmois,
even low-rank dungeons can be home to high-rank 'intruder' monsters.
Because of that, and more so
due to summoning restrictions, I’d assumed I’d struggle more in the lower-rank
dungeons.
However, once I actually
opened the lid, high-rank monsters were rarely (though not never) seen in
low-rank dungeons, and thanks to the effect of Yuki’s [Lord of The Territory] ,
clearing the dungeons felt like walking through an uninhabited wilderness.
If anything, moving across the
surface while avoiding detection by Gugalanna and B-rank monsters was what
really put a strain on my nerves.
――――Why
don't high-rank monsters hang around low-rank dungeons?
Curious, I grabbed a random
monster and asked that. The simple answer I got was simple: “Because it's
lame.”
Apparently, for monsters,
loitering in low-rank dungeons was ‘like a high school student crashing into a
group of elementary or kindergarten kids’. Doing so made them a laughingstock
among their peers.
They
said the absolute limit they'd tolerate was being about one rank higher than
that dungeon's rank... in other words, the same rank as the dungeon's Boss.
...Still, outliers exist in
every world, and apparently some monsters do lounge around in low-rank
dungeons, acting all high and mighty. However, I basically never encountered
any monsters whose rank deviated significantly from the norms.
Anyway, having quickly
finished conquering D-rank and lower dungeons, I promptly moved on to tackling
the C-rank dungeons.
When clearing C-rank dungeons,
I made heavy use of the Distress Cards. Whether it was a Skill Seal floor or
just a tedious field effect, I skipped them all.
After all, I had over eighty
Distress Cards to start with, and since all monsters had started dropping guaranteed
Magic Stones and rare drops instead of cards—just like the monsters in the
domain.
Since Distress Cards were
among those rare drops, I no longer had any reason to be stingy when it comes
to them.
On the flip side, B-rank
monsters started appearing even on the shallow floors... but personally, I
found the dungeon much easier to clear than before the Angolmois.
Of course, things would have
been different if the dungeon Boss had gained True Skill like the Gatekeepers,
but fortunately, that didn't happen.
It seemed True Skill was a
privilege exclusive to the Gatekeepers.
Another major factor in the
smooth progress of the conquest was the fact that we had spent another six
months training inside the Tamatebako in preparation for the battle against Gugalanna.
Having a clear goal—defeating
Gugalanna—along with bringing in various forms of entertainment to kill time, and—most
importantly—breaking the six months training into three two-month sets instead
of one long session made a world of difference. Compared to the last time, we
were able to maintain our motivation and train with incomparably less stress.
By splitting the training into
two-month sets, the interest of ‘aging’ that hit the moment I stepped out
amounts was only about ten years. For me, that translated to a single year of
‘aging’—meaning I only had to use the Amrita once each set to completely reset
the clock.
That two-month window almost
covered perfectly the time needed for my cards to reliably master at least one
new skill through diligent training, allowing me to see our progress every time
I stepped out.
Furthermore, being able to
immediately test those new skills by crushing dungeons created a feedback loop
that kept our motivation high.
The results spoke for
themselves. By the end of the sets, everyone had acquired at least seven new
skills. Eliza and Prima, however, went above and beyond, successfully mastering
over ten.
・Renge (7): Subordinate
Maintenance, Bunbu Ichido3, Fountain of Life
(Self-Regeneration, Continuous Recovery), Sturdy, Physical Enhancement, No Beat4
・Eliza (11): Hide and Seek
(Presence Concealment, Invisibility), Fountain of Life (Self-Regeneration,
Continuous Recovery), Fountain of Wisdom (Magic Detection, Magic Concealment,
Magic Consumption Reduction, Additional Chant, Magic Circle), Physical
Enhancement, No Beat
・Yuki (8): Knowledge of
Survival, Hide and Seek (Invisibility), Chant Shortening → Chant Discard,
Additional Chant, No Beat, Elementary Auxiliary Magic → Intermediate Auxiliary
Magic
・Mea (7): Breakthrough of
Limits, Hide and Seek (Presence Concealment, Invisibility), Chant Discard,
Fountain of Magic Power (Magic Consumption Reduction), Subordinate Enhancement,
Subordinate Maintenance
・Suzuka (7): Lord of The
Territory, Subordinate Maintenance, Chant Discard, Fountain of Magic Power
(Magic Recovery, Magic Enhancement, Magic Consumption Reduction), No Beat
・Myra (7): Knowledge of
Survival, Hide and Seek (Presence Concealment, Invisibility), Fountain of Magic
Power (Magic Recovery, Magic Enhancement), Chant Shortening → Chant Discard
・Athena (8): Knowledge of
Survival, Hide and Seek (Presence Concealment, Invisibility), Chant Shortening
→ Chant Discard, Fountain of Magic Power (Magic Recovery, Magic Enhancement,
Magic Consumption Reduction)
・Audrey (7): Fountain of Life
(Self-Regeneration, Sustained Recovery), Limit Break, Chant Discard, Fountain
of Magic Power (Magic Enhancement), Shield of Devotion, Subordinate Enhancement
・Dress (7): Knowledge of
Survival, Weakness Nullification, Hide and Seek (Presence Concealment,
Invisibility), Fountain of Life (Continuous Recovery), Bunbu Ichido, Physical
Enhancement
・Prima (11): Knowledge of
Survival, Hide and Seek (Presence Concealment, Invisibility), Fountain of
Wisdom (Magic Detection, Magic Concealment, Chant Shortening → Chant Discard,
Additional Chant, Magic Circle), Fountain of Life (Self-Regeneration,
Continuous Recovery)
・Morrigan (8): Knowledge of
Survival, Chant Shortening → Chant Discard, Fountain of Life (Self-Regeneration,
Continuous Recovery), Protect → Shield of Devotion, Sturdy
・Macha (7): Knowledge of
Survival, Hide and Seek (Presence Concealment, Invisibility), Chant Discard,
Fountain of Magic (Magic Consumption Reduction), Additional Chant, Magic Circle
・Kimaris (7): Knowledge of
Survival, Hide and Seek (Presence Concealment, Invisibility), Subordinate
Maintenance, Fountain of Magic Power (Magic Recovery, Magic Enhancement, Magic
Consumption Reduction)
Despite the same six-month
duration, the skills mastered this time were incomparably greater than last
time—and of course, motivation wasn't the only factor at play.
――――『Etude of the Empty Heart』
This
piece, serving as Eliza's ‘First Movement’, boosts skill acquisition rates.
It also synergizes with the
Tamatebako, so for me—an adventurer whose strength lies in nurturing—it proved
to be a more valuable skill than any run-of-the-mill combat skill.
As for the training plan, I
decided to first have everyone master [Knowledge of Survival] and [Hide and
Seek].
[Knowledge of Survival] was a
fail-safe to prevent Lost from surprise attacks. [Hide and Seek] was a
necessity for our current mission—avoiding Gugalanna's detection—and also in
anticipation of future situations where I’d need my cards to remain at my side
while invisible.
Regarding [Knowledge of Survival], some pointed out
that having Dress learn it would suffice for everyone. However, considering
field effects that prohibit equipping and to prepare for skills like Absolute
Release that can remove equipment, I decided to have everyone learn it.
Through this training, Suzuka
also fully mastered her Spiritual Recurrence. Additionally, those who hadn't
been named yet—Morrigan, Macha, and Kimaris—finally accepted their names.
I named Morrigan and Macha
‘Molly’ and ‘Vee’, and Kimaris ‘Acedia.’
Molly and Vee ended up
sounding more like nicknames than proper names, but this was done at their own
request: "Please do not make them too different from our race names5."
It seemed that the higher their
rank, the more likely their individual name is identical to their race name,
and they develop a strong sense of “my race name is my personal name.”
Thinking back, most of the
members I’ve named so far worked their way up from lower ranks. Athena was
probably the only one who started out as a high-ranker… As I recalled this, I
decided to go with nickname-style names.
On the other hand, there was
Kimaris, a high-ranking devil whose very name also served as their race name.
While our Kimaris wasn't particularly attached to her race name, she requested
“A name befitting a devil,” so I decided to name her Acedia.
The name originated from one
of the Seven Deadly Sins: ‘Sloth (Acedia).’
This
was because, as a devil, she seemed
to belong to the sloth category, and she had a much more laid-back personality
compared to the rest of the group.
Another notable development
was Mea and Audrey mastering [Breakthrough of Limits].
Interestingly, Mea learned it
much faster than Audrey, despite having fewer Acquired Skills at the time.
However, by the end of the
first two months, despite her goal of mastering [Hide and Seek], Mea had not acquired
any skills other than [Breakthrough of Limits].
It was likely that, by this
point, Mea had already reached the limits of her talent.
Her acquisition of
[Breakthrough of Limits] should be interpreted as having unlocked the ability
to learn new skills.
As for Audrey, she acquired
[Breakthrough of Limits] without warning while collecting Garnet in Ikebukuro.
This
largely proved the validity of the hypothesis that:
『[Breakthrough of Limits] is
triggered when a card either masters a specific number of skills or hits its
natural talent ceiling, then continues to exert effort—whether through study,
repetitive labor, or combat—to gain further proficiency. 』
In
other words, from now on, there was no need to obsessively aim for
[Breakthrough of Limits]. As long as we keep learning new skills and hunting
Carbuncles daily to grind proficiency, the acquisition will happen naturally as
a byproduct of our routine!
***
Notes:
2 The Chimera speaks in a style that can be called ‘oiran kotoba’, a form of Japanese that is so refined and elegant, often used by oiran/courtesans in Edo period. ↩
3 Reminder: Bunbu Ichido: Proof of understanding the truth that connects two paths: magic and martial arts. Allows the activation of magic-based skills using physical stats, and physical-based skills using magic stats. ↩
4 Reminder: No Beat: This skill allows the user to skip steps in martial art techniques. The effect increases with skill proficiency. ↩
5 Please remember that Macha is written as ヴァハ (Vaha) ↩
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