Mob Kousei No Ore Demo Boukensha Ni
Nareba Riajuu Ni Naremasuka: Chapter #163
Translators: Nyx and Ririi Rain
Episode 163: The
Ikebukuro Conquest Mission (2)
...That
sums the result of the past two weeks.
Anyway,
with this, I've either settled matters with the Bosses of every C-rank dungeon
and below or registered the coordinates of their lowest floors.
All
that's left is to Calm the B-rank dungeon.
Luckily,
Gugalanna, who seems to be the Boss, is always on the surface.
Defeating
him up here would mean I don't need to conquer the B-rank dungeon directly.
But to
Calm this entire area, I'll need Anna and the others' help too.
For
today, let's head back and rest up for tomorrow's decisive battle.
Thinking this, I returned to
Tachikawa. Just then, I noticed a message notification.
It was from Anna.
She'd asked me to contact her
as soon as I saw the message, so I gave her a call immediately.
『Ah, Senpai! Do you have time now?』
"Yeah,
just got back to Tachikawa. What's up?"
『The Guild contacted me.
They’ve finished putting together a list of items for the trade..』
"Oh,
finally."
It had taken them quite a
while —likely because they needed time to pull together items of a high enough
value to match what we were offering—but it seemed they were finally ready.
『When arranging the exchange, I
made it a condition that they show the actual item first, so it was decided
that we’d do it at their shelter… Is that okay with you?』
"Yeah,
that’s even better."
To determine if something is a
Key Item, I need to let my cards see the items with their own eyes.
That was exactly why I had her
set such a condition. And now, I had a natural excuse to enter the Guild’s
shelter.
Once I’m inside, it’s our win.
Unless they set up an Absolute Barrier or a Pseudo-Safe Zone, I’d be able to
infiltrate at any time using the Hamelin's Flute. If anything, this was a
welcome turn of events.
"So,
when will it be?"
『They seemed incredibly eager—putting
Andromalius1 on the trade list really did the
trick. They wanted it done as soon as possible. …I did mention upfront that we
consider Andromalius useful ourselves and aren't sure if we'll actually trade
him.』
"Hum...
Well, the sooner the better for us, too. Tell them today or tomorrow is
fine."
『Roger that. I'll pass it
along.』
After ending the call, I
started heading toward the club room. But before I could get there, Anna called
again.
"What’s
up?"
『Ah, Senpai. I've talked with
the Guild. They said if we’re okay with it, they’d like to do it in an hour
from now.』
"That
fast...? Do they lack combat-capable
cards that badly? Or are they really that confident in their trade pool?"
『Who knows... If it’s the
latter, that’s great for us; if not, we can just decline the trade.』
"True.
I'm almost at the club room. Go ahead and give them the green light."
『Understood!』
One hour later, Anna and I
arrived at the Tachikawa Guild.
By the way, Oribe stayed
behind to guard the fort.
"Thank
you very much for coming all this way."
In front of the shelter,
Section Chief Yaguchi—whom we'd met the other day—greeted us and led us inside.
...However, we weren't taken to a
reception room; instead, we were led into a massive space roughly the size of a
gymnasium.
It was exactly like the place
in Hachioji Guild where I’d transferred the children I’d rescued.
It didn't seem like a place
meant to welcome guests, though...?
"Since
you mentioned wanting to see the items before deciding on the trade, I thought
an open space like this would be better. Some of the magic items are quite
large, you see."
As we nodded in understanding,
Section Chief Yaguchi pulled out a card-form table and chairs.
Once we were seated, a Silky
served us tea, and the trade negotiations officially began.
As expected, the Guild didn't put
up any B-rank cards.
On the other hand, the
selection of their magic items was rather extensive. It was so extensive that I
wondered if they’d listed every single magic item within their possession.
This, I suspected, was because
they had seen right through us—they knew we were targeting Key Items, since we
had specifically asked to see the actual items before making a decision.
What did surprise me, however,
was that C-rank or lower monster cards weren’t on the list either.
They were being incredibly
stingy with their monster cards... which meant the Guild was fully aware that
cards had stopped dropping.
They were likely so eager about
this trade because they thought we were still unaware that monster cards had
stopped dropping, leading us to offer B-rank cards they assumed were impossible
to obtain going forward.
Fine
by me. This just means we can snatch up quite a bit without issue.
Thinking like that, I began
inspecting every magic item that might be a Key Item.
First were the A-rank drops.
I held out hope that at least
one item for Renge or Suzuka would be among them, but...
『No luck.』
『Same here~』
『...A bust, then.』
No reaction from either Renge
or Suzuka.
I sighed inwardly.
Well,
I guess things aren't going to be that easy.
But
there's still hope.
Not from monster drops, but
among the unidentified magic items that came out of the Disappointment Boxes. There
was a chance a Key Item was hiding in there.
With dropped items, we could
guess the name and effect of a magic item based on the race that dropped it,
but with items that only came from Disappointment Boxes, we often had no idea
what they were or what they did.
Especially consumables—once
used, they were gone. It was great to finally figure out their effect, but they
might never be obtainable again.
Because of this, many such
items were shelved until enough were gathered for testing. Even a single Guild
branch had accumulated a considerable stockpile of them.
It was time-consuming, but I
combed through every item one by one.
Section Chief Yaguchi looked
bored, but since B-rank cards were on the line, he remained silent.
As I continued checking...
『...!! Oi, Utamaro!』
『You find one?!』
Renge reacted to one of the
magic items.
It was a lavish outfit,
complete with luxurious ornaments. The revealing breastplate and loincloth—reminiscent
of a Middle Eastern dancer or a high-class courtesan—were paired with a
multitude of jewelry: earrings, a necklace, and anklets adorned with gold and
colorful gemstones.
Though flashy and provocative,
they exuded a mysterious aura that conveyed a certain dignity and sacredness.
I checked the notes section
for that attire on the list.
【Garment Set: A complete set of
unidentified attire. Effects manifest when all pieces are worn, bestowing
combat power equivalent to 1,000. Includes an Intimidation effect against
enemies.】
"Mm...
an item equivalent to 1,000 combat power, huh?"
That's
high. Clearly on par with an A-rank drop item. If the effects had been unknown,
I could have haggled it down...
I continued scanning the rest
of the unidentified items, but in the end, that was the only one that struck
the mark.
Hmm,
what to do? An item of this caliber... Bacchus alone would definitely not be
enough.
Even
considering the current situation where cards aren’t dropping anymore, I’d say
Andromalius would still fall a bit short.
If I
bundle Bacchus and Andromalius together, I’d be overpaying
If
only there's something just right to bridge the gap...
As I checked the B-rank class
items with that in mind, Myra suddenly reacted. Another Key Item.
It was a drop item from Delphyne2.
Alright—if
I can get a Key Item for Myra in the deal too, it should be worth it.
"Senpai,
did you find anything ‘good’?" Anna asked.
"Yeah,
I think 'this' and 'this' might be ‘good’."
When I said that, Anna's eyes glinted
for a moment.
We had a pre-established code:
if an item was a confirmed Key Item, I would call it 'good', and if it wasn’t a
Key Item but still good to have, I’d label it 'not bad'.
"The
effects are definitely impressive... Hmm, I’d say these two are roughly equal
to Andromalius in value?"
In my estimation, Renge’s Key
Item alone was worth more than Andromalius, yet Anna sat there with a perfectly
straight face, claiming that both Renge’s and Myra’s Key Items combined were
worth about the same as Andromalius.
"Let
me take a look... Hmm, these two items in exchange for just one Andromalius...
that is actually a tall order..."
Listening to our conversation,
Section Chief Yaguchi peered at the list as well. His expression turned sour as
he grunted.
"You
think so? Given the current state of the world, I’d say it’s more than fair.
You can never have enough high-rank cards these days," Anna said.
"
’Given the current state of the world’, that statement applies to us as well. This
item provides a combat power equivalent of 1,000. How about bundling it with
Bacchus?"
“Isn’t
that a bit too much of a rip-off? If you’re doing that, then we’ll also need to
get something else thrown in as a bundle――――"
What followed was a flurry of
back-and-forth negotiations between Anna and Section Chief Yaguchi. By the time
the dust settled, we had secured both Key Items plus 7 Vouivre Diamonds (their
entire stock), approximately 200 Carbuncle Garnets (the entire stock), and
roughly 300 Distress Cards (the entire stock).
That entire exchange was far
more sophisticated—and far more ruthless— than the deal I’d struck with Shigeno
at the Hachioji Guild. But the truly terrifying part was that, even after all
that, Section Chief Yaguchi still had a look on his face that seemed to say, “Gotcha!”
Of course, Anna hadn’t been
outplayed at all. She had maxed out our profits while making it look like she’d
made grand concessions to the other side.
The Garnets and Distress Cards
were the masterstroke. From the Guild’s perspective, it looked like Anna was
doing them a favor—taking junks that no one would want in this day and age off
their hands to bridge the price gap—while they avoided having to pay the
difference beyond the value of Vouivre Diamonds.
Of course, to avoid making
things seem unnatural to the other party, Anna claimed "We need the
Distress Cards for Calming the school’s dungeon,” and “I was thinking of using
Garnet as rewards or high-value currency.”
Carbuncle
Garnet was something that we obtain every time we clear the school’s dungeon,
yet it never has an oversupply—making it just the right kind of rare item.
There was a certain
credibility to Anna's excuse about using it as a reward or substitute for
high-value currency.
This was largely due to the
fact that there were no other secret dungeons in Tachikawa.
...What's more, like this, if
the Tachikawa Guild ever found more Garnets on future expeditions, they’d
likely try to use them as high-value currency at our school without batting an
eye.
Meaning, Garnets would flow
into our hands without us lifting a finger.
Besides, the idea of using
them as rewards or currency wasn't entirely a lie.
We'll grind the Garnet
shards—shattered remnants after I use the Luck Energy—into powder, turn them
into ink, and use them for new tickets to be produced in the future.
These tickets will be given as
rewards for highly accomplished members, and they'll even be exchangeable for
actual cards.
The profits from this
transaction were maximized while also laying the groundwork for the future—all
without telling a single lie.
It was a textbook example of
how negotiations should be done.
"…So
that’s finally the second one, isn’t it?"
On the way back from the
Guild, Anna suddenly spoke up inside Eliza’s Magic Carriage.
At her seemingly random
remark, I tilted my head for a moment, wondering “What's she talking about?”
before quickly nodding in understanding.
The second one. She was
referring to Renge’s Key Item.
At the Ikebukuro Guild, I'd
found one Key Item for Renge and two for Myra.
Of course, neither of these
were identical to the ones from today’s trade with the Tachikawa Guild.
"Doesn't
this mean Renge-san can undergo Spiritual Recurrence now?"
“Dunno...
Part of me hopes so, but another part of me hopes the set is not complete yet."
Anna looked genuinely
surprised at my words,
"Why
is that?"
"With
A-rank Spiritual Recurrence, the stronger the form, the more Key Items it
likely requires."
The Key Items for Ibaraki-dōji
were ‘Ibaraki-dōji's Arm’ and ‘Higekiri’. Just two. If Renge also needed only
two Key Items, that would mean her destination was likely a low-tier A-rank.
If we view the Star Mother
Association as our eventual enemy, a being barely stronger than Ibaraki-doji
would stand no chance against their might.
...Well, the quality of the Key
Items mattered too—While there were two Key Items, Higekiri itself was only a C
or B-rank class item.
If the power gained after
Recurrence really depended not just on the number of Key Items but also on their
quality, then the two Key Items we had now might be sufficient to make Renge
strong enough… Still, I'd preferred a few more Key Items.
"I
see... that’s a valid point,"
Anna nodded, processing the
logic.
“By
the way, changing the subject slightly—now that you’ve obtained her second Key
Item, do you think you can pinpoint the destination of her Spiritual
Recurrence?”
"Hmm...
It’s still vague."
The Key Item obtained in
Ikebukuro was a liquid in a vial. It had come from a Disappointment Box, with both
its effect and name unknown.
I thought that, just like with
Amrita, Renge could identify its true nature, but all she could tell was, “It
might have a resurrection effect?”. For now, I’ve asked Athena to search for
information on water associated with resurrection legends, in parallel with her
investigation into the Huanglong’s drop item3.
The name of the newly acquired
Key Item was also unknown, and it didn’t seem like we’d be able to determine
its specific origin just yet.
……That
said, I do have a few candidates in mind.
For
instance, Ishtar and Ereshkigal—both Dual Deities with many similarities in
their powers—could fit the bill… but…
"None
of them feel quite right..."
Renge
started as a Zashiki-warashi, a spirit bringing good fortune, and evolved into
a Kisshouten, a goddess of good fortune—judging by Renge’s Spiritual Recurrence
so far, there’s no doubt she belongs to the lineage of goddesses of good
fortune.
That
said, while Ishtar is a goddess of fertility, she is not a goddess who presides
over good fortune.
The
‘Being Within Renge’ undoubtedly possesses the power to manipulate fate, given
how they’ve interfered throughout key moments of my life so far.
And
fate manipulation should be a power under the Authority of Luck...
Since Ishtar
possesses a wide range of powers, and since she is a deity of ancient origins, it
wouldn’t be strange for her to hold the Authority of Luck…
“...Well,
I'll find out eventually.”
I
don't know what the ‘Being Within Renge’ is after, but there's no doubt that
they’re trying to regain their power.
Just
as I acquired one in Ikebukuro and another through today’s trade with the
Tachikawa Guild, they must be intervening to ensure I obtain the Key Items.
If
that’s the case, I should be able to figure out Renge’s Spiritual Recurrence
destination in the not-too-distant future.
***
Notes:
1 Reminder, Andromalius was mentioned in ch. 158 Here is his info: Among the 72 Pillars of Solomon, he is a devil with Authorities leaning toward righteousness. ↩
2 Reminder: Offspring of Typhon, the strongest monster in Greek mythology, and Echidna, the mother of monsters. She possesses three forms: a beautiful woman, half-human half-dragon form, and a giant serpentine dragon form. ↩
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