Chapter 49
An Unexpected Hard
Puncher
While making trivial idle chatter, we walked down the wide passage and
arrived at a small open space in front of the Dungeon entrance. Since I
basically only talk to Yuuka-san over the reception counter, walking
together is rare. This might be the first time since she guided me to the
simple lodging.
「Come to
think of it, I always activate the 『Solo Dungeon』 skill, so it's been a while since I haven't used a
skill.」
In my base state, it's probably the first time since I first entered a Dungeon.
「How long do
you plan on going solo? If there are as many people as in Kagurazaka, it
seems like you could find a few Hunters you get along with, Aoi-chan.
How are things on that front?」
That, huh. Normally, forming a party of 5 to 7 people is the standard,
so going solo is completely outside of common sense. If you're challenging the
lower layers of a Dungeon, let alone a party, exploring with a clan
becomes the norm.
But a party, huh. I do think it might be more fun if I had companions...
If I could make reliable companions who I get along with, who perfectly keep my
secrets, and who also teach me various things on the side. I'm not particularly
looking for them, but I feel like guys like that are hard to find.
「I'm in the
middle of working hard to train myself, so I'm good for now. You know, I'm
worried about the influence of the skill that makes me only get high-quality
magic stones. Bickering over shares would be the worst.」
「If you're
aiming for the lower layers, going solo is impossible, you know? A single
mistake becomes fatal, so truthfully, I want you to form a party even for the
middle layers. Do you understand?」
「Yeah, I get
it, but it's tough. I don't want weird guys finding out about the high-quality
magic stones~.」
Just imagining money troubles makes me feel terrible. If I could dive
into an 『Ultra Hard Mode』 Dungeon more
enjoyably, efficiently, and with peace of mind regarding safety in a party,
nothing would be better. But the world isn't full of only good people, after
all.
「If we
consider the magic stones, I think high-level Hunters who aren't
troubled for money would be good companions for you, Aoi-chan... but
those kinds of people are already in clans. The Administration can introduce
you to a clan somewhere, but you don't want that, right?」
「If I end up
as a newbie, my position will be low, right? If I'm gonna do it, I want to be
the king of the mountain right from the start.」
Ah, I realized right after saying it, but king of the mountain? Doesn't
that trigger the bandit course? This is bad. If that's the case, maybe being a
newbie underling is better. But still...
「Then you
have no choice but to recruit an honest rookie Hunter. You're still a
rookie yourself, Aoi-chan, so why don't you steadily look for
companions? Don't rush into the deep layers, okay? It's genuinely dangerous.」
「I know, I
know. Because I only fight on floors where I have leeway. By the way, is that
the punching machine over there?」
「Yes. That's
it, that's the one.」
A short distance away from the gaping mouth of the Dungeon, there
was a machine that gave off a sense of civilization. Several ball-shaped
targets, presumably meant to be punched, were attached to pillars and lined up
side-by-side. Behind them was a large monitor.
「Heh, there's
something like a ranking.」
The monitor seemed to display rankings, numbers that looked like points,
along with names and their affiliated clan names.
■ 01st Place | 1565 | Kazama Reiya | Wings of the Night Crow
■ 02nd Place | 1528 | Miyamoto Ren | Star of the Heavenly Sword
■ 03rd Place | 1453 | Kirishima Sora | Abyss Investigation
Society
■ 04th Place | 1341 | Akai Hatsune | Crimson Magic Enthusiasts
■ 05th Place | 1133 | Kanzaki Hayato | Star of the Heavenly Sword
■ 06th Place | 1118 | Sakuraba Makoto | Moon Shadow Ninja Army
■ 07th Place | 0984 | Kurokawa Jin | Wings of the Night Crow
■ 08th Place | 0946 | Natsume Mio | Musashino Young Ladies Group
■ 09th Place | 0941 | Tokushima Mondo | Tokyo Dungeon Exploration
Brigade
■ 10th Place | 0909 | Okubo Rikiya | White Night Muscle Knights
I have no idea how amazing those points are, but they're probably
impressive. Even so, there are way too many difficult kanji in their names and
clan names. Since they're people who have absolutely nothing to do with me, I
guess it doesn't matter, though.
「This seems
to be a limited-time fun event, but it's also adopted into the official Hunter
Rankings. I taught you about the Hunter Rankings before, right?」
「Vaguely?
Since I don't have a smartphone, I haven't checked it at all.」
I don't have anyone I want to contact, so I tend to forget about getting
a smartphone. I'm always fighting in the Dungeon, too.
「Anyway, it
seems to be a machine that quantifies the impact when you punch that ball. I
kind of wanted to try it out.」
「What the
heck, you just wanted to do it yourself, Yuuka-san.」
Well, I guess an Administration receptionist shouldn't really mingle
with the Hunters to do it.
「So Yuuka-san,
how amazing are those ranking numbers? How much does a normal person get?」
「The people
at the top are, of course, all famous. Their affiliated clans are all top-tier,
too. A normal standard is hard to say, so I'll try it first. Ah, there are
cameras so no cheating. Also, note that it won't measure unless you tap your ID
card right here first.」
It seems you just have to tap your ID card with a beep against
the pillar supporting the ball that serves as the punching target.
「I see~.」
In front of the punching machine, Yuuka-san readied her fist and
dropped her hips. She looked fully fired up. However, since she was wearing the
Dungeon Administration uniform, the pose looked strangely funny. As a
stance, it actually looked surprisingly proper, but I couldn't help but worry
that her tight skirt looked like it was going to burst.
「Hah!」
Her spirited fist struck the ball with a smack, shaking it
vigorously. And shortly after, a number was displayed largely on the monitor.
That number was 203. This seems to be the points Yuuka-san hammered out.
「It looked
like a good punch, but it's way far off from the rankings.」
「Well, of
course it is. But a Hunter friend of mine said they got 180, so I beat
them.」
「What level
is that person?」
「I think they
were close to Level 20? Ah, a leading question? Not bad, Aoi-chan.」
「Eh, I didn't
particularly mean to do that, though...」
Ah, I see. That means Yuuka-san is around Level 20 too. Even
though she's not a Hunter, she's higher than me. That's pretty amazing.
「It's fine.
You go too, Aoi-chan, here.」
She beckoned me to hurry up and try punching it. The target ball looked
quite hard. Hmm, it feels like my wrist will hurt if I do it with all my might,
so I slightly don't want to~. Well, assuming it's just this once, maybe I'll
try it out once.
「Yes, yes,
here I go then.」
Tapping my ID card with a beep, standby OK. I was inwardly
thinking about her outfit earlier, but my style is a British young lady look
too. Well, it's not like anyone's watching, so whatever.
With a heave-ho, I imitate Yuuka-san's stance and throw a
punch. Seeing the ball shake violently along with a resounding sound, even I
felt like I punched it better than I expected. I might actually feel a sense of
satisfaction.
「Do you
actually have a lot of power, Aoi-chan? That made an amazing sound.」
As we watched the monitor, the results came out immediately. Along with
a mysterious fanfare, the rankings updated.
■ 09th Place | 0945 | Nagakura Aoi Scarlet