chapter4 · 080-ep80

Episode 80: Day One's Haul

"...No, come on, seriously?"

Talk about plot convenience.

Even as I thought that, the messages weren't finished yet.

【Personal Achievement Reward will be granted】

"Oh, right."

There was this too.

The Personal Achievement for filling Stockpile.

I hadn't even checked the next condition, so I had no idea what the reward might be.

【Stagnation: Dispersion Acquired】

"Dispersion?"

More Stagnation.

It started with Recoil, then Deflection, Stockpile.

This was a full-on sequence now.

I opened the description right away.

【Stagnation: Dispersion】

【Releases energy accumulated through Stagnation: Stockpile in a shape of the user's choosing.】

"...So I can let it out after all."

I'd been wondering about that ever since I learned Stockpile.

After all, it let me convert an opponent's attacks into energy and store them, but didn't say a thing about what I could use that energy for.

"And I can change its shape?"

A shape of my choosing.

I didn't know how much freedom that gave me.

Make it like a ball, or narrow it down.

Maybe I could spread it out too.

"I want to test all kinds of things with this."

And right now, my stockpile was full.

【Current stockpile: 100%】

The roars and slashes I'd collected over three hours of running away.

All of it was in there.

"...Oh."

Come to think of it, there was one more.

I'd just cleared the three-hour escape too.

【World-First Reward will be granted】

【Passive Skill Acquired: Battle Armor Acceleration】

"Battle Armor Acceleration?"

From the name, I could guess it would make me faster.

I checked the description.

【Battle Armor Acceleration】

【Increases movement speed during Battle Armor Form and reduces fatigue caused by movement.】

"Man, I could've used this earlier..."

It was a reward for escaping for three hours, so of course I couldn't have gotten it beforehand.

But this was the one thing I'd wanted most today.

Move faster, and get less tired from moving too.

"I mean, it's the right thing to give someone who just ran for three hours."

But those three hours were already over.

Well, I'd be walking all over the dungeon from here on, so there'd be plenty of use for it.

If anything, since I planned to stay here a week, getting it on day one was huge.

"I'll put it to use starting tomorrow."

Then I heard a low rumble close by.

"..."

Right.

I'd forgotten.

I looked up, and the thing that had kept me company for three hours was still staring right at me.

"Oh, you're still here."

Of course it was.

Clearing an Achievement wasn't going to make it disappear.

Even after chasing me around for three hours, it apparently still had plenty of fight left in it.

It dipped its body slightly again.

"That's what you do before a charge, right?"

After watching it for three hours, I could at least recognize that.

But I didn't have to run anymore.

I'd fulfilled the condition of not attacking at all.

"Finally, I get to attack too."

It kicked off the ground.

Until now, I would've run right away.

This time I stayed where I was and held out my right hand.

"You're just the thing to test this on."

Three hours' worth of stockpiled energy.

Dispersion, which I'd only just learned.

No need to go looking for another monster when I had a target right in front of me.

"Well, it's my first try. No need to make a weird shape."

Even if it said I could choose the shape, I doubted I could manage anything intricate right off the bat.

Forward, for now.

If I could make it big enough to hit that thing, that was plenty.

"Dispersion."

The moment I focused, everything stored in my body moved at once.

"Whoa!?"

It was more sudden than I'd expected.

Along with a feeling like something was draining out of my stomach, a huge amount of energy gathered in my right arm.

I focused on sending it forward.

"Wait, is all of it coming out!?"

I didn't know how to stop it.

My stockpile, which had been at 100% a moment ago, plunged.

Through Interference Eye, I could see the thing gathering in front of my right hand growing bigger and bigger too.

"Hold on, that's way more than I—"

It was right in front of me.

No time to try stopping now.

"Ah, whatever — go!"

I let it all loose straight ahead.

The air in front of me shook all at once.

If I hadn't been using Interference Eye, I don't think I would've known what happened.

The energy inside me flew forward in one massive lump and slammed squarely into the thing charging at me.

"Whoa!"

Just the sound of the impact made me tense up.

That massive body, which had looked so heavy, stopped.

More than that, it was pushed back the way it had come.

"Huh?"

Its feet left the floor.

It flew backward and slammed hard into the rock wall.

"..."

No, no.

"It flew that far?"

This was the thing I'd spent three hours running away from.

Just the side of its arm brushing me earlier had sent me flying.

Now it lay by the wall without moving.

"...Did I overdo it?"

I waited a bit.

It didn't get up.

Then its body started turning into light.

"I beat it?"

Seriously?

The thing I'd fled for three hours, in one hit?

"No, I guess it wasn't one hit."

The roars and slashes it had sent at me over those three hours.

Not all of them, but I'd been storing some up the whole time.

I'd dumped them all back on it at the end, so really, how many hits' worth was that?

"Kinda like it got killed by its own attacks."

I almost felt bad for it.

It had kept me company for three hours, only for things to end like this.

"...Thanks?"

No, that wasn't right.

It had only been trying to kill me.

For now, I checked Stockpile.

【Current stockpile: 0%】

"Cleaned right out."

I really had released all of it.

It was my first time, so I'd had no idea how much to release.

"Next time, I want to try letting it out a little at a time."

The description said I could choose its shape. Surely I didn't have to use all 100% every time.

Fire off one small shot.

Send out a narrow one.

Spread it wide.

My list of things to test had gotten longer again.

"Well, for now..."

As I thought that, my body suddenly felt heavy.

"I'm beat..."

I'd just spent three hours running away.

Even though I'd taken breaks along the way, with it chasing me the whole time I hadn't relaxed for a second.

The moment I knew it was over, all the exhaustion hit at once.

"Let's head back."

I wanted water.

I was hungry.

More than anything, I wanted to sit down.

I widened my focus with Interference Eye+.

After three hours of running all over the place, just looking around normally, I had no idea where I was.

But when I traced the surrounding passages in my head, they connected all the way back to my supplies.

"This way, huh."

At this point, getting Interference Eye+ had already been more than worth it.

If I'd still had the old version, after three hours of running I'd have had to wander around looking for base camp next.

"No way I wanted that."

I started walking slowly.

I definitely wasn't up for running anymore.

I still hadn't canceled Battle Armor Form.

Being tired made me want to, but there was another Achievement still going.

【B: Maintain Battle Armor Form for 6 or more hours inside a dungeon】

"There's this too."

How much longer would it take?

I hadn't canceled battle armor once since entering the dungeon.

It had definitely been a while.

"I think it should be close."

Well, I could find out by opening the Achievement list.

I was walking along thinking that when, a little while later, a message appeared in my vision.

【B: Maintain Battle Armor Form for 6 or more hours inside a dungeon】

【Achievement Unlocked】

"Oh."

Right on cue.

"I'm getting a ton today."

I'd come here to hunt Achievements from the start of the day, so it was going according to plan.

Another message followed.

【World-First Reward will be granted】

"Well, that figures for this one too."

The condition required battle armor itself.

It was an ability from a Unique Job only I had, so it'd be stranger if someone else had cleared it first.

【Passive Skill Acquired: Battle Armor Sustain】

"Sustain?"

I read the description as I walked.

【Battle Armor Sustain】

【Reduces bodily fatigue from maintaining Battle Armor Form for long periods.】

"More fatigue reduction."

Battle Armor Acceleration made me faster and less tired from moving.

This one apparently reduced the fatigue of keeping battle armor on for a long time.

"With both of these, won't it make a huge difference?"

If I was walking around the dungeon all day in battle armor like I had today, I'd be using both the whole time.

I'd only just gotten them, so I didn't know how much easier it would be yet.

"Still, tomorrow should be better than today."

The reward for fleeing for three hours, and the reward for keeping battle armor on for six.

Both of them were Skills that would let me keep going from here on out.

"Good thing I got them on the first day."

If I'd gotten them on day six, I'd probably be complaining that they should've come sooner.

After I'd walked a while, Interference Eye+ picked up what looked like a monster's presence.

"..."

Kill it?

I considered it for a second.

There was still that thousand-monster Achievement.

If I'd found one, I wanted to kill as many as I could.

"Nah, I'm good for today."

I changed course toward somewhere with no reaction.

After being chased for three hours, I didn't have it in me to start hunting again.

"I'll do it tomorrow."

I was here for a week anyway.

I didn't have to do everything on day one.

I avoided extra monsters with Interference Eye+ as I walked, until I finally made it back to somewhere familiar.

"There it is."

My supplies, piled up near the rock wall.

A week's worth of food and water.

The base camp I'd picked all on my own.

"Water..."

The moment I saw it, I couldn't think about anything else.

I went over to my backpack, sat down, and immediately pulled out a bottle of water.

"Thanks for the drink."

I took a sip.

"So good..."

It was just water.

If I drank it at home, I'd never think that.

But right now it tasted incredible.

I almost drank the whole bottle at once, but made myself stop partway through.

"Better not chug it."

I drank a little at a time, and once about half was gone, I finally settled down.

"Ahhh..."

I felt alive again.

I leaned my back against the wall.

For no particular reason, I checked my watch.

"It's been a while."

Quite a lot of time had passed since I entered the dungeon.

I'd been surrounded by the same sort of rocks the whole time. Without my watch, I'd have no idea what time it was.

Couldn't even tell if it was light or dark outside.

"Seriously, without this thing I'd have no sense of time."

I looked at my watch again.

"Thank you, watch... No, partner."

I'd lost count of how many times I'd checked it during the three-hour escape.

This thing had done a lot for me today.

"Okay, partner's a bit much."

Whatever.

I was hungry too, so I pulled out some of the food I'd brought.

While I ate, I took another look at everything I'd gained today.

First, Stagnation.

【Stagnation: Stockpile】

【Converts an interfered force into energy and accumulates it within the user.】

【Stagnation: Dispersion】

【Releases energy accumulated through Stagnation: Stockpile in a shape of the user's choosing.】

"Now it finally all connects."

Recoil sends what I receive straight back.

With Deflection, I can hold it at my hand, then send it in whatever direction I want.

Stockpile saves it as energy without keeping the attack's shape, and Dispersion lets me send that stored energy out in a new shape.

"I think Dispersion's gonna take a bit more practice, though."

All I'd done back there was shoot almost the whole 100% straight ahead.

It said I could choose the shape, but I was nowhere close to using it properly yet.

"Making it narrow or spreading it out could be handy."

I could test that starting tomorrow.

I wouldn't even need to look for attacks to stockpile; plenty of them would come flying at me on their own.

I'd gained two battle armor Skills too.

【Battle Armor Acceleration】

【Increases movement speed during Battle Armor Form and reduces fatigue caused by movement.】

【Battle Armor Sustain】

【Reduces bodily fatigue from maintaining Battle Armor Form for long periods.】

"These two really are perfect for this trip."

I'd be walking around the dungeon all week.

And I wanted to keep battle armor on as much as I could.

Exactly what I'd done today was about to get easier.

"Wonder how much different it'll be tomorrow."

I was actually looking forward to it.

If I could move as much as I had today without getting anywhere near as tired, I could look for more monsters too.

That would make the thousand-monster Achievement easier to progress.

"...A thousand, huh."

I looked at the Achievement list.

There was still a long way to go.

And for the kill-every-type one, I didn't even know how many types there were to begin with.

"The list of things to do hasn't gotten any shorter."

If anything, every new Skill gave me more things I wanted to test.

Still, I'd had enough for today.

I'd run away for three hours, unlocked several Achievements, and learned a bunch of new abilities on top of that.

"For the first day, that's plenty."

I finished the rest of my food and drank a little more water.

Then I checked around base camp with Interference Eye+.

No monster reactions nearby.

There were some a little farther off, but none seemed about to head my way right now.

"Got lucky with a sleeping spot too."

I took my sleeping bag out of my supplies.

I'd come planning to stay for a week, so of course I'd prepared at least this much.

Sleeping directly on the rock and waking up aching all over tomorrow sounded awful.

"I'm done for today."

I laid out the sleeping bag and lay down.

"..."

I was tired.

And genuinely sleepy.

But thinking about what I'd try tomorrow was kind of exciting too.

Interference Eye+.

Stockpile.

Dispersion.

Battle Armor Acceleration and Battle Armor Sustain.

I'd gained a lot in just one day.

"My kit's coming together."

Tomorrow I wouldn't have to spend three hours running around like today.

I could use all the things I'd just gained and hunt monsters nonstop.

I closed my eyes.

"Well then. Starting tomorrow, let's go on a rampage."