arc3 · 132-ch132
Chapter 132: Maybe I Can Become an Explorer
On the way back to the thirtieth floor, I secretly sent a message to Arihara-san asking him to end the livestream as soon as we arrived at the Transfer Room. As long as they give a proper explanation later, it shouldn't be a problem, so I'll leave that side of things to him.
"We made it back safely! SS-san, thank you so much again this time! You saved us once more."
The moment we arrived at the Transfer Room, Shinonome-san gave me a deep bow. Not just him — as Shinonome-san spoke, the other three members bowed just as deeply.
"SS-sama apparently has matters to discuss with Kokushi Musou-sama after this, so the livestream will end here. Thank you for watching."
I heard Arihara-san's voice coming from the laptop, and it seemed this scene of them thanking me was clearly captured on stream. I could hear voices saying things like "To think Kokushi Musou would bow their heads..." so that confirmed it.
Please, everyone at the Dungeon Agency, don't spread any unnecessary information. They've probably imposed a gag order about this incident, but if word gets out that SS is someone important enough for Kokushi Musou to bow to, that's going to be a real pain...
"No, no, I'm just glad I could be of even a little help."
"No way it was just 'a little'! If you hadn't been there, we'd have been wiped out! So, you're gonna explain what happened, right?"
Whoops, Nishikyo-san was getting in my face about it. But I owe a lot to Kokushi Musou, so I should explain properly. Wait, Nishikyo-san just got bonked by Kannami-san...
"Sorry for Soraku's rude remarks. But honestly, we'd all like to know what happened too. If you don't mind, could you tell us?"
"Of course I'll explain. Since the livestream has been cut, I'll tell you everything right here."
Everyone from Kokushi Musou sat down right there, and I landed Hayate and began to talk.
"So that's what happened. To think you leveled up at exactly that timing and became able to summon a new drone. The timing was like a miracle."
After hearing my explanation, Shinonome-san expressed relief anew at how miraculous their survival had been. Even Kitora-san, who was always cool and composed, was wiping cold sweat — clearly shaken by how close a call it had been.
"That level-up timing may have been coincidental, but it was only possible because you had been diligently earning experience points, SS-san. I must express my gratitude once more for that dedication."
Oh man. Kannami-san's words almost made me tear up. She's right. The timing was miraculous, but it was the result of all that effort I put into grinding experience. Lately, I'd been wondering if I was overstepping a bit, but if it led to this, then maybe it actually meant something.
"Come to think of it, when Terror's Symbol was defeated, I leveled up for the first time in a while too! Also, I was thinking of having SS-san take Terror's Symbol's drop items. What do you think?"
Wait, they're giving me Terror's Symbol's drop items!? Are you sure about this, Shinonome-san? I looked at the other members, and they were all nodding.
Come to think of it, I hadn't even checked what dropped. Then again, I was hired help. Was I really entitled to receive drop items?
"Um, I was hired as the camera and support person, and I'm already being paid for that, so I don't think I have the right to accept drop items..."
"What are you talking about! If you hadn't been there, we would've been wiped out!? You did way more than just camera and support work, so you absolutely deserve proper compensation. Bottom line, we want to thank you. Please accept it."
Overwhelmed by Shinonome-san's passionate delivery, I found myself nodding before I knew it. I hadn't checked carefully, but it was stored in Hayate's Storage, right? Something about it being incredibly valuable was terrifying...
After finishing my explanation and receiving their thanks once more, we headed back to the first floor. Once all the Kokushi Musou members had transferred, I transferred Asahi as well.
▽▽▽
Outside the dungeon, I parted ways with the Kokushi Musou members for now and sent Asahi to Yamamoto Electronics. I brought Hayate to Kokushi Musou's share house and left the items from Storage there. They thanked me again there too, but I got embarrassed and left right away. Hayate's heading back to my condo now.
Alright, now that things have settled down, let me check those Attack Units again. Unfortunately, I don't have enough MP to summon Shiden. I'll just check the Attack Units on the status screen today and go to bed. Tomorrow, Asahi and Hayate have patrol duty, but at the same time I need to test out Shiden with the president at Yamamoto Electronics. Ah, my heart's racing! The president is definitely going to be thrilled.
I quickly finished eating and showering, sent a message to President Yamamoto, then sat down on my bed and brought up Hayate's status first.
Name Hayate Lv16
Durability 200/200
Max Speed 200
Acceleration 50
Hardness 200
Standard Equipment Telephoto Camera
Communication Microphone
Data Transfer Function
Additional Units (Unlocked)
Flashlight
Attack Units (Unlocked)
None
Skill Points 120
What!? Hayate has an Attack Units column too!? Does this mean...
I calmed myself down and focused on Hayate's Attack Units ——
【Please select an Attack Unit】
・Magic Machine Cannon (50)
・Magic Shotgun (Unavailable)
・Magic Guided Missile (Unavailable)
・Magic Sniper Cannon (Unavailable)
・Attribute Enchantment (Unavailable)
・Attribute Enchantment (Unavailable)
Hmm, it seems like the only one available for small drones is the Magic Machine Cannon. The Magic Machine Cannon is apparently something like a machine gun that fires my MP as bullets. I added an attribute enchantment to Shiden's, but it doesn't seem possible for Hayate.
With only one option, at least I don't have to agonize over the choice. I spent 100 points and attached two Magic Machine Cannons.
(Oh, that's cool!)
Two small machine-gun-like things appeared on Hayate's underside. Apparently they fire magic bullets using my MP. Ten rounds per second, and each shot costs me 1 MP.
I can't test the attack power here, but with my MP at full, I could fire three thousand eight hundred rounds. On the other hand, attribute rounds cost 10 per shot, so that'd only be three hundred eighty.
Still, if the attribute matchup was right, it was even dealing damage to Terror's Symbol. So it must pack quite a punch.
But man, my drones finally have offensive capabilities too... It's been a long road. It definitely hasn't been easy getting here. From when Mom collapsed, to working as a cameraman, going to university, and even buying a house.
But looking back, I've gotten here thanks to so many different people. Himehana and the Hyakka Ryouran members, President Yamamoto, Arihara-san, and the Kokushi Musou members too. Good people have gathered around me. I really need to be grateful for that.
Whoa, I got a little sentimental there. Let's check Shiden's status next. Or so I thought — since I can't summon Shiden, I couldn't check its status.
(Well then, let me just check Terror's Symbol's drop items and go to sleep.)
I first checked the names of the drop items in Storage.
・Magic Stone
・Blue Sapphire
・Greatsword of Lament
Now then, these are Terror's Symbol's drop items. The Magic Stone, well... actually, it's not "well" at all — it's massive. If I brought this to the Association, it'd completely blow my cover. I'll just leave it with Arihara-san.
And then there's the Blue Sapphire, a gemstone that can apply water attributes. What's more, it's about the second most valuable gemstone after diamond. If it went up for sale, it'd probably fetch over a hundred million yen...
But the first two are still manageable. There are at least a few examples of them being traded. The problem is the greatsword at the bottom. It's probably the one that thing was using, but I can't find any information about it anywhere. It might be a one-of-a-kind weapon in the entire world...
It deflected the silver swords and spears created by Kokushi Musou's Weapon Generation, and even magic. And yet, it didn't show a single scratch. Plus, I can see something like a dark aura around it. Could this thing have a dark attribute or something? Either way, this is another matter I need to consult with President Yamamoto or Arihara-san about.
After checking everything, I finally crawled into bed. I thought I'd be too excited about finally getting offensive capabilities to fall asleep right away, but maybe it was the exhaustion — I ended up drifting off surprisingly fast.