arc3 · 177-ch177
Chapter 177: First, Leveling Up
The day after the strategy meeting with Arihara-san and President Yamamoto, the news was already running a segment on the joint exploration between Kokushi Musou and Queens.
(So that means Kokushi Musou accepted this commission too.)
Come to think of it, a little while back I'd gotten an email from Shinonome-san of Kokushi Musou, addressed to SS. It was an invitation to become a member of Kokushi Musou. I was grateful for the offer itself, but since I hold an exclusive contract with Hyakka Ryouran, I politely turned them down.
Shinonome-san, for his part, had apparently asked knowing it was a long shot, and took the expected answer in stride. That said, this would be the first time seeing each other since then, so things might be a little awkward. Ah — no, wait, we won't actually be seeing each other's faces, since it'll all be through the drones.
"Onii-chan, are you going to film this?"
Watching me glued to the television, Umi seemed to sense something and asked me that. Sharp eyes, that girl.
"Probably, yeah."
My family knows who I am, so there's no need to hide it. They're a precious presence that lets my heart rest easy.
"Huh... Onii-chan really is amazing, huh!"
Haauh! What devastating power! I nearly wanted to hand over an allowance raise on the spot.
I was thinking things like that when the next news item knocked me clean off my feet.
"World No. 1 Explorer Sieg Howard Arrives in Japan!!"
The shocking headline filled the TV screen. The strongest man whom anyone aspiring to be an explorer is guaranteed to idolize at least once. Sieg Howard himself — holder of the Job "Destruction God" — was coming to Japan.
I planted myself right in front of the TV, practically biting into the screen, and hung on the announcer's every word. According to them, the purpose of his visit was apparently to receive the Blue Sapphire he'd won at auction.
Arihara-san did mention something like that, now that I think of it — but I never imagined the man himself would actually come to collect it. If he's coming all this way, I'd love to meet the real, live Sieg Howard.
The thing is, though — Arihara-san is handling all the paperwork on that Blue Sapphire, but the listed seller is SS. Sadly, then, even if I do meet Sieg Howard, it'll be through a drone.
Even so, the thought of getting to speak with the world's No. 1 explorer had me fired up. I'll buy an autograph board and tuck it into Storage. His visit is apparently set for tomorrow, so today I'll be a good boy and get my leveling done.
The joint exploration is only five days away, after all. I want to raise my level as much as I can before then. Handling Queens may be beyond me — but I've got to work to close the gap, even a little.
Now then — my level went up by one during yesterday's strategy meeting, putting me at 31. My summoned drones rose to 27 as well, and I'd gained another 20 skill points. Also, as decided in yesterday's meeting, I'm raising Gekkou along the support-specialized path.
The reason is simple: I want Gekkou at my side whenever I dive into a dungeon. Tiny as it is, Gekkou hardly stands out, and once it can use the Healing Needle and the various cure needles, my survival rate should jump by a wide margin. Outfit it with Poison and Paralysis Needles, and it can even pitch in on combat support.
On top of that, Storage and Search both work through it, and once it learns Stealth, no other explorer will ever lay eyes on it. For someone who operates solo as a rule, Gekkou is guaranteed to be the finest support teammate I could ask for.
Once my level is high enough that being found out wouldn't matter anymore, I'd love to march into battle leading Hayate and Shiden openly.
And toward that end, I decided to launch Operation: Level-Up today. First, Hayate will gather Mana Potions at the Inari Dungeon, same as yesterday. I already have fifty-odd Mid-grade Mana Potions in my Storage, but that's nowhere near enough for a full-throttle Shiden level-up. The plan is to earn EXP while stocking up on as many Mana Potions as possible.
Shiden, meanwhile, will devote itself entirely to grinding EXP at Tokyo Mouse Park Dungeon. Since it'll be hunting at full power without a thought for MP consumption, it will naturally run dry before long. But never fear — this is where the Mana Potions Hayate gathered come in.
And I myself will dive into Tokyo Skyscraper Dungeon, earning whatever EXP I can while pulling the Mana Potions stored via Hayate out through Gekkou and chugging them. I get to polish my combat technique in the process, so this plan kills three birds with one stone. Keep Gekkou in my bag and I can pull out and drink a Mana Potion anytime, anywhere. With this, Shiden should be able to feast on EXP until my stomach literally can't hold another drop.
Asahi, meanwhile, gets moved to the Dungeon Agency — so that if I ever end up in a pinch, I can resummon Hayate and Shiden on the spot and send them my way. It's closer to Tokyo Skyscraper Dungeon that way, after all.
Right — so far, the plan is flawless. To launch Operation Level-Up, I took up the Magic Steel katana in its case, suited up in the bodysuit and protectors Arihara-san gave me, and left the house.
▽▽▽
"Soramine-sama, is it? I've confirmed your Explorer Card. Please be careful in there. And please — do come back safe."
At the entrance to Tokyo Skyscraper Dungeon, I showed the receptionist my Explorer Card and headed inside. This was actually my first time visiting a dungeon alone, so I was a touch nervous. For the record, Gekkou had already been retrieved into my waist pouch somewhere out of sight.
I gave the receptionist — who was pressing the be-careful bit on me awfully hard — a nod, and walked into the dungeon. By the way: Hayate and Shiden had long since arrived at their respective dungeons and were mowing down monsters with abandon. Thanks to them, EXP had been pouring in before I'd done a single thing.
I slipped a hand into my bag, pulled two test-tube-style Mana Potions out of Storage, popped the corks, and chugged them both. The first thing I do upon entering a dungeon is chug Mana Potions... Even though it's a plan of my own making, somehow it just deflates me.
Each of these Mid-grade Mana Potions restores roughly 1,000 MP. I just drank two, so that's about 2,000 restored — around 200 of Shiden's attribute rounds. Fuel economy's as terrible as ever. But since Shiden is hunting without a care for mana, the EXP keeps rolling right in. At this rate, I'll probably level up again before long.
For my own part, I'd decided to play it safe and start from floor one. It's my first time entering this dungeon — I'd rather not raise eyebrows by jumping straight to a Transfer Stone. I walked on through the faintly glowing cave, running Search through Gekkou every so often.
Close to the entrance, the monsters had been culled down to nothing — none nearby, apparently. In exchange there were a fair number of explorers about, so I judged that hunting around here would be inefficient and pressed on.
In the end I never ran into a single monster on floor one and made it all the way to floor two. By the way: without fighting even once, I leveled up. Attaboy, Shiden and Hayate.
On the stairs, I drained three more Mana Potions. Man, thank goodness each serving's so small. All I've done since getting here is drink Mana Potions. I want to fight already...
Floor two was the same near the stairs — packed with rookie parties squabbling over monsters — so I breezed past and pushed on ahead. And then, around the middle of floor two, I finally met today's first prey.
"A Bite Dog, huh."
Wolf-type monsters run rampant here in Tokyo Skyscraper Dungeon. But on a shallow floor like floor two, even the E-rank Fang Wolf is apparently considered a formidable foe. The one you run into most, though, is this guy — the Bite Dog, aka the Biter.
Well, it may only be an F-rank monster, but to an ordinary person, I imagine it's a good deal more dangerous than a bear.
I drew my right foot back a step and brought the katana behind me, hidden by my body. The blade tip pointed down and back at an angle, swaying gently. I held it in my right hand alone — but with my physical abilities raised as far as they are, one hand should be plenty.
Closing the distance bit by bit, I waited for the Bite Dog to make its move.