ch101-ch120 · 102-ch102

Chapter 102: End of Part 2?

The 'Left Eye Gate.'

I'm getting the hang of using it.

Just now I deployed it in an instant and stopped the 【Berserker】's surprise attack.

There was quite a distance involved a minute ago, but I can place it precisely, right in front of Kasumi-san, too...

"His movements... have stopped."

I was shocked when he came flying at me with no legs, but he slammed face-first into the 'Left Eye Gate,' and now he isn't moving.

"【Presence Detection】 still picks him up, so he's not dead. Stay alert."

"What could have happened to him? He didn't even seem to feel pain..."

"I think he ran out of MP. The 【Frenzy】 effect wore off and left him unable to move—something like that? I've heard that skills which heal wounds, like 【Regeneration】?, consume enormous amounts of MP."

This is intel from Ota.

I came to the branch by taxi, and on the way there I heard about the 【Berserker】 over the phone.

Apparently 【Frenzy】 consumes only 1 MP per minute.

But the skills that come attached to it drain MP more and more on top of that, and supposedly you can't switch them on and off yourself.

I'd been told that if he attacked enough, he'd run dry and stop...

Honestly, though, it was my MP that was nearing its limit.

"I see—the bleeding from his legs hasn't stopped. Proof he hasn't recovered. We can take it that 【Frenzy】 has shut down completely. I'll hurry and bring Shiraishi-san."

We were mid-battle, but I'd been able to hear the conversation between Kasumi-san and Shiraishi-san.

If I hadn't... I might have just cut loose with 【Charge・Spear】 and killed this guy...

(...Could I have, though?)

Seems Kasumi-san believed I'd be the one to do it. What a thing to assume.

I'm lodging a protest later.

His only conspicuous wound was the right shoulder, and I think Kasumi-san couldn't bring herself to do it either, at first.

From her exchange with Shiraishi-san just now, it finally felt like she'd made up her mind.

I don't think I could have done it either, honestly...

...But if nobody did, Kasumi-san might have been in danger.

(...I might have done it...)

A trickle of blood drips down my face.

The usual nosebleed, huh... 'Overworked skills.'

I'd had the 【Charge・Shield】 side's high-tier super mode running from the very start, and even so I was losing the contest of strength.

That a high-tier super mode burning 2 MP per second loses on strength to a 【Frenzy】 that burns only 1 per minute—something about that just doesn't sit right with me.

Figuring I was in trouble, I activated the 【Charge・Spear】 side as well, and after that the balance of power was about even.

【Charge・Shield】 to start, then 【Charge・Shield・Armor Enhancement・Shield・High】, 【Charge・Shield・Strength Up・High】, 【Charge・Shield・Endurance Up・High】, 【Charge・Shield・Agility Up・High】—five skills.

Plus five on the 【Charge・Spear】 side, which makes ten skills activated in total.

Dr. Amamiya said the cause was activating skills for long stretches, but I suppose firing off ten at once, even briefly, strains you enough to bring on a nosebleed.

If I tell her that, she'll just say "show me" again...

I moved through the fight with taking his sword on my shield always in mind, so I have no other injuries.

He never defended at all—he answered my attacks with trade-blow-style strikes of his own, but they barely did anything.

The "if you have no armor, just stack skills" theory was the right call.

A 【Charge Shielder】 with high Endurance from the start, plus two Endurance-boosting skills.

With this, I could probably enter one of those dungeon martial arts tournaments...

No, wait—weapons are banned, so I couldn't bring a spear or a shield...

"Haruki-san, your nosebleed! Shiraishi-san, a 【Heal】, quickly—"

"Whoa, whoa. I'm fine for later. It's the usual 'overworked skills.' Please take care of this guy first. You can't cast 【Heal】 infinitely, right?"

She hadn't just healed Kasumi-san—she'd been treating that usual party over there as well.

No telling how much MP this reckless feat of reattaching legs would use up.

"That's..."

"...Idiots, both of you. All right—little boy, hold his body down. Watanabe-san, take the legs and hold them in place. No need to press. There you go. 【Heal】... 【Heal】..."

They both looked like they had things they wanted to say, but they swallowed the words and began treating Umemoto.

If he died on us, Kasumi-san and I would be the murderers.

And it's better if the legs stay attached.

Even if he is a murderer himself.

"Well, both legs are attached, for what it's worth. Whether he'll be able to walk, I couldn't say... 【Analyze・HP】. ...He's at about eighty percent. Milder shape than their leader over there."

Impressive.

Both legs took nicely, and I don't see any other place bleeding.

At this rate, his life isn't in danger.

Still—a man who lost both legs counts as lightly wounded, huh... 【Heal】 is something else.

"And what is that bruise-like mark on his face? It feels like it's spread since the first time we saw it."

"I don't know. If 【Heal】 won't fix it, then it probably isn't an injury... Oh, I have one more 【Heal】 left. What should we do with it?"

"Haruki-san." / "Kasumi-san."

Our voices overlap.

"......"

Kasumi-san and my eyes meet.

These are the eyes of someone who will not yield.

My HP has only dropped by two or three points from the start anyway, so I'm fine, but...

"Yes, yes. We'll save the last one for whichever of you seems to be in danger on the way home. And once we're back on Floor 1, it goes on your head, little boy. That suits you too, doesn't it, Watanabe-san?"

A Solomonic verdict comes down, and we both stand down.

Wasn't she putting some rather pointed emphasis on that word "head"?

"The way home... you say."

"The other party should be back soon. We'll ask the party here to look after things, carry Umemoto out, and head home right away. If Umemoto wakes up, forget Kasumi-san and me—everyone else could be in danger."

Fair enough. With the 【Gate】 involved too, it's better if it's just the two of us...

"Hey, it's getting dark out. It's just past five o'clock, and this is Floor 14, right? Will we be all right?"

Shiraishi-san says it, checking her wristwatch.

"Haruki-san has a scout-type job, so even at night the danger should be slight. Haruki-san, from Floor 13, please."

I take that to mean: use the 【Gate】 starting from Floor 13.

Because eyes are on us.

If that's decided, I close up the 'Left Hand Gate' and the 'Left Eye Gate' I have deployed.

(Vanish, vanish.)

The two 'Gates' quietly fade away.

"Shiraishi-san, is their leader over there all right?"

If their leader is in danger too, we ought to bring him with us.

"Hmm. His bones are broken in complicated ways, so I don't have the MP to heal him completely. He'll be running a fever before long, but his life isn't in danger. The girl should be waking up any moment now."

Is that really okay?

Well, if his life isn't in danger—sorry, folks, but he can walk.

"They're back. I'll go explain the situation. Haruki-san, please keep watch over Umemoto."

Someone has come out of the 'Gate to Floor 15.'

That'll be the other party.

"I'll come along too, then."

With that, Shiraishi-san heads over as well.

Ah—she's handing out beer tickets. No wait, Heal tickets.

︙

︙

Once the explaining was done, Kasumi-san, Shiraishi-san, and I set off on the road home.

I'm carrying Umemoto on my back.

Kasumi-san takes point, kicking orcs out of the way.

"Come to think of it—why were you at the warehouse, Shiraishi-san?"

Walking along, Kasumi-san puts the question to her.

"The warehouse? Ah, little boy left his card key behind. And then, you see, a package arrived addressed to Watanabe-san, but the newbie refused to go to the warehouse."

Since there was a chance we'd be sending wounded people to the warehouse, we'd asked Shiraishi-san to stop by and check on it every hour or so.

"And you don't remember a thing after that, do you? What day of the week was it today?"

"It's Wednesday. It's all right—your memory is perfectly accurate. It'll come right back to you."

The 'Gate to Floor 13' comes into view.

Shiraishi-san is under a misunderstanding, but it's probably better to be upfront with her.

Besides, we'll be needing her to put on a little act at Floor 1 later, too.

It'll be about two hours before Kasumi-san and I get back, I'd say?

On foot it would take more than six hours, but if we say we ran, that sounds about right.

I'm worried Umemoto might wake up, but...

We have around two hours, so maybe we'll hold a strategy meeting at the warehouse about what happens next.

"【Gate】."

We arrive at Floor 13; 【Presence Detection】 shows no human responses nearby.

Right away, I bring out the 'Left Gate.'

"Ah, this board. Ow, my head—"

There's no way it hurts.

Her memory wasn't actually erased, after all.

"Shiraishi-san, this is Haruki-san's skill. I can't tell you the details, but if you step inside, it takes you to the warehouse on Floor 1."

"Huh?"

"Come, come—after you, after you."

The two of us push Shiraishi-san into the 'Left Gate,' a hand at her back.

"Huh? Huh? What? Was I dreaming?"

"That's reality."

Afterward we had Shiraishi-san scope out the situation outside, but the 'Gate to Floor 2' was packed tight with the dispatched Triple-Rank adventurers, branch manager included—so in the end, it fell to me to run all the way down to Floor 2.

"The 【Gate】 must never, ever be exposed."

Kasumi-san made me swear it, sternly.

Umemoto has been wrapped round and round in a chain Shiraishi-san produced from somewhere and left rolling on the ground.

Even in this state I can't help worrying, so in any case, we hurry from Floor 13 toward Floor 2.

Along the way, we overtake the SDF team escorting the adventurers we'd come across on the way down, and the SDF team escorting Sato-san.

We approached to tell them that Kasumi-san had captured the 【Berserker】, but pointing guns at us the moment we got close is, I think, rather rude.

The official story will be that Kasumi-san captured Umemoto.

Kasumi-san says it's to protect me.

The fact that Kasumi-san holds a high-rank job is already known.

Apparently, since it had been necessary on the way to the campsite, she even showed them the Floor 30 boss's magic stone.

But everything about me stays secret, all the way down.

The usual party at the campsite, for their part, misunderstood—that we were keeping my being an otherworlder a secret—found that oddly satisfying, and are cooperating with us.

Maybe they're feeling cooperative because we treated their big strapping leader.

Run.

I'm always running, aren't I...