ch341-ch360 · 342-ch342
Chapter 342: The Triple-Rank Adventurer Who Uses a Jumonji Spear
"I'm afraid I don't understand what 'I don't trust you' is supposed to mean. If you tell me, then I will pass it on to Haruki-san. That is what telling me means. If you dislike that, then don't tell me either."
Well, sure, but you're telling ME, while calling it a secret......
"That's troubling. I'd hoped to judge after you heard it out...... The chairman says you have ties to the Self-Defense Forces, Haruki-kun. Until a moment ago I took that for the chairman's idle gossip, but having seen his strength, I'm starting to think it might be true."
The chairman of WHAT, exactly?
Could it be—the true chairman of the Goddess Adoration Society?
So the Society has members not just in the nearby schools, but in the Self-Defense Forces too......
Though that's not the sort of connection between me and the SDF you mean.
"Ohh, so you passed Ao's inspection? Don't tell me the fifth member is Haruki?"
Ohh?
A scout offer, of all things?
"It isn't. The fifth member is at least three times as fast as he is now. An unbelievably fast mover."
So no, apparently.
"The story was that the fifth member uses fire magic, and you were searching far and wide, no? As I thought—unreliable information after all."
Ah—so the fire-magic user you were recruiting in that video wasn't a support member, but the fifth party member......
"That's what we came to talk about today. Recruiting Watanabe-san, of course, but also to ask for your help finding the fifth member. Well, it's not the Floor 50 talk—may we speak about that one even if someone hears? We intend to put the call out through the net before long anyway."
No, no—if Kaito and Uehara Asuka aren't going to Floor 50, then that's not "fine if someone hears," that's a never-leak-it kind of story, isn't it?
A 'Blue Ocean' split would be a massive scandal.
I'd like to excuse myself right about now, but it feels wrong to leave Watanabe-san behind in this hostile atmosphere......
"That's news to me too. You were recruiting an escort up to Floor 49, right? But if Ao isn't going either, the whole picture changes......"
"The fifth member's weapon is a spear. A cross-tipped one, at that. Pierced by the spear, one blow is fatal. More than that—even if you attack the shield, it's the attacker who dies. They wear no armor, and control it remotely with something like a 【Marionette】 skill as they come at you."
"......"
Come at you?
But you said you were searching for them, didn't you?
In the first place—can you really know that much and still fail to identify the individual?
Are you trying to make a dangerous person who attacks people in dungeons into a party member?
"What's that supposed to be? Spear, shield, and puppet-job holder? But a cross-tipped spear, a jumonji spear—that's Hiramatsu, isn't it? The fifth member is Hiramatsu?"
The dangerous person's true identity—Hiramatsu-san, of all people!
No wait, he did beat Yukiya-san, and for someone aiming at Floor 50, Hiramatsu-san does make sense......
Fitting, when you think about it.
"I thought so too, but he himself said before that he'd only just become Double-Rank. I saw him sitting at reception earlier too, but I felt none of that overwhelming presence. I'd put his level around 20. Leveling up from there would take far too long. We're not prepared to wait that long either, so probably not."
"Huh? That guy's a Double? Seriously? And only Level 20...... In the dungeon I might actually be able to beat him. Hold on, I'm going over there!"
"Going over there" is a death flag!
But if he's Level 20, could I beat him too?
Off I go, then!
"Wait, wait. We're in the middle of the conversation, no? Besides, Hiramatsu-san isn't impossible as the fifth member, so don't go souring his mood. And hear the most important information first."
Fair enough.
If it ends with him refusing to teach me the spear anymore, I'm in trouble.
"The important information?"
"The special skill. That's what blocked the 【Dimension Slash】."
"......"
"Hm? Blocked it? Not dodged it? The 【Dimension Slash】 that can cut a Manticore clean in two, blocked? I thought that thing cut ANYTHING?"
"It couldn't cut it. I suspect 【Dimension Slash】 simply cannot cut a 【Dimension Wall】. Perhaps it could cut one if it truly tried, but no attack reaches beyond it, so the result is the same—it's blocked either way."
"The way you put it, that means it wasn't a 【Dimension Wall】, doesn't it? So their special skill can do the same thing?"
"......"
"Yes. But that's not all. They attack from behind with it. I was killed any number of times before I realized what it was."
"......"
Killed?
Huh? You're alive, right?
Is there some kind of revival skill?
"Wait, wait, wait, WAIT. It can be used offensively? It's not just a shield-conjuring skill? And what's this about from behind?"
"I couldn't believe it either when I first heard. Well, Chiharu has no reason to lie, so I chose to believe her."
"So what IS this special skill, then?"
Right, right—quit building it up and tell us already.
"I believe it conjures 'Gates.' It placed a 'Gate' before it like a shield to block my 【Dimension Slash】, and produced another behind my back to attack me from."
"Huh!?"
Wha—?
"Conjuring 'Gates'...... Is that even possible? Supposing it is, what's the basis for calling it a special skill? Could it not be some job's ability?"
"It's far too outside the standard. If it can block a 【Dimension Slash】, it should be a 50-point skill. A spear, a shield, and 【Marionette】. Even stacking jobs for 25 points, the number of skills they use is far too many—there'd be no spare room at all."
Sword Saint-chan answers.
Mine is a special skill too, after all.
Could it be the same skill as mine?
How did you survive being attacked by something like that?
No—right, you said you were killed.
Any number of times, no less......
Having someone like that roaming free is a problem, but the idea of making them a party member makes even less sense to me......
"I've never heard of such a special skill, so they must be hiding it. That's the situation—ring any bells?"
Ao-san asks Watanabe-san and me.
"......Beats me?"
"None here. Is it really safe to make someone that dangerous a companion, though?"
Unfortunately, Watanabe-san and I both have no idea.
"Oh! I might have a lead!"
Yukiya-san seems to know something.
"Really?"
"Well, not about the special skill—that part's a total blank. But someone who uses a jumonji spear and is at least a Triple-Rank? I know one guy! Right, Haruki?"
"Huh? Someone I know too?"
"Huh!?"
Jumonji spear says Hiramatsu-san, but it's not him.
A dangerous Triple-Rank killer, huh......
"Oh, I've got it! Atsushi-san, maybe?"
"Why him?! It's not like that guy's a spear-job holder, is he?"
Right—he's 【Berserker】 and 【Scout】.
And a 【Swordsman】 too, I think he said?
He doesn't seem to have a spear job or a shield job.
"Hmm, I don't see anyone like that among my acquaintances?"
"It's Miko-chan, Miko-chan!"
No no, that's the murderer you're talking about, right?
No wait—did the fact that she was so sweet on Atsushi-san mean she sensed the same something in him that she has herself?
What is that, terrifying......
"Where is this person now? If we see her—if we fight her—we'll know."
Huh? I'm going to get killed, right?
Why do you want to fight her......
Actually, if she could beat 'Sword Saint-chan,' wouldn't that make Miko-san Japan's strongest?
"Haruki, where's Miko-chan? The shrine?"
"No, I haven't seen her lately, I'm afraid. It seems she spends her free time out searching for Atsushi-san. For Miko-san's whereabouts, you'd do better to ask Hiramatsu-san than me."
Come to think of it, she's the far-out person who built a shrine inside the dungeon, after all.
Maybe something religious made her unable to forgive 'Sword Saint-chan.'
"Tch, honestly—what does she even see in chasing after Atsushi's tail like that...... And where'd he run off to, anyway......"
"This Miko person—what's she like?"
"Hiramatsu's little sister. She's got skill. On the surface she's strong enough to give me a real fight."
"I see—Hiramatsu-san's sister...... For now, shall we go to Hiramatsu-san? I'd like to speak with him directly as well. ......Oh, that's right. Haruki-kun."
"Yes?"
Ao-san, walking off toward the Association facility where Hiramatsu-san is, turned back and addressed me.
"What is your special skill, may I ask?"
"Huh? ......【Blood Suck】, sir?"
On reflex, I recalled the earlier conversation and lied.
It's a secret, after all.
"Ah...... My apologies."
"Haruki, you......"
"Just as I thought—dangerous after all!"
I should have thought up a milder cover story......
They might think I'm even worse than Miko-san now.
"......Hoshino-san. One question, if I may?"
"What?"
Just as the air turned strange and everyone started walking again, Watanabe-san spoke up to 'Sword Saint-chan.'
"Did you lose to that spear user?"
"......I don't lose to her anymore."
"Heh. So you lost. I see...... You won, did you......"
Kasumi-san murmurs, sounding satisfied.
"Why do you look so happy?"
"My apologies, that was rude of me...... I have never once lost to Miko-san."
My heart skips.
At that smile, for some reason turned toward me......
No wait—I've never beaten Miko-san either......
Did she just one-up me?