Chapter

arc3 · 049-ch49

Episode 49: Jūryō Frog

Suzuka was running through the dungeon. To him, it felt like a light jog, but with his stats having risen, he was moving at full sprint speed.

"Kinda disappointing, Twin Poison Serpent..."

The face of Suzuka running through the dungeon looked downcast. Despite this being the last day, the items dropped by the Twin Poison Serpent had been underwhelming.

The dropped items were "Python's Sake" and "Twin Poison Serpent's Scale." "Python's Sake" is an item the Twin Poison Serpent always drops.

Area bosses in areas beyond District 3 Floor 1 have guaranteed drop slots, perhaps because they're formidable enemies. Area bosses other than the Twin Poison Serpent also have items they always drop.

"Python's Sake" is a high-looking sake in a one-shō bottle. It looks like Japanese sake, but who knows about the contents.

When I checked, the Explorer Association's buy-back price was 1 million yen. A guaranteed drop item worth 1 million yen. An exceptional price.

But considering it's a drop from an area boss that's rarely defeated, that might be about right. By the way, the 1 million yen is just the Explorer Association's buy-back price—if put up for auction, it would definitely fetch more. Top-grade sake.

Of course, Suzuka isn't selling it. Suzuka liked drinking parties, but he didn't particularly like alcohol. So it's not like he's eager to drink it himself, but he figured it might be nice to drink it with his family when he turns twenty, so he decided to let it gather dust in storage.

The other item, "Twin Poison Serpent's Scale," is a coveted item for companies, but to Suzuka it's just another material he doesn't understand. Might be nice to decorate his room as a souvenir.

"Damn. Was aiming for the 'Ring of Twin Poisons'..."

The "Ring of Twin Poisons" is a rare drop from the Twin Poison Serpent. An exceptional item that raises Status Abnormality Resistance and Poison Magic skill levels by 1 each.

He kept using poison magic today too, but it hasn't manifested as his own skill yet.

Skills that become usable through items can manifest if you keep using them. This is because if you can raise the skill level, the skill will remain even after removing the item, so naturally you end up learning the skill. Of course, if you have no aptitude for that skill, no matter how much you use it, the skill level won't rise.

Suzuka feels like he's on the verge of learning poison magic, but it's probably still a while before it manifests.

Having defeated the Twin Poison Serpent, the Area Boss of District 3, Suzuka's next target is Jūryō Frog.

Floor 1 is divided into concentric circle-shaped areas, with the dungeon entrance in the center. District 3 is located in the second circle from District 1, and if you look at District 3 alone, it has a doughnut-like shape.

District 3 roughly divided this way has the Twin Poison Serpent to the east, Jūryō Frog to the south, Water Blade Weasel to the west, and the stairs to Floor 2 to the north. If you defeat them starting from the Twin Poison Serpent, the next Area Boss naturally becomes Jūryō Frog.

Running for about an hour, he defeats monsters that catch his eye. The ones he defeats are Pseudoviscous and Rock Earth Dragon. Pseudoviscous for potions, Rock Earth Dragon because the items sell for high prices. If there are Beginning Frogs or Nut Bombarrel Chipmunks around too, he defeats them together.

Meanwhile, he skips past the Madness Serpent Mimics he'd been prioritizing until now. Since he won't fight the Twin Poison Serpent anymore, he doesn't need the "Mimicry Serum" that drops from Madness Serpent Mimics.

Proceeding like this, he arrives at the location of Jūryō Frog.

"Only this place feels different, huh."

As Suzuka muttered, this was a place different from the rest of District 3. District 3 is hilly terrain with undulating land. Grass grows everywhere, with trees here and there casting shade. It's an area where, varying by density, green spreads as far as the eye can see.

But the place where Jūryō Frog is located is different. In an area where the hardened earth was exposed, Jūryō Frog stood there. That area, raised one level higher than the surroundings, was clearly a dohyō to anyone who saw it.

But it's not a normal dohyō. There's no shikiri-sen lines where sumo wrestlers face off, no rope-wrapped straw bags marking the ring's boundary, and no splendid suspended roof like at the Kokugikan. It's a bare-bones open-air dohyō, enlarged to match the monster.

In the middle of that dohyō, a Beginning Frog had taken its stance. That's right—not Jūryō Frog, but Beginning Frog.

Jūryō Frog was outside the dohyō. Standing alongside Curtain Frog there.

The first time Suzuka saw this, he had smiled thinking what a ridiculous and wonderful monster this was. The fact that such a stupid monster existed made him want to explore the dungeon even more.

Suzuka stepped up onto the dohyō without hesitation. Though he hadn't tested it before, he wouldn't do anything unsightly like ignoring Beginning Frog and attacking Jūryō Frog directly here.

Beginning Frog: Level 25

It's a Beginning Frog at its maximum level of 25. Surely this must be a born-and-raised specimen among Beginning Frogs.

Beginning Frog is a giant frog with the appearance of a tree frog. It's huge for a frog, but even so it's only about 1.5 meters tall. Still smaller than the petite Suzuka.

He puts his short sword into storage and concentrates. Beginning Frog is clearly roused too. There's no need for words. No referee needed.

When both had finished preparing, they simultaneously took one step forward.

BAAAAAASHHHHH―――

In the clash of full-force tachiai between them, the gunbai went to Suzuka. Beginning Frog, carried backward by the momentum of being blown away, rolled back and transformed into black smoke.

Normally, it shouldn't die from something like this, but monsters are strictly bound by the rule that touching your hand to the ground on this dohyō means defeat. By the way, Suzuka doesn't die instantly. He's touched his hands, rolled around, and even been thrown outside the dohyō, but he's been perfectly fine.

When Beginning Frog lost, Curtain Frog stepped up onto the dohyō next. This is a frog with warty skin that brings toads to mind. Its body height is larger than Beginning Frog, approaching 1.8 meters. Naturally larger than Suzuka.

Curtain Frog: Level 40

This too is the level cap of Curtain Frog at 40. Maybe because of its innate face or because it looks down on the petite Suzuka, this is an annoying monster that somehow conveys the impression that even though it's a frog, it's mocking its opponent.

But even Curtain Frog, when taking a stance on the dohyō, shows no overconfidence there. It concentrates and takes its stance.

Facing such Curtain Frog, Suzuka also doesn't take a weapon and focuses. When he first faced Curtain Frog here, he fought by pulling out an iron pipe. It doesn't seem like using weapons is considered a foul—even when fighting with weapons, Jūryō Frog doesn't intervene and it becomes a normal 1-on-1 battle.

But Suzuka is different now. Having raised his level and stats, he can engage Curtain Frog head-on.

The tension between the two rises. Even though the opponent is a monster, he can even hear their breathing.

Now.

The moment he felt that, both had released their hands from the ground.

Suzuka doesn't do a tachiai like before. Curtain Frog is a monster that uses lots of thrusting attacks. In a world made slow by the Thought Acceleration skill, he saw Curtain Frog extending its hands.

Suzuka lowers his posture even further, as if to slip beneath. Instead of facing the thrusts head-on, he intended to settle it with grappling.

Curtain Frog, having expected a tachiai, had its guard opened, and its thrusts cut empty air. Suzuka, having slipped under the thrusts, took Curtain Frog's mawashi with that same momentum.

But Curtain Frog isn't losing either. Showing the tenacity of one who grew to Curtain Frog, even with its posture unsettled, it brings its hands that cut empty air down from above to pin Suzuka.

Suzuka's current stats are over 400 on average. A figure nearly double that of an ordinary explorer. Curtain Frog had looked down on such Suzuka. Thinking this downward slam would settle it.

The palm striking Suzuka's back. But Suzuka doesn't touch his knee to the ground. Feeling like he'd hit a rock, Curtain Frog's eyes went wide.

"That's all you got? Attacks anyone can take? No wonder you never got past Curtain Frog, you piece of shiiiiit!!!"

While digging into the part Curtain Frog least wanted touched, Suzuka actually lifted Curtain Frog up and slammed it to the ground. The petite, slender Suzuka lifting the heavy, large-built Curtain Frog. A scene that would be impossible without the concept of stats was unfolding.

Curtain Frog, slammed to the ground, transformed into smoke with a regretful voice.

Now only Jūryō Frog remains. The main target Jūryō Frog grandly steps up onto the dohyō.

Jūryō Frog: Level 48

There's an 8 level difference from Curtain Frog. But between them exists a separated difference in power. Area bosses exist in a different dimension from other monsters.

Jūryō Frog wears not just a mawashi, but also a mantle on its back. Its design is like a keshō-mawashi, a powerful mantle depicting great waves.

Its appearance is like a horned frog, and to Suzuka it has a more likable appearance than a toad. Its size is one tier larger than Curtain Frog—probably over 2 meters.

He reached his hand into storage to pull out "Calm Short Sword," but stopped his hand dead.

When facing Jūryō Frog, he used to fight with a magic iron pipe or short sword. It's only been in the last few days that he started fighting Curtain Frog without weapons in sumo matches.

Jūryō Frog is a monster of a different level from Curtain Frog—Suzuka, who has fought it repeatedly, knows this best. These three types of frogs are monsters that take sumo wrestlers and turn them directly into frogs, and their movements are all the same. But the sharpness of their techniques, their weight, their edge, their overwhelming presence—Jūryō Frog is in a different class in every respect.

Its skin is as tough as Rabbit Demon Iron Skin's, with such high durability he's not even sure he's dealing damage. Its open-handed slaps are far sharper than imagined from appearance—if they graze you, you're easily blown out of the ring. Its missile-like tachiai—take that head-on and you'd get crushed like a toad, probably.

To take on such an opponent in sumo. Just the idea is insane.

And Suzuka pulled an item from storage. But that item didn't look like a short sword no matter how you looked at it.

"Today's the last day, after all. Need to make him understand, don't I."

Saying that, he removed the Mimicry Mantle and put on a different mantle. A majestic mantle like a keshō-mawashi with a great snake, a weasel, and a frog depicted on the back.

This is an item enhanced by using Snatch skill on Jūryō Frog's mantle. Jūryō Frog originally dropped an item called "Sekitori's Mantle," and its effect raised attack by 15% and defense by 10% each.

And the enhanced version of "Sekitori's Mantle" is "Top Dog's Pride." Its effect is performance matching a secret treasure that raises not just attack and defense, but agility by 15% as well.

Wearing such a mantle, he further pulls out "Proof of Devotion" and attaches one to each wrist. It's a bracelet with an aggressive design that looks like something a delinquent would wear. The design didn't appeal to him and the effect only raised stamina and defense stats by 25, so he hadn't equipped it, but he abandoned that fastidiousness.

Suzuka decided to challenge Jūryō Frog with sumo. If he's going to do something as crazy as challenging an Area Boss with sumo, at the very least he needs to exert all the power he can currently muster.

Finally, he pulls out one mask. Called a mask, but it has no part that hooks over the ears. Bringing that white mask with scale-like patterns to his mouth, it mysteriously stretched and joined behind his head without a seam.

A perfect join without seams, but if he wanted to remove it, the join would release and return to its original size. This is a drop item from the Twin Poison Serpent. Called "Serpent's Mask," its effect raises mana by 15% and attack by 10%.

It's a cool mask and one of his favorites, but because it's an Area Boss item and he still feels embarrassed about it, he hasn't been able to use it for everyday wear.

The current stats of Suzuka, who has equipped so many buff items, are these.

Name: Suzuka Jozenji

Level: 45

Stamina: 424 + 92

Mana: 420 + 63

Attack: 427 + 107

Defense: 423 + 113

Agility: 423 + 233

Dexterity: 425

Intelligence: 415

Storage: 177

Abilities: Swordsmanship (4), Body Control (4), Body Reinforcement (4), Mana Control (4), Evasion (1), Poison Magic (0+1), Snatch, Thought Acceleration (1), Mana Perception (2), Presence Detection (3), Presence Concealment (2), Status Abnormality Resistance (2+1), Map

Equipment: Meichuu Tracksuit (top and bottom), Gale Rabbit Armor (shoes), Top Dog's Pride, Serpent's Mask, Ring of Twin Poisons, Protection of Water Blade Weasel ×2, Proof of Devotion ×2

This is the strongest combination among the equipment he currently has. The lack of a unified appearance despite being so strong is just one of those things—charming in its own way.

Jūryō Frog appears to be a heavyweight from appearance, so to go toe-to-toe with that, he needs to raise attack. He managed to boost it by 100 with items, but will that actually work?

While Suzuka took items from storage and enhanced himself, Jūryō Frog simply waited quietly. Suzuka didn't think Jūryō Frog would do something uncouth like attacking during such an opening either. Strangely enough, even though it's a monster, when it comes to this point he feels like he understands his opponent.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Preparation complete—let me borrow your chest a bit."

Suzuka circulates mana through his body on a completely different level than before. The leaking mana light wraps around Suzuka, illuminating him brilliantly.

"...Hakkeyoi!"

He murmured quietly and leaned his body forward. Jūryō Frog also matched its breathing to Suzuka and faced him.

"Nokotta!!"

Leaving only dust clouds in its wake, Suzuka's figure vanished. Immediately after, a sound that couldn't possibly be flesh striking flesh echoed across the open-air dohyō.

"You piece of shiiiiit froooooog!!!"

Suzuka was shouting angrily while grabbing Jūryō Frog's mawashi trying to throw it, but no matter how much force he applied, it wouldn't budge. He was thinking to push through with the momentum of his tachiai, but he doubted whether he'd even moved backward from the impact.

The reason Suzuka was furious was Jūryō Frog's attitude just now. To Suzuka's choice of tachiai, Jūryō Frog had taken the posture of spreading both hands wide to receive it.

That form was perfect—like a yokozuna.

But the relaxed air of a superior annoyed Suzuka. Such a complete change in attitude from the person he'd just acknowledged as his superior when he said "let me borrow your chest."

However, Jūryō Frog's strength was real. No matter how much force he applied, it didn't budge in the slightest, creating the illusion he was pushing a wall. And Jūryō Frog wasn't kind enough to keep taking Suzuka's attacks forever, either.

To Suzuka grabbing its mawashi, Jūryō Frog's attack was open-handed slaps. The palm strike unleashed from the side had more than enough power to blow Suzuka away.

Suzuka rolled energetically across the dohyō, but perhaps thanks to the Body Control skill, he somehow managed to stay inside the ring. But he'd touched not just his knees—his hands and face too—to the ground, yet he didn't die instantly like Beginning Frog or Curtain Frog.

"Shit."

Without pursuing, Jūryō Frog widely spread its hands and performed chiri-mizu. That relaxed atmosphere made it feel like a sumo event where a sumo wrestler and child are playing.

That fact made veins pop on Suzuka's forehead. When a man gets looked down on, it's over. But the opponent isn't just looking down on him—Suzuka isn't even on its radar. There's no way he could stay calm about that.

"Gonna make you cry for sure."

When challenging an Area Boss with sumo, he'd been considering long battles too, but he stopped that too. Even while doing sumo, thinking "I'll lose repeatedly and win on the last time" was over. Once he's touched the ground, even if he defeats it, that can't be called a victory. But if he defeats it next time, it's 1 win 1 loss. He'll finish the match with Jūryō Frog as a draw.

A win or a draw. A regrettable way to end. But without forgetting that immaturity, he'll keep forging ahead.

There's no third time. This is the end.

Sensing Suzuka's change, Jūryō Frog also takes its stance. As a Jūryō, as a sekitori, holding respect for Suzuka who challenges it with sumo, Jūryō Frog too focuses deeply.

"Hakkeyoi."

The sound from the surroundings vanished. No sound of wind, no sound of grass and trees swaying.

Silence.

"Nokotta."

Only Suzuka's voice, leaking out, could be heard. Once again, the explosive sound of flesh striking flesh roared.

Different from before, Jūryō Frog was pushed back slightly. But that wasn't enough. The edge of the dohyō was too far to push it out.

"Uooooooooooooo!!!"

Gritting his teeth so hard they might crack, sending every bit of his mana to body reinforcement, Suzuka gave his all to push Jūryō Frog out. Though he pushed it back slightly more than before, Jūryō Frog too wasn't so easy to beat with that alone.

Its core that didn't collapse even when taking Suzuka's tachiai. As if to make Suzuka, who was trying to push it out, despair, it dropped its hips and planted itself like roots in the ground, stopping its movement.

As if showing a replay of before, Jūryō Frog struck Suzuka with an open-handed slap.

But unlike before, Suzuka wasn't blown away. Enduring the open-handed slap from the side, he continued pushing Jūryō Frog.

Jūryō Frog was surprised that Suzuka wasn't blown away even from its own open-handed slap, but it struck Suzuka with another open-handed slap using the opposite hand.

But even so, Suzuka wasn't blown away.

Jūryō Frog wasn't panicked yet. The edge of the ring was far, and its body wasn't being lifted enough to be defeated. But Jūryō Frog was feeling pressure. If it didn't finish him now, it would be the one going down.

That impatience drove Jūryō Frog, and it made an endless rain of open-handed slaps fall upon Suzuka.

"...Just slapping away left and right, you piece of shit frog"

He was pushing with all his might but couldn't make progress. From Jūryō Frog, he was getting slapped left and right, and if he let his guard down, he'd be blown away just like before.

Too heavy. At this rate, it's a war of attrition, damn it!

He grumbled in his heart, but the situation wouldn't change. Suzuka wasn't the only one impatient that the situation wasn't changing. Jūryō Frog stopped its slaps and grabbed Suzuka's waist.

Intending to push him out from that position, or intending to lift him and push him down—if it's Jūryō Frog, either is probably possible.

Bad. Get fired up! Push like your life depends on it!!

Suzuka pushing as if to lift Jūryō Frog so it can't brace itself. Jūryō Frog resisting with all its might so it can't move.

H!? Oh!? It's started pushing in. Did my skill level go up too!?

Suzuka, who until now had only been able to push it a miniscule distance, gradually began to push. Jūryō Frog, noticing Suzuka's change, tried to float him up to resist, but because of Suzuka's upward pressure, it couldn't brace properly and couldn't peel Suzuka off.

Not enough. Not yet. This isn't enough. What I'm after is a perfect victory!!

If he can push it out gradually backward, he might win. But what he's after isn't such a plain victory. An overwhelming victory that makes the difference in class understood.

Suzuka, without thinking ahead or behind, poured mana into body reinforcement. This isn't enough. Even if his mana runs dry, he doesn't care.

For the sake of victory right now!!

"Uooooooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo!!!"

The mana overflowing from his body gradually settled. Not because his mana was running out. Because through Mana Control, the way he used mana was being optimized.

With Mana Control skill level having risen too, he could now perform body reinforcement more efficiently and powerfully. At first, it was a push that barely seemed to move. But that push gradually picked up speed, and Jūryō Frog, now half-lifted by Suzuka, couldn't even brace itself.

It twisted and struggled to escape Suzuka, but Suzuka wouldn't let go.

"Go back to holding fundoshi for a living, you piece of shiiit frooog!!!"

Having pushed Jūryō Frog to the edge of the dohyō, Suzuka threw Jūryō Frog out of the ring with that same momentum.

Jūryō Frog flying through the air. What was reflected in its eyes was the railway line clearly etched into the dohyō. Proof that Suzuka had pushed it out head-on, and proof of a complete defeat.

Just before hitting the ground. The face of Jūryō Frog that Suzuka saw was a clear one.

Translation Notes: Sumo Terminology

This chapter features sumo-themed monsters and references many terms from traditional Japanese sumo wrestling. Here's a guide for readers unfamiliar with the sport:

Sumo Divisions (Monster Names)

The three frog monsters represent the lower three divisions of professional sumo:

Jōno-kuchi (Beginning Frog / 序ノ口蛙): The lowest and lowest division in sumo. New wrestlers start here.
Makushita (Curtain Frog / 幕下蛙): The third-highest division. Wrestlers here are still in the lower ranks.
Jūryō (Jūryō Frog / 十両蛙): The second-highest division, also called "ten thousand." The first division where wrestlers receive a monthly salary and become full professionals.

Sumo Ring and Equipment

Dohyō (土俵): The raised, clay-wrestling ring where sumo matches take place. It's about 4.55 meters (15 feet) in diameter and is made of compacted clay and covered with a layer of sand.
Shikiri-sen (仕切り線): The two white starting lines in the center of the dohyō where wrestlers face off before beginning their match.
Tawara-bags (勝負俵): The straw-wrapped bags that mark the boundary of the dohyō. If any part of a wrestler's body other than the soles of their feet touches outside these, they lose.
Kokugikan (国技館): Japan's national sumo arena in Tokyo, where top-division tournaments are held. It features a grand suspended roof over the dohyō.
Mawashi (廻し): The loincloth/belt worn by sumo wrestlers during matches. It's made of silk and can be grabbed by opponents to attempt throws.
Keshō-mawashi (化粧廻し): A decorative apron worn by wrestlers in the top two divisions during the ceremonial ring-entering procession. These are often elaborately embroidered with the wrestler's name, symbols, or sponsors' logos.
Sekitori (関取): Professional sumo wrestlers in the top two divisions (Jūryō and Makuuchi). They receive a salary and are considered true professionals.

Match Terms and Techniques

Tachiai (立合い): The initial charge/collision at the start of a sumo match. Both wrestlers launch themselves forward simultaneously from their starting positions.
Gunbai (軍配): The referee's fan, similar to a war fan, used to signal the winner and direct the match. The phrase "the gunbai went to [wrestler]" means they won.
Yokozuna (横綱): The highest rank in sumo, literally "horizontal rope." Only around 70 wrestlers have achieved this rank in the sport's history.
Hakkeyoi / Nokotta: Traditional phrases announced by the referee. "Hakkeyoi" means "Get ready!" and "Nokotta" means "Still remaining/not out yet." These are chanted to build excitement before and during matches.
Yori-kiri (寄り切り): A winning technique where you force your opponent out of the ring by pushing or thrusting them out.
Harite (張り手): Open-handed slapping attacks to the opponent's face or chest. These can be powerful enough to knock opponents backward or off-balance.
Tsuppari (突っ張り): Rapid, repeated thrusting attacks with the hands, typically aimed at the opponent's chest or throat area.
Koshikudake (腰砕け): A throwing technique where you grab your opponent's mawashi and throw them down by targeting their waist/back.

Sumo Culture References

Chiri-mizu (塵水): Literally "dust water." Ritual purification water poured into a hand-basin that wrestlers use to rinse their mouths and hands before matches. This is followed by clapping hands to attract the attention of the gods.
Fundoshi (褌): The traditional Japanese loincloth that sumo wrestlers wear under their mawashi. Suzuka's insult about "holding fundoshi" is a degrading reference to a wrestler who works in the lowest, most menial positions.
Rikishi (力士): A general term for sumo wrestlers.

These monsters are designed as literal frogs dressed and fighting like sumo wrestlers, complete with their own ranking system that mirrors the real sport's divisions.