arc3 · 055-ch55

Episode 55: Monster

Urban's leader Tachikawa, watching Suzuka's battle with the Water Blade Weasel, couldn't tell which one was the monster.

For Tachikawa, today was the worst day possible. Given Urban's members' levels, they couldn't level up without fighting District 3's upper species like Madness Serpent Mimics, Curtain Frogs, and Rock Earth Dragons.

But today, for some reason, the upper species never appeared alone—they either grouped up with other upper species or totaled five or more even if just one was an upper species, so there were no manageable groups.

Unable to find any manageable groups of monsters in small numbers, it was doomed from the start of wandering around Floor 1 District 3. He should have compromised and fought even just one Sphere Moon Snake or Beginning Frog along the way. If he had, they wouldn't have gone so deep into District 3.

By chance, they won against a group of five monsters. In that battle, they realized their own growth, and he thought they could overtake Parks. Job hunting was approaching, so they wanted to build up some results now.

They were getting carried away.

Because of that, before they knew it, they were surrounded by monsters. Usually, other monsters wouldn't join in the middle of a battle, creating chain battles. But today, they were fighting large numbers of monsters, so each battle took time, and more and more monsters kept gathering.

Because of that, they lamely ran away. To survive, they had no choice but to run.

So swallowing their pride, they asked Parks' guys for help. Tachikawa knew they were excellent, and during summer vacation they had grown more than his party—they could hold their own against even that many monsters.

But the Water Blade Weasel was different. That's not a monster humans can beat.

At first glance, his heart was already broken. All he could do was hold his breath and stay still so the Water Blade Weasel wouldn't pay attention to them.

Seeing the pressure the Water Blade Weasel radiated, the Madness Serpent Mimic that had been such a formidable enemy seemed like a tiny existence. And it was driven home just how insignificant Tachikawa was, taking time even against that tiny existence.

But there were fools fighting that Water Blade Weasel. It was zoo, the party of Karin Rikuzen's younger sister—the former leader of Kagika Rurei, who graduated last year.

Tachikawa had also heard about it from classmates. There were rumors she was even stronger than her sister Karin, but at their level as first years, he hadn't paid attention to what they were saying.

But maybe those rumors were true. Despite being a party of only four, they were holding their own against the Water Blade Weasel. Against the Water Blade Weasel, which radiated such pressure they could barely move.

Meanwhile, Parks' leader Ryonan shouted that this was where they had to hold their ground as he resumed fighting monsters.

Honestly he wanted to run right now, but surrounded by monsters on all sides, even that was difficult. Besides, Tachikawa had his pride. It was galling to be carried along by Ryonan, but either way, if he didn't move he'd die.

Rio and Reina were already crying and useless, so Machida and Fussa surrounded Rio and Reina, fighting desperately.

From all directions came monsters' screams and Ryonan and the others' roars, so Tachikawa was slow to notice.

Her appearance.

At first he thought it was a zoo party member. There was no one like that in Hachioji Explorer High's third year, so if such a person existed, it could only be zoo.

But that was different.

zoo is strong. He would admit that. Since they can at least hold their own against the Water Blade Weasel, he had to admit it. Not dying instantly against that monster—they must be geniuses.

But that black-haired woman was different.

The moment she floated a terrifying smile that made his hair stand on end, she disappeared from Tachikawa's vision.

"Hah?"

Immediately after, the sound of swordplay echoed. When he looked in the direction of the sound, her figure was already gone.

She raced through this chaotic battlefield without restraint, together with the Water Blade Weasel.

"AHAHAHAHAHA!! What's wrong, what's wrong!? You're gonna die real fast like that!? Come on, keep trying, keep trying!!"

Her figure was invisible, but the black-haired woman's laughter alone could be heard. That voice carried the same air of madness he'd felt from the Madness Serpent Mimic. No, even thicker—a deep, deep madness that felt like it was staining and contaminating his spirit.

They, who could do nothing but hold still in front of the Water Blade Weasel, were ordinary people.

zoo, who could at least hold their own against the Water Blade Weasel, were geniuses.

But that guy, fighting the Water Blade Weasel all alone and even fighting with the advantage—he's a monster.

Even the other monsters stopped attacking Tachikawa and the others, instead swarming to attack that black-haired woman.

But....

"Hey hey, don't hide, come out!! Help me raise my Swordsmanship skill, damn it!!"

Every time the black-haired woman passed, monsters turned to smoke.

Nut Bombarrel Chipmunks and Beginning Frogs turned to smoke in one hit, and even the troublesome Madness Serpent Mimics and Curtain Frogs rolled miserably as if punched by the black-haired woman, their deformed forms unable to even stand up. Even Rock Earth Dragons, covered in rock-solid armor, had punched-in parts that cratered like they'd collapsed—they were in no condition to return to the battle line.

"...What the hell is that?"

Whether it was Machida, Fussa, or his own mouth that squeezed out those words, they were the words of someone who had given up trying to understand the scene before their eyes.

◇

Parks' leader Ryonan, watching Suzuka's battle with the Water Blade Weasel, felt this: can humans get this close to being monsters?

The battle line that had been on the verge of collapse from the monster train had recovered with zoo's participation, and Ryonan gained certainty that they could win.

zoo had strength beyond the rumors—each member was excellent enough to handle District 3's upper species alone. Because the female tank role took their monsters' attacks, they could focus on attacking and gradually reduce the number of monsters.

Still, the numbers were high, but if it continued like this, they could win. That's how much zoo's assistance meant.

As a fellow tank role, there was something that caught his eye. The high stats that let her lightly wield such a huge shield, the wide field of view that accurately blocks monster attacks approaching from all directions, and the wide defensive range from her Taunt skill. And she's a first year. Either way, they probably couldn't have reached this level.

Because of the severe injuries they suffered in District 2, Parks gave up on becoming top explorers and shifted their goal to becoming solid explorers. But seeing the proficiency of the woman before his eyes, he felt like the difference in the talent they originally possessed was being shoved in his face.

"Your voices aren't out there!! Don't burn out!! We're settling this here!!"

"OORAH!!!"

Ryonan rallies his comrades. His comrades must be at fatigue peak from extreme tension and stress, but it's still too early to rest.

Even fake energy is better than none. Explorers die starting from those whose hearts break.

Because they experienced their setback in District 2, Parks had gained strong hearts. But the despair that would break even those hearts came with the monster train.

"Ugh!? Damn, sorry!!"

Saying that, the shield-wielding woman deflected an approaching monster with her shield and headed toward her comrades. A hole had suddenly opened, but Ryonan and Fujimori would handle covering it.

"What happened!?"

"I don't know! But they've looked out for us this far! The rest is up to us to――"

Ryonan tried to reply to Fujimori's words, but the words didn't continue past that.

The kind of intense pressure that feels like your stomach is being gripped. Looking in the direction of zoo members' voices, the identity became clear.

Water Blade Weasel. Floor 1 District 3's strongest monster was there.

No one could speak. Like ordinary people put in a lion's cage, they desperately held back their trembling bodies, staying as quiet as possible to not attract attention.

But zoo, far from freezing before that symbol of terror called Water Blade Weasel, started fighting.

It was shocking.

That they could stand up to that.

They too had defeated Boss Fox in District 1, and in District 2 they had planned to challenge the Area Boss Fresh Green Great Wolf. They even thought they had their own opinion on Area Bosses compared to other classmates.

But he was wrong. Boss Fox and the Water Blade Weasel before his eyes were in no way beings that seemed like the same Area Boss. The death aura they radiated, the intense pressure—they were monsters that didn't seem like they should exist in District 3.

And zoo, who can hold their own against such an Area Boss, what a strong and dazzling existence they are.

But being able to fight and being able to win are different.

Watching the battle with the Water Blade Weasel, zoo was entirely on the defensive, deflecting, parrying, and dodging attacks. The Water Blade Weasel's attacks were so numerous there was no opening to attack, and on top of that they used water magic, so they were unmanageable.

Yet zoo wasn't giving up.

Is there something? Some strategy to get through this.

But no vision of zoo defeating the Water Blade Weasel floats up. If that's the case, the only choice is to escape. If it's just escaping, maybe they can do it if something clicks.

In that case, should they buy time for them?

Ryonan, having reached the conclusion that zoo would escape, moved to help them without being angry. The reason was simple. Whether zoo fights or escapes, if they can't defeat the Water Blade Weasel, Parks' lives are gone. The only ones who have a possibility to escape from this place are zoo. Then, supporting the path that lets juniors survive is probably the duty of those who came before.

"This is where we hold our ground!! Show me what you've got, men!!"

"ACKNOWLEDGED!!"

Without needing to say it all, his comrades understood they wouldn't make it back alive. Even so, they accepted that letting zoo, their juniors, make it back alive was what they should do.

Every single one of them made a determination they wouldn't waver from. They'd take on monster aggro as much as possible, and create a retreat path for zoo's escape.

He wanted to survive too. He wanted to return to the surface alive. He was about to be crushed by anxiety to the point he wanted to cry, so that's exactly why he forced his voice out and slashed at the monster before his eyes.

And then, the situation suddenly changes.

Ryonan, who was watching zoo's situation while blocking monsters' attacks, saw the moment the Water Blade Weasel was paralyzed. Pure admiration that they had paralyzed the Area Boss through strategy, and renewed resolve that here is where his life would be used.

As Ryonan imagined, zoo began to retreat, leaving the paralyzed Water Blade Weasel alone. That's precisely why Ryonan and Parks positioned themselves between zoo and the Water Blade Weasel. To be a shield.

There, they learned firsthand how much they had underestimated the Water Blade Weasel's agility. The Water Blade Weasel, cutting through the chaotic battlefield where monsters and explorers mixed together like water flowing through cracks, passed straight by Ryonan and the others.

Ryonan and the others' resolve changed nothing and ended in a swing and a miss. As if that fact was shoved in their faces, the shield-wielding woman was blown away, and the woman who had paralyzed it was slashed.

It was over. This was the result of their powerlessness. What Ryonan, surrounded by monsters, could do was only stare blankly at the Water Blade Weasel.

Unable to look away from that cruel reality, he watched as the Water Blade Weasel was about to deliver the finishing blow to zoo's members, when that black-haired woman suddenly appeared.

A presence that hadn't been there until now. But as if she had teleported, she was standing there before they knew it.

Her appearance, more beautifully sculpted than any statue, hinted at her high stats. The magic iron pipe, appearing to be the "Underling's Essential" dropped by Floor 1 District 1's Underling Fox, had mana flowing evenly through it. From that, the high level of her Mana Manipulation skill and the high amount of mana she possessed could be felt.

When Ryonan saw the black-haired woman's ferocious smile, he was more terrified than when he first saw the Water Blade Weasel. The moment the black-haired woman moved, she was such a terrifying existence that he involuntarily braced himself.

At a speed even Ryonan could barely follow with his eyes, she was fighting the Water Blade Weasel. The monsters that had been so troublesome turned to smoke without even being given a second thought.

"If you keep running away, you'll lose your companions!! Hey!?"

Incredibly, the Water Blade Weasel wasn't chasing her—the black-haired woman was chasing the Water Blade Weasel around. Perhaps because she has no ranged attacks, she was kicking Sphere Moon Snakes on her path toward the Water Blade Weasel as if they were soccer balls.

It's ridiculous. Makes no sense. An existence that makes your brain give up trying to understand.

Watching zoo's battle, Ryonan felt longing. Despite being attacked by a monster train, he couldn't help imagining if only he could become like that. They were that strong, and for the current Ryonan, they were a dazzling existence.

But the black-haired woman was different. He understood that the fundamental part was different from himself. No, it would be better to say that his instinct rejected that they were the same.

"Hey, you okay, Ryonan?"

When Fujimori spoke to him, he realized he was trembling. The sword in his hand, perhaps because he'd gripped it too hard, couldn't even be opened properly.

Like a panic state. He hadn't entered a panic state even when many Madness Serpent Mimics rushed in during the monster train, but it seemed he was on the verge of developing one from the black-haired woman's madness.

When he noticed, there were no monsters left around. Every time that monster roamed around raising an enjoying voice, one by one they turned to smoke.

While still hiding his still-trembling hand so it wouldn't be noticed, Ryonan watched that scene together with his comrades.