arc4 · 071-ch71

Episode 71: New Skill

No matter how much he got hurt, no matter how deep he advanced into the dungeon, no matter how desperate the situation became, Suzuka kept running.

Even as a primal warning as a living creature echoed in his head to run away when he saw the identity unknown, he trusted the intuition that he should defeat it and kept running.

He didn't know whether that choice was correct or not.

But finally, the result of continuing to run was rewarded.

The vortex of emotions that surged like a muddy stream from the identity unknown. Those forcibly infused passions exceeded his brain's processing capacity, burned through his blood vessels, and blood overflowed from his eyes, ears, nose, everywhere.

Even so, he took one step forward, and Suzuka reached his hand out toward the identity unknown.

He could have swung through the Calm Short Sword he held. No, his brain was commanding him to do so. But as a result, Suzuka didn't swing the Calm Short Sword and reached his hand out to the identity unknown.

Plop

With the sensation of dipping his hand into a high-viscosity liquid, the hand that touched the identity unknown sank in. There was no resistance at all. It felt like it would sink endlessly, but before he knew it, he was grasping something in his hand.

Suzuka gripped it tightly and pulled it out as if extracting it from the identity unknown.

Immediately after, darkness sprayed from the identity unknown and covered the world.

◇

The identity unknown, having had something pulled from it, swelled up and burst, scattering darkness.

The world became dyed in darkness.

In an instant, it was covered in such deep darkness that he couldn't see even an inch ahead.

"Haa... haa... Huh? What's this? Was this something I shouldn't have defeated?"

Suzuka was out of breath after running continuously for a long time. With all the resources he had allocated to the identity unknown now released, his thoughts restarted and he tried to grasp the current situation.

"It hurrrts. It hurrrts, pii. I'm gonna die, pii..."

Now that he'd calmed down a bit, the pain of injuries suppressed by adrenaline assaulted his entire body. Arms, legs, back—he was injured everywhere, and even moving slightly caused such severe pain that he involuntarily grimaced.

Since he'd moved his body beyond its limits, it seemed not only his outer muscles but also his inner muscles were damaged.

He reached his hand toward storage to take a potion for now, when he heard a sound. A faint sound like branches and leaves rustling in the wind. At the same time, a gentle wind caressed his cheek.

He hadn't felt this until just now. Because he had been completely cut off from the outside world by being covered in darkness.

"Are you someone who possesses the qualification?"

He immediately turned around at that voice and poured maximum mana into the Calm Short Sword.

Until just now, there had been nothing. It should have been covered in darkness.

But, when he turned around, that place wasn't darkness.

At the spot where warm evening sunlight shone, a magnificent giant tree stood. A great tree that was probably over 1000 years old. The leaves were lush and green, and on its thick trunk, branches extended as if to say "take as many as you want," creating shade over the entire area.

There was one human and a treasure chest as if sitting on that trunk.

No, that's not human. Come on...

Cold sweat ran down his cheeks. Even though he was pouring mana into the Calm Short Sword and readying it, he couldn't move even a single finger in front of that person.

More impact than when he met Tento the Sword God. An existence that made him want to naturally kneel before it.

The thought of fighting didn't even occur to him. Just as no one would think of racing against a shinkansen. It wasn't an opponent where winning and losing would even be born.

The Sword God had been a genuine monster who had undergone double existence evolution. But, the existence before his eyes felt like it was even further beyond that. As if like a genuine god, it was wrapped in divine aura.

"I'd like to talk with you for a bit, but it seems there's not much time."

That, which had been sitting, stood up. Wearing a loose robe like a clergyman's, and with the hood pulled deep over the eyes, the expression couldn't be discerned. From the tone of voice, he got a gentle impression, but he couldn't feel at ease at all due to the overwhelming aura released.

"You... I see, so you're connected here."

The man raised his voice as if surprised at something when he saw Suzuka, but it was Suzuka who was supposed to be surprised.

"I thought I could finally talk with you, but things don't go as planned, huh."

Saying that, the man stood beside the treasure chest and spoke to Suzuka.

"Now, this belongs to you. I want you to receive it."

With those words, Suzuka's legs started moving on their own, unrelated to his will. Even if he tried to stop, he couldn't stop. Even though he thought it was terrifying and didn't want to get close, he kept advancing toward the treasure chest more and more and more and more.

He approached the man, but as if out of focus, he couldn't look at his face.

"You don't need to be wary. I am ■■■. I am one who will be your power."

He didn't understand the meaning and couldn't even hear it properly. But, he probably said his name. If he introduced himself, it was etiquette to introduce himself too.

"I, um, I am Suzuka Jozenji."

"Hooh, as expected. You're not even level 100 yet, but you can speak at this distance?"

He knows the concept of level. He couldn't imagine at all what this existence was.

Probably due to the dungeon, but whether the unknown monster or this space, it wasn't something he could understand within the realm of comprehension, so he didn't think about it deeply.

Whether this guy is an enemy, whether this treasure chest is a trap, whether he can escape from this space alive. These were the only three things he needed to think about now.

"It's okay, Suzuka. I'm not an enemy, and this treasure chest isn't a trap either, and this space will disappear soon too."

...He naturally reads my thoughts.

That he's not an enemy is probably true. If he were an enemy, it would be strange for Suzuka to be alive right now. For this man, harvesting Suzuka's life would probably be as easy a task as breathing.

"What are you?"

It was a question that came out because he didn't even know whether he was human or not.

"I am a clergyman of ■■■■■■ who could not reach ■■■■■■■■■."

For some reason there were constraints, and there were words he couldn't hear.

Well, fine. If he's not an enemy and the treasure chest isn't a trap, then he'd gratefully receive it. Even if he were an enemy or a trap, there was no way to escape from this guy anyway.

Suzuka stopped being overly cautious and put his hand on the treasure chest.

The treasure chest, which looked like it was made of emerald gems, was so beautifully made that it had value just in itself. That deep emerald color changed to thin blue and deep purple, and as if emitting light itself, it captivated those who looked at it.

The treasure chests Suzuka had found in District 4 were in wooden boxes. Compared to that, the treasure chest before his eyes was like the difference between heaven and earth.

"That's right, Suzuka, what is your recovery magic skill level? Or is it holy magic that you remember?"

"Recovery magic? And holy magic? Unfortunately, I don't remember either."

Truly unfortunately, he didn't remember either. He'd never heard of holy magic, but recovery magic was something he definitely wanted to learn. Potions were precious so he couldn't use them easily, and if he could use recovery magic, he could ignore small injuries while exploring, so solo exploration would go much smoother.

"Huh? Is that so? You're holding a sword, so maybe you're not a healer?"

The self-proclaimed clergyman tilted his head.

The words were frank, but his tension only increased. Going beyond divine, it even felt ominous. He felt such pressure that he wondered if he was being attacked. Including the head tilt, he'd prefer he not move if possible.

His tongue was dry, and speaking was troublesome. As if he'd become anemic, the blood left his face, and he looked like he'd fall over at any moment.

His being about to fall was because not only mentally but also physically he was near his limit. Since he couldn't even defend properly when chasing the identity unknown, his whole body was tattered, and his arm and other attacks had cut so deeply that they seemed about to tear off. Even if he wanted to drink just the stamina potion in his storage, he couldn't take action in front of the man before his eyes.

He didn't think anything would happen with just that much, but just in case, he couldn't move lest it happen. As the saying goes, the god you don't touch won't curse you, so he could only try not to attract attention as much as possible.

The man's pressure wasn't the kind that overwhelmed the opponent. It was, if anything, something filled with benevolent warmth. Like the unconditional love a mother gives to her child, it was wrapped in such a sweet presence that one might involuntarily want to cling to it. But, if you yielded to it even once, it was an aura that reminded of a drug from which you'd never return.

Moreover, the power contained within was bottomless. It made him feel as if he were peering into the very bottom of a very deep, deep sea. Just to not be swallowed by that presence, Suzuka was doing his best.

"I'm not a healer. Not a rear guard either, I can only do close combat."

"Hmm, is that so. With my abilities... no, I wonder what'll happen?"

If asked "well?" he was troubled.

For some reason, the man seemed hung up on Suzuka not being a healer. But, even if he was told that, it was a fact that Suzuka was not only not a healer but not even a rear guard position.

"...Well, yeah. The fact that we're meeting like this means you had the aptitude. It's okay. Come on, try opening the treasure chest."

He was told something that made him very uneasy, but whatever he was told, he intended to open the treasure chest. There was no way he could skip a treasure chest that practically screamed "super rare item inside!"

The treasure chest opened easily without any particular resistance.

But, nothing happened.

"Huh?"

Two voices overlapped.

He had assumed that like dungeon treasure chests, black smoke would spray from inside, but it seemed that wasn't the case.

Then he peeked inside wondering if an item was inside, but there was nothing inside. Not only that, the treasure chest disappeared as if melting into the air.

"...This is interesting happening, isn't it. Haha, it's a dungeon, huh. Brings back memories."

Seeing Suzuka dumbfounded that the treasure chest had disappeared, the man muttered with a knowing look.

"I didn't get anything from the treasure chest——"

He was about to say that when the Calm Short Sword he held in his hand was repelled. Just like when you touch a doorknob in winter and static electricity happens, causing you to involuntarily pull your hand back, the Calm Short Sword left Suzuka's hand.

"Hah?"

"I see. By me recognizing it, it took form. No, still, that's amazing. This is amazing."

The man nodded. This man probably did something to the Calm Short Sword. But, Suzuka's intuition denied it. From the start, there was no meaning in this man doing something so incomprehensible.

Anyway, should he pick up the dropped Calm Short Sword?

Thinking that, he whipped his painful arm and tried to pick it up, but he was shocked.

"Huh? It doesn't hurt? What's this? The wound is closed?"

His arm, which should have been about to tear off until just now. Without realizing it, the wound was healed. Not just his arm. Injuries all over his body were completely healed.

When did it happen? Could it be that he healed him?

Thinking that, he looked at the man who called himself a clergyman.

"It's not me. No, maybe it is my power? Try checking your status."

As prompted, Suzuka displayed his status.

Name: Suzuka Jozenji

Level: 52

Stamina: 491

Mana: 488

Attack: 495

Defense: 490

Agility: 490

Dexterity: 491

Intelligence: 481

Storage: 205

Abilities: Swordsmanship (5), Body Arts (1), Body Control (5), Body Reinforcement (6), Mana Control (6), Evasion (1), Snatch, Holy ■'s ■■, Poison Magic (1), Thought Acceleration (2), Mana Perception (2), Presence Detection (4), Presence Concealment (2), Status Abnormality Resistance (2), Map

An unusual skill had increased. This was the first time he'd seen garbled text in status. Even when he tried to check the skill details in status, it wasn't displayed.

"A strange skill has manifested. It's garbled so I can't see it..."

"You can't see it? Maybe it hasn't assimilated yet. I think it'll fix itself eventually."

From those words, this man seemed to know something. Before Suzuka could ask, the man taught him.

"My power has been inherited to you. Normally it would just be a skill, and for you it should have been just a plus. But, it seems it was inherited in an interesting form."

Saying that, the man picked up the dropped Calm Short Sword and held it out to Suzuka. Suzuka expressed his gratitude and received it.

"You can hold a sword, right?"

As the man said, the Calm Short Sword was in Suzuka's hand.

"Then, try drawing that sword."

Just as he was about to draw it from the scabbard as told, just like before, the Calm Short Sword left Suzuka's hand as if being repelled. An inexplicable phenomenon. But, that probably connected to the "interesting" part he'd mentioned earlier.

"Earlier I said my power was inherited to you, right? But, it seems even my convictions were inherited."

"Convictions?"

He took it from the man who had picked up the Calm Short Sword that had dropped again and asked back.

"That's right. I'm a no-weapons policy. That seems to have transferred to you too."

"Weapons? Why?"

"Faith."

Just one word. The man told him the reason.

Contrary to that pure word, what dwelt in his eyes was deep, deep bottomless madness.

"That's why I can't hold weapons. That seems to have transferred to you too."

But, that was just for an instant, and he immediately returned to normal and explained it.

The restriction of not being able to hold weapons was inherited together with the power. If summarized, it was probably that.

He could understand it but couldn't accept the fact. Suzuka, who couldn't accept it, put the Calm Short Sword into storage and took out Underling's Pride. Then it was repelled and fell to the ground.

Watching that in silence, Suzuka picked up the magic iron pipe. But, immediately it spilled from his hand as if being repelled again. When he picked it up again, this time he could pick it up without issue, but he immediately returned it to storage before being repelled.

"I see. So if I have the intention to use it as a weapon, that's no good."

"Seems so."

He could hold it if he treated it as an object, but if he tried to use it as a weapon, he would be repelled.

...Wait, this is bad, isn't it?

"Um, can this function be turned on or off?"

"That's impossible."

It's over.

Skills can't be removed. They're not like accessories. In other words, once this garbled skill manifested, it meant Suzuka would never be able to equip weapons again.

Going to the dungeon in a state where he couldn't equip weapons? Even Suzuka could judge that his head was broken with this. If it were Floor 1, District 1, maybe, but in District 4 of Floor 1 where Suzuka is currently exploring, he definitely couldn't survive.

"Well, that's ultimately just a constraint on the granted authority, so there's no need to be that pessimistic."

Saying that, the man taught him about the garbled skill.

"The basic skill effect is that you become able to use holy magic. Since it hasn't assimilated yet, you might not be able to use it, though."

Holy magic. Earlier too, he'd said the name of such magic together with recovery magic.

Since it was a skill he'd never heard of, he didn't know what it could do, but from the name, it seemed like it could do purification and such. It seemed like magic that would be strong against undead types.

However, it seems he can't use it right away. Actually, even if Suzuka is conscious of holy magic, he doesn't feel like he can do anything. When he first used poison magic, he somehow understood what he could do, so as the man said, he probably can't use it yet.

"And, the disadvantage of not being able to hold weapons. As for why such a thing is happening, it's because you've gained an ability that exceeds the category of a skill."

"An ability that exceeds the category of a skill?"

"That's right. The wounds you were bearing until just now are healed cleanly, right? Thanks to that ability."

As the man pointed out, Suzuka's wounds were healed. They were healed so cleanly, without even a trace of a wound, that it made him wonder if he'd ever been wounded, but his tattered clothes proved that wasn't a lie.

"It's an ability that automatically uses recovery magic for me, is that it?"

"Auto recovery? It's not something that cheap! That skill can ■■■■■■! With that skill, you could reach ■■■■■■, no, you could even step beyond ■■■■■■!!"

Noise mixed into the man's voice, and what he wanted to say was unclear. But, he couldn't bring himself to ask back.

He didn't want to cut short this man who was speaking so pleasantly. He didn't want to carelessly attract his attention. Maybe because his tension was up, the pressure had been amazing since earlier. Such transparent madness was being scattered that if he let his guard down even a little, he felt like he'd be swallowed.

And, somehow he understood the skill's contents. In short, it should have been a skill of only holy magic, but something went wrong and it was strengthened. But, since it was strengthened too much, they're offsetting it by adding disadvantages like "can't hold weapons."

He didn't really understand the contents of that strengthening, but it was probably good strengthening. For this monster-like man to raise his tension this much.

Moreover, he'd also said "my power was inherited to you." If that's holy magic, if it's the power held by an existence that surpasses human knowledge like this, it should be a skill he can expect a lot from. This man had originally said he was a no-weapons policy, so if he has holy magic, he might be able to get by without weapons.

He might suddenly job change to a magic user at this point, but he thought he'd accept that as fate too. Close combat jobs were fun in their own way, but his desire to try using magic was also large.

As Suzuka thought about the skill like that, the man's tension seemed to calm down too.

"No, sorry. I got excited without thinking."

"No, it's fine."

"Well, this world seems to be reaching its end too."

Those words were probably true. Just as if cracks were entering glass, cracks started entering the world.

"Good luck, Suzuka. You have this me, Holy ■■■■'s blessing, after all."

He probably means he has this man's blessing. He'd said his power was inherited too. If he's gained the blessing of such a terrifying existence, he might be able to get by even if he can't hold weapons.

"May Lord ■■■■■■'s guidance be with you."

Saying that and leaving, the self-proclaimed clergyman disappeared as if melting into the sky.

Left behind, Suzuka thought with all his might in the world where cracks were spreading. How he could survive.

With the threat before his eyes gone, his thoughts finally became clear, and he had the leeway to organize his current situation.

Even if this world shatters, Suzuka probably won't die. He didn't think that man would do such an incomprehensible killing method, and he's probably an ally, so he decided to believe that.

In that case, the next thing to consider was the place Suzuka would return to when he returned from this world to the original world.

He had been able to contact the identity unknown deep in Floor 1. Since he chased it without thinking about consequences, he had crossed the boundary to District 5. In other words, he was in the deepest part of Floor 1.

If he'd been considerate enough to return him to Floor 1, District 1 or something, there would be no problem, but probably such a good story wouldn't happen. Once this world disappears, he'd probably return to District 5 of Floor 1 where he was until just now.

If it were just returning, it would be fine, but Suzuka had chased the identity unknown without caring about anything, so a monster train should have formed. There should probably be a stupid number of monsters around.

With the current situation of being surrounded by a group of monsters that are at least level 70+, he couldn't imagine how to survive and return alive.

No, there is one way.

In the skill Suzuka obtained, there was not only holy magic but also some other ability attached. The effect that instantly healed injuries that were dubious whether even a middle-grade stamina potion could fully recover. The man had said it wasn't auto recovery, but that probably means it also has auto recovery ability.

If so, he might be able to breakthrough while resigning himself to a certain amount of damage. He would advance forward while deliberately accepting attacks that he would normally avoid. If he could do that, there might be a slight possibility of surviving.

"But, I can't use weapons, so that's a problem. What should I do?"

Thanks to auto recovery, he might be saved, but since he can't hold weapons, it's difficult to deflect monsters' attacks. Holy magic still isn't responding at all, so he can't use it.

"Even so, being able to recover is better for survival."

Even when running with all his might to avoid monster attacks, he ended up that tattered. In a situation surrounded, cutting through with just one sword wouldn't be that sweet. Against monsters with such a level difference that defeating even one is difficult, having a skill that even heals his nearly torn-off arm is the least of salvation he can say.

"Well, since I've come this far, I've got no choice but to do it."

He poured mana into his fully recovered body. Whether it was because his skill level had gone up when chasing the identity unknown or not, he could circulate mana more thoroughly than ever before, and his body reinforcement seemed to have improved by one stage too.

The world was on the verge of collapse. From the cracks, the ground-shaking footsteps and cries of monsters leaked and could be heard.

The holy magic he should have newly acquired still couldn't be used. Because of that skill, he couldn't hold weapons either. Then, there was only one thing to do.

"It's bare-knuckle."

And, the world collapsed, and he returned to the deep, deep forest of Tokyo Dungeon Floor 1, District 5.