arc5 · 079-ch79

Arc 5: The Immortal's Coup d'État

Episode 79: Battle Style and Career Consultation

The New Year's greeting to my grandparents passed without incident. At first, I was anxious about how they would react since my brother Sugō and I had both undergone dramatic transformations in appearance, but that turned out to be unfounded. Far from being rejected, my grandparents were overjoyed to see the two of us. Suzuka, who had decided to become an explorer, was especially praised with "Amazing, just amazing!"

That's because my grandparents' generation had benefited enormously from dungeons. Japan's post-war reconstruction was supported by Japanese explorers, and they were able to establish a firm position in world affairs. For their generation, explorers were the driving force of post-war recovery—stars.

From Suzuka's appearance, it was easy to tell that he was active in dungeons, and my grandparents were getting carried away as if they were meeting some idol from the good old days.

Suzuka, being fawned over by such grandparents, was at home reading manga instead of exploring dungeons.

Even though there were still a few days left of winter break, Suzuka had no intention of going to the dungeon. He had been going to the dungeon pretty much every single day during break, enough to call him a dungeon freak—so what on earth happened?

"Haa, I see. So you shoot shockwaves from your fists, huh."

Reading manga with admiration. He had said on New Year's Day that he wanted to focus on dungeons so he wouldn't read manga, but did his feelings change in just a few days?

"Punching and making the ground crack looks strong, doesn't it. Or is it strong?"

Beside Suzuka lay a mountain of manga. While he liked manga regardless of genre, the ones stacked up were all battle manga.

"Ahh, in this era they're only up to this point... Ugh, I get it... I want to know what happens next..."

Suzuka was originally from 2024. In this world of 2009—or rather, 2010 now that the year has changed—naturally the manga available to read are older. Manga that had already concluded were still running in weekly magazines here, and there were times when chapters he wanted to read hadn't been published yet.

Conversely, perhaps because there are mysterious things like dungeons, there were many manga in circulation that Suzuka had never seen before, set in dungeons. He bought the ones that caught his eye and read them voraciously. Some contained knowledge of anatomy or martial arts, so it wasn't just manga.

"Maybe I should maximize the power of a single blow. I wonder if there are any battle scenes with bare hands versus swords."

Suzuka was reading manga as if using it as reference. Occasionally he would stand up and swing his fists around the room as if recreating manga scenes. He would tilt his head, make slight corrections, and repeat as if tracing a form.

This wasn't some phenomenon unique to adolescence. He wasn't practicing punches on a light bulb pull cord, and he wasn't trying to do a high kick and slipping on his supporting leg to fall over.

He was studying to establish his bare-handed fighting style.

The 'Holy God's Creed' obtained in Tokyo Dungeon was a skill that granted immortality in exchange for being unable to hold weapons. Suzuka, now forced to fight bare-handed, first thought of martial arts.

Karate, judo, boxing, MMA. If looking for ways to fight without weapons, there were plenty of reference materials. He would save the battle against the area boss Cunning Demon Ape Monkey for after winter break, and decided to spend the rest of winter break determining the foundation of his fighting style.

Suzuka went to a bookstore to buy books on martial arts that might serve as references. There, glancing at the manga section, he suddenly thought.

Is the person I want to become found in martial arts?

Even if I learn martial arts, where does that lead? If I master fighting techniques meant for human opponents, how would I fight monsters? Do I want to break monsters' arms and legs like breaking tiles or baseball bats?

No, that's not it. That's not the scale I'm aiming for.

What I'm aiming for is the strongest. What I want to obtain is overwhelming power. What I want to achieve is peerless strength.

I'm fighting in the mysterious world that is dungeons. My intuition whispered that mastering modern martial arts is different.

And I remembered. The encounter with Sword God.

That existence, terrifying beyond description. I thought I would never be able to turn around with Sword God standing behind me, but Sword God had done something, and Suzuka's tension had dissolved. My thoughts wouldn't come together properly, and I was spacing out as if the string of tension had been cut.

And Sword God had said.

"Yes, it cut well," he said.

I couldn't understand what he meant, but suppose, just suppose, Sword God had cut Suzuka's string of tension—how could such a string be cut?

Sword God was manifesting his namesake Unique Skill, 'Sword God.' It's said to be a complete superior version of swordsmanship skills, and a special-grade skill said to be capable of cutting anything—even things that Sword God cannot cut do not exist.

But even so, would it be possible to cut a conceptual string of tension that is neither visible nor exists in reality?

"No, it's possible. It IS possible. It's possible because you believe you can do it."

Upon reaching this thought, Suzuka felt as if he had received divine revelation.

He hadn't thought deeply about what could be done with skills. He only selected things that seemed possible within the range of common sense.

But Sword God's actions were far outside the bounds of common sense. The reason he could do such things was undoubtedly because Sword God believed he could. It was because he could clearly form an image.

In reality, it might be completely different. It might be completely off the mark.

But Suzuka found a path forward there. Then there was nothing to do but push forward.

Suzuka was overflowing with mysterious confidence. Filled with an optimistic positivity—or perhaps a laid-back attitude—that basically thought things would work out well. He would use this confidence skillfully, believe he could do things that would normally be considered impossible, and use the power of skills to achieve them.

The result of that was this mountain of manga. Suzuka had judged that image is important to draw powerful power from skills. By imprinting the image into reality and imagining it realistically, it should manifest... probably.

There's no theory, no basis. But this is a world with inexplicable things like dungeons and even mana exists. Beyond where I've discarded theory, basis, and even common sense, the strongest waits. Believing this, Suzuka reads manga and expands his imagination.

"Special moves and the like—they make the image clear, so they're probably important."

If I complete it as a technique, the image will naturally solidify and it might become easier to use, but I want to avoid making it difficult to apply in different ways.

"I still can't imagine being able to beat a sword. I can imagine punching through an iron plate, though..."

If my fist and sword collide head-on and I destroy the opponent's sword—if this image could be clearly solidified, Suzuka thought his body arts skills would rise to another level.

He already had a clear image of beating the ape monkey to a pulp, but the ape monkey is primarily a bare-handed fighting type. There are also human-type monsters equipped with swords in dungeons, so he needed to be able to fight such monsters head-on.

Of course, he could avoid the sword and punch, or he could push against the flat of the blade to parry it. If the goal is to defeat an opponent wielding a sword, that would be sufficient.

But that feels incomplete. If Suzuka is aiming for the strongest, he should be able to go head-to-head with a sword and knock it away with punches. If he can do that, he should be able to aim for the strongest with bare hands.

While still searching for a fighting style that hadn't quite solidified, Suzuka spent his time reading manga, thinking "no, not like that" and "maybe like this," occasionally mimicking it alone.

◇

"I apologize for the sudden meeting, Mother."

Saying this and gesturing for me to take a seat was Suzuka's homeroom teacher, Koyasu-sensei.

This is the school Suzuka attends, and we're not in the classroom but in the staff conference room. It's for a sudden three-way parent-teacher conference.

On the first day after winter break, Suzuka was told by Koyasu-sensei that he wanted to talk about Suzuka's future path, so there would be a three-way conference. Since Suzuka doesn't go to dungeons on weekdays anyway, he didn't refuse, and after confirming his mother's schedule, we were having this meeting.

"As I mentioned in advance, I would like to confirm Suzuka-kun's future plans one final time. We had a consultation last year as well, so I apologize for the repeated inconvenience."

"No, no, it's quite alright. Not continuing to high school—I really don't know what to do with this child,"

My mother shook her head, saying "I'm troubled too." Previously, both father and mother had allowed Suzuka to pursue the path of an explorer. But as entrance exams approached, father left Suzuka's path entirely up to him, while mother increasingly tried to persuade him to reconsider.

"Even now, while going to high school, he could still go to dungeons, yet he won't even listen to me about going to high school,"

My mother said she was at her wit's end, but from Suzuka's perspective, once she had approved it and then brought it up again to deny it—well, that was the real "I don't know what to do with this child."

But there was no need to get worked up over every little thing. Suzuka had the mental age of thirty. From that perspective, if a child said "I'm going to work after graduating middle school!", the parent would stop them. Understanding those feelings, he couldn't speak too strongly against her.

"What do you think, Jozenji? Your teacher shares your mother's opinion. Couldn't you go to high school while also going to dungeons? Especially if it's Explorer High School, you can even go to dungeons on weekdays, and support is perfect, you know?"

Since Hachioji Dungeon is nearby, there are students from our middle school who advance to Explorer High every year. This year, our classmate Ikezaki is supposed to take the exam.

Therefore, Koyasu-sensei is well-informed about Explorer High as well. Even in the previous parent-teacher conference, he had prepared materials and explained everything to us.

Hearing that, Suzuka also understood the benefits of Explorer High. While there were various benefits, the most important point was that dungeon exploration counted toward attendance days. As long as he didn't fail on tests or practical exams, he would properly receive credits.

In extreme terms, even if he just belonged to Explorer High and did nothing but dungeon exploration, as long as he cleared tests, he could graduate. Tests would still be necessary, but he could probably lead a life almost no different from being completely free.

"But that's limited to Hachioji Dungeon, right? Since I'm going to graduate, I thought I'd try visiting dungeons in other regions,"

Explorer High is a school operated by the Explorer Association. Therefore, the school can verify the track record of dungeon exploration, and treats it as attendance days. However, the exploration treated as attendance days is only for a single dungeon—if it's Hachioji Explorer High, then only Hachioji Dungeon.

Since there's an Explorer High for each dungeon, when outsiders come, hunting grounds get disrupted or people get picked fights, so there are frequent conflicts between students of different schools. Plus, to quickly respond when explorers of other occupations cause trouble, it's easier to manage if student activities are limited.

That didn't sit well with Suzuka—since there are dungeons all over Japan, he wanted to travel and visit other dungeons while he was at it.

"Going overseas? Japan's dungeons are basically the same everywhere, you know?"

As Koyasu-sensei said, Japan's dungeons don't have major differences for each district, whether it's Osaka or Hokkaido. But which dungeon you go to is important—even if the contents are the same, it doesn't matter to him.

Basically, it's traveling along with dungeon visits.

By the way, he has no interest in going overseas. Originally Suzuka had no interest in overseas, and foreign dungeons have strict entry restrictions or high application difficulties—unless you join a guild that knows the ropes, it's difficult. Therefore, Suzuka had no intention of challenging overseas dungeons.

"Sensei, you're lacking in romance. Studying is the same—some cram schools have summer camps, right? Even if you're doing the same studying, if the environment changes, your mood changes too,"

After that, I received various explanations: that I could enter Explorer High in other regions, that dorms are fully equipped, that transferring between Explorer High schools is possible, and that there's even correspondence high school if needed.

"Jozenji. Your teacher doesn't think school is just a place to learn academics,"

Understanding that Suzuka's will was firm, Koyasu-sensei shifted his approach.

"There are students who try hard but can't study and give up, students who aren't good at exercise and find sports festivals painfully agonizing, students who are tone-deaf and get mocked during choir festivals, so they skip on the day. Even so, schools implement curriculums that seem to repeat the same things year after year. Do you know why?"

Koyasu-sensei looked straight at Suzuka and spoke to him.

"It's because I want everyone to know many choices. Things they thought were their weak points might turn out to be surprisingly fun and they get hooked, or things they thought were impossible, but when they tried hard they could do it a little—by accumulating those kinds of experiences, I want them to find what they want to do, the path they want to advance."

"If that's the case, Sensei, did you become a teacher because you went to school?"

"No, what triggered me to choose being a teacher was probably working as a cram school instructor during my university days. However, because I advanced to university I was able to work as a cram school instructor, and because I advanced to university I was able to obtain a teaching license,"

Like Koyasu-sensei looking back on the past, Suzuka was also looking back on his previous world.

For no particular reason, he advanced to high school and university that matched his academic ability, and while he didn't want to work, if he had to work then yes, he joined a company that seemed somewhat fun. There was no strong desire or will, but he enjoyed his time there.

If he were to walk the same life again, at minimum he would need to enter the same university. Advancing in education certainly increases the choices available for the future.

"And then, because a friend recommended it, I became a cram school instructor. If he hadn't been there at that time, I might not be here now,"

"A friend, huh,"

"That's right. Certainly, Jozenji, you might be able to explore dungeons without attending Explorer High. But what you gain at Explorer High isn't just what's necessary for dungeon exploration. You might meet irreplaceable friends, or party members. That's something you won't know unless you attend. But if you don't attend, those encounters won't happen either,"

Friends. That was also something Suzuka had agonized over considerably.

Suzuka is close to Yasu. But in his previous world, besides Yasu, he had friends from high school and friends from university—each group had friends he was as close to as Yasu. Even after becoming working adults, they still hung out together.

Not going to high school or university meant losing those encounters. Suzuka had agonized greatly over this, and in the end, decided not to advance.

The reason was the existence of Kirin and the others. While it was sad that he wouldn't be able to meet them, he was able to become friends with Kirin and the others, whom he didn't know in his previous world. In this world, he thought he would cherish such new encounters.

That's why he understood what Koyasu-sensei was trying to say.

With regular high schools, he wouldn't be able to do dungeon exploration on weekdays, so that wasn't an option. But with Explorer High, he could do dungeon exploration while making new friends. That's a precious opportunity indeed—something shining and attractive.

"Yeah. Even so, I won't go to high school. I feel like my current state is best. So I want to try doing as much as I can with this,"

But for now, it's not necessary.

To determine how far he can go, Suzuka chose the path of continuing to move forward.

"...Haa. I apologize, Sensei. Since his own will is firm, I think I'll let him do what he wants for now,"

"Is that so. Suzuka-kun has been very reliable since he started going to the dungeon, so I'm sure he'll choose a path without regrets,"

It seems Suzuka's opinion got through.

"Let me just say two things at the end. Up until this very moment nothing has happened, so you might think differently, but Jozenji going to the dungeon isn't for revenge against bullying or anything, right?"

Koyasu-sensei's question was about the same content as before.

News about bullied students strengthening their stats in dungeons and killing perpetrators was actually a fairly common occurrence. However, behind such news, there were many more cases where they were counterattacked by monsters and suffered serious injuries.

Those who can't fight back against bullies—can they really win against monsters? In many cases, it's difficult. Even if it's a Drunken Sheep, it's a sufficiently strong opponent for a level 1 human.

Even university students take the safe approach and use guns at training facilities to defeat opponents like that. Cases where someone can win alone against such monsters are rare. Conversely, if they can win, so many stats get added that they often overdo the revenge and the perpetrator dies.

Since Suzuka was going to the dungeon, Koyasu-sensei had interviewed him about whether he was being bullied.

"I said this before too, but I'm not being bullied. Oh, but recently everyone just watches me from a distance, so in a sense it might be like bullying?"

Thanks to the benefits of his stats, Yasu became handsome and is fawned over, receiving cheers from girls. The buzzing atmosphere—Yasuka's influence is there.

Meanwhile, Suzuka is better described as beautiful rather than handsome—his features became so refined that he transcends gender itself. As a result, Suzuka was being worshipped. He was mistaken for a god or something, in a state of sacred inviolability. If you say "flower on a high peak" it sounds nice, but it's no longer the attitude of classmates dealing with him.

It's not that he's being ignored. If you talk to him, he responds, and in group work he talks normally. But with the tension of talking to a company executive, he's always treated with extreme politeness. Since it's clear he's not being treated badly, and that they're not joking around with that attitude, Suzuka is at his wit's end.

"Ahh, well, you know. If a classmate suddenly becomes that cool like Jozenji did, it's natural they wouldn't know how to talk to him, isn't it? Everyone's nervous. Please forgive them,"

Well, Suzuka also admits that if a classmate suddenly became that beautiful, he wouldn't have confidence to handle it either. If someone talked to him, he'd definitely get awkward. Yeah, this part is unavoidable.

"Forgive, nothing—I'm not angry,"

"Sorry. And one more thing. This might contradict what I've been saying, but your teacher supports Jozenji exploring dungeons. At that age to encounter something you can get that absorbed in—that's a wonderful thing. Honestly, I'm jealous. So if you've decided, challenge it with all your might. If you ever worry about wanting to enter high school or go to university, come see me. I'll help you,"

"Yeah. When that time comes, please take care of me,"

And so, having shaken off the persuasion of both parent and teacher, Suzuka's final educational background was decided as middle school graduate.