ch61-ch80 · 089-ch73

Chapter 73

The day after fighting the Belgihydra on floor twenty-three.

Sai was sprawled out at home.

He was currently limp and stretched across the table on the first floor.

Next to him, Hexaria was watching Sai with a dumbfounded expression.

"I figured this would happen... yeah. I figured this would happen..."

"What do you mean 'figured this would happen,' you fool."

The Belgihydra battle.

To the viewers watching the fight, it might have looked like they took it down pretty easily.

But he'd been the one running the front line all by himself against a dragon-type of that caliber.

Dodging attacks from multiple heads and pulling off a major feat.

For someone in his forties, on the downward slope of physical fitness, it was nothing but exhausting.

Generally speaking, just the mere presence of a dragon-type is enough to intimidate and pressure any opponent. Even adventurers from the other world would be stunned and call it "insane" that Sai was holding the front line alone against a dragon like that.

"You were just as reckless against the Shadow-Eater."

"I know, but... I couldn't show a pathetic performance, could I?"

"Honestly..."

If you wanted to be extreme about it.

Even on this mana-scarce Earth, Hexaria's power was extraordinary.

But the moment everything was left to Hexaria, people would degenerate.

Literally, they wouldn't be able to hold their heads up to their better half.

The power to push forward is the power of an adventurer, of a person.

That's what he had to show the woman in front of him.

That was the role of the partner standing by her side.

If he was just being carried, he'd have no right to stand beside her.

So, as much as he cherished this time lying limp and exhausted, he decided to switch gears.

"Alright, as much as I'd like to keep lazing around... I want to talk about the floor twenty-five Floor Boss."

"Hmm. That thing..."

The Floor Boss of Shinjuku Tower's floor twenty-five.

The factor preventing adventurers from reaching floor twenty-six.

An insurmountable wall that several parties, including the Self-Defense Force adventurer party 'Wakou,' had challenged but never crossed.

The boss's name was... commonly known as 'Shadow.'

A black, wavering, dreamlike existence.

A single humanoid figure.

Shrouded in black mist, its physique was impossible to discern.

But unlike the giant monsters that came before, it was only about two meters tall.

And yet, it was the most powerful existence that mowed down even battle-hardened adventurers who'd made it to floor twenty-five.

Sai and Hexaria watched the archived past broadcast on the 'Wakou' streaming channel.

It was from their challenge about six months ago.

Even though they were top adventurers honed in Shinjuku Tower, they were taken down with effortless speed.

In close combat, no one could escape the Shadow's blade flashes, and all long-range attacks were dodged.

Its Body Enhancement was godlike.

Moreover, this 'Shadow' hadn't killed anyone.

When its opponent was about to die, it stopped attacking and didn't press further.

It would injure, but not kill.

You could say it had a sense of mercy.

It was a bizarre Floor Boss.

"That sword stance..."

The way that Floor Boss fought was far too other-worldly.

"The way it uses the sword is the Central Continent mainstream style, right?"

"That's right. And also, let me rewind a bit."

Saying this, Hexaria moved the video back a little.

"Look at this part. It's exactly like your movements."

"My...? Now that you mention it, yeah..."

Sai's fighting style was the standard in the other world — sword techniques he learned from senior adventurers and refined through battles with monsters.

A way of fighting that prevents the opponent from defending, or rather, penetrates their defense.

A combat method that constantly feints, attacks, and reliably neutralizes the enemy.

In terms of pure logic, this parallels general martial arts and combat sports, but it could also be described as a style honed specifically for 'hunting.'

"I see. This fighting style is a culmination of the other world's standards."

"Hm. Then it might be something like a golem."

"Yeah, that's possible. The movements are too polished."

Enchantment formulas are, in a sense, like programs.

They consolidate a massive number of conditions and instructions to create something.

That's true for magic, and the same goes for magical science.

In this case, it might be incorporated into a golem, made to reign as a guardian.

But.

While golems are common in the other world, there's no such thing as an energy-body golem like the 'Shadow' in the video.

You can't carve enchantment formulas into gas or energy.

Carving formulas into some small core to make a golem?

With a small core, the formulas you can write are limited. It couldn't move as much as the 'Shadow.'

Then, could it be an undead like a ghost or zombie?

In that case, if you remove some kind of energy from the surroundings, there'd be some kind of body there.

But it would be surprising if an undead could move this much.

It's too agile, and its techniques are far too refined.

A high-ranked vampire, or a humanoid monster. No, a demon.

That was also possible, but it showed no signs of sucking blood, and there was no reason not to kill people.

It did absolutely nothing outside of combat.

...Why would anyone go that far?

"We can't tell from just the video. The true nature of this mist can't be determined from footage."

"I never thought I'd struggle to identify a monster."

Even a veteran adventurer and a sage, and this was a type of monster they were seeing for the first time.

"Honestly. What was the creator of this tower thinking?"

"Yeah..."

Shinjuku Tower... the dungeons that appeared on Earth are all towers that propagate magical power.

Every day, by truly minuscule amounts, the atmospheric mana of the entire Earth is being activated.

Though it's still a short period, based on what Hexaria has investigated, there's no mistake about this movement.

Currently, it's about thirty to forty percent of the mana in the other world where Sai and the others were, but after a few decades, it will probably reach the same amount.

They understand that much, but they don't know its purpose.

Whether the goal is to propagate magical power itself, or whether there's another meaning.

The placement of monsters also seems designed to train people.

Leaving no monster corpses and even providing drop items.

Under normal circumstances, this would be impossible.

It's a situation that could be called game-like, in a sense.

What is the supernatural entity that built the tower aiming for?

Suddenly, Sai blurted out a thought that came to mind.

"...For all we know, maybe humanity's evolution itself is the goal."

"Oh. That's an interesting thing to say, coming from you."

Because he'd just used a phrase he'd heard in an anime he watched as a kid, the old man felt a little embarrassed saying it.

Thanks to that, Hexaria pressed him: "Good. Explain in detail." And he had to hem and haw with, "Well, that's..."

"Heh. Not a bad phrase, humanity's evolution. It aligns with my own purpose as a developer."

It was true that Hexaria's inventions had given people richer lives.

But, well, the meaning was different.

That had more of a 'new people adapted to the universe' sort of vibe.

"Well, setting aside Shinjuku Tower's goal for now, next is floor twenty-four. We'll attack next week."

"Yes. The dungeon difficulty is starting to get interesting. Let's enjoy ourselves as much as we can."

Sai forcefully changed the subject, and Hexaria grinned fearlessly.

================ Thank you very much for reading.