c21-c40 · 038-ch38

Chapter 38: The Distance to Admiration - Sandai's Perspective

When the three of us executed our coordinated attack, I was certain of victory. Anju's forced gaze diversion and the "Magic Fusion" spell-synchronized body transfer had caught him completely off guard, and I was sure my attack from the blind spot was perfect. But the blade of my Thunder-Destroying Axe struck not Shibasaki-san, but the ground right in front of him.

Impossible. I could never misjudge the reach of my axe. I was definitely within striking distance.

Did he dodge? But in that split second, Shibasaki-san hadn't moved at all.

Don't let it rattle you. I need to regroup and reassess. Put some distance between us and then...

Just as I thought that and landed on the ground, looking up, I noticed something strange. Shibasaki-san was standing still, yet he was getting farther and farther away.

What was that?! A skill? Magic? No, this is—

"—The ground is moving! Is this a shift?!"

"Correct."

The dungeon's defining characteristic is that its internal structure periodically rebuilds itself. That's what a shift is. Shifts occur on a per-floor basis, and the deeper you go, the more frequent they become.

Once a shift occurs, the ground flows and space collapses. Shibasaki-san had sensed the shift coming and used it to evade my attack.

"...Haha, that's absurd. If your timing had been even slightly off, you would've been done for."

"At that point, I would've accepted defeat gracefully. But for an explorer, isn't it more fun to fight using the dungeon itself?"

Because it's fun—he says that like it's nothing.

For explorers, shifts are nothing but dangerous accidents to be avoided at all costs. No matter how reckless or daring an explorer might be, avoiding shifts is the norm.

Why? Because the environmental changes caused by shifts have no pattern and cannot be predicted. With the ground rippling and walls collapsing—scenes that look like the end of the world—being able to stay calm in the midst of it all is what's truly abnormal.

Yet this man incorporated it into his tactics. That option hadn't even crossed my mind.

As the ground cracked and pillar rubble was swallowed up, I reached out my hand toward the distant Shibasaki-san. Ah, this is bad. I'm falling more and more in love with this person. Show me more. More. That depth. That strength. What lies at the end of mastery and accumulated experience.

"Floor 31 here shifts roughly every 22 hours. Based on when the last one happened, I figured it was about time. There's a plant smell in the air, so the next area will be Pluto Jungle... It'll become an area with tons of plants."

"...You're telling me this?"

"You're not familiar with Shinjuku, right? Wouldn't be fair otherwise. Black Frozen."

Shibasaki-san fired black ice while simultaneously kicking off the flowing ground to close the distance between us.

"Gh...!"

I countered the relentless assault of his deck brush and ice with my Thunder-Destroying Axe.

Why is this person so calm while trading blows with the Thunder-Destroying Axe? This is a Deep Layer Artifact, Special S-rank. The Nameless War God... I'd heard about him raising his durability through magic resistance during the stream, but I still couldn't believe it. Seeing it with my own eyes, I'm genuinely moved.

Besides, there's no way I'm seeing things wrong. His techniques have been getting sharper and sharper since the beginning. At first, I was slightly pushing him back, but now I'm struggling just to defend against Shibasaki-san's attacks. Our skill gap isn't that big? That's too much modesty...!

"Anju! Rescue Ririka and pull back for now!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!"

"Is that wise? Giving up your numerical advantage?"

"I was planning to fight you one-on-one from the start...!"

Anju quickly retrieved the paralyzed Ririka. Anju's specialty is surprise attacks through presence manipulation and gaze diversion. However, surprise attacks don't work on Shibasaki-san, who senses attacks so keenly, and gaze diversion isn't a technique you can use twice or thrice. It's not that Anju is weak—it's just that the opponent is bad for her. From here on, it's better if she focuses on supporting Ririka to maintain the advantage.

Meanwhile, as we exchanged fierce blows, fragrant-smelling soil overflowed from the cracked ground. Looking around, small patches of green were sprouting here and there. Just as Shibasaki-san said, the next area would be plant-based.

As I was thinking that, Shibasaki-san stepped back and placed his hand on the ground. Suddenly, a gigantic tree sprouted from there, carrying Shibasaki-san upward as he grabbed its branches.

Shibasaki-san, who had climbed to the top, fell vertically and swung his deck brush with built-up momentum.

"Heavy...!"

I desperately countered the strike that would overwhelm me if I relaxed my grip even slightly. When I forcefully deflected it outward, he grabbed onto another growing tree and climbed up again.

Hit-and-run tactics using elevation differences. Three-dimensional attacks rather than planar ones, and mixed in with that, black ice. In this unstable footing situation, dealing with all of it is an extremely difficult task.

"Kaha...! Dammit!"

Consequently, I gradually started making mistakes. The deck brush strikes I couldn't fully defend against slowly chipped away at my durability. I had to do something about the magic attacks at least. With the rubble now sunk below, most of that ice was just ordinary magic with nothing embedded in it. I understood that much, yet whenever I tried to make contact, that moment kept flashing through my mind.

...This is the first time I've felt Magic Fusion to be such an unreliable skill.

Environment, condition—Shibasaki-san had the advantage in everything. Yet in this situation, my heart was filled not with fear but with joy.

That Shibasaki-san. The Antares-san of The Genesis Light that I'd always chased after. Standing before me, and what's more, fighting me without a single moment of carelessness.

I don't know how many times I'd fantasized about this in bed. That miracle is happening right here, right now. If I see my life flashing before my eyes when I die, today's events would definitely be the highlight.

"Thunder-Destroying Axe, become lightning."

If that's the case, the proper etiquette is to face him with everything I've got.

I wrapped ambient mana around my Thunder-Destroying Axe and converted it into lightning.

"Release—Thunder God Flash!"

The lightning enveloping my axe raced across the battlefield like a flash of light. Along with thunderous roars that forcibly pierced through space, it struck Shibasaki-san at the speed of light.

It's not that I can't use magic either. However, using magic while attacking is like solving complex equations while playing basketball or soccer. It's not suited for someone like me who isn't good at thinking about complicated things.

That's why I have this.

The Thunder-Destroying Axe has the characteristic of converting ambient mana into electric shock magic and releasing it. However, in areas with stable mana, it can't generate powerful electric shocks. I thought that in a place barely qualifying as lower-middle layer, it wouldn't have the power of an unknown territory, but with the mana distortion caused by the shift, it could produce considerable power even on Deep Layer Floor 31.

Of course, I didn't think it would work properly.

"...But that was definitely beyond my expectations."

Shibasaki-san was standing there, spinning his deck brush round and round. And that deck brush was definitely crackling with lightning.

...I can tell intuitively—Shibasaki-san had absorbed the lightning. The same skill... No, he reproduced it with magic!

"...Is that a skill?"

"No, it's just technique. I've been good at imitating things since long ago."

I don't think "good at it" covers it. When he fought Stained Hawk-san, he used the same debuff magic his opponent had used—not because he knew similar magic, but because he imitated it right there on the spot.

The excitement won't stop. Does this person have no limits?

"Yeah, Deep Layer Artifacts really are amazing. Since we have the chance, let me show you something special too."

Saying that, Shibasaki-san folded the deck brush he was holding in two right before my eyes. I wondered what was happening, but between the two deck brush pieces, something like a white glowing rope was hanging down.

Shibasaki-san grabbed that rope part and started applying centrifugal force to one of the deck brushes.

"An improvised chain scythe. Though calling it a chain is a stretch—it's just connected by mana. What do you think?" "...It looks incredibly cool."

This person's too smart. What should I do, don't make me fall for you even more.

"Also, there's one correction I need to make."

"What is it?"

"The Genesis Light—nominally, I was indeed at the top, but that was only because someone forced me into that position. The true leader who led the clan was someone else."

"...!"

"And each member excelled in one specific area. I was simply the best at exploring among the members. I wasn't a combat specialist."

"W-What does that mean...!"

That's information that would make even hardcore fans pale with envy!! I never knew that despite being a fan all this time...!

And I'm hearing it from the person himself!!

"Thank you so much!! Why are you telling me such things!!"

"I'm feeling a bit exhilarated, I suppose. It's been a while since I moved like this."

Oh no, I feel like crying. If I were in my room, I'd definitely be crying out loud. Every single moment shines like a jewel to me. Ah, how happy I am right now.

Shibasaki-san charged. I too, riding the lightning I'd released, closed the distance.

You probably don't remember. That day, when I'd just become an explorer, you easily defeated a monster far stronger than me right before my eyes. How shocking that sight was.

I became stronger. To become like you.

I made comrades. Just as you led a clan.

I was happy to meet you. Because I was certain you hadn't died.

This battle will end soon. The next strike will probably decide it. But I, bearing the name Sandai-ren, cannot end here.

I should have accumulated enough damage from all the attacks so far. My second skill, "Sadistic Conversion." It converts damage taken from enemies into power. I'm forbidden from using this on Ririka, but sorry. I have to do this properly.

"I won't let you."

The thinner piece of the broken deck brush approached me, slicing through the lightning. I barely dodged it, but the attached rope coiled around my arm.

"Something like a mana rope!"

"That's where you're wrong."

When my body absorbed the magic, the white light vanished, revealing its contents. What I thought was a mana rope was actually just plant vines. The tangled vines had Shibasaki-san's mana flowing through them, making them tough and unbreakable.

I immediately lost my balance, showing a fatal opening. In that instant, a green brush was placed against my neck.

Such a simple bluff that I almost wanted to laugh. I was so weak that I couldn't even notice it.

I had been conceited. I'd become S-rank. I thought I must have gotten somewhat closer.

"So, shall we continue?"

So far away...

"Ahaha, I surrender, Shibasaki-san. You win."

――――――――

Thank you for reading this far.

If you enjoyed this work or are curious about what happens next, I would be grateful if you could rate it with stars or follow the series. Just that one action will massively boost the author's motivation!

If you wouldn't mind, I would be happy if you could press the "Praise with Stars" button from the title review tag.