arc01 · 039-ep39

Episode 39: The Offer

"Now then—I'd say it's about time you told me about it."

The great pizza-devouring festival had wound down and nothing was left on the table but drinks, so it seemed like a good time, and I cut straight to it.

The topic: how Azuma might be able to help me with dungeon matters.

"Right. First, as a premise—you're aiming to be 'the world's strongest adventurer,' yes?"

"Yeah, that's right. A dream I've carried since I was little—no, call it a goal."

"Okay. And for the record, I'm rooting for that in itself. Because the stronger you are, the deeper into the dungeon you can go—and out there, we might just find keys that unlock all sorts of mysteries."

"True enough. I personally wasn't planning to go hunting for answers, but if I push deeper, the odds of running into that kind of thing are real."

"That's exactly why I started thinking I'd love to help somehow."

"Hmmm."

Her reason for wanting to help—I get it.

Only, right now she has no skill, no strength to fight in a dungeon, and she shouldn't be able to produce items either. So how exactly does she plan to help?

"So, the other day—I gave you 【Plunder】, remember? And you were happy with the result."

"……Well, yeah. It was a good result."

"Which means if you could receive it from other 【Plunder】 holders too, you'd be happy, right?"

"Of course I'd be happy."

"So, I was thinking I'd go looking for people who have 【Plunder】 but don't want it."

That————would, in fact, save me a ridiculous amount of trouble.

Truth is, I had been thinking about raising 【Plunder】 myself. But how to go about it while also leveling up in the dungeon—no answer would come to me at all.

For the simple reason that hunting down 【Plunder】 holders threatens to slash my dungeon time to shreds. As things stand, 【Plunder】 is a skill to be hidden away in this world. Holders get iced out. Treated as dangerous even if they've done nothing. In other words, 【Plunder

】 holders—finding them means an act of dragging out the very people keeping it secret. Naturally, that would cost time and effort both.

"You can actually do that?"

"I can't promise certainty, but I like my odds."

"How would you find them?"

"First, I talk with 【Plunder】 holders anonymously on the net. On social media and anonymous boards, a fair number of 【Plunder】 holders have to be posting too, right? Then, from there, me—a former 【Plunder】 holder—float the idea that maybe that 【Plunder】 of theirs could be dealt with somehow. And once that's landed, at the very end, I arrange for them to be introduced to you… That's the shape of it. What do you think?"

"…………Not bad. If anything, I don't see any other hand to play. Only, the problem is we can't know whether whoever shows up is actually a 【Plunder】 holder. If they're just coming for kicks, fine—but someone could just as well come closer carrying some dangerous scheme."

"For that part, I'm thinking of leaning on 【Astrology】."

"I see. Come to think of it, can't you just find them with 【Astrology】?"

"I don't think it's impossible… but it would inevitably turn into one person at a time, and if I suddenly popped up and pulled a 'you're a 【Plunder】 holder' reveal on them, they'd get wary, I'm sure."

"Hm… yeah, that would read as sketchy. I mean, I was wary of you at first myself."

"R-right~… S-sorry about that?"

"Well, I'm over it now. And having your cooperation helps. I'm not so full of myself that I think I can do everything alone."

The plan was more concrete and more plausible than I'd expected, which surprised me. This really could round up people who hold 【Plunder】 and want it gone. We'd need face coverings and the like to keep my identity from leaking, but conversely, that's about the extent of my concerns.

I know nothing about the fortune-teller Azuma frequents, but these past few days have taught me—thoroughly and against my will—that her ability is the real deal.

"Oh, and this doubles as one of my goals, but… what if 【Plunder】 holders are actually reincarnators, you know?"

"Well, the two of us are both 【Plunder】, after all. No telling what's true, but the possibility does seem to be there."

"Yeah. So this cooperation is for my sake, too."

"And for me, it'd be a help if you found more people to talk to than just me."

"Oh, how meeean! You're trying to pawn me off, aren't you? Even if I make more reincarnator friends, you'll still be the one I talk to most, you know."

"Why, though? Go find some girl friends and get chummy with them instead."

"Can't do iiiit."

"Again, why. You make no sense."

"Ahaha, you don't need to make sense of iiiiit."

Seriously, why does she like me this much? Being liked is a happy thing in itself, but this one seems like a bit of a handful. No, wait—this cooperation does help me out… Ugh, a real handful of a woman.

"Fine, whatever. So? What do you want from me?"

"Nothing in particular. Keep making progress through the dungeon, tell me if you learn anything, and be someone to talk to now and then—that'll just about do it."

"Hmmm… well, that's what I was planning to do anyway, so fine. Whatever you end up doing, though—no reckless stunts, got it?"

"…See, that right there. That's so you."

"What? What's 'so me'?"

"Nooothing. It's nothing, so don't worry about it."

What a weird one. Well, whatever, I suppose.

Either way, her hunting 【Plunder】 holders for me is genuinely appreciated. No change shows on my status for now, but if I gather it up from a few people, some kind of change should come. Sure, it could all end in wasted effort… but if it does, it does.

For now, let me celebrate: I made it to C-rank safe and sound, and I've widened my odds of gaining even more strength down the road.

Right—school tomorrow, and the talk has wound down. Time to excuse myself, perhaps.

From tomorrow, it's Floor 11. A brand-new frontier.

Compared to everything so far, the information is thin, and the monsters only get stronger from here.

In any case—as the youngest C-rank solo adventurer, let's give it our all, shall we?

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Afterword

Thank you so very much for reading this far!

And with this, the 'Novice Arc' comes to a resting point.

I usually refrain from afterwords, but since I managed to run all the way to 100,000 characters without incident, I thought I'd write one here, just this once.

That I could keep writing a full book's worth of text like this is entirely thanks to everyone who cheers me on (♡) and follows the work day after day. Thank you, truly.

If you found the story so far interesting, or you're curious about what comes next, a rating (★1–3) or a follow for the work via the 【Honor with Stars】 button at the bottom of the latest chapter or on the novel's top page would encourage me immensely…!

From tomorrow, I'll slip in a few interludes from other points of view, and then dive straight into the 'C-Rank Adventurer Arc'.

I'd be delighted if you'd keep me company from here on out!