ch61-ch80 · 071-ch70

Chapter 70

Saito Megumi was flustered in various ways.

Today, the 'Anthem' members had been joined by S-rank explorer Ilseria and 'The Hunter' Soma Kengo, and from the morning they'd been exploring S City's Noumi Dungeon.

They weren't streaming, but since this was an investigation into the post-mutation labyrinth, they'd brought cameraperson Shingu Sanagi along to film their exploration. It'd serve as video reference for the Labyrinth Agency later, and they'd likely review it themselves multiple times.

The reason was that this exploration had a strong element of guidance from Soma Kengo.

"Next monster. Upper B-rank Red Bear. Kagurazaka, take it."

They were currently on the twenty-sixth basement level. In the pre-mutation Noumi Dungeon, this floor shouldn't have existed at all — the labyrinth seemed to have grown considerably in scale. The impression was that there were still more floors below, and from around the twelfth floor, the differences from the original Noumi Dungeon had become pronounced.

Originally, this was supposed to be a C-rank dungeon.

Like Kamioka Dungeon — which Hayasaka Toru and Kujo Reiko had investigated the other day — it had probably become S-rank through mutation.

"Understood."

Kagurazaka Chizuru, answering with few words, charged head-on at a red-furred bear galloping from down the corridor, drew the blade at her hip, and cut it cleanly in two with a single stroke.

To Megumi, it looked like a much sharper flash than usual.

The experience of fighting in the last 'Dungeon Rampage,' and then against that Demon called Lugardo, had probably changed Chizuru's awareness. Or maybe spending last night in the same bed talking about all sorts of things was also a factor.

But from Soma's perspective, it wasn't a particularly praiseworthy attack — he sighed with a face like someone who'd accidentally eaten unsalted pasta.

"...Well, fine. Another's coming. Saito, you take it."

"Yes, sir."

Megumi had also noticed the Red Bear charging their way, so she readied the greatsword on her back, swapped places with Chizuru, and closed in on the monster with an upward swing.

The strike from the greatsword — as tall as she was — was simultaneously a blow infused with magical impact. The Red Bear, over two meters in length, was sent flying like it'd been hit by a flash flood, slamming into the dungeon corridor's ceiling. Before it could fall, it expired, its existence vanishing entirely, leaving only a magic core rolling on the ground.

The honest feeling was that Megumi was in great form.

Even though she was swinging her sword with much less tension than before the Kamioka Dungeon expedition, the power was actually stronger.

But apparently, Soma was still dissatisfied.

"...Mido. Are you sensing any nearby monsters?"

Without saying whether it was good or bad, Soma directed a question at Mido Airi, who was waiting in the back. Beside Airi were cameraperson Shingu Sanagi, and the elf Ilseria, who stood silently with her arms crossed as if to protect the two.

"No. It doesn't seem like there are any nearby. Two Red Bears — Chizuru-chan and Megumi-chan defeated them."

"Ilseria. What do you think?"

His tone toward the elf showed absolutely no deference — the kind that'd border on power harassment against a subordinate these days — but Ilseria showed no particular displeasure. She nodded casually and pointed down the corridor.

"There's a monster presence about sixty to seventy meters that way. I don't have a read on the corridor structure, so it might not necessarily come this way."

"That's amazing...! As expected of Ilseria-san...!"

Airi's straightforward praise made Ilseria re-cross her arms and puff up with pride. Well, she'd earned the right to show off.

Labyrinths were suffused with a faint magical energy — which was also why magic communication devices didn't run out of battery — making presence detection and mana detection more difficult than on the surface. Megumi could manage about a twenty-meter radius at best, and even Airi, who was skilled in magic, topped out at thirty meters.

More than double that was certainly worthy of praise.

But Soma still seemed dissatisfied, letting out a "hmph."

— 'The Hunter' Soma Kengo.

An S-rank explorer, but unlike 'Anthem,' he wasn't affiliated with the Labyrinth Agency. He was in a special position — the Agency commissioned him for jobs.

He was tall, sturdy, wearing a jacket made of what looked like magical beast leather, with matching leather pants. His gaze was sharp, his tone somewhat cold and hard. Since entering the 'school' that trained explorers, Megumi had rarely encountered 'intimidating men' like him.

It wasn't that she found him particularly difficult to deal with.

Because there was nothing sleazy about Soma's attitude or gaze. He seemed a bit annoyed, but aside from that, he was clearly trying to do his job properly. That was the impression he gave. Actually, he gave hardly any other impression.

Megumi could barely detect any interest, curiosity, goodwill, or dislike toward them.

From Megumi's perspective, that was almost a relief.

Well, she did think he was a little scary, in a normal sort of way.

After a brief pause, as if thinking, Soma touched the brim of his hunting cap, looked around at the group, and said:

"I understand well enough that you lot are geniuses with excellent mana affinity gathered from all over Japan. That bastard Habaki probably pushed you to absorb large amounts of mana first. In other words, right now you're all operating on talent alone."

"...If I may, I don't believe I possess that much talent..."

Chizuru tilted her head. It wasn't defiance — more like genuine doubt. Last night, Megumi had heard fragments of her story; it sounded like her family had treated her as lacking talent in swordsmanship, and that was probably a deep-rooted inferiority complex for her.

So much so that Megumi suspected Chizuru was trying to somehow forgive her talentless self by using her power for the nation as an Anthem member.

"Are you talking about Kagurazaka's swordsmanship? I don't know what lingering attachments you have to swordplay LARPing, but there can't be more than three people, including the clan head, who match you as a sword user. I wouldn't know about anyone in hiding."

"Swordplay... LARPing...?"

"The natural magic defense formed by your insane mana affinity can't be pierced by C-rank and below explorers. Even by most skilled swordsmen. No matter how good you are with a blade, if it can't cut, it's meaningless. Kagurazaka Chizuru. Your training should be directed toward the use of your magic, not toward improving your play-acting. Your swordsmanship as it is now is wasting your mana."

His mouth was incredibly harsh, but Megumi couldn't detect a shred of contempt in it. Perhaps that was why Chizuru looked surprised, her mouth hanging open as she stared at Soma.

"B-but, Soma-san. Chizuru-chan's magic is being used in conjunction with her swordsmanship, isn't it...?"

Airi raised her hand to say. Megumi found herself nodding. She couldn't swing a sword like Chizuru, nor could she use magic to send out slashing strikes like her.

Wasn't she doing plenty well enough?

That's what Megumi thought, but Soma shook his head with a tired expression.

"She's just doing it by feel. That's not what I'd call training. The approach of handling magic the way it's easiest for her isn't a bad direction, and she seems to have been raising the quality and quantity of her mana until now, so I'm not trying to disparage it."

"Quality... and quantity...?"

"Setting Mido aside for a moment — Saito and Kagurazaka, you two are monsters who walked to A-rank without any special ability, purely on your high mana affinity. If you could keep strolling along humming a tune from here on, that'd be fine. But the recent 'Dungeon Rampage' made it clear that won't happen. Frankly put, you're amateurs swinging big, strong sticks around. The fact that amateurs like you climbed to A-rank is astonishing, but."

'Amateur' — Megumi felt that hit the mark. Being lumped in with Chizuru was surprising, but Saito Megumi, while she'd trained properly, was self-aware that she wasn't suited to being an explorer.

She didn't particularly like fighting. She wasn't particularly interested in swinging a sword. She was just better at it than others — that was all. If she said that out loud, she'd probably get yelled at by every explorer in existence, so she'd never said it.

She tried, and she could do it.

She'd reached the point where she couldn't.

That was all.

Letting out a breath, Soma continued.

"First, Kagurazaka. Combining swordsmanship and magic is natural, but it's too sloppy. Right now you're layering magic on top of your sword strikes, but that prioritizes the sword. Use the sword and magic as one. Same for physical techniques. Channeling magic into your body movements is too slow. Think of moving your body as the same as moving your magic. That 'iaijutsu' you dislike — that's the only thing that's somewhat better than your other movements."

"Hmph... you can tell that I dislike it?"

"It's written all over your face — 'it's too different from Kagurazaka swordsmanship, it's absurd and doesn't follow the principles of the sword.' If you intend to exist as explorer Kagurazaka Chizuru, consider the pathetic sword style as just one of your techniques. S-rank monsters won't go easy on you. From now on, you may find yourself dealing with Demons. In close combat, you're the strongest, Kagurazaka. Protect your companions."

That last line clearly struck something in Chizuru's heart — it was obvious even from the outside. Chizuru, who'd been listening with an expression like she didn't quite get it, suddenly tightened her focus, her face taking on the hue of a warrior heading into battle.

She never wanted to go through that again.

The time Hayasaka Toru and the dragon-slaying swordswoman Tia saved her. She'd survived by a razor's edge, but it was simply a fact that she hadn't been strong enough.

Megumi didn't want to go through that again either.

Tracing the brim of his hunting cap with his fingertip, Soma's gaze shifted to Megumi.

"Saito. I don't want to say this, but you're a genius. Far more than Kagurazaka, who at least had swordsmanship as a foundation."

"Eh? Ah, yes... eh?"

It was so unexpected that only a meaningless question mark escaped her lips. She couldn't help looking at Chizuru, Airi, and Ilseria, but nobody looked particularly surprised.

"Heart, technique, body, and magic — a certain index of strength in battle. Saito, you have only magic that stands out. Your body and technique have grown because magic pulled them along. As for your heart — have your companions handle that. Being strong alone isn't the only kind of strength."

"Ah... um... is that so...?"

"I don't know how you see yourself, but you're undeniably a child of the modern explorer system. After the World Fusion, through the era of the Chain Dungeon Rampage, explorers were born, conventions for dungeon exploration were established, the concept of mana affinity spread, and promising kids with high affinity were gathered from all over Japan and raised. Saito Megumi — you're without a doubt the cream of the cream."

"...But... I..."

She couldn't defeat the dragon or the Black Knight. She'd felt relieved at cutting off the hydra's heads only to be bathed in its blood torrent, exposing a fatal opening. That was the extent of her ability.

No matter how high her mana affinity, at the core, she wasn't a warrior.

But — did that mean she'd quit?

She didn't think she was suited for it. She wasn't a warrior to begin with. She didn't even particularly take pride in being an explorer. Even being called the cream of the crop, she just thought, well, I guess so.

But she didn't feel like quitting.

She had companions. Precious friends, companions who'd shared time together.

She had viewers. Honestly, she didn't feel a particular obligation to them, nor a sense of mission. But the people who left so many supportive comments were the ones she and the others were supposed to protect. And — probably, the people who weren't even watching the stream, who were somewhere else, absorbed in something else, laughing about something else... it was for them that they'd been gathered.

She didn't think she could throw it all away and go hide somewhere.

Even if the people who seemed to be enjoying themselves were her former classmates who'd treated her like a monster — that still wasn't a reason for them to be unjustly taken away.

"—What should I do?"

She couldn't say she'd made up her mind like Chizuru had. But she couldn't bring herself to give up and run away, so what else could she do?

For just a moment, Soma's mouth curved upward.

◇◇◇

After that, in the boss room on the thirtieth floor, an S-rank Adamant Golem appeared, and Soma said "I'll show you how it's done" before obliterating it in an instant.

At first glance, the Black Knight and dragon from before seemed tougher — Megumi and Chizuru would have struggled considerably with them. Even with Airi's support, it would've been the same. And with Ilseria's cooperation, they probably wouldn't have struggled at all. It was that kind of gap — a different order of magnitude in strength.

But according to Soma, that was a misconception.

"Your mana reserves aren't that far behind mine as an S-rank. Compared to an elf, you're obviously inferior, but at this level, attacking carelessly won't pierce magic defense. When you cut off the hydra's heads, that was a full-power strike. Aim to make that your normal attack."

That's ridiculous, Megumi thought, but Soma was dead serious, and there wasn't a hint of a joke in his tone. Besides, the magic Soma had used to defeat the Adamant Golem was a basic earth-element 'Stone Bullet.'

Evidence that the power of his ordinary attacks was absurdly high. He'd probably deliberately used 'Stone Bullet' to make that point.

Of course, it wasn't the same kind of spell that D-rank dungeon lower-floor monsters used — the difference wasn't just in magnitude but in concept. He generated 'stones' about the size of bullets, but much heavier and harder, and fired them at the speed of Ilseria's arrows, like a machine gun.

The Adamant Golem's body was visibly carved away and vanished... and on top of that, the firing speed of the 'Stone Bullets' had clearly exceeded the speed of sound, yet — likely due to magic — there was no sonic boom. Despite hitting ultra-high-speed heavy, hard stones, there was no ricochet either. That, he supposed, was the result of training.

"Kagurazaka, erase the gap between your swordsmanship and magic — make them one. Saito, specify how you convert magic into attacks and move accordingly. Mido, you're too reliant on your talent for 'healing magic.' First of all, don't be the first to fall in battle even though you're the healer. Refine your mana control. Learn to arbitrarily and instantly layer magic defense on top of your constantly deployed natural magic defense. If you don't want to be a burden to your companions, don't just spectate during battle."

Soma's words showed no mercy.

They stung, striking deep — but the fact that there was no condescension or contempt in them was genuinely appreciated.

"Shingu — take everyone's advice as reference. If you keep up with labyrinth exploration as much as possible, your total magic power should rise on its own. Your predicament last time was simply a lack of ability."

Only his words to cameraperson Shingu Sanagi were slightly kinder. Even so, Sanagi flinched, but she nodded properly.

"Thank you, Soma-san."

Megumi bowed and expressed her gratitude, but got no particular reaction.

Instead — for some reason — Ilseria was puffing up with a smug face... well, that was a bit hard to swallow.

At any rate, they wrapped up the Noumi Dungeon exploration for the day.

◇◇◇

Back at the hotel, after showers and dinner and various debriefing discussions, Airi noticed a notification on her mobile, checked the screen, and her eyes went wide.

"What's wrong?"

Chizuru tilted her head curiously. Airi hesitated for a moment, then showed the screen to Chizuru and Megumi.

The sender read 'Toru/Tia.'

He'd just set up a social media account the other day, yet he already had over forty thousand followers. His video site subscriber count was higher, probably because he wasn't linking to his social media or driving traffic there. Actually, Megumi felt like this was the first time she'd even learned Toru used social media.

The post read:

— 'I'll be doing an exploration stream of Sugai Dungeon starting tomorrow morning.'

Imagining Hayasaka Toru typing out that stiff message and posting it made Megumi laugh a little. Just a little.