Nether King’s Side
“…A Hero or whatever he calls himself… doesn’t he understand?”
“That kind of cheap trick will never work on that boy…”
“Honestly… what a nuisance.”
The old man sighed through his beard, watching the unfolding chaos within his domain.
◆◆◆
“…Okay! It looks like it’s safe to move on now!”
I called out gently to Mina-chan and Shion-san, who were still standing there with their mouths hanging open. We had successfully cleared the second floor of the Nether-Class Dungeon using my Burial Fist. The same strategy I used in the labyrinth zone. I channeled full-force burial energy into the rocky walls, and the dungeon itself began to fracture. Cracks spread like lightning across the entire structure.
From the gaps, beams of light shot out in every direction, and piles of rubble formed one after another. At times, I thought I heard faint groaning voices but I just ignored them. No time to worry about that. We just needed to head for the next floor.
| > Can’t we just use that strategy for everything? > The little tricks are completely useless lol > The first basement floor was clearly harder > You can’t defeat the old man with physical traps > What a stupid hero > I wonder if the next floor will be like this too > It’s a piece of cake > Hurry up and beat up the hero > No, wouldn’t it be easier to just keep modifying it like this? > Definitely > Even the Nether King won’t stay silent about this > Recover your MP > And collect the items too |
I had to remind myself not to forget item collection. Last time I cleared a dungeon using this method, I just pushed forward without picking anything up. Now that I finally have a convenient skill like the Item Box, I should make full use of it. If it looks useful, I’m taking it.
“…Who exactly is this man? He’s clearly operating outside normal logic.”
“I thought he wasn’t human before… but yeah. He’s definitely a monster.”
Behind me, as I walked ahead through the ruined second floor of the Nether-Class Dungeon, Mina-chan and Shion-san were whispering to each other. I caught the word “monster” coming from Mina-chan.
…That means “strong and cool like a monster,” right?
Right?
| > Nothing worthwhile has fallen. > Just junk. > No treasure chests either. > Can’t even find a potion. > The rubble doesn’t seem to be made of any particularly valuable ore. > It’s only on the second basement floor, after all. > Ignore the items and move on. > You have to catch up to the hero. > Oh, something flashed over there for a second. > A rare item? > Don’t get your hopes up too much. > Why don’t we go and take a look anyway? |
“Did you find something good, Daishi-san?”
Mina-chan ran over as I lifted the item I’d just unearthed from the rubble.
“What is this, I wonder?”
I held up what looked like a necklace for her to see.
It seemed like high-quality material. The chain was finely crafted silver, and at its center sat a small blue gemstone that gave off a dull, subdued glow.
The moment Mina-chan saw it, her expression changed slightly.
“…Wait. This is—”
Shion-san stepped closer as well, narrowing her eyes.
“It’s not just decoration. This is… something sealed.”
The pendant gave off a faint, almost breathing-like pulse.
As if something inside it was still “alive.”
And at that exact moment—
A faint system-like sound echoed in my head.
| 《 Hidden function detected. 》 |
| 《 Resonance condition met. 》 |
| 《 Warning: Incomplete containment artifact. 》 |
“…Huh?”
I instinctively tightened my grip.
The blue gem flickered once. Just once. Like something inside had noticed me.
“That’s a Rune Pendant.”
“A Rune Pendant?”
“Yes. It’s a fairly rare piece of equipment that significantly boosts base magical power. It occasionally drops from high-difficulty dungeon treasure chests. So it’s a pretty valuable item.”
“Whoa! Nice! Mina-chan, do you want to equip it?”
“No. I already have something even rarer called the Holy Burial Pendant so I don’t need it.”
Mina-chan reached into her collar and pulled out the so-called Holy Burial Pendant to show me. Contrary to its name, it had a disturbingly murky gemstone set into it, which honestly made me a bit uneasy just looking at it.
“Oh… I see. Well, it’s still a rare item, so I’ll just store it in the Item Box in case we can sell it later.”
“It’s useless on a muscle-brain like her anyway, so that’s probably the best choice.”
“Hey, I can hear you, you damn saint.”
I noticed Shion-san slowly approaching from the side, her expression unusually sharp. Mina-chan really needed to stop provoking people so casually.
Meanwhile, the viewers were chiming in:
| > The pendant looks kinda scratched up. > Maybe someone dropped it? > That condition is rough… might not sell well. > Get it appraised before anything. > Check the back, sometimes names are engraved. > It could be a famous explorer’s item. > If it belonged to someone big, even damaged it’s valuable. > Daishi, engrave your name on it > Ajiri Daishi is already super famous anyway |
“…Seriously? You don’t just engrave my name on random cursed-looking jewelry you know.”
I muttered.
Still, I flipped the pendant over just in case. And that’s when I saw it. A faint engraving—barely visible under the scratches.
“…Huh?”
My eyes narrowed.
That name… wasn’t unfamiliar.
“…Ahhh!”
Mina-chan suddenly exclaimed as she examined the gem from the back side of the pendant. Maybe she actually checked it properly like the viewers suggested—looking for an engraved name. But her expression didn’t look like excitement.
It looked uncertain. Almost uneasy.
“…Daishi-san.”
“W-what? What’s wrong?”
“Amane Satsuki.”
“…Huh?”
“This pendant… Satsuki’s name is engraved on it.”
Huh? W-what?!
W-wha….What did you say?!
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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