“Guh… What is this… punching power…?”
“Oh? You endured that pretty well, Otin.”
I had just hammered his stomach with roughly a hundred high-speed punches backed by my 1,014 Strength stat. Honestly, I had expected that to finish him off. Yet, despite the pained expression twisting his face and the fact that he was clutching his abdomen, Otin remained very much standing.
For a man who called himself a god, his durability far exceeded anything I had anticipated.
“You… are you really a Priest?”
“Yeah. A Burial Priest.”
I wasn’t lying. Just a homophone of it.
“You are the first human… ever to land attacks of this magnitude upon me, Priest.”
“…Huh?”
The first?
What was that supposed to mean?
Hadn’t this guy fought the Hero before?
That useless goddess in the form of a loli had said back at the temple in the beginner dungeon that the Hero had conquered a Divine-Realm-class dungeon.
But what had that actually meant?
I didn’t think she’d been lying. And yet, the current situation didn’t seem to add up. There were too many pieces that didn’t fit together.
| > Otin’s actually pretty strong. > Standing after taking those gut punches is insane. > Old Man Daishi’s gotten kinda full of himself, huh? lol > Is he looking down on the guy a little? > Since when did he become like that? lol > That smug expression is weirdly annoying. > Hm? So Otin never fought the Hero? > Then how was the dungeon cleared without even landing an attack? > Makes no sense. > This really is a Divine-class dungeon, right? > I’m starting to have some doubts on that. > Come to think of it, how does Otin know Old Man Daishi is a Priest? > Maybe he’s just guessing based on the equipment? > A lot of questions are popping up now. > Somebody get Otin to explain a few things, please. |
It seemed the viewers were wondering the same things I was.
Yeah.… Maybe it was time to sit down and have a little chat, Otin.
“Hm. This Hero you keep thinking about—who exactly are you referring to?”
Right. I’d forgotten. This old man could read minds.
“I’m talking about the explorer who supposedly came here two or three days ago…”
“Hm? Two or three days ago? No explorer has come here that recently.”
“Huh?”
“You are only the second explorer to ever reach my temple. Before you, the previous one was roughly five years ago.”
I had absolutely no idea what he was talking about.
Five years ago?
What did that even mean?
“Wait. Then who was the explorer that came here five years ago?”
“I do not remember particularly well. However, that man certainly did not call himself a Hero. He appeared to have reached this place alone, fought me briefly, and then fled using a return item.”
The person Otin was describing was almost certainly not the Hero. When the Hero cleared a Divine-class dungeon, he should have had party members with him.
Which meant… the Hero never defeated Otin.
And yet, somehow, he had still been credited with conquering the dungeon.
Something is not right.
A crucial piece of the puzzle was still missing. If that’s the case, the conclusion we can draw from this fact is…
“Perhaps they somehow canceled the entire conquest of the deepest part of the divine realm…”
There was another speculator behind me.
It was Mina-chan.
Even though she must be embarrassed by having all her fetishes exposed, I appreciate her properly analyzing the current situation.
But Mina-chan said they canceled the conquest itself, is that even possible?
| > It’s basically confirmed at this point that the Hero can interfere with space-time somehow, right? > But being credited with clearing it without defeating the boss doesn’t make sense. > Maybe he never actually completed it in the first place? > Then what exactly did that loli goddess see? > The official records from Guild Headquarters recognize it as a clear. > Did something happen on Floor 80 of the Divine-class dungeon? > That warp zone seems suspicious. > Somehow the Sky Castle was counted as conquered without actually being cleared. > This whole thing is getting really shady. > Did he somehow cut the Sky Castle out of the dungeon? > And then connect it to Floor 3 of the Nether-class dungeon? > Otin would’ve noticed something like that, wouldn’t he? > Hmmm… > I’ve got no clue anymore. |
Even the viewers seemed unable to piece together an answer. At this point, it looked like the only way to learn what had really happened was to ask the Hero directly.
“It appears that something extraordinary has occurred beyond my knowledge.”
“Otin, you’re the master of this domain, aren’t you? Haven’t you noticed anything strange happening recently?”
Surely, if a change this massive had occurred within his territory, he’d know about it.
“No. My domain extends only to this Sky Castle. I know nothing of the Divine-class or that Nether-class dungeon.”
“Seriously…? That’s unbelievably irresponsible…”
“Hey, Ot— I mean, Otin-sama! You should be keeping track of things like that! Aren’t you supposed to be a god?!”
Perhaps emboldened by everything that had happened, Mina-chan launched into another aggressive tirade against Otin.
Though the near-slip in her wording made me break into a cold sweat.
Please be careful.
“Hm. Your argument is not without merit. It may indeed be necessary for me to conduct an investigation.”
“Wait—really? Does that mean you’re willing to cooperate with us?”
That was excellent news. Maybe we wouldn’t have to fight after all. Not that I thought we’d lose. But pointless conflict wasn’t exactly my hobby. If we could resolve this without throwing punches, that would be ideal.
“Hm… Indeed. I am not opposed to that. Not opposed at all. However…”
“!?”
“Such matters can be discussed after you prove your worth to me!”
Once more, a torrent of white aura erupted around Otin.
The air groaned under the pressure.
His already overwhelming presence intensified to the point that I instinctively retreated, putting some distance between us and falling back toward Mina-chan.
…Right. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy!
“Come forth! My beloved spear!”
At Otin’s command, a magnificent spear materialized in his right hand. It was enormous, adorned with intricate decorations, and radiated an almost divine majesty.
A divine spear…
So that’s what it was!
This guy is finally getting serious.
“Correct, Priest! If your body can withstand the divine thrust of my sacred spear, Kunknir, and remain unpierced, then I shall lend you my aid!”
“Kun…”
The moment I heard the name of the spear, the corners of my mouth twitched.
A very dangerous thought was already forming in my head. And judging by the look on Mina-chan’s face, she had probably arrived at the exact same conclusion.
Wasn’t it Gungnir?
Kunknir…It’s kind of… a little strange…
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 