Having recruited Otin-san—along with Ryunosuke and the rest of the dragons—to our party, we continued deeper into the dungeon, making our way toward the chamber at the very end where the warp gate leading out of this domain awaited.
“I see now. So there was a reason that sinister aura was pouring out of your rear…”
As we walked, I told Otin-san everything that had happened up until now, leaving nothing out.
Sure enough, he admitted he sensed the dangerous presence radiating from my butt. In fact, that was exactly why he deliberately aimed all of his thrusting attacks straight at my backside. Just imagining what might have happened if we fought normally instead made me lose sleep. I could’ve ended up skewered and left hanging like one of those shrikes’ grisly impaled prey.
Thank goodness I was wearing those magical panties. They’d truly saved my life.
“So, Otin-san… how much do you actually know about the Old Man, the Nether King?”
I had almost forgotten after being abruptly thrown into a Divine-class domain, but the dungeon we were actually exploring was a Nether-class dungeon. Its deepest level lay a full one hundred floors underground.
We only made it as far as the third level. Our ultimate goal hadn’t changed. We were here to defeat the Nether King.
Back in the day, Otin-san had served under the loli Goddess and had technically been one of the Nether King’s colleagues. If anyone might know a weakness or have some useful information, it would be him. With that hope in mind, I decided to ask.
“I’m afraid it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say I know almost nothing about him. Goddess-tan… ah, pardon me, I mean, the Goddess would occasionally vent her frustrations about him, but I hardly ever met him in person.”
“I figured as much…”
Apparently, there had been almost no interaction between coworkers at all.
Come to think of it, back when I was a corporate wage slave, I barely had any contact with people from other departments either. Maybe the organizational structure of dungeons wasn’t all that different from an ordinary company after all.
“My apologies.”
“No, don’t worry about it! …That said, do you happen to remember what kind of complaints the Goddess had about the Nether King old man?”
I insisted it was no problem and then immediately followed up with another question. Sure, casual grumbling probably wouldn’t reveal anything earth-shattering. But if there was even the slightest chance it could lead us to a clue for defeating him, it was worth asking.
I’d been a salesman once, after all. More than once, an offhand complaint from a client had turned out to reveal what they were really thinking, giving me the opening I needed to close the deal. No piece of information was too trivial to collect. You never knew which tiny detail would become the key to victory.
“Hmm, let me think… To be honest, I don’t remember much…”
Otin-san started, folding his arms in thought.
“…Ah. There is one!”
“Oh? You remembered something?”
“It may be completely irrelevant, but one remark has always stuck with me. The Goddess used to complain, 『The Nether King ages, and that’s such a nuisance!』”
…He ages?
That was the memorable part?
Everyone gets older, don’t they?
“Those who were created directly by the Goddess—beings who are not truly human—do not age under normal circumstances. Their bodies never deteriorate with time, so they do not die of old age.”
Right. He read my mind again.
I kind of understood what he was getting at, but I still couldn’t see the whole picture. When I hit a wall like this, there was only one reliable strategy left. Consult the wisdom of the more than three million viewers currently watching.
All right, everyone… Help me out here!
| > Live Chat > So the Nether King is an anomaly in the dungeon world? > Aging is what’s abnormal here? > The whole system is completely different from the human world. > Wasn’t the Goddess the one who creates monsters? > She creates their bodies and keeps souls circulating, right? > So does that mean reproduction doesn’t exist for monsters? > Come to think of it, monsters basically live forever unless they’re killed. > The Dungeon Masters are the ones who manage the overall population. > When you think about it, the Dummy Goddess is ridiculously powerful. > Even if she does look like a little girl. > Though inside she’s an Oba—…oh, looks like someone’s at my door. > Then why does the Nether King age? > Does that mean he originally existed outside the Goddess’ control? > Seriously, never aging would be the dream. > Feels like there’s something fundamentally unique about him. |
Hey dear viewers, could you please explain that in simpler terms?
Honestly… I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.
And what the heck is an identity, anyway?”
“Your brain has gone into full panic mode, Priest. In any case, it’s hardly crucial information, so don’t dwell on it. Look—the warp zone is just ahead.”
Otin-san commented with a chuckle.
In the end, all I’d accomplished was filling my head with question marks. No one had managed to give me a theory I could actually understand. So I decided to stop thinking about it.
Sometimes ignorance really is bliss.
“Mmm~ Ryunosuke-kun, you’re just too adorable!”
“Hey, fake saint. Ryunosuke clearly doesn’t like it. Quit forcing him to let you pet his head.”
“Mmph… Shaa… Grrr…”
Ryunosuke let out a low, disgruntled growl, baring his fangs in protest while Mina-chan continued enthusiastically rubbing its head as if she couldn’t hear a thing.
With the warp zone finally in sight, I looked back to check on Mina-chan and Shion-san, who were walking behind us. As it turned out, Ryunosuke—the Ancient Dragon—had decided to accompany our party as well.
Its true form was far too massive to fit through the temple’s corridors, so it had shrunk itself down to the size of my palm. In that form, it looked less like a fearsome dragon and more like an adorable stuffed toy.
At the moment, it was nestled comfortably against Mina-chan’s chest, blissfully enjoying the gentle strokes on his head while happily fluttering his tiny wings.
Even after getting that ripped off, the guy still hadn’t lost his taste for women. Honestly… it was infuriating.
Trade places with me, Ryunosuke!
“Well, here we are… Hm? That’s strange. The warp zone isnt activ—”
『Pathetic. Trully pathetic… And you’re supposed to be a god? What a joke.』
“…Who’s there?”
『Shut up, you worthless piece of trash. You’re completely useless!』
A revolting voice echoed out from the dormant warp zone.
I didn’t recognize it at all. However, I immediately realized who the owner of this voice was.
“The Hero…”
『So you’re the old priest bastard, huh?』
“…Satsuki-chan… She’s safe, isn’t she…?”
『Huh? How the hell do you know about her?』
“IS SHE SAFE OR NOT?!”
I was pretty sure that was the loudest I’d ever shouted in my life.
Staring at the inactive warp zone from which that foul voice rang out, I unleashed a roar born from a fury that pushed far beyond my limits.
『Oh, how scary! What are you so angry about, old man? I’m still taking good care of her.』
“Daishi-sa…nnn!!”
『Who said you could talk? Shut up, you damn woman.』
“Kyaaah!”
“Satsuki-chan!!”
Damn it!
I’ve finally made contact with that damn hero, but I can’t do anything right now!
Hurry! I have to save Satsuki-chan quickly!
“I opened the connection hoping to hear your last words, but this is disappointing. Turning the Sky Castle into a toy was quite a struggle… but never mind. You all die right there.”
Gogogogogogogo
As soon as the hero’s voice faded from the warp zone, the Sky Castle began to roar with a sound like an earthquake. At the same time, thunder began to rumble outside, and I thought I heard the screams of the dragons that had been flying around.
“…Priest.”
“Otin-san! The Sky Castle…”
“I know. That so-called hero probably set something up to completely obliterate this entire area.”
We could feel the surroundings beginning to play the prelude to collapse.
Otin-san was strangely calm, but suddenly we were facing what was probably the biggest crisis of our entire exploration life!
“Wait a minute! This is seriously bad!”
“This is bad… at this rate, we’ll all be wiped out along with this entire area!”
“Shaaaaaaa!!”
Even Mina-chan and the others were panicking. Even the shrunken Ryunosuke growled, sensing the desperate situation.
This is no joke, the situation has suddenly become incredibly dangerous!
What should we do?! !
“…Priest.”
“What? Why are you so calm, Otin-san? At this rate…”
“…It was a short acquaintance, but I’m truly glad I met you all in the end.”
“…Huh?”
“Ryunosuke. You’ll go with them. Your strength will surely be useful on the journey ahead.”
“Kuuuun…”
Huh? What do you mean…?
Otin-san, why are you really saying something like a last will and testament?
He’s even holding Kunknir…
What on earth…
“This Sky Castle has already fallen into the hands of this so-called hero. But…”
With a high-pitched squeal, a tremendous mass of aura begins to gather at the tip of Kunknir!
The spear begins to emit a rainbow-colored glow, and suddenly the whole thing twists into a spiral, transforming into a malevolent, ominous red shape.
“If my domain is going to be annihilated, then! Priest!”
“Y-yes!!”
“Defeat this so-called hero in my place! I leave the rest to you!”
“Otin-san!!”
The spear finished concentrating all its energy, and for a moment, silence enveloped the surroundings.
And then…
“[Ragnarok]”
Ragnarok. A word meaning the end of the world in Norse mythology. The name of the ultimate secret technique that Otin-san unleashed at the end, a technique to end everything.
I don’t understand the principle, but I think he used it to save us.
The space was dyed white, and in the distance of my fading consciousness…
“Otin-san…”
I think…. I was probably crying.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
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