Category: Datsusara Souryo no Danjon Sousou Haishin

I couldn’t come up with a countermeasure. Against an ordinary opponent, I probably wouldn’t have worried this much. But Otin wasn’t ordinary. He’s a monster whose stats were equal to—or perhaps even exceeded—my own. If I made the wrong choice here, there was a very real chance I’d end up dead.

“It seems you have yet to settle on a course of action…”

As he spoke, Otin shifted Kunknir into his left hand and slowly lowered his stance. The spear’s tip leveled directly at me. His white aura flickered around him as he settled into a posture from which he looked capable of skewering me at any moment.

“I am not a particularly patient man.”

The stance reminded me of a one-handed thrust I had seen in an old samurai manga. Most likely, he’ll explode forward from that position, close the distance in an instant, and drive the spear through one of my vital points.

“Not quite, Priest.”

My blood ran cold.

Damn mind-reader.

“My secret art, Crisis Core, does not pierce vital points.”

Otin’s eyes narrowed. The atmosphere around him seemed to grow heavier with every word.

“It pierces existence itself.”

A chill raced down my spine.

“No matter where it strikes, that location is consumed by nothingness. From the wound, oblivion spreads. And the soul returns to the beyond.”

For a moment, silence fell.

The absurd attack names were no longer funny. Not even a little. Because if Otin was telling the truth, this wasn’t some fancy finishing move. It’s a technique that could erase whatever it touched from reality itself.

And suddenly, the idea of simply “tanking” his ultimate attack didn’t sound nearly as reassuring as it had a minute ago.

Well, he’s saying something really complicated, but basically, if he stabs me anywhere in my body, it’s game over, right?

That’s a much more brutal technique than I imagined. I don’t know if I can even defend against that with [Hell Gate].

I thought he was kind, but I’ll take that back. Otin definitely wants to kill me.

> You have no choice but to dodge. > He doesn’t have the skills to deal with that. > What about [Retribution]? > I can only see a future where he get pierced. > Otin is way too overpowered. > As expected of a god. > Bet on the item box! > Yeah… Yeah… Maybe the Dungeon Master has something prepared?

I didn’t have the luxury of reading the comments. And yet my eyes kept drifting toward them on their own.

There is no way Otin would give me an opening to pull something out of my Item Box. Besides, I doubted that useless loli goddess had thought that far ahead anyway. I shouldn’t place high expectations on a Dungeon Master who stuffs random underwear into treasure chests.

“…Useless loli goddess…? …Dungeon Master…?”

“Huh?”

Wait.

Otin suddenly started fidgeting after reading my thoughts.

Come to think of it, the useless loli goddess had mentioned that the Divine-class dungeon was originally under her control before becoming independent.

Could that have something to do with why Otin was suddenly darting his eyes around like a suspicious criminal?

“T-that has nothing to do with you! (Goddess-tan… why did you abandon me…?)”

At this point, I practically gotten used to having my mind read.

Judging from how agitated he was, whatever had happened in the past was obviously connected to this. And by the way…

That little “dao” he muttered under his breath?

Yes. I could hear that.

…Hm?

“Wait a second… could it be that this guy…?”

Aha. Ahahaha.

I think I just figured it out.

A grin slowly spread across my face. The pieces of the puzzle were finally starting to fit together.

“Item Box!”

Bom!

Thinking I could take advantage of Otin’s flustered state, I summoned the Item Box without hesitation.

“Damn! You think you can defend against my attack with a box like that…”

“Do you know whose this is, Otin?”

Reaching into the box, I pulled out a thin piece of cloth and showed it to Otin.

If my deduction is correct, this is probably…

“Th-that’s!? No way!”

Seeing Otin flinch even more, I was certain of my victory.

“That’s right! This is… Danmas’ strawberry panties!”

“Wha-! Whaaat?!”

“And what’s more!”

“!!”

“(Probably) before the wash!!!”

“Guhaaa!!!”

It’s done.

The murderous stance Otin had taken—the one that looked ready to pierce a soul itself—collapsed. The white aura wrapped around him withered away. The spear clenched tightly in his left hand slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

Otin had completely lost the will to fight.

“Why… Why do you possess… the Goddess’s sacred treasure…?”

“Hm? The Dungeon Master probably tossed it into my Item Box after mistaking it for a laundry basket.”

“L-laundry basket?! What sort of relationship do you have with Goddess-tan…?!”

Why was he reacting so strongly to the laundry basket part?

Did that trigger some kind of memory or something?

“Hmmm, what kind of relationship…? Well, she stripped me naked and awakened me, I guess?”

“Gubuuuuah!”

I had merely stated the facts. Yet the damage from that follow-up attack was apparently devastating.

Yep. No doubt about it. This guy had been so obsessed with the Goddess that he’d stalked her relentlessly, creeped her out, and gotten himself exiled from paradise. That had to be it.

“N-no! I never engaged in such foolish behavior as stalking—”

“Peeking at her from the shadows, digging through her laundry basket, sticking her photo on your pillow and panting over it—any of those are automatic disqualification, you know?”

I just threw out a bunch of random accusations as a wild guess.

“Gnnnn…”

Wait. Why are you reacting like I got it right?

“I get how you feel, though. That loli ol—”

I stopped myself.

“—Ahem. She’s got her charms, after all!”

“…Priest.”

Otin looked at me with trembling eyes.

“And hey, if you’ll join us…”

I held up the item in question.

“I’m willing to give this to you.”

“…MY COMRAA~~DE!!”

I’m not your comrade! I’ve never once liked someone that much in my entire life!

Hey, don’t come shaking my hand with tears streaming down your face.

No…Wait. Does this mean I should hand over the panties?

“Looks like the match is over.”

Just as I was about to hand Otin my victory panties, Shion suddenly appeared beside me.

“Ah, Shion! I’m so glad you’re safe!”

“Yeah. I’ve made up with Ryunosuke.”

“Shaaaaaaa!!”

Ryunosuke, the Ancient Dragon who had apparently been engaged in a fierce battle with Shion, descended from the sky, flapping its wings wildly.

“It’s a surprisingly reasonable dragon. I [uproot it out] and it became obedient.”

“Eek!”

I was startled, so let’s leave this story here. Anyway, I’m glad everyone’s safe!

“Daishi-san! That’s great! It looks like you’ve made up with Ochin… no, Otin…”

“Yeah! They’re our comrades now!”

Getting carried away, I raised my right hand without thinking, like something out of a certain pirate manga. I was still clutching the strawberry panties I’d failed to give to Otin.

“Daishi-san, you’re such a pervert!!!”

“Eeeh!!!?”

Mina-chan’s slap landed on my cheek with a loud bang, and for some reason, it felt incredibly good to me at that moment.

> What are you showing me? > Farce

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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Name: Otin (Self-proclaimed) Occupation: Chief God Level: 99 HP: 9999/9999 MP: 1024/1024 Strength: 2531 Endurance: 1549 Agility: 1922 Intelligence: 1678 Divine Power: 2999 Skills: [Ragnarok (MAX)] [Crisis Core (MAX)] [Grand Cross (MAX)] [Dragon Lance (MAX)] [Mounted Thrust MAX] [Rear Thrust (MAX)] [Normal Thrust MAX] Unique Skill: [Heaven’s Gate] Title: [Absolute God of the Sky Castle]

I used Clairvoyance to check Otin’s abilities and… yeah. His stats were higher than mine across the board. If I got hit, there was a very real chance I was finished.

“…Here I come.”

“W-wait, hold on a sec—!”

“HAAAAAAAHHHH!!”

Get it together!

You’re overwhelmingly faster than he is!

Watch his movements carefully and dodge!

“Sacred Thrusttttt!!”

“Whoa! Hup!”

With a swift, flawless charge, Otin unleashed a strike aimed squarely at my heart. I somehow managed to wrench my body sideways at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the blow. That had been way too close. With a sharp whoosh that sliced through the air, Otin shot past me at full speed.

Crap!

That was by a hair’s breadth!

Terrifying!

“Your backside is completely exposed! Rear Thrusttttt!!”

Otin abruptly killed all momentum and came to a dead stop. In one smooth motion, he reversed his grip on Kunknir. Without even turning around, he thrust the spear backwards—directly at my rear end with horrifying precision.

“W-why are you aiming for my butt from that position?! That’s ridiculous! Uwaah!”

Thrown into a panic by the seamless two-hit combination, I instinctively leapt into the air.

What a terrible move. The moment my feet left the ground, my options became limited—

“You think that was enough to evade me, Priest?! Mounted Thrusttttt!!”

Otin immediately recovered his stance and unleashed a powerful anti-air thrust.

Knew it!

I knew he’d follow up!

There’s no dodging this one!

To hell with it!

“HNNGH!”

“Oh? You stopped it?!”

Acting purely on instinct, I clamped both hands around the tip of Otin’s spear.

And somehow…

It worked.

I-I can actually do this!

“Unexpected. However…”

“Eh? W-whoa, whoa, whoa! My eyes! My eyes are spinninggg!”

Otin suddenly twisted Kunknir in his hands. Since I was gripping the spearhead with all my strength, I ended up spinning along with it. The world became a blur. My vision whirled. My stomach threatened to abandon ship.

“Hah!”

After spinning me around several more times, Otin finally swung the spear and flung me away. I crashed back-first into a massive pillar. The impact blasted the air from my lungs, leaving me momentarily unable to breathe.

“My Three Divine Thrusts form an inescapable sequence.”

Otin leveled Kunknir toward me and spoke with absolute confidence.

“There are no blind spots. No openings. No angles from which a mere human could exploit a weakness.”

The old man looked completely serious. And somehow, that only made the names of his attacks even more absurd.

As I sat slumped against the pillar, Otin looked down at me. His gaze was so sharp it felt like he was trying to skewer me on the spot.

S-scary.

“Daishi-san! Are you alright?!”

“Mina-chan! Stay back! It’s dangerous!”

Sure, I’d taken some damage, but it was nothing serious. The real problem was that there was no way I could handle Otin’s insane thrust attacks while also protecting Mina-chan.

“At least let me heal you—”

“No, I’m fine! Just get back, Mina-chan! Quickly!”

Keeping my attention fixed on Otin in case he launched another sudden assault, I got to my feet and guided Mina-chan behind the cover of a nearby pillar.

“Oh? Quite the gentleman, aren’t you, Priest?”

“…You’re one to talk.”

Otin hadn’t attacked. Not even when I was vulnerable. Not even when my focus had shifted to protecting Mina-chan. He had simply stood there and waited. For all his intimidating appearance, the man was exactly what he looked like—

A gentleman.

Or, at the very least, a warrior with a code of honor.

> Oteiiiin-tsueee > The main god is incredible! > The name of the god isn’t just for show! > The name of the thrust is exquisitely obscene > The forced feeling of the mounted thrust > Was the old man’s ass targeted? > Did he instinctively think the ass was dangerous? > Well, actually, an old man’s ass is dangerous > Because it creates hell > Shall we head to using Hell gates early? > No. Save that as a last resort > He’ll even take out his comrades with that LOL > By the way, what happened to Shion? > Camera! Switch viewpoints! > Ah… (I see…)

That’s right!

What happened to Shion after Ryunosuke carried her off?!

Damn it!

But I couldn’t take my eyes off Otin. I’d gotten so used to reading the comments out of the corner of my vision that I no longer needed to focus on them directly. Still, I didn’t have the luxury of looking around. Not against Otin.

Even a gentleman like him probably wouldn’t let an opening that obvious slide.

> Shion-neesan wuwuwu > Ooooh, wow… > That’s actually insane… > Brutal. > That skill is busted. > Nah, that’s messed up. > Inevitable prairie LMAO

Come on, chat!

Do your job!

Those are all just your reactions!

I need to know what’s actually happening to Shion!

Those comments tell me absolutely nothing! …Well, no. Actually, they did tell me one thing. Everyone sounded far too entertained for it to be a disaster. So she was probably alive. For now, that was good enough.

“Well then, let’s put an end to the warm-up, Priest.”

“…Huh?”

“Time is precious. I have seen enough to gauge your abilities. If you can withstand my ultimate technique, I shall declare this match your victory.”

“…Seriously?”

Wait.

Really?

That’s all I had to do?

Honestly, a wave of relief washed over me. Defeating an opponent like this might have left me with only one option: Hell Gate. And I really wanted to avoid using that. There is a good chance my allies would get caught up in it too after all.

If Otin was willing to acknowledge me without forcing things that far, then that was by far the better outcome. Maybe this old man wasn’t so bad after all.

Sure, he was absurdly strong. Sure, he looked intimidating enough to punch holes in mountains. But underneath all that, he might actually be a genuinely decent guy.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when another, far more important one followed.

Wait a second.

I suddenly have a very bad feeling about the phrase “ultimate technique”.

“Prepare yourself, Priest. If you let your guard down, your soul and all will be blown away to the depths of nothingness.”

Is it really such an amazing technique? A secret technique…

…No, no, no, no.

You’ve cultivated too much aura, Otin-san!

It’s so white, it looks like the steam rising from a famous hot spring resort in Oita Prefecture!

“Are you ready, Priest?”

No, not yet!…Maybe it would have been better to defeat him with [Hell Gate] after all?

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“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

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Slicked-back silver hair. Deeply chiseled features. Sharp eyes.

Though he carried the air of a man in his later years, the sheer force of his presence was overwhelming. An aura of intimidation—that was the best way to describe it.

Even beneath the mystical armor he wore, the mass of hardened muscle that made up his body asserted its existence with undeniable authority. Still, “Chief God” was one hell of a title. Just from the sound of it, he seemed like a being that ranked above a Dungeon Master.

But there was no way that could be—

“Within this Divine-class domain alone, I am synonymous with a god. The Goddess’s influence does not reach this place.”

I see.

So, just like that old man from the Nether-class dungeon, this place operated under a completely different set of rules from ordinary dungeons.

Wait. Hold on a second.

Did he just read my mind?

“Correct, Priest. Within this Otinpoint, every thought is laid bare.”

“Reading minds? That’s impossible!”

Mina-chan peeked out from behind Shion, using her as a shield while immediately rejecting Otin’s claim.

No, I’m pretty sure he was actually reading minds.

“Hm. Girl, you were just thinking, 『Otinpoint sounds kind of erotic…』weren’t you?”

“Wha—!? N-no! Of course not! Are you crazy or something?!”

“Hm. 『I wonder if Daishi-san’s OTNTN is Ancient Dragon level…』”

“N-no, wait! That’s not what I—!”

“Hm. 『No! Stop it, Mina! You can’t think about things like that… Daishi-san will hate you! Please stop… stop iiiit!』”

“…My sincerest apologies, Lord Chief God.”

Wha—?!

What the hell?!

Had this old man really shattered Mina-chan’s spirit just by exposing her thoughts?

T-this is bad.

This is way too dangerous!

> Don’t have a mental breakdown right from the start, Saint lol > We haven’t even done anything yet lol > Huh? Mina-chan is a pervert? > No, having your thoughts exposed is kind of dangerous > Huh? Mine’s been read too? > Oh no > I have to erase the memory of Satsuki Pan T… > The loli goddess’s strawberry… > Shion-san’s tanned body… > Too many self-proclaimed ones lol > Surely they can’t tell us where the stream is lol > There are 2.66 million people lol > I think it would crash if they read it all > Be mindless! Become mindless!

Emptying my mind that easily was impossible. Still, when it came to fighting someone who could read thoughts, I figured I could probably scrape together a strategy by drawing on memories of a certain anime I used to watch.

So then—

While he was still off guard, maybe it was time to strike first and seize the initiative…

“Step aside, fake saint.”

…or so I was thinking, when Shion moved before I could.

The moment Mina-chan let her guard down, Shion exploded forward in a fierce charge straight at Otin.

“Oh?”

Otin’s lips curled slightly.

“Dark-skinned bikini woman. You possess rather impressive muscles.”

Shion closed the distance in an instant, and the two locked hands in a test of strength, settling into something that looked like a sumo-style pushing match.

“I don’t care whether you’re a god or whatever. There’s no way I’m losing to some old man in a contest of strength—”

“What is it? Put some real effort into it, Bikini.”

“…Tch!”

A pained grimace spread across Shion’s face.

Otin on the other hand looked perfectly calm. Even from where I stood, it was obvious which one held the advantage. Besides, this guy was supposedly a god—one of the final bosses, no less. You’d think he wouldn’t bother competing in something as straightforward as raw strength…

“Hah!”

“Gah!”

Then, without warning, Otin released the grapple. In the same motion, his left leg flashed forward like lightning, slamming into Shion’s stomach.

Shion was launched high into the air by the kick, soaring upward in a single violent arc.

“Ryunosuke! Food’s here!”

“SHAAAAAAAHHHH!”

With jaws stretched wide and drool pouring from its mouth, Ryunosuke hurtled toward the airborne Shion.

No good!

At this rate, Shion’s going to get swallowed whole!

“UOOOOOOHHHH! HNNGH!”

“SHA!?”

Whoa!

No way!

The instant she entered Ryunosuke’s mouth, Shion somehow braced herself like a weightlifter holding a fully raised barbell, preventing the Ancient Dragon’s jaws from closing!

Ryunosuke’s mouth remained forced open as the gigantic dragon flew about in utter confusion, thrashing wildly through the sky.

“Old man Daishi! Don’t worry about me! You take down that fake Oti—!”

“Got it! Thanks, Shion!”

…Eh?

I could’ve sworn she’d just let a broadcast-prohibited word slip out there, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that! That damn Otin had laid a hand on my companion!

You’d better be ready for what’s coming!

“You lot… there is a limit to how much you may mock my name.”

For the first time, Otin glared at us with genuine anger. The oppressive pressure he emitted, already overwhelming, intensified even further. A white, steam-like aura shimmered around him, distorting the air.

So he’d finally decided to get serious, huh, Otin?

“Mina-chan, stay behind me and focus on protecting yourself above all else…”

“Understood… Um, Daishi-san?”

“What is it?”

“I’m not perverted, you know.”

“…”

Let’s talk about that after this battle is over. I’ll beat Otin to a pulp and then I’ll hear the rest!

“You seem quite confident, priest! Surely you don’t seriously think you can defeat me…!!”

“Aren’t you talking a little too much, Otin?”

“What!? When did you get here!?”

“Howaaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Don’t underestimate my agility of 5828, Otin.

You can read minds? So what? I don’t care about that. My secret weapon, honed through anime, is incredibly simple.

That’s right.

Kill them before they can read your mind!

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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> Hey… doesn’t this place look familiar? > I swear I’ve seen it in some stream before. > What a view. > Whoa, whoa—how many dragons are flying around up there?! > A castle in the sky… > There are sculptures of naked men and women carved into all the pillars. > This place feels downright divine. > Divine-Class? > No doubt about it. > Isn’t this way beyond simple tricks and gimmicks? > Looks like the Hero finally decided to get serious. > Makes sense. Cheap traps weren’t working on them. > He might’ve been watching everything they did.

2.3 million viewers were left speechless.

I was left with my jaw dropped open. This place is just too magnificent. I think I saw the word “divine realm” scattered around.

But isn’t that one of the three great dungeons in the world that the hero conquered?

Why would a dungeon like that appear in the realm of Nether-class dungeon?

It doesn’t make sense.

“Sky Castle Apita…”

“Are Nether-class realm and Divine-class realm connected…?”

Mina-chan and Shion also seemed stunned by this sudden, grand panorama.

They looked like they couldn’t believe it. However, it seemed like they understood that this was a space equivalent to a Divine Realm realm dungeon.

“Mina-chan, this place is…”

“The realm of the gods, reached by warping from the 80th floor of the divine-level underground…”

“Eh? Mina-chan, you’ve been to a place like that before?”

“No. My senior was streaming it before, so I just watched it.”

“Shion, you seemed to know about it too, right? You haven’t been here before…. right?”

“It’s just a hunch.”

“…”

Well, intuition is important too! Shion definitely seemed like the type who relied on animal instincts, so she was probably right… hopefully.

“But in the stream I watched, they never made it as far as the Sky Castle. Right now, we’re clearly inside it. Which means…”

“Which means?”

“We’re at the deepest part of the Divine-Class Dungeon.”

Shion folded her arms and continued.

“The domain where the Chief God, Otin, sits upon his throne.”

Mina-chan’s explanation had apparently been supplemented by Shion, but honestly, I wasn’t following any of it.

Chief God?

Otin?

Divine throne?

What was she even talking about?

In simple terms, was this like the equivalent of the Nether King in the Nether-Class Dungeon?

Wait.

Hold on.

Wouldn’t that make him the final boss?!

That’s bad. Really bad.

The comment section exploded again.

> No way. Is this actually the Otin point? > Is this the real thing? > Maybe it’s just a fake set piece? > Creating the Sky Castle is completely insane. > The Hero’s basically operating at Dungeon Master level. > That’s beyond cheating. > No, no, no, no, no. > There’s no way this is genuine. > Maybe he twisted space-time and connected the two dungeons somehow? > Hey, use [Clairvoyance] on one of those dragons flying around.

That last comment immediately caught my attention.

Right.

Where we’re standing now is the second basement level of the Nether-class dungeon. It’s near the entrance, right after opening the door. The image is of a magnificent, ancient castle resembling classical Greek architecture. Rotating white columns stand tall. The clouds floating and sunlight streaming in suggest we’re in the air. Looking down a little, there’s a lush garden, and a waterfall cascading down towards the ground from the side. Dragons are flying around, so the viewers are basically asking us to confirm if the dragons are real and determine if this is a truly divine realm.

I’ve decided to go with that idea.

“Let’s take a look at that biggest one.”

Well, let’s see. Oh, of course, we’ll watch the abridged version!

Name: Ryunosuke Species: Ancient Dragon HP: 4999/4999 MP: 425/425 Strength: 956 Endurance: 910 Agility: 881 Intelligence: 953 Magic Power: 989 Resistances: 【All elemental attacks halved】【All status ailments immune】 Skills: 【Dragon Breath (LV5)】 【Dragon Attack (LV4)】 【Dragon Suplex (LV3)】 【Dragon Holy Splash (LV2)】 【Dragon Methane (LV1)】

No, this monster is incredibly strong. Just being an Ancient Dragon already makes it boss level. Its stats are almost at their maximum.

But the skills are surprisingly orthodox.

…Dragon Suplex… that’s something different.

“Daishi, you were using your clairvoyance on that dragon just now, right? How did it go?”

Mina-chan pointed to the dragon I was staring at and asked for the result.

“Ah, well…”

I explained the results of my clairvoyance on the Ancient Dragon to Mina and the viewers.

“It’s definitely a Divine Realm level…”

“Seriously…?”

“It seems safe to say the Hero has come to hunt us down…”

Then, if the Hero gets serious, he can summon even the deepest parts of a Divine Realm?

That’s cheating! As one of the viewers said, I think the Dungeon Master level is absolutely correct.

Hmm? But wait a minute.

The Hero has already traversed this area, right? Does that mean the boss hasn’t been defeated yet?

I doubt he created this space with some kind of copy-and-paste ability, and judging from his abilities so far, it’s more natural to assume he used spatial skills to connect with a divine-class realm.

But if that was true, then how were we supposed to get out of here…?

“You are the trespassers who dared set foot within my castle without permission?”

“““!!”””

We all froze as we noticed a figure slowly approaching from deep within the castle.

His voice was impossibly deep, each word carrying enough weight to make it feel as though we were being ordered to kneel and beg forgiveness for our insolence. My assumptions had been far too optimistic.

“Chief God… Otin…”

Mina-chan’s voice trembled as she whispered the name.

It seemed the master of this castle had not yet vanished from the world.

The ruler of the Sky Castle— the being said to sit at the very pinnacle of the Divine-class Dungeon—is standing before us in the flesh.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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I tossed Satsuki’s pendant and the recovered thong into my Item Box for the time being, and we hurried onward toward the next floor. As long as the Hero was capable of interfering with [Return], the only way to save Satsuki was to catch up to her as quickly as possible.

(I wonder… is that the kind of thing Daishi-san likes…? Mine are…)

“Hm? What’s wrong, Mina-chan? Is something wrong?”

“W-what?! N-Nothing at all! Pervert!!”

As we ran through the devastated second basement floor of the Nether-Class Dungeon, which had been thoroughly wrecked by [Burial Fist], Mina-chan seemed to be staring downward while muttering something under her breath. Thinking she’d found another one of Satsuki’s belongings, I asked about it. In return, I got yelled at.

Ever since the Panty Incident, Mina-chan had been unusually hostile toward me. Sure, it had been a long time since I’d last laid eyes on such an… enlightening guardian of the nether regions, so I couldn’t deny that my old-man grin had stretched a little farther than usual.

Still, did she really have to keep calling me a pervert and a creep every chance she got?

“The comedy show ends here.”

The dark-skinned beauty in the skin-tight bikini armor had apparently found the staircase leading deeper underground.

We hadn’t run very far from the entrance.

Thankfully, the next floor was much closer than expected.

> Compared to the first basement floor, this one was pretty underwhelming. > At this rate, they might actually catch up to her. > Hurry up and give Satsuki her thong back already. > Hopefully the Hero hasn’t done anything to her. > The Hero isn’t interested in women. > From what I’ve heard, he’s not interested in people at all. > Apparently he sees humans as tools. > Rumor says every companion he had during the Divine-Class Dungeon conquest ended up mentally broken. > Isn’t it insane that he stopped [Return] from activating? > His abilities are way too much of an unknown. > Still, if they fought head-on, the old man would probably crush him. > Which is exactly why he’ll never fight fair. > By the way, is his MP okay? > Come to think of it, we haven’t checked his stats lately. > Maybe he should take a look before heading deeper underground!

Right.

Since I hadn’t been leveling up, I had gotten lazy about checking my current stats. I want to hurry, of course, but blindly charging ahead wasn’t the answer either. The viewers had a point. It’s probably best to calm down and take a look at my status first.

Name: Daishi Ajiri Class: Burial Priest Level: 5 HP: 997 / 1049 MP:  0 / 1099 Strength: 1014   Endurance: 1009 Agility: 5828 Intelligence: 1013 Burial Power: 5443 Surplus Burial Points:0 Skills: 【Burial Healing (Lv1)】 【Burial Fist (MAX)】   【Retribution (MAX)】 【Requiem (MAX)】 【Return (—Unavailable)】 【Cremation (MAX)】 【Clairvoyance (MAX)】 Unique Skill: 【Hell Gate】 【Infinite Itembox】 Title: 【Enlightened One】

That was close.

Sure enough, my MP had hit zero. Both [Burial Fist] and [Return] were notorious mana hogs. To this day, I still wasn’t sure which one had the worse fuel efficiency.

…Hm?

Something about the skill list felt off.

[Return — Unavailable]

“…You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“What’s wrong, Mr. Panties?”

“Mina-chan, could you please stop calling me Mr. Panties…?”

“What is it, Mr. Commando?”

“…”

Why exactly was I the one being accused of going commando, Shion?

…Well, I’d like to ask for an explanation, but I’ve decided against it as it would be pointless.

“I can’t use [Return] anymore.”

“Huh? You mean that indecent skill you used to summon my  big brothers and that panty earlier?”

The way she phrased it made it sound like her brothers belonged in the same category as the panties.

Was that really okay?

“Y-Yeah.”

“It doesn’t seem like a problem even if you can’t use it anymore. I don’t know who that skill lets you summon, but as long as you have me, you won’t need anyone else.”

She had a point. If [Return] was only being used as a summoning skill, then considering my own abilities and the strength of my companions, it probably wasn’t all that essential. The problem is that the skill’s original purpose is not summoning. By setting a destination point, I could use it to travel there instantly. If that functionality had also been lost, things were going to become considerably more troublesome.

Just thinking about the return trip was enough to make my head hurt.

Still… Why had it become completely unusable?

From what I remembered of the error messages, it felt less like the skill itself had been destroyed and more like some kind of space-time communication setting had been blocked.

> Huh? [Return] became unusable? > Oof. > Gotta admit, the Hero’s pretty good. > There goes one of his skills. > If he has an ability that directly interferes with someone’s status screen, that’s incredibly dangerous. > Some kind of debuff? > The Guild Headquarters might be involved too. > Dungeon Master, do your job. > What a cheap trick. > I thought the Hero’s powers would be all lightning and thunderbolts. > This isn’t a video game, dude. lol > Anyway, they can’t afford to let him disable any more skills. > Be careful, old man.

The comments continued pouring in.

Unfortunately, they weren’t wrong. If the Hero truly possessed the ability to interfere with skills directly, then [Return] might only be the beginning. Losing one skill was annoying. Losing several could become a genuine threat.

“…Yeah.”

I stared at the status screen for a few more seconds before closing it.

“We can’t let our guard down anymore.”

Whatever the Hero was plotting, there was no doubt now. He had finally started making his move. If the Hero really possessed the kind of ability the viewers were speculating about, then honestly, I had no idea how I was supposed to guard against it.

At the moment, the only countermeasure I could think of was simple: The instant we encountered him, take him down at maximum speed before he had a chance to do anything. With Satsuki being held hostage, there weren’t many other options available anyway.

“Item Box!”

In any case, standing around thinking wasn’t going to help. First, I needed to recover my MP and keep moving. A dungeon that had merely been tampered with by the Hero wasn’t enough to slow me down for long. We could clear it quickly and work out a strategy against him as we advanced.

“Alright! My MP’s back. Let’s keep moving!”

“Let’s hurry!”

“Let me kill something for a change!”

Although losing [Return] left a lingering sense of unease in the back of my mind, I raised my voice as if to chase away those doubts.

Then, with renewed determination, I bounded down the staircase toward the next floor. Whatever awaited us below, there was no turning back now.

◆◆◆

At the bottom of the staircase stood a magnificent door adorned with the dragon carving. It looked heavy enough to require considerable force to move, but without hesitation, we pushed it open and stepped inside.

Then we saw it.

“This is…”

“What does this mean…?”

“No… It can’t be…”

The words slipped from our lips as we stared ahead in stunned silence.

Beyond the doorway stretched a breathtaking scene—one so awe-inspiring that it seemed to belong not to a dungeon, but to the realm of the gods themselves reminiscent of a divine sky castle.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone froze as we stared at the T-shaped object that had descended before us. I was certain I had activated [Return], carefully selecting the string of characters that read Amane Satsuki before completing the summon.

But for some reason, countless red error messages had flooded the display midway through the process, forcing the skill to shut down before it could finish. Because of that, it wasn’t difficult to guess who the owner of the highly questionable piece of cloth now lying in front of us was.

“Ahem… Looks like my [Return] kind of failed…”

“Daishi-san, you pervert!!”

“Hogeeeeeh?!”

Before I could even finish my excuse, Mina-chan’s open palm slammed straight into my cheek. To be honest, it didn’t hurt at all. But it felt like I’d been slapped directly across the soul, and an utterly ridiculous noise escaped my mouth.

“Hmm. What an unusually specialized piece of equipment. Is this supposed to be armor? I can’t imagine such thin plating providing any meaningful defense… No, perhaps its resistance to status ailments is exceptional…”

Shion, I really don’t think that’s the kind of equipment that warrants such serious analysis. It’s just a rather… enlightening pair of panties.

And if we’re being honest, your bikini armor isn’t exactly in a position to judge.

> That’s a pretty daring pair of panties. > Those are Satsuki’s, right? > Fuu > …Fuu > Fuu… > Hey, we’ve got a massive influx of sages over here. lol > There’s no way Satsuki-chan would wear something like that! > She’s a pure and elegant magical swordswoman, damn it! > Haven’t seen a thong in ages. lol > More importantly, why did only the panties come out? > The old man said the summon failed. > Wait, failure is actually possible? lol > I guess the Hero sabotaged it. > Messing with [Return] isn’t exactly easy. > I’ve heard rumors that the Hero can manipulate space-time. > I’ve heard that too. > Me too.

I’d stopped paying much attention to it lately, but when I casually glanced at the viewer count for the first time in a while, I nearly did a double take. The number had finally crossed the absurd milestone of two million concurrent viewers.

With this many people watching in real time, all kinds of information were inevitably getting mixed together. The comment feed was still racing by like a waterfall, but after dealing with it for so long, I’d apparently gotten a little better at reading it. At the very least, I could now pick out the important bits.

Among the flood of messages, one comment in particular caught my attention—the suggestion that the Hero might be capable of interfering with space-time itself.

If that were true…

“…The Hero interfered.”

“Huh?”

“He stopped [Return] at the exact moment it activated. That’s why only the panties came through…”

“Uh…? Um…”

“And from that fact, we can deduce one thing.”

“Which is?”

“That Satsuki-chan is currently… not wearing any underwear!!”

“Daishi-san, you idiottttt!!”

“Hogeeeeeeeh?!”

Mina-chan followed up with a second slap, this time striking the opposite cheek from before.

Hey! I was just organizing the facts here!

“Idiot! Pervert! Harasser! Dirty old man! Creep!”

“W-Wait! I was only analyzing the situation—”

“So this Satsuki person belongs to the no-underwear faction? What a shameless individual.”

“…Good grief.”

These people…

They’re such a pain in the assssssss!!!

◆◆◆

Satsuki Amane’s POV

H-Huh…?

I, Satsuki Amane, had been staring blankly at Hero Soma as he furiously manipulated his terminal while muttering curses under his breath when, for some reason, I suddenly felt the restraint around my lower body loosen.

W-Wait… what? Why??

The familiar sensation of my favorite garment snug against my skin vanished. In an instant, I realized that the layer cushioning my skin from the Element Suit’s pants—my underwear—was simply… gone. Thinking back on it, though, there had been a strange feeling just before this happened.

That sensation of being pulled toward something.

Right. It felt very similar to what I’d experienced when Daishi-san and I were exploring the Beginner Dungeon and the Space-Time Rabbit had sent me flying through space. For a brief moment, that same sensation had washed over me.

“Hey, Amane! What the hell is up with that old man?!”

“Huh? What do you mean…?”

“Don’t give me that ‘what do you mean’ question! None of my traps are working on him, and he even activated a space-time skill! I managed to stop that part somehow, but still… isn’t that old man way too much of a monster?!”

Hero Soma kept glancing at his terminal as he monitored every move Daishi-san made.

Apparently, surveillance cameras had been installed throughout the modified floors of the Nether-Class Dungeon he’d tampered with, allowing him to watch everything Daishi-san and the others were doing on the second basement level.

As for the space-time skill he mentioned…

Was he talking about [Return], the skill Daishi-san had used?

He never let me see the terminal screen, so I couldn’t really understand what exactly had shocked him so much.

“Just listening to your side of things doesn’t tell me anything. At least let me see the screen on that terminal—mmph!”

Once again, a filthy hand clamped over my mouth.

“Shut it! You only need to tell me exactly what you’ve personally experienced. I’ll handle the analysis and draw my own conclusions. Got it?!”

After threatening me, he released my mouth with a rough shove.

For now, the only way to protect myself was to obey his orders completely. Lying would only shorten my lifespan. Honestly, I intended to tell Hero Soma everything I knew about Daishi-san. As long as I stayed alive, another opportunity would come.

No more asking questions. I would focus solely on answering what I was asked.

“A mere priest… Damn! I need to remind him that no matter what he does, he’ll never defeat a Hero…”

The grin spreading across Hero Soma’s face was so wicked that I instinctively felt a chill shoot through my entire lower body.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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> Seriously? > No, I’m sure one of Satsuki’s fans dropped it! > Does she even have fans that hardcore? > Huh? Don’t tell me Satsuki is actually dead? > What about the stream? > Satsuki-tan’s stream has been offline this whole time… sob > Could she be with the Hero…? > Come to think of it, the Nether King  old man said there were two explorers. > Why though? > Maybe she got kidnapped. > You think it’s because of that old guy? > She could be a hostage. > AAAAAAAHHHHH!! SATSUKI-TAN!!! > Can somebody find out what’s going on? > Satsuki was kind of a pain, but now that something’s happened to her, I can’t help worrying. > That damn Hero can go die!!

So that was it. I had always wondered why a few people who still seemed to be Satsuki-chan’s fans occasionally showed up among the viewers. Now it finally made sense. The moment my eyes landed on the message suggesting that Satsuki-chan might be the Hero’s hostage, my heart lurched with unease.

“Who is this Amane Satsuki?”

Shion asked. Apparently, she had never met Satsuki-chan before and was simply curious about what kind of person she was.

“…She was my companion. We explored the dungeon together before I came to this Nether-Class dungeon.”

“And she’s… an old friend of mine as well.”

Mina-chan added. For a moment, her expression hardened. Even her voice sounded strained. Just like me, she had seen the name engraved on the pendant, and it was clearly making her anxious.

“I see… Then that’s definitely something worth worrying about.”

“Let’s hurry! I’ve got a really bad feeling about this!”

“Honestly, Satsuki’s always been like this… She drifts through life completely oblivious to everything…”

Her words were laced with sarcasm, but there was no mistaking the genuine concern behind them. Evidence of that was the faint sheen of tears gathering in her eyes—

“Ugh! This dungeon is way too dusty!”

Apparently not. It seemed she’d just gotten some dust in her eye.

“But are you sure you’ll be alright? If we do run into the Hero… can you really fight him?”

“…”

I understood what Shion was really asking.

If Satsuki-chan truly had been taken hostage, could I still face the Hero with everything I had? Could I really bring myself to fight him without holding back?

There was no doubt that the Hero was a psychopath with a seriously twisted personality. A guy like that would absolutely use Satsuki-chan as bait. And on top of that, his abilities and skills were still a complete mystery. No matter how absurdly strong I had become—strong enough to be considered virtually invincible—I couldn’t imagine defeating someone like him under such unfavorable conditions. If I didn’t come up with some kind of countermeasure beforehand, confronting him might end with us completely helpless.

But at this point, there was no time left to stop and think. For now, all I could do was keep moving forward while pushing my brain to its limits—

Hm? Wait a second….

No.

I’ve got one.

Among all the skills at my disposal, there was one perfect trump card that might be able to save Satsuki-chan.

“Fu… fufufu…”

“Eh? Why are you suddenly laughing? What’s wrong with you, Daishi-san…? That’s kind of creepy!”

“Creepy…? Ouch. Anyway, I think I might be able to save Satsuki-chan right now!”

“What are you talking about all of a sudden? Have you finally lost your mind, old man?”

“…”

Seriously, weren’t these two way too harsh with their words?

An old guy’s feelings could actually get hurt, you know.

“Remember that skill I used to bring Mina-chan’s brothers here?”

“Oh? So that really was your skill after all, Daishi-san! I didn’t think much about it at the time because everything was so chaotic, but now that I think about it, a skill that can summon people is completely insane…”

She suddenly gasped.

“Oh! Wait… don’t tell me—”

“Yep!”

I grinned.

“I think that skill can help us rescue Satsuki-chan!”

【Return】With the skill at MAX level, it allows me to summon anyone listed in its registry—including monsters and other creatures—to a designated location. I clearly remembered seeing Satsuki-chan’s name on that list the last time I used it.

The livestream chat immediately exploded with comments.

> Oh, the skill he used to bring Mina-chan’s brothers over! > Wait, that was an advanced application of Return? > I was so focused on the fight against the Nether Realm Knight that I completely forgot about that. > So can he summon literally anyone? > Then summon the Dungeon Master! > He can’t just summon the useless goddess right? > SUMMON THE HERO!! > Pretty sure it only works on people the old man met inside the dungeon. > Wait, hold up. Does that mean monsters are fair game too? > Then can he summon Hades? > I want to meet Rakshasa-sama. > Summon Gorue-chan and grind infinite levels.

The chat was already spiraling off in every possible direction. The viewers were really saying whatever they wanted. A few of them even had some surprisingly reasonable theories about how the skill worked, and I couldn’t help agreeing with some of their observations.

Still, this wasn’t the time to sit around pondering game mechanics.

First things first—I needed to use 【Return】 and rescue Satsuki-chan!

“Return! Set destination point!”

By now, I had completely mastered how to use the skill. The first step was setting the destination.

《 Destination point changed to the vicinity of the entrance to Floor 2 of the Nether-Class Dungeon. Who would you like to return? 》 Return Candidate List • Slime • Orc • Amane Satsuki • Skeleton • Mimic • Space-Time Rabbit • Kisaragi Slei • Kisaragi Jan • Nether Dragon King, Ades • Laika • Gorue • Rakshasa • Nether Realm Knight (True Body) New • James Mei New • Sakuya New • Ran New

The list floating in midair had been updated. Apparently I could already summon even Ran-chan, whom we’d defeated only moments ago. Of all the absurdly overpowered skills I possessed, Return might actually be the most insane.

《 Amane Satsuki will be transferred to the designated destination point. Proceed? 》

Though… I felt strangely nervous about seeing Satsuki-chan again. The last thing she’d seen from me was the lingering aftermath of the Hell Gat. There was a decent chance she’d be furious when we reunited. But that was fine. If it meant saving Satsuki-chan—the girl who had helped me so much during our previous dungeon expedition—then I wouldn’t regret it.

Alright! Time to bring Satsuki-chan here!

I’m counting on you, Return!

“…Hup!”

《Acknowledged. Transferring Amane Satsuki to the designated return point: Nether-Class Dungeon, Floor 2, vicinity of the Nether Cavern Entrance—》

Hm? Why had the text suddenly stopped scrolling—

Whoa!

What?! Why were a ton of error messages popping up all of a sudden?!

《 Communication with point of origin has been rejected. 》

《 Error Code 2×0105 detected. 》

《 Emergency Deployment of Protection No. 069. 》

《 Space-Time Interface Forcefully Terminated. Process Aborted. 》

Whoa! Even though all those ominous warnings were flashing everywhere, a space-time vortex still opened up! Something fluttered out of it.

Flutter… flutter…

“…Eh?”

The chat exploded.

> Huh? > What?! > Why?!” > Whose is that? > No way… > Is that… > It’s SATSUKI’s > PANTIES!!!

The Return skill had probably only activated halfway before the error interrupted it. The only thing I had managed to summon, at great risk to life and limb…

…was a seductive pale-pink thong.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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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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The arrow came flying at the same terrifying speed as the first shot, aimed straight for my eye. The moment I turned back to face forward, it was already there—so close I knew I wouldn’t be able to dodge it.

In fact, I couldn’t dodge it. My eyeball and the arrow definitely made contact. They should have made contact. But…

> The arrow…the arrow… > It crumpled and fell lol > Huh? Didn’t it just hit his eyeball? > That attack had the power to pierce a wall lol > Is the old man’s eyeball harder than a wall? > Lol > All his stats are above the limit… > The hero’s trap is pointless, isn’t it? > There’s absolutely no need to be scared > Even if there’s a poison trap, he can neutralize it > Yeah. The old man is wearing the Twilight Robe after all > Let’s have the old man go in first for now > It’s dim and hard to see inside, so I’m worried > Use [Requiem] to make it brighter

The viewers—and even I—were completely stunned. The arrow that should have pierced my eye had instead flattened out and fallen to the floor. It felt like a speck of dust getting into my eye for a split second, but even that sensation vanished immediately. My vision was completely fine.

I turned around to check on Mina-chan and Shion-san. They looked just as they always did. I could clearly see both of them without any issue.

“…Eh? That arrow definitely hit your eye, didn’t it?”

“Did you concentrate your defensive skill into your eye to block it?!”

Mina-chan and Shion-san were just as panicked as the viewers, visibly shocked and looking around in confusion.

Focus a defensive skill into a single point like that…?

No way I could do something that advanced.

No, wait—

Come to think of it, I don’t even have a defensive skill to begin with.

“I guess… even without doing anything special, attacks like that don’t seem to affect my eyes.”

“It did blow a hole straight through the wall, though.”

“That’s impossible without a defensive skill!? I—I can’t believe it!”

Mina-chan looked exasperated, while Shion-san was still in shock.

Well, whatever! It’s fine as long as it works out!

For now, I’ll use that suggestion from the viewers and activate 【Requiem】 to light up the area. It’s too dark to see what’s going on, anyway. There might be a third shot coming soon, but if it’s just arrows or poison, it doesn’t seem like a big deal!

“Requiem!”

A disco ball appeared!

Okay—it’s a bit blinding, but the area is definitely brighter now. Much easier to see than before.

…Hmm.

From what I can tell, this looks like a fairly standard dungeon structure this time. A rocky tunnel extends deep ahead, and at the front there’s some kind of automated arrow-firing device installed. Just as I thought, it had finished charging its third shot and fired directly at my eye again—but since it’s probably the same mechanism as before, I didn’t bother dodging.

It hit my eye once more. And just like before, the arrow crumpled, fell to the ground, and turned into nothing more than scrap.

“Ugh.”

I figured I was fine even if I got hit—but the two behind me probably weren’t.

So the moment the third arrow fired, I closed the distance to the machine and casually struck it with a backfist, smashing it to pieces. The shattered mechanism flew deep into the tunnel, breaking apart as it went. For now, the arrow trap had been neutralized.

“Hey, you two! I’ve taken care of it, so we’re—”

“Daishi-san! The wall!”

“Hm?”

ZUGAGAGAGAGAGA!

> Machine gun fire from holes in both walls! > Hey, isn’t that a bit dangerous? > Bang bang bang, it’s noisy > This camera isn’t even broken by the gunfire? > What incredible durability > Instead of that camera, that old man is lol > Unscathed lol > He’s completely unfazed lol > His stats are over 1000, that’s insane > Oh, he looks a little angry > Is he finally getting annoyed?

Yeah, at this point even I was getting a bit irritated. I mean, sure, “I’m fine even if it hits me,” but getting pinged like rubber bands still hurts, you know.

“Haaah! Take this!”

“Hyah!”

Pain is something I don’t like. So I didn’t hesitate against the incoming barrage of projectiles. First, I smashed the right wall with a palm strike. Then I instantly pivoted and shut down the left wall with a shoulder charge.

“Honestly! One thing after another—”

“Daishi-san! Something’s above us!”

“…Above?”

At Mina-chan’s warning, I instinctively looked up.

Honestly… I shouldn’t have.

“Gross!!”

What the hell is that?!

The ceiling was completely covered in some kind of gigantic black leech-like creatures. They writhed in a sticky mass, squirming as if ready to fall at any moment.

And then—

Gloop

A drop of something fell.

“Ew—!! It’s melting the floor!!”

Where it landed, the stone hissed and began to dissolve.

Nope.

Nope, nope, nope.

I hate gross stuff!!!

“GYAAAAA!! Cremation!!”

“Kiiiiii—!!”

Without even thinking, I reflexively unleashed Cremation toward the ceiling. A metallic screech—maybe a dying scream—echoed through the air, and the grotesque mass above us all turned to ash, drifting down like soot.

Even the Requiem-released disco balls were caught in the blast and melted away, plunging the area back into darkness.

…What even was that?

It was insanely gross. Mechanical is fine, but anything that looks biologically disgusting is a hard no for me.

Seriously, stop designing traps like that…

“….”

Damn Hero. Seriously, give it a rest, you bastard. Instead of hiding behind cheap tricks, why don’t you come fight us directly? Stop stuffing the dungeon with pointless gimmicks!

“Ugh, now I’m actually getting angry.”

Just imagining more of those kinds of traps ahead was enough to kill my motivation.

Seriously annoying.

“Haaah…!!”

I focused my mind and arrived at a certain solution. Not exactly something new—I’ve done it once before. The MP cost is massive, so I’ve been avoiding it… but with this many traps, there’s no choice.

NO MORE STRESS DUNGEON!

The viewers immediately noticed.

> What is he planning? > Not again… is he gonna punch the walls? > That stance… I’ve seen it before… > Wait… don’t tell me— > He’s going to brute-force the dungeon again!! > D-Daishi-san?! What are you going to do?! > Mina-chan, you two step outside the door… > That stance… that time you destroyed everything!

“Eh? eh? What are you going to do, Daishi-san?!”

“Mina-chan, you guys go outside the door first.”

“That technique… surely not! The one you used when you destroyed things before…”

Bingo. That’s right.

I’m going to fix this stupid trap-filled dungeon the same way I always do.

This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com

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