As the year draws to a close, with only a few hours remaining, I hope you’ve all enjoyed yourselves.
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, single. Girlfriend: Suella Hendelberg.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee) + Recruiter.
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class).
Position: Warrior.
Now, to backtrack a bit, how did we, who had been painstakingly clearing one floor at a time for months, manage to conquer an entire dungeon eighteen floors deep in just two weeks?
Well, we certainly had enough fuel to keep us motivated.
However, if things were that simple, the overtime and salary situations in the world would be much better.
Just as any new venture is bound to fail without proper preparation, preparation is crucial when challenging a dungeon.
And in this company, for us testers, what equates to preparation is…
“My, oh my, I’ve truly mastered efficiency, haven’t I?”
“At first, I thought it was impossible, but it turns out it can be done.”
It’s what you’d call “leveling up” in an RPG.
“Seeing monsters appear more than cockroaches, I thought it was some kind of nightmare.”
“Even though it was necessary, that was too much.”
“Idiot, that’s not called ‘too much.’… But, well, we’re getting results. We *are* getting results, but…”
Each person holds a tablet PC, viewing their own status. They’re looking to understand their abilities to plan their future course of action, but…
Jiro Tanaka
Status
Strength: 2303
Durability: 2993
Agility: 1805
Stamina: 2506 (-5)
Dexterity: 1235
Knowledge: 88
Intuition: 403
Luck: 5
Magic Power: 987
Condition
Nicotine Addiction
Lung Pollution
“This is too much.”
“Leveling is the foundation of RPGs.”
“No ranger unit would call that kind of chaotic hell ‘leveling up.'”
There’s a sense of unease, or rather, regret about whether such extreme measures were necessary. Looking at the numbers, except for Knowledge and Luck, the figures are absurd. We did things that yielded such results. We *did* them. To reveal the secret…
“The supervisor asked the senpai how to raise stats the most, and when the answer was ‘fight monsters,’ I thought we’d have to stay overnight in the dungeon.”
“Thanks to that, my savings are down by ninety percent.”
“Forced enhancements, I personally consider it a heretical path, but since I only bought potions, it’s safe.”
“I’m never doing that again, fighting monsters endlessly while forcibly recovering stamina with potions.”
When we scouted Minami and Katsu, what we presented as a simple dungeon, we deployed in the “Spacetime Dimensional Special Training Room.” Just fighting weaklings endlessly doesn’t raise your stats. The best approach is to fight opponents slightly stronger than yourself, but with a high chance of winning. Instructors Kio and Fushio directed us as we defeated these perfectly balanced enemies. Written down, it’s only a few lines, but from our experience, it made normal dungeons seem like child’s play. The main opponents were from the Oni tribe, but occasionally hordes of Undead mixed in, and we fought on tirelessly, consuming a mountain of potions purchased at great expense.
“Are you opening a clinic?”
“We’re about to challenge hell.”
When I went to Memoria’s shop to buy all their stock potions, I saw a rare look of confusion on her face. But considering what lay ahead, I felt like a soldier being sent to war. In the special dungeon, stats increased, but there were no drops. We sustained a massive deficit with the large quantities of stamina and magic recovery drugs for time-saving and efficiency improvements. Retaliation. This was the result of a misguided choice. We often hear that to gain results, an equivalent price is necessary. In modern times, where high-risk, low-return is common, we can at least console ourselves that this was merely high-risk, high-return. Well…
“If you aim for the vital points, most of them will fall!!”
It wasn’t just the entire team that leveled up at high risk. As you can infer from what I shouted during battle… I got surprisingly good at cutting places like the neck, wrist, ankle, and heart—areas prone to fatal injury. As a result…
Skill
Monkey’s Roar
Slash Attack (NEW)
I even acquired a new skill I’d long desired. “Slash Attack,” with its incredibly straightforward name, initially made me wonder if it just increased the power of cutting. However, its effect is that when using bladed weapons like swords, it allows me to create flying blades of magic power. Literally, it was a “slash attack.” It’s highly versatile, and its sharpness is surprisingly good, combining my own skill with the Ore Tree. Additionally, the speed at which I swing it becomes the speed of the slash attack, allowing me to sever even distant enemies’ necks with a single blow. The range varies greatly, but I’ve found I can project it up to a hundred meters with sheer willpower. It was exhilarating to cleave through a group of ogres, clad only in loincloths, looking like some native tribe shouting “Uho uho.” The sad part is, even with these stats, I still can’t beat Suella, but I’ve accepted it and sworn on my masculine pride that I will surpass her someday. However, the results have proven that these are quite easy stats until we reach the eighteenth floor. Now, the main event starts here.
“Alright, now that everyone knows their current situation, it’s time for some fun.”
“Senpai, you have a wicked look on your face.”
“Kaido-senpai, you’re one to talk.”
“You too, Minami.”
What I’m taking out is a DVD. The case reads “Oni King Dungeon Combat Record.”
“Kukukukukukuku…”
“You guys have been corrupted too.”
The moment I took it out, they changed. The content is combat footage from a certain party on a certain floor. We weren’t supposed to be given this kind of record, but I obtained it through a ruthless combination of connections and power. It’s naturally confidential, and this time, it was granted as an exception for our contributions to the floor’s renovation. For now, let’s ignore the behind-the-scenes’ stuff.
“Alright, let’s play it.”
Let’s see what happened to our efforts.
“Oh, this is the seventeenth floor.”
“Indeed, it looks familiar.”
When the DVD was inserted into the player, the first thing displayed was a wide space in a cave, reminiscent of the Boss Room, unlike the King Machine’s dungeon. It has atmosphere.
“They walked right in without knowing anything.”
“From the looks of it, they’re letting their guard down. They’ve drawn their weapons, but they’re not in a ready stance at all.”
“And no one who saw them afterward survived.”
“That’s no joke.”
“You guys, watch seriously.”
Three figures appear at the entrance. It’s Himusumi’s group. Led by Himusumi, they appear to be cautiously observing their surroundings with slow steps, but their casual conversation indicates a lack of vigilance.
“This floor was easy, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was. I expected a bit more difficulty, but if it continues like this, we’ll clear the seventeenth floor without any problems.”
“Ah, let’s go without letting our guard down.”
Whether it was an incredibly high-performance camera or magic—the latter being more likely—I could sense their complacency in the nuances of the voices coming from the video.
“This pattern again? It’s getting boring.”
“Isn’t it better than having them introduce weird patterns?”
“I know. Let’s just defeat them quickly and go home because it’s so dusty here.”
Even though the entrance was sealed off, they seem to be reacting to the familiar situation with annoyance. I’m looking forward to what happens next.
“A Minotaurus, huh?”
“Their equipment is enhanced, but the only troublesome thing seems to be the shield.”
“Right, as usual, I’ll go in front. You two support me with magic.”
“Be careful.”
“Don’t mess up.”
The start is smooth. Himusumi, with a different style from Kaido, rushes towards the Minotaurus, holding a sword in his right hand and a slightly shorter, thicker staff in his left, likely acting as a shield. The remaining two have their roles determined, splitting into offense and support. The girl with a competitive spirit already has several ice spears prepared in the air, and the gentle-looking girl is likely enhancing Himusumi. As expected of the current top team, their movements are seamless.
“The frontliner distracts and draws aggro, while the backliners provide support and heavy blows.”
“So, how does it look from Minami’s perspective?”
“In the MMOs I used to play, an AGI shield user wasn’t that rare. Being fast allows for more attacks and makes it easier to build aggro. It was a popular position. However, on the flip side, they have the weakness of being fragile and prone to collapse, so it’s not recommended for amateurs. Therefore, it’s standard practice not to overexert the frontliner and leave healing and finishing blows to the backliners. I believe they have the skill and judgment to act accordingly.”
Minami, increasingly settling into the role of a strategist, gives a textbook assessment. I have no objection to that evaluation. They likely have a track record. Himusumi and his team are challenging with confidence. If things continue like this, it’s only a matter of time before the Minotaurus, clad in warrior’s armor and blocking attacks with its shield, is defeated. Its weapon, a great hammer, also makes it difficult to hit.
“Howling is coming! Watch out for the incantation!”
“Shut up! Die already!”
Furthermore, their mutual coordination is also effective. It’s not a desperate measure, but the Minotaurus’s attack, a desperate attempt to buy time. It’s a sonic attack from its massive body. While it’s just a roar, when a colossal creature does it, it adds not only a physical impact but also a shockwave. They deal with this attack effortlessly, even having spare energy for insults. Not relevant now, but this woman’s mouth is foul. Her magic-focused offensive style seems to reflect her personality. Well, that mouth…
“Is it about time?”
“This is where the real fun begins.”
…might be shut closed soon.
“Kyaa!?”
“What are these guys!? When did they…?”
Lost in the roar of the magic, their footsteps were inaudible, but as the waves of enemies clearly emerged, the two backliners screamed.
“Ohh, that was a perfect trap.”
“From this perspective, I want to say why don’t they notice? But that’s because we ‘made’ it seem that way.”
“Jackpot!”
We nod in satisfaction at the results. From our third-person perspective, the hobgoblin group approaching Himusumi’s party with clearly noticeable movements is an issue that requires proper detection and preparation. However, in reality, they react as if they’ve been “surprised.”
“Nufufu, the taunt worked, didn’t it?”
“When people fall into tunnel vision, they can only think about one thing. And people in that state will delay their next actions or become confused, even though it’s not a sudden event. It’s exactly as planned.”
Confusion begins to spread through Himusumi’s party like wildfire. I take out a cigarette and light it. Taunt. The Minotaurus’s roar, which we’ve seen a few times now. This skill, meaning provocation, draws the opponent’s attention to itself. It’s a skill heavily used by tanks, and while it does have offensive capabilities, those are secondary; the primary purpose is to direct attention. That’s how the Minotaurus, using such a skill, must have appeared to Himusumi’s party. “What a delicious prey, that Minotaurus.” Originally, due to the high physical abilities of the Oni tribe, they possess numerous offensive and enhancement skills and spells, but on the other hand, they tend to neglect cunning tactics. Therefore, we simply added a little twist.
“Tou! Enemies from behind!?”
“Sorry! I can’t spare my hands right now!”
“Haa!? Fixing our formation should be the priority, shouldn’t it!?”
“It’s useful to see what happens when a tank is alone.”
“Aggro management is important. Even if you manage the boss well, there are many cases where it breaks down with mobs.”
“In that case, we’d probably want at least one more frontliner.”
“Both the leader and Kaido-senpai are attack-oriented tanks, so we’d want a pure tank.”
“If we’re being picky, we could also use more rear-guard firepower, or perhaps bring in an explorer type who could use a bow.”
“Around six people would be about right. Any more, and I think my support and Masaru’s healing would fall behind.”
While watching the effects of that little twist, we discuss countermeasures for situations we might fall into ourselves. On the screen, Tou and the two girls are finally separated. They didn’t seem to have swords ready, but they managed to procure iron shields and long spears, and the hobgoblins’ well-formed horizontal lines acted as a wall, dividing their forces.
“Karen! Cover me!!”
“Are you kidding me?! I’m doing my best just to keep them from getting close! You come over here!”
“If we defeat this one first, they’ll collapse too!”
“I’m saying we’ll be defeated before that!?”
They’re not stopping their actions, but it’s clear to anyone that their coordination is gone. The atmosphere within the party is also starting to turn sour.
“Is it about to collapse?”
“Probably just one more push.”
The hobgoblin unit, clad in defensive gear, is coordinated with the floor boss, the Minotaurus, to attack Tou’s group and the group attacking the girls. The scales have undeniably tipped in favor of the dungeon. Tou is fighting while running across the ground, trying not to stay in one place, but with defensive combat and his attention locked on the boss by the taunt, his combat effectiveness is unlikely to be expected. On the other hand, the pair of girls are holding their ground, waiting for Tou’s rescue. Facing each other, they continuously cast magic like fixed turrets, preventing enemies from approaching. The dungeon’s opposing force, while maintaining their defense, is trying to complete the encirclement. They don’t attack recklessly, but they keep probing, ensuring the enemy doesn’t relax their attacks.
“If it comes to this, what would the leader do?”
“Ah… with what I know afterward, I would have my副官 (adjutant), in this case, you, abandon me and have the remaining personnel regroup. If I could draw all the enemies to me, that would be possible, and I have the skills to execute it. Plus, if I endure, there’s a chance of rescue.”
The victory or defeat has been decided. While their individual abilities may be superior, they are outnumbered, and since each is acting independently, relying on others, Himusumi’s party has no chance of victory. Confirming the horror of tunnel vision, my answer, which could be in the same position as Himusumi, is this. The judgment I could probably make on the spot is about this much.
“What can I say, that’s quite dry.”
“Is it? If we’re going to shout and get wiped out anyway, isn’t it better to go out cleanly?”
No matter what happens, when pushed into such a dire situation, you’re left with two choices: either resign yourself or reveal your true self in a pathetic way. In that case, it’s the nature of men to want to look good.
“We must avoid getting into that situation.”
“I’m counting on you, strategist. I’ll leave my back to you.”
“I don’t want to work. If a shut-in works, they cease to be a shut-in.”
“You idiot, the reality is you can’t pursue your hobbies without working.”
“Ah, the world is harsh. Masaru, please support me.”
“Work.”
“Goza!?”
I thought there was no such thing as an “at-home” workplace, but having conversations like this feels like talking to siblings who are several years older. I’ve been living alone since I was an only child because my parents are constantly traveling overseas since I entered high school. Thinking I’ll contact them when I return to Japan next time, I look at the screen and see some movement.
“This is going nowhere!?”
“Karen-chan, calm down.”
“I know! Miki! Provide defense and feints, I’m going to blow a big hole in them!”
“But…”
“We can’t win just by standing by idly!”
“…Understood.”
Perhaps disliking a war of attrition or realizing the need to find a breakthrough, the two girls, Karen? and Miki?, make a move.
“Checkmate.”
“Check.”
“Um, resign?”
“Kaido-senpai, I believe that means surrender. You don’t have to force it.”
Perhaps frustrated by Tou’s inaction, the girl with the strong personality, Karen, leaves the other girl to deal with the surrounding enemies and focuses on gathering her magic, aiming at the Minotaurus. Seeing her actions, Minami and I could barely suppress our wicked expressions. The torrent of magic power is a precursor to a high-powered spell, and the monsters fighting before them can sense it better than we can through the video. Although they are increasing the pace of their attacks and trying to block the magic, Miki switches from support to attack, scattering flames to keep them from getting close.
“Ah.”
Katsu lets out a cry. And then, Karen’s magic, judging by its color and the spells she was using, is likely ice magic. Just as it was completed and about to be fired, it happened.
“Karen!?”
“…”
The magic dissipates, returning to mere magic power, and Karen collapses. Miki, moving to cover her…
“!? ”
…collapses too. The magic is interrupted.
“Uaaaaaahhhhhhh!”
Even we, who are aware of what we’re seeing, were taken aback by the subsequent footage. Even if they can’t die, they still feel pain and get injured. Seeing the two women being repeatedly stabbed with spears is a grim sight.
“Karen!? Miki!?”
Only at that stage does Himusumi, finally grasping the situation, rushes to their aid, like a protagonist in a movie, but it’s already too late. An emergency escape is activated, and the two women are gone. All that remains is a man standing alone, cornered and having lost his composure.
“Hmph, serves you right.”
“Senpai and Minami-chan, you’re merciless!”
“I felt a little relieved too.”
“Katsu!?”
A true protagonist might show a comeback story from here, but unfortunately, it simply ended with a person who looked like a protagonist, but lacked composure, being easily trampled. Our first words upon seeing that scene were…
“Well, I sympathize with them, but as for him… right?”
“Indeed. I merely chose words fitting for someone like that in a game, for neglecting them and acting on his own accord.”
“That may be so… but honestly, seeing that, I feel a bit of sympathy.”
“Think calmly, Kaido. They fought bravely, but what about him? Reflect on his actions calmly.”
“…”
“Send him honest words for someone like that.”
“Serves you right!”
“Right?”
Even if his attention was drawn by the taunt, there were still ways to resist. Especially as a leader, he should have remained calm. That was his downfall. Coupled with his recent actions, there aren’t many words to send him.
“With Kaido feeling the same way, the usefulness of his skills, the new tactic, and the threat of surprise have been born in that dungeon, but do you think it’s as the report stated?”
“Based on what I saw, there were some discrepancies, but it’s mostly as the report said.”
“Whether we refine it from there depends on the future. So, is that being operated on according to the report as well?”
“Yes.”
“We’ve created something troublesome.”
“Indeed, even though it’s part of the job, we’ve created something troublesome.”
“Ninjas.”
Talking about disappointing individuals is fine for a drinking party. For now, this is about work, about the entities that will become troublesome in the future. The beings that finished off the two women, the shadows hidden among the swarming monsters. The ninja-type goblins, whose ability to plan assassinations from stealth and whose usefulness, along with armament like blowguns, was written in the report. From this footage, we can’t tell, but from our experience fighting, we know that such beings didn’t exist in that stratum back then. This indicates they are a new breed. Especially if their nature aligns with the report we ourselves created.
“From now on, we’ll need to be able to deal with opponents like that.”
“What about Minami-chan’s magic?”
“It might be difficult against hidden enemies. I’ve also written down countermeasures for detection magic.”
“Ninjas are mainly for reconnaissance. Information gathering by observing opportunities is their basic principle, I believe.”
“Unable to strike, and they can see us from afar. An unpleasant opponent, but not impossible to deal with. It’ll be a cat-and-mouse game, but failure is the mother of success. Let’s thank those who showed us their failures and ensure we don’t end up like them.”
“Understood!”
“Conquest is my specialty!”
“Yes, I’ll give it my all.”
My mood has lifted. Let’s get back to normal operations.
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, single.
Girlfriend: Suella Hendelberg.
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee) + Recruiter.
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class).
Position: Warrior.
One word:
It’s common to release company stress elsewhere, but it’s not bad to release it without getting caught like this.
Having started posting this year, I’ve diligently uploaded my work month after month, experiencing the ups and downs of receiving bookmarks, and I’ve felt joy and sorrow.
I’ll continue to do my best next year, so I ask for your continued support for this work.
And with that, everyone, have a happy new year!
