Now that the Spirit Contract, which can be considered an event, is complete, the only thing left is the competition to determine the rank of General, which is just around the corner.
Frankly, I’d prefer to take a break from my usual work and focus solely on this event, but unfortunately, things aren’t going to unfold that conveniently.
If other participants are able to tackle this competition without neglecting their primary duties, I’m no exception and will have to challenge the Dungeon.
“It feels like it’s been a while since I last ate in a Dungeon.”
So, it’s business as usual today: I’m here in the Dungeon with my friends.
“Honestly, I was more surprised when you, Senpai, suddenly took out a tiered lunch box from another dimension without any preamble. Though, the bento is delicious.”
“For my part, I feel it’s necessary to reflect on my mental state, having reached the point where I can dine calmly regardless of my surroundings, but Katsu~ could you pass me that tamagoyaki over there~”
“That’s hardly anything to be surprised about anymore. Well, at least there aren’t any zombies wandering around, so I still have an appetite. Oh, this meat roll is delicious.”
“Here’s the tamagoyaki. Is there a secret ingredient of kelp in this broth? No, this flavor is…”
“Mmm! Himik-san’s cooking is so delicious!! Especially these seasoned rice balls, they’re exquisite!”
“Mmm, I can feel a soul through Amī, this is quite something.”
We’re challenging the Machine King’s Dungeon with the usual crew, whose strategic options have expanded thanks to their Spirit Contracts.
As I quietly eat a seasoned rice ball made with the mushrooms Amelia praised, I survey the surroundings.
A uniform, well-arranged brick landscape stretches out, seemingly designed to disorient with repetitive scenery, messing with our sense of distance and direction.
To me, it’s a familiar sight. It’s bleak, but as Kitamiya said, it certainly makes one want to eat compared to the Undead King’s Dungeon.
This is the forty-second floor of the Machine King’s Dungeon.
In a section of this floor, a little further back from the highest point reached, a barrier set by Minami conceals and protects our surroundings, while Amelia’s Wind Spirit constantly maintains a vigilance net around us.
Even if our vigilance net is bypassed, the barrier discovered, and we’re attacked, the monsters on this floor can probably handle it.
I have confidence that we’ve cultivated enough ability and experience for that.
That’s precisely why we can eat here, in the heart of enemy territory, as if we were on a picnic.
“So? Have you all managed to coordinate with the Spirits yet?”
Without being attacked, I pour some warm hojicha tea, prepared for after our meal, from a thermos and hand it to Kaido, who is sitting next to me, then proceed to listen to everyone’s reports in order.
“Well, Hayate still can’t use strong magic, so it’s mostly me providing support. But he helps me adjust my magical power, which increases the stability and power of my magic, so it’s a big help. Oh, and of course, our timing is perfect!”
Kaido, about to drink the hojicha from the thermos I handed him, pulls away from his teacup as if he hurt himself, saying “Oops,” and blows on it to cool it down while reporting.
“Yes, coordination is not a problem. Well, unlike Minami and Amī, Kaido and I primarily use Attack Magic, so our power won’t increase easily. For now, our goal is to reduce magic consumption and increase the speed at which we can cast spells.”
“For me as well. Also, I’ve gained the ability to do something similar to Minami’s Body Reinforcement magic, though it’s limited to just me.”
Without hiding his questioning gaze, Kitamiya takes the thermos from the slightly burned Kaido, pours himself some tea into his mug, and hands it to Katsu.
Katsu, upon receiving it, pours tea into Minami’s and Amelia’s mugs before his own.
“Thanks! I’m alright too, Jirou-san! Mmm, Japanese tea is wonderful~”
“Mufufu, you’d best be looking forward to the new magic that Yura and I have developed.”
While I feel a slight unease at Minami’s devious grin, a stark contrast to Amelia’s straightforward demeanor, it seems everything is generally fine.
“Alright. Then, after this, we’ll fight the boss of this floor. Everyone, keep in mind that there might be changes to areas other than those noted for revision in your reports. Proceed with caution.”
“Understood!”
“I know.”
“Understood.”
“OK!! Mike, please take care of it!”
“Sure thing. I’ll work hard for my rent money.”
“Heh heh, leave it to me~”
I busily put away the lunch boxes and store the tidied-up equipment in my Otherworld space.
Truly convenient, I think.
I slowly reach out to the Ore Tree.
“Alright, now that our stomachs are settled, let’s get to work, everyone.”
Minami responds to my call and lifts the barrier.
Next, Amelia strains her ears, keeping watch on our surroundings.
These two’s vigilance net is our lifeline within the Dungeon.
Protecting them, I take the lead, with Kaido covering our rear.
Katsu and Kitamiya take their positions to my left and right.
“Mmm, I can hear a flying sound coming from that direction. They probably noticed us.”
“Oh, I see. Given its flight and this magical power, it seems like a reconnaissance Golem is coming. What should we do, Leader? If we leave it, it might gather all the surrounding Golems.”
With the barrier lifted, a presence that can sense our location has appeared.
First Amelia, then Minami notices it and informs us of the approaching enemy.
“A siren-type Golem, huh? It’s an option to defeat it and earn experience, but I’d rather conserve our stamina for the boss fight.”
“Understood. Then, once it’s in our sight, we should take it down swiftly. Kitamiya, I’m counting on you.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Honestly, thanks to your rough demands, my magic incantation speed has improved.”
“Oh, you flatter me.”
“I wasn’t flattering you.”
A siren-type Golem.
Visually, it resembles the Pinball Golem from the first floor, but its role is that of an alarm, detecting enemies and gathering surrounding monsters, as well as forming a vigilance net.
It constantly patrols a certain area, excels at magic detection, and will immediately fly out to sound an alarm-like noise and summon monsters when an enemy appears.
Annoyingly, it flies at considerable speed and doesn’t attack, making it difficult to defeat.
It exemplifies the nuisance of a being that focuses on evasion while maintaining a certain distance.
However, there is a way to deal with it.
One method is to use an area-of-effect attack that prevents the target from evading.
The other is…
“It’s coming!”
“Three count, three, two, one.”
“Ice Javelin!”
To attack before the opponent can act, with speed that surpasses their own.
The difference is that the former doesn’t require aiming but consumes a lot of magic power, while the latter is difficult to aim but consumes less magic power.
Both the former and the latter feel like brute force, but they’re still much better than using tricky maneuvers and wasting time.
“Impressive.”
“Naturally.”
From around the corner, a spherical siren-type Golem, which we internally call an “Alarm,” emerges. It’s accurately pierced by a spear made of ice.
I offer straightforward praise to Kitamiya.
Even though she was prepared, she displayed a quick-draw technique like a gunslinger, hitting a target about thirty meters away with magic formed with incredible speed.
I think I can say this much.
“Minami, from here on, I’m going to focus on combat. I’m leaving the command to you. Coordinate with Amelia and break through the area with fewer enemies to reach the boss’s area. Also, be mindful of traps. Please, don’t let me get caught in any traps?”
“OK!”
“Leave it to me! Leader, I’ll show you the power of brute force!”
“You’re one to talk.”
“Ouch!?”
By defeating the Alarm, the enemy’s vigilance network has likely been activated.
It’s slower than sounding an alarm, but if we stay here, monsters will soon swarm in, rendering the defeat of the Alarm meaningless.
Therefore, our actions must be swift.
The moment Katsu retorts to Minami, the party’s focus completely shifts to combat.
From this point on, casual conversation decreases, and we become efficient workers.
The party follows me as I charge forward at a brisk walk.
“Five on the right, six on the left, four in front, but behind the front four are eight more. On the right, there are four.”
“It’s a detour distance-wise, but let’s go left. There will be less combat there. There are a few traps reacting. Kitamiya, I’ll tell you where to freeze.”
“Understood.”
“Once the traps are neutralized, the leader will take on three, and Kaido-senpai and Katsu will quickly take down one each. I’ll provide support magic.”
We advance accurately using magic and acoustic detection, and Kitamiya freezes the traps, preventing them from activating.
The moment the Western-armored Golem, which is on our immediate left, comes into view, I, along with Kaido and Katsu, charge forward, careful not to be noticed by other enemies.
“I’ll handle the three in front. You two take care of the archers behind.”
“Understood!”
“Yes!”
The four-unit formation consists of: one Golem acting as a tank with a greatshield; one attacker with a greatsword; one support unit with a spear; and behind them, one Golem serving as the ranged attacker with a magic bow.
Seeing the performance and balanced composition, incomparable to the Golems on the first floor, I immediately assess their roles and take action.
“Sei-yaaaaaaahh!!!”
Without stopping, I stride forward and unleash the Monkey’s Roar, swinging my Ore Tree at the Knight Golem blocking our path with its greatshield.
The phrase “defense is a bad move before Jigen-ryu” comes to life as I bring my sword down from a stance that seems to carry it on my shoulder, cleaving the Knight Golem along with its greatshield.
The sound of something being cut rings out.
It doesn’t matter if it’s metal or not.
My attack, a matter of will—can it cut or not—cleaves the metallic body and the Golem’s core, its Magic Stone, in two.
Then, Kaido and Katsu dart through the opening created by the removal of the greatshield.
Naturally, the remaining Golems react to interfere, but…
“Do you think you have the luxury to look away?”
With each word punctuated by a swing.
I sever the arm holding the greatsword, bisect the spear, and with a returning blow, slash across the torso of one, before plunging the Ore Tree into the heart of the Knight Golem, now armless.
All this in a mere two seconds.
“Now!”
“Alright!”
Including the Greatshield Golem, it took four to five seconds. While I was satisfied with an action that felt casually executed, I glanced at the Golem with the magic bow and saw Katsu acting as a decoy while Kaido delivered the finishing blow.
“Alright, let’s quickly gather the drops and move on~”
I swiftly collect the high-quality Magic Stones, put them in a leather pouch, and toss them into my Otherworld space. We proceed through areas where the ground and walls are frozen in places.
The sequence of actions so far has been flawless.
“Minami-san, what kind of boss is on this floor?”
“It’s a Commander-type Golem with Tanks surrounding it. The strategy is to move around, defeat them one by one, and strip the Commander bare~”
And there’s no strain.
Furthermore, it’s not overconfidence but rather a lack of complacency.
We check information in advance, always seek the optimal, yet never set limits.
This is the mentality required in the Dungeon environment.
Even when we say we’ll defeat it easily, we never forget our aspiration for improvement in our hearts.
In fact, we’ve achieved our攻略 through countless trials and errors, failing, devising countermeasures, and trying again, even when those failed.
It is this accumulated achievement that gives us our strength.
“We’ve arrived. Now, Leader, a word before we fight.”
“At this moment? Well, as always.”
That is precisely why.
“If it gets dangerous, we retreat. We’re alive, so we can still do things. When we can defeat them, we defeat them with all our might. Upholding these three principles, let’s give it our all.”
It is precisely because this strength supports me that I can stand at the forefront and fight.
Today’s word:
Give and take; it’s an ideal, but it’s difficult to reach the point of giving.
That’s all for today.
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*The publication of the first volume has been decided by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It is scheduled to be released on October 18, 2018.
Additionally, an e-book version will be published on October 31 of the same year.
The content includes revisions and additions to the material posted on Shosetsuka ni Narou, with the inclusion of previously unpublished interlude chapters.
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