It has been several days since we were informed of the hellish training.
Japan is often said to be complacent and at peace, but that’s a general statement; if you look at the finer details, it doesn’t hold true.
So, in what aspects does it not apply?
A famous example would be the elite units of the Self-Defense Force, like the Ranger corps.
They undergo grueling training, piling assumption upon assumption, to prepare for all possible scenarios.
Who would dare say such people are complacent and at peace? There will be those who criticize them with heartless words, but from an ordinary perspective, such words cannot be uttered.
Rumors even circulate that some members vomit blood.
Now, let’s set aside the story of the Self-Defense Force’s harsh training.
That example sounds far too exceptional.
So, are there no other examples?
There are. Well, this is more of an inside joke, but…
“Advance!! Gain as much experience as possible!! Hunt down as many monsters as possible!!”
I believe the party we are now is a prime example of that.
Looking at all of us with bloodshot eyes, weapons at the ready, fighting enemies while fully utilizing our abilities, I am confident that no one could call us complacent and at peace.
“Don’t falter!! If we falter at something like this, we’ll have no tomorrow!!”
I, too,, am no exception to such thoughts, as I charge at the dungeon monsters, cutting down one after another.
Even now, I split a Golem, which could move even after its torso was torn in two, vertically again and shift my target to the next enemy.
I doubt you could find any other Salaryman in all of Japan who is so bloodshot, ready to die, and so far from being complacent.
Also, I want to state this clearly: we are absolutely not fighting in dungeons due to consecutive work days like in a black company.
Our party, with our physical conditions in perfect order without sacrificing holidays, are currently throwing ourselves into the dungeon with all our might, honing our magic crests.
This is in preparation for the nightmare training that is likely to come.
**Status**
* Strength: 8983
* Durability: 10174
* Agility: 6663
* Stamina: 7456 (-5)
* Dexterity: 4541
* Knowledge: 96
* Intuition: 889
* Luck: 4
* Magic Power: 4878
We didn’t update our stats very frequently due to being busy, but we did so about once a month.
Compared to when we first joined, our workload has increased, and there are more things to do, which has made us forget to update them at times.
However, it’s still a pleasure to see our stats increase, even if the frequency has decreased.
That’s why we updated them periodically.
It’s been about three months since winter began.
During that time, we updated our stats only about three times.
**Status**
* Strength: 8983 → 9645 → 10555 → 12573
* Durability: 10174 → 11111 → 12544 → 13020
* Agility: 6663 → 7805 → 8065 → 9998
* Stamina: 7456 (-5) → 8233 (-5) → 9234 (-5) → 9806 (-5)
* Dexterity: 4541 → 6023 → 8095 → 18006
* Knowledge: 96 → 105 → 153 → 289
* Intuition: 889 → 986 → 1800 → 2105
* Luck: 4 → 4 → 4 → 4
* Magic Power: 4878 → 8003 → 9532 → 13211
Ah, I have to admit that my growth has been bizarre.
It’s natural for my strength to increase steadily, but the reason my durability is increasing less is simply because I’m no longer taking hits.
This is partly because I cut down enemies before they can attack, but also because I’ve acquired defensive techniques.
“If I’m not getting hit, then I’m not taking damage, right?”
Is that what you’re thinking? Even with my current stats, there are plenty of beings that could crush me.
This increase in durability is almost entirely thanks to my training with the instructor.
The other day, I managed to inflict a slight scratch on him, and seeing his smile only fueled my motivation further, which was a mistake.
In addition, there was the time I exorcised the soul of the first Demon Lord possessing Amelia, the tournament when the General was decided, and many other instances that accumulated to achieve this result.
Even now, I’m confident that among the Testers, I boast the highest durability.
In other words, I’m also the Tester who takes the most damage, but I’ll accept that as an area for improvement and focus on fulfilling my duty as a frontliner.
And looking at these stats, the most curious one is likely my dexterity.
You must all be wondering why it increased so drastically.
Ah, it was the stat that saw the least increase compared to others until now.
It’s highly unlikely to increase on its own.
Stats tend to decrease, not increase.
There is a definite cause.
The trial when I made a contract with Valse-san was terrifying.
Ah, because of that trial, my time was stretched, and I was left adrift in space, causing my dexterity stat to increase to an unbelievable level.
The principle is simple.
As the saying goes, “Simple is best.”
I repeated a simple task, not by thinking, but by pushing it beyond the realm of reflex to the point where I could perceive the tip of my ore tree blade unconsciously.
My dexterity is now at a level where I can freely control the blade tip to a thousandth of a millimeter, not just a tenth.
Well, considering I gained this while in a mental state of perceiving space and wanting to cut it, it’s not that surprising that it increased this much.
Next, my magic power increased.
It’s now enough magic power that I could probably be considered a proper Mage.
The reason for this increase is also simple.
Again, it’s due to Valse-san’s trial.
Along with my sword swings, I refined my magic power, circulating it through the ore tree and my own body.
Yes, I had nothing but time.
Not literally eternity, but a time so long that I could be called more than just idle, perhaps even insane.
And perhaps the simple thought of “I should do what I can” also contributed.
However, whether that was the right path, I’m not so sure.
If I hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t have been able to escape that space, but I do wonder what I was doing.
“Now is not the time for that.”
“Senpai!? Did you say something!?”
“It’s nothing! Let’s go!!!”
“Yes, sir!”
Well, let’s stop reminiscing and engaging in escapism.
We don’t have much time right now.
To be precise, we do have time, but perhaps it’s better to say we don’t have enough time to enter the realm we anticipate.
As I mentioned earlier, our party boasts a strength that far surpasses the other Testers.
Furthermore, I possess an exceptional Magic Aptitude of nine.
Because of this, my growth rate is faster than others. While this has caused the stat gap between me and Kaido-senpai’s group to widen, conversely, I’ve used it to speed up the process of increasing their stats, thus saving time.
With that method, the ability gap between us and the other parties should have widened considerably.
So, if you were to ask if we are satisfied with our current abilities, the answer would undoubtedly be no.
Even Kaido, who usually dislikes trouble.
Even Minami, who believes working is losing.
This is because…
“We don’t have much time until the training! If we want to survive, we have no choice but to defeat these guys!!”
“Yes, sir!!”
“Indeed!!”
“Let’s go, gozaru!!!!”
“Yes!!”
“Yes!!”
Imagining the harshness of the upcoming training, we realize that we are still not strong enough.
After all, the instructors for this training are three individuals who are clearly stronger than us.
Especially for me and Kaido, we’ve been directly trained by the instructor, and we occasionally spar with him even now.
Since we’ve never defeated him, you can infer that we’ve been thoroughly beaten.
Even if our entire party were to attack, I have the grim confidence that we’d be lucky if we could last three minutes against just one of them.
“Leader! I’ll buy Kaido-senpai time to recover, gozaru! Kitamiya, use potions to recover your magic power! Amī-chan, you distract the mobs! Katsu!!”
“I’m on my way!!”
“Haa!! Bring it ooooooonnnnnn!!!!!!”
“I’m coming!”
Even in such a state, we will have Evia, the supervisor, joining the two instructors.
Their combat power will double, no, it would be a blessing if it only doubled.
Having resolved to receive the training, we decided to make every effort to bridge that gap, even if it’s just a little.
Two days after the New Year’s holiday.
After the break ended, we resumed our activities as Dungeon Testers.
Shouting words of encouragement and admonishment, we are fighting boss monsters like chess pieces on a board-like field.
This is the boss floor of the 58th stratum of the Machine King’s Dungeon.
On the way here, the traps have become considerably more treacherous, and the enemies have begun to act in ways that exploit the advantages of inorganic matter, something Golems cannot overcome.
This is not something that can be cleared solo.
Basic traps include poison gas, dark spaces, linked traps, self-destructing traps, combination traps, and oxygen-deprived spaces.
We managed to deal with these thanks to Amelia and Minami, who can detect traps.
The enemies, who grow stronger with each stratum, are handled by me, Kaido, and Kitamiya.
And Katsu serves as our lifeline for both.
We press on through the dungeon, where even one member’s absence could lead to annihilation.
Of course, we don’t neglect our primary duty as Dungeon Testers, diligently collecting data.
“Haa, haa, it’s tough on my magic power when the enemy is resistant to magic.”
“Yeah, and it’s not like regular attacks are particularly effective either. Golems generally have physical resistance, so they’re really tough to defeat.”
“Honestly, if it weren’t for you, Leader, there’s a high chance we would have been wiped out.”
And so we arrive at the boss floor.
My monkey’s roar echoes on this boss floor, and my skill, which generates a physical shockwave, forces the Golem, which shouldn’t normally flinch, to falter, drawing its attention to me.
This is all to give the others, who have been fighting on the verge of defeat with mental buffs like “Grit,” a moment to rest.
At this point, they wouldn’t prepare opponents that can be easily defeated like before.
The feel of my ore tree cutting becomes slightly firmer.
However, I don’t think it can’t be cut.
But the opponent’s movements have become more refined, making them harder to cut.
After all, we are constantly providing information to the enemy.
Countermeasures are taken rapidly, and improvements are born one after another.
All we can do is train our abilities to surpass those improvements and break through the enemy’s prepared forces, but what we’re doing is a true game of cat and mouse.
It’s a cycle of chasing and being chased.
As we get stronger, so do they.
It’s a repeating cycle.
“Hah! What’s wrong! Come at me!!”
And the enemy doesn’t just get stronger in a simple sense.
While I cut off the arm of a Knight Golem coated in magic silver, I glance at the severed cross-section.
The magic silver was only on the surface; the core was made of steel.
When Suella told me that Japanese coating technology was being applied, I wondered how, but they’ve used it in this way.
The Demon Lord’s Army has adopted Japanese technology and applied it.
Their ingenuity is amazing.
It’s a product that combines magical defense and physical defense.
In front of me stand an army of white and black.
The white ones are Golems with higher magic resistance, and the black ones are Golems with higher physical resistance.
Far beyond them stands a golden Golem, flanked by white and black queens.
The enemy, possessing both quantity and quality, is quite formidable.
While experiencing this, I only draw the enemy’s attacks to myself, enduring until Minami devises a solution.
“Leader, everyone has finished recovering, gozaru! I will now convey the plan, gozaru!”
It came sooner than I expected.
“Alright, I’m back! Senpai, I’m ready anytime!”
“I don’t want to be continuously relying on Jiro-san, so hurry up and give the orders, Minami!”
“I’m ready anytime!”
“Let’s Go!!”
As if to say the plan is ready, I slowly shoulder my ore tree after confirming that the party had recovered, raising my staff boldly.
“Connect.”
As if to say full operation from here on out, I make the roots of the ore tree creep up my arm.
“Alright, let’s go, everyone!!”
A shift from defense to offense.
I will carve a path, and Kaido and the others will widen the wounds.
That is our basic style.
Everyone understands their role and enhances their own power.
The battle, which had been defensive until just now, shifts to an offensive, and we proceed to break down the enemy’s stronghold.
“Alright!! We took down the King!!”
And we defeat the boss.
The results are not something I could have achieved alone.
Although my stats have increased disproportionately, I am neither omnipotent nor invincible, nor the strongest.
There is always someone stronger in every aspect.
That is precisely why we must compensate for our deficiencies.
This is not something that can be accomplished overnight.
I’ve spoken at length, but what was the point of it all?
It’s not that difficult of a story.
In short.
“Leader, will we be able to survive the training with this, gozaru?”
“…Honestly, I’m still worried. Shouldn’t we progress a little more?”
“No, wouldn’t it be better to clear the same floor one more time? Not only for the analysis, but the previous fight was mainly led by Senpai, so we should try to reduce his burden a little.”
“Ah, I thought of that too. Isn’t it better to advance after we can handle this floor without Jiro-san?”
“I agree. We still have recovery items, and if we want to train in group combat, I think this is a good place for now.”
“That’s true.”
“Alright, now that we’ve reached an agreement.”
Simply put.
“We’re leaving the dungeon again to take down the King’s head one more time.”
No matter how much we prepare, our anxiety about the training doesn’t disappear.
**Quote of the Day**
Today’s quota is at least ten clears.
That’s all for this time.
Thank you for your usual corrections of typos and your comments.
If you found this interesting, please leave comments, ratings, bookmarks, etc.
*The first volume of this novel has been decided to be published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.*
*It was released on October 18, 2018.*
*The e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.*
*Volume two was released on December 19.*
*Volume three was released on February 20, 2019.*
*The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on “Shōsetsuka ni Narō,” with the addition of an unpublished interlude.*
*Please look forward to the new releases!*
*Furthermore, a serialization in Weekly Young Magazine The Third by Kodansha has also been decided.*
*We ask for your continued support of this work.*
