In my previous company, or rather, my previous company had a high turnover rate.
The main reason for this was that the work was too demanding, and people couldn’t keep up.
Perhaps that’s why I didn’t develop a strong sense of senpai-kouhai relationships. Although, I do have some.
When I think of kouhai, Kaido’s name immediately comes to mind.
I could think of others, like my kouhai from the kendo club in school, but Kaido is the first one that pops into my head.
After all, we had a long relationship at my previous company, despite everything.
Of course, there were other younger colleagues who joined after me at the previous company, and I taught them various things, but none of them lasted as long as Kaido.
I also taught them various things.
Despite all that, by some twist of fate, I changed jobs and became a Dungeon Tester, a profession that could be described as rare worldwide, and I’ve achieved quite a bit of success.
More than half of the testers who joined with me have quit within this year.
Nevertheless, I am still here at this company, having overcome those hardships.
Now, enough about kouhai, you might be wondering why I’m thinking about all this.
“Haa, though it still takes a little longer until the new batch of recruits arrives in spring. There’s not a trace of spring here.”
It’s because the topic of the second batch of Dungeon Testers came up during our talk while exploring the dungeon.
I apologize for such a straightforward reason, but casual conversations tend to be like this.
“Indeed, looking around, there’s no sense of the seasons here.”
“That’s true. It’s perpetually damp and dim here, with a confined atmosphere. It’s definitely the furthest place from anything called ‘vibrant’.”
Once a certain wave of enemies is dealt with, conversations like these can happen even inside a dungeon. Naturally, the topic shifts and eventually settles into recent events.
“Does a dungeon even have seasons to begin with?”
“Hmm, the Dark Elf dungeon we went to last time seemed to have them?”
“There are a lot of flowers and plants there, aren’t there?”
While the HR department is busy, there’s no change in our normal operations due to our new kouhai joining, other than the enemies becoming stronger.
We just defeat enemies and find points to improve the dungeon.
Today, we are tackling the Undead King’s dungeon, a dungeon under the jurisdiction of Instructor Fushio.
It’s the usual Undead festival.
Just the other day, after finishing our exploration of the town, we finally discovered the entrance to the labyrinthine area, and now we’re wandering through a dungeon that resembles an underground tomb.
The enemies we face are increasing in both quality and quantity.
It’s dimly lit, with no light source whatsoever.
Our visibility is secured by magic provided by Minami.
It’s a stone structure, different from the Machine King’s dungeon.
If you were to describe the Machine King’s dungeon as having orderly functional beauty, this place has an atmosphere like ruins that evoke a sense of history.
“Speaking of flowers, the cherry blossoms will be blooming soon! Shall we all go flower viewing then! I’ve actually never done it before!”
“Flower viewing, huh? I’ve only been once since my mother took me as a child.”
Our party members don’t have such weak spirits that they’d be intimidated by this level of atmosphere.
Taking Kaido’s somewhat out-of-touch remark as an opportunity, I expand on the conversation.
However, I want you to understand one thing.
This is a dungeon, and an unknown area that is far ahead compared to other testers.
You could even call it the front line.
The danger level is quite high.
We’re having a friendly conversation in such a place, but in reality, we’re repeatedly fighting undead creatures in an area where the quality and quantity of monsters are vastly different from those in the town.
Instead of their voices trailing off due to the oppressive atmosphere, the members don’t seem bothered by it and continue exploring the dungeon as usual.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t either.”
“I’ve gone a few times with my family.”
“Me neither.”
“Me too.”
It’s a strange conversation about the upcoming cherry blossom season in a horror-like space, but we are by no means letting our guard down.
“Ah, stop the chit-chat. They’re coming from beyond that wall… and they’re fast!”
“I saw them coming, that’s all. But what’s with that look?”
“No, I must question the abnormality of the leader’s attack range. Isn’t the leader a frontliner?”
“Isn’t it a good thing for a frontliner to have a wide attack range? Don’t complain.”
“Minami means to ask about our purpose for being here, right? Where else do you find a frontliner with a longer range than the backliners? I haven’t used magic since we entered here, except when confirming the enemy’s strength for the first time.”
“If you’re going to say that, then as a frontliner, me too. I’ve fought a few times, but other than that, it’s over in an instant with senpai.”
“Ugh, everyone else is manageable. I’ve barely fought at all.”
“I’m in a similar situation.”
“In conclusion, I believe the leader should show more restraint. If this continues, our stats won’t increase, and we won’t gather enough data for the dungeon test.”
“…You’re right.”
I’m not letting my guard down, but it seems I’ve overdone it.
Thanks to my expanded perception and the enhanced armor magic, my attack range has increased. I was testing how effectively I could operate in such confined spaces.
And currently, I’ve found that fighting with wind magic is quite effective in this environment.
The wind magic, which sways like a flowing garment, bends like a whip when used with my Ore Tree, becoming infinitely adaptable.
The invisibility is also a plus.
If I wanted to, I could even increase the number of slashes.
Armor magic is truly diverse, making it fun to use.
While some forms of trial and error can be painful, when it comes to testing one’s own abilities, it takes on a slightly different color and becomes enjoyable.
Depending on the magic I wield, its nature, properties, and usage can be applied to various situations.
Indeed, I bisected a monster resembling a UMA crawling on the ground that was about to come around the corner, preventing it from getting any closer.
The distance is about fifty meters. The cut on the wall where the monster, which converts into magic power, is proof of my attack.
Against undead, fire, light, and sometimes lightning attributes are effective.
However, unfortunately, I am not equipped with light attribute magic, and I cannot use lightning or fire attributes in this confined space, so I am fighting with wind magic… but it turned out to be more powerful than I expected.
Well, I suppose it’s better than Takemikazuchi, which scraped away and erased the ground, but I do regret being too eager and will step back, leaving the future battles to Kaido and the others.
“Minami, what’s ahead?”
“I’m sending out scouting magic, but some of it has been intercepted. I suspect there’s a magic-user on their side as well. I think it’s a Lich.”
“That’s troublesome. Undead mages tend to use a lot of status-altering effects, though.”
“There were spirit users in the Lunaria dungeon, but this is different, right?”
“Yes, our casualties might increase.”
“Then we’ll be counting on you, Katsu-kun!”
“Understood!”
As I moved to a rear position and prepared to provide rear guard support, I asked about the terrain ahead. Minami’s expression turned slightly grim.
It seems the scouting isn’t going as well as usual.
Kitamiya also touched his mouth, agreeing that it was troublesome.
Undead generally use attacks that disrupt our physical condition.
They often use poison, miasma, hallucinations that cause mental disorders, solvents that melt the skin, and other debuff-oriented attacks.
While there were magic users in the Machine King’s dungeon, we need to be cautious of them differently.
“Oh, speak of the devil. They’re here. That’s a strong magical response. There are three of them, and before them, we might see truly horrifying sights.”
“Numbers? Or a large creature?”
“The latter.”
“Ugh, large undead creatures have insane durability. They’re unnecessarily tough, meaning they don’t die easily.”
“That’s true. Freezing them is difficult too, haa, I should increase my elemental attributes.”
“Shall I use my Great Magic?”
“I don’t want to waste time, and thanks to the leader, we have plenty of magic power. Shall we go with that this time? Katsu, please prepare to restore Amī-chan’s magic power.”
“Understood.”
And it seems one of them is a particularly large one.
I can hear a loud roar from a distance.
And in synchronization with it, I can feel heavy footsteps approaching at considerable speed.
“Kaido-senpai, after Amī-chan’s Great Magic, it’s your turn to charge. Kitamiya, support Kaido-senpai with Ice Soldiers. Let’s take down the backliners at once.”
“Understood.”
“How many do you need?”
“Three. All with one-handed swords and shields.”
“Got it.”
As instructed, Kaido steps forward, and when Kitamiya swings her staff, an Ice Golem appears.
Minami carefully gauges the timing and deploys a thin magical film.
“What’s this?”
“It’s concealment magic. While Great Magic has high attack power, its preparation is obvious due to its potency. So, it’s standard practice to make it imperceptible like this. No idiot would charge into an area where a cannon is being prepared.”
The spell, deployed to envelop the party, seems to have the role of hiding Amelia’s magic. While we can’t sense it within the same space, those outside the barrier can’t detect her magic.
This is probably something we used during the mock battles in training.
“It’s a simple form, so it can’t conceal our appearance, but it’s sufficient for a surprise attack. Well then, they’re almost here, Amī-chan.”
“OK! Ready anytime!!”
Minami, who knows the general location of the enemies through scouting, counts down on her fingers and times Amī’s attack as the enemies appear around the corner.
Three, two, one, as the number of fingers decreases, and then.
“Now!!”
“Go!! Sacred Cannon!!”
Although it’s called a cannon, I can’t help but inwardly retort that it looks like a massive beam.
A torrent of vast magic, converted into light attribute.
Amelia’s light attribute barrage, stored in her chest at Minami’s timing, penetrates the barrier and rushes towards the armored giant emerging from around the corner, leaving it in a state of stunned disbelief, despite being undead.
“Kaido-senpai, GO!! ”
“Understood!!”
“Kitamiya!”
“I already know without you telling me!”
The creature, unable to take a proper defensive stance, is engulfed in light, and everything except its ankles is obliterated.
The residual blast also damages the Liches positioned a little further away, and Kaido and Kitamiya’s Ice Golem charges to maintain the momentum.
“Ah, Leader, they’ve gotten behind you, so could you handle that?”
“Coming, coming.”
“Katsu, how is Amī-chan’s condition?”
“She took a potion.”
“Then, if Kaido-senpai starts acting strangely, please heal him.”
“Understood.”
“Amī-chan, one more blast, please.”
“OK!”
At that moment, Minami detects another presence, and I, sensing it as well, look in that direction.
“This clearly looks like the main force. What do you think, Minami?”
“It’ll be no problem for you, Leader. We’ll finish this in about three minutes, and then I’ll send Kaido-senpai your way.”
“Is that so.”
A legion of skeletons, carrying heavy shields and forming a formation, marches forward like an army.
They are on a different level than the common mobs that rampaged in town.
Both their armor and weapons are of superior quality.
It seems the giant earlier was meant to obstruct their advance and, if possible, cause confusion on our side…
“Then tell Kaido to move quickly, or they’ll be overwhelmed.”
“OK. I never let experience points slip away, that’s my style. I’ll head to assist the Leader as soon as possible.”
“Please do.”
But it’s not that simple.
A smile forms at the corner of my mouth as I break through their plan, my fighting spirit heightened.
“Armor, Mid-tier Flame Magic.”
And I, in turn, switch to magic, preparing for close combat, and envelop my Ore Tree and armor in flames.
Then, I lean forward, holding the Ore Tree in a position over my right shoulder.
“Let’s go!!”
And I kick off the ground. They prepare to intercept me as I charge, but that doesn’t matter to me.
I deploy magic, and the flames flicker, burning away incoming magic. The spears thrust towards me as I sprint the shortest distance.
“Too slow!”
I lean even further forward and slip beneath them, reaching the wall of tower shields lined up neatly.
“Ore Tree, connect.”
I wrap roots around my arm and instantly increase the power of the flames through magic circulation.
A slash attack plus flame magic.
“Next time, prepare a stronger shield.”
The single-stroke slash, extending horizontally, melts the dungeon walls like butter even with its slightest aftershock. And the group of skeletons, clad in magnificent armor that bore the brunt of the damage, were engulfed in flames.
Flame is the most effective against undead that are difficult to kill.
“Now, next.”
Defeating over twenty enemies with a single swing.
I couldn’t have done that a year ago.
Thinking that I too have grown, I break into a smile and rush towards the group further in.
Today’s word:
Everyone grows with time.
This concludes this section.
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*The first volume of the novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA.
It was released on October 18, 2018.
An e-book version was also released on October 31 of the same year.
Volume two was released on December 19.
The third volume was released on February 20, 2019.
The content includes revisions and additions from the original postings on “Shosetsuka ni Naro,” along with an unreleased interlude.
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The comic adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third” and was featured in issue 9.
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