A new chapter begins.
Despair… isn’t it the feeling of believing something is truly impossible?
Explosions buffeted my cheeks, forcing me to squint to keep out the swirling sand and dust while my gaze remained fixed on my surroundings.
Looking at the scene before me, I tried to devise a strategy, but no immediate solution came to mind.
More than that, my emotions, not my logic, recoiled first, deeming it impossible.
My body wasn’t frozen, nor was I gravely injured, but based on my stamina and the extent of my injuries, I judged that breaking through from here was impossible.
It’s only now that I realize the King of Machines’ dungeon primarily features golems.
In truth, it’s filled with monsters that resemble robots.
In fact, if you were to ask me which dungeon I’ve entered the most in this company, I’d have to say it’s the King of Machines’ dungeon, the first one I ever visited.
It’s familiar, and because it was my first job, I can’t deny having feelings of duty, a sense of mission to overcome its challenges.
“Haa, haa, haa… you guys alive?”
Slowly regaining my breath, I checked on the juniors I was shielding.
“It’s… harder to find a part of me that isn’t hurt, sir.”
“Ugh… I’m nauseous from drinking too many potions, gozaru.”
“Sorry… I can’t move for a while.”
“What about Katsu?”
“He shielded me and is being treated now, but I won’t be able to move properly either.”
“So… I’m the only one who can move properly, then.”
But the answers I received were all grim. Kaido was covered in wounds, and as he said, it was difficult to find an uninjured spot. Fortunately, his injuries weren’t life-threatening, but fighting on like this was still a concern. Minami, on the other hand, had few injuries, but to avoid them, she’d continuously cast support magic on herself and her surroundings, depleting her magic. She’d then drunk too many potions to recover, making her feel sick. Kitamiya, conversely, had drunk fewer potions but had taken a heavy blow, leaving him unable to move properly. Katsu, in a split-second decision, had shielded Amelia from a golem’s attack and had been knocked unconscious. While Amelia had sustained relatively minor injuries, judging straightforwardly, the party’s functionality had all but ceased.
We were cornered in a dungeon we were all too familiar with. We had hit a wall.
This wall was both metaphorical and literal.
“It’s coming! Even a little! Crouch down and get into a defensive stance!!”
Ahead of us, stretching to both horizons, was a wall at least twenty meters high. A castle wall. As if to fit that description, the top of the steel-colored wall faintly glowed, and magic that I could feel vibrating against my skin was approaching.
“KORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!”
It was a magic cannon fired by a magic tool. Hundreds of magic cannonballs, each with the power of a mid-level or higher magic spell, were fired at us simultaneously from countless turrets.
Floor seventy. Our progress, which had been going smoothly, was completely halted by the fortress before us.
Ignoring my aching body, I took a breath and drew magic from the connected Ore Tree, which was rapidly circulating and purifying it. I then channeled this magic into the Ore Tree’s blade, creating a pseudo-giant blade.
“CHAESTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
I slashed through the barrage of magic cannonballs in a horizontal sweep.
“HAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
If it were a storm that a single stroke could quell, I wouldn’t be struggling this much. Exerting myself on my body, which was starting to creak from repeated slashes, I met the subsequent cannonballs with a wall of sword strikes to protect my companions who couldn’t move behind me. The magic-infused blade had no mass, making it easy to wield. However, its material strength was overwhelmingly inferior to the Ore Tree serving as its medium, requiring me to replenish each chipped blade with magic.
“!? Jiro-san! I hear projectile launchers! Golems are coming!!”
“Tch!!”
And it wasn’t just magic cannons flying at us. Amelia, amidst the impacts that felt akin to a bombing raid, picked up the sounds of launch and incoming projectiles, warning me of another threat. This magic cannon fire alone wouldn’t have stopped us; we could have pushed through by force. Kitamiya and Minami could have deployed defensive magic for us to break through. But the enemy wouldn’t allow that. Naturally, they had countermeasures to fill the gaps in their artillery.
“Only golems could pull off something like this, huh.”
My face, caked in dust and soot, contorted as I deflected several massive spheres. Few of them directly targeted us. The spheres that landed outside my attack range seemed designed to buy “landing time.” These spheres, kicking up dust, landed on the sand that, even in the usually orderly King of Machines’ dungeon, was a peculiar landscape. After a few seconds, timed with the spheres that landed around me and that I had deflected, cracks appeared in those spheres, and they rapidly transformed into humanoid golems. It was an appearance that no biological creature could achieve, so rough and violent.
“Kaido, can you protect Minami and the others, even a little?”
“I’ll try my best!”
“Amy-chan, bring Kitamiya and Katsu over here. I’ll erect a barrier, gozaru.”
“Are you alright, Min-chan? You look pale.”
“I’m not depleted like Kitamiya, it’s just potion sickness, gozaru. So, while I can’t handle intricate tasks, I can still use defensive magic. We need all the combat power we can get right now, gozaru.”
“Alright, I’ll do my best!!”
“Thank you, Amy.”
We were quickly surrounded, forced into further attrition with our already battered state. We managed to organize our mobile personnel, and they moved to create an opening for me, but we were still on the losing end. The golems, appearing like something out of a sci-fi movie, were slowly closing in. There were two types of golems with this modernistic form: front-line defensive golems with greatshields in both hands and giant scissor-like side arms, and back-line artillery types equipped with turrets on both shoulders and what looked like staffs in their hands. If it were just to stall them until the fortress’s magic tools regenerated, it would be a bit easier.
“It can’t be that convenient, can it.”
“Ugh, are the enemy’s forces limitless, gozaru?”
“I don’t think so, but judging by Minami’s estimation, we haven’t seen the bottom of their reserves.”
With enemies closing in, Minami’s gaze was fixed not on us, but on the castle wall. And for good reason, as new forces were about to be deployed. I wonder if everyone knows about multi-legged tanks? Not tanks that move on tracks, but colossal, spider-like beings that were now leaping over the castle wall.
“Can we intercept them?”
“After we intercept them, we’ll likely be crushed, gozaru. At least, no one but the leader seems likely to survive. How about you, leader?”
“I’d like to say I still have the stamina, but honestly, I don’t know. Even if I move around and cause individual disruptions, I only see a future where I’m cornered like in a chess puzzle.”
“In that case, there’s only one thing to do, gozaru.”
“Yeah.”
How long has it been since we set foot on this floor? It feels like more than an hour. Yet, the party is already past halfway destroyed, on the brink of annihilation. If this were a fighting game, we’d be in the red zone. It’s agonizing to think about how many golems we’ve cut down to reach this point. A fortress, likely an entire floor dedicated to it, presumably the boss room. A formidable defensive position, not with dispersed forces, but concentrated. Faced with this combat power, I’m reminded of the extraordinary nature of heroes who can break through such obstacles.
“I’ll be the rearguard. We’re retreating.”
“Another financial loss, gozaru.”
“Don’t say that. It’s better than experiencing a near-death experience, even if we can revive.”
“That’s true, gozaru. I’ll carry Kitamiya. Amy-chan, you take Katsu. Kaido-senpai, secure our retreat route.”
“Understood! Leave it to me!”
Facing the advancing golem army, our only option is to withdraw. Fighting any longer would mean certain annihilation. No one objected to my decision, and we began to retreat, but the dungeon wouldn’t let us off so easily. We still need to break through and reach the exit gate.
“I’ll create an opening with Take Mik. Then, just push forward.”
I couldn’t afford to say I was tired. I gathered the dwindling magic. Seeing the Ore Tree begin to crackle with energy, the golems showed signs of caution, and their encirclement slowed slightly. We didn’t miss this sliver of a chance. I rapidly formed a magic, wreathed it around the Ore Tree, and unleashed a massive blow. At that moment, without any signal, we bolted. Without looking back, leaving the wreckage of the golems behind, we escaped the fortress floor.
“Ah, how many times has it been, gozaru, to return from that floor?”
“Hmm, the fourth time?”
“Fifth time. I was pretty confident this time, but it seems I still couldn’t draw out their full capabilities.”
The first thing we did upon returning to the Party Room was collapse. Even though we came back battered, most of our injuries healed when our magic bodies returned to their original forms. All that remained was fatigue and pain. The only way to alleviate those was to relax like this. Each of us found our usual spots, drinking beverages, burying our faces in cushions, or leaning back in chairs, trying to rest our tired bodies as much as possible. I, too, sat in a chair, leaning against its backrest.
“Sorry, I passed out partway through.”
“It can’t be helped! You were shielding me. If anyone should apologize, it’s me. Sorry, Katsu.”
“No, no, no one’s blaming either of you. We just have to learn from it for next time!”
And then, naturally, we’d move on to the debriefing, as we usually do, but that wasn’t the case this time.
“Well, we can figure out countermeasures next time. For now, let’s all head home early and rest up. You don’t want to participate in the cherry blossom viewing the day after tomorrow while exhausted, do you? We can do the reports after the cherry blossom viewing too.”
“Oh! You’re the best, Leader! That’s so understanding, gozaru!!”
“Is that okay, senpai!”
“Well, we’re at a standstill, so a break might be good. Wouldn’t you agree?”
I knew they were feeling a bit demotivated by the lack of progress. That’s why, as a change of pace, we had already discussed having the cherry blossom viewing I’d mentioned before.
“Suella-san and the others will participate too, right?”
“Yeah, I asked Suella, and she said there’s a place with cherry blossoms inside the facility. She said we could have a cherry blossom viewing there without worrying about prying eyes. They can even reserve the spot beforehand. I’ve also invited the instructors.”
“There are cherry blossoms in the otherworld too, gozaru?”
“Apparently, the person who manages that facility really likes plants from this world, and the cherry blossoms are part of that.”
“Oh, really? But it’s nice, isn’t it? To know that cherry blossoms are appreciated even in another world.”
When we gathered, I thought Kitamiya would be the one leading the charge for something special, but this time Minami was also actively involved, and things progressed smoothly. The two of them often clash, but when their directions align, their unreservedness leads to surprisingly good synergy.
“Mommy is going to make bento boxes too! We can have plenty of them!”
“Yes, I’ll do my best on the day.”
“Himik is going to make some too, so don’t push yourself too hard. Kaido and I will carry the drinks Memoria prepared to the venue. We’re expecting a lot of heavy drinkers, so the quantity will be immense.”
“If Instructor Kio comes, that’s true, isn’t it, senpai. Ah, speaking of which, isn’t his daughter coming too? You’ve met her before, didn’t you, senpai? What’s she like?”
“…I’ll just say that like father, like daughter.”
“Huh? Why do you say that in such a worrying way? Huh? Is she like… Instructor Kio but smaller?”
“Who knows. I can’t say more than that.”
“Eeeh!? That can’t be true, senpai!?”
Lately, things have been busy, so I think it’s good to take a break like this when we can relax. We’ll face a lot of hardship from now on.
While Kaido broke out in a cold sweat, clutching his head, and squirmed imagining what kind of child would arrive, I let a smile play on my lips and looked around. Minami was asking Katsu for requests for the bento box contents. Amelia and Kitamiya were discussing what to wear to the cherry blossom viewing. Despite having just gone through such an intense battle, the atmosphere here was peaceful.
“I wish days like this could last forever.”
“Hm? Did you say something, senpai?”
“No, I was just thinking how much I’m looking forward to the cherry blossom viewing the day after tomorrow.”
If possible, I found myself wishing to see such a scene again next year.
Word of the day:
Spring, for some reason, gives off an image of new beginnings.
Thank you, as always, for pointing out typos and for your feedback.
A new chapter begins with this story. I plan to incorporate tales of various characters from the many requests I’ve received into this chapter. I’ll continue to do my best!
If you enjoyed this, please leave your comments, ratings, and bookmarks.
*The first volume of the collected novel is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. An e-book version was released on October 31 of the same year. The second volume was released on December 19. The third volume was released on February 20, 2019. The content has been revised and expanded from the original posts on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the addition of an unpublished interlude. Please check out the new releases!
A manga adaptation is being serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.” I hope you enjoy that as well.
Thank you for your continued support of this work.
