The party repulsed the Basilisk, and Nan continued to collect materials with a smile. After that, they fought several more battles, defeating them smoothly and advancing.
In battles like these, problems often pile up, such as stamina issues, equipment problems, and consumable shortages.
“It’s about time,” Nan said.
“In that case, it seems like a good idea to rest soon, gozaru,” Kaido-senpai replied.
Even though they had been fighting smoothly, their losses were not zero. Although there was no physical damage, there was mental fatigue. The scenery changed, and as it had done before, the atmosphere gradually grew darker, and the surroundings became quiet. Sensing the change in the air, Nan immediately suggested they take a break, saying they were close to their destination. She then took out a barrier-making magic tool from her Magic Bag. Nan explained that it was pointless to consume her own magic power just to rest, and that one shouldn’t be stingy with tools during decisive battles like this. While remaining on alert, everyone sat down wherever they liked to rest their bodies. Kitamiya and Nan drank Magic Replenishment Potions, while Kaido and Amelia, who had been exercising, took out bananas to replenish their nutrition.
“It was noisy until just now, but it’s quiet here,” Amelia commented.
“It seems that powerful dragons don’t approach even their own kind in their territory,” Kitamiya added.
Amelia, eating a banana, expressed her surprise at the unusual quietness of the canyon, which had been so noisy until recently. As the girl ate a banana in the dim space, looking around, it was a peculiar sight. I answered her question while eating a calorie bar. Dragons live in a world of “the strong prey on the weak,” and their social structure is firmly established. While their positions can change if there’s an opening, a rigid hierarchy is formed if there isn’t one. Suella had told me that this is why there are often quiet spaces like this in the Dragon King’s Dungeon. In other dungeons, it would be like the room before the boss room.
“I see!”
“However, unlike other dungeons, this one doesn’t have a fixed boss room. It’s common for the master of a territory to change, and then the territory will change hands to another master.”
“So the safe zone might not be safe anymore, gozaru? That’s quite a lot of replayability.”
“For us, fighting in our living bodies, that’s unbearable.”
“That’s right. We might be attacked if we rest thinking it’s safe.”
“What if the place we’re resting now isn’t safe either, usopp?”
Nan, who had become convinced by my explanation, was now brimming with gamer’s spirit, thinking it was like a game with an automatically updating map. Kitamiya, looking exasperated, teased her. Katsu, playing along, forced a wry smile and said it was an unpleasant thought. Kaido then spoke up as if telling a ghost story, but we all, including myself, just laughed. It was a moment of brief camaraderie. This period of rest lasted about ten minutes.
“Alright, shall we go, everyone?”
“Roger that.”
“Understood, gozaru~”
“Yes, no problem.”
“Yes!”
“Yes, we’re alright.”
Even such a short amount of time was sufficient as rest. Our mental fatigue was eased, and our ragged breathing was calmed. Besides, if we sat for too long, our bodies would stiffen. After a moderate rest, we put away our magic tools and proceeded on our path. And then.
“We’ve arrived.”
Though it had only been a few days, I felt a sense of returning.
“Ugh, it really is like Senpai said.”
“A graveyard. That’s a fitting description.”
Kaido and Kitamiya grimaced at the sight of dragon bones scattered throughout the canyon.
“Ooh, it has such an atmosphere.”
“Nan, don’t pick up any of those bones, okay?”
“!?…Wh-what are you talking about, Katsu? I’m not doing anything, gozaru?”
Amelia, sensing the strange atmosphere surrounding them, looked anxious. However, Nan’s eyes turned to dollar signs as she thought about how much each bone was worth, and she was about to secretly collect them with a sound like a cash register. But Katsu, grabbing her by the collar and telling her to read the room, stopped her.
“It’s coming. But I guess there’s no need to say it.”
There was no time to pay attention to the party’s mood. An oppressive aura emanated from the depths of the canyon. The dry sound of something colliding reached our ears, followed by the sound of the ground being gouged. The playful time was over. Our scowling faces, our fearful expressions, our joking countenances were all replaced by a hardened resolve, our eyes fixed on what was about to emerge from the darkness.
“Hahaha, is the movie only at the beginning, gozaru?”
“What a shame, I was hoping to cast a big spell while it was transforming.”
“In manga and anime, that’s usually a no-go, usopp. But now, it’s definitely the best time to do it.”
“It’s tough just to survive here, isn’t it?”
“Yes, needs must.”
“Everyone’s spirit is high, which is good.”
I took a stance with my Greatshield, forming a formation behind me. The two mages hid behind me. The two frontliners were ready to charge. Katsu, the healer, positioned himself behind Kitamiya and Nan.
“I’ll handle drawing its attention and defending. You two, find its weak points and manage the damage.”
“Leave it to me! This is where a gamer’s true skill shines, gozaru!!”
I laughed at Nan’s reassuring words and focused all my senses. The battle was about to begin as planned. Even in the darkness, its presence was clearly visible. A dragon with eight distinct skeletal heads. A grotesque being, seemingly made from the bones of various dragons, a remnant of their essence. Hearing Nan mumble that the BGM had changed, everyone’s lips curved into smiles. And then.
“Breath attack, coming!”
As one of the dragon’s heads gleamed, a crimson flash shot from its mouth. I took a step forward, not to dodge, but to receive the breath attack head-on.
“Let’s begin, gozaru!!”
The curtain of battle had fallen. The crimson flash was heavy and powerful. Normally, one would be blown away by such force, but the shield’s built-in function was holding firm, preventing us from being swept away by the pressure.
“Who knew the weight increase would be useful like this!”
An adult male typically weighs around sixty to seventy kilograms. Even with equipment, it wouldn’t exceed a hundred kilograms. Without using magic like that, the weight wouldn’t change, and it would obey the laws of physics unless stakes were driven in.
“That’s why it can hold firm!!”
Despite being hit by a high-output dragon’s breath attack, my body remained unmoving. There was a mechanism behind this. Himik’s battle axe, which she had used before, was a type of magic sword, and imbuing it with such an ability wasn’t particularly difficult. Therefore, this shield was equipped with the same function. This shield typically weighs around thirty-five kilograms. For my enhanced body, this is a light weight, but right now, the shield’s weight is.
“With thirty tons, you won’t be easily blown away!!”
Utilizing my physical abilities, the Greatshield, to which my weight was added, displayed a wall-like defense, as if it were a massive rock planted firmly in place. Furthermore, by circulating my magic power, the shield suffered no damage. Kaido and Amelia didn’t miss this opportunity. They deployed to the sides simultaneously with the breath attack and charged towards the main body. Naturally, other heads attempted to intercept them, but.
“It’s lonely to be ignored!”
I took a deep breath and let out a fierce battle cry!
“KIEIYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
My full-throated monkey’s roar startled the opponent and drew its attention. My voice, which had evolved to be even more powerful than any dragon’s roar, resonated through the canyon.
“That’s right! I’m your opponent!”
Satisfied that my voice had evolved to surprise even the dragon, I focused on the heads that had turned their attention to me, ignoring Kaido and the others. I released the weight increase and advanced.
“Kitamiya! Prepare yourself, gozaru!”
“Understood!”
“Katsu! This is going to be a sustained battle from here on! Be careful not to run out of healing, gozaru!”
“Understood!”
This was also to create distance from Nan, who was the core of our attack. I would block the breath attacks with my Greatshield and advance, and when its attention wavered, I’d call it back with my roar. Then, the magical bombardment would begin. I myself wasn’t attacking. I was solely defending. But I wasn’t worried. Endure. For now, just endure. The pressure on my Greatshield, I couldn’t count how many times I’d felt it. Eight attributes – fire, ice, lightning, wind, earth, water, light, and darkness – in addition to eight elemental breath attacks, rained down on me. But the Greatshield, created by the Giant, was valiantly enduring.
“Opening, usopp!”
By concentrating the attacks on me, the other members were free to act. A silver blade gleamed and pierced its bony body. The blade, made from the fangs of the same dragon, was swung with the intent to sever its bones. However.
“It’s not working at all, usopp!?”
“Your calcium intake is too high, isn’t it!?”
Unfortunately, the opponent was an Undead. It felt no pain and showed no sign of being bothered. Without seeming to have taken any damage from Kaido and Amelia’s attacks, it didn’t lessen its assault on me.
“Don’t let up, gozaru!! The enemy is focusing on the leader! Increase DPS, gozaru!”
The roar of breath attacks made it difficult to hear any words. Nan’s instructions echoed through telepathic call. Kaido and Amelia’s voices, responding that they would continue their attacks, also echoed through telepathic call.
“KIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!”
I stopped counting after the tenth time. Although my roar drew its attention, the opponent was finally beginning to lose patience.
“Next up is the big one, huh?”
The skull dragon’s abdomen began to glow. This was undoubtedly the attack that had blown me back to the entrance of the dungeon. I was the only one in its line of fire, and I didn’t need to worry about what was behind me. I reactivated the weight-increasing function and deployed the scissor-like blades, then plunged them into the ground.
“…Come on, then!!”
A grin spread across my lips. The enemy’s trump card. Whether I could stop it would drastically change the future of this battle. I steeled myself, and then it came – a mixture of various attributes, eight colors of light.
“Nngh!”
The pressure far surpassed any previous breath attack. Attributes that should have canceled each other out through heat and cold coexisted, some parts burning hot, others freezing cold. Something sharp passed by and tore my cheek, and granular particles like sand scraped the Greatshield like a file. Although it wasn’t exactly a breath attack coming from its chest, I had experienced its power firsthand.
“Still, still!”
I gritted my teeth, putting all my strength into my legs and body, as if my blood vessels would burst, and endured the attack. I could hear Nan giving instructions to Kitamiya, Kaido, and Amelia through telepathic call, but I was barely holding on. At best, I hoped they could attack the opponent, which was wide open. And was it so displeasing to them that I wasn’t falling?
“Hey, hey, is there more?”
The power rapidly increased, and I was pushed back slightly. I exerted more force, yet I began to be pushed back, inch by inch. I wondered if I could be pushed back even with the blades stuck in the ground. The Giant-made blades began to creak, and just as I thought I couldn’t hold on any longer.
“Amī-chan, Kitamiya, prepare to unleash, gozaru!!”
“Yes! I’m all fired up!!”
“Alright, alright! No holding back!”
Countless magic circles spread across the canyon, along with one giant magic circle.
“We’ll finish it in one blow!”
“Let us show you the power of numbers!”
Though their performances were complete opposites, their destructive power was guaranteed.
“Siege Cannon Magic!”
“Army-Crushing Magic!”
The yellow magic circle began to discharge electricity. From the azure magic circle, cannonballs of ice were generated.
“White Night Thunderclap!”
“Ice Bear’s Gluttony!”
A giant hammer of lightning struck its flank, like a blow to the side. The flash made the entire area white for a brief moment, and as if devouring the white world, ice cannonballs rained down, shattering the Skull Dragon’s surface. I, who had been continuously under attack until then, took a deep breath and adjusted my stance the moment the flow of battle reversed and the pressure eased. Following the great magic with another great magic. Even for a dragon, it was unlikely to take no damage from this attack.
“Senpai Kaido! Follow-up attack, gozaru!”
With no room for complacency or overconfidence, Nan attacked relentlessly.
“Katsu! In thirty seconds, Amī-chan will be here. In the meantime, heal Kitamiya! Further, heal Senpai Kaido in three minutes! And five minutes after that!”
As if managing the magic power of each party member, a healing schedule was meticulously planned. Katsu memorized all of it.
“Potions remaining: thirteen. Magic potions: eight. Kitamiya’s healing: twelve seconds remaining!”
Katsu responded to Nan’s actions with perfect understanding.
“It’s the Han Kaido! Brace yourself, usopp!!”
Hidden by the stormy attacks of Amelia and Kitamiya, Kaido’s follow-up attack was not with his sword.
“You’re gonna get hit with a super-sized bomb made by combining custom-made magic stones, usopp!!”
He took out two magic stone bombs packed in large barrels from his Magic Bag, pulled the pins near the lid in mid-air, and dropped them.
“This is a bonus, usopp!”
And after dropping them, he took out a staff. This was also a consumable. It was a staff meant only to absorb Kaido’s magic power and create a single spell.
“Take this scorching flame, usopp!”
The staff, drawing Kaido’s magic, instantly transformed into a giant flaming javelin. When combined with the barrel-shaped bombs and this large spear, he threw them.
“Tamayaaaaah!!”
An explosion ensued in an instant. I blocked the blast wave, which generated a mushroom cloud, with my Greatshield, and gazed intently into the swirling sand and dust, but.
“…It won’t go down that easily, huh.”
After a moment of stillness, the Skull Dragon began to stir and resume its activity, so I prepared myself for a prolonged battle, just as Nan had predicted.
Today’s word: Even with preparation, things don’t always go smoothly.
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*The first volume of the book 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.
The second volume was released on December 19.
Volume three was released on February 20, 2019.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version originally posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, including additional unpublished interlude chapters.
Please also check out the new releases!
The comic adaptation is serialized in Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
We hope you enjoy that as well.
We look forward to your continued support of this work!
