Christmas is just a few days away.
While everyone is busy with their own preparations during their break, we working adults, of course, have work.
“It feels like this is the first time I’m working alone with our leader, gozaru.”
“What a coincidence. Me too.”
It’s me and Minami.
It’s a combination that can only be described as peculiar, as we take on a Dungeon.
Our formation is, as usual, with me at the front and Minami providing support.
It’s normal, but it’s rare for us to be alone like this.
This is the Machine King’s Dungeon.
We’ve been able to advance quite a few floors, and it’s a dungeon that’s become very familiar to our Party.
It’s safe to call it our home.
While battling Golems that move with solid, steady movements, we search for areas of improvement, acting like inspection workers, perhaps.
“Hmm, perhaps we should incorporate more traps around here, gozaru?”
“Personally, I lean towards increasing the number of Golems or adding special individuals to lure them into traps.”
“Mmm, that’s a valid point too, gozaru. The more I think about it, the more ideas come to me, so Dungeons are truly vast.”
“You can keep improving them indefinitely if you don’t compromise, so this job never truly ends.”
“Indeed. And considering the budget constraints, it will all come to an end eventually, gozaru.”
“No doubt about it.”
When I first entered the Dungeon, I was incredibly tense, but now, between battles, I use my work smartphone to take photos and videos, confirm areas for improvement, and add my impressions from the current battle to my memo data.
Even while conversing with me, Minami’s eyes are scanning the surroundings, and as if her actions are split into two, her right thumb moves across the smartphone screen with incredible speed, typing out messages.
I myself have improved considerably and am confident that I am superior to Minami, but I haven’t acquired that level of skill.
“You’re still typing at an incredible speed.”
“Time is money, as they say, and it feels especially true here, gozaru. If I spent too long thinking and typing, I’d be impaled.”
When I praised that skill, Minami said it was something she naturally acquired.
Certainly, outside of the Dungeon, there’s rarely any time to leisurely do such things unless the environment is specially prepared.
This current exchange has only lasted about ten seconds.
In that time, Minami has typed a considerable amount of text.
It’s truly awe-inspiring.
“That’s true. Oh, right. Minami, it’s work time, work.”
“Lately, I feel like I’ve been working too hard, gozaru.”
“It’s better than not being able to enjoy your work. It’s rare in this world to be able to work while enjoying yourself.”
“I know, I know~. In that case, you, the leader, who’s expecting a child, should work harder. Three are coming from the front, gozaru. Judging from their movement, aren’t they large-sized Iron Golems? They seem to be slow as well.”
“Hah, yeah, I’ll work for the future, alright.”
Small, pale blue magic spheres spin around Minami, occasionally flickering.
From their reactions, Minami gauges where and how many enemies are approaching and relays the information to me.
“Still, iron, huh? I wish something harder would show up.”
I complain slightly about the information.
Iron is certainly hard, but it’s not a material that prevents me from thinking “I can’t cut through this” with my current understanding of things.
Unless it’s a Golem whose armor is reinforced with special metals like Mithril, iron alone isn’t that much of a threat.
“I’m aware that you’ve been becoming less human lately, like the instructors, gozaru, but if you keep saying things like that, you’ll get tangled up with strange people again.”
“Oops, did I poke the hornet’s nest? Well, I’ll just have to endure it until we advance further.”
“Frankly, it’s already strange to be able to cut through an iron Golem, gozaru.”
“To think I’d hear the word ‘normal’ from you, Minami. But sadly, our company is outside of Japanese norms. In the context of fantasy, this is quite normal.”
As the heavy thuds echo, we slowly walk in that direction together.
In the meantime, I put a cigarette in my mouth, light it with magic at my fingertips, and slowly inhale the smoke.
“I’ve always wondered, is that thing delicious, gozaru?”
“Who knows? It probably depends on the person. I think it’s good, but those who hate it really hate it. Well, it has a hundred harms and barely one benefit, so whether to smoke or not is up to each individual. Lately, the wind is blowing harsh, and I feel out of place outside the company.”
“And what is that one benefit, gozaru?”
“Uh, stress relief?”
“Why is it a question, gozaru?”
“What else can I do? I used to smoke to relieve stress.”
Lately, since that stress is being discharged through combat, it doesn’t mean much anymore; it’s more of a routine.
Despite being on the verge of battle, Minami and I approach the giant, imposing figures as casually as if we were going for a stroll.
Naturally, the Golems, upon spotting us, their enemies, quicken their pace and attack us, their metallic bodies gleaming.
“For me, games are the best for stress relief, gozaru. My current boom is rhythm games, getting full combos. Before, my arms couldn’t keep up, but now I can do it!”
“It’s fitting that even though your lack of exercise has been resolved, your abilities are still best displayed in games, Minami. Well, I say this as someone who smokes, but quit. It’s healthier to relieve stress through games.”
My “Ore Tree” sword flashes once, twice, as it grazes my arm, and a sharp, metallic clang echoes through the air.
The Iron Golems, which had suddenly solidified, are slowly sliced through by us, and a few seconds later, they collapse into five pieces.
“Whoa, what do we do, gozaru? That’s quite a large core. Can you store it in your spatial magic, leader?”
“Unfortunately, it’s already full from our previous battles.”
“Eh? Then what do we do with this? Leave it here, gozaru?”
“We’ll take it with us, of course. Who would be foolish enough to abandon money?”
“You’re right, gozaru~. Leader, you should practice your spatial magic a bit more. If it can’t hold much, it’s useless.”
“You idiot. This is quite a lot that can fit. You should realize that our income has increased because of it.”
“That’s true~, it’s been helpful that I have some spare cash for gacha games, gozaru. If possible, I’d like to increase it a bit more, though.”
“Then carry it. Maintaining that space with magic consumes a lot of magic power. I can expand it in the future, but with my current magic capacity, this size is best. You think I can expand it unnecessarily?”
“Haa, the convenient item box in fantasy is way too realistic, gozaru.”
Looking at the Magic Stones left by the collapsed Golems, which have returned to their elemental magic, Minami languidly speaks about carrying them.
“Haa, in that case, I’ll be carrying this, won’t I, gozaru?”
“I could carry it, but…”
“I understand, gozaru. I understand, but how do you feel about the leader making a girl carry luggage?”
“In private, I would be considerate, but at work, efficiency is paramount.”
“Wow, so cold and calculating, gozaru. Our leader is so dry.”
“You can call it efficient.”
“Whether you call it cold or efficient, it’s the same to the person receiving it, gozaru. I know. If I make the leader carry it, it will eventually come back to bite me and I’ll be in trouble, gozaru. Haa, I’m going to become the woman who best suits a backpack in the world.”
“I appreciate your understanding, but that title might be a bit further off.”
“I don’t want it, gozaru.”
While I, the frontliner, certainly have more stamina and strength, carrying luggage into battle presents some problems.
Blind spots increase, and movements are slightly delayed.
It’s not an issue on this floor, but considering any unforeseen circumstances, it’s more practical for Minami to carry the spoils.
I feel somewhat apologetic, but I’ll make up for it.
“Here you go, leader, another money-maker has arrived, gozaru~.”
“Heh, heh.”
It’s rare for a single battle to conclude the entirety of our Dungeons runs.
Once a battle begins, it continues until a fair number of enemies have been defeated.
As we advance through the floors, we can feel the increase in both the number and quality of enemies.
Therefore, consecutive battles are commonplace.
I, meanwhile, advance forward, shaking the cigarette in my mouth.
“Judging by the amount of spoils today, this floor should be the last.”
“I hope so, gozaru. I’m praying for no trouble.”
“Don’t say scary things.”
“Leader, I suspect the word ‘scary’ is mixed with ‘troublesome’ in your mind, gozaru.”
“You know me too well.”
Before us stands an army of over ten Golems.
We surmise that the previous Golems were simply reconnaissance units, their purpose to detect intruders and delay them.
As evidence, the next wave of Golems are what we call Knight Golems, a group of armored Golems.
Unlike ordinary Iron Golems, their armor is treated with magic, making their defense harder and allowing them to move more agilely.
Their weapons are also diverse, including not only swords and spears but also bows, shields, hammers, and kusarigamas, making them a somewhat troublesome specification.
And on top of that.
“There are some with wheels too. Minami, don’t get run over.”
“I won’t get run over, gozaru~, as long as no flags are raised.”
The ones I call “with wheels.”
They are some of the boss floor’s supporting units, instead of being bipedal, they have wheels for legs.
In their hands, they wield lances, either mounted lances or charging lances, weapons specialized for thrusting.
“Here come some challenging ones.”
“Leader, haven’t you been becoming more of a battle maniac lately, gozaru?”
“Don’t worry.”
“Gozaru?”
“I’m aware of it.”
“That’s no good, gozaru. This leader is beyond saving.”
Even facing such opponents, I advance without hesitation.
“Well, I’ll provide support, so let’s finish this quickly, gozaru. If we take too long, we’ll get more reinforcements, so please, I’m begging you. I can’t stand overtime, gozaru.”
“Roger, roger. I agree, so I’ll finish this quickly.”
I know that a “monkey’s roar” is useless against Golems.
So, slinging the “Ore Tree” over my shoulder, I slowly shift into a forward-leaning stance and charge straight ahead.
A semi-transparent shield follows, covering my flanks.
“I’ll block attacks from behind, so go wild, gozaru~.”
“Ooh!”
Grateful to Minami, who has removed any concerns about my rear, I engage the Golems.
However, their movements are significantly slower than any opponents I’ve faced before, and their attacks are predictable, so I cut them down with my Ore Tree, returning them to the Dungeon’s elemental magic one after another.
I sever heads, cleave torsos, lop off arms, and chop down legs.
“Ah, the cigarette after moving feels great.”
“I really don’t understand that feeling, gozaru.”
“I think it’s fine if you don’t understand.”
“Well, that’s true, gozaru, but separately, what should I say about our leader who finishes off that many enemies in such a short amount of time? What should I say? When a game world unfolds before my eyes, I can’t say anything.”
“It’s the usual, isn’t it?”
“That’s also true, gozaru.”
After repeating such actions, the enemies quickly disappear.
Currently, I’m smoking a cigarette while bundling the spoils onto Minami’s backpack.
“By the way, Minami, how’s Katsu doing? He seemed to be affected by the previous incident.”
“Ah, when we returned, he seemed to be forcing himself, gozaru, but now he’s back to his usual self. He cheerfully made my breakfast this morning too.”
“Is that so? That’s good then.”
Amidst this, I bring up Katsu’s topic.
“However, something is a little strange, gozaru.”
I don’t regret leaving Katsu behind during the previous incident, but it weighed on my mind, so upon hearing Minami’s assurance that he’s fine, I felt relieved and continued packing. However, Minami’s next statement made me freeze.
“What is it that’s strange?”
When Minami, Katsu’s childhood friend, says something, I feel there might be something to it and ask for clarification.
“He’s been in an unusually good mood lately, gozaru.”
“What’s strange about that?”
“I haven’t been scolded by Katsu recently, gozaru.”
“That is strange.”
“To be so quick with your answer, it actually hurts my feelings, gozaru.”
Katsu’s unusual behavior makes me suddenly become serious.
Today’s word:
Even good things can feel like a sense of unease.
It truly shows a person’s nature.
This concludes this entry.
If you found it interesting, please leave your thoughts, ratings, and bookmarks.
*The first volume 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 will be released on December 19.
The content has been revised and expanded from the version posted on Shousetsuka ni Narou, with the addition of an unpublished interlude.
Please look forward to the new book as well!!
Furthermore, a comic adaptation has also been decided for Kodansha’s “Young Magazine The Third.”
