Entering a Company From Another World! – Chapter 32

Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, single

Her: Suella Hendelberg

Memoria Tris

Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time Employee) + Recruiter

Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)

Position: Warrior

“Finished?”

“Yes, sir.”

Although only a few minutes have passed, I find relief in my heart as Minami and Kitamiya, who had finished preparing their equipment, emerge.

However, the two who appeared were a stark contrast to their similarly colored robes.

“For someone who finished, Kitamiya-chan doesn’t seem very happy, does she?”

“Shut up and be quiet.”

“Heh heh, Katsu, I won, gozaru!!”

“What are you talking about?”

Katsu, that topic is a landmine. Recognize it from Kitamiya touching her chest. Kitamiya, unlike Minami, is just slender in her chest.

“For a moment, I felt like you said something I shouldn’t have allowed?”

“It’s your imagination.”

She said that while glaring at me. For a moment, my heart skipped a beat, but I’m not so thin-skinned to be shaken by something like this.

“Alright, we’ve got our gear. Suella, are we all going to free the testers next?”

“No.”

I choose to return to work, the number one topic to change the subject, and when I bring it up to Suella, she smoothly cancels the magic array she had deployed and begins to deploy another.

“It’s a bit early, but let’s split into two groups.”

“Did something happen?”

“Yes, the situation might be worse than we thought.”

The magic array Suella deployed is a summoning spell, her specialty as an elementalist.

“We’ve identified the enemy leader. She is our Demon Lord’s older sister, Mirialis-sama.”

“!? ”

“……Who?”

As a black dog and a white cat were summoned, the reactions to Suella’s information were clearly divided between the fantasy faction and the reality faction. In reality, the Demon Lord, whom we know as the president, having her sister as the leader and the mastermind behind this is one thing, but we have absolutely no information, or rather, zero information, about this Mirialis-sama. Seeing Suella’s serious explanation and the reactions from Memoria and Keiri-san, who are shocked, I can only think she must be a pretty dangerous person.

“She is someone who could potentially split the Demon Lord’s Army. If we’re talking solely about her abilities and combat power, she could surpass even our Demon Lord. Such a person is heading our way right now.”

“That’s bad.”

“It is, isn’t it?”

“It’s bad, gozaru.”

“It certainly is.”

I can’t fully grasp it, but I understand that something equivalent to or greater than a nuclear missile is heading our way. I learned in my initial training that the Demon Lord equals a weak punch but is on par with a missile. In the few months I’ve worked at this company, I haven’t actually seen the president’s power, but I’ve had opportunities to watch footage of past Demon Lords’ battles. Such a being is approaching not as an ally, but as an enemy.

“…Is it like having a natural disaster as an enemy?”

“Fortunately, we still have time. If we can free Evia-sama before then, we should be able to assemble sufficient defensive forces.”

“And leave it to the president to handle it… huh. What’s the time limit?”

“I don’t know precisely, but it will be by tomorrow morning.”

“…I’ve never wanted a boss to come in so leisurely before.”

Normally, I’d feel annoyed, even homicidal, towards a boss who arrives at their own pace, but now, I’m wishing for them to come in leisurely. Originally, we planned to take our time and proceed surely, but now there’s a time limit. This means we can’t afford to be steady and need to free Supervisor Evia as soon as possible.

“We can’t afford to waste time… huh, so we have to split into two groups, but what about Suella and the others’ gear? If you’re going to enter the dungeon, going unarmed is a bit much.”

Originally, we would have prepared our equipment and then headed to the locker room where Suella and the others’ gear is stored. However, in addition to freeing hostages, we also need to reinforce our forces. The time limit has shortened the span of our work. We need to shorten our itinerary somewhere or we won’t make it in time.

“I have a plan. Keiri, you focus on freeing this place, and afterwards, aim to recover the equipment. We will head for the commercial district.”

“Are you going to use the goods? I assume they’re normally guarded.”

“Yes, that’s a possibility, but it’s highly unlikely that such a large quantity of supplies could be moved out in such a short time. The Giant merchants in the shops will likely resist, and locks will be put in place, so there’s hope. Besides, there’s an entrance to the dungeon deeper in the commercial district. We have to go there anyway.”

“A gamble is necessary for speeding things up, but…”

If there were usable equipment, it would indeed save time. But would things work out so conveniently? From my personal perspective, it’s a risky gamble.

“Kukuku, there’s no need to worry. With these children, we won’t have to worry about a wasted trip.”

The “children” Suella is referring to must be the black dog and white cat waiting obediently at our feet. They looked like beings of faint light, more like magic formed into animal shapes than being covered in animal fur, but they didn’t look strong.

“Lal, Nur, please ‘go on an errand’.”

“Meow!”

“Woof!”

While invisible, the purpose of these two isn’t for combat.

“Scouting spirits?”

“Yes, with this, we can observe the situation in the commercial district.”

The dog disappears into the shadows, and the cat dissolves like mist. Even if one of them is discovered, the other will report, I assume. It’s a double-layered defense.

“…I can see. As expected, the warehouses haven’t been disturbed.”

“Of course. Giant merchants won’t give away their stock for free, even if they die.”

It’s only been a few seconds. Their actions are fast, as expected, given their specialization in reconnaissance. Suella’s right eye glows faintly blue, likely borrowing the vision of the spirits, and she conveys the scene on the other side. As Memoria, who is responding, says, I recall that even the merchant Giants I know were quite shrewd when it came to business. They might respond sincerely if paid, but if it were a robbery, they’d likely fight back using their weapon-like physiques, from a human’s perspective. This settles the matter of equipment. We’re being helped by the fantasy world’s obsession with money and merchant spirit, but it’s all good if the result is favorable.

“Can you see the enemy’s strength?”

“There are quite a few near the gate. The rest seem to be patrolling the commercial district.”

“Are the shops safe?”

“Some shops appear to be significantly damaged, but overall they seem to be alright.”

It’s currently late at night. The facility we were in had a power outage, but the main building’s lights are still on. A minimum of lighting is provided. And the underground commercial district is maintained in perfect condition. This is a war of attrition due to life support. Forcing inconvenience will chip away at stamina and mental strength. However, conversely, if it’s enhanced, recovery can be expected. The enemies, who have secured key points, are likely trying to wear us down. But…

“…This has now become favorable wind… huh.”

Considering the future actions I can think of. The enemy probably includes races that excel in darkness, such as demons and vampires. But we are the same.

“Suella.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Can you completely cut off the power to this facility?”

Dark vision techniques are essential in dungeons. Most areas have lighting, but the intensity varies. Sometimes it’s clearly visible, and other times, you have to squint in the dim light. There are even areas where you can see nothing at all, as the saying goes, “three inches ahead is darkness.”

“It’s possible… but doing so requires dungeon command authority. Currently, we cannot achieve that.”

“I see. I thought it would be useful for a surprise attack.”

Given how many things have gone conveniently, I expected it, but things don’t always go so smoothly. I planned to prepare our equipment, darken the surroundings, and charge head-on, but I’ll have to think of a different approach.

“We don’t have time, let’s move now.”

“Alright.”

We don’t have time for that either.

“Keiri, I’m leaving this to you.”

“I know. You guys be careful too.”

From here on, we’ll be moving in a small group.

“Don’t overdo it, you guys?”

“Are you saying that, Leader?”

“It’s always the senpais who end up in pieces, you know?”

“Idiot, that’s because I’m always your shield. That shield is gone, so buckle down.”

“Yes!?”

“You just realized that now?”

It should be dangerous… but when I talk to these two, they lack a sense of tension.

“Haa, Katsu, Kitamiya, I’m leaving these two in your care.”

“Understood.”

“Sounds troublesome.”

“Don’t say that, these two are quite convenient in various ways. For example, if push comes to shove, use them as shields. They should, well, survive.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Wha-!? What are you saying!?”

“I am, after all, a woman, gozaru!?”

“…Understood.”

“Katsu!?”

Well, thanks to that, I can maintain a moderate level of tension, so it’s not all bad. Kitamiya is also starting to fit in. She’s fitting in, but…

“Are they going to be alright?”

I can’t shake off my unease.

“Let’s trust them, Jiro-san.”

“Suella.”

“Even if their magic aptitude is low, they originally possess the potential to become heroes. Keiri will compensate for their lack of combat experience.”

As Suella says, it does make sense. When I think about it, the probability varies greatly, but all the testers working here are aspiring heroes. What the enemy is trying to secure as combat power is, conversely, proof that we are not ordinary combatants. I’ve become someone who can defeat not only goblins but also large monsters recently. This is in just a few months. If I don’t neglect my efforts and keep accumulating years, how far can I go? Thinking that way…

“Ah, maybe it’ll work out surprisingly well.”

“We mustn’t let our guard down, though.”

This incident, perhaps, isn’t a situation that calls for despair. Suella said she had a plan. If so, there’s a good chance of victory.

“If you want a substituted holiday, work hard, all of you!”

“I was hoping you’d say ‘bonus’ there.”

“There’s no reward greater than a day off, gozaru.”

“You have room cleaning waiting for you, though.”

“Goza!?”

“Honestly, you’re so noisy.”

Then, for now, let’s focus on finishing the job.

“Well then, Keiri, I’m leaving the rest to you.”

“Yes, yes, go wild for a change.”

“Then I shall also put my all into it.”

Leaving the liberation of the employees to Kaido and the others, we head for the commercial district, led by Suella. Even with the lights on, we can exploit the patrol and surveillance gaps by using magic. This is even more so with a small group. We run through the facility as quickly and silently as shadows. Sometimes we stop to check the positions of security cameras, Suella deceives patrolling spirits, and Memoria turns part of her body into a bat to attract attention. We run towards our destination like this. And even if we encounter them.

“!”

I’ve confirmed that I can fight sufficiently now. Even if they’re from the Demon Lord’s Army, not all of them are as overwhelmingly strong as our instructors. Even if they are trained soldiers, I can fight them adequately. The patrolling Lizardman unit, noticing us stopped, doesn’t slack off and approaches us. They show their intent to fight with spears and swords in hand. I won’t hesitate. I can’t use a monkey’s roar. So, I grit my teeth and put power into my legs. One step, first towards the leading one, with a waist-level thrust, I impale its abdomen with the Ore Tree. There’s no hesitation when attacking a humanoid, especially one close to a human. But…

“■■■■ (This guy)!”

“■■■■■■■■ (Even though he’s human)!!”

If I don’t do it, I’ll be killed. I know this because the opponent is filled with killing intent. After taking down one with the first strike and moving to the next action, my ears catch the whistling sound of the wind and inform me of the sword’s trajectory before I even see it.

“■■■■■■■■ (He shouldn’t be able to see that)!?”

The opponent’s words are not in Japanese. It’s probably the common tongue used by the original Demon Lord’s Army. I don’t understand what they’re saying, but from the nuance, they seem incredulous that I dodged. It’s more problematic if they believe it.

“Nraaa!!”

I reassure myself that they’re not troublesome opponents and quicken my body’s flow. With a returning blade, I pull out the Ore Tree I had impaled the Lizardman with, using it like kicking it away. I catch the blade passing by my left side with my ear and slash diagonally into its now exposed torso.

“■■■ (Hiii)!?”

The opponent falters. It’s a golden opportunity. A humanitarian hero might hold back here, but unfortunately, I’m not so good-natured as to be able to say “it can’t be helped” with a smile after being attacked. Regardless of whether the Lizardman is backing away in fear, I show no mercy.

“Guhah!?”

I knock him flying. Or rather, should I say I kick him away? I finish the interval in a single breath, look around and confirm that I’ve defeated everyone.

“Even with mouths like that, they make the same groans as humans.”

Kicking its temple with my metal-plated footwear can knock out even sturdy creatures. Even with a lizard-like mouth, the groans they make are the same as humans, I’m impressed.

“How is it, Suella?”

“Almost there. But I’m glad Memoria is here.”

“It’s just a sealing treatment, like covering it with a membrane, so anyone who is a person from the commercial district can enter.”

“It’s difficult for me, whose responsibilities are different, to pass the commercial district pass.”

We moved to the passage leading to the backstage, not the usual entrance to the commercial district I use. Beyond this are warehouses. Someone from the commercial district must have sealed it, and Memoria and Suella are working together to remove the seal. And as we were quietly trying to open the door leading to the warehouse, the patrol from before arrived, so we engaged them. Suella peels off the seal applied by the enemy on the surface without triggering an alarm, and Memoria unlocks it from the inside.

“It’s open.”

“I’ll send Lal in first. Please follow me.”

Since we don’t know what’s lurking inside, we send the black dog spirit, Lal, to scout ahead and enter cautiously, confirming our safety.

“This way.”

The warehouse door locks automatically, as if on an auto-lock. Without looking back, we run through the dimly lit warehouse. Passing through aisles of food, medicine, and general goods, we see our destination.

“This must be the equipment area.”

“It’s impressive to see so much gathered here.”

“Then, it should be here.”

Numerous weapons and armor are stored in metallic shelves, with preservation barriers applied. At a glance, they appear to be famous swords, famous blades, and famous armor. However, they don’t spare them a second glance and move towards a door further in. It seems that this is the place they were aiming for. I look at the plate above the door.

“…I’ll wait here.”

I can’t see the text below, but with the ruby characters “Girls’ changing room,” my statement is probably not wrong.

“Yes, please keep watch.”

“It will take a little longer for my equipment.”

“Alright.”

Even if the opponent were her, I should observe proper etiquette. As I’m on guard, my nerves are on edge, so I attribute the sound of clothes rustling from inside as a perk, and focus my attention not on my back, but on the front.

“Repel earthly desires, form is void, Namu Hachiman Daibosatsu.”

Ah, still, as a man, the urge to reach for the doorknob arises. The black me whispers, “Go for it.” The white me shouts, “Hold on, this is an emergency.” “Don’t be stupid, remember the way we came? No one was there, right? It’s useless to be on guard.” “That guarantee isn’t reliable! The opponent might be hiding!!”

“Well, logically, that’s unlikely.”

I almost had a solo internal play, but the limiter called common sense prevents a man in his late twenties from ignoring risks and acting solely on desire.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“That was fast.”

“Suella helped me.”

Memoria emerged first, but Suella is behind her. She’s there, but…

“Aren’t you tired?”

“N-no, I was just reconfirming some aspects of vampiric mysticism.”

“Vampiric mysticism?”

After seeing Suella, who is dressed like a mage, as I did during my training, I look at Memoria, who is covered from head to toe in a mantle.

“I don’t know if it’s normal or not, but you don’t look any different?”

“I’ll show you later.”

“? Well, the fact is we’re short on time.”

The time limit is rapidly approaching. If it won’t hinder the future, I should put off my questions. For Memoria, those questions will be answered later; for now…

“We’ve also gathered consumables, so let’s head to the gate.”

“Alright.”

Let’s focus on clearing the dungeon. This is where the real battle begins. We pass through the empty backstage and reach the deepest part of the commercial district, an area prohibited to unauthorized personnel.

“There are a lot of them.”

“Yes, it seems they have deployed forces to secure important locations.”

“What do we do?”

Through a work window, we see the gate to enter the dungeon. It’s the same model as the one we normally use, the difference being that there’s a barricade and personnel deployed in numbers too many to bother counting.

“We have no choice but to break through head-on, do we?”

I’ve never heard of a dungeon having a back entrance. It’s probably the only entrance.

“We want to avoid attrition, but they’ve managed to keep it to a minimum so far. This is probably the limit.”

When I look at Suella for confirmation, she nods once in agreement with my opinion. Stealth action ends here; from now on, it will be a flashy battle.

“We don’t need to defeat everyone. Our objective is to free Evia-sama, so avoid combat as much as possible.”

“Right.”

Then, I suddenly realize. Our objective is the liberation of the supervisor. There may be interference from the enemy along the way. No, there definitely will be. Therefore, we must consider the possibility of dropping out along the way. Who should I put forward? Consider the priority. No, there’s no need to think about it. I should be at the bottom. Considering the enemy’s objective, I should not be captured, but considering our objective, I am not that important. Rather, I could be a decoy if necessary. Do I need to say this here? No. In business, acting alone is forbidden.

“Suella.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“If there’s a point where we can’t seem to break through, I…”

I couldn’t finish saying “I’ll be a decoy.”

“Didn’t I tell you? I have a plan.”

Suella’s index finger on my lips, as if to stop me from saying more.

“This much will only result in a little attrition. Jiro-san, please protect me by my ‘side’. If you do that…”

She tells me with a smile that we will succeed. I can’t argue. My girlfriend, who sees through everything, emphasizes the word “side” to such an extent.

“Alright.”

Then I have no choice but to nod. I’ll trust Suella’s words and fulfill my role.

“Sorry to interrupt, but it seems noisy outside.”

“Huh?”

“Hmm?”

Pulled back by Memoria’s words, I look through the peephole again. The group that was moving slowly until just now is moving frantically.

“Is it an attack?”

“You can tell?”

“I read the words of the enemy soldiers. There’s no mistake.”

This vampire girl is doing something amazing so casually. Different language from a lizard’s mouth; I can’t understand what she’s saying at all, but Memoria seems to. However, this commotion seems to be turning our luck in our favor. Someone other than us seems to be heading this way.

“This is our chance.”

“Yes, once it thins out, let’s break through.”

When their attention is diverted elsewhere, it becomes thinner. For now, I’ll take advantage of that wave.

“Su-e-lla-!!!!”

“…Weren’t you just called?”

“…I was called.”

“…”

The loud voice, audible even through the door, is undoubtedly amplified by magic or something similar. With such volume, whether I want to believe it’s not happening or not, I know someone is calling Suella next to me.

“Ah.”

“Memoria, do you know who this person is?”

The voice persistently calls out to Suella, getting closer and closer. Memoria, recognizing the voice, claps her hands in understanding.

“It’s a Dark Elf man I saw passed out in the store the other day. I don’t know his name. However, it seems Suella has some idea.”

“…He’s of the same race.”

“I’m here to help!!!!”

As if to match Suella’s faint voice, as if she doesn’t want to admit it, it appeared. A Dark Elf man with handsome features like an actor, dark skin, and pointed ears like bamboo leaves appears, punching an Orc aside. Huh? Where have I seen this guy before…

“With me here, there’s no need to worry anymore!!”

Looking at the man standing proudly, as if a majestic king, I think. Ah, this guy has a death flag.

Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, single

Her: Suella Hendelberg

Memoria Tris

Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time Employee) + Recruiter

Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)

Position: Warrior

Today’s Quote:

Someone who looks like they’re about to die has appeared.

That’s all for this time.

This is my first dungeon attack in a while, and I was surprised at how easy it was to write about a man who seems to be surrounded by death flags.

Next time, I plan to feature this character along with characters who have appeared in the past.

Please continue to give your support to “Let’s Make a Dungeon Even a Hero Can’t Conquer!!”