Entering a Company From Another World! – Chapter 400

I’d had a tremendous sneeze earlier, but otherwise, my body felt completely fine.

If it wasn’t a cold, then someone must have been talking about me, or perhaps it was just a coincidence.

Whatever the case, what was that sneeze all about?

In fact, I might even say I’ve never felt better in my entire life.

Since that chaotic day, I’d undergone numerous tests, received a clean bill of health from the doctors, my injuries had healed, my magic power had recovered, and I’d gained an exceptional ten points in magic aptitude.

I had anticipated that this body, equipped with such capabilities, would prove remarkably effective in combat.

Indeed, rather than immediately testing it in a dungeon, I achieved my first winning streak in ten simulated battles against Himik, which served as a good warm-up.

Additionally, I had practiced fighting against groups using a simulated dungeon in the training room.

And so, as today marked the restart of normal operations, I was diligently engaged in dungeon testing, which was my work.

“Leader, I choose you!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at Minami’s declaration, pointing at the enemy horde with a sharp, almost audible flourish.

Upon encountering the enemy and hearing Minami’s strangely familiar command, I let out a wry smile, gripped the hilt of my Ore Tree, and stepped out as if going for a casual stroll. In the blink of an eye, I charged forward like a bullet and cleaved through the shield-bearing, hulking golems that formed a horizontal line, exposing the enemy’s backline.

The sensation of cutting through suggests that it wasn’t purely physical but also involved some form of magical processing, but since it cut through without issue, I didn’t dwell on it and continued to survey my surroundings.

With the physical obstruction of shields gone, I could approximately ascertain the enemy’s numbers, their deployment, and their actions through a dual check of magic sensing and visual confirmation.

“Next! Let’s go, partner!”

” _Ooh!_ ”

With a powerful reinforcement from my companion at hand, abundant magic power was absorbed from the surrounding area, all of it becoming sustenance for me.

As I charged forward again, magic and ballista bolts rained down behind me as if a torrential storm were raging, but I was no longer there.

My mind urged me to run faster, my legs picked up speed, and the force with which I struck the ground intensified, fueling my forward momentum.

New golems were continuously being churned out from the gate of the ironclad castle walls.

Attacks were being launched from atop the castle walls, expending every bit of their resources.

As if to say, “So what?”, I dashed through the storm of attacks and plunged into the enemy’s ranks.

Appearing at the feet of a giant, I swung my newly transformed Ore Tree, its silver blade gleaming, and bisected the legs of a spider-like golem burdened with two turrets on its back. With the returning stroke, I cleaved through its body as it fell under gravity.

Sensing a subtle vibration from beneath my feet, I took a step back and, without missing a beat, lopped off the head of a snake-like golem that had attempted a surprise attack from the ground as it zipped past my face.

“Alright, next!”

The biggest difference when attacking an enemy stronghold is likely the sheer number of enemies.

Unlike a random encounter, the enemies didn’t end after one or two.

Demonstrating the difference in our combat power, golems erupted endlessly, like refills for _wanko-soba_.

Disregarding the cost of maintenance, or perhaps as a performance test for me who had achieved ten magic aptitude, the variety of golems was astonishing.

From animal-shaped golems like snakes, spiders, lions, and wolves, to humanoid golems resembling chess pieces such as knights, rooks, and bishops.

There were even hybrid golems, a fusion of animals and humans, and now, a colossal humanoid golem rising beyond the castle walls.

Yeah, I had to admit, they lived up to their reputation.

We had progressed quite a bit into the dungeon, and the enemy’s forces had become significantly stronger. Golems that were beyond average in both quantity and quality were swarming everywhere.

My excitement grew, and I engaged them one after another. Before I knew it, there were no more moving golems in the vicinity.

“Whew, alright, next.”

Only then did I take a moment to catch my breath, resting the Ore Tree on my shoulder and taking a deep inhale.

“Whoa, wait, seriously, wait up! No, wait, _gozaru_!”

As our party, the “Moonlit Perch,” ventured to conquer the Kiō’s dungeon, we decided to move to a new floor. I had volunteered to be the vanguard. Feeling invigorated and pleasantly tired, as if I’d just had a light workout, I was about to move forward eagerly, but Minami’s voice, now back to her normal mode, stopped me.

“Seriously, wait up, _senpai_.”

“Yeah, you really need to wait!”

Kaidō and Kitamiya echoed Minami’s plea, urging me to stop.

“…”

Katsu and Amelia, their cheeks twitching, remained silent, but their desire to protest was palpable.

“…Ah, I overdid it.”

” _Yeah, you really did, partner._ ”

Seeing their reactions, I understood why Minami and the others were stopping me. I scratched my head and said:

“I regret it. But I don’t regret it!”

“Don’t be so defiant. Then what’s the point of us being here?”

Looking back at the devastation behind us, the sight of the golems returning to mana, the luminescence so bright it could be mistaken for the aurora, shattered golem remains scattered everywhere.

I was the one who created that disaster.

I had no intention of denying it.

“Wow, I didn’t expect to be on such a roll.”

I offered a forced smile, trying to escape Kitamiya’s accusatory gaze, but it did little to diminish her critical stare.

“Honestly, Minami, it’s you too. You were the one saying that coordinating with Jiro-san would become difficult if this happened.”

“Well, I just wanted to say that line once, _gozaru_. Ugh, cheats are absolutely forbidden, _gozaru_.”

“It’s not cheating. It’s the result of my efforts.”

However, I had to disagree with Minami’s words.

I didn’t feel like I was growing at an extraordinary speed, but the strength I possessed was earned through effort that nearly cost me my life.

I found being called a cheat to be quite offensive.

“From my perspective, that growth rate itself seems pretty cheat-like, _gozaru_.”

“If you say that, then what about the protagonists in shonen manga? They’re obviously not strong enough at the start of their battles.”

“When you put it that way, I suppose so, but there’s a certain… uncanniness, shall we say, between the two-dimensional world and reality.”

“Jiro-san, that line of thinking is what’s uncanny. I understand how you feel, though.”

“Then, why don’t you simply experience the same thing I did?”

“No, thank you.”

“I’ll pass.”

“I’ll pass, _gozaru_.”

“Uncanny.”

I could understand what Minami was trying to say.

However, I couldn’t agree with it.

So, when I asked if they would try to get stronger using the same method, they promptly refused.

What was wrong with calling that uncanny?

“Hey, everyone, shall we fight seriously soon? It looks like the other side is already ready.”

“That’s right.”

While a good portion of the party was engaged in casual conversation, the golem horde that I had depleted seemed to have regrouped.

Amelia pointed with a laugh towards the castle gate, where golems were being replenished and replenished, and informed us with a smile.

And this time, Katsu turned his critical gaze on the four of us, and the senior members could only offer wry smiles.

“Alright, let’s get to work!”

Kaidō’s voice, attempting to cover his embarrassment, herded us, and this time, our party finally got moving.

“Leader, don’t get too far ahead. Let’s annihilate them systematically, _gozaru_.”

“That’s quite a difficult order.”

“It can’t be helped. Maximizing your potential is the optimal solution for our party. If you just brute-force your way through the front, your stamina won’t last, and even if it did, you wouldn’t be able to give your all in the final battle. It’s simple, really.”

“Besides, this way, it leads to our own growth too. It’s all good, _gozaru_.”

I was cautioned not to get carried away this time, and with a smile at the difficulty of the request, I slowly began to walk, accepting the instructions.

Minami’s orders, Kitamiya’s reasoning, and the party’s decisions were all things I understood and agreed with.

A party is about supporting each other.

Selfishly speaking, it’s a give and take.

Even with my exceptional abilities, I am still in the process of growing.

Whether I could conquer the dungeon alone is not something I would say is impossible, but the difficulty would increase significantly, and it wouldn’t be something I could do immediately.

In an environment where I have to be wary of all sorts of elements, I must maintain my potential and exert my abilities to the fullest.

With my versatile abilities and the Ore Tree’s magic supply, I can ensure considerable sustained combat capability, but even that is not limitless.

Healing magic is not my forte, so I can only provide basic first aid, and its effects are weak.

My stamina is vast, but not infinite.

My magic supply is nearly inexhaustible, but there’s a limit to how much I can use at once.

In conclusion, if I were to tackle the dungeon alone, my work processing capacity would be insufficient.

“Let’s just do what we can. I’ll handle the front. Be careful of flanking maneuvers on the left and right.”

“That’s what I was going to say, _gozaru_, but fine. I won’t cut off support, so feel free to go wild. If possible, keep pace with what I can see, _gozaru_.”

“I’ll be mindful.”

It’s the same with work.

The amount of work I can do alone is very limited.

I wonder why heroes form parties. Regardless of their individual motivations, it’s probably for reasons like this.

Minami said it as a joke, and I chuckled. I figured a dynamic approach would be fine, and mentally calculated my strategy. This time, I confronted the golem horde alone, but it was slightly different from before.

“Kaidō-senpai on the left, Amy-chan on the right. Katsu will handle any enemies approaching Kitamiya and me.”

Minami’s voice precisely conveyed the deployment as our party moved.

Kaidō and Amelia stood to my left and right.

Behind us, Minami and Kitamiya began summoning spirits and casting magic.

Katsu took out magic tools from his magic bag.

“Alright, let’s start conquering this fortress, _gozaru_! Honestly, the situation of trying to conquer a fortress with this many people is a bit reckless, but we have a cheat on our side!”

“Stop calling me a cheat.”

“It’s not entirely untrue, _senpai_. You’re like a strong character in a game.”

“Hmm, maybe so.”

“Amy, do you play games too?”

“I’ve started recently! I thought it might help with my work.”

“I’m playing games too, thanks to Minami lending me some.”

Laughing at Minami’s spirited enthusiasm, we naturally approached the battlefield.

To an outsider, it probably looked like a scene from a movie. We advanced slowly, while the golem horde approached with incredible speed.

The battle was likely to begin in less than ten seconds. Each of us readied our weapons, and the distant cannon fire from the castle walls echoed. In the brief moments before impact, we dashed forward with all our might.

This time, I ran at a speed that wouldn’t leave the others behind, charging into the frontal golem formation. I defeated golems that were far too large to be cut down by the physical strength and length of my Ore Tree’s blade, with seemingly effortless ease.

“Transformation!! From here on out, it’s my turn!”

“Yeah! Full magic! Full Power!”

From a short distance away, I felt magic power surging. Glancing over, I saw Kaidō transforming like a tokusatsu hero and Amelia empowering her magic with a karate-like stance.

Their fighting styles were starkly different.

“Ooshhh!! Oraoraoraoraoraoraoraora!!”

Kaidō clashed head-on with the golems, breaking them with straightforward combat. Using the twin swords he held expertly, he stood in front of the golems. While he might not have had the power for a one-hit kill, he confronted his opponents with his inherent courage, seizing any openings and striking them down.

I thought that if Kaidō possessed more attack power, he could become even stronger. It might also be resolved, as Himik had heard from her twin angel sisters that there was a Kaidō enhancement plan. However, I couldn’t help but worry when I heard that Kaidō had recently been acquiring an excessive number of robot DVDs.

“Come on!”

Amelia, with her elegant footwork and speed, weaved through the golems’ attacks, targeting their weak points. She gracefully dodged the swing of a giant arm, then, without looking, plunged the blade of her short sword into a golem’s joint, disabling it. And her flowing footwork didn’t stop there. Lightly leaping, she conjured pure magic with her free hand, creating a gaping hole in the golem’s abdomen. Pure magic, while consuming a lot of magic power, was highly effective and had the advantage of requiring purely magical resistance to counter, making it suitable for Amelia, who struggled with fine magic control. The golems, struck in their core, crumbled and fell. Both of them had clearly established their fighting styles. Kaidō, dressed like a transformation hero, and Amelia, clad in lightweight, bandit-like attire. Their fighting methods effectively utilized their strengths.

“This is kind of convenient, isn’t it?”

“Well, we can’t just go wild like you and the leader, so we need to be resourceful, _gozaru_. A barrage is the true essence of magic. Ultimate magic is romantic, _gozaru_.”

“It’s quite difficult to control, though.”

“Katsu, you’ll be a great driver in the future.”

A torrent of ice spears rained down from behind us as we fought on the front lines, intercepting the magic from the castle walls. While we could have engaged them in a direct exchange, this time we were infiltrating a fortress. The rear guard also needed to advance with the frontline. We had a plan for that. You’ve heard of a magic carpet, right? This was a simplified version, or rather, a combat-oriented version. A floating board carrying Katsu, Minami, and Kitamiya. It looked like a large snowmobile. There were two boards, the front one equipped with handlebars. This equipment floated. Katsu was in charge of movement, Minami provided defense and support, and Kitamiya handled offense. A rudimentary mobile fortress had been created. The three of them moved around quite quickly in tandem, but they were also attacked by golems attempting to flank them.

“Watch out!”

“No problem! Here, have a reassuring defensive magic, Minami-san’s special! Now, Kitamiya!”

“I know!”

However, the three, combining mobility and offensive power, were able to support the frontline while also protecting themselves. Katsu operated it to evade, any attacks they couldn’t dodge were deflected by Minami’s defensive magic, and in return, an ice spear grew from a golem’s head. Kaidō and Amelia guarded my sides, while Minami, Kitamiya, and Katsu protected our rear. In other words, I could concentrate on the front. The environment, which reduced both physical and mental fatigue, was greatly appreciated. Not having to worry about my back with every step I took was, quite literally, a qualitative difference. And that qualitative difference in my steps directly translated into offensive power.

“Kaha.”

A smile formed on my lips. I was grateful to my companions, who created an environment where I could fight without any reservations. And, wanting to live up to their expectations, I cut through the horde like I was carving a path, my feelings pouring out. And then.

“We broke through the floor!!”

“ShAaAa!!”

“We did it, _gozaru_!”

“Haa, finally.”

“Yeah, yeah! Let’s celebrate now, Karen-chan!”

“That’s right.”

The period of stagnation was over. Leaving various scars on the battlefield, I was the one who finally reached the castle gate and, with a vertical slash, cleaved through the thick gate. Of course, it wasn’t over yet. There were still golems inside the castle walls, leading to further battles. After half a day of continuous fighting, we finally found the stairs connecting to the next floor. Reaching them and climbing up, we let out cheers. We rejoiced as if we had completely cleared it, but it was fine for now. Minami, Kaidō, and I struck poses of excitement, while Kitamiya, though feigning exhaustion, wore a smile, and Amelia stomped her feet in excitement, while Katsu rejoiced quietly. We had undoubtedly taken a step forward. However.

“Well, we need to think about how to prevent us from conquering this, _gozaru_.”

“…”

“Minami.”

Our typical ending, a reality check from Minami’s words, brought us all back to our senses and silenced us. Katsu looked exasperated.

“Well, I guess our future selves will figure it out. Let’s go back, we’re a bit busy tomorrow.”

I placed my hand on the teleportation circle, activated it, and began preparations to return. The Moonlit Perch party, having reassembled, left the dungeon.

Word of the day: Until new work comes, it’s normal operations.

Thank you, as always, for your feedback and for pointing out any typos. If you found this interesting, please leave a review, rating, or bookmark.

*The first volume of the book is published by Hayakawa Bunko JA. It was released on October 18, 2018. The 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 content posted on Shōsetsuka ni Narō, with the addition of previously unpublished interlude chapters. Please look forward to the new releases!

Thank you for your continued support of this work!