Jiro Tanaka, 28, Has a Girlfriend.
Girlfriend: Suella Handelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time Employee)
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Position: Warrior
“I drank too much… this headache won’t stop.”
“…A Potion.”
“Here you go. It’s unusual for you to drink this much, Kaido, let alone the leader.”
“You’ll definitely experience it in the future too, so remember this: you can’t refuse a superior’s pour.”
“I’ll remember that.”
Especially not type like those two instructors. I didn’t even have the energy to finish my sentence, nor could I respond to Katsu’s reply. I suppressed the feeling that just speaking might make something come out.
What was terrifying was the liquor from the otherworld, which even invaded my reinforced body.
Demon liquor, spirit liquor… I was hazy on how much I drank, but judging from this current state, I couldn’t possibly say it was just a little.
And even though I shuddered at the liquor, it was already too late.
I understood when I tried to sleep after drinking too much, but as expected, when I woke up, I was plagued by nausea and a headache from a hangover.
However, I couldn’t afford to rest in such a situation and went to work.
It wasn’t so much salaryman spirit as it was half-desperate resolve, telling myself I wouldn’t be allowed to rest for something like this.
And I made it to the Party Room on time.
But that was all.
Immediately, I sat on the sofa in the living room and my spirit gave out.
Kaido, a fellow victim I’d collected on the way, was slumped over the desk in front of him, reaching out to the void.
The one who responded was our “mother,” Katsu.
While holding a hand to my forehead, enduring my headache, Katsu placed in front of me a cup containing a potion. I downed it all at once.
“I’m back to life.”
“Indeed.”
And so I am grateful for this magical medicine.
Drinking it down like some kind of energy drink, proclaiming “Let’s do our best today too,” I felt energized, like in an exaggerated commercial, my mind clearing up and the nausea disappearing.
This is what you call a swift effect.
With this, I thought my work wouldn’t be a problem, and I considered keeping potions stocked in my room from now on.
“Has your headache subsided?”
“Yeah, sorry to cause you trouble.”
“No, it’s not a problem. I’m used to it with Minami’s care.”
“Is that so.”
In Minami’s case, it’s probably more about lack of sleep from all-nighters than alcohol.
I thanked Katsu, who even cleaned up the empty cup, thinking how utterly accommodating this was.
“Well then, now that your condition has improved, let’s talk about today’s work.”
“It’s bugs again, right?”
“Naturally.”
“I’m so tired of them! Let’s go somewhere else for a change.”
“Don’t complain. Try submitting a report for a different dungeon without having submitted proper reports.”
“What would happen?”
“I’d be beaten up by the supervisor.”
“Whoa.”
Or maybe he’d read my reports with an icy gaze.
“As for me, I’m more grateful for the current dungeon.”
“Katsu-kun, you like bugs or something?”
“No, not particularly, but this one earns more than previous dungeons, so it helps with the household finances.”
“Katsu-kun, you’re serious.”
“That’s not true.”
“…”
Hearing Katsu’s words, Kaido spoke up, motivating himself by saying he’d try to be a bit more diligent too.
However, knowing the reason behind Katsu’s surprisingly sound financial sense, I had no reply.
The reason, when heard, was unusual but sounded like a family issue I’d heard somewhere before.
When asked if I had any thoughts on that, I couldn’t confidently say I didn’t.
But it felt wrong to just sympathize, thinking “That must be tough.”
So, my policy has always been to offer advice only if I’m asked.
“Hey, Kaido. Stop sulking and get ready.”
“Understood.”
“I’ll go get ready too.”
So, if Katsu himself doesn’t say anything, I’ll just continue with my daily life.
My attitude might be perceived as cold, but some people find being treated like a fragile item more painful than being treated normally.
For such people, it’s better to treat them normally.
I believe Katsu is one such case.
Watching Katsu’s back as he followed Kaido into the locker room, I mused that things in life don’t always go as planned.
“These high schoolers these days are quite diligent.”
On the other hand, I found myself drawn to this surprisingly diligent high school student who was more serious than adults.
And with a resolve to emulate him, just like Kaido, I entered the locker room late.
After making that inner determination, it was, as expected, time for work.
“IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIH!!!”
With a flash of spirit, I cut the mantis vertically, and our group battle ended.
I scanned my surroundings, checking for any moving individuals or any hidden presences, but it seemed that was the last one.
“Katsu, please take care of Kaido’s treatment.”
“It hurt, it hurt. I messed up.”
“I’ll treat him now.”
“Please do.”
Even with defense, I sustained damage through my armor.
I instructed Katsu to treat the injured Kaido. Meanwhile, I kept watch on our surroundings.
However, the balance of combat really differs with and without a recovery specialist.
Compared to a battle where we had to carefully manage our stamina and injuries, like Kaido and I did, our party’s durability was on a different level.
As the one fighting at the front, acting as the party’s shield, I felt this the most. Being able to replenish drained stamina wasn’t just about physical recovery; it also provided a mental advantage, a sense of security.
As I felt this anew, it had been less than two hours since we entered the dungeon.
Thanks to mapping out the shallower areas, we were able to easily penetrate deeper.
However, as expected, the enemies’ strength had steadily increased.
Their numbers had also grown, and even among souls of the same level, the individual strength varied.
“That mantis earlier was big, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was noticeably larger than before. Katsu, positionally speaking, were we able to advance deeper?”
“I’m sure we did. Considering the strength of that monster, I think it’s proof we’ve advanced deeper… It’s done.”
“Thank you!”
As Katsu magically treated the area around Kaido’s shoulder, which had taken an attack from the mantis, I confirmed our current location. It was clear we had advanced deeper than before. We had broken our record. I knew that the deeper we went, the stronger the enemies would become, but this level was still manageable within this area.
“Alright, can you go, Kaido?”
“I’m energetic! No problem!”
Kaido stretched his shoulder, conveying that his injuries had healed. I nodded and looked in the direction of our next path.
“Let’s move. My skill might be attracting other monsters.”
The “Monkey’s Roar” skill could startle enemies, but it also had the effect of drawing them in. I thought about ways to improve my difficult-to-use skill. However, there was no time to think slowly. After the previous battle, using Monkey’s Roar had undoubtedly alerted surrounding enemies to our location. I’d consider improving my skill after we returned, but it was best to move on quickly once the treatment was finished. Judging from the feel of our combat, I determined that we could push a little deeper without issue, and we advanced further. Then, though from a distance, we discovered a somewhat larger cave.
“Is that… an Army Ant nest?”
“It appears so.”
“Whoa, there are so many of them!”
My body reinforcement from my Magic Crest enhanced my vision to a level beyond that of indigenous people living in the savanna. Over a hundred meters away. Peeking from the shadows, I could see at least ten giant ants marching across an open space.
“The problem is whether that’s the entrance to the dungeon… What do you think?”
“I don’t know.”
“Sorry, me neither.”
“Right.”
At this distance, we could talk normally without being noticed, but we spoke in hushed tones just in case. The troublesome aspect of half-dungeons is their ability to scatter and disguise the entrances to their lairs within the field. On the other hand, it seemed that the scale of the labyrinthine area was reduced as a cost for dungeon design. And the problem was whether the entrance to that ant nest was the dungeon’s entrance. Even if we entered the ant nest, there was no guarantee that the Dungeon Core would be beyond it. Moreover, I didn’t think they would place such a crucial entrance in such a shallow area. It was probably a dead end. But the fact that I couldn’t be absolutely certain was painful.
“Katsu, please record it on the map.”
“Understood.”
“What should we do, Senpai? Are we going into that hole?”
“…”
I couldn’t answer immediately. In my mind, the answer was already made up, but I pondered for a moment.
“No, we won’t engage. Let’s find a detour.”
However, my conclusion remained the same. The risk was too great. Kaido showed a look of relief at my decision. It seemed even he didn’t want to charge into that swarm of ants with this party. He smiled, as if relieved, then his gaze shifted to scan the surroundings, and suddenly his eyes widened, and he clapped a hand over his mouth.
“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!”
Then, through his leather gloves, an inarticulate scream escaped Kaido’s mouth. While impressed by Kaido’s risk management in instinctively suppressing his yell, I became curious as to why he made such a gesture. I followed where Kaido pointed powerfully.
“That’s…”
“It’s not an insect, is it.”
“A rare monster!”
Kaido’s excitement was immediately understandable. In this area, which was practically a bug paradise, a strange object resembling a floating chunk of jewels in unnaturally appearing mid-air. A cluster of raw gems of various colors—emerald, sapphire, and ruby—flew around carelessly, possessing beady eyes. Seeing its form, I understood; ah, so that’s what they use to lure them. From the looks of it, in addition to the large, flashy raw gems, gold objects glinted in the gaps of the rocks where the gems that formed its body were embedded. If the rumors were true, it was undoubtedly pure gold. Even to an amateur, it was clear that this object, just slightly larger than a basketball, would fetch a considerable sum.
“The company really splurged.”
Seeing the actual object, I confessed my honest thought. Its combat ability was unknown, whether it used magic or skills, but at first glance, it seemed weak. It was like a duck walking into a ready-made meal. I couldn’t imagine how much it would cost to create just one of these creatures, appearing at the bottom of the food chain. And I would soon glimpse its true nature, its danger. Glancing from the jewel cluster to my side, I had a premonition that my headache, which had seemingly subsided, would return. Still, I couldn’t *not* look, so I reluctantly shifted my gaze sideways and found Kaido, his eyes practically dollar signs.
“Haa… Let’s get away.”
“Wait. Let’s take it, leader.”
“Katsu, you too.”
I sighed at Kaido’s predictable reaction. An Army Ant nest was right before our eyes, and ants were also surrounding that flying treasure. It was obvious this would turn into trouble. It was a shame, but we had to give up on it, and I intended to withdraw from the spot. However, the problem was that even Katsu, who usually acted as the brake, was eager to acquire it. Or rather, he was fully prepared to go for it. The way he meticulously refitted his armed gloves looked like that of an assassin.
“Just a test run, just a test run.”
“Leader, life is about challenges.”
No matter what I said, they wouldn’t listen. If that was the case, perhaps it would be better to face a painful lesson here; it might prevent future dungeon attacks from being hindered.
“Haa, just don’t get greedy. If it gets dangerous, retreat immediately.”
“Yes.” / “Yes.”
With a heavy sigh, realizing it was unavoidable, I decided to do my best if we were going to do it. I pulled the Ore Tree from my back and slung it over my shoulder. The target was about fifty meters away. In about three seconds if I ran at full speed. The opponent’s movement speed appeared to be similar to a human’s walking pace, but that depended on how they reacted when combat began. Calculating this, I chose a strategy with the highest probability of success.
“We’ll cut off their retreat and take it down in one strike, then immediately withdraw. I’ll cover the front from our approach direction. You two, cover the two directions behind us.”
“Understood.”
“Yes.”
In times like these, if Minami were here, things would be easier, but wishing for what we didn’t have wouldn’t help. This was the best we could do with our current hand. We would cover three directions, cut off their retreat, and engage in a swift, decisive battle.
“Let’s go.”
With that one word, we sprinted at full speed. Dodging through the trees, we ran minimizing our footsteps. Of course, it was impossible to erase all sound. We were noticed with about ten meters left.
“PIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!”
“A siren!?”
“KYEIYAAAAAAA!!!!”
Katsu was startled by the high-pitched sound that resonated throughout the area, making the jewels sparkle, but I, more importantly, stepped within striking distance and unleashed Monkey’s Roar from the depths of my belly with the force to cancel out the siren. My entire body’s muscles felt like powerful springs, transmitting a sensation to my nerves, preparing me to swing the Ore Tree at the target with all my might. That moment lasted less than a second. There was no time to surround it. Faster, faster than anyone else. I focused solely on stepping in and delivering this one blow, swinging the Ore Tree down. The strike, executed flawlessly from entering my stance to the downward swing, gave me the internal conviction that it couldn’t get any better.
*Clang*
However, contrary to my conviction, a sound echoed that was contrary to my expectations. Sparks flew as the Ore Tree, which had clearly made contact, was deflected by its hard body.
“Too shallow!!”
All I could do was propel the target, which hadn’t stopped its siren, forward with the momentum.
“Retreat!!”
“What!?”
Only the outer surface was cut. I didn’t have the level to defeat it with slash attacks. In that brief exchange, I understood. Any further pursuit would only lead to being swarmed by monsters. Wondering how other parties managed to defeat an opponent that neither my full power, nor Kaido’s magic, nor Katsu’s fists could overcome, I dashed away in the opposite direction of the approaching Army Ant horde, which I glimpsed from the corner of my eye.
“I’m still not there yet, huh!”
“Senpai, you look like you’re enjoying yourself!! There’s one in front of us too!!”
“I know!! Get out of the way!!”
Naturally, there were enemies drawn by the sound of the previous clash in the direction I was running. On this outing, just like my business trip, I felt a flicker of irritation akin to pleasure towards this enemy that exposed my own shortcomings. However, I cut down a flying moth and forged a bloody path. Katsu and Kaido followed behind me. Without slowing down, we ran at full speed towards the safe zone, dealing with the various insects attacking us in swarms. I cut them down, Kaido burned them with magic, and Katsu punched them. I felt that my own shortcomings had been exposed even before the dungeon.
Jiro Tanaka, 28, Has a Girlfriend.
Girlfriend: Suella Handelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time Employee)
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Position: Warrior
Today’s Word:
Ah, what a regret.
This concludes this installment.
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