“Although it’s known as the ‘Prison Area,’ this is simply an ordinary dungeon, is it not?”
Daimon Hanakawa, Ryouko Ninomiya, and Carol S. Lane made their way through the interior of the pyramid in their pursuit of Yogiri.
Hanakawa wore a kung fu uniform to match his class of Monk. Ryouko wore the traditional Japanese formal wear of her Samurai class, while Carol wore bright red ninja gear that seemed rather ill-suited to actually sneaking around. Since they received a boost to their abilities for wearing equipment that matched their classes, they couldn’t turn down the equipment, even if it did look a little strange.
“I guess it’s called a prison because once you enter, you can’t leave,” Carol replied offhandedly.
“It is strange to me that monsters would be attacking us in a simple prison,” Ryouko added, slicing an attacking lizardman in two as she spoke.
“Hm. Prison guards, maybe?”
“It feels like they’re just attacking us at random. It doesn’t feel like they’re trying to manage this place or anything.”
“It does seem like a bit of an anticlimax for the final dungeon, does it not?” Hanakawa said. “There do not appear to be any significant gimmicks at play.”
“There’s also so much space. It doesn’t feel much like a dungeon,” Carol added.
The corridor was ten meters across and ten meters high. The path split here and there to create something of a labyrinth, but there were nothing like traps or other mechanisms. On top of that, holding a Philosopher’s Stone allowed one to tell where the entrance to the next level was, so they couldn’t really get lost either.
You could say needing a Philosopher’s Stone to pass through the gates was kind of a dungeon mechanic, but a single stone in the party allowed everyone to pass through any number of gates, so it didn’t require any thought on the part of the players.
“It does appear the monsters are growing stronger as we progress,” Ryouko said. “We need to stay vigilant.”
“Indeed. No matter how simple our journey thus far, this is still the last dungeon—and in fact, there are monsters attacking right now!”
Following the lead of the Philosopher’s Stone, their path was blocked by five skeletons. According to Hanakawa’s Discernment skill, they weren’t any stronger than the monsters they had encountered so far.
“Why don’t you try fighting, Hanakawa?”
“I believe the teamwork you two have shown far outshines any contribution I might make!”
Ryouko sighed. “Carol and I aren’t some dream team that can read each other’s minds while fighting, you know.”
“Oh, come on, Hanakawa!” Carol said. “Don’t make me show you my Fourth Dimensional Killing technique!”
Thus far, Ryouko and Carol had been so efficient at dispatching monsters that Hanakawa had yet to get involved in fighting. Though he obtained a reasonable level of fighting power as he gained Monk levels, he felt that trying to contribute would only slow things down. So instead, he kept a careful watch on their rear while the two girls cleaned up the monsters.
“I suppose I have let the current draw me this far,” Hanakawa mused, “but do we really want to continue on this path? Sir Takatou intends to return to our world, killing anyone he needs to on the way...but I do not especially feel a desire to go back there.”
If their goal was to get home, sticking with Yogiri was their best bet. They had no idea how many people Takatou would be able to bring home with him, but at the very least, being around him was their best chance of getting back. As cold as he acted, Yogiri had quite a soft side. If they doggedly stuck with him, though he might complain, it was unlikely he would force them to leave.
But Hanakawa was more interested in enjoying his life in this new world. He had been summoned twice, but he doubted fate would bless him with a third trip. It was most realistic to assume this was his last chance.
“Yet, staying here has its own...challenges,” he continued.
This world was extremely dangerous. Having a few cheat powers up your sleeve wasn’t enough to survive. Even if Hanakawa achieved his dream of finding a quiet place to settle down and enjoy a harem life, the chance of a sudden inexplicable event ruining everything was quite high.
“This is no doubt the turning point of my life. If I just go with the flow here, it may be too late for me before I know it!”
Hanakawa decided to think through the possible scenarios. First, the case where Yogiri actually managed to make it home. In that case, all the powerful people currently involved in trying to exterminate him would have been slain. The Sages and the Great Sage would be unlikely to allow him to return home, so they would likely be killed as well.
“Hmm...that is a rather good outcome, is it not? If all the monstrous beings are taken out together, there may be some room for me to have a quiet life.”
However, assuming Yogiri would kill all of them was being too optimistic. There were likely plenty of people who were content to watch events here unfold from the sidelines. In that case, Hanakawa would need the power to survive in a world under their influence.
“Perhaps returning with Sir Takatou is the best option. There are plenty of anime, manga, and games yet to come, which I would like to see... No! That future is still too dark! Living balanced on that eternal tightrope is far worse than the danger this world offers!”
So how would he obtain the power needed to survive in this world? Simply speaking, he could continue to expand his powers as a Monk. He now possessed the Limit Break skill, so he would continue to get stronger without restrictions as he trained.
“But even so, such power only looks excellent in comparison to my past as a Healer...”
The people he had met along his journey so far made the powers available even to a high-level Monk seem next to useless. Any encounter with a godlike being would put an end to him.
“Perhaps I should make an attempt at the power offered by the Great Sage? Would such a power persist after the Great Sage’s death? On that note, is Sir Takatou actually capable of defeating the Great Sage?”
There was one other possibility: Takatou being killed by someone and the world returning to its previous state. The question there would be, exactly which point would the world revert back to?
“That would result in time rewinding to a point before our bus arrived, wouldn’t it?”
The Great Sage had learned that the problems had all started when Yogiri first appeared in this world. Currently, Yogiri’s presence was preventing him from resetting the world properly, so if he reset the world to a point where Yogiri just ended up coming back, it would all happen again. That meant it was likely the Great Sage would arrange things so that their class had never come to this world.
“No, no, no! That is a terrible possibility! Perhaps Sir Takatou returning home is the best option after all! Or wait...is there room for me to negotiate with the Great Sage to maintain my place in this world?”
“What are you mumbling about?”
“Wah! How much have you heard?!”
The battle over, Carol was now standing at Hanakawa’s side.
“I can’t say I cared enough to listen to any of it. I just thought you sounded gross, mumbling to yourself like that.”
“Perhaps you should take a bit more interest in me. Who knows? I may be plotting something horrible!”
“Yeah? The moment I see anything like that from you, pop! Head come off!”
“Again, please stop with the fake bad Japanese...”
“Let’s go.” Ryouko set off alone, Hanakawa and Carol hurrying to catch up with her.
After a decent stretch of time, they came up against a pitch-black wall. This was one of the gates that required a Philosopher’s Stone to pass through. Inside was a staircase heading to the next floor. Once you passed through, the gate behind you would turn into a solid wall, so there was no going back. In short, it was the same as all the others.
Climbing up the stairs and through the next gate, they could feel the atmosphere around them change. Something was clearly different here.
“It feels like there’s something here, doesn’t it?” Ryouko said, raising her guard. It wasn’t just an abstract feeling. A musky, humid air lingered around them.