Haring’s quick judgment had allowed them to successfully escape from the Destruction God Wallis. However, they were still in quite a predicament.
“Tsk... The return to city feature’s busted...”
After undoing his Dragonification and fiddling with his Proof, Haring kicked the ground in irritation. Yuri also tried to activate the teleport feature, but the screen didn’t display anything at all.
“No good here... How about you, Ms. Eleanor?”
“Gnn...no good...”
Eleanor’s ears slumped, a dark shadow across her face.
“Goddammit... Not only were we blasted off to who knows where, it just had to be with the Destruction God... No matter how you slice it, this just ain’t right!”
With no other outlet, Haring smacked the trunk of a large nearby tree to let off his anger.
“But he’s a duelist too, isn’t he? Then if we talk it out—”
“Hah!? You wanna have a chat with that monster!? I don’t think you’ll get anythin’ outta the sorta madman who fires off his Divine Might the moment he sees us.”
To initiate an attack before a duel began was unbecoming of a Duelist. No matter how one was swept away by emotion, no matter the circumstance, all matters were to be resolved through dueling.
And yet the actions of Destruction God Wallis seemed to run contrary to that.
“He’s a battle-crazed lunatic who attacks with no distinction between wild beast and duelist. He’s killed more than a duelist or two in his time.”
“If he’s that dangerous, shouldn’t the city have done something about him?”
“Yeah, I wish.” Haring spoke of Wallis with a loathsome look on his face. “The survivors have gone directly to HQ to demand some action, but...as a result of a discussion among the Administrators, it was deemed inappropriate to penalize him.”
“He’s killed people, and it still didn’t work out?”
“Well, for starters, events in the dungeons are technically out of city bounds, but the thing is, he always properly flashes his Proof before he attacks. He clearly shows his will to hold a duel, then it’s the victims who run away...so Wallis’s actions have been written off as ‘excessive provocations.’”
So said Haring, but it was hard to believe the attack that man had unleashed had been merely a means to rile them up. He had gone so far as to use the Angel Tribe’s Tribe Skill Divine Might. He had undoubtedly swung with ill intent.
“For argument’s sake, he can now only enter the duel city with the supervision of a city-sanctioned guardian, and he receives periodic audits. He has gotten some restrictions, but...if he never leaves the dungeon to begin with, the constraints don’t mean shit.”
“Then how does he maintain his ranking?”
“He can still maintain his rate. I mean...his turf is the dungeon’s bottom levels. The rate gained from monsters goes up the further in you go.”
The monsters they had slain along the way barely gave anything. But the rate earned from a monster corresponded with its strength. While the ones around the entrance could net one to five points, that number had increased to close to a hundred on the floor just before this one.
If he kept hunting around the lowest level, it would be possible to earn a considerable amount of rate.
“And that guy hunts without rest, night and day. He goes up against the sort of monsters other duelists have to join hands to defeat, and he kills a ridiculous number of them alone... That’s how he keeps his seat as an Orichalcum Rank Duelist.”
“But duelists have a five-duels-per-month quota to fill. If he stays in the dungeon, and everyone avoids him, there’s no way he can fulfill it, right?”
“Hell if I know. Maybe people challenge him to see if he’s all he’s cracked up to be, and rumor has it he duels other Orichalcum regularly. Ask him if you want, but I doubt he’ll hold a proper conversation.”
Leaning his back against the tree, Haring let out a terribly deep sigh.
“More importantly...the problem is how we’re supposed to return to Babel.”
With a side glance at his malfunctioning Proof, Haring began putting the situation in order.
“If the return function ain’t workin’, we can’t get away from Wallis right now. The only thing comin’ to mind is the warp we used to get here from the previous floor...”
“Err, can’t just run around until bad man goes away?”
Eleanor timidly raised her hand, but Haring immediately shook his head.
“Can’t. The dungeon warps change every seven days. If we enter the gate after that, it’s possible we’ll end up right before the bottom...I’m assumin’ floor ninety-nine. If something’s malfunctionin’, now’s our last chance to get back to floor forty-nine.”
Four days had gone by since Yuri entered the dungeon. They had three days left to return to where they were before.
“I don’t even know if this busted Proof can still move us between floors, but at this rate, we’ll have to run not just from that monster but from the wild monsters that live in these parts, too. Long story short, it’s all gone to hell.”
As they were now, it would be quite difficult just to take on the wildlife on the bottom floor. It was nearly impossible to even consider taking on Wallis, who could slay those monsters on his own. Should they run for their lives, they would have to make their escape within three days.
“Let’s try fighting Mr. Wallace.”
The moment Yuri said this, Haring’s eyes opened wide.
“Are you stupid!? You wanna go and get killed!?”
“It will be fine. He changed his Proof to duel mode the moment he saw us. That means he has the will to duel, and if we challenge him, we should be sent off to the Field.”
“Tsk... So what if you can duel him? You think you can win?”
“No, I can’t. At the moment, I have no way of winning.”
The air Wallis wore was so peculiar even Yuri could say that with certainty. He had a presence to him, the overwhelming air of strength that would not permit one to so much as think of fighting and winning. Not that Yuri wanted to accept it.
“The thing is—no matter who my opponent is, I get the desire to beat them.” He quietly spoke his mind. By the time he realized it, he had already lifted the corners of his lips. “If I aim to be the strongest, I’ll eventually have to defeat people like him. That’s why I can’t pull back, and I want to give it my all.”
He couldn’t stop laughing when there was such a strong foe before his eyes. He couldn’t consider running away.
“Because I like fighting strong people—even more than Mr. Wallis.”
Haring didn’t know what to say, seeing Yuri say that with such childish glee. He and Eleanor had fought in a far greater number of duels and had a far greater understanding of the strength of one with an Orichalcum Proof.
None of that mattered to Yuri. The stronger his opponent was—the more his blood throbbed. The blood flowing through his veins cried out, demanding war.
“When the duel begins, we’ll be transferred to the field. Once that happens, the two of you can get through without danger, and safely return to the transfer gate.”
“B-But what happens to Yuri!?”
Eleanor’s brow dropped in concern, while Haring’s furrowed into a deep wrinkle as he shook his head.
“...Won’t cut it. Sure, we might get out safe and sound, but there’s no guaranteein’ your safety.”
“I’ll be just fine! Dying in battle is my lifelong ambition!”
“Shut up, don’t kill yourself off like that. I accepted a request to get you back in one piece. If I use you as bait and run, those idiots will—” Haring suddenly cut himself off. He put a hand to his chin and thought for a second. “...Weeb elf, are you good at outrunning monsters?”
“Running, hiding, essence of ninja! Thinking needed against duelist, but with beasts, won’t be caught no matter what!”
She must have been considerably confident, answering with such vigor. Hearing that...Haring smiled.
“Oi, brat, you wanna win against Wallis?”
“Of course, I want to win!”
“Then you’re gonna lose.”
“Eh? Umm...what do you mean?” Yuri quizzically replied, and Haring’s smile widened menacingly.
“I’m talkin’ about losin’ the duel, but winnin’ the battle. You don’t lose your nerve against Wallis, so you’re the only one who can buy time. The elf can run away from any number of monsters. And I’m knowledgeable about all the monsters in these parts.”
Haring turned to face the two of them.
“The three of us—we’re going to knock some sense into that bastard.”