Once the high ogre went down, the system rang out in my mind.
“You have defeated the extra boss.”
“Gained XP: Level increased by 1,683!”
“Dungeon takedown reward: Level increased by 100!”
“Extra boss takedown reward: Level increased by 200!”
Altogether, the takedown rewards amounted to 300 levels, which was a hefty sum. A far cry from the experience I gained, though.
The system spoke again.
“First-time challenger of this dungeon: Confirmed.”
“Extra boss takedown: Confirmed.”
“All challengers’ HP remains above 50 percent: Confirmed.”
“Bonus reward: Great Shield of Isolation.”
As soon as the system stopped speaking, a hefty shield and a single candy-shaped item manifested. I approached the two items and used Appraisal.
Fortifying Medicine
Strengthens the body and decreases damage by 30% for 60 seconds.
Cooldown: 10 minutes.
Great Shield of Isolation
Recommended equip level: 40,000
Defense +40,000
Temporarily boosts Defense in the event of a physical attack or Resistance in the event of a magic attack. The wielder may share these boosted stats with anyone inside the designated range.
“Another set of powerful items,” I said under my breath.
The Fortifying Medicine alone was shockingly powerful, and that one was probably the normal takedown reward! The bonus reward item—the Great Shield of Isolation—was the real showstopper.
To boost defensive stats and transfer them to nearby party members was an exceptional ability. Sadly, the recommended level and size of the shield was way too much for me. It was so big, a petite girl could hide her entire body behind it. I’d have a heck of a time wielding it even if I tried a sword-and-board build. Only a tank could make the best use of it, but I wasn’t friends with any tanks.
Oh, wait!
I was so deep in thought about Appraisal’s results that I forgot the party was with me. I slowly turned to them. Not one of them moved to hide the fact that they were gaping at me like dead fish. Even Yagami-san looked confounded and his mouth floundered.
“Amane, how did you…?”
His mouth snapped closed. He’d remembered that he wasn’t supposed to dig into my abilities, and if the leader wouldn’t ask me, the rest of the party sure wouldn’t. At least, that’s what the awkward silence that filled the room suggested.
I had to say something, and weak excuses wouldn’t bail me out. How much should I reveal to explain this incident away?
Yagami-san spoke before I could. “I never expected you to surprise us this much in one day. You surprised me so much, it hurts. I could hardly believe my eyes back there.” He paused. “Amane, let me ask you one question. I know you’ve been an adventurer for one year, but did you ever dive before then?”
I understood immediately what he was asking. He wanted to know whether I’d illegally done dives to level up before I became eligible at age eighteen.
“No,” I assured him. “I didn’t do anything like that.”
Not that my level-up method was any less sneaky, but that was my secret.
Yagami-san closed his eyes. “All right. I won’t pry, and I knew you’d say as much…plus anyone who acted outside the law wouldn’t publicize their useless unique skill, would they?”
He said the latter half under his breath, just to himself. Regardless, as a sharply trained adventurer with excellent senses, I heard it all.
Yeah, a smart guy like him, he was likely on the cusp of discovering my skill’s true nature. I’d given up on hiding my teleportation abilities during the fight, so I couldn’t complain. If he discovered that I could bypass the Span, that was a different story.
No normal adventurer with only one year of experience could defeat a level 40,000 monster. Anyone with well-honed instincts would come to the truth—like Rei had—if they really thought about it. I hoped they wouldn’t. I didn’t suspect Yagami-san and his party would do anything nefarious with my secret, but I still wanted to keep it close.
“…Hm?” I said.
While I was thinking, the whole party had ducked their heads into a bow.
“Amane, you saved this party not once, but twice. Thank you so much,” Yagami-san said.
The others repeated his words of thanks. What the heck? It was super uncomfortable to have these A-rank adventurers bowing to me.
“Please, there’s no need,” I said. “Let’s just figure out how to split the rewards.”
“You’re the one who contributed most to the boss takedown,” Yagami-san said. “In fact, you almost did it solo. You should take all of the rewards.”
“Um, you sure? I can’t use this huge shield! I’d be happy to give it away.”
“Unfortunately, our guild doesn’t have anyone who can wield a shield with a recommended level of 40,000. You’re welcome to sell it or give it to someone you know. The level reward was plenty for us.”
Oh yeah. Everyone did gain levels. That was common sense, but I always went solo, so I totally forgot. Three hundred levels was a worthy haul for them too. If they were satisfied, I would look obstinate if I refused to accept it.
“All right,” I conceded. “I’ll take the two rewards. Also…”
Before I could continue, a diffused light enveloped us.
“The Return Zone’s calling. We’ll talk later,” Yagami-san said. “Before that, we better take the great sword from the high ogre too.”
While Yagami-san hurried the team to collect the rest of the spoils, the back of my neck prickled. I turned to find Shinonome-san staring at me with her eyes unfocused.
“Shinonome-san? Is something wrong?”
“Huh?!” She snapped out of her haze. “N-no, everything’s totally fine. Sorry, I spaced out!”
“Uh, okay…?”
I could have accepted that had she not mumbled something else under her breath. “Yeah! I’m just spacing out because he looked kinda cool while he was fighting. I’d never seriously go after a younger guy.”
Uh. That was not a bomb I wanted to touch, so I looked anywhere but her until the teleportation magic activated a few seconds later. We were pulled out of the dungeon together, ending our group dive.
Amane Rin
Level: 19,438 SP: 26,710
Titles: Dungeon Traveler (10/10), Nameless Swordsman, Endbringer (ERROR), Wiser Wise Man
HP: 152,650/152,650 MP: 25,700/41,730
Attack: 36,170 Defense: 30,520 Speed: 37,840
Intelligence: 30,180 Resistance: 30,310 Luck: 29,360
Skills: Dungeon Teleportation LV 22, Enhanced Strength LV MAX, Herculean Strength LV MAX, Superhuman Strength LV MAX, High-speed Movement LV MAX, Gale Wind LV MAX, Revitalize LV 1, Purification Magic LV 1, Mana Boost LV MAX, Mana Recovery LV 2, Enemy Detection LV 4, Evasion LV 4, Status Condition Resistance LV 4, Appraisal, Item Box LV 8, Conceal LV 1, Battle Barrier LV 2, Plunderer LV 1