[Hakata Dungeon — Kirihara Amane]
This was my first time in a D-Rank dungeon, and as expected, the monsters were weak. Ten or so Rank D adventurers might have been able to somehow clear such an easy dungeon. It spelled out danger, though, as it meant that earning the title of Dungeon Buster was also that easy. In other words, increasing the number of people who could summon monsters above ground wasn’t all that hard. The Ministry of Dungeons ought to be careful and remember this as well.
GRRRRRRR.
We were currently on the Final Floor of Hakata Dungeon. A two-headed dog monster stood in front of us, growling. What a poorly trained dog. I’m going to train you harshly with my whip, puppy.
“DOWN!”
My whip cut through the air. One of the dog’s heads immediately drooped. It seemed like it understood who its master was. The other head was still roaring, though. A little punishment is in order, huh?
“What an impertinent dog! I told you to stay down!”
My whip struck its nose. Right on the mark. The gigantic two-headed dog let out a whimper and laid down on the floor. Good. A dog ought to listen to its master’s orders!
“A-Ane-san... The Dungeon Core appeared.”
Oh my. My teammates look all pale. Am I that scary? I’ll need to show them my nice side for a while after this.
“Great. Then, I’ll claim the title, as planned. I don’t really intend to use the skill I’ll get, but the best way to get the old geezers at the top to listen is to show them...”
As I walked toward the Dungeon Core, I felt something touch my leg. I looked down and saw the dog from earlier. It looked like it wanted to stay with me. Oh my. Do you want me to keep you?
“Heh heh heh... If you want me to keep you, show me you’re a good boy. What do we do to show obedience to our master?”
The two-headed dog heavily fell to the ground, rolling to present its belly to me. I nodded, and it happily barked once before turning into a card.
“What good timing. I’ll make him into the mascot of the Adventurer Crime Brigade.”
I put the card in my folder and touched the Dungeon Core.
✦ ✦ ✦
[Miyakonojo Dungeon — Floor 8]
We were still fighting the riddle basilisks and had gained a quasi-total understanding of the way petrification breath worked. If several basilisks attacked us at once, we had long-ranged fighters attack and tried to sneak in close-range attacks from the sides. The basilisks could only breathe out in one direction, and they weren’t all that fast. As long as we struck without hesitation, there was almost no risk of getting hit ourselves.
“HA!”
Akira kicked a riddle basilisk up in the air before striking it down with an axe kick. Akira moved as fast as a lightning bolt, and everything was over in the blink of an eye. At this point, he truly wasn’t human anymore.
“Ho ho ho! As expected, Akira reached it first!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Name: Shishido Akira
Title: Species Limit Breaker, Dungeon Buster, Rank B Dungeon Buster
Rank: A
Possession Limit: 19/25
Skills: Card Gacha, Martial Arts (Lvl. MAX), Fighting Spirit (Lvl. MAX), Nunchaku Mastery (Lvl. 9)
✦ ✦ ✦
Akira had been the first one to reach Rank A. According to Shifu Liu, that was due to the difference in natural talent between the two of us. Well, it was ridiculous to compare someone who had been diligently practicing martial arts since childhood and someone who had never gotten into a fight until his forties. It couldn’t be helped, and I wasn’t frustrated at all.
“My Nunchaku Mastery is getting better. I guess adding a skill slot was worth it.”
As the name of his skill suggested, he mostly swung around his nunchaku like they did in the kung fu movies that had been so popular half a century ago.
To be honest, I was much more interested in the skills that had been maxed out. I had also wondered about this when I’d seen Akane’s status. Why could skills even be maxed out in the first place? It meant that there was no more room to grow. I could understand such a mechanic in a game, but did such a thing exist in real life too?
“All right. I expect Ezoe will be next. Should I make your life even more hellish from now on?” Shifu Liu asked before strengthening the gravity around me again.
I heard loud steps coming closer. I was sweating profusely as I fought the riddle basilisk.
✦ ✦ ✦
Name: Ezoe Kazuhiko
Title: First Contacter, Species Limit Breaker, First Buster, Rank B Dungeon Buster
Rank: A
Possession Limit: 0/∞
Skills: Card Gacha, Recovery Magic, Inducement, Teleportation, Analyze, ______
✦ ✦ ✦
“Finally...”
If our strength could be quantified in a physical attack stat or a magic defense stat, like in RPGs, how much easier would everything be? I had finally gone from Rank B to Rank A, but it had taken a long time. Since I had been getting gradually stronger every day, I didn’t really feel all that different after ranking up.
“Perhaps I should use my last skill slot to get Status Effect Resistance. Since breath attacks exist, it wouldn’t be all that weird for gaze attacks to exist as well. Being able to resist such effects is crucial,” I said.
Before I had a chance to do that, exhaustion took over. I was suddenly so tired that my legs could barely hold me up. I went back to the Safety Zone and slept like a log. When I opened my eyes, the dungeon had been cleared already.
“We did try to wake you up, Aniki. But you wouldn’t budge so...” Akira trailed off. “Sorry.”
I couldn’t believe my ears, but I had apparently been asleep for around thirty hours. I normally would have woken up a few times at the very least, but that hadn’t happened. Akane had stayed with me while Akira had led the rest of the party to the next floor and eventually cleared the dungeon. After some debate, it had been decided that Hisato ought to become the next Rank B Dungeon Buster.
“No, I’m sorry. I hadn’t noticed I was getting so tired. Actually, my brain still can’t keep up.”
“Even if you reach Rank A, your mental state will not change. You fought tooth and nail and finally became an A-Ranker. You would get tired after that,” Shifu Liu said. “Well, now it’s finally time, isn’t it?”
I nodded. He was right. Two of us were A-Rankers now, which meant every condition had been met. The day we’d challenge the Rank A dungeon Abyss was getting closer.
“Aniki, should we head out on a little trip to Taipei before that? It’ll be a good change of pace, and we’d get to go for free, right?”
The Republic of Sina had indeed sent us a request. It would be Dungeon Busters’s first overseas trip. Since it was to become the precedent everyone would look to, it was probably best if I joined the trip myself. We’d have people from the Ministry of Dungeons and Ministry of Foreign Affairs accompany us too.
“Let’s think about that above ground. Amane should be done clearing Hakata Dungeon by now as well. I want to take out a whiteboard and summarize everything properly.”
Everyone agreed. Akane and the others reverted to cards, and we exited the dungeon. Big smiles lit up the faces of the city hall staff of Miyakonojo when we reported our success.
I then made an internet video call to the Ministry of Dungeons. Vice-Minister Ishihara first looked relieved before following up with some bad news.
<Joker made a move. His army is fighting the Brezilian forces on the border.>
I realized that we weren’t the only ones moving forward.