Chapter 114 The Otaku Trio’s Hidden Side (Part ①)
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”Say that again!”
A loud shout split through the already noisy tavern.
”I said it as many times as you want! You’re fired!”
The man with a longsword at his hip shook off the smaller man’s grip and glared down at him.
”Let me make it clear—you’re dead weight. Our A-Rank party doesn’t need someone like you!”
”What did you just say?!”
The short man swung his fist, but before he could land a blow, a shield-bearer stepped in between them. Frustrated, the man clenched his jaw and lowered his arm.
”Tch! Don’t come crying to me when you regret it!”
He spat the line and stormed out of the tavern.
The moment he disappeared through the door, the noise quickly returned, filling the place with laughter and drunken chatter once more.
Amid that chaos, a man who had been quietly watching the scene leaned toward his companion.
”Kimura-shi, this is our chance.”
”Chance? For what?”
”That man just now—go after him and invite him to our party.”
”Huh? Didn’t they just call him useless?”
”Exactly! A man branded useless and kicked from a top-tier party, who turns out to have cheat-level powers and later rises to glory while his former team collapses—this is the classic setup, is it not?”
”Huh… I don’t really get it, but you’re saying our forces will grow stronger if we bring him in, right, Kazuto?”
”That’s right-degozaru!”
Kimura sighed, scratching the back of his neck. “I’m not convinced… but since you’ve always helped us out, do what you want.”
As soon as he said that, Hajime Taichi nodded sharply.
”Understood-degozaru!”
He then dragged along Ichiro Miyabe and Taichi Nomura, who were still focused on their food, and the three rushed out after the man who had left earlier.
”What a bunch of strange guys,” Kimura Gou muttered as he watched their backs disappear.
To be honest, Gou never imagined he would grow this close to Taichi and the others—known to everyone as the “Otaku Trio.” Back in Japan, and even after being summoned to this world, he had looked down on them as hopeless losers.
Taichi’s Analyzer could only display information. Ichiro’s Porter was literally just a pack mule. And Kazuto’s Brawler relied on fistfighting alone—a weak approach in a world where swords and magic reigned supreme. Gou had believed that without doubt.
Besides, their constant anime and game talk made no sense to him.
Sometimes, he even wanted to shout, “Stop fooling around and get to work!”
But he soon realized the real fool was himself.
That happened right after he left the castle that had sheltered them for so long.
Gou had always been proud of his Gift, Forest Guardian (Ranger).
He could sense nearby presences, hide himself using Presence Block and Silent Step, shoot precisely from afar with Long Shot, and survive in the wild thanks to Survival Skills that let him tell what was edible or poisonous. With all that, he believed he could live alone and never depend on anyone again.
Then, by chance, he overheard Taichi’s plan to escape the castle while he was plotting the same. The plan looked decent at first glance, but with that “useless trio,” he doubted their chances. So he stepped out of the shadows and declared he’d help them—thinking he was doing them a favor.
It didn’t take long for him to realize how arrogant that was.
His Ranger skills were powerful—but mostly useless inside towns.
When they finally left the castle, the first problem they faced was finding a place to sleep. Staying at an inn required money, and they didn’t have any.
”First, we should register at the Guild and take a quest-degozaru!” Taichi announced boldly.
That was the first time Gou found him reliable.
He realized then that the ones he had mocked were far more adaptable to this world than he was. From that moment, he decided to see them not as fools, but as equals—true comrades.
…Of course, the moment they were told they needed to pay a registration fee they couldn’t afford, Gou instantly regretted thinking so.
Even so, as he spent more time with them, he came to truly understand their abilities.
Taichi’s appraisal skill could see through fake appearances, revealing the true value of items and the strength of monsters, greatly reducing danger.
Ichiro’s subspace box let them carry every piece of loot, travel light, and never worry about food or water.
And Kazuto’s unmatched hand-to-hand combat meant no need for weapons, no maintenance costs, and a perfect decoy to draw enemies close—making it easy for Gou to strike from afar.
Of course, Gou’s own detection and survival skills helped the team in return.
He now believed they had built a solid, mutually supportive bond.
”Still,” he muttered, sipping the fresh ale that had just been set before him, “I wish they didn’t all sound exactly the same. Can’t tell who’s who when they talk like that.”
*
”—And that’s why I scouted him-degozaru!”
Later that night, the trio returned with the very man from before.
”So, you’re the leader?” the man said, thrusting out his left hand. “Name’s Shurouga. Just call me Shu.”
Gou hesitated for a moment, then took his hand.
”Glad to have you,” he said.
Shu grinned widely. “You can relax now that I’m here. You guys sure have an eye for talent—seeing through my hidden ability like that. Unlike those idiots who kicked me out…”
Apparently, Shu still had a grudge, because he immediately started grumbling about his old party.
”Now now, Shu-shi,” Kazuto said quickly. “Forget about those fools.”
”Exactly,” added Taichi. “From now on, you’ll be working with us-degozaru!”
”We’re counting on your great success, Shu-shi-degozaru!”
As the Otaku Trio cheered and poured him drinks, Gou couldn’t help muttering to himself, “I hope this doesn’t come back to bite us…”
For a while after that, the five of them—Gou, the Otaku Trio, and their new member Shu—worked together as a single party. Originally, their group had eight members: Gou, the Otaku Trio, the half-ring sisters, and two homunculi. But with Shu joining, Faris-chan No.2 and No.3 suggested splitting into two smaller teams. They formed a separate group with the sisters, while still staying in close contact.
Even so, both teams continued sharing information and, when needed, acted together. In short, it was more like two linked parties rather than a true split, so Gou saw no reason to object.
To his surprise, Shu actually proved useful. He negotiated better rewards from the Guild and clients, found shortcuts that cut travel time in half, and even showed skill during battles—drawing enemies away or striking vital points at just the right moment. Though his arrogant tone often made everyone wince, Gou had to admit that Shu’s presence expanded what their group could accomplish.
The half-ring sisters, Nanai and Ninim, however, kept their distance from him. Whether they sensed something off or just disliked his attitude, Gou couldn’t tell. Yet, since their aloofness extended even to the Otaku Trio, he decided not to dwell on it.
Truthfully, Gou had fallen for Ninim the moment he met her. When Kanata first introduced the sisters as part of the escort team, Gou was instantly captivated—not by Nanai, though they looked nearly identical, but by Ninim’s quiet, focused presence.
What he didn’t know was that the sisters held a certain respect for Kimura. In a world where most humans couldn’t even tell them apart, Kimura had never once confused their names. Because of that, their trust toward him was higher than toward the Otaku Trio—a fact Gou remained blissfully unaware of. If he had known, he might have tried harder to win Ninim’s favor.
Either way, Gou made sure she stayed out of danger. He kept a subtle eye on Shu too, stepping in whenever he thought Ninim might get dragged into something risky.
Then, one day, Shu brought them a new job.
He said it was a confidential request from a certain noble.
”The job’s simple,” Shu explained proudly. “We pick up ‘something,’ deliver it to another noble in Mildo, and that’s it. For that, we get thirty gold coins. Easy money, right?”
”Thirty gold coins-degozaru?” Taichi muttered, frowning. “That sounds too good to be true-degozaru…”
”Relax, Taichi. Between us,” Shu said with a grin, “the item’s a bit… sensitive. Not something that should go public. That’s why they’re paying hush money.”
Hearing that only made Gou uneasy.
”Wait, ‘not for public eyes’? This isn’t something illegal, is it? We’re not getting mixed up in crime.”
”Don’t worry, Tsuyoshi,” Shu replied smoothly. “Yeah, it’s dangerous, but not criminal. It’s just something valuable—so valuable that if people knew where it was, every kind of scum would come crawling for it.”
Ichiro leaned forward, curious. “So what exactly is this dangerous thing-degozaru?”
Shu smirked. “Brace yourself—it’s the Philosopher’s Stone. Well, maybe not the real one, but that’s what they’re calling it.”
”The Philosopher’s Stone-degozaru…” Taichi whispered. “That’s definitely dangerous-degozaru.”
The Philosopher’s Stone—a legendary crystal said to have been created in the age of the gods. No one truly understood its purpose, but because of the immense mana it contained, people believed it could serve as an eternal power source for magical tools.
That was all Gou really knew about it.
But as someone from a world that understood nuclear energy, he and the others could easily imagine how such power might become a weapon of mass destruction if misused.
”Are you sure this is safe?” Gou asked quietly.
Shu chuckled. “Too late for that. I already accepted. Backing out now means getting hunted by the dark Guild for life.”
Gou grimaced, but Shu continued, “Relax. With Ichiro’s spatial box, we can move it secretly. This kind of mission’s perfect for us! Besides, who says what we’re carrying is even the real deal?”
”What do you mean?” Gou asked.
”Think about it. Something that valuable can’t just sit around. So they make dozens of fake deliveries, using decoys to distract anyone who’s watching. The trick is, neither the couriers nor the clients know which package is real. Keeps everyone guessing.”
Shu’s voice dropped to a murmur. “Still, my gut says ours is the real one.”
Gou sighed. “Well… if that’s how it is, fine. Let’s take it.”
***
”So in the end,” Taichi said bitterly, “he wasn’t a mighty ship after all—just a sinking one-degozaru!”
Kanata exhaled deeply, muttering under her breath, wondering what cruel god kept tossing them into one mess after another.
The trio explained that they had been escorting the “special package” Shu accepted to the town of Mildo. Thanks to Ichiro’s subspace storage, their load was light, and though the journey should have taken a month, they made it in three weeks without major issues.
”We finally made it-degozaru…” Kazuto wheezed as they passed through the gates. He dropped to the ground, exhausted.
No wonder—he had fought nearly every monster they encountered along the way.
Since Taichi and Ichiro were noncombatants, the fighting fell mostly to Kazuto and Gou.
Normally, Shu would lure monsters away while Gou attacked from range and Kazuto finished them off. That was the plan.
But this time, Shu had been useless.
Instead of diverting enemies, he somehow drew more of them in. He wandered carelessly into Gou’s line of fire, forcing Gou to hold his shots and putting more pressure on Kazuto.
Unbeknownst to the trio, the half-ring sisters and Faris-chan units had been secretly following and supporting them from the shadows the entire time.
The truth was, Taichi and the others had no idea that Shu Rouga’s real strength was much lower than he claimed. Against D-rank monsters he could manage well enough, but against anything C-rank or higher, he was completely outclassed. Since the area around Mildo was swarming with C-rank creatures, it was no surprise he had been useless in battle.
Up until now, their group had mostly fought weaker monsters, so no one had realized how little power Shu actually had.
In fact, the A-rank party that had kicked him out hadn’t lied at all. Shu had never belonged in a group of that level. His only real talent was his smooth tongue—his way of talking could make anyone believe him, and thanks to that, he had drifted from one party to another, always leaving before his weaknesses were exposed.
”Ahaha, my bad,” Shu said with a laugh. “Tell you what—let me handle the cleanup. You guys go ahead to the inn and rest up. I heard the food at that place—the ‘Horse’s Hoof Tavern’—is amazing. Go enjoy yourselves. I’ll join you later, okay?”
”But it feels wrong to leave all the after-work to you alone-degozaru,” Taichi said.
Shu only waved his hand with a grin. “Don’t worry about it. I slowed everyone down during the fights, remember? Let me make it up to you. Anyway, Kazuto looks like he’s about to collapse.”
He pointed at Kazuto, who had slumped against a wall, barely conscious.
”Then we’ll leave it to you-degozaru,” Ichiro said, pulling out a magic bag from his item box.
The bag, a must-have for adventurers, was a magical item with spatial expansion—small on the outside, but enormous within. The precious cargo was stored safely inside it. Ichiro had decided that handing it over openly in a busy street would draw too much attention.
”Got it,” Shu said, taking the bag. “The client’s a noble, so it might take a while. Don’t wait up. Just go relax, yeah?”
With that, Shu disappeared into the crowd.
Later that night, Taichi and the others checked into the Horse’s Hoof Tavern. They ate well, drank until their hearts were light, and laughed with the waitresses before eventually falling asleep—
—but the next morning, they were shaken awake by guards.
”Turns out,” Taichi said grimly, “Shu Rouga never came back-degozaru. He vanished.”
Worse still, he had cleaned out all of the party’s shared funds before disappearing.
Soon after, the Guild received word that the item they had delivered—the so-called Philosopher’s Stone—had been genuine. Believing Shu had stolen it, the Guild arrested Taichi and his team as possible accomplices.
* * *
”Even so,” Taichi said weakly, rubbing his neck, “we’re victims too-degozaru. At least they finally believed that much-degozaru, but…”
”So, you were turned into criminal slaves as his accomplices,” Kanata said flatly.
Taichi shook his head. “Not exactly-degozaru. We tracked Shu down to clear our name-degozaru. His trail led us to that unexplored dungeon at the northern edge of Flora.”
Kanata already knew the rest from the logs—the trio had entered the dungeon and made steady progress through it.
”It all happened so fast-degozaru,” Taichi continued.
On the seventh floor, they had found what was left of Shu Rouga and his companions—mangled remains, shredded into pieces by a monstrous creature.
The moment they realized how dangerous it was, a whip-like tendril lashed out and wrapped around Ichiro’s neck. His head would have been severed—if Faris-chan No.2 hadn’t thrown herself between them. Her body was sliced clean in half, but in that brief moment, Ichiro escaped. He regrouped with the half-ring sisters, and together they fled.
”Still, we ended up caught-degozaru,” Taichi muttered.
After that, Nanai and Ninim were captured and subjected to cruel torment by the monster’s tendrils, while the Otaku Trio themselves were drained of every last drop of strength.
”I see,” Kanata said quietly. “But why are you here now?”
Their reunion had been pure coincidence. Kanata had stopped by the Mildo Guild to gather information before entering the dungeon, only to witness a public slave auction—where, to her shock, the Otaku Trio were among those on display.
Unlike regular slaves, Guild Slaves belonged to the Adventurers’ Guild itself. They were adventurers who had fallen into debt, failed quests, or caused losses to the Guild. Some were even former criminals, but all retained their adventurer licenses.
Guild Slaves weren’t sold like normal slaves—they were rented out to adventuring parties as temporary members. During the rental period, the slave worked for their new party, and when it ended, they were paid a set wage and sometimes a share of the profits. They could eventually buy back their freedom with their earnings.
Occasionally, an adventurer party would request to purchase a slave outright—usually to fill a missing role—or a generous soul might pay their debt to free them. But such cases required strict Guild approval. Even as slaves, adventurers’ rights were somewhat protected.
”Well… that’s the thing,” Taichi said awkwardly.
According to him, the trio had been suddenly ejected from the dungeon—no warning, no explanation. One moment they were inside; the next, they were standing outside in the open air.
Still dazed, they returned to town yesterday. When they visited the Guild to report, they were immediately arrested.
”It seems we’re still being treated as Shu’s accomplices-degozaru,” Taichi said with a weary voice.
Kanata sighed, rubbing her temples. “What am I supposed to do with you guys…”
—
The Otaku Trio were finally reunited.
The half-ring sisters, however, remained in captivity.
Notes:
• Kimura – Gou’s Family Name. The Ranger.
• Hajime – Taichi’s Family Name. Another Otaku Hero’s friend with Brawler ability.
• Taichi – A fierce friend of Otaku Hero with the Brawler gift, protects Taichi’s group, united by their sacred oath. Appears: Mentioned in Taichi and Ichiro’s plans, training with others. Reason: Summoned as a hero, serves as group protector. Event: Set to go to town with Kimura, accompanied by Taichi and Ichiro.
• Ichiro – Miyabe’s Family Name. Another Otaku Hero, Have porter as ability.
• Miyabe – Taichi’s loyal friend with the Porter gift, carries goods safely, bound by the Oath of One. Appears: During morning exercises, discussing plans with Taichi. Reason: Summoned as a hero, supports Taichi’s ambitions. Event: Joins Taichi’s scheme to accompany Hajime to town for trade.
• Nomura – The cunning otaku hero, wields Analyzer to master information, plotting a lavish harem empire in a foreign realm. Appears: A scheming figure amidst maids and training fields. Reason: To exploit his summoning for wealth and pleasure. Event: Enjoys maids’ service and schemes with friends for a harem.
• Gou – A Ranger who coordinates attacks, balancing aggression and caution in training.
• Shu – A cunning swordsman expelled from an A-rank party. Joins the Otaku Trio but betrays them, stealing their funds and the Philosopher’s Stone before dying in a dungeon.
• Faris – A sentient intelligence weapon managing dungeon systems. Uses humanoid interface Faris-chan. Loyal to Kanata, logical, obedient support.
• Nanai – Twin sister of Ninim. A warrior and fire mage from Flora chosen by Tsubasa for dungeon exploration. Brave, skilled, protective, later captured in a dungeon.
• Shu Rouga – A cunning swordsman expelled from an A-rank party. Joins the Otaku Trio but betrays them, stealing their funds and the Philosopher’s Stone before dying in a dungeon.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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