Volume 2 Chapter 9 Dungeon Tourism – The Black Goat’s Sudden Intervention
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”――Huh?!”
In a family restaurant in a busy town, the silver-haired girl had been enjoying time with two classmates.
”What’s wrong? Why that super surprised look?” one of them asked.n”It’s just not fair that you look so cute no matter what expression you make,” the other sighed, fondly.
Though she had been mid-conversation, the silver-haired girl’s expression had suddenly snapped into one of shock. “I… I gotta… go!” she gasped.
”Huh? Go where?”
”To… my senpai’s¹… place…!”
She shot up from the table, clenching her fists, her gaze hardening with a sudden, fierce resolve. The time she had with her current friends was important, but this was an emergency. It was time for her to act.
”…What’s going on?”
”I’m really, truly sorry! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she wailed, her anxiety surging.
”Wait! Why are you apologizing so much?!”
”I’m sooooo sorry!”
The silver-haired girl, unable to explain herself quickly, dropped a large amount of cash on the table and bolted. Her destination was the restroom.
”Ah, abah… Senpai, senpai, senpai, senpai… Where, where…! Ah—I found it.” Crouched in a private stall, she frantically worked through her own thoughts (jibun no thoughts), then her eyes flashed as if she’d finally spotted something.
And then――
”――’Teleportation’,” she murmured.
The moment she whispered the word, the silver-haired girl, and everything she carried, vanished from the bathroom stall.
*
”Heh. That was a pretty easy job, all things considered.”
The black-haired man, who had dropped the dungeon tourists and adventurers into the lake’s depths, was casually making his way back.
Using two knives as aids, he had rappelled down the side of the slope he’d cut open, then carefully crossed the parts of the frozen lake that hadn’t cracked. He then bypassed the avalanche-piled snow, successfully returning to the main road.
”Switching places with Kirihara, swapping out the gate staff, a powerful Relic² ring that seals Inhibition Magic, a scroll to conjure a massive gust of wind, and setting bombs on the snowy mountainside and the lake…”
None of it was possible for one man alone. Replacing the gate staff, especially, wasn’t simple, as the Adventurers’ Guild rotated them. It would require a detailed plot—like knocking out and kidnapping the official staff with accomplices—to pull off.
”All that’s left is to report to the boss and—huh?”
He was almost at the exit gate. The man’s plan was to get outside and start screaming about an “accident.” He’d claim the participants fell into the lake due to the disaster, and that what should have been a mid-tier C-rank Dungeon had somehow been switched into an upper-tier A-rank due to someone else’s plotting.
But as he thought this, he saw what looked for a moment like a monster—a strange figure—walking toward him from the distance.
He’d told the swapped-out staff member not to let anyone enter. Nobody should be able to get into the dungeon without formal permission from the Adventurers’ Guild during an emergency.
Yet, here was someone—
”――Hey. Who the hell are you?” the man snarled.
The figure wore a dark, ominous hood that looked like a black goat, but from the neck down, they were clad in a strangely adorable, pristine white dress. They held nothing in their hands. The man couldn’t understand why or for what purpose they were there.
”Ah, abah…” the figure mumbled.
”Huh?”
”Senpai… everyone… where are they?”
The black goat mask muffled the true sound of the person’s voice. Still, he could tell from their appearance that it was a woman.
”How did you get in here?” he demanded.
”Where…?”
They weren’t communicating. The man was growing irritated, but then his eyes widened in shock.
”‘Storage’—”
The moment the Black Goat girl whispered the word, an immense axe suddenly appeared in her hand. It was far too large for a girl to carry, almost the same size as the one Maki, the Black Wolf Guild’s heavy warrior, carried on his back. She hefted the clearly weighty greataxe effortlessly with one hand.
”You… you got a Spatial Gift? That’s incredibly rare. Ah, I guess that’s how you got inside, then,” the black-haired man scoffed.
”Where…?”
”But you see—”
The black-haired man ignored the Black Goat girl’s question and thrust his right hand forward. A golden ring, adorned with a red gem, sat on his middle finger. It glowed a vivid red.
”—’Inhibition Magic’,” he chanted.
He felt a chunk of his magical energy vanish, but this Relic could cancel the effects of a Gift within a certain range for a set time. A Relic was an item found inside a dungeon with some kind of ability granted to it, and some could have powerful effects—it was supposed to have blocked the Return Scroll just moments ago, after all. It was supposed to work, but—
”…Enough, already—’Teleportation’.”
”Huh… Bo-WHAT?!”
The Black Goat girl, who had suddenly vanished from his front, was instantly behind him. She swung the axe in a wide, circular arc, carving a deep gash into the man’s flank.
The force sent the man flying, spraying a plume of blood, and he slammed face-first into the snowy ground.
”‘Detect’—Target… Takanashi-senpai… not here… not here… Down, then?”
The Black Goat girl shook the blood from the massive axe and approached the fallen man.
”*Guh*… *hah*…” he groaned.
”You’re still… alive. I held back. Tell me how far they fell… and I’ll spare your life.” She stood over the man, her power overwhelming. The amount of blood he’d lost was enough to kill him without immediate help.
”…Heh. Like I’d talk, you b-“
Lying on the ground, the man threw the knife from his waist at the girl. It was the same knife coated with the paralyzing poison that had immobilized the real Kirihara. The tip of the blade struck the Black Goat girl’s abdomen head-on, but—
”W-why…” the man stammered.
”Ah, ababa…! My friend picked out this dress! Don’t get it dirty!” she shrieked in sudden panic.
”GUH-HEAH?!”
She smashed the axe’s handle down onto the man’s stomach. He immediately spat up a gush of bloody vomit, his eyes rolled back, and he lost consciousness.
”……”
The Black Goat girl picked up the man’s knife.
”‘Appraisal’—Paralysis, Poison… and… ‘Face and Voice Changer’.”
After murmuring the words, she stabbed the knife into the man’s belly. The unconscious man’s body jerked violently, as if he’d received an electric shock. Seeing that he was truly subdued—
”――’Heel’,” she said.
The Black Goat girl raised her hand and cast healing magic on the man. His bleeding stopped, and his wounds began to close. She then pulled out a rope from somewhere and began tying him up. She was clearly unskilled, however, resulting in a sloppy, haphazard tangle of knots.
After moving the restrained man behind a tree, the Black Goat girl started moving again.
”The lake…”
She stood before the frozen surface. Swinging the greataxe, she slammed it down. The ice immediately shattered and cracked, leaving a massive hole.
”Wait for me—.”
She jumped and was instantly swallowed by the gaping hole.
*
”*Mmmh*, *mmn*…”
The participants, though dropped into a deep, deep chasm, were all alive. Some were already unconscious, and others had passed out during the fall, leaving about ten people still aware.
Looking around, the space was a massive cavern. They couldn’t see the sky above, either because of the deep fall or the dungeon’s structure. Yet, a faint light somehow illuminated the interior. Right in front of the participants was a giant U-shaped object made of packed snow, resembling a snowboard half-pipe course.
”*Phew*… I somehow made it just in time…”
It was, of course, Kirino who had done this. She looked slightly tired, having clearly used a lot of her magical power. The fall was from a terrifying height; simply making snow wouldn’t stop them from smashing into the ground. Kirino’s quick thought, inspired by the Winter Olympics, was to create a steep, sloping half-pipe. The participants were funneled down, rode the slope up the opposite side, then slid back, eventually slowing to a safe stop.
”The only ones awake are the adventurers and Koharu-chan.”
”Hirose-kun and Hibiki-chan are…”
Those two were close by, passed out in an embrace. But they were breathing fine, confirming they were safe.
”Kirino-chan, thank you. We owe you everything,” Housaka Mizuki and her Tenchi Guild team of three approached, expressing their deep gratitude. More people joined them.
”You saved us… I can’t believe a civilian has this kind of power… Falling from that height could have killed us easily.”
”Please also accept my thanks.”
”It’s nothing…” Maki and Hirakawa of the Black Wolf Guild also thanked Kirino. They seemed mostly unhurt.
”What floor are we on? Given that height, it could be the very lowest level.”
”Isn’t getting to the bottom floor just by falling through a lake a little too easy?”
”No… Normally, you’d die from that fall. It’s a highly difficult shortcut, actually. Plus, I heard the man’s voice as we fell. This isn’t a C-rank Dungeon. It’s probably a B… no, it might be an A-rank, mid-tier, at least.” Mizuki, Haruka, and Maki took the lead, assessing the situation. Mizuki had been suspicious from the start; the C-rank dungeon had unusually high temperatures despite the snow—a classic sign of a higher-tier dungeon.
They began formulating a plan to escape.
”Hmm… For now, let’s gather all the participants together and try using an escape scroll again. If that doesn’t work…”
”…We’ll have to find the path up,” Haruka finished.
They quickly agreed that those were the only options. The first task was to gather the scattered, unconscious participants in one place.
”*Oisho*… *oisho*… *ugh*!”
Koharu and Kirino struggled to move one of the participants. They lacked the physical strength, and moving even one person was exhausting.
”Wait, this girl…” Kirino noticed.
”Do you know her, Kirino-chan?” Koharu wondered.
The woman they were carrying had beautiful, light-green hair and looked to be about their age. Kirino looked closely at her face, and then—
”Mnh…”
The girl woke up. Koharu and Kirino gently lowered her to the ground. She blinked, looking around calmly.
”Where… am I?”
”Underneath the frozen lake. Are you okay?”
”Ah, yes… My friend who came with me is—ah, there she is.” The girl was surprisingly composed, causing Koharu and Kirino to exchange glances. She politely bowed her head in thanks and walked toward her own friend, who was awake but terrified. The light-green-haired girl calmly comforted her.
”Did you know her just now?” Koharu asked.
”Hmm… Sorry. I can’t quite recall… I feel like I’ve seen her somewhere, but…”
”You’ll remember eventually,” Koharu soothed.
Kirino couldn’t place the face.
”*Phew*… almost done.”
”That’s right. Let’s keep going—”
Just as they were about to finish moving the last people, a deep, primal noise came from the depths of the cave.
”――BRROOOOAAARRR!”
”Asumi! Haruka! And the two from the Black Wolf Guild!” Mizuki instantly reacted, drawing the sword at her waist. The other adventurers took defensive stances.
”Everyone, get behind us!” Mizuki shouted to the conscious participants. A few were still scattered, though.
”Figured they wouldn’t make it easy to escape from this deep layer,” Maki growled.
”But—we can’t die before we get revenge on that man!” Hirakawa’s inner fire burned fiercely against the man who had replaced their comrade. They had to survive, capture him, and hand him over to the police.
Along with the roar, heavy *thud, thud, thud* footsteps grew closer.
”—Oh, no… You gotta be kidding me,” Mizuki whispered.
The creatures stepped into the light.
They were ten meters tall, with bovine faces and two horns crowning their heads. Their arms were like huge tree trunks, and the clubs they carried were as thick as temple pillars.
”—Minotaur Lords… and there are five of them.”
The Minotaur Lord was an evolved form of the normal Minotaur found in C-rank Dungeons. As their name implied, they were powerful, king-level individuals. Taking on even one alone was nearly impossible for a solo adventurer.
By simple calculation, fighting five would require at least ten A-rank adventurers. They had only five A-rank adventurers here. Engaging all five was impossible.
Seeing the Minotaur Lords confirmed the adventurers’ greatest fear.
”An A-rank Upper-tier Dungeon… that’s what this is,” Mizuki realized. Even though they were A-rank adventurers, that rank was earned through total achievements. They had cleared A-rank Mid-tier Dungeons, but A-rank Upper-tier Dungeons were a whole new level of terror.
”Even so… we have to try—” Mizuki gripped her sword tightly.
At that moment, the Minotaur Lords charged toward them simultaneously.
”—Aaaaahhhh!!” Several conscious participants screamed in terror.
”Full power from the start!” Mizuki shouted.
”Yeah!” Maki roared.
The battle began.
――Five minutes later.
”*Huff*, *huff*, *huff*…”
They had managed to hold back four of the monsters. But the last one was too much. Someone other than an adventurer had to engage it.
”Ice, solidify!” Kirino yelled.
Kirino was fighting for the first time. She had trained relentlessly since the signboard incident. This was the moment her efforts would finally be tested. Multiple ice spears pierced and stabbed the Minotaur Lord’s body. But the opponent was Upper-tier A-rank—that wasn’t enough to stop it.
”Kirino-chan… Hibiki… Hirose-kun…!” Koharu stood behind the line, her body trembling uncontrollably.
”Something… something… I have to do something…!”
But Koharu had already done her part. Her ‘Reduction Enchantment’ was still active on everyone, limiting the pain they felt (though it was short-term). Black Wolf Guild even had a healer to help. Koharu could do nothing more than watch.
Then, the breaking point arrived.
”*Kuh*—” Maki, with his greataxe, was being pushed back. The reason was clear.
”We’re missing something—we’re only a complete party when Shinji is here!” Hirakawa, the healer, lamented, speaking of the real Kirihara. If they had an Auxiliary magic user like him, they might have had the power-up spells Koharu lacked.
Maki’s defense crumbled.
”Guh-ha—?!”
The Minotaur Lord’s club overpowered him and sent him flying toward the wall.
”Mizuki! Watch out! Maki-san!” Haruka shouted, fighting one of the other monsters with a lightning attack. Mizuki couldn’t move. Asumi was barely managing her own target with fire magic. The Minotaur Lord that had defeated Maki now advanced on the helpless participants.
A despairing shriek, like the end of the world, rose from the participants. Even Koharu was paralyzed by the terror.
”Someone, anyone…!”
The massive club was raised high. One hit would be the end. Even with Koharu’s ‘Pain Reduction’, their bodies would be torn apart.
But she wouldn’t give up. She believed that the time and connection she shared with her three friends was only just beginning.
”Koharu-chan!!” Kirino’s voice echoed. Next to Koharu lay the still-unconscious Hirose and Rindou Hibiki. Looking at their faces, Koharu naturally found the strength to stand up. She knew she could do nothing, yet she stood.
The Minotaur Lord brought its club swinging down.
(I, watashi—)
She squeezed the hem of her trousers. “Ah…” At that moment, she felt something in her pocket. She grabbed it and squeezed it tight.
Instantly, something inside Koharu began to change dramatically.
”――――NNNGHH!!”
The roar was followed by the death-dealing blow that hurtled toward her.
”—’Reduction Barrier’.”
The moment Koharu whispered the words, her new skill, ‘Reduction Barrier’, materialized an invisible wall of defense right in front of her. The Minotaur Lord’s club slammed against it and was stopped dead.
—The ‘Black Orb of the Magic Soul’ (Makon no Kokugyoku). Asumi had acquired this Relic in an A-rank Mid-tier Dungeon. She had given it to Koharu after her hospital stay, telling her only to keep it close. The ping-pong-ball-sized ‘Black Orb of the Magic Soul’ was meant to boost the power of the user’s Gift by one stage. Nobody knew when that effect would appear; even ‘Appraisal’ couldn’t pin down the details. But now, in this moment of life-and-death, it had responded to Koharu.
”Koharu-chan!” Kirino cried out.
”But—it won’t last long…” Koharu struggled, hands thrust out, her body trembling. Her new skill, ‘Reduction Barrier’, could create a barrier as long as her magical energy held out. However, Koharu was just a civilian. She was desperately lacking in the raw stats of an adventurer. But the accumulated experience from her father’s domestic violence (DV) gave her the grit to barely hold the Minotaur Lord’s attack back.
This single, fleeting moment created by Koharu was everything.
――BOOM!!!
A tremendous shockwave suddenly rained down from above, and the Minotaur Lord attacking Koharu was cleaved straight in two.
”Eh—” Koharu was dumbfounded, unable to process what had just happened. As the dust and soil kicked up by the shockwave slowly cleared, she saw it.
”A… Black Goat?”
Standing before her was a mysterious, goat-hooded figure. From the neck down, the white dress confirmed it was a girl. The sight was made even more unbalanced by the large, bloodstained axe she held effortlessly in one hand—an axe identical in size to Maki’s.
”Ah… abah…”
The Black Goat girl looked back, confirming her rear. Then, in an instant, she faced forward and was gone.
Gone, literally. Her form had completely vanished.
”――――HUH?!”
”What?!” One monster fell.
”What the—?!” Another monster fell.
”This is—?!” And a third monster fell.
And then—the final one.
”Ah-baaaah…” the Black Goat girl finished, her muffled cry a sound of slight exhaustion.
In less than ten seconds, with a single swing of the axe for each, the Black Goat girl had slaughtered all of the Minotaur Lords.
”W-who are you—” The adventurers were frozen in shock, their eyes fixed on the Black Goat girl.
Mizuki moved to ask the mysterious girl, who had appeared out of nowhere and solo-annihilated the Minotaur Lords, who she was.
But the chance never came.
”――――’Good Sleep’,” the Black Goat girl murmured.
Instantly, all the participants and adventurers in the cavern lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground and falling into a deep slumber.
—
Summary:
The silver-haired girl is overcome by desperate loyalty to her upperclassman, Takanashi Hirose, causing her to abandon her friends and use her powerful Teleportation Gift to enter the dangerous A-rank Upper-tier Dungeon. Meanwhile, the saboteur is easily dispatched by her terrifying secret persona, the Black Goat, but the trapped adventurers and participants are attacked by five monstrous Minotaur Lords.
Despite the overwhelming odds, Kushima Koharu, fueled by her devotion and a Relic called the Black Orb of the Magic Soul, unlocks a new Reduction Barrier skill just in time, creating an opening for the Black Goat to arrive. In a shocking display of power, the Black Goat swiftly annihilates all five Minotaur Lords, only to then put all the survivors to sleep with a mysterious Good Sleep magic, securing her secret intervention.”,
—
Character Insight:
The Silver-haired Girl’s dual nature is starkly revealed: she is an anxious, apologetic girl in normal life, but her fierce loyalty transforms her into the terrifyingly effective Black Goat combatant who utilizes powerful Gifts like Teleportation and Storage. Her willingness to cause physical harm to the villain and use a mass sleep spell on her allies shows her intense focus on her mission, prioritizing the safety of her senpai above all else, even if it means hiding her true, overwhelming power.”,
—
Behind the Scene:
The adventurers of the Tenchi Guild and Black Wolf Guild confirm they were ambushed in an A-rank Upper-tier Dungeon—a difficulty level they weren’t prepared for. Kirino saves the group with a genius move using her Ice Gift, but they are quickly overwhelmed by the five Minotaur Lords. Koharu’s emotional breaking point triggers the latent power of the Black Orb Relic, which Asumi gave her, demonstrating that a deep, non-combat Gift like Reduction can still be amplified into a potent defense like the Reduction Barrier under extreme pressure. This activation is the key to the Black Goat’s timely, decisive, and secretive entrance.
—
T/L:
1 [Senpai is a Japanese term for an upperclassman or senior colleague. In the context of this story, it refers to the protagonist, Takanashi, and implies deep respect and affection, often used by otaku readers. ↩]n2 [A Relic is a common fantasy term in this genre for a magical or artifact item found in a dungeon, usually possessing a unique power. ↩]
Notes:
• Kirino – Strikingly beautiful with blue long hair (F, 168cm), Kirino is gifted with ice magic and feels isolated because of her appearance. Hirose’s Beauty skill helps her improve her self-image and social comfort, directly affecting Kirino’s relationship with her family and classmates.
• Housaka Mizuki – A famous, admired model and A-rank adventurer (F, 18yo, 162cm, long blonde hair, E-cup). With intimidating skills and high appeal, Mizuki complicates Hirose’s situation, representing the broader implications of beauty and strength in-universe.
• Rindou Hibiki – Hirose’s cheerful, bold classmate who is the first to request his Beauty skill. Hibiki (F, pink bob hair, 158cm, F-cup) is outgoing, expressive about her interests, and quickly becomes Hirose’s girlfriend after an explicitly intimate scene. Her reactions help set the adult tone of the story.
• Kushima Koharu – A reserved, literature-loving girl (F, 156cm, G-cup, black braid) who struggles with family problems, including bruises and emotional stress. She experiences dramatic physical and emotional improvements after Hirose’s skill use, revealing a hidden wild side during explicit nighttime encounters.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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