Volume 4 Chapter 13 The Dungeon Field Trip and the Black Garuda Express
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After deciding to use the Lymphatic Massage Gift effect as a specialized healing spot, everyone agreed to head down to the first layer of the Skin Quality Improvement floor.
”Woah, so this is it…!”
The first floor, accessible through the Tama River Gate¹, spread out before Hirose and his companions. Eight identical doors were set up in an empty space, and beside each one, a small, donation-box-like container was attached. Ecoa explained that the mechanism required each person to drop five hundred yen into the box to pass through the respective door.
”Then, please use the door on the far right,” Ecoa directed in her formal, systemic tone. “It has already been set for entry.” That specific door was the gateway to the Skin Quality Improvement floor. Hirose, acting with a cautious reluctance, slid the door open, allowing Hibiki, Koharu, Kirino, Asami, and Saori to file in one by one. Ecoa disappeared into the depths of the door last.
Beyond the entrance lay a vast, seamless prairie. As far as the eye could see, a vibrant, green turf was stretched out like an infinite carpet.
”Isn’t this too big?!” Hibiki exclaimed, her surprise cutting through the silence.
”Well, the Dungeon Tourism floor was pretty huge too, wasn’t it?” Hirose reminded her, attempting to sound calm. “It’s about the same feeling.”
”Yeah, but still… Adventurers must have such a hard time, huh?” she murmured, suddenly pensive. “They have to keep going through places like this while fighting monsters?”
”Mhm, it definitely takes stamina,” Hirose agreed. This first layer was only F-Rank, with the monsters set to be incredibly weak, but simply walking was enough to sap a significant amount of physical strength. To advance to the next layer of a dungeon, one had to reach the staircase-like area at the very deepest part of the current floor. Regardless of how powerful a Gift one possessed, physical exhaustion was always a struggle.
As the group trekked forward, a small monster eventually came into view: a rabbit with horns, a creature known as a Horned Rabbit.
”Rest assured,” Ecoa stated with absolute precision, “I have configured them not to attack any individuals who have accessed the Master Room.”
”Th-that’s amazing…” Hirose stammered, watching the moving Horned Rabbit out of the corner of his eye. “You can control the details that precisely?” Trusting Ecoa’s words, he cautiously continued walking.
After a while, the scenery shifted from the endless grassland. Though it wasn’t a full-blown forest, trees and a small spring appeared, creating what looked like an oasis right before them. This kind of change was far more interesting than a monotonous landscape. Even though Ecoa had personally customized this area, a rest space like this was undoubtedly a welcome sight for any adventurer.
”Ah! There’s something weird over there!”
Hibiki was the one to spot something unusual after they passed the oasis. They looked toward a section of the turf that was composed of alternating bright and dark squares, like a giant chessboard.
”Shall we test it?” Ecoa inquired coolly. “I have set the trap to be safe, even if it is activated.”
”H-huh…” Hirose breathed out.
”Go on, Hirose, you try it,” Hibiki challenged, her energetic voice urging him.
”M-me?!”
”You’re the Master, aren’t you? Go on now.”
Even with the promise of safety, the mere mention of a “trap” made Hirose’s body naturally tense up. Pushed forward by Hibiki, he gingerly stepped onto the chessboard-like grass.
He took one step, then another, but nothing happened. Still, he knew a trap was supposed to be set here.
—Then it happened.
The moment Hirose’s foot pressed down on a darker square of turf, a soft click echoed. The square patch of ground beneath him sank, and his body plummeted instantly.
”—Ah…”
With a tiny, choked sound, Hirose vanished. A gaping, tread-less pitfall now marked the spot where he had been.
”Hirose-kun?!” Koharu and Kirino shrieked in unison, startled. Hibiki, however, remained perfectly calm. She was watching with a relaxed certainty, knowing Ecoa had promised a rescue.
”Ow…”
Though he had been swallowed by the darkness, only a few seconds later, Hirose reappeared, sitting hard on his backside on a grassy area immediately behind the others.
”The original specifications would have returned you to the entrance,” Ecoa explained. “However, as that would consume too much travel time, I have configured it to appear nearby for this instance.”
”That scared me half to death…” Hirose gasped, rubbing his sore rear. “The sensation of falling was terrifying. That must be what it feels like to be sucked into a black hole.”
”…Adventurers really have it rough,” Hibiki murmured, finally showing some sympathy.
”I have prepared several other traps such as this, but as it will take a long time to demonstrate them all, let us continue to advance,” Ecoa declared, lifting a hand to the sky.
”Wait, what?!”
In the next instant, the group felt something descending from the sky. Flying straight down from the center of a shining, pseudo-sun was a colossal bird monster with jet-black wings.
”This is a Black Garuda,” Ecoa introduced.
”Are you saying… we’re going to ride on this thing?” Hirose asked, his voice cracking.
”Yes. Provided you hold on properly, there is no risk of falling, so please do not worry.” The Black Garuda’s wingspan was easily over ten meters. Sensing Hirose’s unspoken anxiety about whether all seven of them could fit, Ecoa promptly summoned a second Black Garuda.
”Seriously?!”
”We will split into two groups and head for the lower layer at the far end of the floor,” Ecoa confirmed. Dividing into groups of three and four, they each mounted the back of a Black Garuda. As they gripped the feathers tightly, the black shadows soared into the sky.
”Gyaaaahhhaaaahhhh~!!!”
Shrieking like a villain in a terrible play, Hirose and Hibiki desperately clung to the feathers. Meanwhile, on the other Black Garuda carrying Koharu and the others, the use of the Reduction Barrier Gift meant they barely felt any effect from the wind at all.
Proceeding in this chaotic fashion, the party continued their survey until they reached the treatment room on the third layer.
”…I’m exhausted…”
Hirose and Hibiki’s hair was a windblown mess. Only Ecoa, who had been riding with them, remained inexplicably composed, her hair perfectly pristine.
* * *
”—So this is the pervert’s house…”
Meanwhile, Kozuka Rio was operating alone, tailing Hirose to try and gauge his true character. Her surveillance had somehow led her all the way to his private home.
”Oh, are you one of Hirose’s friends?”
A voice suddenly spoke from behind her.
”Eh? Ah…” Rio gasped, flustered.
”My, what a cute girl you are. Since you’re here, why don’t you come in if you have business? We’re about to have dinner,” the woman invited, her voice warm and inviting.
”C-cute?! I’m not cute—wait, that’s not the point!” Rio stammered, deeply embarrassed.
”It’s fine, it’s fine.”
”Huh, what…”
The person speaking was Hirose’s mother, Takanashi Honoka. Mistaken for a friend, Rio found herself gently pushed and ushered right into the house.
”I think he’ll be back soon. Just relax in the living room for now,” Honoka insisted.
”Ah…”
Unable to refuse, Rio was led into the living room and found herself drinking tea.
”…Wait, I thought he was home? What does she mean, ‘be back soon’?”
Rio had been watching him closely; she had clearly seen him enter the house with the other girls. Yet, he wasn’t here now? She couldn’t fathom what was going on. A sense of unfathomable confusion swelled within Rio.
—
Summary:
A mundane dungeon survey rapidly transforms into a chaotic adventure! The master of the dungeon, Hirose, is both terrified by a chessboard pitfall trap and then forced to ride a terrifying Black Garuda monster high above the F-Rank grasslands. Meanwhile, the stalker, Rio, tracking the ‘pervert’ Hirose, gets accidentally invited into his home by his warm, welcoming mother, Takanashi Honoka, only to realize he’s nowhere to be found, sparking deep mystery and confusion about his strange life.
—
Character Insight:
Hirose’s role as the dungeon ‘Master’ is truly a reluctant one, highlighted by his utter panic during the aerial monster ride, contrasting sharply with his companions’ calm. The scene emphasizes that even with a powerful Gift, he remains deeply human and easily flustered by the unexpected. His experience is a humorous blend of fantasy adventure and real-world clumsiness.
—
Behind the Scene:
The group’s exploration confirms the functional aspects of the custom dungeon environment, proving that Ecoa’s system controls are reliable for safe, high-speed movement and customizable for traps. The use of two Black Garudas was necessary to accommodate the group size, emphasizing the practical logistics of their adventure, even if it led to Hirose’s hilarious distress.
—
T/L:
1 Tama River Gate: The entrance to the dungeon complex, specifically mentioned as being near the Tama River in Tokyo, Japan, grounding the fantasy setting in a real-world Japanese location. ↩
Notes:
• Ecoa – The Guardian of the Dungeon Core, a beautiful entity with long blonde hair, slit eyes, and distinctive pointed ears reminiscent of an elf. She initially appears in black ceremonial robes, which instantly transform into a revealing, classic black maid uniform. Her existence was previously undetectable by ‘Appraisal’ Gifts. Her sole purpose is to serve and support the Dungeon Master, Hirose.
• 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.
• Rio – A member of the Beauty Committee who previously worked with Hirose and already holds a negative opinion of him, seeing him as a ‘playboy.’ She has short dark hair and is dressed neatly in her school uniform. She is Aoi’s friend and is currently determined to ‘rescue’ her.
• Kozuka Rio – Aoi’s best friend. She has a neat, precise look with short black hair and is slightly shorter than average. She was initially friendless, making her connection to Aoi incredibly important. She is highly suspicious of Hirose and what he’s done to change Aoi, viewing him as a threat.
• Takanashi Honoka – Hirose’s mother (F, 40yo, black medium hair), a physician with a gentle but firm personality. Honoka works in mental health and uses her own healing Gift, occasionally stepping in to help or advise Hirose about his skill’s impact and the girls’ well-being.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
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