Chapter 30 Melee
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
…… Day 13 of the tester life. Test Dungeon¹ Floor 1, My Room². Sanada Yakumo……
I wake up in the morning and take a shower. As I brush my teeth and shave, I feel annoyed at my ‘son’—who has a morning wood even though I let out ten rounds just last night.
I buy a breakfast set and eat two things that look like Milano sandwiches, drinking coffee while reading the manga I had started.
It suddenly occurs to me that six days have passed since my last day off.
”This is bad. I was planning to take a break every three or four days,” I said to myself.
I had gotten so busy with exploration that I completely forgot.
”Okay. Whether I find the Floor 4 Guardian Room today or not, I’m taking tomorrow off,” I decided.
Finding it would be a good stopping point, but I’ve made up my mind to rest tomorrow. As I put on my gear, I think about picking out some manga for that junior high succubus when I get back.
Next, I check the inside of the leather pouch on my waist.
Inside are three Potions³ stuck into corks with holes I drilled in them. At first, I used cloth scraps for padding, but after breaking a bottle during a fight, I bought corks and made it so the vials could fit in safely. I keep spare Potions and loot from treasure chests in my backpack pockets with only cloth; since I drop the pack during a fight, I figure they won’t break.
After confirming I have one Grade 4 Potion and two Grade 5 Potions in my pouch, and two Grade 5 Mana Capacity⁴ recovery Potions in the backpack, I leave My Room.
On my way to the dungeon entrance, I see the students washing their faces at the spring.
The number of people whose injuries have healed has increased.
There are fewer people with arms in slings from a Horn Rabbit’s charge. They likely found a Grade 4 Potion in the Floor 1 Guardian Room chest or the party members saved up their Magic Stones⁵ to buy one.
In times of big injury, a party is a good thing to have. A Grade 4 Potion is 10,000 DP, which is high, but split five ways it’s only 2,000 DP each. Even so, I still find it easier to work alone.
I don’t want to fight with people I can’t trust. My life is on the line. It would be different if they were old comrades I’d fought with since I was a kid, but fighting with strangers is a bigger risk than being solo.
Old comrades, huh…
(Yakumo, this is where we say goodbye. Make sure you get back to Japan alive.)
(I’m glad I was in the same squad as you; I’d be dead already otherwise. Thanks, Yakumo. Take care.)
(Don’t get caught by some weird woman and fail to make it home, okay? See you somewhere, Yakumo!)
(I won’t get caught, you idiots. You guys better get back to your own homes without getting captured, too! Later, hole-brothers!)
Watching the students play by the spring makes me think of the squad mates I left during the final battle against the Government Army.
I wonder how those guys are doing now.
They were all survivors, just like me. I don’t think they’d die easily. They are surely in a better place than I am now. I mean, getting kidnapped twice is just bad luck.
I give a small, dry smile at my strange life as I enter the dungeon.
* * *
”Tch, another miss,” I muttered, grumbling as I walk across the burned floor of the small plaza.
I just finished the second Monster House, but there were only three wooden treasure chests.
”I’m probably the only one who would do this,” I said.
The risk and reward don’t match at all.
”A small wooden shield, a club, and copper coins… dammit!” I shouted.
The bad loot made me even more angry.
”Remaining Mana Capacity is at a little over half,” I noted.
A bit after reaching Floor 4, I drank a Grade 5 Mana Capacity recovery Potion to double my recovery speed while clearing the houses. Even so, I’ve used a lot of Mana.
”Using extra in that first Monster House is hurting me now,” I realized.
The surprise attack worked, but the fireballs didn’t hit as many Kobolds as I hoped, so I had to use Wind Cutter⁶ many times. Because of that, I used more Mana than I did yesterday.
I handled the second house well, but if I clear the last two, I’ll run out of Mana. If that happens, even if I find a hidden path, a Guardian fight will be hard. Of course, I’ll be sad if I don’t find a path at all.
”I’ll eat lunch first, then crush the next Monster House,” I said.
Complaining won’t help since there’s nowhere left to search but inside the Monster Houses. I have to clear them. I decide to take a lunch break and pick up the Magic Stones later.
After eating two grilled meat bento boxes and resting, I drink one more Grade 5 Mana Capacity recovery Potion before the old one runs out. Then, I pick up the Magic Stones scattered in the room.
I find one Magic Stone that has a different color and size.
”What’s this?” I asked.
It’s a red, clear, round stone a bit bigger than a marble.
”Wait, a bug?”
Looking into the round stone, I see something like an insect inside.
I think it might be red amber, so I use my penlight to look closer.
”A Kobold?”
What I thought was a bug was a tiny Kobold sitting inside the stone.
”What is this? An item?” I muttered.
It doesn’t look like candy, and I wouldn’t lick it anyway.
”I’ll check it at home,” I decided.
The Magic Crystal⁷ has an Item Appraisal⁸ function. It doesn’t work on Weapons & Armor and only checks Potions, so I haven’t used it much. It makes sense since gear isn’t an ‘item.’
But this big marble feels like an item. The Magic Crystal should be able to tell me what it is. It might just be a toy, but I’ve killed a thousand Kobolds and never seen this. It must be rare.
If it’s rare, it might sell for a lot.
Feeling a bit excited for the Appraisal later, I leave the house.
* * *
I reach the fourth Monster House about an hour later. I look inside quietly to plan a surprise attack.
”Hm? Isn’t there a lot of them?” I wondered.
The number of Kobolds is much higher than before. Are there more than thirty? The plaza is also bigger. Before, I only looked in quickly to see if it was a fake house.
Now I see there are ten more Kobolds than usual, and the plaza has grown to fifteen meters wide.
”Is this the one?”
A different house is suspicious. But thirty enemies… can I do it if I use all my Mana? I might get hurt this time.
”Huff… okay. I have to do this,” I sighed.
Maybe there are just two types of houses. If I use all my Mana here, I might not have enough for the last house. I feel worried, but I tell myself this is the right one.
”Okay! Physical Reinforcement⁹!”
I start my Physical Reinforcement magic and jump into the room. I shoot fireballs with triple Mana into three parts of the room.
Twenty minutes later.
The plaza is full of thirty Kobold bodies and Magic Stones.
”Gasp… gasp… man, it left a mark,” I panted.
I breathe hard while looking at the bite mark on my right gauntlet. I didn’t get away for free. My leather armor has claw marks, and a Kobold bit a hole in my pants at the calf. My iron shield is also dented from punching so many Kobolds.
My calf hurts where the teeth went through, but there is no blood.
It seems my skin is stronger now too. Between my strength, toughness, and libido, I’m becoming something more than human. Still, taking out thirty enemies with this little damage is a win.
”Man, thank God for fireballs,” I said.
Without fireball magic, I wouldn’t have touched a Monster House. It takes out so many at the start. Even here, the big fireballs took out fifteen or sixteen right away.
The rest was hard. I was fine until the last ten rushed me at once. It became a melee where I couldn’t use magic. My armor took the hits.
But it was worth it. At the back, there was a bronze treasure chest.
I pick up the Magic Stones, wanting to see what’s inside. I check every corner, but there is no hidden path.
”Nothing here? Was it just for the bronze chest?” I wondered.
Still better than wooden ones. But only one house is left. I feel tired as I open the bronze chest.
”An iron shield?”
It’s a heavy iron shield, a meter wide. It’s too big for me. My current shield is smaller and easier to move. This big one would be hard to use.
”Oh, a Grade 4 Potion… and a Grade 4 Mana Capacity recovery Potion. I’m happy with this,” I said with a smile.
I take the Potions out. At that moment—
Click!
The floor behind the chest suddenly opened.
”Whoa! What!?” I shouted.
I jump back because the floor fell out in front of me. The floor where I stood was safe. I look into the hole and find stairs.
”Not a hidden path, but hidden stairs?”
A classic staircase. The Guardian must be down there. My guess about the Monster House was right. Maybe you have to clear all five houses to find this.
This dungeon is never easy. Well, goodbye to Floor 4. I can rest tomorrow.
I have a bit over a quarter of my Mana left. Because I fought with my hands in that melee, I didn’t use as much Mana. It’s only 2:00 PM.
”Let’s do this,” I said.
I’ll be careful, but I won’t lose. I step onto the stairs.
—
Summary:
Yakumo decides to take a break tomorrow but pushes to find the Floor 4 Guardian today. He clears several Monster Houses, eventually facing a large group of over thirty Kobolds. After a frantic melee, he discovers a bronze chest containing rare Potions and a hidden staircase leading to the Guardian.
—
Character Insight:
Yakumo’s military background is highlighted through his pragmatic approach to danger and his memories of former comrades. He shows increasing signs of ‘game-like’ physical evolution, noting that his skin and strength are becoming superhuman. His distrust of others remains a core trait, viewing unknown allies as a liability compared to solo exploration.
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Behind the Scene:
The author notes that the story’s direction has fans worried that the Succubus might become the main heroine, but reassures readers that the ‘main heroine’ is intended to be a high school girl yet to take center stage.
—
T/L:
Notes:
• Yakumo – A 25-year-old human male. He has facial scars, stab wounds, and gunshot scars from his time in a war zone. He works as a school guard.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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