Volume 5 Chapter 24 I Don’t Want to Die…!!
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
”I’m told that Mizobe Aya and Okada Rikuya are both out with colds today.”
During homeroom the next morning, the classroom erupted in whispers the moment the female teacher made the announcement. A few students had already caught wind of the rumor that Mizobe-the Class Rep-had been rushed away in an ambulance.
The “cold” was a blatant lie. That was exactly why Takanashi couldn’t stop worrying about Okada Rikuya, who was also supposedly “sick.”
”Hey, what do you think is actually going on?” one student whispered.
”I heard Class Rep is only out for the day, but Okada-kun… you think he finally got busted?” another replied.
After homeroom, Hirose and Misaki stepped into the hallway, their voices low as they replayed yesterday’s chaos.
”It’s possible,” Hirose said, “but something feels off.”
”What do you mean?” Misaki asked.
Yesterday, Misaki had laid everything out for the faculty. Naturally, the school would have contacted Rikuya’s parents immediately.
”Misusing a Gift¹ is a felony,” Misaki continued. “Regardless of the scale, the Bureau of Adventurer Affairs and the Gift Crimes Division should be all over this.”
Hirose knew that protocol all too well. Back in his second year, he’d been caught in a Dungeon accident that required a full police interrogation.
”So you think he’s already in custody?” Hirose asked.
”That’s the thing,” Misaki replied, leaning against the wall. “If he were under arrest, the school couldn’t keep a lid on it. They’re being too vague by calling it a ‘cold.’ It doesn’t add up.”
Before they could theorize further, their homeroom teacher stepped out of the office.
”I’m glad I caught you two. Sorry to interrupt, but could you come with me for a moment?” she asked.
”Um, sure…” Hirose muttered.
”We need to discuss Okada,” the teacher said firmly.
The two followed her to the Principal’s office. Inside sat the Principal-a woman in her sixties with a sharp gaze-and the bald Vice-Principal.
”I’ll be blunt,” the Principal began once they were seated. “Okada Rikuya has not returned home since yesterday.”
”What?” Hirose and Misaki exclaimed in unison.
”We understand he fled immediately after the assault on Mizobe Aya-san,” the Principal said.
”Yes, but we didn’t see where he went,” Misaki explained.
”We contacted his parents immediately,” the Principal continued, “but they hadn’t heard from him all night. This morning, they officially reported him missing. He’s on the run.”
”He’s still out there?” Hirose asked, his chest tightening.
”We can’t be certain. He likely knows an arrest warrant is coming. He’s hiding.”
The Principal paused, leaning forward. “Does either of you have an idea where he might go? Any guess at all?”
The two fell silent. They barely knew the guy. Rikuya didn’t have close friends; he had “associates.” But they did know one thing. He lived for the hunt.
”You checked with the Adventurer Guild, right?” Hirose asked.
”Yes. They’re still processing the logs, but it takes time,” the Principal replied.
”I’m sorry. We don’t have a clue,” Misaki said quietly.
By lunch, the update finally hit. Rikuya had been flagged entering a D-Rank Dungeon in Aoyama the previous night. He hadn’t clocked out.
”Hayase-san, I’m going after him,” Hirose said, grabbing his bag.
”Are you insane?” Misaki hissed. “There are monsters in there! You don’t have a permit for a D-Rank dive!”
”I know. Just… tell the teacher I felt sick or something,” Hirose said, already halfway out the door.
* * *
”Damn it! Damn it all to hell!”
CRACK!
Okada Rikuya’s fist, encased in the glowing aura of his Steel Smasher skill, shattered the skull of a wandering monster. He was gasping, his lungs burning as he pushed deeper into the damp, dark cavern.
He had gone straight to his gear locker after the incident at school. He’d sent a single, cryptic text to his party members and vanished into the Aoyama Dungeon. As an E-Rank, he was technically allowed to push one rank higher, but he had never attempted a solo D-Rank run.
He was twenty hours in. His recovery potions were gone. His pride, which he had bragged about every single day at school, was now a lead weight in his stomach. He had used his Gift to intimidate a girl. He had broken the one rule that mattered.
He pushed through a set of massive double doors. They groaned open, then slammed shut behind him with a final, heavy THUD.
A low, guttural snarl echoed through the chamber.
The Floor Boss. A Dagger Ulwen². The giant wolf rose, its fur bristling as spectral blades formed in the air around it.
”Come on then!” Rikuya screamed, his voice cracking. “Do it!”
He lunged. But without a party to draw the wolf’s aggro or a mage to bind its feet, he was a sitting duck. A spectral blade sliced through his shoulder. Another grazed his thigh.
Thirty minutes later, he was on his knees. His ‘Steel Smasher’ aura flickered and died.
”Why…” he sobbed, the adrenaline finally giving way to bone-deep regret. “I was such a stupid… arrogant bastard…”
He thought of his parents. He thought of the career he had just thrown away. He had survived dozens of Dungeons, and he had let it go to his head. He thought he was a hero. Now, he was just a statistic.
The Dagger Ulwen trotted forward, no longer bothering with its blades. It opened its maw, ready to finish the job.
”I don’t want to die,” Rikuya whispered, tears streaming down his face. “Please… I don’t want to die…”
The wolf lunged.
”-If you’re actually planning on apologizing to someone, don’t you think you’ve got your priorities mixed up?”
THOOM!!
A massive shockwave ripped through the room. The Dagger Ulwen didn’t just die-it was obliterated, its form reduced to shimmering mana particles in an instant.
As the dust settled, a figure stood over the trembling Rikuya. It was a girl, small but imposing, wearing a pitch-black goat mask and resting a massive, blood-stained battle-axe on her shoulder.
—
Summary:
Following the assault on Aya, Rikuya flees into a D-Rank dungeon to hide, while the school tries to cover up the incident as a common cold. Hirose learns of Rikuya’s location and prepares to intervene, but Rikuya nearly dies at the hands of a floor boss. At the last second, a mysterious girl in a goat mask appears and obliterates the monster.
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Trivia:
- The school is actively using a ‘cold’ as a cover story for the police-involved incident.
- Hirose has a history with the Gift Crimes Division from a past incident.
- D-Rank dungeons are strictly off-limits for E-Rank adventurers without special permission.
- Rikuya has never actually attempted a solo dive until this desperate moment
—
Character Insight:
Rikuya’s bravado is completely stripped away when faced with actual death, revealing that his identity was built entirely on his status as an adventurer. His regret is palpable, though it stems as much from his loss of future prospects as it does from the assault itself.
—
Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Goat-Masked Girl’ is a recurring trope in this series’ world-building, often associated with high-ranking ‘S-Rank’ gifts that the protagonist or his associates possess.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Mizobe Aya – Class Representative (Iinchou). Ace of the girls’ swim team. Tall, blue inner-color hair, wears thick glasses. Clumsy (dojikko) personality.
• Okada – Male student and registered Adventurer. Popular with girls due to his dungeon progress. Leader of the Strong-Arm Guild. An E-Rank adventurer and high school senior. Received Appraisal at sixteen. Has a short temper and uses his status to attract women. Uses a combat Gift that makes his fists glow.
• Misaki – The class representative and a member of the tennis club. Misaki is known for being outspoken and blunt, preferring to say exactly what she thinks. Have a milk tea colored long hair ponytail, and a large, conspicuous mole near her left inner thigh.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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