Volume 4 Chapter 2 Encounter
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
When I woke up the next morning, we were still inside the cave. No one else had stumbled upon us; it looked like it would just be me and Liese for a while.
Time is a fickle thing in a cave where the sun never shines and the light never dims. My only tether to the hours was the watch stored in my Item Box¹. It was one of the few mementos from my previous life, a companion of over ten years that I’d kept alive with occasional battery changes. Once this battery died, I’d have to swap it for a magical clock. You can’t exactly find button batteries in this world. Then again, with my Magic Tool Crafting skills, could I draw mana from a Magic Stone and convert it into electricity? It was worth a shot later.
”Morning, Liese. Anything happen while I was out?”
”No, Master. There have been no changes.”
Liese lives for training, but she clearly held back while I was sleeping. She’s a good girl-earnest to a fault.
”Alright, let’s do some scouting today. No sense in rotting here.”
”Understood.”
Staying put was probably the ‘safe’ play, but the cabin fever was starting to grind on me. Hunting a few monsters would be the perfect stress relief.
* * *
We geared up after a breakfast of Orc meat and rations. You can’t live on protein alone without your body screaming at you, so I forced down some of the bland preserved food too. I’m always lecturing Liese about balanced nutrition, so she ate hers in stoic silence-a sharp contrast to the way she’d beamed while eating the Orc meat. I really should have stocked the Item Box with some vegetable stir-fry from the street stalls.
Preparation was simple. Sleeping bags and dishes went into the Item Box, armor went on, and that was it. While Liese slept, I’d even managed to wash the undergarments I’d worn yesterday; hygiene is a hill I’m willing to die on.
”First, a quick scan. Presence Detection.”
It’s the only detection skill I have. I usually rely on passive perception, so dumping skill points into active ones always felt like a waste.
The ‘radar’ picked up Orcs and what seemed to be Lizards. It looked like yesterday’s Forced Teleportation hadn’t shifted us between floors. The local fauna remained the same for now, though the population seemed thin. That might change as the Fluctuation progressed.
”Liese, I’ve got Orcs on the map. It beats sitting around here. Let’s go hunting.”
”As you wish.”
Liese didn’t bat an eye. This had been her hunting ground long before I arrived; the fear was gone.
* * *
The signals were Orcs, as expected. We cut through them quickly, staying alert for another teleportation spike. I made sure to funnel the experience points to Liese.
With the Fluctuation still active, I didn’t want to stray too far from the Safe Zone. Our efficiency took a hit, but we kept our perimeter tight.
We headed back to the Safe Zone for lunch, but just as we started our afternoon sweep, the wave of mana hit us again.
”Liese!”
”Yes!”
Knowing the drill, I pulled her close. She didn’t hesitate this time, practically diving into my arms. In any other situation, I’d be enjoying the hell out of this, but the timing sucked.
The second jump was even more nauseating than the first. I put on a brave face for Liese, but inside, I was begging the world to stop spinning.
”Ugh… Looks like we’re still in the dungeon.”
”Yes, Master.”
The scenery hadn’t changed-still the same jagged cave walls. We’d been dumped into another Safe Zone; I could see the stairs and the teleportation plinth nearby. My Danger Sense went quiet, so I let Liese go. She scanned the room, reaching the same conclusion.
”Another Safe Zone, huh?”
”It seems so. However… this doesn’t feel like the Orc floor.”
”Oh? How can you tell?”
I didn’t think Liese had any detection skills. I was curious.
”The air. The scent is different. If I had to guess, we’re on the Wolf floor.”
Right-Dragonewts have a sense of smell that puts humans to shame. Still, that was impressive.
”Good catch.”
”I’ve been here once before,” she said, her face flushing a sudden, deep crimson. She was definitely remembering the time I had to carry her out of here after she collapsed. I still felt a bit guilty about that one.
”I see. Let me double-check. Presence Detection.”
Sure enough, the pings felt like Wolves. But then, I caught something else.
For the first time since the Fluctuation began, I picked up human signatures. Two of them. One was fading fast-a flicker of life in the dark.
”Liese, I’ve got people. One’s in bad shape. We need to move, now!”
”Understood!”
I’d never done a rescue op with Liese before, but she didn’t question me for a second.
”Liese, over here.”
”U-Understood…”
She looked a bit pained when I moved to scoop her up for the high-speed carry, but she let me. Sorry, Liese, but this is an emergency.
* * *
We reached the source of the signal before Liese reached her limit. This time, she’d just closed her eyes and clung to me from the start. It was actually pretty cute.
”Hey! Are you okay!?”
”…Daisuke?”
It was Rin. She must have been separated from her party when the teleportation hit. It confirmed my fear: the Fluctuation was scattering people at random.
Rin was hunched over a blood-stained Beastman child. The kid was a mess-missing a hand and both legs. Rin had used ice to cauterize the stumps, an emergency measure that was barely holding. The child’s eyes were glassy, their breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. They were on the doorstep of death.
”…Can you heal them?”
Rin looked at me with eyes that were utterly shattered. She’d clearly hit the ceiling of her own abilities.
My Healing Magic could do it, but I didn’t have the high-grade potions needed to regrow limbs-I hadn’t found the materials yet. And I wasn’t exactly thrilled about revealing my true output to Rin, given we weren’t that close.
”…I’ll do anything… please…”
She saw the hesitation on my face and realized I had a way. She didn’t argue; she dropped into a full kowtow, her forehead hitting the dirt.
I remembered Rin standing up for Mizuki at the guild, and how she’d moved to protect Liese when people thought I was just some creep with a s*x slave. She doesn’t say much, but she has a heart of gold.
I couldn’t make a girl like that beg, and I damn sure couldn’t watch a kid die right in front of me. If the secret got out or if the authorities came knocking later, I’d just have to deal with it then.
”Keep this between us. Not a word to anyone.”
”…I swear.”
I knelt by the child. Their eyes drifted toward me, unfocused and dim.
”Hang on just a little longer. I’m fixing this.”
”I… ah…”
I squeezed their remaining hand. Just a little longer.
”Rin, melt the ice on my mark.”
”…Got it.”
The incantation for Level 8 Healing Magic, Revive, is a long one. If the timing was off, the kid would bleed out the moment the ice vanished. Rin nodded, trusting me implicitly.
”Revive.”
I held the spell at the brink of release, signaling Rin with a sharp nod.
The ice shattered, and Revive slammed into the child. A blinding, verdant light flooded the cave, so intense it felt physical. It wasn’t the grotesque sight of flesh knitting together; it was as if ghost-limbs made of pure emerald radiance were materializing and hardening into reality. It was beautiful-and terrifyingly powerful.
When the light faded, the Beastman child was whole. Their breathing steadied, and color returned to their cheeks. They were safe.
”Thank… you…”
The child managed a single, whispered thanks before drifting into a deep sleep. The exhaustion and the sudden absence of pain had wiped them out. They didn’t let go of my hand, though. Their grip was surprisingly firm.
Wait… I know this kid, don’t I?
* * *
While the kid slept, Rin filled me in. The Fluctuation had indeed split her party. I worried about the other girls, but with no pings on my radar, there wasn’t much I could do but pray.
Rin had been on the sixteenth floor when the shift happened. She’d found the child being torn apart by Wolves and stepped in, but her healing wasn’t enough to fix the missing limbs.
”…What is your price?”
”For the healing? Just your silence. I don’t need the world knowing I can regrow limbs.”
”…That is not a reward. Tell me what you want.”
She was being stubborn. I guess she was just that relieved the kid survived.
”I can’t think of anything right now. I’ll put it on tab.”
”…Fine.”
That was easier than I expected. But I had a more pressing question.
”Rin, do you know this kid? I feel like I’ve seen them before…”
”…A year ago. Mizuki tried to help.”
A year ago? The guild incident?
I looked at the beast ears and the tail. It clicked. My Mental Memory confirmed it-this was the slave belonging to that thug at the guild. Was he still beating them?
The kid was barely 140cm tall and skin and bones. They clearly weren’t being fed. I couldn’t check for old scars because Revive had wiped the slate clean, but their clothes were filthy rags, and their hair was matted with grime. This kid hadn’t seen a bath in months.
Rin’s face darkened as she realized the same thing.
”…I want to save them.”
”I know.”
”…But I am powerless.”
She wasn’t wrong. A slave is property. Interfering is a crime, and challenging the owner usually requires a duel with stakes we couldn’t afford. Rin looked like she wanted to cry.
But I wasn’t about to let that happen.
”There’s a way to get them out of this.”
”…Really?”
She looked at me, her eyes filled with a year’s worth of trauma and doubt.
”Trust me. I’m saving this kid.”
”…Okay.”
I had a plan, but it was going to be a headache. I’d need to pull some strings and maybe break a few more rules. But first, we had to get out of this dungeon alive.
—
Summary:
Daisuke and Liese explore the dungeon during a magical ‘Fluctuation’ and find themselves teleported to a new floor. They encounter Rin, who is desperately trying to save a dying Beastman child with missing limbs. Daisuke uses a high-level Revive spell to heal the child, leading to a shocking realization that the child is the slave from a previous guild confrontation.
—
Trivia:
- Daisuke’s watch: Represents his lingering connection to his past life and his resourceful nature.
- The ‘Fluctuation’: Acts as a plot device to separate party members and force unexpected encounters.
- Mental Memory: A skill used to confirm the child’s identity, suggesting Daisuke values objective proof over intuition.
- Rin’s stubbornness regarding the reward: Indicates she feels a profound sense of debt or moral obligation that won’t be easily settled
—
Character Insight:
Rin’s stoic shell breaks when she performs a ‘dogeza’ to beg Daisuke for help, showing her hidden depth and empathy. Daisuke’s willingness to risk exposing his OP healing magic demonstrates his growing sense of responsibility toward his companions and the weak.
—
Lore And Worldbuilding Context:
The dungeon’s ‘Fluctuation’ can trigger ‘Forced Teleportation,’ a dangerous mechanic that can trap or divide parties. High-level healing magic like ‘Revive’ is rare enough that its use requires secrecy to avoid political complications.
—
TL Notes:
The term ‘dogeza’ was localized as ‘full kowtow’ to convey the extreme humility and desperation to a US audience while maintaining the physical action described.
—
TL Notes:
Notes:
• Liese – Dragonewt girl, 16, grey‑blue hair, thick horns, grey scales on neck and limbs, 170 cm tall, thin chest, tail that thumps when excited. Loyal companion and former slave of Daisuke, she wields a spear, trains seriously in dungeon floors 3 and 11, Level 14, loves meat and reading, and bears the title “Two Conflicting Dragons” sealing fire/water magic.
• Daisuke – An ‘ara-fō’ (around 40) man from modern Japan reincarnated/transferred to another world. He acts as a mentor and guardian to Liese. Currently focus is dungeon exploration and crafting cosmetics. The protagonist. A reincarnated individual with an Item Box and high-level Healing Magic. Uses a ten-year-old watch from his previous life.
• Rin – Ice Mage of the JK Party: a tall, large‑breasted high‑school girl with long shaggy hair and thick chest armor, wearing a cool‑beauty façade. Quiet, stoic, speaks in short sentences, uses ice magic for emergency first aid, feels a deep protective debt toward a beastman child, and dominates those around her, especially Daisuke’s delusion.
• Mizuki – 165 cm tall, standard‑built girl with long hair, wearing modest chest armor and speaking politely; reincarnated as a Saint‑class high‑school student and JK Party member, highly formal and pious, despising vanity. She bravely confronts slave abuse, earns respect by defending the vulnerable, and often joins the protagonist’s circle at the temple, aligning with Nanami’s party. Her location is known to the protagonist.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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