Chapter 162 The Desire Sensor and the Sixth Piece
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Tester Life: Day 63, Morning – 12th Floor Encampment
Sanada Yakumo
Orcs brandishing heavy clubs surged through the gate, which was currently a splintering, roaring inferno thanks to my Fireball.
”Stone Spike!” I shouted, unleashing the spell directly into their path.
A heartbeat later, dozens of jagged stone spears erupted from the earth, jutting up beneath the Orcs’ feet.
”BUGYAHH!”
The stone points skittered through soles and calves, skewering two Orcs and pinning them to the mud.
”Fire Bullet! Fire Bullet!” I barked. “Stone Spike!”
I didn’t give them a second to breathe. I snapped off two bolts of flame into the brows of the immobilized Orcs and immediately laid down another bed of stone spikes for the next wave.
When I’d first learned these spells, I used to mistime them, casting only after the Orcs had already passed me – which usually meant a messy brawl. But I’d put in the work. Now, I could lead my targets, timing the activation delay perfectly to catch them in stride. It was worth the practice on the roads between floors.
Still, magic wasn’t a perfect wall. The stone spears were relatively short and didn’t stay manifested for long, meaning the smarter Orcs in the back could often leap over the hazard. I still ended up in close-quarters combat more often than I liked, but compared to the days before I had these spells, this was a cakewalk.
I tried to choke the gateway with the spikes, but the entrance was a good four meters wide. Since Stone Spike only covered a two-meter radius, I couldn’t seal the whole thing. I took the left half; Rock covered the right.
Whenever an Orc tried to slip past Rock’s massive frame, I’d assist with a well-timed Impact, blowing them back into the fray. Between the two of us, nothing was getting through.
As we held the line, an ice arrow whistled through the air and thudded into the chest of the Orc Rock was currently pinning behind his tower shield. I glanced back to see Sheena and Saizou rushing up to reinforce us, with Karen and Lucy trailing close behind. Another arrow – this one from Sanae – found the mark in the Orc directly in front of me. With that, the battle for the settlement shifted into mop-up mode.
”Phew… It eats through my Mana Capacity, but Stone Spike really is a life-saver,” I muttered.
The cost was roughly equivalent to one use of Physical Reinforcement, and the activation was sluggish with a short duration. I could double the mana to increase the range, but that just made the casting time even longer and harder to use. Still, for funneling enemies in tight spaces, you couldn’t beat it.
Impact was great, too, but it required me to be in the thick of it. Sometimes I wished I had something like the blasters from those space opera movies – something that could just blast an enemy away from across the field. But Stone Spike let me control the battlefield from a distance, and the area-of-effect was decent enough to stall a crowd. It was definitely going to be my bread and butter for narrow corridor fights.
While the others finished off the stragglers, I led Sheena into the center of the camp toward the largest hut. We found a treasure chest inside, and I stepped back to let her do the honors. Inside sat a set of black, wickedly spiked pauldrons. They looked exactly like something a raider boss would wear in a post-apocalyptic manga.
”Spike Shoulders,” I said. “Clearly meant for Rock.”
Sheena and I shared a wry smile. We were thinking the same thing.
”Well,” I said, “now that he’s had his big debut, he might as well look the part of the terrifying enforcer.”
”Hehe, true,” Sheena giggled. “We’ll have to teach him how to make a scarier face to go with them.”
”Maybe I should give him a knife to lick while he walks?” I joked.
”Pfft! Please, Master, don’t make me laugh,” Sheena replied, shaking her head.
”Haha, well, let’s bag them. Though… looks like no Permit fragments again.”
I hauled the heavy iron pauldrons out of the chest. The bottom was empty.
”The first camp had no chest, and the second chest has no fragment,” Sheena noted. “It looks like we should settle in for another three-day grind.”
”Yeah. If that’s what it takes to get off this floor, so be it. I’m getting sick of the scenery anyway.”
”Is that a ‘flag’?” Sheena asked. “Are you predicting the next floor will be another farming loop?”
”I mean, look at the pattern. It’s almost a guarantee,” I replied.
Sheena was trying to cast me as some kind of “Flag Architect,” so I had to defend myself. Logic dictated the next floor would just be more of the same, probably with even worse drop rates.
”Hehe, I’m just teasing,” Sheena said. “We all made our peace with the grind during yesterday’s strategy meeting.”
”We’ve got a solid lead, so we can afford to take it slow,” I said.
Yesterday, we’d all theorized about the 13th floor. The consensus was that it was going to be the 12th floor but with the drop rates turned down to nearly zero. The real concern was the Orcs. We expected sword-wielders and archers to start appearing, which would make the road battles a lot more lopsided. Given the dungeon’s track record, we were probably spot on.
That was why I’d decided to stop getting my hopes up over every chest. I walked out of the hut carrying the iron Spike Shoulders to find Sayaka and the rest waiting. As soon as they saw the loot, Sayaka and Karen’s faces lit up.
”A treasure chest!” Sayaka exclaimed. “Is that for Rock-chan?”
”Score!” Karen added. “Did you find the Permit? Is it in there?”
”This is for Rock,” I said, handing the armor to Sayaka. “But no luck on the fragment.”
Sayaka took the spikes and ran over to Rock, with Sheena following to help him get the gear strapped on.
”Ugh, we’re gonna go home empty-handed at this rate!” Karen groaned.
”We’ll get them if we clear every camp. Remember? You’ve gotta turn off your ‘Desire Sensor,’ Karen,” I said.
”Oh, right! Duh! Okay! I don’t even want a Permit! I don’t even like treasure!” Karen shouted.
”…Wait, what? No, that’s stupid. I want that Permit as soon as possible,” Sanae interjected.
I couldn’t help but laugh at her deadpan delivery.
”Sanae! If you want it too much, you’ll never get it!” Karen cried. “You need to play more games!”
”Doesn’t wanting something make you work harder to get it?” Sanae asked.
”No! If you want it too much, God gets petty and hides it from you!”
”What kind of petty God is that?” Sanae asked, frowning. “Are you sure you don’t mean a Demon God?”
”Hahaha,” I cut in. “It’s a gamer’s superstition, Sanae. Don’t overthink it.”
As I was explaining the cruelty of random number generators to the girls, a series of happy barks erupted behind us. I turned to see Rock fully equipped. With the massive spikes on his shoulders, he looked like a mountain of pure intimidation – right out of a classic wasteland manga. Lucy was sprinting circles around him, her eyes shining with pure adoration.
I watched as Sayaka showered Rock with praise, telling him how rugged he looked, while Lucy kept yapping about his coolness. Rock looked like he was on cloud nine as we finally moved out.
Back on the main path, we put the new armor to the test. I had Rock lead the charge; when he slammed into a pair of Orcs, the Spike Shoulders didn’t just knock them back – they impaled them. This was going to save me a lot of mana. I moved Sheena to the rear and let Rock play vanguard, effectively turning him into a spiky snowplow.
It was the most fun we’d had in a while, though the momentum slowed when Sanae missed a Green Wolf’s flank and got a stern lecture from Sheena. Sanae’s problem was her narrow focus. It’s why her accuracy was so high, but she often let her guard down elsewhere.
As I pondered how to fix her tunnel vision, we hit the third settlement of the day. I sheathed my machete and watched as Karen, Sanae, and Sayaka systematically finished off the remaining Orcs. Interestingly, I noticed Sheena doing something unusual: she was picking up a Magic Stone. She tucked the stone into her clothes and headed into the settlement without looking for any others. Her rabbit ears were twitching – a sure sign she was in a great mood.
I followed her toward the main hut alone. Inside, I found another chest. It contained a Grade 4 Potion and a Medal of Return – basically a dud. But tucked in the corner was a scrap of parchment. A Permit fragment. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
When I stepped outside and announced the find, the camp erupted. Karen started a “One more piece!” chant that echoed through the trees.
That made six. We’d likely face the Guardian tomorrow. With the group’s spirits high, we headed for the Magic Tent to rest up for the final push.
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Summary:
Yakumo successfully clears three Orc encampments on the 12th floor, testing out his new ‘Stone Spike’ magic. The group finds a new set of spiky armor for Rock and eventually secures the sixth and final Permit fragment. The chapter ends with the party preparing for a Guardian battle the following day.
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Trivia:
- Stone Spike has a limited 2-meter range and a slow activation time.
- Yakumo is now 63 days into his ‘Tester Life’.
- The ‘Desire Sensor’ is a meta-reference to gaming luck.
- Sheena was acting suspicious by pocketing a specific Magic Stone.
- The next floor is expected to have Orc archers and sword-wielders
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Character Insight:
Yakumo shows growth in his tactical spell usage, moving from reactive to predictive casting. Sheena demonstrates a hidden agenda or personal interest by taking a Magic Stone without telling the others.
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Behind the Scenes:
The ‘Spike Shoulders’ and ‘Rock’s’ appearance are a direct homage to Fudo of the Mountains from Fist of the North Star (Hokuto no Ken).
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TL Notes:
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.
• Sana – Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Ult – Lilith’s friend. Long blue hair. Succubus.
• Rock – A male Kobold summoned from a Magic Sealing Crystal. He has grey fur, round eyes, and a face resembling a Shiba Inu. He wears a leather jacket and a pilot’s cap
• Saizou – A newly summoned Goblin. Intelligent with a small horn on his forehead and jagged teeth. Wears ninja-style clothing (shinobifuku) and uses poison daggers/knives.
• Sheena – Beastman Soul-less Doll with rabbit ears and a large chest. Flawless face, approx 165cm height, F or G cup, narrow waist, large hips, and a fluffy tail longer than a rabbit’s. Now, her ego is back.
• Karen – An international student from America who often runs to school late with bread in her mouth. Considered a ‘main target’ by the protagonist. Voice acting major, huge breasts, same height as Sana.
• Sanae – She struggles with the sexual training and often shows frustration. Vice-captain of the Archery Club. Described as tall with a model-like build and sharp features. She has approximately C-cup breasts and is ranked as a 1st Rank Slave. She is Sayaka’s best friend. Black ponytail, hooded/sharp eyes, kyudo practitioner, average height.
• Lucy – A female Kobold familiar resembling an American Eskimo Dog. Now, she evolves into a Kobold Thief. Her height increases to approximately 140cm, her limbs become sturdier/leaner, and she retains a cute face. She wags her tail when happy.
• Sayaka – The academy’s premier beauty and a member of the swimming club. Currently classified as a Rank 1 Slave. She is seventeen years old and a virgin. E-cup. She has blue, short, boyish hair. Her best friend is Sanae.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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