Volume 4 Chapter 19 The Bronze Statue of the Left Leg
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
After midterms, we went back into the dungeon. We made it to the 15th floor without any trouble. Today, we planned to “cleanse” our fourth Unique Variant.
The situation was almost the same as when we fought the Unique Variant on the 10th floor. The only difference was Risa’s gear. Since we were up against a Bronze statue1, she brought an assault rifle with a grenade launcher for fire rounds.
Having already dealt with two of them, the group was nervous but not stiff—a good, steady mindset. Before going in, we talked with Komoda-kun and his group at the entrance. Seeing how we acted, Komoda-kun seemed to realize that worrying too much wouldn’t help.
”We won’t tell you not to fight, but please be careful,” Komoda said.
The Komoda group saw us off, and we went into the dungeon. Coming out of the back alley, the arcade of the 15th floor stretched out ahead.
’This way,’ Hinoki said.
Hinoki, now materialized, led the way.
As usual, Aberrations showed up in the passages and plazas. From the 11th floor on, more types had appeared.
The new wandering-type Aberration was the cockroach. A swarm of palm-sized cockroaches rushing at you is terrifying.
The first time we saw them, even though Koki-san had warned us, everyone froze for a second. The gut-level disgust was strong. The two at the front flinched but still wiped them out cleanly.
What makes cockroaches a pain is that they fly at you to ram and explode when destroyed. Their defense is low; one sword slash kills them. But if you get carried away and take down several in a row, you’ll get caught in the chain of explosions and take heavy damage.
There’s a one-second delay from when they’re hit until they blow up, so as long as you put about a meter between them and you, it’s fine. Not a big deal in a one-on-one fight, but a real pain in a swarm.
Yui-ka and Asari used their defensive sorcery more often to deal with the cockroaches.
Asari’s defensive sorcery blocks enemy attacks. No doubt about that, but it doesn’t block everything without question. She has to choose which attacks to stop and which to let through—delicate settings.
Keeping defensive sorcery up to block many types of attacks at once uses a lot of Mana. In the dungeon, we only block the most dangerous attacks.
The new standby-type Aberration was the “Obachan” (old lady).
A housewife from another time. An old woman who looked like a nosy neighbor appeared as an Aberration. She only appears with Yankee or Lady-type Aberrations; she never comes alone. She’s an Aberration that makes the other Aberrations stronger. Think of her as the boss of a delinquent gang.
Since she tries to get away from us, it’s best to snipe her with Risa or Chifumi.
Compared to the retired Yui-ka, her raw stats are weaker than the Yankees, so a few hits take her down.
The boosted Yankees are annoying, but not enough to break our formation. It’s even easier if you take out the Obachan first.
Once we set up plans for how enemies appeared, the danger on the way was low. Saving Mana, we reached the plaza with the Bronze statue.
”That’s it,” I said.
”That’s our target, the Bronze statue~” Risa added.
We spotted the Bronze statue before entering the plaza. This time, its left leg was bigger. Since the metal piece we’d get from cleansing that was the left leg, this would complete all four limbs.
”Everyone, ready?” I asked.
”””””Yes””””” they replied.
A solid answer from the team. We’d already gone over the plan. No need to hesitate now that we’d come this far. We would beat the Bronze statue ourselves.
”Let’s go!” I commanded.
Yurina took the lead and charged into the plaza.
Eight Ladies and an Obachan appeared. While the two at the front held the Ladies back as usual, we sniped the Obachan. With eight of them, I summoned Clam to cast confusion sorcery. Chifumi covered for Yurina and Mitsuki to save their stamina, and we cleared all the Aberrations.
What was left were two Uniform patches.
Checking that everyone was ready, I picked them up.
The air changed at once, and the Bronze statue started to move.
But its movement was different from the last three. The Bronze statue vanished in an instant. A chill ran down my neck. Rei was signaling extreme danger.
I twisted my body and ducked my head. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Bronze statue’s arm pass through where my neck had been. It had crossed the nearly 10 meters from the pedestal to me in an instant.
”Minoru!!” Chifumi screamed.
Chifumi attacked the Bronze statue.
A water-stream sorcery hit the Bronze statue straight on. But it stayed frozen in the pose of swinging its arm. It hit its “stop” timing, and Chifumi’s attack was blocked.
The torrent, lasting several seconds, forced the Bronze statue back once it moved again. It was pushed to the edge of the plaza and stopped.
”……”
Everyone was silent.
The Bronze statue’s speed was beyond what we expected. The last three had gotten faster in a 1→2→3 pattern, so we thought the next would be 4. But this one was around 10, no exaggeration.
An ugly thought crossed my mind.
As if it didn’t care about our shock, the Bronze statue started moving again. I thought its shape at the edge of the plaza shimmered, and the next moment it was right in front of me. A tingle hit my chest. Giving up on dodging, I braced myself. I crossed my arms.
’Big Brother!’ Hinoki shouted.
Hinoki, now materialized, stepped between the Bronze statue’s fist and my arms, blocking the punch.
Crack, Hinoki’s shell made a sound.
’Guh…!’ Hinoki grunted.
The Bronze statue’s raw attack power didn’t seem that high, and Hinoki was fine.
Hinoki twisted and struck back with their head; a metallic screech came from the Bronze statue. It wasn’t badly hurt. The attack was nullified.
”Huff…!” I breathed.
”Hah…!! 1″ Mitsuki yelled.
As Hinoki and I moved away from the Bronze statue, which had stopped moving, Mitsuki and Yurina attacked from behind.
They struck at different times to match when it would start moving. Because of where we were, Mitsuki landed first, bringing her Kanabo down from above. It was deflected by the Bronze statue while it was still in its invincible state.
Yurina followed with a side-swipe toward the Bronze statue.
At that moment, it started moving. It dodged a little, but the blade covered in severing sorcery cut deep into the Bronze statue’s left upper arm.
The Bronze statue’s counter-fist headed for Yurina but was stopped by a wall from Asari.
Good timing. After a few blows with Yurina, the Bronze statue stopped completely.
”Risa!” I called.
”Get back!” Risa replied.
Yurina pulled away from the still Bronze statue.
With a crack, an incendiary shell fired from the grenade unit of Risa’s magic pistol. A direct hit. The Bronze statue was engulfed in flames.
Then it vanished from that spot. Shrouded in flames, its surface warped, the Bronze statue appeared in front of me, crouched. A tingle in my left thigh.
I wrapped Hinoki around my leg to shield myself from the low kick. The ice shield Chifumi made just before contact helped reduce the force, so the damage to Yui-ka and me was light.
I instinctively fired one shockwave back. This time, it wasn’t blocked by invincibility. The Bronze statue was knocked back and attacked again. On the third exchange, it stopped moving.
It started moving a few seconds later and came running at me as I tried to pull back.
At this point, I finally started to figure out the Bronze statue’s behavior.
I don’t know exactly why, but this thing targets me. If there are dangerous opponents like Yurina or Mitsuki nearby, it responds to them, but if everyone backs off, it focuses on me.
Also…
I stopped Mitsuki and the others from getting close, chose not to move away from the stopped Bronze statue, and kept fighting up close.
I kept trading blows with the Bronze statue as it moved. The speed of our punches was about what I’d expected before the fight. We could handle it if we stayed calm.
I fired a shock sorcery the moment the Bronze statue, after stopping, started moving again.
The Bronze statue, outside its invincible state, was blown back, hit the pedestal in the center of the plaza, and stopped.
At the next start-up timing, its figure vanished and appeared to my left.
Rei’s tracking worked. I placed Hinoki where the tingle was to block the attack.
When the distance opened, the Bronze statue used movement sorcery to close it instantly. I could just call it short-range teleportation. I’d never heard of teleportation sorcery, but that wasn’t important now. The fact was, the Bronze statue moved that way.
Once I understood that much, I could handle it.
Pulling its hate toward me, I kept it in close combat so it couldn’t teleport.
I had Risa’s incendiary shells and Mitsuki and Yurina support me with timed attacks. Chifumi gave backup. The Group skill was maxed out on me.
In case the Bronze statue aimed for someone else, Asari stayed ready to use defensive sorcery on anyone.
With the plan set, damage started piling up on the Bronze statue.
Its whole surface looked like it was melting, with cuts and dents everywhere.
Like last time, I had Mitsuki finish it. She crushed it with her Kanabo, and the Bronze statue turned to smoke and vanished.
What was left was a metal piece shaped like a left leg.
”It’s over…” Mitsuki muttered.
I heard her say it.
She picked up the metal piece, handed it to me, and I took it.
With this, all four limbs were done. I should be able to fully strengthen the boss on the 20th floor.
”Now that it’s over, the result is just like Yui-ka and I thought. But…” Risa said.
”The start was unexpected~” Chifumi added.
Risa and Chifumi also came to my side.
”Minoru, you dodging the first attack so well was amazing,” someone said.
”I’m sorry! My defensive sorcery didn’t make it in time…” Asari apologized.
Mitsuki carried the Kanabo on her shoulder, praising me, while Asari seemed embarrassed about failing her job.
”No, that was unexpected,” I said evenly. “We had no intel it would use movement sorcery, so it couldn’t be helped.”
The one I should blame isn’t Asari, but Komoda-kun. Or maybe myself for not expecting it. Asari did fine.
”The left leg goes with movement sorcery, doesn’t it,” Asari said quietly. “I do think our assumptions were too simple… but when it was the right arm, the Bronze statue didn’t use attack sorcery at all.”
”It’s hard not to think it wouldn’t use sorcery, right,” I replied. “That was exactly the trick…”
I was reflecting with Yurina.
”W-well, we handled it, so it’s okay this time,” Yurina said with a bright smile. “Reflection is reflection, just get better next time!”
”That’s true,” I agreed. “Risa is right.”
No point feeling down here.
Right now, we should be proud we cleansed the fourth Unique Variant.
’Sorry. Caused you trouble,’ Hinoki2 muttered, looking away.
”Don’t worry about it,” I said. “You protected us, didn’t you. We beat it safe, so that’s all that matters.”
’So you think?’
Hinoki also looked a bit sorry.
Nothing good comes from moping forever. Let’s wrap up today and celebrate.
”We’re moving to the next floor for now. Then we’re retreating for today,” I ordered.
”Got it~” Yurina chimed in.
After that, we didn’t run into any enemies and reached the back alley, leaving the dungeon.
Since we came out early, the only person in the dungeon management building was the manager.
I thought about going home, but remembering Komoda-kun’s worry before we went in, I decided to wait to tell him we were safe.
While finishing the buyback and chatting in the corner of the room, the group came back.
I thought they’d returned sooner than expected, but their figures were different.
There were only five of them, in white Uniforms. It was Shoji-kun.
That was rare. Shoji-kun shouldn’t be in the dungeon exploration group; he should be in the Tower Dungeon conquest group.
On the Tower conquest board in the High School hallway, he was first by a long shot. He should be able to pass easily without coming to the Commercial District.
When their group noticed us, they came over.
”Good work,” Shoji-kun said evenly.
”Good work,” I replied. “It’s rare to see you in a real dungeon. Something happen?”
”No big reason,” he said with a casual shrug. “Just thought a change of pace would be nice. The Tower Dungeon gets boring and repetitive.”
”Yeah, this might be more interesting,” I agreed.
While Shoji-kun and I talked, Risa started talking to his teammates.
”Inatomi-san’s magic pistol, is that custom?” Risa asked, her eyes lighting up. “I’ve never seen it in the catalog.”
”Yes,” Inatomi-san replied politely. “I tweaked the output adjustment system for Magic Bullets a little. Naruse-san, you have a grenade unit on your ARX… that seems a bit much for enemies in the Commercial District.”
”I’m planning for future strong enemies, so I’m testing various magic pistol(s),” Risa explained.
”I see,” Inatomi-san said. “I want to use various magic pistol(s) too, but I always end up choosing the one from the Yui office. They get mad at me for buying them and wasting money when I don’t use them.”
Inatomi-san was in the same Shooting club as Risa. I think Shoji-kun was, too. Out of the five in the group, two used magic pistols. An oddly specific setup.
Maybe because the two of them interacted a lot, they talked naturally.
Shoji-kun cut his conversation with me short and walked with his group toward the drop item window. Meanwhile, Inatomi-san kept chatting with Risa. The topic she brought up was the school festival.
”The school festival is almost here,” Inatomi-san said.
”The Shooting club’s exhibit is target practice, right?” Risa recalled. “The president said, ‘everyone must give their magic pistol as a tool,’ right?”
”Yes,” Inatomi-san sighed. “Lending our precious magic pistol(s) to people we don’t even know. It’s a cruel order.”
”That’s true,” Risa said. “But if it makes them like magic pistol(s), I think it’s okay to lend out the second-string ones.”
”I see that way of thinking too,” Inatomi-san admitted.
As the conversation went on, Shoji-kun called for Inatomi-san.
Inatomi-san looked annoyed for a moment, then said goodbye to Risa and left. Her group disappeared just like that.
I asked Risa about her relationship with that girl.
”Are you close?”
”Well, normal?” Risa replied. “She seems to also collect magic pistol(s). She has rare stuff, so we’re connected through that.”
”Rich, huh…”
”Seems like it. Might be richer than my family.”
”That’s amazing.”
Meanwhile, Komoda-kun’s group returned.
I told him we’d cleansed the Unique Variant and gave him the info that the Bronze statue used movement sorcery.
He was very surprised. It seemed the fact that the Bronze statue used sorcery hadn’t been passed down.
The Komoda family, is it really okay with traditions this fuzzy…?
I greeted him while he did the buyback and went home first.
Today was a sleepover night for everyone. After contacting our parents to say we were safe, we headed straight to my place.
I spent the night with the five of them, all excited.
The next morning, we scattered to our respective class preparations. Tomorrow was the cultural festival, and there was still work to do.
—
Summary:
The group initiates their assault on the fourth Unique Variant within the dungeon’s 15th floor. After encountering various new Aberrations including cockroaches and a meddlesome “Obachan,” they face the Bronze statue of the left leg. The boss exhibits a terrifying short-range teleportation ability, forcing the team to adapt their tactics before ultimately destroying it.
The group exits the dungeon after defeating the fourth Unique Variant, having learned that the Bronze statue is capable of movement sorcery. They encounter an elite group from the Tower Dungeon, including Shoji-kun and Inatomi-san, at the management building while waiting for Komoda-kun. Conversations reveal details about magic pistol modifications and upcoming school festival preparations before the group reunites to head home for a sleepover.
—
Trivia:
- Cockroach Aberrations are small but dangerous due to their tendency to explode after a delay.
- The “Obachan” Aberration acts as a force multiplier for other enemies, functioning like a gang leader.
- The Bronze statue of the left leg targets the protagonist as its primary threat.
- Hinoki’s shell produces a distinct metallic sound when blocking hits.
- Asari’s Defensive Sorcery requires precise, real-time adjustments to filter which attacks to block.
- Hinoki uses they/them pronouns, which the narrative notes specifically.
- Shoji-kun is the top-ranked student in the Tower Dungeon conquest rankings.
- Inatomi-san, Risa, and Shoji-kun all belong to the same Shooting club.
- The protagonist characterizes their obsession with weapons as treating them like living things, denoted by “(こ)” in the source.
- Komoda-kun’s family appears to have significant gaps in their traditional lore regarding dungeon entities.
—
Translation Notes:
Notes:
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• Risa – A tall, well-endowed Plain-folk Naruse merchant student and disciplined Onibara practitioner. As Minoru’s protective childhood friend and servant, she defers to Chifumi, knows Yurina, and suspects Komoda. Lacking innate sorcery, this reliable, tactically minded Shooting club member uses a rifle with a grenade unit and magic pistols to flexibly damage Unique Variants and harvest loot.
• B – A student originally from North Middle School who was added to S’s group.
• R – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has successfully built a squad and added multiple girls, including M and A, into his group.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• Komoda – An eccentric, polite male classmate from the influential Michinori family, this experienced, pragmatic Komoda explorer group leader provides critical intelligence on boss Aberration mechanics. Surprised by the Bronze statue’s power, he cordially approaches his acquaintance Minoru to share items, propose an alliance, and, overcoming excessive worry, genuinely wishes both their teams safety.
• K – A student from East Middle who followed N to National High School out of care, successfully remaining pure through N’s protection until a misunderstanding involving Anonymous Student 0008 led to her capitulation.
• Hinoki – Bound to Minoru, this they/them Oni-fied centipede Phantom speaks from his shadow in a regional dialect. Sharing a deep bond, they act as a protective mount, navigator, and tactical advisor. Though apologetic for the group’s troubles, they are a powerful combatant with a metallic-sounding shell, massive reptilian forms, and sharp combat eyes, wielding dungeon sorcery, venom, and chains.
• Koki – Nearly two meters tall, muscular, and handsome, this Onigahara-style second-year sorcerer and “Gold Oni” user is a trusted senior, referee, and mentor in the Sumo club. As a cautious analyst and informant, he dotes on his siblings, Minoru and Mitsuki, and provides the team with close-quarters training and critical data on dungeon structures, boss details, and cockroach-type Aberration behavior.
• N – A student from East Middle with an eccentric personality who entered National High School due to complex family circumstances and used herself as leverage to negotiate a protective agreement for K.
• Asari – A serious, intelligent Kasakura first-year, this tall (170cm+), long-haired, curvy (E-cup) dungeon explorer and Dojo trainee is close to Mari and Nagase, and Minoru’s devoted partner before being devoured by a Phantom. A defensive vanguard, she uses durable crystal barrier sorcery with delicate settings to block boss strikes, though she expresses deep shame for failing her role.
• Yui – One of the Futami twins, Yuu’s sister, Minoru’s childhood friend, and a supportive member of Manaka’s circle. This private school student has short hair with a white lock and pink/black attire. A blunt, low-tension Onibara disciple in the Shisei group, she uses knives and curse arts to manifest Clams. Usually observant, she is bubbly during exploration. She was eaten by the Phantom.
• M – A first-year student at District 13 High School and the childhood friend of Anonymous Student 0006, described as an atavistic strong-female who looks plain but possesses significant power.
• Chifumi – Minoru’s childhood friend and central harem member, this scrawny, long-haired first-year Lead Majo plays the clarinet in the brass band. An intellectual strategist, she masks a sharp demeanor with bubbly idol poses. She coordinates the team’s combat timing, gathers intel on Aberrations, and wields water/ice attributes to unleash destructive torrents, intercept magic, and restrain enemies.
• Yurina – A black-haired, refined Plain-folk Kendo vanguard and front-line offensive specialist in Minoru’s squad, wearing a traditional apron and cat-ear headband. Stoic, polite, and Chifumi’s childhood protector, she trusts Minoru’s support but dislikes the Komoda group. This decisive dungeon explorer wields a swift katana with Severing Sorcery to cleave enemies, and despite academic struggles, her cooking has vastly improved.
• Yuri – A cheerful and energetic first-year student at Higashi High who is a classmate of Shibuya and an acquaintance of Kibe Yurina from their middle school days. A girl known for being aggressive toward Hayato and displaying overt favoritism.
• Mitsuki – Tall and dark-skinned with an imposing, athletic hourglass figure, this blunt transfer student and Sumo club member is Minoru’s devoted, clingy childhood friend, rival, and ally. A top assassin candidate and Witch, she leads a vanguard party with Manaka and Koki. Shrouding her strong body in black, she uses recovery sorcery and a shoulder-carried Kanabo to finish defeated Aberrations.
• Clam – A newborn Phantom who evolved from a common clam after absorbing a stone, this entity takes the human form of a toddler with limited communication skills. Currently being educated by Tempura, she has also formed a particular attachment to Asari.
• Rei – A subjugated electric ray monster lurking in Minoru’s shadow, this group member functions as a radar that detects atmospheric shifts and sorcery. It alerts the party to the arrival of enemy apparitions.
• Minoru – A lean, black-haired student sorcerer with adult memories leads an all-female dungeon squad in a reversed-beauty world. Clad in uniform, this pragmatic, danger-sensing tactician commands Aberrations using Tatemiya magic, shadow/space sorcery, and an iron whip. Balancing academic pressure and festival booths, he risks his life to protect his sister Mai, partner Risa, and recruit Mitsuki.
• Shoji – A conspicuous male transfer student in a distinctive white uniform, this top-ranked Tower Dungeon conquest student leads an independent exploration group and treats diving as a change of pace. Entering the dungeon first, he is encountered by Minoru, works as an associate of Kotoha’s group, and maintains links to several other students within the same curriculum.
• Inatomi – A member of the Shooting club who customizes her magic pistol and discusses school festival preparations.
• Naruse – The Naruse family, an old‑money, influential sorcerer lineage and the surname of Risa, inhabits a modest estate whose dojo is smaller than the Onigahara estate’s, reflecting their prestigious yet understated presence.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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