Volume 9 Chapter 16 At Dadamajima
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Three days had passed since the regional tournament in the Old Capital.
We were currently en route to Dadamajima.
I stood on the deck of the car ferry, staring blankly in the direction of travel. Dadamajima was about twice the size of Onigashima – large enough that the ferry service ran two ships each morning and evening, making transport slightly more convenient than the other islands.
A high-speed boat service also operated, but we’d passed on that option this time. We’d borrowed a bus from the Kuga family, and Shizuku-san had agreed to act as our driver. Our group numbered thirteen in total: my entire squad, Manaka’s entire squad, plus Shizuku-san behind the wheel. We’d grown used to moving as a collective unit by now. The plan was a two-day, one-night stay.
”I can see the harbor~!” Chifumi called out, leaning over the railing.
True to her words, Dadamajima’s port was drawing closer.
”We’ll check into the hotel and then head straight to Kamikake Gorge,” I said, squinting at the approaching shoreline. “Lucky that it’s not too crowded even though it’s summer break.”
”Yeah~,” Chifumi agreed with a nod.
There were plenty of passengers besides us – quite a few looked like tourists, at least. Summer was supposedly the island’s peak tourist season, but the numbers felt sparse enough to be mildly concerning. Maybe thirty percent looked like locals. This ferry was part of the lifeline for the island’s residents.
In this day and age, having boats as the only means of transportation was already a mark against the place. The Futami family supposedly had deep ties to the island, but both Yui and Yuu were harsh in their assessments. When I’d asked them about the island and its dungeon before, their answers had been:
”Kamikake Gorge’s monsters are tough for how stingy their drops are,” Yui had said with a dismissive wave. “A low-profit dungeon. Only the eccentric go out of their way to clear it.”
”Futami family members and the sorcerer bloodline based in Dadamajima bother with it~” Yuu had added, her voice lilting. “It’s pretty dead out here~”
Sure enough, official information on the dungeon – Kamikake Gorge – was scarce. The records stored in the Futami family archives had been far more useful. We planned to make good use of those monster-related intel.
Dadamajima’s port had a surprisingly well-maintained tourist information center. A proper bronze statue stood beside the entrance – apparently a character from a famous novel set on the island.
Our destination was already set.
The bus pulled out toward the hotel.
”It looks more developed than Onigashima,” I murmured, watching the streets roll by.
My idle observation drew Asari’s attention. She turned from the front seat and answered, “The island itself is larger than Onigashima to begin with. And it’s more famous as a tourist spot too. See that grove over there?”
Asari pointed to terraced fields carved into the mountainside. Trees stood in neat rows, lush green foliage spreading overhead.
”Those are the island’s specialty product,” she continued, her voice taking on an informative tone. “They get processed into all sorts of foods. The oil is especially well-known. Lately, cattle and fish raised on the press-cake byproduct have been gaining recognition too.”
”Minoru!” Mitsuki’s voice cut through the conversation from the back of the bus. “I want meat! Meat!”
She latched onto that immediately, practically bouncing in her seat.
”Hope there’s a good place near the hotel,” I replied with a small smile.
”Looking forward to it~” Chifumi chimed in.
Chatting among ourselves, the bus pulled up to our lodging for the night.
”…Um.” I stared up at the building, my enthusiasm deflating slightly.
”This place is…” Chifumi trailed off beside me.
A hotel by the sea – or rather, a condominium from decades past? The first floor had what looked like a hotel reception, but everything above the second floor looked like rental units. The kind with doors spaced at regular intervals along an exterior corridor. Colorful graffiti – or maybe it was artistic? – covered the walls everywhere. I couldn’t decide if I should call it avant-garde or just decrepit.
”It’s fine,” Yui declared with forced optimism. “We can definitely stay here. Probably.”
”Let’s go~☆” Yuu trilled, already marching toward the entrance.
Yui and Yuu led the charge to the front desk. The employee who received us seemed professional enough, and we each got our room keys.
”Meet in the hotel lobby in thirty minutes,” I called after the dispersing group. “Don’t be late.”
The rooms defied the exterior’s dubious appearance – proper hotel interiors, surprisingly. I dropped my bag, changed clothes, and headed to the lobby. First one there.
I was lounging on the sofa when Manaka and Shizuku-san came down first. The others trickled in afterward, and to my surprise, no one was late. We hit a set-meal restaurant near the hotel to fill our stomachs, then moved out to our destination.
Since we were planning to explore the dungeon proper, we’d be entering in full gear. Which meant we’d run into that transportation restriction – we had to use public transit at least once.
So we used the hotel as our base and took the route bus to the dungeon. Gear in tow, we boarded the bus.
The gorge – one of the island’s main attractions – was a surprisingly well-developed tourist spot, complete with a ropeway. The parking lot was packed with cars, even a few circling to find spots. A massive sign at the lot entrance was covered in dense text about the gorge’s geological and cultural significance.
Personally, I was curious. But we passed on it.
The bus took a side road through the parking lot and stopped in front of a building that looked like a small office block. The Kamikake Gorge Dungeon Management Building. About the same size as the Onigashima Dungeon Management Building. For an outlying island, this was about what you’d expect.
We handled the entry procedures at the reception desk.
The paperwork was heavier than usual this time.
Our dungeon rank didn’t meet the requirements for group entry.
My group was authorized to explore up to C-rank dungeons. After clearing the D-rank “Kinpira Palace Outer Temple Area” in the first semester, our clearance had expanded a bit. Manaka’s party was the same – C-rank was their limit. Kamikake Gorge was B-rank. We didn’t have the clearance.
Like at Onigashima the other day, entry permits for higher-ranked dungeons were easy to get if you promised to go in and come right back out without exploring. But for actual exploration, you needed to submit a Special Exploration Application – informally known as a suicide note.
A sworn affidavit taking full responsibility.
The application forms stored beside the reception desk had yellowed with age – clearly untouched for a long time. There were only six left. We asked the administrator to make copies for the remaining six of us.
The administrator strongly urged us to reconsider. He even brought out records of a certain lord who’d led a full sorcerer army into the dungeon three hundred years ago and got annihilated. We managed to push through, leveraging the Kuga family’s influence to get our way.
”Please don’t do anything reckless!” the administrator called after us, his voice strained with genuine concern.
With that stern warning echoing behind us, we entered Kamikake Gorge.
Twelve people filed into the dungeon in order.
Semi-static dungeon. Open-field type. We started from the trailhead and climbed up what was essentially a cliff face. The first floor’s goal was visible halfway up the cliff.
”Well, we got in, but~…” Chifumi muttered, eyeing the path ahead.
”B-rank, sure enough,” Asari said, her voice tight. “That ominous presence is palpable.”
”The second we step out of the safe zone, we’re gonna get swarmed,” Mitsuki grumbled. “Man, this is rough.”
Chifumi, Asari, and Mitsuki voiced their impressions as they gazed at the distant goal.
”To earn a say in the Futami family,” Yui said, her usual cheer replaced by something harder, “we need to explore this place.”
”Reaching the deepest floor is the condition for succession~☆” Yuu added, though her tone carried no joy.
Eventually, we’d need to clear this dungeon too. But for now, full exploration seemed difficult. Today, we’d take the shortest route to our objective. Time to bring out our guide.
From my shadow, a garden eel – Chinatsu, or just “China” – poked out her head. She coiled around my right hand, taking the form of a bracelet. For the record: she’s a fish, but she can breathe air. Being a monster and all.
From beside China, Hinoki appeared, now about twenty centimeters tall, climbed up my leg, and settled on my shoulder.
”Hinoki, China,” I said, glancing at both of them. “I’m counting on you both.”
”Leave it to me,” China replied, her voice a soft whisper in my mind. “Also… it reeks.”
”Reeks?” I asked, frowning.
”Ancient Land Deity,” she said simply. “Definitely here.”
”That’s good, isn’t it?” I said with a faint smile. “Means we’ll actually be able to encounter one.”
”Guess we’ve got no choice but to think positively,” Hinoki muttered, shaking their raised upper body in a wobbly motion.
”So where do we go?” I asked.
”The bottom of the gorge,” China replied. “Down by the river.”
After getting China’s words translated through Hinoki, we set off toward our destination.
The moment we stepped outside the entrance safe zone, monsters descended on us like they’d been waiting.
A pack of black-furred monkey-like creatures – magic apes – with red eyes and mouths, about the size of Japanese macaques. And several small pterosaurs, just under two meters long.
We let the vanguard and Manaka’s companions handle the magic apes that kept emerging from between the trees, while me, Chifumi, and Risa dealt with the pterosaurs. The wyverns moved through the air with agility that belied their appearance, dodging our attacks and breathing fire across wide areas.
Chifumi raised ice walls to block the flamethrower-like blasts while we sniped their wings with magic bullets; once their mobility dropped, we pulverized them with shockwave magic. Their durability was low enough that a Shock spell would obliterate them – a huge relief.
The magic apes were trickier.
Mitsuki’s golden club was a poor match for the sheer numbers of monkeys with blunt and slashing resistance. Yurina’s blade could cut through their fur and hide, but couldn’t reach muscle or bone. We couldn’t land killing blows, and the monkeys kept emerging from between the trees.
Megumi and Miku were holding their own as vanguard, but they were in the same stalemate as Mitsuki and the others. Asari’s Crystal Wall was blocking their attacks, but more and more monkeys were clinging to the crystals – they’d soon break through by sheer weight of numbers.
”Disappear,” Yui said calmly, and one of the apes crumpled, its body withering under her curse.
”Sorry~☆” Yuu added, her needles finding weak points with surgical precision.
Flanking the vanguard, Yui’s curses and Yuu’s acupuncture-style pinpoint strikes picked off the monkeys one by one, bypassing their physical resistance entirely.
”Mmn… Understood,” Manaka said quietly from the rear.
Manaka, who’d been observing the battle from the rear, extended her arm. As she clenched her fingers, one of the monkeys crumpled – space itself compressed, as if folded into itself – and the creature was ground into dust, erased completely.
”That’s brutal…” Hinoki’s muttered voice came from right beside my ear.
Pre-battle intel had suggested the apes’ sorcery resistance wasn’t much to speak of. For monkeys specialized in physical defense, Manaka’s inherent sorcery – crushing through spatial compression – appeared to be a complete counter.
Manaka twirled her short staff like a baton, then stopped it in front of her body, slowly rotating it ninety degrees clockwise.
”Gyaah!?” the remaining apes screeched in unison.
With a brief cry, every single magic ape was ground into nothing. Multi-lock targeting system? Absolutely merciless.
”””……”””
Three members who hadn’t seen Manaka’s inherent sorcery before – Asari, Risa, and Yurina – stood speechless. I understood the feeling. We’d struggled against those monsters, and she’d just – yeah, I’d be speechless too.
”Nothing special, really,” Manaka said, brushing off her sleeves as if she’d done nothing remarkable.
”Good work~” Sawa said, handing Manaka a piece of dried fruit as she returned her short staff to her belt.
Manaka took an elegant bite while hiding her mouth, then noticed my gaze.
”Something the matter?” she asked, a hint of color rising to her cheeks. “It’s embarrassing to be stared at.”
”Ah, sorry…” I said, quickly looking away.
I looked away. Miku and Megumi were collecting the drop items. Yurina, who usually handled recovery duty, had apparently been too stunned by Manaka’s sorcery to get started.
Pterosaur drops: wyvern membrane. Ape drops: magic monkey fur.
We gratefully collected them. Note: monsters Manaka had erased didn’t drop anything.
We reformed our formation and resumed exploration with China leading the way. About a hundred meters in, another monster wave hit. The first floor’s monsters were the same: magic apes and pterosaurs. We dispatched them the same way and pressed on.
After repelling four attacks, we finally arrived at the area corresponding to the bottom of the gorge.
We’d spotted a path up the cliff right after the last attack. Following that would likely lead to stairs, but China directed us down a side path – one we never would’ve noticed or considered entering without guidance.
”Here,” Hinoki said, their voice carrying finality.
We stopped at Hinoki’s signal.
A small stream lay before us, clear water flowing with a soft murmur. The area was somewhat open, but considering the monkeys that could attack from between the trees, this wasn’t a place I’d want to take a break. A spot of that kind.
So the Ancient Land Deity was here…?
—
Summary:
The party has arrived at Dadamajima, checked into a questionable seaside hotel, and entered the B-rank Kamikake Gorge dungeon despite rank restrictions. After battling through multiple waves of magic apes and pterosaurs – with Manaka demonstrating devastating spatial compression magic – they’ve reached the gorge bottom guided by China and Hinoki. The Ancient Land Deity they’re seeking is now within reach, though its exact nature and intentions remain unknown.
—
Trivia:
Dadamajima is roughly twice the size of Onigashima and has more developed transportation infrastructure.
The Futami family has deep ties to the island but maintains harsh assessments of its dungeon.
Kamikake Gorge is a B-rank dungeon with stingy drops and tough monsters – only eccentric sorcerers bother clearing it.
The group had to submit a Special Exploration Application (suicide note) to enter due to insufficient dungeon rank.
A lord led a full sorcerer army into the dungeon 300 years ago and was completely annihilated.
Manaka’s inherent sorcery involves spatial compression – she can crush targets by folding space itself.
Monsters erased by Manaka’s spatial magic leave no drop items.
The first floor monsters are exclusively magic apes and small pterosaurs.
China is a garden eel monster who can breathe air and acts as a guide.
Hinoki can detect Ancient Land Deities by scent and serves as translator for China.
Notes:
• T – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has recruited K and N from East Middle into his group.
• Shizuku – Job: Kuga family servant/attendant; Relationship: Branch family member; chauffeur; Note: Childhood acquaintance of narrator.
• Manaka – Manaka Kuga is an elegant, sharp-featured Shisei High student, authoritative circle leader, and strategist for the top-tier Kuga family’s Founding Strong-Females. Minoru’s refined yet direct childhood friend, she uses a short staff for spatial/air-shaping sorcery. Known for her aristocratic bearing and “-chan” honorific, she manages security, led a year-long deception, and orchestrated an exchange battle request.
• Kuga – Worn on Manaka and Marin’s garments to symbolize kinship, the Kuga family name carries heavy social weight and authority. This distant lineage, marking the farthest point from the narrator’s home, has a strained relationship with the Tatemiya family due to Minoru being abandoned by Manaka. A family member working as hotel staff also reports Anri’s visit to the sealed dungeon.
• A – A student from South Middle School described as an idol who has been recruited into R’s high school squad.
• 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.
• 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.
• S – A first-year student at District 13 High School who has taken B from North Middle into his squad.
• Chifumi – Eldest daughter of the Takino residence, this 160cm, J-cup kimono-clad sorcerer is Minoru’s childhood friend, Lead Majo, and trusted partner. Sporting a long brown side-tail, her bright, casual personality bridges his group with Manaka’s companions. Wielding a staff with flowing ice/water magic, she manages household admin and rearguard combat while secretly protecting him from the truth.
• Futami – The family name of twins Yui and Yuu, and their younger sister Mai. It carries a lower social standing, which factored into the group’s concerns about Yuu’s ability to lead at Shisei High School.
• Yui – Yuu’s older twin sister, this blunt Shisei student from an upper-middle sorcerer line has short hair with a white lock and a downer Jirai-kei, pink/black gothic-lolita look. Minoru’s childhood friend and a protective, mocking member of Manaka’s circle, she defends Yuu and shares guilt in their deception. Composed but critical, she wields a knife and venom-sorcery before being eaten by the Phantom.
• Yuu – Minoru’s childhood friend and Yui’s twin, this Futami twin is a Mid-guard in Manaka’s group. Dressed in a striped swimsuit or Jirai-kei/gothic-lolita fashion, she underwent a character shift from soft and timid to bubbly with sharp commentary. A needle-using Shape-Proxy Sorcery user who teases Minoru, she motivated the Founding Strong-Females’ plan before being eaten by the Phantom.
• Asari – A tall (175cm), braided black-haired Kasakura honor student with an E-cup, this analytical, quiet, and pragmatic science-track strategist serves as Minoru’s devoted partner and Risa’s future host. Close to Mari and Nagase, she uses a hand-armor gauntlet and Silicic Armor to manifest crystal barriers, switching between Vanguard and Mid-guard. Polite yet lecturing, she is currently recovering from mana exhaustion.
• Mitsuki – Eldest daughter of the Onigahara estate, this 188 cm science-track classmate has short brown hair, a lean athletic build, an I-cup, and a mischievous grin. A determined vanguard and healer in Minoru’s group, she uses a golden mace and Oni-Transformation Sorcery. She bickers friendlily with Minoru, coordinates with Manaka’s companions, and uses recovery magic for service play and training.
• Minoru – The protagonist and narrator is a black-haired Demon reincarnated from Japan, standing 183cm with sharp eyes. Pragmatic yet internally hurt, this eldest Tatemiya son wrongly believed his childhood friends abandoned him. Serving as ‘master’ to a mixed female group, he uses inherent spatial manipulation sorcery to command a handgun and subjugated monsters like Pape in mid-guard combat.
• 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.
• China – Garden eel monster with air-breathing capability. Takes bracelet form around Minoru’s hand. Guides the party through dungeon navigation. Communicates telepathically or through Hinoki translation.
• Hinoki – An older classmate and powerful anomaly who speaks with a warm, blunt, Kansai-influenced dialect. Using they/them pronouns, they have a shy yet contrary personality and interact casually with the protagonist. As a mediator in the supernatural community, they secure bodies and support others, having bestowed fragments of their power upon Pape, Kram, and Risa.
• Risa – A curious humanities student (167cm, light brown semi-long hair, H-cup, black eyes) and the youngest Naruse sister. Playfully assertive and protective of Minoru’s group, this mid-guard sorcerer has no inherent magic but wields magic pistols and Hinoki’s power. When Asunaro takes control, her eyes turn red, enabling fire and lightning sorcery. She is also known to bake cookies for Tatemiya.
• Yurina – A stoic, analytical 165cm Plain-folk vanguard with a black ponytail and G-cup. A humanities student and eldest daughter of seven, she uses a katana and Severing Sorcery in Minoru’s party. She protects Chifumi, fights alongside Mitsuki, and addresses Minoru-sama with polite deference. Efficient and loyal, she trusts his judgment despite feeling unsettled by his escalating violence.
• Yuri – A cheerful, energetic, and curvy Higashi High first-year student dating Shibuya. While calculating, she is fiercely loyal, even winning a third-place Best Couple Award with him. She was an acquaintance of Kibe Yurina in middle school. Known for being aggressive toward Hayato and displaying overt favoritism, she is defined by her intense relationships, vibrant spirit, and distinct presence.
• Megumi – A 162cm former District 13 student at Shisei High, she is a flexible-body Sorcery user wielding a naginata. Belonging to Manaka’s, Minoru’s, and Tatemiya’s groups, this plump woman has thick thighs, a generous belly, and a C-cup. Submissive, eager to please, and speaking with a pleading manner, she maintains a highly proactive and desperate physical intimacy with Minoru.
• Miku – Former District 13 student in Minoru’s and Manaka’s groups at Shisei High. Standing at 147cm with an A-cup, she has a chubby, long-legged build and a supermodel face, dressing to hide her figure. As one of Tatemiya’s “strong-females” and a courier with Megumi, she uses Heaven-kick Sorcery and leg armor. She is energetic, highly reactive, and prone to angry, Chihuahua-like displays.
• 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.
• Sawa – Voluptuous, broad-framed yet recently slimmed-down, this confident, bespectacled Nieda student and game otaku is an IT-savvy Shisei member and core strategist in Manaka and Mitsuki’s circles. An upper-middle tier green-manipulation sorcerer who uses a hoe, sickle, and scissors, she controls security. She is a competitive Onibara disciple who bluntly complains to her childhood friend Minoru.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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