Chapter 28 (1/2)

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TL: Thy Unsus

ED: Thy Unsus

Chapter 28 - Impending Crisis

After making Shuichi Nanami pull himself together, I explained that the crisis was drawing near without delay.

“A group of Black Death Knights, which should be in the underground 14th floor, have risen from the lower floors.”

The Nanami Girls, who were making noise, also fell silent at that terror. Surprisingly, they understood.

After all, these guys were the elite that fought hard to the underground 7th floor, so it seemed they at least understood that the things I said weren't a joke.

“Then, I will go for reconnaissance.” (k.u.miko)

k.u.miko proposed such. Certainly, looking out for the enemies movement's was probably necessary, and with her secrecy abilityHiding, k.u.miko probably wouldn't be in danger.

I took off the『Cloak of Diminis.h.i.+ng』and handed it to her.

“Go wearing this. It raises your secrecy effect. Don't fight, seriously, just do reconnaissance.” (s.h.i.+njō)

I grabbed k.u.miko's shoulder with my hand and pulled her to me, and secretly taught her wall magic and quick magic.

Since k.u.miko the no-mistake-maker was probably training her magic power a fair bit, she could probably do elementary level. It was just to be sure: you never know what could save your life at the eleventh hour.

“Got it. Thank you, Wataru-kun.” (k.u.miko)

“Just. A. Minute! What are you stealthily doing there desu!” (Ussah)

Ussah was mad for some reason.

I was only teaching her support magic, so I could also teach it to Ussah, but she had just about no magic power, so it made little sense to.

“For now, we'll retreat to where you climbed the underground 6th floor's stairs. Let's rendezvous there.” (s.h.i.+njō)

After k.u.miko nodded silently to my directions, she put on the『Cloak of Diminis.h.i.+ng』and vanished into the darkness.

Then I tried to continue the story, but the villainess-ish girl of the Nanami Girls wasn't even listening, and even boldly began saying things like “We tried to save Rindou Kazuha, who was being bullied” brazenly.

“No……. Now isn't the time to be saying such things, you know.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“Shut UP, you aren't involved! We are talking to Nanami-kun!” (Boss Girl)

They also said “You're a hindrance to the strategy meaning”, but no matter how softhearted Shuichi Nanami was, there was no way he'd believe such things now, you know?

They couldn't avoid confessing the truth of the bullying, so now they were cutting down the girls in the city, trying to restore only their trust.

They probably were in a hurry, sensing that Nanami was indifferent towards them, but they were mixed up.

In this situation where the enemy was drawing near, I was more impressed than shocked that they prioritized Nanami's goodwill over dealing with it.

For them, goodwill from Nanami was probably more important than life.

Leaving that aside, Nanami was enduring in silence while the girls said whatever they wanted up to here. When I thought that, Nanami gave a warning, as expected.

“Kurokawa Hotaru-kun, please be silent for a while, would you? Now isn't the time to saying such things.” (Nanami)

Nanami's voice was indifferent. The boss of the girls—Kurokawa Hotaru—was depressed, being told off by Nanami. It felt good.

When I was talking one-on-one with Nanami, I told him the full story. The criminals who'd breathed that lie of “I kidnapped Rindou Kazuha” into Nanami was these guys, after all.

They probably thought that it'd be convenient if they pushed the responsibility of driving Kazuha out of the town to me, the stray.

They made another person the bad guy, trying to make only themselves look clean. Kurokawa Hotaru and the girls' shamelessness was probably their survival strategy, but it was a nuisance to others.

But, Shuichi Nanami suggesting “chasing after me and Kazuha and going to the lower floors of the dungeon” was the girl's miscalculation.

And then, as a result of the simple lie, they lost Nanami's trust, which was more important than life. This was their retribution.

Shuichi Nanami also changed a little.

Before, there was no way he'd say “Be silent” to his girl followers.

The slanted-eyed girl with a high-pride looking face—Kurokawa Hotaru—glared with resentful eyes not at Nanami, who sternly warned her, but me. Her slanted eyes were lifting up even further. And it wasn't just Kurokawa—the five girls of the Nanami Girls Special Team were looking at me hostilely.

The poor girls without fighting ability probably can't do anything anyway, but I think I'll remember the faces of the hostile girls just to be sure.

Kurokawa Hotaru had her Priest and Magician ranks high enough to be able to support Nanami, and she was the girl putting in order the Nanami Girls. The other four could be judged as “support magic types” from their equipment.

I hadn't seem them fighting, but the from the fact that they had weapons in and of itself, they could probably fight.

They weren't as good as k.u.miko Kujo—a Student Council Officer, who had political power and fighting ability ranking next to Shuichi Nanami, though.

Even Kurokawa, the boss of the Nanami Girls, should have political power that couldn't be made light of. I might've turned a huge clique of the school's girls into enemies: caution was necessary.

Now, as the continuation of the strategy meeting, I brought back the conversation.

“Is it fine? At your current ranks, you couldn't cross swords with a black death knight. I said it earlier as well, but we should take refuge in a higher floor, prepare an advantageous spot, and attack them.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“s.h.i.+njō Wataru-kun, even if you say ‘the 14th floor', we can't imagine their strength. Could you please tell me in more detail?” (Nanami)

“Nanami, the boss of the underground 6th floor that you guys took on is there, right? The huge snake with many heads growing—the blue snake G.o.dblue serpent. You can consider two of them to be the fighting ability of one black death knight. That army only happened to catch sight of me, and three of them came up at once. Maybe more.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“I can't imagine two of those giant snakes—it's too dreadful, but I do understand that we can't win at all.” (Nanami)

“Moreover, the black death knight's defensive ability is higher than its offensive ability. Only physical attacks will work, and with weapons like yours, they can hardly be hurt. Nanami, with yours and k.u.miko's ranks, you might be able to shave them a little. I even used the quick support magic, and without the speed to shave them while slipping through their attacks, they can't be matched.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“I can kill them desu!” (Ussah)

Ussah shouted while raising her fist.

Her outward appearance only looked like a bunny-eared girl, but the ground vibrated by her just stamping her feet with her skirt waving, and the air shook by her just shaking her tiny fist.

Ussah seemed to have collected a considerable amount of anger because she had stopped friendly firing with k.u.miko and had continued enduring.

She read the air how it was, and I wanted to praise her talent for not just frankly speaking her dissatisfaction even without k.u.miko here, but with how it was, it may have been just a matter of time before she flipped out.

“That's right, if it's one, I think you'd be on par with it. If two or more come at the same time, even you can't deal with them, Ussah. When the opponents' attacks. .h.i.t, it's over. You're strong, so you should definitely know what I'm saying.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“I do desu……. My party was destroyed by pride.” (Ussah)

To not drown in strength and not be prideful, as expected of her. Only Ussah, who had reached the Low Master rank of Martial Artist, could understand the danger I was saying on a bodily sense level.

I think my Warrior Rank will reach Low Master soon as well, but a battle of Master Ranks is completely different from one below it.

Black death knights, which were model enemies of the latter half of Geno-Real, were equivalent to the Low Master Warrior rank.

Furthermore, that was with the quick support magic. You shouldn't fight them upfront.

“Anyway, go back. Right now, it wouldn't be weird even if an enemy attacked. While we evacuate to the upper floors, we can work out counter-measures.” (s.h.i.+njō)

Hurrying Nanami's party, I guided them to the upper floor.

I thought that we'd be much more safe if we ran home to the city, but I shook my head.

Had it been the game Geno-Real, monsters couldn't enter the city. But, this wasn't a game anymore. The city's safety and things like that weren't guaranteed anymore.

I could thoroughly imagine all the students being slaughtered if the black death knights invaded as far as in the city.

The other students didn't matter to me, but Seki was in the town.

Somewhere, we had to hold back the enemies'『invasion』. The underground 6th floor, where the ground was level, was more suited for repelling them than the unstable underground 7th floor, where there were many waterfronts.

“s.h.i.+njō……” (Mikami)

“What's wrong, Mikami?” (s.h.i.+njō)

As I was thinking about a repelling method while I stepped forward, Mikami Naotsugu called out to me.

“Do you think we can't win against those black death knight monsters?” (Mikami)

“With you're current ranks, no way can you win. The strategy of winning with your numbers isn't bad, but it probably won't work on enemies that give death with a single blow on their own.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“I see……” (Mikami)

Mikami could understand just by me saying that, he did have battle sense, after all.

This guy should be good enough if his rank was raised a bit later, but the enemies were too strong.

“Oh yeah, Mikami. Earlier, why were you on my side?” (s.h.i.+njō)

“Huh? Oh. That's because your sword was straightforward. I thought that you were more conscious than Vice President Nanami. Vice President was in the wrong for attacking you suddenly, and I didn't feel any killing intent from your sword at all, s.h.i.+njō.” (Mikami)

He trusted me just from my sword, huh? Mikami, a muscular and unrefined man, suddenly smiled carefreely, so I smiled bitterly as well, thinking “he really is like a kendo man”.

He'd have no hards.h.i.+ps if he could understand as far as whether or not a person was good or bad by only their sword, but that simple judgement of his may be right, surprisingly.

A healthy simpleness was also a weapon.

That might've been the key as to why the Athlete Corps were able to survive without their spirits falling ill in this unsparing dungeon.

Either way, I was helped by Mikami, so I had to thank him.

I fished through my rucksack, and handed the『Three-p.r.o.nged G.o.d PikeTrident』that I stole from Enos.h.i.+gaos to Mikami.

“This is the weapon that the boss of the underground 7th floor used. If you use this G.o.d Pike, even you might be able to kill them, Mikami.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“You're giving me such a good weapon?” (Mikami)

“Yeah, the usability might be a bit different between a pike and a spear, but if it's a stabbing weapon with reach, you'll probably be able to use it. Your occupation is probably Spear UserLancer, after all.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“You properly knew my occupation, huh?” (Mikami)

“I can tell by watching how you fight. The name ‘G.o.d Pike' is too exaggerated, but it's a good weapon. If you handle it well, you can also put out its pa.s.sive skill, ‘Splash Trident'.” (s.h.i.+njō)

“I see. Is it really fine for you to hand over a weapon like this?” (Mikami)

“Don't worry, I'm better off using the specialized weapon I'm familiar with……” (s.h.i.+njō)

When I showed him『Solitude』, which I was carrying on my back, after I spoke, Mikami made a slightly strange face and chuckled.

When I thought I had some deja vu, I also felt a little strange.

“……I see, when we met on the first floor in the beginning, I talked with you about something like this, didn't I?” (s.h.i.+njō)

“The one who said that line was me, though. The『Three-p.r.o.nged G.o.d PikeTrident』is too splendid a weapon for returning the favor for that battle-axe back then, but I'll gratefully accept and borrow it.” (Mikami)

Back then, he said “It'd be better for me to use the weapon I'm familiar with”.

He had given me the battle-axe the orc had. The opening was the most dangerous—surviving without that would've been difficult.

I hadn't thought anything of it at that time, but thinking back upon it now, it might've been an awkward concern of Mikami.

He was probably a good guy from the start.

“I was saved, after all, so you don't have to worry about borrowing it……” (s.h.i.+njō)

“Well, how about I pay back the loan with my fist?” (Mikami)

After saying that, Mikami the giant pushed out his huge fist, which seemed to be the size of my head, in front of me.

“What?”, I was surprised for a second, but when I stuck out my fist as well thinking “Maybe I should do the same?”, he returned a strike with all of his might with a smile. A steel fist.

“OWWe to be distant.

In the meantime, we finally arrived at the underground 6th floor.

The door of the boss room was open, so players were free to enter and leave.

The door of the boss, which had a carved seal of the blue snake G.o.dblue serpent and was at the end of where the stairs rose to, was wide open

Nanami and others had killed the underground 6th floor's boss, so we were free to enter and leave, though.

As a matter of fact, even without the key, you could open the boss door by pulling the lever outside if you moved from the lower floor to the upper floor, so even if you didn't defeat the boss, you were able to open it if you returned from the lower floor.