Chapter 17

Sunday.

The weather is clear.

The temperature is mild.

Today is a perfect day for a dungeon.

I parked my bike in the bike rack and waited in front of the donut shop near the station.

A bus stopped, and a girl with green hair got off.

It was Higashi.

She hadn't noticed me yet, so I waved, and she turned around.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"I just got here myself."

It feels like a date.

Unfortunately, I don't have a girlfriend.

Higashi looked around and asked,

"Is the person you said would come with us not here yet?"

"No, we were supposed to go together, but she got a sudden call this morning saying she couldn't make it due to family issues."

"...! Really? Oh, I see."

She seems happy.

Maybe she's the type who gets nervous around new people?

I was looking forward to it too. It's really a shame.

She even made cookies for everyone to enjoy.

Despite being in a hurry, she came to my house early in the morning to give me the cookies.

When I told her this, Higashi said, "I see, she's tough."

Indeed, Milk's girl power might be intimidating to other girls.

But I think Higashi, who makes bento boxes, is also very capable.

"So, which dungeon are we going to today? Umeda Dungeon? Or Wakamatsu Mountain?"

"No, since it's a special day, I thought we'd go to a unique dungeon. How about Tennoji?"

Tennoji is the station with Abeno Harukas, which was Japan's tallest building until it was surpassed by Azabudai Hills.

There's a dungeon in the park called "Tensha" next to it.

In Osaka, after discussions about where to build the next dungeon in the city after Umeda, there was a lot of debate between Namba and Tennoji, and Tennoji won.

So, a dungeon was built in the grassy park area right next to Tennoji Station, next to Abeno Harukas.

The local area became very lively.

I never thought that just a year later, the Oshino Group would acquire the Tensha Dungeon.

"The Tensha Dungeon in Tennoji, right? I thought only hotel guests could enter."

"Yeah, but I have a connection. I called and confirmed that we can go in."

"Wait, is Oshino-san really rich?"

"Of course not. My dad is a salaryman, and my mom is a housewife. It's a pretty normal family."

The amazing one is not me but Ushizou.

By the way, he also said we could use the Oshino Hotel's restaurant for free, but I think a homemade bento from a girl is much more valuable, so we're only using the dungeon today.

With our destination decided, we got on the train.

During the ride, we talked about our families.

"Oshino-san, you have an older brother, right?"

"Yeah, but we don't live together because there's a big age gap. What about you, Higashi?"

"I have a younger sister. She's still very clingy, even in high school, which is a bit of a problem."

"Higashi, you're so reliable, it's no wonder she's clingy."

"Really, I'm not that reliable at all."

Higashi said shyly, but I think it's amazing that she still wants to go into the dungeon after what happened.

There's no obligation to enter just because you're an Awakened.

"By the way, I thought the Expo Park Dungeon was closer to your house than the Umeda Dungeon. Why were you there that day?"

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing. There was something I really wanted. I heard it had appeared in the Expo Park Dungeon before. It was in a very deep level, and it only appeared once, but I felt like I was looking for a second eel, which is a bit embarrassing."

"No, no, that's not embarrassing at all. By the way, what is it you really wanted to get?"

"It's an item called the Saint's Elixir."

The Saint's Elixir is a magical potion that pairs with the Hero's Elixir.

While the Hero's Elixir can heal any injury, the Saint's Elixir can cure any curse or disease.

---

"Is there someone in your family with a serious illness?"

"N-no, no! Everyone in my family is healthy!"

She quickly denied it, embarrassed by the loud noise she made on the train, and looked down.

Well, the Saint's Elixir is even more valuable than the Hero's Elixir, so I can understand why she would be attracted to it.

It's said that if you get it, you could live a life of luxury for a hundred years.

We changed trains and arrived at Tennoji Station.

It's a holiday, so there are a lot of people.

Especially in the Tensha area, which is a grassy park, there was an event with various stalls.

It's still in the preparation stage, but once it opens, it will be even more crowded.

In contrast, the entrance to the Tensha Dungeon, which is only for hotel guests, was quiet.

We showed our black cards to get permission to enter, left our valuables, and moved to the changing rooms.

Since we can't bring keys into the dungeon, we changed into our gear in dial lockers.

In low-level dungeons, most people enter in their regular clothes.

There's not much movement, and the temperature is neither too hot nor too cold.

I left the changing room in my usual clothes.

A while later, Higashi came out in stylish joggers.

Her short hair made her look like a sporty girl.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"You changed. The joggers look good on you."

"Thank you. I didn't want to get this important outfit dirty."

"Wait, but it's from Uniqlo?"

"Oshino-san bought it for me, so I wanted to take care of it."

Oh, you're so cute.

But if you care that much, I should have bought you something a bit more expensive.

So, we headed to the Tensha Dungeon.

On the first floor, an explorer was putting slimes into a bag.

They seemed to be for beginner training.

The beginner training starts at ten, so there were no customers yet.

We had a map of the dungeon, so we easily found the stairs to the second floor.

"Slimes are always on the first floor, huh?"

"Black Dungeons are different, though."

"I've seen videos. It's like a different world."

There are videos of Black Dungeons from various countries on the internet, and they all show level 50 monsters on the first floor, making them feel like high-difficulty dungeons.

Even if they were open to the public, climbing to the top of Mount Fuji would be a hassle, so I'm fine with this dungeon.

As we walked through the second floor, I said,

"There's a monster over there. Shall we go and defeat it?"

"You can tell?"

"I have a skill called Aura Perception. It appeared at level 10."

Veteran explorers call acquiring a skill "growing" because it's like a seed of talent sprouting as you level up.

There's a cool explanation that it's like a seed sprouting, but in reality, it's more like weeds growing.

"That's a useful skill. It must make exploring easier. I'm envious. I only have a wind magic skill."

"No, wind magic is great. It uses little mana, so you can use it repeatedly on enemies weak to magic, like ghosts. I can only use one spell at a time."

"That spell is amazing! You're like a legendary hero!"

Higashi praised me, but using a spell with "prison" in the name sounds more like a demon king than a hero.

We walked towards the monster, which turned out to be an Octopus in a Pot.

"It's a Pot Octopus."

"Exactly as it looks."

The pot is part of its body, like a turtle's shell, and grows with it.

Its attack methods are limited to ink and entanglement.

It's not a threat, and the ink disappears if you defeat the Pot Octopus, so there's no worry about getting dirty.

By the way, breaking the pot kills it.

"Higashi, want to try defeating it?"

"Yes! Release: Gust of Wind."

A blade of wind flew towards the Pot Octopus but only grazed its pot.

"Again—Release: Gust of Wind."

This time it hit, and the pot shattered.

The Pot Octopus died, leaving behind a D-Coin.

"Phew, I did it."

"Are you okay?"

"It's dizziness from using consecutive spells. I'm fine."

Using magic consecutively causes dizziness.

The higher your mana, the more consecutive uses you can make, but with low mana, two in a row is the limit.

"I missed the first time. I guess I need a wand."

"Try this one."

I took out a mage's wand.

"Eh? What's in your bag—Is it an item box!?"

"Yeah, something like that."

"Amazing! That's a rare skill! You're impressive, Oshino-san."

While item boxes are rare, they're not unheard of, so I can pass it off.

It's actually an inventory.

According to people who have the item box skill, it's like putting things in an invisible box.

It's about the size of a clothes storage box, making it a lower-tier version of an inventory.

However, it can hold more than 99 small items, so it's not entirely inferior.

"Is this a mage's wand?"

"Yeah, it came from a D-Can."

"Aren't D-Cans supposed to only contain items smaller than a can?"

"True, but this one came out. I usually fight with a sword, so I don't use wands much. If you want, you can use it."

"But—If you sold it—"

"Then I'll lend it to you. I don't use it anyway. You can return it whenever you want."

"Alright... I'll borrow it."

"Sure. There's another monster over there. Why don't you try it out?"

I guided Higashi to where two Pot Octopuses were.

"So, Higashi, you take one, and then I'll take the other, okay?"

"Sure. Release: Gust of Wind."

Higashi used the same spell as before.

This time, two blades of wind were created, not only shattering the pot but slicing the Pot Octopus into four pieces.

Higashi was stunned by the difference in power.

No, it's not just a matter of power.

Why did the number of wind blades increase from one to two!?

"Oshino-san, is this really a mage's wand!?"

"Yeah, it should be. Can I see it?"

As I reached for the wand, a loud static-like sound rang out, and my hand was repelled.

"I didn't do anything!"

"I know."

This was supposed to be just a mage's wand.

Did the appraisal result get faked?

I didn't give her a cursed weapon, did I?

I reappraised it.

[Great Mage's Wand: A legendary wand that significantly boosts magic power and leads to the awakening of spells (※Special for Higashi Ayame)]

...What?

Thank you.

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