Chapter 43

Second day of the White Beach Dungeon Training Camp.

Dad and Mom brought Kuro to me.

They plan to visit Senjōjiki in the morning, enjoy seafood at the fresh market for lunch, and then indulge in day trips to hot springs and foot baths in the afternoon.

They also talked about my brother's wedding.

They want to discuss tailoring a suit and other matters after we return home.

"Kuro, nice to see you again. I'll work even harder today than yesterday."

Milk seems really motivated.

Since I have a potion that increases the growth rate of magic proficiency, I should be able to earn more efficiently than yesterday, but there's a limit to what can be done in a day. Magic recovery potions don't instantly restore magic power like in games.

After changing in the locker room, we headed deeper into the dungeon.

Milk and Kuro parted ways at the fifth floor as usual, and the three of us went to the eighth floor.

When a mimic appeared, I decided to fight it first.

I tested the sword given to me by the princess.

It was a clean, sharp cut.

Until now, mimics were more about smashing rather than cutting, but this time it was a clean cut.

"Wow, that's a sharp blade."

I looked at the sword again.

【Ame no Murakumo (-2): A replica of the divine sword used by Japan's first emperor in the founding of the nation. It is a degraded version and lacks the power to detoxify.】

Ame no Murakumo apparently has a strong connection to Wakayama.

If this world were a novel with me as the protagonist, readers would infer:

Wakayama + protagonist seeking a new sword = foreshadowing the acquisition of Ame no Murakumo.

The princess said that if this were a mystery novel, readers would make such inferences.

But this isn't a mystery novel, and I doubt many readers would read that deeply into it.

Besides, who would read a novel with me as the protagonist, given that my only interesting trait is my luck value?

There's also the PD generation, but that's mostly just diving into the dungeon alone.

This sword was forged by a blacksmith.

While a regular sword can be made with the right materials and skills, creating a divine-level sword requires much higher stats.

The (-2) value and the term "degraded version" initially gave a bad impression, but it's undoubtedly a masterpiece crafted by a high-level blacksmith.

If I wanted to buy it, it would cost millions.

While it can't be compared in terms of price to the substitute bracelet, which is priceless, it's a sword that the princess can lend without hesitation.

"Is it really okay for me to have this?"

"It's in exchange for the substitute bracelet you obtained. Besides, I was planning to buy a new sword for you anyway."

"Yes, it suits you very well, Mr. Ichino! Your sword skills were so cool!"

Ayame is really good at giving compliments.

To efficiently gain experience, the three of us split up on the eighth floor.

We gathered about the same number of Treasure Box T as yesterday.

We planned to go to the tenth floor in the afternoon.

Just then, I found Ako Ashizuka fighting a Red Serpent, a red snake monster on the eighth floor.

The princess and her entourage were not with her.

She seemed to be fighting alone.

"Hello, Ako. Is the princess not with you today?"

"Mr. Ichino, hello. The princess returned to Tokyo this morning to attend a lecture by a university professor. I only guard her inside the dungeon, so I'm off duty now."

So she only guards the princess inside the dungeon. I thought she was always with her.

And the princess is also a university student.

Ako closed her legs and bowed her head.

"I was very rude yesterday. Thank you."

"What for?"

"You must have persuaded the princess. She had the substitute bracelet yesterday."

"It's fine. I also received a sword."

"That sword is excellent, but to maintain its best performance, it needs regular maintenance. If you don't have a blacksmith, I recommend hiring one. If you send it to me, I can have it maintained through my connections, but since it's a weapon that you entrust your life to, it's better to have a trustworthy person on your team."

"A blacksmith...?"

Dungeon exploration isn't just about getting stronger.

Support personnel are absolutely necessary, especially for deeper levels.

"Thank you for the advice. I'll discuss it with the princess. By the way, Ako, is that... the substitute bracelet?"

"Yes. The princess gave it to me this morning as a birthday gift."

"Birthday... gift?"

"It's still a few days away, but it seems she was trying to get it for me. For my protection when fighting in front of her."

That was unexpected.

I thought she wanted the bracelet for her own safety.

It was for Ako.

Perhaps she cares deeply for her subordinates, or Ako is special.

"That's great."

"Yes, but it's a bit of a problem."

Ako lovingly stroked the bracelet.

"I was prepared to die to protect the princess. But now, I can't even do that. I don't want to break this bracelet. From now on, I must protect the princess without getting hurt. The difficulty has increased."

"Is that a joke?"

"It's not a joke."

Wow, she's serious. The princess is really respected by Ako.

After parting ways with Ako, I headed to the ninth floor.

The monsters on the ninth floor are Sahagin and Black Shell.

The Sahagin has a metal spear, so it's stronger than the ones on the fifth floor.

The Black Shell also looks tough.

The Black Shell is currently in the Sahagin's hand.

I switched from Ame no Murakumo to a dull sword.

The Sahagin threw the Black Shell.

"Sure Hit Sword"

A combination of baseball and Sure Hit Sword.

This will create a no-strikeout batter.

Ame no Murakumo would have cleanly cut it, but the dull sword allowed me to hit it back.

I couldn't hit the Sahagin, but the Black Shell was destroyed.

If this skill could be used outside the dungeon, combined with the rock-throwing skill, I could become a top baseball player.

I quickly switched back to Ame no Murakumo.

The Sahagin thrust its spear at me.

"Swallow Return!"

I struck the spear's handle from below and then,

"Direct Slash"

I swung my sword down.

Good, I'm feeling pretty confident.

Hmm? It seems I gained a new skill.

I checked my status.

――――――――――――――――――

Ichino Taira: Level 33

Cash Value: 101,572D (Ranking: 7k-8k [JPN])

HP: 515/515

MP: 170/170

Attack: 205 (+20)

Defense: 203

Skill: 182

Agility: 181

Luck: 385

Skills: PD Generation, Aura Sensing, Basic Swordsmanship, Simple Alchemy

Detailed Appraisal, Hellfire Magic, Inventory, Super Strength

Fire Magic, Rock Throwing, Heat Up

――――――――――――――――――

Heat Up... Ah, I've seen this in the skill list before.

It's a skill that gives a 30% boost to attack and agility for 5 minutes.

However, after 5 minutes, the skill can't be used for 55 minutes. It's a once-per-hour buff skill.

I don't need it now, but it will be useful in boss battles.

My luck value is growing well, and the other stats are also improving.

I can be proud of this.

I found the stairs to the tenth floor and went down, but I didn't fight here. I returned to the stairs.

I'll enjoy the PD at home. I returned to the eighth floor.

The Treasure Box T is the most valuable, so I need to earn money here to give a generous gift for my brother's wedding.

When the time came, I left the dungeon.

Today, I didn't use the conference room and went straight home, using the shower in the locker room to wash off the sweat.

Feeling refreshed, I left the locker room, and Milk and Kuro were already waiting outside.

"Milk, good job. Good job, Kuro."

I patted Kuro's head as he ran up to me.

"...Yeah. Good job, Taira."

Milk looked at me and said in a small voice.

"What's wrong? You don't seem very energetic."

"I didn't level up today. I'm still level 13. I didn't learn any new magic."

"Well, you've been leveling up every day. It's not that easy to keep it up."

"But... Ayame learned a new magic today. It's a wind speed boost that increases agility."

"Really?"

"The princess has high agility, so it suits her well... I'm worried that Ayame and the princess are pulling ahead of me. I'm wondering if I'm really needed."

I can't just say, "Of course you're needed" lightly.

The truth is, with her current level, Milk isn't very useful to us.

Saying that she will be useful someday is just a way to avoid the issue.

The princess said she would add Milk to the team when she can use support magic, but it wouldn't be hard to find someone who can use support magic through the princess's connections.

"Sorry, Taira. I'm complaining when you're tired."

"...Milk. Can you keep a secret?"

"Secret? Did you do something bad? You have to apologize if you did."

"No, I didn't do anything bad. It's just something I can't make public. I haven't even told the princess or Ayame yet—"

"...Okay, I understand. If you don't want me to tell anyone, I won't."

Milk looked me in the eye.

Looking into her eyes, I made up my mind.

"There's a shortcut to easily learn skills."

I said this and took out a skill orb from my inventory.

"Using this, you can learn a skill. There's a high chance of learning a recovery magic."

We've broken 30,000 points.

Thank you.