Chapter 9

In the third floor of the Expo Park Dungeon.

A Horned Rabbit appeared.

As its name suggests, it's a rabbit with a horn like a rhinoceros on its head.

The power of the horn can pierce through a cutting board.

Just hearing that makes it sound like a terribly dangerous opponent, but if you're at level 10, your body is harder than a cutting board, so there's no danger to your life. However, it still hurts a lot, and it can make holes in your clothes, so be careful.

If you're walking leisurely, you might not notice until it charges at you from behind.

I have a skill to detect presence, so I won't make such a mistake.

And if you hit the Horned Rabbit in the right spot, you can take it down with one hit.

It drops a rabbit's horn.

The spiral horn resembles that of a unicorn.

There's a saying, "Rabbit's horn and tortoise's hair," but does this rabbit's horn even exist?

By the way, on the approach to the shrine, which is about a twenty-minute bike ride away, they sell the second-largest narwhal tusk in the world, and it looks similar to this.

Could this horn actually be a rabbit's tusk?

While thinking this, I picked it up.

The rabbit's horn is a relatively common drop item, but it's apparently used as an ingredient for an antidote. If you make it into a staff, it can enhance healing magic.

The buyback price is 500 yen.

I'll pick it up.

With a simple synthesis, I can make it.

There are monsters with poison in the dungeon, so I need it.

I thought about using a skill, but against a Horned Rabbit, this skill would be overkill.

After all, it's a big move that can only be used once every two hours.

It's more suitable for stronger opponents.

I heard that Lizardmen appear on the fifth floor.

They are sword-wielding creatures that resemble lizards and are the first strong enemy for those at level 20 and above.

Maybe I should go there.

I slowly start walking.

I don't plan to use all five hours.

After all, I can fight the same monsters in the PD.

If I can defeat a Lizardman on the fifth floor, I'll leave the dungeon.

The fifth floor, however, isn't much different.

It's just a regular, slightly dim stone corridor and rooms.

But there's something strange.

"No monsters?"

On the third and fourth floors, I found monsters right away, but I can't sense any here even after walking a bit.

What's going on?

Did other explorers clear them all out?

Just as I was thinking this, I sensed something.

Two presences.

One is a monster, one is a human.

The human isn't chasing the monster.

It's the other way around.

The human is running from the monster?

That's odd.

Would a level 20 human run from a monster on the fifth floor?

I considered the possibility that they were leading the monster to a trap or to their companions, but it didn't feel right.

I hurried and ran in the direction of the presence.

And I was surprised.

A girl about my age was cornered in a dead-end alley, running from a huge ogre-like monster.

I hadn't heard that such a monster existed on the fifth floor.

The girl, out of fear, had tears in her eyes and a look of despair on her face.

"Over here, you ogre!"

I shouted without thinking.

But the ogre didn't turn around.

If not, then—

I threw the rabbit's horn from my bag while running.

Blocked by its tough skin, the horn fell to the ground without piercing it.

But the ogre picked up the fallen rabbit's horn and turned around.

Its face was full of anger.

It thought it had cornered its prey, but then an obstacle appeared. Of course, it would be angry.

The ogre seemed to consider me an enemy.

Honestly, it's terrifying.

This must be what a real monster is like.

Alright, brace yourself!

I was about to activate my skill—

"Ow!"

The rabbit's horn pierced my foot.

The ogre flicked it with its finger.

Just a flick, and it had this much power.

But that's fine.

"Run!"

The girl shouted, but I had been waiting for this moment.

I endured the pain and said its name.

The name of the magic I learned from the skill orb.

"Release, Hellfire!"

Suddenly, a pillar of fire rose with the ogre at its center.

The fire magic I learned from the skill orb.

Hellfire—a maximum magic that converts all of my magic power into fire.

When I learned this magic, my magic power instantly rose from 0 to 120.

I was worried about when to use it, but its power is undeniable.

It could turn a goblin into ashes in an instant.

It's my trump card.

Naturally, I thought the ogre would be turned to ashes, but when the flames died down, the ogre was still standing on two feet.

It was dead on its feet.

Its body disappeared like other monsters, leaving behind D-coins, a large blue magic stone, a horn, and a golden club. A golden club, huh.

The golden club is heavy!

It's so heavy that it would make a hole in my backpack.

It doesn't even fit in my backpack.

But more importantly, my foot hurts!

I quickly took out a healing potion made from mushrooms and drank it.

There's a hole in my pants.

I told myself not to be careless with rabbits, and this is the result.

"Amazing."

The girl said, a bit dazed.

"Are you okay?"

"Ah! Thank you. Thanks to you, I was saved. I don't know how to thank you. I don't have much money, but I'll do anything I can."

"Take it easy. Uh, is this a monster from the fifth floor?"

"No, this is an Evil Ogre. It's supposed to be on the thirteenth floor of this dungeon."

Ogre?

A man-eating ogre.

Thirteenth floor!?

Wow, that's a strong monster.

If I didn't have Hellfire, it would have been bad.

It's a one-shot magic, so if multiple appeared, I would be in trouble.

I thought I had gotten stronger, but I still have a long way to go.

But it's abnormal for a thirteenth-floor monster to appear here.

"Here, use this. Healing potion."

"But it's so expensive—"

"I made it myself and gathered the ingredients, so it didn't cost much. The flat rate is 100 yen, including tax, so it's cheaper than a hundred-yen store."

"Hehe, thank you."

She laughed at my joke and took the potion.

She's cute when she laughs.

With her green short hair, she's probably an Awakened.

She looks about my age.

"My name is Yano Taira. I'm a third-year high school student."

"Ah! Yano-san is also eighteen?"

"So you are too?"

"Yes, we're the same age. I'm Ayaume Higashi."

"Higashi-san, you're already level 20 at eighteen? That's amazing."

"I started at level 15. It's rare, but it happens to Awakened. Yano-san is also an Awakened, right?"

"Ah, yeah, something like that."

I didn't know.

Starting at level 15 is like a cheat.

I shouldn't be talking, though.

"By the way, an Evil Ogre? Is it possible for a thirteenth-floor monster to appear on the fifth floor?"

I didn't know that Awakened could start at a high level.

Maybe there have been similar abnormal events in the past that I didn't know about, but Higashi-san didn't know either.

It can't be that my luck value activated and I wished to fight a strong monster, so it summoned a monster from below, right?

"Let's report to the manager first. It's too dangerous."

"Yes, that's a good idea."

So, I dragged the golden club and headed for the exit.

The Blue Sheet Slime waiting group on the first floor stared at me in shock as I dragged the golden club.

Then, I explained the situation to the manager.

"An Evil Ogre on the fifth floor!? Is that true!?"

"Yes. Here are the drops from the Evil Ogre."

I placed the golden club, the Evil Ogre's horn, and the magic stone.

Higashi-san and I are still in our twenties.

Of course, we can't go down to the floor where the Evil Ogre is.

We were asked to give a detailed account, so we were taken to the manager's office.

First, Higashi-san explained how she encountered the Evil Ogre and ran away.

Then, I said I rushed to help and defeated it.

I only mentioned that I used magic to defeat it.

The manager's expression was dark.

I wondered why, but it turned out that a regular explorer of this dungeon hadn't returned.

The details weren't shared, but the explorer was stronger than us and had gone deep into the dungeon, but had never stayed in the dungeon for more than twelve hours. It had been twenty hours, and they still hadn't returned.

They were considering sending a search party after twenty-four hours, and this incident happened.

Maybe the Evil Ogre had already— the worst-case scenario flashed through my mind.

After that, someone from the Osaka branch of the Dungeon Management Bureau came, and we had to explain the same thing again before being released.

Since I had to leave immediately after entering, the entrance fee was fully refunded. Higashi-san had been in for four hours, but she also got a refund.

The golden club, the Evil Ogre's horn, and the magic stone were seized as evidence, but I was paid for them.

5,157,000 yen. 5,000,000 yen was for the magic stone.

The blue magic stone was the most expensive.

After tax, the remaining amount was deposited into my account.

It's a huge amount.

It's enough to cover a month's worth of electricity for the entire town.

It's an astronomical sum.

I was surprised by the amount, and the manager suggested I consult my parents.

Indeed, this is too much to keep quiet about.

After that, we parted ways, but Higashi-san seemed a bit down.

Apparently, she had tried to use magic while running from the Evil Ogre, and her staff broke. The magic staff was quite expensive, and even with the refund, she was in the red.

Should I offer to split the Evil Ogre's drops with her? I asked, but she said she couldn't impose any more.

She can still use magic without a staff and plans to earn money in the dungeon gradually.

"At least let me buy you some clothes. Your parents will worry if you go home like that."

Her sleeves were torn and stained with blood.

She was hiding it with a towel, but I couldn't let her go home like that.

There was a shopping mall nearby, so I suggested we go there.

Higashi-san seemed hesitant, but when I said,

"Since my pants are also torn, I need to buy some, and I'd like to hear a girl's opinion,"

she agreed.

But, what if she thinks I'm a pick-up artist?

On the way back, I secretly retrieved the PD and headed to the neighboring commercial facility.

We bought clothes and changed in the fitting rooms.

I thought we could go to a high-end store, but Higashi-san went to Uniqlo, which I've used many times. She quickly decided on her clothes and bought them, and also picked out some for me.

Then, we had a late lunch at the food court.

We decided to have omelet rice at a place called Nanboku Star.

She offered to pay for lunch, but I insisted on treating her.

"Wow, Higashi-san goes to Kuyo High School. It's about a twenty-minute bike ride from my house."

"Really!? Me too. My house is—"

When I asked, it turned out that my house, her house, and her high school formed an equilateral triangle.

In that flow, we made a plan to go to the dungeon together and exchanged contact information.

I feel like a pick-up artist.

Kuyo High School is a prestigious private school where Milk goes.

Maybe we're classmates?

"Where are you going after this, Yano-san?"

"I have something I want to appraise, so I'll go to the dungeon shop and buy some souvenirs for my family."

"Appraise? Did you find something rare?"

"Yes, a ring inside a D-can."

"The D-can opened? How did you do it?"

"I sprinkled sugar on it."

"Pfft, you're joking, right?"

"No, I'm serious."

Actually, the one that opened with sugar was the dungeon drop, and this ring opened with a strange incantation, but I can't explain that without a detailed appraisal.

"Can I go with you? I want to see the dungeon shop."

"Of course."

We cleaned up the dishes and went to the dungeon shop.

The appraisal fee of 5,000 yen seems like a rip-off, but it's the going rate, so I submitted the request.

The appraisal was done in a separate room, right in front of me.

Apparently, about seven years ago, there was an incident where a magical item was appraised and then swapped for a fake, so now appraisals are done face-to-face.

"This is—very rare. Amazing, sir."

"Really?"

"Yes. The appraisal result is a Growth Ring. Wearing this ring increases your experience points by twenty percent."

"Wow, that's amazing."

I'm sorry for the flat reading.

I was surprised when I first saw it.

"Amazing! I've never heard of such a ring!"

I'll leave the reaction to Higashi-san.

So, I got an appraisal certificate.

This will be a perfect birthday gift for Milk.

After the appraisal, I looked for something useful in the dungeon, and Higashi-san's phone rang.

"Hello. What? Mom. Ah? Yes. I'm already outside... Ah? No way... Really? Yes, I understand. I'll go home right away."

"What's wrong?"

"Apparently, a body was found in the dungeon we were just in. It's already spreading on social media and in the news. Not only that, but in dungeons all over Japan, monsters are appearing across floors. My mom is worried, so she wants me to come home right away."

That late-returning explorer—was dead.

"Because of that, I have to go home quickly. I'm sorry I couldn't finish shopping with you."

"It's okay. Make your mom feel better."

I encouraged her to go home.

So, I was thinking about looking for something useful in the dungeon—when I noticed.

Her presence stopped moving after she was out of my sight.

When I realized she was trembling,

I'm an idiot.

After almost being killed by the Evil Ogre, and then hearing that an explorer was killed, it's natural for her to be scared.

I can't let a trembling girl go home alone.

"Higashi-san, let's go home together."

"Eh? But—"

"The taxi stand is this way. It's on the way anyway."

I took her hand and headed for the taxi stand.

It was a bit crowded due to the Golden Week, but we managed to get a ride after waiting a bit.

"Yano-san... I..."

"I'm sorry. I was a bit forceful."

"No, I was happy. I was scared to be alone. But when Yano-san held my hand, the fear went away."

"If you ever need a hand, I'm here for you."

I took her home and then went home myself.

Five minutes later, I realized I had left my bike at the station and walked there.

"Milk, do you have time now?"

"What's up? Ayaume."

"I have a crush."

"Really!? Congratulations. What's he like?"

"I met him in the dungeon. He's kind, strong, and handsome, and he saved my life. We're the same age, and we live close by. We even made a plan to go to the dungeon together again."

"He sounds perfect. Maybe he can learn from him... Wait, you said he saved your life? What happened?"

"Well, it's a long story, but I was attacked by an Evil Ogre in the Expo Park Dungeon—"

"That's a big deal! It was on the news just now!"

The second heroine, Higashi, has appeared.

We've risen to 4th place in the daily low-fantasy ranking.

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