Chapter 36

On the 7th floor, the Silver Wolves had a slightly darker fur color compared to those on the upper floors.

When they fought, the 7th floor ones felt a bit stronger.

"I see. There are some changes after all."

Even among the same type of monsters, their strength can vary slightly or they can form groups as the floor changes.

Of course, this is also written in the WIKI, in the section titled "Beginner's Guide! Dungeon Basics."

If the level of the Silver Wolves on the 6th floor is 10, then those on the 7th floor would be around 11 or 12.

It's a subtle difference.

But when three of them attack at once, it makes a big difference.

Even with the information, you can't really understand it until you experience it yourself.

"Wow!"

Seiki avoided the attacks while his eyes sparkled at the improved agility and strength of the Silver Wolves, which had increased due to their combination abilities.

This is interesting for the first time in a while!

He dodged the bites with his footwork,

defended against the claws with his dagger,

and when he was hit by a body slam, he redirected it with a kick from a different angle.

After dodging, defending, and redirecting the attacks many times, Seiki laughed.

It's like playing with a pet dog.

Ah, I could play like this for an hour!

"Mr. Sora Hoshi, um... Can I attack now?"

"Ah, sure, sure."

Seiki, who had been engrossed in the Silver Wolves, regained his composure at the thin voice of Kuren.

We didn't come here to play. I need to be careful.

Seiki kicked each of the three Silver Wolves with all his might to create some distance.

"Now!"

"Okay!"

This time, she didn't seem to have put as much magic power into her attack.

A thin white line flew towards the Silver Wolves.

Snap.

The magic hit the Silver Wolves directly, but it lacked power and couldn't deal any damage.

"Too weak. Next!"

Seiki kicked the attacking Silver Wolves again and gave instructions. But this time, it was a bit too strong.

The three spells Kuren cast blew off the bodies and heads of the Silver Wolves.

"...The range is narrowed down."

But the power was too strong.

"Hue... p"

Seeing the Silver Wolves with their insides scattered, Kuren's face turned pale.

She had been disassembling the Silver Wolves in front of her... but it seemed she hadn't developed a tolerance for gore yet.

The dissection of dead bodies and the dissection of living beings might have very different meanings for her.

Seiki and the others used the Silver Wolves as practice targets for magic.

By the fifth battle, Kuren seemed to have grasped the knack of it. The range was such that Seiki wouldn't be caught in it, and the power was such that even if he was, it wouldn't be fatal.

"I'm sorry. It took quite a while..."

"Is that so? I think it was pretty quick."

Honestly, Seiki had predicted that it would take the sacrifice of 10 to 15 Silver Wolves to get the feel of it. In fact, when Seiki had improved his physical abilities, it took about that long.

(He had only raised it by 1, so he wasn't as confused as Kuren was)

The fact that she grasped it so quickly was because she had worked hard to raise her magic control to 2 on her own.

Indeed, effort not relying on skills is important.

"Mr. Sora Hoshi, is it okay for us to keep doing this?"

"Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Doing the same thing all the time, you know..."

"Oh."

Seiki realized what Kuren was trying to say and lightly tilted his chin.

Indeed, they were supposed to be here to rescue Oi So, but they were just leveling up.

Or at least it looked like they were leveling up.

"I think I said this before, but if the rescuer gets lost, it's meaningless. I understand your anxiety, but this is the necessary time to ensure a successful rescue. Besides, it's not just the Silver Wolves we have to deal with."

They haven't encountered any yet since coming to the 7th floor, but from this floor on, a few "Masters" appear along with the Silver Wolves.

For Seiki and the others, the Silver Wolves are no longer a threat, but the "Masters" are different.

According to the information on the WIKI, a tough battle is inevitable.

Thinking about it, a shiver ran down Seiki's spine.

I want to fight soon.

I want to see how strong they are!

I hope they show up soon...

They searched the 7th floor while mapping until 4:00 PM, but they didn't find Oi So or any "Masters."

They ended the search and Seiki headed to the gate to return to the surface.

He went to the material buyback shop and sold the materials from the Silver Wolves.

However, their goal was to search for Oi So.

They only obtained materials from about 50 Silver Wolves.

They had fought more, but most of them had been scattered by Kuren's magic.

It was only about one-sixth of what they usually got.

Taking out the materials from the bag was quick and unsatisfying.

...Or is it because the person isn't Akane?

When Seiki visited, the shop clerk let out a scream like "Hii!" but nodded as if she had made up her mind (or decided to accept it) and quickly appraised the items.

"Here's the estimate. The fur and fangs. The total price is as follows. Is that acceptable?"

The total was 44,100 yen.

"From that, I will add a special appraisal for Mr. Sora Hoshi."

She tapped the calculator and the amount came to 46,305 yen.

He signed the buyback slip and charged the money to each team member's card.

"Ah, Mr. Sora Hoshi. The item you ordered is ready, so could you please visit the adjacent weapon shop?"

"Yes. ...What?"

Ordered item.

Could it be the werewolf dagger?

No, that's unlikely.

It's only been half a month since the stampede.

The weapon that was supposed to take a month to make couldn't possibly be ready.

Even if it was, it probably wouldn't fit.

What could it be?

Seiki tilted his head and headed to the weapon shop.

He could have asked the clerk at the buyback shop, but Seiki deliberately didn't ask.

It's like opening a present from Santa.

It's more exciting and fun to open it without knowing what's inside.

"Welcome...! Ah, ah, it's Mr. Sora Hoshi, isn't it?"

"...How did you know my name?"

Unable to hold back, Seiki asked the clerk, confused.

At both the buyback shop and this shop, they knew his name even though he hadn't said it once.

Of course, it was his first time meeting the clerks at either shop.

He didn't remember doing anything that would make them know his name.

"Senior... I heard it from Yuzuki. 'If the perverted mask appears, treat him with respect because he's my junior.'"

"Who's a junior? I'm not her junior!"

Of course, he's not a perverted mask.

He's just a gentleman wearing a strange mask!

"I and that girl are enemies who try to take money from each other. We're not juniors or comrades."

Seiki's words made the clerk imagine a situation where he was selling materials or being sold weapons.

"I understand. Even far away, you're still a senior, aren't you?"

The clerk chuckled.

"Yuzuki ordered this. Please check the armor for Mr. Sora Hoshi and Kuren."

"...Armor."

No, I can't remember at all.

Seiki frowned as he watched the clerk push a cart out of the back room.

On the cart were two black breastplates.

The upper right corner of the breastplates had the logo "壱" of the Middle Class.

The armor was of a higher grade and price than the "一" series that Seiki was wearing.

When did he order such high-level breastplates?

Something was nagging at his memory, but he couldn't pull it out.

It was very frustrating.

"This is a breastplate made from the carapace of a centipede. Would you like to try it on?"

"So it's a centipede!"

The clerk's words connected his memory, and Seiki snapped his fingers.

Previously, Seiki had defeated a rare centipede and sold the materials to Akane.

At that time, Akane had kept two carapaces for him, saying he might use them someday.

I didn't expect them to be used here.

But the timing is perfect.

Floors 6 to 8 of "Chikaho" were layers that Seiki had never set foot in before.

Even though the monsters that appeared were Silver Wolves, the risk of losing his life was higher.

If he had the centipede armor, which had higher defense than the current Gegege armor, the risk of losing his life would be greatly reduced.

Perhaps Akane had placed the order when she learned about Oi So's disappearance, predicting that Seiki would come to search.

"But that's amazing..."

Seiki sighed in admiration as he equipped the centipede breastplate.

"Yes, senior... Yuzuki is skilled. She's an expert in adventure gear, able to prepare the right items for customers' preferences."

Skilled, huh...

Seiki couldn't help but chuckle at the slightly ambiguous statement.

Of course, the clerk's use of the word "expert" was not false.

The skill to order the perfect gear just by looking at a customer's build is valuable anywhere.

But her greatest strength is her ability to provide the best gear at the moment the adventurer needs it.

"Yeah, it fits perfectly."

Seiki equipped the breastplate and was amazed by its comfort.

It was completely different from the Gegege armor.

Lightness, flexibility, hardness, and ease of movement.

He was impressed when he equipped the Gegege armor, but the centipede armor was superior in every way.

As expected of the Middle Class.

The "壱" logo is not for show.

"How about Kuren?"

"It fits perfectly..."

Kuren looked down at the breastplate, seemingly disappointed.

Why is she disappointed when it fits so well...?

He was worried whether he and Kuren had the strength to equip the centipede armor, but it seems they were recognized by the armor and didn't feel any constraints from its weight.

"How much for the two?"

"It's on the house."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's just the necessary expenses."

She leaned in with a serious expression.

"I asked various adventurers for help, but no one would lend a hand because Oi So went in of her own accord and it was right after the stampede.

The strong adventurers are focused on the Shinjuku Station campaign, and the others can't reach the 8th floor...

You are the only one who accepted the request. Only you and your team!"

"..."

Seiki couldn't help but tilt his head at the clerk's words.

This is the largest city in Hokkaido.

Is it really possible that there are no adventurers who can take the request? he thought.

If it were a lower floor request, it would be understandable.

But the search is on the upper floors.

There are plenty of初级冒险家 in Sapporo who can search up to the 9th floor.

Moreover, the client is a major corporation, the Mitsubishi Group.

There's no reason not to accept the request, he thought.

But if she says so, it must be true.

Seiki pushed his doubts to the back of his mind.

"Please, please, take care of our Oi So!"

"...Understood."

She must have already imagined the worst-case scenario.

Even if only bones are brought back or nothing is found, the determination not to be shaken is in her eyes.

"I will do my best."

With renewed determination, Seiki left the shop.

He mentally urged the missing Oi So to fight for her life, knowing how much she is valued by her juniors.

* * *

【The Path to Being Noticed】

"Rescue Mission"

Hi, it's Air (^o^)

I've been hunting Silver Wolves since the other day.

At first, I was scared, but now I'm used to it, and I even think they're kind of cute.

I wonder if I can make them pets? (>_<)

They would make excellent guard dogs, wouldn't they? (^o^) Woof woof

I came to the "Chikaho" dungeon to take on the search request.

I will start the search today! (>_<)

The search area is from the 6th to the 8th floor.

I don't have the strength to search quickly yet, so I plan to gradually expand the search area.

I'll do my best as quickly as possible (=_=;

I will definitely find you.

So please, keep fighting until then!

I worked really hard on leveling up today too.

Maybe I'm one step closer to a future where I can be noticed? Maybe?

* * *

【EbiKani】Thread about Chikaho 89【Festival】

67 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

Hey, I saw a masked man today

68 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

What's that?

69 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

I think it's the one Masatsugu mentioned before

70 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

>>69 Details

71 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

The mask was unusual.

A mask that makes you think it's dangerous the moment you see it.

The mask had an unusual presence despite the thin aura.

It looked like the mask was floating in mid-air. www

72 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

What is that, it's scary.

Was he strong?

73 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

His equipment is a mix of "壱" and "一".

Probably around the level to clear the upper floors.

74 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

Hmm, pretty normal.

But with the mask...

Is there someone like that in Sapporo?

75 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

He might be active in a local dungeon.

After all, I've never seen him before.

76 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

That makes sense.

If I see him next time, I'll talk to him.

77 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

Got it.

If he seems strong, I'll invite him to our team.

78 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

Don't bother.

He's just a nobody.

He's not that important.

79 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

What, first response?

First, have a cup of tea and calm down.

tsu

80 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

No, he's just a nobody.

Masatsugu talked to him only because something happened.

81 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

That incident, right?

The one where an adventurer suddenly attacked another adventurer.

Rumor has it that a member of a certain team started it.

Is that masked man involved in trouble?

82 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

It's because of that masked man.

There was a grudge against a certain team.

He lied to Masatsugu about abandoning a beginner or drawing a weapon first.

83 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

>>82 You seem to know a lot.

Are you related?

84 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

I just saw it from nearby.

That masked man

was making a loud, embarrassing noise.

85 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

Hmm.

Is it better not to get involved with that man?

86 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

Of course.

People like that will die in the dungeon eventually.

So just leave them alone and don't get involved.

87 Name: Higuma Ezoshika Nameless Beware

>>86 Got it.

So,

who are you?

Thank you for reading.

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