Chapter 43

After finishing the search for Ooi So, it had been three weeks.

Sakuhiko and the others continued leveling up in the dungeon 'Chikaho' in Sapporo.

The reason they continued leveling up in 'Chikaho' was solely because the travel expenses were free.

For a month, food and lodging were free.

There was no reason not to take advantage of this.

Unlike the garage dungeon, various adventurers came to 'Chikaho'.

It was not uncommon to run into other adventurers during battles.

Sakuhiko had to be extremely careful to avoid exposing his skill board or Kuren's magic.

It was stressful.

But if he didn't get used to this situation, he would eventually slip up.

To prevent that, he needed to fight in places where he might be seen by others and get somewhat accustomed to it.

After three weeks of leveling up, Sakuhiko and the others had grown to the point where they could handle the monsters on the 8th floor of 'Chikaho' without any problems.

Kuren Kurosa (18) Gender: Female

Skill Points: 0 → 2

Evaluation: Spirit Master → Spirit Master Hammerer

- Vitality

Stamina 1 → 2

Natural Recovery 0 → 1

- Strength

Strength 0 → 1

- Magic

Magic 3

Magic Aptitude 2

Magic Control 2 → 3

- Agility

Burst 0

Dexterity 0 → 1

- Technique

Weapon Proficiency

Blunt Weapon 0 → 1

Light Armor 0 → 1

- Intuition

Detection 1

- Special

Luck 1

She must have worked hard on strength training every night before bed.

Kuren's strength increased to the point where her staff wouldn't hit her head when she cast her most powerful magic.

Also, when she cast her most powerful magic, it no longer produced the huge spells it used to.

It seemed she could now control the power and range of her spells.

As for Sakuhiko,

Sakuhiko Harekazu (27) Gender: Male

Skill Points: 0 → 3

First, his skill points increased by 3 points.

The timing of the increase was probably when they defeated the Monster Parade.

No matter how many monsters he defeated, he didn't get any points.

So the reason for the increase must have been the defeat of the mysterious object that caused the abnormal Monster Parade.

Sakuhiko couldn't think of any other reason.

However, the points gained from defeating a rare species were 1.

A 3-point increase was only seen when the boss of the Stampede was defeated.

From this, it was possible that the object was the one causing the Stampede.

Sakuhiko suspected this, but it couldn't be confirmed now.

He gained 3 points.

Regardless of the reason, he planned to use them carefully.

And the remaining tree—

Evaluation: Imitation Swordsman → Hidden Imitation Swordsman

- Vitality

Stamina 3

Natural Recovery 0 → 2

- Strength

Strength 3

- Agility

Burst 2 → 3

Dexterity 2 → 3

- Technique

Weapon Proficiency

One-Handed Sword 3

Throwing 1 → 2

Light Armor 1 → 3

Stealth 0 → 1 NEW

Concealment 1 → 2

Imitation 1 → 2

- Intuition

Detection 2

- Special

Accelerated Growth MAX

Tame 0 → 1

A major event!

His stealth skills improved!!

Thanks to this, Sakuhiko's presence was plummeting.

Sometimes, even Kuren would lose sight of him when he took off his mask.

Sakuhiko fought a strong urge to increase Kuren's detection skill.

For now, his rationality was barely winning.

Compared to Kuren, Sakuhiko's skills had a higher growth rate.

This was due to his use of short swords, which allowed for more attacks, and his continuous movement as a front-line fighter.

But the biggest reason, Sakuhiko thought, was his Accelerated Growth.

While an exact comparison couldn't be made, the difference in growth rate between Kuren and Sakuhiko suggested a high probability that Accelerated Growth was affecting his skills.

The new skill 'Kicking' was aptly named.

It appeared because he used kicks to increase his attack frequency during hunts.

After the skill appeared, the power of his kicks significantly increased.

However, for Sakuhiko, kicks were just a means to fill the gaps between attacks.

He had no intention of allocating points to it.

Furthermore, his magic sword continued to evolve.

Its sharpness had already surpassed that of the Silver Wolf's short sword, and the curve of the blade had deepened.

He was looking forward to seeing what shape it would take in the future.

Like Sakuhiko and Kuren, Ria also grew steadily.

Ria (1) Gender: Female

Skill Points: 0 → 2

Evaluation: Leaf Striker

- Vitality

Stamina 0 → 1

Natural Recovery 0

- Strength

Strength 2

- Agility

Burst 1

Dexterity 1 → 2

- Technique

Weapon Proficiency

Throwing 3

- Intuition

Detection 0 → 1

- Special

Treasure Vault 1 → 2

After making up for the lack of experience and levels, Sakuhiko returned to K Town.

Sakuhiko was now ready to aim for the middle floors of the garage dungeon.

Becoming an intermediate adventurer would put him in the top 10%.

If he became one of the 10% of intermediate adventurers, he would definitely stand out!

He wouldn't lose to a mere Stealth Level 2!

He encouraged himself...

*

"Huh?"

As he entered his property to park his car, he saw three unfamiliar men standing in front of the dungeon entrance.

He didn't know them.

He had a vague memory of them, but couldn't place where he had seen them.

Driven by unease, Sakuhiko approached them at a quick pace.

"Is something wrong?"

"---?!"

When he called out, the men looked at him in shock.

...Could they be a group of thieves or something?

He briefly suspected them but quickly dismissed the thought.

The men were all in their early 20s.

They were equipped with weapons bearing the "1" logo.

Their armor was not even an entry-level model, like most adventurers.

"Are you from this house?"

"Yes, I'm Harekazu."

"Harekazu...? Sir. It's been a while."

Despite saying it had been a while, there was a question mark in the tone of his name.

It was clear.

They didn't think it had been a while at all.

But Sakuhiko felt the same.

He didn't remember them.

So it was fine not to remember them.

He should be confident.

It would be less hurtful if they were honest.

"We previously participated in the defense as a self-defense team."

"Ah, thank you for that."

"You're welcome. Actually, we've been using this dungeon for a while now. We wanted to greet you, but you were never here..."

"I see."

It seemed they had come to the garage dungeon to clear it while Sakuhiko was in Sapporo.

The dungeon was under the management of the government.

Even though it was on his property, he couldn't claim ownership.

However, he could prohibit entry to his property.

But Sakuhiko had no intention of rejecting them.

Whether he monopolized it or not, it wouldn't significantly change his benefits.

"You can use the dungeon freely. But I'd appreciate it if you didn't come in the middle of the night."

"Of course. We have jobs. We won't come at night because it affects the next day."

Ha ha ha.

How did they know I'm unemployed?

Actually, Sakuhiko made a living as an adventurer, so he wasn't unemployed.

However, full-time adventurers were rare.

Most people had stable jobs and used their free time for adventuring.

"By the way, how far have you progressed, Harekazu?"

"I'm on the 5th floor. How about you?"

"We're still on the 1st floor. We can't defeat the Gegege... Our armor..."

"..."

"Try harder."

Gegege had no killing power.

It was the perfect opponent for practicing defensive skills.

However, its claws would damage armor.

Their weapons were a greatsword and a bow.

They were members of the self-defense team and had once repelled a Stampede.

They couldn't be that weak.

They were probably stuck on the 1st floor because they were trying to defeat the Gegege without taking any damage.

However, their role was to stop monsters with their bodies.

This made them less compatible with the Gegege.

They might find it easier to defeat the Black Raccoon.

After considering this, Sakuhiko didn't give them easy advice.

He wasn't strong or great enough to give advice to others.

"We're going to dive in now."

"If we meet in the dungeon, don't attack me by mistake, okay?"

"...Yes, we'll be careful."

Sakuhiko meant it as a joke, but the men nodded solemnly.

Why did they take it so seriously?

Were they planning to attack him in the dungeon?

Sakuhiko had just been attacked by the Kama group.

His wariness towards them had increased.

*

Once Sakuhiko's presence was no longer felt in the dungeon, the men let out a deep sigh.

"Every time I see that mask, it's scary. It feels like I'm being cursed just by looking at it."

"Yeah. Why does it look like it's floating in mid-air?"

"He's really good at hiding his presence."

"Even if the main body's presence is hidden, it's meaningless if the mask's presence remains."

"No... that mask might be the main body."

"‘It’s possible!’"

Sasamori, Takasugi, and Ino, members of the self-defense team, formed a team after the Stampede.

Each of them had an adventurer's license, but they hadn't actively ventured into dungeons before.

The reason was simple: there were no dungeons nearby.

Occasionally, they would go to 'Chikaho', but expeditions were expensive.

Of course, there were adventurers who spent money on expeditions.

But not everyone had that much passion.

Most people became adventurers as a hobby to pass the time.

Sasamori, Takasugi, and Ino were in that category.

However, with the appearance of a new dungeon and the occurrence of a Stampede, the three of them formed a team.

To level up in the dungeon and gain the strength to protect the town.

However, they were currently struggling with the Gegege on the 1st floor.

Struggling didn't mean they couldn't defeat it.

They just couldn't defeat it without taking any damage.

The Gegege had long tentacles and limbs, and was very fast.

Their weapons were a greatsword and a bow, but they inevitably got scratched.

The scratches wore down their armor.

"I might switch to a short sword..."

Sasamori muttered, looking at his greatsword.

"Why? The greatsword is fine."

"It's not fine. The range of the greatsword and the Gegege's legs is the same. I get scratched just by swinging it."

"But it hits, right? The bow is mostly deflected."

"It's less likely to get scratched."

"The short sword gets scratched more!"

True.

Sasamori pouted.

"But... that guy... what was his name?"

"Mask-san."

"Right! Mask-san is using a short sword normally. It might be effective against Gegege."

"Are you going to use a short sword just for Gegege? Don't do it. If you try to change your main weapon after leveling up, it becomes harder to level up."

"Besides, once you become an intermediate adventurer, you can't change your weapon no matter how hard you try."

Weapons made from materials gathered in the dungeon were selective about their users.

The necessary conditions were level and proficiency.

No matter how high the level, a weapon type you hadn't used before couldn't be handled.

If you tried to increase your proficiency, it wouldn't work well once you reached the intermediate adventurer level.

The reason was simple.

You couldn't increase your proficiency to be chosen by a weapon unless you fought monsters of the same level or higher.

Intermediate adventurers couldn't handle earth material weapons against monsters of their level.

Therefore, changing weapons after leveling up became impossible.

This was a rumor on the bulletin board.

That's why beginner adventurers were careful in choosing their main weapons.

They followed the experiences of pioneers and chose the most efficient weapons.

This was reflected in the weapon usage population.

"If you can't fight with a short sword once you become an intermediate adventurer, it's over."

"Exactly. That's why we chose greatswords and bows."

"But..."

When Sasamori saw Mask-san, he thought short swords might be an option.

"That's just your imagination. Mask-san is special. Don't idolize him."

"Right. We should follow the lead of Masatsugu and Shizukana."

There were no shortcuts in dungeon clearing.

Sasamori, Takasugi, and Ino concluded this and started hunting Gegege.

I wonder how many sets of light armor will be destroyed today...

The protagonist's name is Mask-san!

Thank you for reading.

It's been cold lately.

Please take care of your health.