Chapter 58

On January 2nd and 3rd, I achieved the top spot in the daily rankings for two consecutive days.

Currently, I'm in 4th place in the weekly rankings! I've also reached 3 million page views.

This is all thanks to everyone. Thank you so much.

The day Seiki left for Sapporo.

Hiren went to the dungeon garage with a chill in her heart.

Seiki was invited by the high-ranking player Kagemitsu to go on a Monster Parade hunt.

Kagemitsu only invited Seiki.

Hiren was not invited.

There's nothing she can do about not being able to follow him.

Seiki has been making achievements by clearing the Monster Parade.

In contrast, Hiren has not produced any results at all.

Just sucking the sweet juice behind Seiki.

Receiving benefits, yet failing all the time.

Even if she were to say she wants to follow him now, it would just be a whim.

Even if she did follow him, she doesn't have the strength to help him.

She is utterly useless.

Knowing this, Hiren sent Seiki off with a clear heart.

His momentum towards the peak of adventurers is incredible.

Even if Hiren puts in the same amount of effort, she feels powerless.

That said, Hiren had no intention of giving up.

She has to repay the favor of being saved by Seiki, so she can't afford to give up.

If she has time to rot, she should dive into the dungeon and become stronger.

She should become stronger and be of use to Seiki.

With that in mind, a ray of light appeared in Hiren's eyes.

This was a change brought about by the blessing that manifested when she reached the middle layers.

Her magic had become much easier to handle compared to before.

The shape of her new power was becoming visible, albeit vaguely.

Before Seiki returns, she will master this!

With this resolve, Hiren went into the dungeon garage alone.

After leveling up in the dungeon, Hiren headed to the prefab.

Inside, Akane, who had succumbed to the indoor temperature, was melting at the counter.

"Please buy these."

"Ah, um... Air's..."

Hiren has never been called by her name by Akane.

She must be a nobody to her.

Hiren lightly bit her lip and took out today's results.

"Hmm, you can hunt alone, huh?"

"Of course."

"I thought you were just sucking the sweet juice behind Air."

Akane's words irritated Hiren.

Her head started to heat up.

It's a cheap provocation.

She knows that.

Hiren consciously repeated her breathing to calm down.

"I'm a mid-level adventurer now."

"Oh, right. Hey, do you have any plans to step back?"

"..."

Step back?

Hiren couldn't understand the meaning behind Akane's words and froze.

"Are you Air's girlfriend?"

"---No, I'm not!"

"Then what are you? Just a team member? Air is a sweet guy who doesn't say anything, but to me, you just look like you're relying on his kindness and parasitizing. Do you really think you can call yourself a proper adventurer like that?"

"---!!"

"Who knows what will happen to Air from now on. But don't you think there's a possibility that you'll become a burden in the future?"

"..."

"If you think so, you should start thinking about your future."

Akane's words had a point.

It's unknown how much Seiki, who has a Skill Board, will grow.

He might even push aside many adventurers and become a top-ranked player.

Hiren has a faint sense of his potential.

Akane, who has seen many adventurers, must understand this even more clearly.

The potential of Seiki Kaisei...

However, Hiren could never follow her advice.

"That's none of your business!"

This is a problem between Seiki and Hiren.

No one else should interfere.

Hiren became furious when Akane intruded without hesitation.

The power in her staff intensified.

The magic power that erupted from her body due to her anger,

---Puff!

"Ah..."

It crushed the box of tangerines in the prefab.

"Kyaaaaa!! Mitsuruuuu!!"

Akane let out a scream like a crushed frog and hugged the tangerine box.

...Mitsuru?

"My Mr. Mitsuru! Ahahahaan!!"

"..."

The side of the tangerine box was labeled 'Mitsuru.' So that's the name of the box.

But why does she call the tangerine box Mitsuru...

Akane glared at Hiren, who was taken aback by her overreaction.

"What did you do to Mr. Mitsuru?!"

"S-Sorry!"

"If an apology were enough, we wouldn't need the police! Do you know how important Mr. Mitsuru was to me?!"

Akane's fists trembled as if trying to suppress her anger.

Why is she trembling so much?

Hiren couldn't understand the importance of the tangerine box.

"Go outside right now! It's a duel!! I'll avenge the loss of Mr. Mitsuru!!"

"Um... Okay."

Indeed, it was Hiren's fault for crushing Mr. Mitsuru—the tangerine box.

But a duel for that...

Combat between adventurers is forbidden.

However, if it's just a training exercise, there's no punishment.

Besides, this is the countryside.

Even if they were caught, it wouldn't become a big issue.

Akane was already far from the prefab, ready to move.

She was clearly eager to fight.

In contrast, Hiren had completely cooled down.

Oh, what should I do, Seiki...

Akane won't stop!

"Are you scared? Or do you plan to rely on Air again?"

"---No."

She denied it, but it felt like her inner thoughts had been read.

---Rely on Air again?

Those words pierced her heart deeply.

She was about to rely on Seiki again.

Her weakness, her immaturity, was hateful.

"If I win, you have to get a new tangerine box! With all your might!!"

"Y-Yes."

Why is she so obsessed with the tangerine box?

...No, I can't.

Talking to her makes me lose my focus.

Could this be her strategy?

Yes, Hiren seriously considered it.

On the road in front of the prefab, they faced each other about 20 meters apart.

"Come at me from anywhere."

"..."

Why did it come to this?

Hiren truly wondered.

However, this was a big opportunity.

To show her strength to Akane.

Akane, as a fighting shopkeeper, is a well-known figure in certain circles.

She has discovered many adventurers in their unknown days and nurtured them into top-ranked players or their equals.

She will show her strength to her—get her recognition.

To prove that she deserves to be by Seiki's side.

Just to get that recognition, Hiren refined her magic power.

Perhaps a god of magic had given her a blessing.

Since receiving the blessing, Hiren has been able to use magic outside the dungeon.

With this power, she will seize victory!

She will secure her place!

Hiren raised her staff and swung it down with all her might.

Instantly,

"Ugh!"

The magic hit Akane's face directly.

She fell to the ground, hitting the back of her head.

"A-Are you okay?!"

She didn't expect it to hit so cleanly...

It was such a clean hit.

Even Hiren, who had attacked, became worried.

...Did she die?

"---Phew!"

"Oh, she's alive."

"You used a ranged attack, you tricked me!"

"Huh? No, I didn't trick—"

"Using a ranged attack when you have a blunt weapon is a trick! That doesn't count! No way, no way!!"

"..."

Akane stomped her feet like a child.

Hiren never said she would attack with a blunt weapon.

It was just Akane's misunderstanding.

To be called cunning...

"Come on, don't just stand there, let's go!"

"Go where?"

"To the dungeon, the dungeon!"

Akane pulled Hiren's arm.

"What—?!"

Hiren's eyes widened in surprise.

When did she get so close?

Hiren didn't even notice Akane getting close.

Moreover, she was so strong that Hiren couldn't resist.

Even though the magic hit her face directly, Akane only had a slightly red nose and no injuries.

This woman is strong!

Hiren's spine turned cold.

"Come on, let's go down to the 10th floor in one go."

"Go down and do what...?"

"Hunt and compete, of course."

"..."

What's so obvious about that?

She never agreed to continue the competition.

Akane leaned in close to the confused Hiren.

"Do you want to support Air? With your magic?"

"---!"

"Then you should show me a glimpse of your strength. I can give you advice on how to get stronger."

What does 'then' mean?

But—does this mean she's recognized me?

Hiren reluctantly followed Akane.

Her wrist was firmly held, so she couldn't escape even if she wanted to.

After that, the two reached the 10th floor with a rush.

However, before they could start the hunting competition, they fled the 10th floor together.

Mr. Mitsuru is apparently from Saijo, Ehime Prefecture.

Chapter 3 starts from this episode.

Thank you for reading to the end.