Chapter 90

As Esta moved her feet playfully, she skillfully splashed water over Seiki.

It was a warning that it was time to get out.

Seiki obediently followed Esta's warning and got out of the hot spring.

After cooling his heated body and returning to the room, it was already time for dinner.

He put down the towels and headed to the dining area.

"Itadakimasu."

Seiki took a bite of the prepared dinner and stopped, sensing something off with the taste.

Hiren, who had also started eating, frowned and looked dejected.

Still, unlike Seiki, she silently continued to eat the meal.

The dinner looked good, but the taste did not match the appearance.

It was one, no, two levels lower in quality than what Seiki usually ate.

The potatoes had no sweetness or aroma, just a dry texture.

The soup with fuki (a type of fern) had no broth, only a salty taste.

The bread was the worst. It was hard and dry, crumbling apart.

When he took a determined bite, a mysterious sourness spread throughout his mouth.

"...This is terrible."

Surprised, Seiki's voice trembled.

For Seiki, who had made bread at home, the hotel's bread was a shock.

How could it be this bad...?

It was like the infamous German K bread.

Unlike Seiki, who couldn't eat, Hiren continued to eat the meal.

"Hiren, you can eat this?"

"Huh?"

"The food. Isn't it terrible?"

"...Yes, it is. But this is the normal taste."

"Normal? This? ...I thought the food at the hotel we stayed at in Sapporo was much better."

The bread served in Sapporo was several times better than this.

Seiki had thought that was the norm, but apparently not.

Hiren shook her head with a wry smile.

"It is good, but this is the normal taste. I used to think this was normal too."

"...I see."

So, that's why Hiren ate Seiki's cooking with tears.

There was a significant gap between Seiki's normal and the general normal.

Since the dungeons appeared, production and distribution have been severely disrupted.

Companies with strong distribution lines can still get good ingredients.

But for places like Kamui's Hot Springs, with weak distribution lines, the impact of the dungeons is evident in the taste of the food.

(If this is normal, there's nothing I can do...)

Seiki pushed the food into his mouth, determined to endure.

Even knowing there was no choice, he felt a sense of sadness.

In this era, having a refined palate is not a good thing, Seiki thought deeply.

"By the way, Kusei, how was the hot spring?"

The person who set the limit on the blissful bathing time asked with a smile.

If he had said he wanted to soak a bit longer, her smile would have deepened even more.

"Yeah, it was good, wasn't it?"

Can I extend the hot spring time a bit more?

The unspoken suggestion was rejected with a full smile.

Hiren must have also entered the hot spring. She was wearing a yukata, and her hair at the collar was slightly damp.

The white neck visible from the yukata was alluring and dangerous.

Seeing Hiren's full smile, many men would surely feel their hearts race.

But now, Seiki's back felt a bit cold.

"This time, Kusei is here for a hot spring cure, right?"

"Yes."

"If you come for a hot spring cure and get sick, it's meaningless, right?"

"...Yes."

"To solve the problem, let's do the right treatment!"

"...Okay."

Seiki, who was being watched by Hiren, (fortunately or unfortunately) could no longer feel the taste of the food.

Hiren, smiling, is scary.

Under Esta's surveillance, Seiki spent two weeks in a hot spring lifestyle.

He soaked in the hot spring every day, but it was unclear how much his condition had improved.

If he pushed himself to the limit, he would probably know if he was getting better. However, if he tried to do that in the inn, he could easily imagine the future of breaking through the floor.

He couldn't move his body in the inn.

The only way to know if his condition was improving was to check during a quest.

To avoid melting his brain from just lounging around, Seiki studied the adjustment of weapons.

In two weeks, he learned to adjust his own weapons to some extent.

Not only sharpening the blades, but he could also disassemble and reassemble the handles.

The feel of the weapons, such as the magic sword, war wolf, and silver wolf dagger, changed slightly after Seiki's maintenance.

Through such meticulous adjustments, the user's habits and preferences slowly seep into the weapon.

It was like leather products.

Being able to adjust things himself was also like a mini 4WD car.

However... Seiki had no good memories of mini 4WD cars.

This was because, with the potential for modification, he always went overboard.

If he tried to hollow out the body, it would end up being almost just the frame.

How many times had his mini 4WD car crashed and shattered on the track...

Going overboard is not good, as this precedent shows.

Although he has yet to improve in this aspect...

He needs to be careful.

Seiki splashed water on his face in the hot spring.

—Well.

The extermination battle "Monster Early Hunt Competition" that he accepted from Akane will take place tomorrow.

The monsters to be exterminated are those that were missed during the Second Stampede War.

It is unknown what types of monsters will appear.

The dungeon "Shinikokutan" in Asahikawa has only 10 floors, making it a relatively shallow dungeon.

Since only upper-level monsters appear, as long as Seiki, a mid-level adventurer, is careful, he won't fall behind.

The adventurer who hunts the most monsters will be recognized on Kagemitsu's blog.

If their name appears on a high-ranking blog with many views, they will stand out.

Furthermore, if they win by competing with other adventurers, companies won't be able to ignore them.

If he wins first place, he will be one step closer to gaining a strong presence.

In other words, Seiki must kill more monsters than anyone else in this quest.

He splashed water on his face again.

He must exterminate the monsters with his life on the line...

"Hehehe..."

Currently, Seiki cannot fight due to rapid level-up.

But if he fully recovers...

The other adventurers will see the different, powered-up Seiki Kusei!

He won't let anyone say he's not noticeable anymore!!

However, this quest was announced to all mid-level and above adventurers.

The rival adventurers are expected to be strong.

Their abilities are equal to or better than Seiki's, and their combat experience is richer.

They are not opponents he can outperform with a straightforward approach.

The chances of winning with a straightforward approach are low.

If that's the case...

"Hehehe"

Seiki swallowed, looking at the strong presence of light in the distance.

While watching Esta play in the hot spring, riding in a bucket, Seiki formulated a strategy to secure victory.

* * *

The next day, Seiki and the others headed to the Asahikawa dungeon "Shinikokutan."

Shinikokutan is located in the mountains beyond the city of Asahikawa, named after the area.

The name comes from "a place where gods dwell."

The beautiful scenery on both banks of the Ishikari River, known for its rapids, is one of the eight scenic spots of Asahikawa.

In front of the "Old Shinikokutan Station," the meeting place for this quest, many adventurers who seemed to be participating in the quest had already gathered.

Their equipment was mid-level or higher, all boasting a powerful shine.

"There are people equipped with 'One' too."

"Wow... That's amazing."

Seiki and Hiren exhaled, seemingly intimidated by the "One" series equipment the adventurers were wearing.

It was as if this place was a showcase of Hokkaido's representative adventurers.

Especially those who could equip "One" — high-end equipment — were top-tier adventurers.

They were not the level of adventurers who would participate in a "Monster Early Hunt Competition" where only upper-level monsters appear.

However, they were not participating in this quest for no reason.

They were participating to overcome the "Narou" ranker barrier.

Even if they had the ability to reach the lower levels or deeper, they couldn't become rankers without earning adventurer points.

Completing quests earns adventurer points, but earning points through blog views is more efficient.

In other words, in "Narou," standing out is more important than having outstanding abilities.

Overcoming the "Narou" ranker barrier means sponsorship from companies and the path to becoming a top-tier adventurer.

While looking at the high-end equipped adventurers, Seiki tightened his expression.

He had to defeat them to gain a strong presence.

The tension was rising.

"Kusei, um..."

Next to the tense Seiki, Hiren spoke hesitantly.

"What should I do? Can I even fight...?"

Hiren shook her shoulders uncomfortably.

Currently, Hiren has the ability to fight in the mid-levels.

However, that is only with magic.

This time, Hiren had to fight without magic in front of everyone.

That's why she was anxious.

"I think you'll be fine..."

Seiki didn't doubt her combat ability.

Only upper-level monsters have appeared on the surface.

While caution is necessary, it's not impossible to handle them.

However, no matter how much Seiki reassured her, her anxiety wouldn't disappear.

Confidence comes from experience, not words.

"Right. For example, like this—"

Seiki whispered to Hiren so no one else could hear.

Hiren tilted her head in confusion after hearing Seiki's words.

"Will it work? I've never done it before, so I don't know..."

"If it works, it's a bonus. Even if it fails, there's no downside. I think it's worth trying."

"Okay. If I get a chance, I'll try it."

"Good. Then Hiren, act with Rara and Esta."

"Huh!?"

Hiren's expression stiffened.

Ignoring her reaction, Seiki put Rara down on the ground.

Is she unhappy about not acting together?

Rara tapped Seiki's hand with her leaves.

"Are we not all together?"

"I think it's better to act separately."

He wanted to aim for a personal victory if possible.

However, with high-end equipped opponents, winning with individual ability was unlikely.

Therefore—

Seiki had one strategy in mind.

Seiki and Rara, and Hiren with Esta, would split up to defeat the monsters.

It would be more efficient to target different monsters separately than to act together and defeat them.

Seiki aimed for a team victory, not a personal one.

The high-mobility Seiki and Rara would split up.

Esta would act with Seiki, and Rara with Hiren.

The two teams would quickly search and defeat the monsters.

This was the strategy Seiki thought of while soaking in the hot spring the previous day.

"Oh, Esta is acting with Kusei?"

"...Hmm, are you unhappy?"

Seiki tilted his head.

Did she want to act together?

At his questioning gaze, Hiren hurriedly shook her head.

"No. I was just wondering if Esta would also merge with me, like Rara."

Indeed, Esta is an automatic defense system.

She might be a necessary combat force for Hiren, who has low defense.

(But you don't have to say 'merge'...)

Thinking that, Seiki froze.

...Merge?

Click, click, click, click.

A certain vision was instantly constructed in Seiki's mind.

Suddenly, his blood boiled.

"That's it!!"

"Huh!?"

Seiki, excited, grabbed Hiren's shoulder firmly.

Surprised by his sudden action, Hiren blushed.

Below,

Rara tapped Seiki's thigh painfully.

Ignoring the three, Esta was digging into the ground, eating earthworms.

What are you doing...

Noticing Seiki's gaze, Esta tilted her body.

"(...Eat?)"

No, I won't eat.

Seiki seems to have come up with something.

Rara... Esta... Merge... Ugh, my head.