Chapter 94

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Harihiko first peeked into his bag upon reaching the base of Kamui Rock.

Inside the bag, Chep, with eyes like a dead fish, was foaming at the mouth.

His gills weren’t moving.

Is he dead?

Harihiko tentatively patted Chep’s cheeks.

Suddenly, as if his soul had returned to his body, Chep gasped and resumed breathing.

“Ah, are you trying to kill me!?”

Harihiko’s new method of movement seemed a bit too intense for Chep.

His large, round eyes were bloodshot.

Of course, Harihiko had no intention of killing Chep at the moment.

He simply wanted to try out the movement method that had popped into his head.

Harihiko’s movement technique was stereotypically ninja-like.

He kicked off the trunk of a tree, much like a wall kick, and leaped to the next trunk.

For Harihiko, who had leveled up and improved his skills in the dungeon, leaping from trunk to trunk wasn’t that difficult.

Controlling the direction of movement was more challenging.

The angle of his jump limited the routes he could take.

(This needs improvement.)

“...Ugh, what a terrible experience.”

Ignoring Chep’s grumbling, Harihiko looked up.

Kamui Rock was a sheer cliff all the way to the top, with no path to climb on foot.

So, he had to free-climb.

He tested the rock with his hands.

Once he was confident it was safe, he moved to the next foothold.

Analyzing the shape of the rock, feeling it with his hands, and accumulating data, by the time he had climbed ten meters, he could identify suitable footholds.

From there, Harihiko moved forward without hesitation.

“H-H-H-H...”

Chep, who had glanced down, was trembling in the bag.

But Harihiko paid no attention.

He had no time to spare.

Rock climbing was a new experience for Harihiko.

He was currently able to climb successfully by relying on his physical abilities.

If he let his guard down, he would make a mistake and fall.

Ignoring Chep’s complaints, Harihiko maintained his focus and climbed to the top of Kamui Rock.

“...Wow.”

Standing at the top of Kamui Rock, Harihiko let out a sigh of wonder at the scene before him.

The mountains, rivers, and the blue sky formed a magnificent natural landscape.

The view of Kamui Ancient Pond made Harihiko’s heart tremble.

“Amazing. So beautiful.”

“Praising me now won’t get you anything.”

“It’s not you!”

At Chep’s voice, Harihiko’s shoulders slumped.

His moment of awe was ruined.

Having reached the top of Kamui Rock, Harihiko took Chep out of the bag.

Chep, who had been cursing Harihiko for obstructing, defiling, and violating him, now had a slight look of tension on his face.

Now, Harihiko steeled himself.

What lies ahead...

Despite the excitement in his chest, his body grew still.

There were no signs of monsters in Harihiko’s detection range other than Chep.

It was unlikely that he would be suddenly attacked by a monster.

However, he couldn’t let his guard down.

Around Kamui Ancient Pond, there were still monsters roaming that hadn’t been defeated in the stampede.

Moreover, in this situation.

What would happen here?

What did Chep intend to do?

Harihiko, who was already aware, tightened his resolve.

Given Harihiko’s interest in collecting myths, he couldn’t have failed to realize what Chep intended to do at the top of Kamui Rock.

Kamui Ancient Pond was the battlefield of the evil god Ninne Kamui and the hero Samail.

Kamui Rock was said to bear the marks of Samail’s attack—where Samail had attacked Ninne Kamui, creating the sheer cliff.

The fact that “the first salmon offered to the gods” had come to this place...

“—!?”

When Chep moved to the center of Kamui Rock, a strong chill ran through Harihiko’s body.

What is it?

Harihiko expanded his detection and gripped his dagger.

There were no signs of anything unusual, either visually or through detection.

He just felt an overwhelming chill.

But that chill was the problem.

This intense chill was equivalent to the rare deer species that appeared in the garage dungeon.

Focusing on his breathing,

he gathered his scattered thoughts.

In the center of Kamui Rock, Chep knelt and looked up at the sky.

—At that moment,

darkness flew down from the sky.

It fell directly in the center of Kamui Rock—right above Chep.

It fell with a thud, causing a loud noise and a violent wind.

“—!”

Crossing his arms in front of him, Harihiko clenched his teeth.

What flew down from the sky was black.

A pitch-black something.

Its eyes turned to Harihiko with a piercing gaze.

Clear intent to kill.

Intense malice.

Harihiko’s spine shivered.

The dust kicked up by the impact was blown away by the wind, revealing the full form of the black something.

It had black scales covering its skin, sharp claws, a neck thicker than a human thigh, and round eyes with cat-like pupils.

The black something was a fish-like humanoid—a fish monster.

“—!”

Before Harihiko could prepare, the fish monster lunged at him with its claws.

Harihiko hastily drew his dagger.

The contact with the claws coincided with the moment he raised his dagger.

Due to the incomplete defense, Harihiko’s stance was immediately compromised.

The fish monster followed up with another claw attack.

Harihiko desperately moved his limbs and retreated with all his might.

The claws grazed Harihiko’s coat.

If he had been a fraction of a second slower, the claws would have deeply pierced his neck.

Avoiding the fatal blow, Harihiko immediately regained his composure.

In the garage dungeon on the 15th floor, Harihiko had become strong enough to hold his own against a werewolf.

Even though he was at a disadvantage, he had been easily overpowered.

This realization made Harihiko feel a strong sense of caution.

This might be a monster he couldn’t defeat alone.

Harihiko hadn’t always fought alone.

Rara was behind him, and behind her was Kuren.

During the battle with the rare deer, Esta had also played a crucial role.

If the opponent was on par or below his level, he could fight solo.

However, based on his past battle experiences, the enemy that had appeared now felt far superior to him.

He wanted to go on an adventure.

He wanted to test his own strength.

But if he went on an adventure and ended up dying...

A grim future flashed through Harihiko’s mind.

Should he run away and seek help from Kagemitsu?

Harihiko shifted his feet slightly.

At that moment, behind the black fish monster,

a white, slender leg emerged from a crack in Kamui Rock, catching Harihiko’s eye.

Instantly, Harihiko steeled himself.

There was no one here for him to protect as an adventurer.

If he fled, no one would die.

If he moved quickly and reported to Kagemitsu, the black fish monster could be surrounded and defeated before it caused damage to nearby towns.

This would be the safest option for the land of Asahikawa and the highest chance of survival for Harihiko.

But Harihiko didn’t choose that path.

He kicked away the high cliff from his options.

Harihiko was an adventurer.

And there was a monster in front of him.

There was only one thing to do.

Defeat the monster.

That’s all.

Harihiko gathered his mental strength and focused it in the center.

He carefully observed the monster’s movements and began analyzing.

“—Sss!”

He deflected the claw attack and circled around.

The fish monster spun and swung its arm.

Harihiko burned the movement and muscle fibers into his mind.

From the data, he made assumptions, imagined, and hypothesized.

He executed an attack, was repelled, and tried again.

The accuracy of Harihiko’s predictions improved rapidly.

At the same time, the speed of his continuous attacks increased.

Being able to fight normally was a source of happiness for Harihiko.

He savored the joy of being able to move normally.

“Ha... ha ha!”

He could go anywhere.

He could run forever.

So, more, more...!

The excitement that heated his chest and the sweet thrill that tingled through his body

only made Harihiko’s movements faster.

As Harihiko increased his speed, the fish monster’s reactions began to lag.

Harihiko’s speed had surpassed that of the fish monster.

He could press the attack!

Just as he was about to do so, the fish monster retreated.

Harihiko’s neck tingled.

He braked with his leading foot and immediately moved sideways.

In front of him,

“GYAA!”

A transparent mass shot out from the fish monster’s mouth and passed by.

Harihiko recognized this attack.

—It was magic.

Harihiko hadn’t expected the black fish monster to use magic.

If he hadn’t heeded the warning from his neck and moved, he would have been hit by the magic.

Sweat trickled down Harihiko’s temples.

The magic the fish monster had used was similar to the white compressed magic Kuren had used.

The compression rate was the same as Kuren’s full power.

If it had hit...

“—!”

Harihiko flinched slightly at the thought of its power.

Noticing this, the fish monster’s mouth twisted into a smirk.

It was a smile from a height that could never be reached, looking down.

It was infuriating.

But because of that, his arm tingled.

Harihiko also smirked behind his mask.

The opponent was a monster that wielded its power solely to dominate.

Then, respect for the “strong” was unnecessary.

To survive and win, he should fight cunningly and dirtily.

Harihiko removed his mask.

The fish monster’s eyes flickered.

Harihiko blended into the air and leaped with all his might.

He approached silently, circled around to the fish monster’s back, and delivered a flash of light.

Weak point penetration.

Harihiko’s strike connected with the light.

Before that,

—IIIIIN!!

The fish monster’s claws barely deflected Harihiko’s dagger.

However, the cost of blocking Harihiko’s full-power attack in a poor stance was high.

The fish monster’s stance was greatly compromised.

Taking advantage of this, Harihiko delivered another strike with his other dagger.

“...Tch!”

But this attack was also avoided.

The fish monster used its compromised stance to roll on the ground and avoid the fatal blow.

It was a desperate evasion.

A strike that a normal monster couldn’t even avoid.

Harihiko, however, didn’t feel disappointed and smirked.

Good.

Fantastic!!

The fish monster had likely sensed Harihiko’s killing intent and avoided the attack purely by instinct.

Harihiko was genuinely impressed by the high level of its senses, even in the middle of battle.

If he could capitalize on this reaction, he would have a higher chance of avoiding surprise attacks in the future.

Moreover, the fish monster had clearly noticed Harihiko without his mask!!

“Fantastic...”

Harihiko smiled.

While smiling, he continued to launch stealthy weak point penetration attacks.

The black fish monster, receiving Harihiko’s attacks, was somewhat perplexed.

Why had this situation arisen?

When it had descended into the world, the fish monster had been filled with a sense of omnipotence.

It had believed it could dominate the entire world it could see.

The masked man in front of it could be easily crushed.

That’s what it had thought.

In fact, until it had cast its magic, the fish monster had been overwhelmingly dominant.

Although the human’s physical abilities were higher, it had the trump card of magic.

It would never lose.

But now, the fish monster was completely overpowered.

The cause of this was the man’s aura.

From the moment he removed his mask, the atmosphere around him had completely changed.

The overwhelming sense of “nothingness” felt from his faint presence.

A desolate void that absorbed all violence and brutality.

Because it was nothing, it could accept and dominate everything—the aura of the gods.

It was too different in class.

The fish monster was terrified by this malevolent aura.

Why, why, why...

While barely avoiding the man’s attacks, the fish monster was confused.

Why could a human possess such an aura?

Why hadn’t it noticed the man’s true strength from the beginning?

Why had it ended up fighting such a monster?!

Fear and panic swirled, accelerating the fear of death.

Despite the immense pressure that would normally break a heart, the fish monster’s eyes were bloodshot as it faced the challenge.

The fish monster hadn’t overcome the pressure.

It had been overwhelmed by the pressure, and the strongest instinct of a living being—survival—had emerged.

An invisible presence.

An attack from an unseen angle.

This reaper was definitely here to take its life.

Scary, scary, scary, scary, scary!!

Like a cornered rat, the fish monster faced the invisible reaper.

Just to survive...

As I mentioned in my activity report, we have finally revealed the book cover (a wonderful cover illustration by TEDDY)! If you haven’t seen it yet, check it out at the following URL or through the activity report!

https://twitter.com/hagiu_aki/status/1016988340841676800

Editor: “Everyone seems to love black stockings... (laughs)”

Hagiu: “Black stockings are filled with dreams and romance!”

Despite not being released yet, the book has already ranked 6th in the honto ‘Male-Oriented Light Novels’ book ranking!! ε=＼＿○ノ Hooray!!

This is all thanks to the readers who pre-ordered the book! Thank you so much!!!