Chapter 96

"Let's Become an Adventurer! ~Dungeon Conquest with the Skill Board~"

Countdown post starts! Only 7 days until release!!

In the midst of the forest of Kamui Kotan.

The man, holding the corpse of a monster, grinned.

Since the start of the monster hunting competition, the man had run through the forest with all his might and defeated three monsters.

It is said that there are about 30 monsters in the forest.

Since around 30 adventurers participated in the hunt, he was sure to be in the top 10 after defeating three.

Depending on the number of monsters other adventurers have defeated, there is a possibility of ranking higher.

If everything goes well and he is recognized on Kagemitsu's blog, he will surely catch the eye of many people.

Thinking about this, the man couldn't suppress his smile.

Finally, the chance to become a 'Narou' ranker has come to me...

All the effort I've put in up to this point has been worth it.

He put the monster in his bag and looked up at the sky.

The sun was turning a deep crimson.

The end of the early hunting competition was near.

It's time to head back.

Just as the man was about to head back to the starting point, the forest suddenly rustled.

"…?"

In the distance, the cry of a crow echoed.

The sound of many birds taking flight at once resonated, followed by a moment of silence.

It was a strange silence, as if all the creatures in the forest had fled.

What is it?

The man tilted his head.

At that moment, a creepy creature appeared from the forest.

"―!?"

The creature flew over the man's head and disappeared into the forest in an instant.

"……"

The man stood there, mouth agape, unable to move.

The creature that appeared was a mask.

It was the mysterious masked man rumored on the bulletin board.

The mask, which seemed to curse anyone who touched it, was floating in the air.

As rumored, the mask had wings and scales.

On either side of the mask were the upper bodies of black fishmen.

It seemed that the fishmen had displeased the mask and were torn apart with both hands.

The bag the mask carried was filled with salmon.

Those were surely the sacrifices for the ritual the mask was about to perform.

...I've seen something incredible.

The man looked at the forest where the mask had disappeared and then at his own hands.

After seeing that mask, the three monsters in his hands seemed so insignificant.

Until just a moment ago, they had seemed like treasures...

"Me, a ranker? A sponsor? ...Ha, ha!"

The idea of becoming a ranker or getting sponsored seemed absurd.

Aiming for the top means competing with the masked man.

With a man like that?

No way.

There's no way I can beat such a vicious man!

If I have to compete with that, I'd rather stay unknown forever!!

"......Let's go back."

The man lowered his shoulders and started walking slowly.

He threw away his dream of becoming a ranker by the river in Kamui Kotan...

* * *

【Asahikawa】Monster Early Hunting Competition【Aerial's Event】

127 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

Today's event was really exciting

Especially the competition among almost unknown adventurers

128 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

That's right

Strong adventurers who aren't well-known ranked

It was a thrilling battle for me, who loves underground stuff

Thinking about whether they will be noticed by companies and become famous in the future

It's both exciting and sad...

129 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

It's both exciting and sad when minor adventurers become famous

I really understand that feeling...

130 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

Anyone participate in the competition on-site?

I saw something strange and can't sleep

131 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

A ghost?

It's said to appear there quite often

132 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

Probably not

A floating mask

Wings growing from the neck

And a body with scales

133 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

Ah, the Masked Man?

He also participated?

134 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

Probably that Masked Man?

He was flying in the sky with salmon on his back

135 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

Wait a minute

It's a bit different from the Masked Man I know www

136 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

As expected of the Masked Man

He easily surpasses my imagination...

137 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

I also saw the Masked Man

He was moving on multiple legs while searching for monsters

And shooting potatoes from his eyes

138 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

No way

Is that really a human!?

139 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

>>138

Are you seeing the Masked Man for the first time?

Don't be surprised by this

140 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

That's right

This is his regular performance

141 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

No, I'm surprised!

And why are you guys taking it so calmly!?

142 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

With the Masked Man, anything is possible

If you're surprised by this level of transformation, you can't be a fan!

143 Name: Anonymous running around Kamui Kotan

Seriously...

No, I don't intend to be a fan

That guy is too scary to follow...

* * *

Sakuhiko flew through the trees with all his might.

Sometimes, he accidentally broke tree trunks with his feet or moved in the opposite direction, but he managed to return to the starting point.

However,

"...What the...!?"

At the old Kamui Kotan station, the cleanup was already underway.

Sakuhiko was stunned and fell to the ground on all fours.

Sakuhiko had been jumping from tree to tree, starting from the Kamui Rock.

He had moved as fast as possible, but unfortunately, he couldn't move in a straight line.

Moreover, due to his lack of familiarity with the area, he got completely lost.

As a result, it took him much longer than expected to return to the starting point.

The sun had disappeared behind the mountains, and the stars were shining brightly.

"My... presence..."

...It's not over yet.

It's too early to give up!

Sakuhiko mustered his strength and stood up.

The counting might start soon.

He can't give up!

With renewed hope, Sakuhiko dragged the black fishman and approached Kagemitsu.

"Mr. Kagemitsu. Um—"

He approached Kagemitsu, who was watching the cleanup, and spoke.

But when Kagemitsu saw the black fishman, he raised his hand to cut off Sakuhiko's words.

He grimaced as if suffering from a headache and lightly tapped his temple.

"Ah, well, let's talk a bit."

Kagemitsu then looked at the old Kamui Kotan station, signaling Sakuhiko to follow.

Sakuhiko nodded silently and followed Kagemitsu.

"First, well..."

Inside the station, Kagemitsu looked around outside through the window before turning back.

"What have you done!?"

"...Huh? Wait a minute. What are you talking about?"

"It's the Kamui Rock! You broke it, didn't you!?"

"...What are you talking about?"

Even through the mask, it was clear.

The eyes of the air were swimming smoothly.

When Kagemitsu saw Sakuhiko return, he immediately knew.

The Kamui Rock being split in two was his doing.

The proof was the monster in his hands.

The dead demihuman, split in two, was not native to Kamui Kotan. Kagemitsu had never seen this type of monster before.

Moreover, the corpse had an unusual aura.

Even though it was already dead, it made Kagemitsu's spine shiver.

Adventurers, once they reach a certain level, can judge the strength of a monster from its appearance, much like how a muscular person is judged to be strong.

(I would have a hard time fighting this monster... even I would struggle...)

A team could defeat it.

But solo... it would be difficult.

That's how Kagemitsu judged the monster's strength.

This monster was almost certainly the one Becky had sensed earlier.

But Kagemitsu never imagined that the air would defeat it.

Kagemitsu had been imagining how high the air could rank in the monster hunt, but the result far exceeded his expectations.

He never thought the air would miss the chance to increase his presence.

"What do you plan to do...?"

"Let's pretend it didn't happen—"

"Is that possible!?"

Kagemitsu's intense reaction made the air move his hands frantically.

He was probably as anxious about breaking the Kamui Rock as Kagemitsu could see.

Seeing his attitude, Kagemitsu let out a small sigh of relief.

The Kamui Rock is just a natural rock formation.

It's not a natural heritage, and breaking it doesn't inconvenience anyone.

Before the stampede, it might have been different, but now, no one has the time to complain about an adventurer breaking the Kamui Rock.

It's a big event, but a small mistake.

Yet, an adventurer capable of defeating a B-rank monster was panicking over a small mistake.

Kagemitsu was just relieved by his small-town mentality.

"Well, since only we noticed such a big event, it probably won't be a big deal."

"Really...?"

Feeling the anger aura from Kagemitsu dissipate, Sakuhiko let out a sigh of relief.

—Huh?

Noticing the words, Sakuhiko tilted his head.

"Mr. Kagemitsu, did you notice the battle?"

"Huh? Yeah. A strong monster appeared, so I went to the battle."

"If you noticed, I wish you could have helped..."

The battle with the black fishman was a close call for Sakuhiko.

He was so cornered that he had to use a stealth attack without his mask.

Ideally, he would have wanted Aerial to intervene before he had to remove his mask.

"You can't reach the top of Kamui Rock immediately after noticing the monster! Besides, when I tried to climb the rock, it split, and I was really worried!! Hey, Air. Are you reflecting on breaking the Kamui Rock? Huh?"

The topic, thought to be over, reignited.

Kagemitsu, with a strained face, grabbed Sakuhiko's head with one hand.

True to his reputation as Hokkaido's top adventurer, Sakuhiko's head made an unpleasant cracking sound.

"I, I am! I'm reflecting!"

"Damn..."

Taking advantage of the moment when Kagemitsu's grip loosened, Sakuhiko stepped back.

He almost cracked his skull.

Rubbing his head, Sakuhiko let out a sigh of relief.

"Still, you're really mysterious. You did all that, yet why do you have no presence? No one noticed the rock splitting... except for me..."

"...No one noticed? Other adventurers—"

"No one noticed. Except for Aerial, no one."

"...What...?"

Despite causing such a big event, only Kagemitsu noticed the rock splitting.

Should he be happy that no one knew, or should he hate his lack of presence for causing such a big event and still going unnoticed...

This phenomenon is undoubtedly due to the hateful transparent god—Mejed.

Without this blessing, he might have been noticed by someone, and the thought of it made his blood boil with frustration.

However, without Mejed's blessing, Sakuhiko wouldn't have been able to fight this far.

He might have died in a past battle.

Thinking about this, he couldn't blame Mejed.

"By the way, Mr. Kagemitsu"

"...Huh?"

"I defeated a Kilrabbit and a fishman... um—"

"It's already time. Give up."

"Ugh!"

Sakuhiko let out a breath as if spitting out blood and fell to the ground on all fours.

He had worked so hard just to increase his presence...

Tears welled up in Sakuhiko's eyes.

"By the way, Air's team ranking was 4th."

"Huh?"

The tears stopped.

Sakuhiko stood up quickly and grabbed Kagemitsu's shoulder.

"4th place means I won, right?"

"Idiot. The awards start from 3rd place."

"R, really...?"

"But—"

"......But?"

Sakuhiko's throat made a gulping sound.

In the tense atmosphere, Kagemitsu looked up at the sky and whispered.

"From what I remember, you needed just 2 more points to win."

"What...!?"

Hearing Kagemitsu's words, Sakuhiko fell to the ground on all fours again.

Just 2 more points to win 3rd place.

Sakuhiko had 2 monsters in his hands—exactly 2 points.

If he had arrived just a little earlier...!!

"Ughhhhh!!"

Sakuhiko could only lament his fate.