Tamer 17
Chapter 17: The Usual Routine, Part One
TL: Cnine
ED/PF:
Part 1
「Ah, Kikyou. Heading home already?」
「Yep, bye, going home, take care.」
「Sana clocks off in five minutes…」
「Yep, bye, going home, take care.」
「……」
Determined to avoid any actual interaction, I marched past the reception desk while repeatedly muttering, “Yep, bye, going home, take care,” like a poorly programmed spell.
Predictably, it worked flawlessly. No conversation achieved.
Reward earned. I’d buy some alcohol on the way home.
I don’t usually drink at all. But if there’s one thing that makes you look like a perfectly normal explorer, it’s booze.
So I grabbed some booze to sell the act. If the Dungeon Association had eyes on me, maybe this would help me slip under the radar.
◇◇◇
To really commit to the act, I went to Honchō in Aomori City, where bars line the streets like badges of adulthood. I wandered into a convenience store, skimmed manga for appearances’ sake, then bought some cheap beers.
As I stepped back outside and waited for the lights to change, I overheard a tense exchange nearby. A hostess, by the sound of it, cornered by two men.
「I-I just came out to have a drink...」
「That’s what I’m saying! Take us to the bar you work at!」
「That’s why we’re saying it! We wanna go to the club you work at!」
「No, that’s not it. I’m heading to a shop right now.」
「Huh? Then we’ll go with you!」
Uhm.
Listening more closely, it sounded like she was only wearing a hostess-style dress, not actually working as one.
Two drunk blokes had apparently mistaken a woman who’d just come out to drink, dressed like a hostess, for the real thing.
Their slurred speech gave them away instantly.
Already drunk at this hour? Honestly, what a hassle. Still… I should probably step in.
This might be fate knocking on my door. And if the Dungeon Association had someone tailing me, maybe they’d jot down, “Seems like a good guy.”
「May I ask something?」
「Huh?」
「What’s your deal?」
Whether it was the booze or their personalities, the two men were itching for a scrap.
「I’m an explorer. You sure you want to pick a fight?」
「Hah! Just a bottom-rank nobody.」
「Don’t get full of yourself, you bastard!」
Ugh, what a hassle. I already said I’m an explorer, so why don’t they just back off?
Even outside the dungeon, I can still use a tenth of my enhanced stats, you know?
「K-Kikyo?」
「Eh?」
Oh hell. It’s the receptionist. Why on earth is she here?
I mean, yeah. If you dress like a hostess, of course people are going to mistake you for one.
Seriously… I messed this up. If I was going to step in, I should’ve at least disguised myself first. Who would’ve thought my overwhelming goodwill would backfire like this?
「We’re just talking about choosing this girl.」
「Scram.」
One of the men seized my collar, his breath reeking of booze as it washed over my face.
Fine. Time for that plan.
「Yep, bye, going home, take care.」
「Hah?」
「Yep, bye, going home, take care.」
「D-dude, what are you even talking about?」
I kept chanting it like a broken NPC, dragged both of them into an alley, pinned them to the wall, and told them, “Don’t look down on explorers.”
Mission accomplished. I successfully fled from the receptionist.
The two men I’d restrained completely lost their nerve and shoved their wallets toward me. I refused the money. Instead, I snapped photos of their IDs with my phone, quietly slipped out a business card from each, handed them the alcohol I’d bought as a “gift,” burned their faces and names into my memory, and warned them, “Go home. Don’t stop anywhere.”
Violence was a bad ending. Straight to the police route.
Shaking badly, they muttered, “S-sorry,” and ran off into the night.
They were unusually terrified. For a second, I wondered if they’d heard my inner voice narrating everything.
If the Dungeon Association really had been watching, then saving the receptionist probably handed them proof that I was stronger than I should be.
Dragging two grown men into an alley like that… yeah, that’s not normal strength.
Yeah. Even being generous, I’d shown several times the strength of an average adult man.
「You little...」
I will never forgive this. If I end up in serious trouble, it will be because of those two men.
I’ve written down their names and addresses, and I remember their faces clearly. I could force them into dungeon exploration and teach them, painfully, that dungeons exist outside the law.
…Yeah, nah. That’s how you get the Dungeon Association knocking on your door.
Instead, I’ll go to their homes. If either is married, I’ll inform his wife that her husband was hitting on young women, then add, “Apparently married women are using special dating apps to vent their stress. Consider it revenge.”
And if they have children, I’ll say, “Your father was pestering young women and making them uncomfortable. That’s pretty embarrassing, isn’t it?”
I even slipped their business cards out of their wallets. Now I know exactly where they work. Should I give their offices a ring too?
Honestly, sorting everything out with just words and zero punching. I’m basically a saint.
No wonder I’ve got monster-tamer vibes. Pure kindness, that’s me.
◇◇◇
17th Day
「Good morning, Kikyō. Thank you for yesterday. Sana was really frightened…」
「You might be harassed again, so it might be best to stop coming to work dressed like a hostess.」
「Guh...」
Guh?
「Kikyō spoke to me normally…」
Damn it. I let my guard down and spoke naturally.
I had to repeat the same words in a flat, emotionless voice so she couldn’t read a thing from me.
Right then, the receptionist randomly got a nosebleed, came charging out from behind the counter, and went in for a hug. I casually dodged, chanting, “Good morning, I’m off to explore now,” like an automated chatbot, and headed straight for the dungeon entrance.
She smiled to herself, completely misunderstanding, thinking, “He’s shy. How nice.” No, not at all. I’m just being careful of honey traps. And seriously, wipe the blood off your face.
「Status」
===
Status
Name：Sakura Kikyo
Occupation：Monster Tamer
Lv：130 ↑37
HP：585 ↑190
MP：792 ↑237
SP：64
Skill
Monster Taming54 Monster Recovery7 Monster Enhancement7 Monster Fusion Monster Reborn
Monster Evolution
Tamed Monster
GoblinLv130×5 SlimeLv130×4
PixieLv127×35
EXP to next level: 5636
===
Yeah, no way these stats can leak. Not happening.
Yesterday I went all-in on this magic-circle resummon combo and somehow murdered 2,808 ghouls in one day. One day.
Sure, my levelling speed went completely nuts, but hitting level 130 after barely two weeks as an explorer? That’s straight-up illegal in game-design terms.
Even the best-known levelling skills just give you, what, a few times more experience?
If people catch on to my pace, someone’s going to realise there’s an EXP bug hiding in here.
Honestly, it might be safer to just lie later and say, “Oh yeah, I’ve got a skill that gives, like, fifty times XP.” Sounds more believable, somehow.
Updating my Explorer Card wouldn’t show my skills anyway, so the lie’s basically bulletproof.
The Dungeon Association’s already side-eyeing me, so I’ll just keep my head down and grind levels until they actually try something.
If they do jump me, I’ll just say, “Yeah, I’ve got a skill that gives thirty times EXP.” Easy.
「Alright then, guess I’m camping here for a while.」
No idea if this magic-circle resummon combo even works on other floors, after all.