Tamer 25
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Chapter 25: The Receptionist and the High-Ranking Explorer
TL : Cnine
ED/PF :
Part 1
「Hello, miss receptionist. Good afternoon.」
「Ah… miss Haruno…」
So the sly fox has returned eh?
I won’t let her so much as look at my Kikyō. High-ranking explorer or not, Sana’s claim was ironclad.
「Don’t make that face. I have no intention of taking Kikyō, and I’m here purely as an explorer today.」
「Is that so? Then please, do not speak to my Kikyō.」
「You sure has some bold demands. If we meet in the dungeon, surely a simple greeting is hardly a crime, right?」
「That won’t be necessary.」
「Eh? That would make me come across as a terrible person!」
I’d prefer Kikyō to recognise her as just that, a bit of a nasty person.
「C-come on, at least allow a greeting, won’t you?」
「Very well, then. Let it be only a greeting, nothing more.」
「Fine, fine… but just so you know, if Kikyō misbehaves, I’ll have to punish him!」
Misbehave?
Wait… Could she really mean last night? When Kikyō actually threatened mr Ueda and mr Sato?!
Damn it. This sly fox… She’s determined to keep getting in the way of Sana and Kikyō.
Sana absolutely have to protect Kikyo, otherwise he might end up in police custody!
◇◇◇
「Well… This is pretty much expected from a backwater dungeon.」
The 1st floor was crawling with slimes, the 2nd with goblins. And these goblins were pathetically low-level.
「If this is the Ueno Dungeon, even the 2nd floor goblins would be level 3 minimum. But no surprise here… The goblin of backwater dungeon are laughably weak.」
After Kikyō’s bizarre miso curry milk ramen comment yesterday, I really couldn’t shake the thought that maybe he was the same idiot who posted that ridiculous nonsense on the monster BBS.
I came to Aomori Dungeon today to find out for myself…
「And yet… Nothing. Not a single person. Did I just walk past he?」
I was certain he’d be somewhere on the 2nd floor if he was a beginner, but the place was completely empty.
Could it be… Kikyō didn’t come today?
「Yet judging from how the receptionist spoke, it looks like he’s here today after all.」
If Kikyō weren’t here, why would the receptionist have dealt with me with such visible irritation?
He’s gotta be here, right? He just has to be.
Kikyō-kun said he’s been an explorer less than three weeks, so I searched for him in the 2nd floor, but he wasn’t there. Could it be that he was in the 3rd floor?
Deciding to check, I climbed up, and lo and behold, a level 17 Orc was waiting there.
「No, no, no way!」
It didn’t make any sense. Orcs on this floor should be around level 10 at most.
Level 17? That was basically a one-shot trap for first-timers.
「The Aomori Dungeon is nuts. Wait, he’s not even on the 3rd floor?」
Oh no… Kikyō wasn’t here either…
After combing through everything and still coming up empty, any normal person would think we just missed each other, or that he didn’t come today. Yet my thoughts drifted somewhere far more unreasonable.
What if… He had already on the 4th floor?
By all logic, that’s ridiculous. But my party, Brave Saint Sword Demon, climbed to the top precisely by defying that very logic. Because of that, I couldn’t dismiss the idea that Kikyō might be hiding an outrageous skill.
If he had been concealing his abilities from the start, unlike us, then honestly, it fits him perfectly.
「Maybe I should check the 4th floor too」
◇◇◇
「No, seriously, this is weird, isn’t it?!」
「Woof?」
「Oh—sorry, sorry. I'm not referring you, Gon.」
I stroked Gon’s fur as he cocked his head, clearly wondering what had me so worked up.
I actually have plenty of other monsters I’d like to bring with me. But the rules say that when a monster tamer enters a dungeon outside their usual hunting grounds, they were only allowed to bring a single monster.
Monster tamers were completely handicapped by this. Honestly, what was the dungeon’s creator thinking?
「Honestly… Something about this place is seriously off.」
A level 28 ogre on the 4th floor. A level 35 pixie on the 5th floor.
Sure, the monster difficulty was already completely out of line for the floors they were on. But that wasn’t the real problem.
The real issue was the experience. It was painfully low. A level 35 pixie should give at least 100, maybe 120 EXP.
And yet, the one I defeated barely offered 50 EXP. As the truth sank in, a chill ran through me.
「What kind of dungeon is this? One designed solely to grind explorers into the dirt?」
A dungeon that skimps on EXP while freely unleashing powerful monsters is the worst. If it were me, I’d have left immediately.
「Still, Kikyo was nowhere to be found.」
Even with exceptional skills, reaching the 6th floor after just over three weeks was next to impossible. Yet, having come this far, curiosity won out.
「Since I’m already here… I’ll take a look at the 6th floor.」
I’d missed him repeatedly, but this was a rare trip to a regional dungeon. Leaving now felt wasteful.
If he’s not here, I’d just come back another time. No big deal.
And then, when I reached the 6th floor, the scene before my eyes was…
「K-KIKYO!」
Why is Kikyō-kun wrapped up in a slime like some kind of dessert!?
And right next to him was this ripped devil monster I’ve never seen before, just standing there, looking smug.
Oh no! At this rate, Kikyō's going to be killed...!
「Hang on! I’m coming to save yo---Wait, what?」
The moment I lunged forward to help, the devil vanished and reappeared directly before me.
He was absurdly fast. Even Gon, the most dependable monster I had brought along, could not follow its movements.
「Gon is... Failed to react in time.」
Gon's level was 72.
If a Wild Wolf known for its speed couldn't even react, then the devil before me was not merely level 100. It may well be over 150.
A chill ran down my spine. This monster should never exist on the 6th floor.
「Ha… hahaha… guess it’s time… to make up my mind!」
With death looming so close, laughter spilled out of me on its own.
I knew I couldn’t escape. But if Kikyo could just slip free from the slime, he might be able to use me as bait and reach the 7th floor.
If death was inevitable, then I would at least die doing something worthwhile.
「Kikyo, run!! I’ll draw his attention!!」
I shouted with everything I had, making sure he understood my intent.
「Gon. Leave me behind and run. I’ll buy you time.」
「GAU!!!」
「Eh?」
Gon didn’t obey my order. He stood beside me, strong and unyielding.
Gon… my monster… Defying me... His tamer?
「Grau! Graugrau!!」
「Hahaha… You’re such an idiot, Gon.」
You know exactly how dangerous it was to stay here, don’t you?
「I’m sorry. The real idiot was me.」
I was the one who rushed recklessly through the dungeon, floor after floor, without proper preparation. And Gon stayed, risking everything, just for me.
The answer was obvious. I was the foolish one here.
Huh, something feels off.
I’m about to die, standing before a monster far beyond both me and Gon, and yet my heart hadn’t broken.
The devil didn’t attack me. He simply watches. Why?
Perhaps because I’ve accepted my end, time itself has slowed, stretching every moment into eternity.
I can think this much even while braced for combat, so maybe this was something like revolving lantern.
Sorry, Gon. I really am a terrible monster tamer, aren’t I?
Everyone… I’m sorry. I’m going to die, so please let the Brave Saint Sword Demon continue on as the Brave Saint Sword Demon…
「I suppose I’ll make one last stand.」
「Haruno, what are you doing in a place like this?」
Eh?
Just as I prepared myself to die, Kikyō knocked the devil down, pinned his head to the ground, and calmly met my gaze.
That was a devil I had judged far beyond us. One I was ready to die fighting...
「I’ll deal with this one. Go back down to the 5th floor. I can’t fight properly if you’re here. We’ll regroup later.」
「Y-Yes.」
There wasn’t a shred of tension in his voice. And the way he moved, even for an instant, made it obvious. He could take this devil alone.
I couldn’t get in Kikyō’s way. Someone like me wouldn’t be support. I’d just slow him down.
I sprinted up the stairs with all my strength, my breath ragged, confused by the pounding in my chest.
「Huff… I should be safe once I’m this far down.」
Why is my heart still pounding though?
Was it because I faced death? Or because I ran as hard as I could?
Still, Kikyō appearing out of nowhere and saving me like that was incredibly cool.
Now that I think about it, when Kikyō power-harassed me at the dungeon receptionist, maybe he was trying to keep me from entering this dungeon at all.
※Author Note: He didn't.
Like, even if I ended up hating him, he was willing to be the bad guy and drive me out of this hell.
※Author Note: This was entirely for Kikyō’s own convenience.
「Whenever I think about Kikyō, my heart starts racing...」
I get it now. So that’s what this is.
I… I’ve probably fallen for Kikyō. No question about it—this pounding heart is all thanks to him.
Even after everything that happened, instead of reflecting on it, I just couldn’t stop thinking about him…
Despite my boyish style, I guess I’m unexpectedly a maiden at heart.