My Refrigerator Turned Into A Dungeon

Chapter 425

Chapter 425Self-Control

Late that night. Nina-san came to visit me, sleeping in my kei van.

"Coach, what should I do...?"

Getting up from the cargo area where I'd been sleeping and sitting side-by-side with her on the seat, the consultation she began was about her younger brothers, Masa-kun and Yuki-kun.

"...Hmmm, that is a difficult problem. Either way, there seem to be merits and demerits..."

"See...?"

And the subject of that consultation was whether or not to make the two of them dungeon ability users.

"The biggest sticking point is probably their age. If you give such great power to kids of that age, can they really exercise self-control with it...?"

"That's it, yeah..."On this problem, Nina-san and I, the two of us together, hmmm, were stuck pondering deeply. And then, puun, a mosquito came flying, and while it was still flying, I smashed it to bits with a flick of my finger, and thought about this power.

The surroundings are rice paddies. So naturally, there are also lots of mosquitoes.

But for us now, even a feat like the swordsman Miyamoto Musashi pinching a flying fly with chopsticks is something we can do easily. And besides that, attacks like mosquito bites don't work on us anymore.

That said, for dungeon ability users, the usual baseline is about three times that of a normal person.

So, if a large crayfish pinches your finger, it hurts, and if a snake bites you, you'll still bleed. Therefore, the large numbers displayed in our status are, so to speak, like maximum output. Just as humans don't always live life at full spec, full power, dungeon ability users also seem to average around that level during normal times.

Well, even if you have the power of a hundred men, if you constantly output the power of a hundred men, the energy you consume would also be enough for a hundred people. That's just too inefficient, and the food costs would be terrible too.

"Well, it's not like we can exactly say we have perfect self-control either..."

"See...?"

"If I could be by their side, always watching over them... then I wouldn't be worrying like this..."

"Hmmm..."

The problem is simple, yet opaque.

Whether children, given power that's difficult to manage, can properly restrain themselves and handle it... there's just no way to know. Once you get power, you feel like a new person, and become completely elated. In other words, that was me, back when I became stronger in the dungeon, stuck in a manic state and unable to return to normal.

The power obtained. The unbelievable supernatural ability. The confidence overflowing from it.

To restrain such things, to blend into the common populace and live humbly to avoid causing problems. Yeah, that's not so easily done.

"When I thinks about if monsters come out on the surface again, it makes I anxious, ya know...? But if they had the power to fight, even if it's clumsy, then when that time comes, they'd think 'I can't run, I'll fight!' I thinks they'd end up thinking that, see?"

"Hmmm... yeah, that's true."

If they're ordinary people, when they encounter a monster, their only choice is to run.

Well, it's possible they can't run and have no choice but to fight! But if they are dungeon ability users, the choice is two: fight or run. And with the mindset of one who has power, they'd end up thinking... well, first, should I fight?

During the Dungeon Stampede 2.0, we encountered a situation where, despite many dungeon ability users gathering, they were completely wiped out. Thinking about that too, the idea that it's fine to just give them power because it's dangerous is, in itself, also dangerous.

"Both of them take after Nina-san, they're clever for their age. But when they get power, we don't know how they might change due to the shift in their mental state. So how about this? While we're still here, having them learn Aikido from Hinata-kun."

"Eh, from Yuzuki-chan?"

"Yeah. Shark, well, is still the same as ever, but since learning Aikido, she's seemed a little calmer, right? So instead of giving them power outright, how about we observe the situation step by step? Fortunately, Aikido emphasizes defense. If they start with such a martial art, I don't think the two of them would grow to be so belligerent, don't you agree?"

Then Nina-san's face, which until now had been worried, changed to a face of serious consideration, and she rested her slender, pretty fingers on her delicate chin and began to think.

"That's... true, isn't it...? Maybe I was getting impatient, thinking I had to do something about it while I is still with them. Even if they don't become ability users, if they build a solid foundation, there are things they can handle, aren't there."

"That's right. The sumo wrestlers we saw on TV, it's precisely because they steadily built up their daily training that, the moment they became dungeon ability users, they started displaying such incredible power, I'll bet."

Yeah. From what I saw, the sacred rikishi sumo wrestlers easily surpassed the human wall.

That's right, that ceiling of 500. Whether it's a buff from a divine being or something else is unclear, but they are undoubtedly more powerful than the Self-Defense Force personnel, who had probably reached their growth limit.

"That's right. Tomorrow, I will talk to the two of them and ask Yuzuki-chan too."

"Ah, that's a good idea. I'm sure Yuzuki-chan will gladly accept."

Yeah, and if that doesn't work, that girl, if we use Pixie as a bargaining chip, she'll probably agree to most anything.

"Haa, now I can sleep peacefully. Coach..., thanks for hearing me out."

Saying that, Nina-san got out of the passenger seat. Then, going around the front of the car to the driver's side, she gave me a present—a kiss on the cheek—and returned to the new house.

Hmm, it seems she was really worried about her little brothers. Truly, a good, family-oriented older sister.