novelraw Chapter 130
Chapter 130
Chapter 130
Surfacing from slumber is like drifting in a hot bath. Maybe because your body temperature matches the outside air, the edges of your body feel indistinct.
In that space between waking and sleep, the warmth of a soft futon might resemble that of a bath.
Lee Jiu lay on white sheets, her mind wandering aimlessly, while glancing sideways at the busy medical staff.
She stayed like that for a while.
She quickly grasped that she had woken up and was lying in a bed.
When the memory of that terrifying scene resurfaced, all strength drained from her body.
Compared to the dark world where death and curses ran rampant, the softness of the futon felt far too peaceful.
Jiu had been watching and waiting, as if to confirm—or perhaps to doubt—that this peace wasn't a mirage.
Maybe she was still in that darkness, and if she let her guard down, cracks would form in this scenery, and even the futon would be taken from her.
If that happened, it would be like having the whole cake she bought as a reward for herself snatched away right before her eyes—a despair so crushing she'd surely lose her sanity.
That's why Jiu remained resolutely skeptical as she murmured, "......I can't afford to fall for it."
"Jiu-chan, good morning. So you're awake."
She turned toward the voice and saw a familiar girl.
Her red hair was tied back with a rubber band, her ponytail bouncing as she moved. The gray receptionist uniform fit her well, and a bright red brooch sparkled atop her ample curves.
Outer Sea Six Paths of the Dungeon Foundation.
And among them, the especially mysterious super receptionist—Shurado.
Shurado came to the bedside, said "heave-ho," and somehow pulled out a whole cake from nowhere.
Jiu gave her a sharp look and said, "......Did you just pull that out from under the bed?" But the sweet-looking cake adorned with whipped cream and strawberries made such concerns feel trivial.
Shurado being nonsensical was par for the course—worrying about it would only wear you down.
"Let's split it!"
Shurado slid a knife into the whole cake.
However, she failed to cut exactly through the center, resulting in something like an 8-to-2 volume ratio.
As Jiu thought (......I'm definitely getting the 2), Shurado's hand trembled as she handed her the 8.
"P-please take it quickly......! I'm giving this up with a heavy heart for the amazing work you did, Jiu-chan......!"
"......Then, I'll gratefully accept it."
Receiving Shurado's overwhelming resolve, Jiu stuck her fork into the cake and began munching away. Sweet. Delicious. So good.
"......Shurado-san, what exactly happened?"
Jiu asked while chewing.
"......I couldn't do anything. I was just a bystander. I thought I understood the dungeon, but in that dark world, I was simply weak."
"That's not true. I think you did really well, Jiu-chan!"
"......Shurado-san, why am I sleeping in a place like this?"
Jiu asked.
Shurado began to explain how everything had unfolded.
A strange incident near the 15th floor of the Chiba Class 4 dungeon caused major confusion at the Dungeon Countermeasures HQ above ground.
After Jiu reported via the Dark Communicator that a major tremor had occurred inside the dungeon and that she'd been attacked by suspicious figures in white—the silver followers—communication with the supply base inside the dungeon was lost.
The surface camp recruited explorers and deployed them to investigate the stairway between the 14th and 15th floors, where they ended up battling silver followers who had come to attack the surface.
Fortunately, the dangerous followers were neutralized and captured by the Walking Family Restaurant.
This led the Foundation to suspect that a major ritual had been conducted by a high-risk group.
"That's when I was selected to go in, but just as I was about to head out, Akagi-san—no, Finger Man—appeared."
"......W-what exactly do you mean by that......"
"It seems he used one of only ten anomalous substances in the world to connect spaces and brought everyone out."
"......I see...... So he really did make it happen."
In the depths of despair, he had seized a fragile thread and never let go.
No—perhaps even that thread was something Finger Man had already seen.
He had been acting all along on the assumption that everyone would escape together.
Going alone to the depths of the giant tower, standing alone against a supernatural monster—it was all because he had calculated every possibility and determined that was the best course.
And, in the end, he really did save everyone.
"We've already taken statements from everyone involved. Of course, we've also heard how hard you worked, Jiu-chan. Not a single person died, and on top of that, you managed to conquer the 'Double Dungeon' made up of the Class 4 dungeon and the Archon Dungeon—an astonishing achievement. Truly admirable."
"......All credit for this conquest belongs to Finger Man. You know that too, don't you, Shurado-san?"
Jiu murmured calmly.
Shurado didn't change her expression, gave a small cough, and continued.
"Of the rescued explorers, how many do you think remembered Akagi-san?"
"......Akagi-san?"
"Finger Man's real name is Akagi Hideo-san."
"......Akagi Hideo."
"You've always had more resistance, Jiu-chan. To answer the earlier question—only six of the rescued explorers remembered Akagi-san's face. The other fifty-plus didn't even remember he was part of the operation."
During the few hours while Jiu lay comatose, Shurado had personally investigated the influence of Finger Man's meme, based on what she'd heard from Jigokudo.
As a result, its terrifying potency was laid bare.
Shurado gave Jiu a concise explanation of this.
"......Meme contamination?"
"That's what Jigokudo-chan says. Akagi-san is a tragic figure. No one remembers him, and even if they do, the memories fade. Records are altered or erased by unwitting offenders. Overcoming this phenomenon is extremely difficult."
"......It's like a bamboo shoot—growing out of nowhere."
"Yes. Practically a bamboo shoot."
Shurado let out a weary sigh. "Haa."
"That's why, Jiu-chan, please be one of the few friends he has!"
"......Friends, huh."
"Yes! Friends! Anything more than that and I'll consider you an enemy! I'll go wham! With a hammer!"
"......That's definitely a red flag. Hmm, but I see. So you're a love rival, Shurado-san. This might be a tough one."
"Eh? Ah, wait, y-you're really going after Akagi-san!? That's not allowed! Absolutely not! I'll go like this! Like this!"
"......Who knows. I haven't said anything yet."
"You've got that maiden-in-love face! That's a no-go! Totally not allowed! I've had him reserved for ages! I'm a ten-year veteran! So it's a no!"
Jiu gave her a composed smile.
Shurado was growing flustered, realizing a rival had appeared without her noticing.
She understood that things had progressed considerably while she'd let her guard down.
"......Putting that aside, I understand why I was chosen as the substitute honoree. Thank you for letting me know, Shurado-san."
"You're way too modest, Jiu-chan. You really did work hard. ......But yeah, officially, the records will credit Mister and the other high-ranking explorers."
"......I thought so."
"Heh, but it's fine. I remember him. So does Mister and the others who still do. And of course, you too, Jiu-chan."
Shurado stood up and began clearing the plates.
"As long as we remember Akagi-san, that's enough."
With a bright grin, Shurado said, "See you later," and briskly left the medical room.
"......An unrecorded hero, huh."
Jiu pictured his face in her mind.
"......I'm really glad. Finger Man, I'm grateful I can remember the miracle you gave me."
Jiu whispered, then sank softly into the bed.
Her heart was finally at peace.
————
—Akagi Hideo's perspective
After dropping off the injured at the medical room, the camp got super hectic.
I was told to wait around the camp for a bit, so I have to figure out how to kill time.
Thankfully, there's a Saizeriya on the outskirts of the dungeon camp.
Maybe I'll chill with a Margherita and some premium white grape soda.
Folding a triangular slice and biting into it gives a satisfying feeling that makes you forget how thin the crust is. Mmm, excellent.
"Chi-chi-chi."
"Shimaenaga-san, do you want some Margherita too? Here you go."
"Chi-chi-chi (Translation: I want spicy chicken)."
Shimaenaga-san, isn't that a violation of bird ethics? Are you sure about that?
"Gii."
"Gii-san, you'll have some Margherita, right? Say aaah."
"Gii (Translation: I'll take the baked escargot, my lord)."
Everyone here's a heretic.
"Kyuu."
"That scent's rising... I bet little hedgehog will turn into a beast too, right? You'll probably say you want roast mouse or something, huh?"
"Kyuu! (Translation: I desire corn cream soup very muchuu!)"
So cute. The one and only voice of reason.
Please always stay a good kid, little hedgehog.
"Chi-chi-chi."
"Gii."
"Kyuu kyuu kyuu."
While the carnivorous crew sat nearby, the little hedgehog sipped its corn cream soup in tiny gulps.
Things were getting unusually lively on top of the table.
A little while later.
After pulling a high schooler move and loitering for about four hours with just soft drinks, I was watching anime on Amazon Prime when my phone battery finally died.
If the phone dies first, there's nothing to be done.
I paid the bill and stepped out of Saizeriya. Outside, it was starting to get dark.
"Chi-chi-chi."
"Gii."
"Kyuu kyuu."
Shimaenaga-san went into the chest pocket.
Gii-san went into the right sleeve.
Little hedgehog went into the left outer pocket.
Feeling sources of heat all over my body, I returned to the inner perimeter of the dungeon camp and spotted Shurado at the Countermeasures HQ reception.
"Good evening, Shurado."
"Good evening, Akagi! I've got a bit of free time now, so I can do an appraisal!"
Well then, let's get started.
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Today's Appraisal
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Small treasure chest ¥20,000
Small treasure chest ¥20,000
Treasure chest ¥100,000
Treasure chest ¥100,000
Exceptionally large Salvation boss crystal ¥31,253,210
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Total ¥31,493,210
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Dungeon Bank Account Balance ¥31,621,636
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Shurado Investment ¥1,070,245,582
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Total Assets ¥1,101,867,218
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This time's income was about 31.6 million yen.
I only managed to get the boss crystal from the Salvation dungeon, but maybe if I'd searched properly, I might've found the boss crystal from the Silver Dungeon too.
Thinking about it that way, it does feel like I didn't explore quite enough.
Total assets have exceeded 1.1 billion yen.
In reality, since the mountain of crystals is sitting in that shallow lake as a resource to power the EXP factory, I might actually have closer to 1.2 billion.
"Akagi, the fact that you got the boss crystal all by yourself is seriously amazing! Simultaneously conquering Class 4 and an Archon! It's an unprecedented, historic conquest! With your achievements, I'm sure you'll be able to greatly raise your rank as an explorer! You'll probably get contacted about it soon, so look forward to it!"
After saying that, Shurado changed her tone and said, "By the way, Akagi."
"What is it, Shurado?"
"I think your 'Adolphene's Holy Shroud' is pretty worn out. At that level of damage, I believe it's starting to compromise durability."
"Oh, really? I thought it was indestructible since it withstood those slime attacks that melt clothes. I figured anomalous substances didn't break."
"Not at all. They definitely break when they break. Would you like me to repair it for you?"
"Please do."
I started to take off my coat to hand it to Shurado... then paused.
Wait, I had a bunch of stuff in the pockets...
"Akagi?"
"Actually, never mind. I like it better this way, gives it character. Like distressed jeans, you know?"
"Hmm!"
Shurado leaned in and gave my cheek a quick lick.
"This Akagi is a lying Akagi!"
She figured that out without even tasting my sweat?
"Hand over that coat! I'm inspecting it!"
This is bad. Shurado vaulted over the reception counter.
"N-no, stop! Let go of me!"
"Waaah! Akagi, you've gotten so much stronger!"
We tugged the coat back and forth.
Our feet sank deep into the floor.
"But even so, you've still got a long way to go!"
"What?!"
Shurado smiled, and the moment she sharpened her expression just a bit, I was soaring through the air.
As I spun midair, all I could do was watch Shurado rummage through my coat pockets.
I landed feet-first and rushed to get Adolphene's Holy Shroud back.
"Aah! There's more of them now!"
Shurado had little hedgehog squished in her grip and puffed out her cheeks with a "What is the meaning of this?!" look.
I was a step too late.