novelraw Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Chapter 136
Baron Benvenuto Yoko Chichigaski.
A modern genius, he is a leading authority in dungeon physics and has also demonstrated his talent in dungeon linguistics, which he dabbled in on the side—contributing achievements significant enough to lead the world.
The time was 9 p.m. The quiet of night hung in the air.
He was sipping coffee alone in a conference room.
It was a simple room with only a whiteboard, paper, a copier, and a coffee maker—aside from a desk and chairs.
Benvenuto swung his legs side to side, as if testing the comfort of the chair. He seemed a little restless.
He kept checking the clock.
Because he was waiting for someone.
—Knock knock.
A knock echoed through the dim office.
"Yes."
Benvenuto responded immediately and stood up.
The person who entered was a Japanese woman.
She had dark circles under her eyes and gave off an impression of lethargy.
"Hello, Lord Benvenuto. It's an honor to meet you."
Her voice was much deeper than her appearance suggested.
"Dr. Jigokudo, the honor is mine. I've been waiting for the day I'd meet a scientist of authority and conviction like you. Everyone else seems too caught up in power struggles."
"Please, don't mind me. Have a seat."
Jigokudo offered Benvenuto a chair, then walked over to the coffee maker and began brewing her own cup.
After the whirring of the machine stopped, Benvenuto began to speak.
"I've uncovered a certain critical truth. Eventually, everyone will know—and should know—because it holds the potential to change the world order."
"That's extremely intriguing."
Jigokudo sat on the desk and sipped her coffee.
Benvenuto took out his smartphone, displayed something on the screen, and handed it to Jigokudo.
She accepted it and stared intently at the glowing screen.
"The Archon Dungeon that appeared a few days ago and was conquered yesterday—based on the conditions and the anomalous substance 'Donuts,' it's a silver-type dungeon. Jiu also speculated as much. Things were getting a bit complicated, but I gathered all the original info and became certain."
"A sudden awakening of both Darkness and silver followers, huh. Certainly a scenario that warrants extreme caution."
"Yeah. For something like that to happen in such a short time—and with followers from different organizations moving at once. And those two factions are likely adversaries. I found it suspicious, so after the interrogation, I borrowed the database and did some digging. ...It seems the sealed Archon Dungeon is transitioning to an active state."
"Is that true?"
Jigokudo's eyes widened.
Benvenuto winked and said, "I do have a certain amount of clearance. It's reliable intel."
"Someone is pulling the strings. And likely, that person is contacting numerous high-risk groups using overwhelming power and connections, helping the followers revive their gods. You could say they're supporters of humanity's extinction."
"...Hmm. By the way, what is this? I can't quite make sense of it."
Jigokudo raised the phone.
On the screen Benvenuto had handed her was a decoded message in Dark Labyrinth script he had deciphered inside the Archon Dungeon.
The decoded message described the contents of a ritual.
"That's a clipping from a page of a grimoire owned by Norn in the Euro region. I once viewed and deciphered it, so I recognized it."
"And now it's in the hands of the followers of Darkness?"
"Yeah. Seems my assistant turned out to be a traitor. Most likely they stole it. Though it might be from a different grimoire."
"That's troubling. Was the assistant who was a follower of Darkness in the dungeon?"
"Nope. They weren't there. Actually, they were found elsewhere. One of my private connections discovered them. Go ahead and slide the screen."
Jigokudo flicked the screen.
A photo of a corpse blooming with blood appeared.
In some room, it displayed a blasphemous form of death.
The arms and legs had been replaced, and the head was attached to the abdomen.
"Oops, pardon me—perhaps not the most considerate thing to show a lady."
"It's fine. Is this Rome?"
"...Yeah, it is. My assistant Bruno was dead. We searched the room, but all materials, including the grimoire, were gone. From the situation, whoever killed Bruno probably took everything. The estimated time of death was right after the Archon Dungeon was conquered."
"...So it wasn't a coincidence. You think the conquest of the Archon Dungeon led to Bruno's death?"
"That's my belief. Since the mission failed, they were trying to recover their investment in Bruno's organization... That's the feeling I can't shake."
"So that's the supporter of humanity's extinction?"
"Yeah, a shadow operator. Also, that blasphemous 'object of death'—playing with corpses like that is a grotesque show-off by No-Face Takenoko."
No-Face Takenoko.
Known in Japan as the 'Faceless Man' Alaragi, he always makes it obvious it was his doing by staging blasphemous corpse displays after his crimes.
"Between the global unsealing of Archon Dungeons and the increasing activity of Takenoko, I've got a really bad feeling."
"Yeah. The Agent's Office had the same kind of tension."
Benvenuto recalled the moment a few hours earlier when he'd been escorted by the Agents.
(The JPN Agent's Office was surprisingly reasonable. Makes sense why S-Class 'Dandy' would associate with them.)
Benvenuto had provided the Agents with some information and received some in return. Though hailed as one of the 'Four Emperors of Dungeon Academia,' he had no interest in power struggles—he loved academic truth and sideboob, and wished for world peace on the side.
The Agent's Office acknowledged his unusually pure-hearted personality for his age.
That's why they also told him that 'Dandy' was currently tracking Takenoko, and that recently, they had been investigating the movements of the silver followers in this area. They needed Benvenuto's help to corner Takenoko.
Benvenuto gladly agreed.
He didn't like having No-Face as an enemy, but in terms of money and power, he was fairly well-equipped.
Having been betrayed by his assistant Bruno and dragged into tremendous danger, he had built up frustration toward such doomsday fanatics, which was also part of why he agreed.
But his main motivation lay elsewhere.
"Jigokudo, do you know the Finger Man? That outrageous explorer. I did some digging—he's pretty famous in Japan, right?"
"You've met the Finger Man, Lord Benvenuto?"
"Yeah. I thought he was just an ordinary young man, but in truth, he's incredible. A prodigy who could change history."
"Hehe. Right?"
Jigokudo gave a smug little grin and said, "You get it."
She had a bit of pride in being among the first to recognize the greatness of the Finger Man, so whenever he was praised, she felt oddly happy, as if it were personal.
"Ahem. I see. That's good. Not many people remember him, after all."
"What do you mean?"
Jigokudo began to talk about the Finger Man meme.
"Oh? That's quite... a troublesome matter."
"He's a pitiful boy, truly."
Benvenuto stroked his well-groomed beard.
"But there's no doubt he's the finest explorer capable of conquering the Archon Dungeon. That much is unshakable. He's the real deal. His power might even serve as a deterrent—he could become a terrifying icon to those who lurk in the darkness and night, to the doomsday fanatics."
"JPN has already credited it to 'Mister' and the other explorers, though."
"No need to worry, Dr. Jigokudo. To the public, he's just an urban legend, right? Then rumors are enough. What matters is the truth—not whether it's acknowledged."
"Sounds like it could be an interesting social experiment."
"Then let's go ahead and spread the Finger Man meme. Since he's the Finger Man... let's call him 'Fingerman.'"
With Benvenuto's guidance, the 'Fingerman' meme was actively spread to overseas forums and social media. It spread across the world in an instant, and the urban legend from Japan became one known globally.
————
——Akagi Hideo's perspective
Pikon!
"Ugh! Huh? Oh, the usual level-up, huh."
Leveling up suddenly in the middle of sleep was nothing new.
Still, what kind of illness is this, really?
Maybe it's time I saw a doctor.
"Gii (Translation: Looks like 'Phobia Syndrome' leveled up.)"
Gii-san, who happened to be awake, told me.
Oh, right, I did have that skill.
I opened the status screen—let's see, Phobia Syndrome...
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Akagi Hideo
Level 270
HP 371,200/402,300
MP 95,600/100,950
Skills
'Finger Snap Lv7'
'Phobia Syndrome Lv10'
'Surekill Lv10'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault Lv8'
'Blue Pulsation Lv4'
'Black Swamp's Severer'
'Super Catcher Lv4'
'Until the Very End Together'
'Silver Shield Lv9'
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'Phobia Syndrome Lv10'
Proof of one who delights in spreading terror.
Allows you to gain experience from the fear of others.
At level 10, experience gain is multiplied by 10.0.
Unlock condition: Spread phobia across the entire world
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Somehow I'd ended up spreading fear across the whole world.
Well, whatever. I'm sleepy. Going to bed. Good night.