Episode 105: A Poor Company
Monday morning. It was Yuma’s first day back at work since returning alive from the Black Dungeon.
“Good morning,” he said.
“Yuma-kun!”
Tanaka rushed over to him as soon as he entered the office.
“Are you alright? I was worried about you; I heard you were hospitalized for a while. I’m glad you were discharged so quickly!”
Seeing Tanaka’s joyful expression and the sweat on his brow, Yuma was once again reminded of what a kind senior he was.
Maika, who was in the back of the office, also said, “Ah! Yuma-kun, I’m glad… Are you feeling okay?” Yuma replied strongly, “I’m totally fine!” to reassure her.
“Still, what were you thinking, taking Yuma-kun all the way to the bottom of the Dungeon!”
Maika folded her arms, looking angry, and glared at Kanzaki, who was sitting in the back of the office.
Kanzaki, who had been reading the newspaper while smoking, noticed Maika’s gaze and awkwardly looked away, turning the page of the newspaper.
“I’m sorry, Yuma-kun. My father… the president, isn’t responsible enough, and you had to go through such a terrible experience.”
“N-no, I’m always being helped by the president… I was able to return from the Dungeon alive thanks to him.”
“You’re too kind, Yuma-kun. You have every right to be angry!”
Ignoring Maika’s exasperated expression, Tanaka spoke to him with a beaming smile.
“So, how did you get to the lowest level? What kind of Monsters were there? Even if I ask the president, he doesn’t tell me the details. Tell me what happened!”
“But I lost consciousness at the lowest level, so I don’t remember much.”
“Yeah, I know that. It’s okay, just tell me about what happened before you got to the lowest level.”
Tanaka’s eyes sparkled with excitement as he listened.
–Come to think of it, Tanaka-san seems to like Dungeon stories, maybe he’s a maniac or something?
Just as Yuma was about to start telling the story as best as he could remember, Kanzaki, who had been sitting in the back, suddenly stood up and approached them.
“Yuma, I need to talk to you. Come with me.”
“Ah, yes.”
Maika and Tanaka exchanged puzzled glances at Kanzaki’s abrupt words.
Yuma hurriedly followed Kanzaki as he opened the office door and went outside. They went down the stairs and entered a room on the second floor together.
Kanzaki stopped in the center of the dusty room filled with weapons, armor, and miscellaneous goods.
He turned around and looked at Yuma with a serious expression.
“Yuma, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“…What is it?”
“It’s about the Chimera that was at the bottom of the Black Dungeon. I said it died when it fell into the Hole, but…”
“Yes, that’s what I heard.”
“The truth is different. You were the one who defeated that Monster, Yuma.”
“Eh!? Me?”
Yuma was confused by the sudden revelation.
“You certainly lost consciousness and collapsed while fighting the Chimera. But after that, your body turned into a huge metal sphere.”
“A metal… sphere?”
“That’s right. From inside that sphere, you emerged in a Metal Armor state, growing to a gigantic size. You were like an Iron Giant.”
“No, no, no, there’s no way that could happen. That’s impossible!”
“That’s my line! Anyway, the gigantic you defeated the Chimera in the blink of an eye. When the battle was over, you returned to your original form, so I carried you out of there.”
Even if he was suddenly told such a story… Yuma couldn’t believe it and tilted his head.
“Even if that’s true, how could something like that happen?”
“I don’t know either. But Aisha seemed to know something. She was saying something about the ‘King’s Power’.”
“Aisha-san was…”
“If you’re curious, you can ask Aisha next time. She won’t answer my calls and says she doesn’t want to see me. Even though the Black Dungeon disappeared because of her recklessness… Well, she’ll probably meet with you.”
“I see…”
He felt complicated. Although there were still things he didn’t know about his abilities, turning into a giant was practically a monster.
Yuma looked at his right hand. An indescribable anxiety welled up inside him.
“Anyway, there’s one more important thing I need to tell you.”
“What is it?”
Kanzaki had an unusually solemn expression on his face.
“I was told not to tell you by Aisha, but I can’t stand lying to you all the time.”
“A lie?”
Kanzaki sighed deeply in front of Yuma, who had a puzzled look on his face.
“I’m sorry, Yuma. The Mana Index that Aisha measured with her Mana Measurement Device wasn’t around 200.”
“Eh? Then what was the real number?”
“…………It was 460,000.”
“F-forty… 60,000!? Is… is there even such a number?”
“I don’t know the details either. At first, I didn’t believe it, thinking that the Measuring Device she made was broken. But when I saw you using magic on the surface and using abilities like Metallization, I became convinced that it was true.”
“W-wait a minute, President! If I have that much Mana, how come I couldn’t measure it until now? I’ve measured it so many times.”
“Your Mana was too strong. That’s why it could only be measured with the special Measuring Device that Aisha made.”
“That’s…”
Kanzaki picked up a club that was leaning against the shelf. It was covered in dust, so he lightly dusted it off.
It was an old model of Magic Enchanted Armament club.
“You lost your Pickel in the Black Dungeon, didn’t you? I know you liked it… I’m sorry I couldn’t bring it back.”
“N-no… Everyone was able to return safely, so that’s enough for me.”
Kanzaki put the club back on the shelf, clapped his hands, and turned to face Yuma.
“Yuma, you’ve become incredibly strong. Unbelievably so. You can’t use magic properly, but ordinary Monsters won’t be a match for you.”
“President, what’s wrong? Why are you suddenly saying this?”
“Well… I was thinking that we can’t even provide you with a suitable weapon here.”
Yuma didn’t understand what Kanzaki was trying to say, but he felt a sense of unease.
“If you have that much Mana, you can use all kinds of magic. Fire, wind, water, Lightning… and even Recovery Magic. That’s amazing. But D-Minor (here) can’t provide you with enough Magic Gems. Because we’re a poor company.”
Yuma looked at Kanzaki with an anxious expression. Noticing his gaze, Kanzaki scratched his cheek and smiled faintly.
“I have an acquaintance in Elceed. If I ask him, he’ll protect your secret and make arrangements for you to do well in the company.”
“President, what are you–“
Kanzaki interrupted Yuma and raised his voice.
“Go to Elceed, Yuma! Your talent can only be fully utilized in a large corporation.”