Episode 16: The Red Dungeon
The next morning, Yuma abruptly sat up in bed, once again reminded that he had used the “Demon Ore.”
–So, it wasn’t a dream after all.
He thought about trying out his [Hardening Ability] again, but today was Monday. He had to go to school.
–It’d be a disaster if I hardened and couldn’t return to normal.
He decided to test the ability after returning from school. As usual, he defeated a Metal Slime and then headed to school.
In the evening, after returning home, he locked his room and stood in front of the mirror.
“Harden, harden, harden!”
As he earnestly chanted, black marks gradually spread across his face and hands, transforming his entire body into steel within seconds.
“…Amazing.”
Yuma was impressed, wondering if this was the power of the Dungeon… the Demon Ore.
After waiting for a while, he returned to normal in about five minutes, just like yesterday.
“Haha, this is really interesting! Can I do it again?”
Yuma chanted “Harden!” and strained his body, but this time, there was no sign of change.
“So, I can only use it once a day…”
There were inflexible aspects, such as the limit of one use per day and the inability to revert before five minutes had passed, but it was still amazing.
Yuma thought so and pondered how he could use this ability.
–For example, what if I got into a fight with a group of delinquents? No matter how much they hit me, I wouldn’t even flinch, and my fists would be like hammers. That would give me a decisive advantage.
Yuma grinned, fantasizing about such scenarios, but upon further reflection, he realized that he had never been in such a situation in his life.
“It’s just something from dramas and anime…” he thought, feeling dejected.
–Then, what about the Dungeon? The monsters’ attacks would hardly affect me, and I could go deep inside and be a hero…
But Yuma’s hopes quickly withered.
He had heard that physical attacks were mostly ineffective against monsters in the Dungeon’s depths. Even military gunfire and artillery couldn’t damage them.
That’s why “Magic” was so valued for defeating monsters.
Punching with metal fists was the epitome of a physical attack. Furthermore, the headache was that monsters in the depths could use “Magic.”
There were dragons that breathed fire, monstrous birds that created whirlwinds, ogres clad in lightning, and even spirits that manipulated water and ice. A metal body vulnerable to fire and cold would be fatal.
“I can’t go in there just because my body is hard…”
Yuma sat in his chair, crestfallen. In the end, he couldn’t sell the Metal Slime’s “Demon Ore” that he had worked so hard to obtain, and it wasn’t very useful even if he used it.
“Ah, damn it! I don’t want to hunt Metal Slimes in the morning anymore! There’s no benefit to it!!”
It was so troublesome that Yuma considered reporting the Dungeon’s existence to the local government.
However, according to the metropolitan ordinance, there were penalties for not reporting it, and he wasn’t sure if “I just found it now!” would work.
Once before, his mother had found a hole in the garden and asked Yuma about it.
He had already defeated the Slime, so it was just a hole, but Yuma had brushed it off, saying, “It looks like it caved in. I’ll fill it in sometime.”
If his mother accidentally let that slip, Yuma might get into trouble.
Shaking his body, Yuma renewed his determination to continue defeating Slimes from the next day onward!
◇◇◇
Nine months later–
At the deepest labyrinth in Japan, located in Ibaraki Prefecture, the [Red Dungeon].
A small incident occurred on its third floor. On this day, “DeNA Elceed,” a major company related to Dungeons, was holding a Dungeon experience event for prospective employees.
Normally, ordinary people could not enter the Red Dungeon. However, Elceed had connections with the government, so they had obtained special permission.
There were about twenty participants and five Seekers as escorts.
The plan was to hunt Lava Turtles on the third floor together. Although these monsters had heat-emitting shells, they were slow-moving and not supposed to be dangerous–
“Kyaaaaa!”
A woman screamed and fell on her rear. Before her was a large lizard.
It spewed flames from all over its body, and its ferocious fangs and claws were visible. A monster that shouldn’t have been in the lower levels, a “Salamander,” glared and charged.
The woman let out a short “Hii!” but her body stiffened with fear, and she couldn’t move from the spot.
One of the Seekers noticed the anomaly, but it was too late to intervene.
Just as the woman closed her eyes, thinking she was done for, she heard a pained cry of “Gieeeeee!”
When she cautiously opened her eyes, she saw a man’s back.
He had deeply stabbed a knife into the large lizard’s neck, and his fire-resistant suit was protecting him from the flames spewing from the lizard. The knife, imbued with the power of Water Magic, had dealt a fatal blow to the Salamander.
The lizard lost its strength and collapsed to the ground with a thud.
“Are you alright!?”
Several Seekers rushed over. They were worried about the man who had defeated the Salamander, but
“I’m fine, there’s no need to worry.”
“We’ll do a vital check just in case. Can you tell us your name?”
The Seeker took out medical equipment from his bag. The man said, “Understood,” and showed his Entrance Pass.
“Amasawa Rui, third-year high school student.”