“The Black… King?”
Honda frowned, not understanding the true meaning of Aisha’s words.
“Over a year ago, there was a significant change in the Orpheus Tablet in Israel.”
“The Orpheus Tablet…”
Honda searched her memory. She did recall some researchers making a fuss about it at the time.
However, information regarding the Orpheus Tablet was too scarce, leading many researchers to dismiss it as dubious.
But with the appearance of the Monsters this time, it was predicted in advance from the changes in the Stone Tablet.
If that’s the case, should we consider the previous information that ‘the Black King may have been defeated’ as credible?
“Are you suggesting that… Mitaka Yuma defeated the Black King?”
“Exactly.”
Honda recoiled slightly. That was impossible. Over a year ago, Mitaka Yuma was a high school student, not even a Seeker yet.
To think that such a person defeated the strongest of the Unique Monsters, the so-called 【King】.
“Doctor, isn’t that a bit far-fetched? The four 【Kings】 rampaging in the world right now are all natural disasters… calamities themselves. I can’t imagine humans being able to defeat them easily.”
Honda shook her head in disappointment.
Was the Doctor still trying to mislead her? Or was she not trusted? Honda pondered various possibilities.
Watching Honda, Aisha brought her face closer to the acrylic panel.
“We don’t know the details of why the Black King appeared and how he was defeated… but I believe there was some kind of irregularity.”
“Irregularity?”
Aisha nodded and continued.
“Originally, the world’s largest Black Dungeon was supposed to appear in Japan. But due to some mistake, it appeared in his backyard, as a ridiculously small Dungeon.”
“Wait a minute. Are you saying that the 【Black King】 was in that small Dungeon? Not the Black Dungeon in Yokohama?”
Honda frowned in disbelief.
“That’s right. If the Dungeon is small, the Mana is thin, and the Black King couldn’t exert his full power. He defeated such a 【King】 through trial and error, back when he was an amateur before becoming a Seeker.”
“B-But… if that story is true, why did he hide it!? He should have reported it to the government.”
“Are you an idiot? How can you not understand that, even as someone from Elceed? The Dungeon he conquered was none other than the ‘Black Dungeon’.”
Honda was at a loss for words. There were various laws related to Dungeons, but the strictest laws were for the ‘Black Dungeon’.
Entering it, defeating Monsters, or collecting Demon Ore were all prohibited without the country’s permission.
Violations were severely punished, and Dungeon Conquest was out of the question.
If it was intentionally conquered, there was a possibility of being charged with a serious crime. That’s why there was considerable trouble when D-Minor conquered the Black Dungeon in Yokohama.
“That might be the reason for hiding his identity. But if he defeated such a strong Monster, his Mana Index should have increased considerably. If he wanted to become a Seeker, why didn’t he try to join Elceed or any other major company?”
In fact, even amateurs before becoming Seekers could acquire high Mana Indexes if they had talent. Companies prioritized hiring people with high Mana, so some people even went abroad to countries with looser regulations to raise their Mana.
If he had high Mana, he should have used it to join a company.
But Mitaka Yuma didn’t.
To Honda’s bewilderment, Aisha spoke up.
“It couldn’t be measured.”
“Huh?” Honda looked puzzled.
“His Mana Index couldn’t be measured. It always showed zero. That’s why he couldn’t get a job at a decent company.”
“Zero…? But if you use a precise Measuring Device, a number like zero is…”
“His Mana Index exceeds 460,000.”
“Four…!?”
Honda was speechless. A Mana Index of 460,000!? What was this person saying?
That was an impossible number. Was she saying that Mitaka Yuma had Mana that was beyond comparison to Dukes or Lords, an extraordinary amount?
Honda looked at Aisha’s face. She was someone who took a mocking attitude, but she didn’t seem to be joking.
“Certainly, with such a number, it might not be measurable with a Measuring Device. But then, how were you able to find out the number?”
“I measured it with a special Measuring Device that I made. It was made by applying a Mana spatial Measuring Device. Well, if you think I’m lying, you can go to my Laboratory. The Measuring Device is still there.”
Aisha smiled confidently and leaned back in her chair.
Was it true? Could there be a human with such ridiculous Mana?
“Doctor, if that’s true—”
Aisha smirked.
“Yes, he’s the only one who can defeat the 【Four Kings】 who could destroy the world.”
◇◇◇
Taiyo Publishing, a publishing company in Tokyo.
It was a small company that published gossip magazines and web articles, but by dealing with topics that appealed to the public’s psychology, it had gained enthusiastic support from some readers.
In such a company, the door of the social affairs department opened, and a reporter named Tanoura entered.
A tired-looking man wearing a dull gray shirt.
He scratched his head vigorously and looked around. Books and documents were piled haphazardly on the desks, and the trash cans on the floor were overflowing.
Reporters who hadn’t been home for days faced their computers while smoking cigarettes.
Tanoura smiled, thinking it was still a dirty office.
“Hey, Tanoura! Were you able to confirm the information on that matter?”
A voice came from a desk by the window. Looking in that direction, he saw the editor-in-chief, Gouda, scratching his back with a back scratcher.
“Yes, it’s perfect. Isn’t it the best hit we’ve had recently?”
Tanoura smiled and approached Gouda. He took off the black shoulder bag hanging from his shoulder and took out his smartphone and notebook from inside.
“Are you sure?”
When Gouda asked with a dubious look, Tanoura grinned.
“I heard it from the people involved who were there that day. I even have a recording of their testimony.”
Tanoura tapped his smartphone with his finger.
“The ‘Black Armor’ captured by the government is definitely human!”