That day, after running errands along with a convenience store visit, Kageichi was leisurely heading home, lost in thought.
It was a reflection on the events of the past few days.
The weapon he used in the Behemoth battle, the “Kamui Blade.”
Trying it out for the first time in two years, his conclusion was, in a word, still not enough.
Witnessing its power to slice through dungeon walls like butter, Kageichi was, quite ordinarily, disappointed.
Is this all the power it can unleash? he wondered.
It seems I’m still weak.
“…Perhaps, I have no choice but to wait for the appearance of more high-difficulty dungeons?”
Kageichi Futsuu inherited the magical power—level 320—he acquired in the game LAW from his previous life and was reincarnated into this world.
However, he couldn’t use all of his power from the start.
There are many differences between a game and real combat.
For example, the “Detection” of magical power that he taught Kiraboshi-san didn’t exist in LAW; it was a theory Kageichi independently systematized.
The same goes for fighting monsters.
Striking keys and a mouse at home is completely different from engaging in combat with your own hands.
While correcting such discrepancies between knowledge and experience, Kageichi reached his current level of ability over two years…
But it’s still not enough.
Not nearly enough.
At the very least, unless he reaches the point where he can wield the Kamui Blade with ease, it will be impossible for Kageichi to achieve the safe, secure, and stress-free future he desires.
He is taking measures.
He always obtains the magical power bonus gained upon the first defeat of the bosses of the derivative dungeons that regularly appear in Rank S Dungeons, defeating them as quickly as possible.
Although the procedure was disrupted, defeating the Behemoth this time before the Labyrinth Agency found out was part of that effort.
Furthermore, in Rank S Dungeons, bosses that have been defeated once sometimes reappear in a weakened state, and he regularly defeats them each time, a so-called patrol leveling.
In addition, he visits Mr. Nyamdore regularly for improvements to his weapons and armor.
He also diligently gathers information related to Hunters, and if there is information about rare items, he always makes a point of visiting during breaks from work.
Even so, it’s not enough.
As it stands, Kageichi will likely be defeated again by that “Final Boss.”
(Has it really been two years already?)
In his previous life in Japan… when the world collapsed, Kageichi Futsuu was silently enjoying LAW alone.
Earthquakes continued, so frequent it was almost an understatement to call them a swarm.
Humanity’s lifelines were utterly destroyed by disasters befitting the end of the world, and electricity, gas, and water were all cut off.
Despite this, LAW continued to run on Kageichi’s desktop PC.
He wondered about it at the time, but deciding to do what he wanted to do if the world was ending, Kageichi proceeded to the final event in LAW.
He headed for the final dungeon, “Heart of the Abyss.”
He mowed down vicious mobs, brushed aside all sorts of instant-death traps, and reached the deepest part.
He remembers being unusually speechless at the “Final Boss” he saw on the other side of the screen.
The final boss of the LAW Japan server.
A single apocalypse connected to eight Rank S Dungeons, a calamity that dominated the world of LAW. Its name was—
“Yamata no Orochi”
Immediately after witnessing the giant serpent dragon that appeared on the PC screen, a massive earthquake occurred in reality as well.
The largest ever, it was too much even for Kageichi’s home, which had an unusually high level of earthquake resistance.
As he resigned himself to his death, thinking his life was over, he suddenly looked up at the balcony—and doubted his eyes.
It wasn’t a game… cracks ran through the real world, burning red.
Bursting through the asphalt from the depths of the earth, roaring as it appeared was…
The “Yamata no Orochi” had descended into the real world.
The game’s final boss has appeared in reality…?
The last thing Kageichi saw was the serpent shaking the earth and ending Japan.
What was that? At the time, Kageichi didn’t understand anything.
But now, reincarnated in the new Japan, in a world where dungeons are commonplace, there is a term to describe it.
Gate Crash.
A disaster in which monsters break through dungeon gates and appear in the outside world.
What if that had happened in his previous life in Japan and the world?
Kageichi’s guess is that… eventually, the Final Boss “Yamata no Orochi” will appear in this world as well.
At that time, the world will be swallowed by calamity, and Kageichi Futsuu’s life will inevitably be put in danger.
Therefore, Kageichi chose the job of a Cleaner.
To grow as a Hunter and find a way to resist the Final Boss.
…Well, it’s also because he simply got tired of being a corporate slave, but unless he defeats that thing, Kageichi Futsuu will not be able to truly enjoy a peaceful, safe, and stress-free life.
He can’t rely on the Labyrinth Agency.
If an ordinary person were to say, “The world will end in a few years,” they would just be dismissed as a weirdo.
He considered infiltrating the organization as an official of the Labyrinth Agency, but that would restrict his freedom too much.
Kageichi doesn’t want to save the world.
He doesn’t want to be a hero.
He doesn’t want money, nor is he driven by righteous indignation.
He just wants to sleep soundly every day in safety and security, that’s all.
That’s why Kageichi hunts Dungeon Bosses without being noticed by the Labyrinth Agency, and works hard every day to improve his skills.
The results are still a long way off, though.
“There’s no need to rush. Let’s take it easy.”
He shouldn’t neglect his current life by worrying too much about the future.
The amount of work a human can do in a day is limited, Kageichi thought as he walked along with his convenience store bag.
Today was another peaceful day.
There was the minor matter of visiting a high school girl’s house, but there was no particular stress.
This is what I want, this is it, he thought, wanting to give his stamp of approval to such an ordinary day—
Thud
“Hey, hey, old man, where the hell are you looking? Huh?!”
“Hmm. Excuse me, but are you aware of the traffic rule that bicycles are generally not allowed to ride on sidewalks? Also, even though it’s a bicycle, drunk driving is also subject to increasingly severe penalties.”
“Shut up, you! I may look like this, but I’m a member of the Gyokuryu Society, you know? Huh? You know about our territory—”
“So you’re a member of an anti-social organization. However, I don’t think people like you would announce their organization’s name these days, so it’s probably a bluff. Well, it doesn’t matter whether you’re real or fake.”
“What are you saying—”
As usual, he sliced the man’s neck and stored him in his Inventory.
While disposing of the bulky waste, he sighed, Oh well.
Honestly. Because some idiot bumped into me, the vegetable juice I bought at the convenience store is ruined.
Thinking he had no choice, Kageichi stopped by another convenience store and… hmm, stopped in front of the bottled drinks section.
Perhaps it’s not good to just make do with vegetable juice?
Should I buy a salad or something?
But buying vegetables every time is quite expensive, he thought, and after hesitating… he carelessly bought some fried food that was lined up next to the register.
I really am just an ordinary, average person, he thought, reflecting on his own insignificance.
Today, like a typical single middle-aged man, he went home leisurely with a convenience store bento and some fried food in hand.