Chapter 15: The Emerald Green Butterfly
“Ugh…”
When I left the Private Dungeon and checked my phone, I had 36 LINK messages from Iyada.
That was seriously off-putting.
A quick glance revealed incomprehensible stuff like, “You can make 700,000 yen fast with high-leverage FX trading,” or “Pitcoin is old news. It’s all about Bake-neko Coin now.”
How stupid.
I barely read the messages before blocking Iyada.
“Bye-bye, take care… And you get blocked too, for joint responsibility…”
While I was at it, I also blocked the section manager who was our mutual superior.
“…Alright.”
Ah, that’s a relief.
With this, my LINK is now completely for personal use.
From now on, those guys from my old company won’t have anything to do with my life.
Thinking about it, I feel refreshed.
I’ve completely severed the chains of the past, and my second life as an Explorer has begun.
☆★☆
The next day, I delved into the Private Dungeon again.
When I caught the stag beetle yesterday, I realized my physical abilities had improved considerably, so today I’m using my body to the fullest—jumping, leaping, and climbing trees—to search for bugs.
When I managed to jump from tree to tree, I got excited, feeling like a ninja.
I remembered a scene from a shonen manga and found myself needlessly hopping around in the treetops.
Come to think of it, when I was a kid, I used to climb high rocks by the river or jump off swings for no real reason.
What was that sense of trust I had in my own body back then?
The desire to do it, the feeling that I could do it, outweighed any thoughts of danger.
Now that my level has increased in the dungeon and my physical abilities have improved, I’m once again feeling the joy of moving my body.
“Oh…!”
High up in a tree, I managed to find a new type of stag beetle.
Using a branch like a horizontal bar, I swung around and leaped to where the stag beetle was.
Bwoom!
Monster Creature Encyclopedia No. 53/251
Name: Red Jaw Stag Beetle
Rarity: 0
Capture Skill: Bug Sumo (Grants fire attack to stag beetle), Speed +3 (First-time bonus)
Capture EXP: 150
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Small)
“Alright.”
It seems the stag beetle I can summon with my skill can now perform a fire attack.
I’m still relying a lot on stag beetles, but I feel like my offensive options are starting to come together.
“I’d like to get a rhinoceros beetle soon too…”
I don’t know if they’re stronger than stag beetles, but I definitely want a rhinoceros beetle in my collection.
It’s an eternal aspiration, unique to someone with the 【Childlike Heart】 skill.
“Alright then…”
I’ll head down for now and look for spots where tree sap is flowing.
Just as I thought that and jumped down from the tree, something flew out from the bushes.
“Ah…!”
It was a butterfly.
But the color of its wings was far too vivid.
An emerald green, like the sea at a resort.
Its wings had a metallic luster and sparkled brilliantly.
It had an aura similar to a foreign butterfly I once saw in a museum—a Morpho butterfly.
Without a doubt…
“This has to be rare…!!”
I summoned my Monster Capture Net and rushed towards the emerald green butterfly.
“Go!!”
Then, utilizing the speed I’d gained from leveling up, I swung the net with all my might.
“Yes!!”
I was sure I’d caught it… or so I thought.
“Huh…?”
The butterfly fluttered away down the path.
“Was I too slow…?”
Again, I ran, chasing the butterfly.
The butterfly’s movement speed was faster than I expected.
Even with my leveled-up speed, I could only just barely keep up by running at full tilt.
“Like I’d let you get away…! Take this!”
Once more, I decisively swung the Monster Capture Net.
This time, I definitely caught it. I could even see the emerald green form inside the net.
“Alright…! Huh?”
The emerald green in the net had vanished before I knew it, and instead, the butterfly appeared in mid-air.
“Hah!”
I immediately swung the net again, but still couldn’t catch the butterfly.
When I realized it, it had moved to a spot a little further away.
“An afterimage…?”
Partly due to my earlier treetop maneuvering, my mind was completely in shonen manga mode.
Just when I think I’ve caught it, it disappears.
It feels like I’m up against a speed-type character.
“Hmm…”
Looking closely, the top of the butterfly’s wings is emerald green, but the other side is black.
Perhaps because of the color contrast, or its unique way of flying, the butterfly almost seems to be flickering.
…Was that how it threw off my timing?
Maybe I’m not actually catching it properly in the net.
“One more time…!”
Not a downward swing, but a horizontal motion to intercept its path and entangle it.
That should work.
I ran at full speed, chasing the illusory butterfly.
Grabbing branches, leaping over tree roots, I took the shortest path.
Along the way, I even did something like a triangle jump off a tree trunk.
“Hah, hah…”
I’m out of breath.
My stamina is nearing its limit.
But strangely, it’s not painful.
If anything, it’s fun.
I can do what I set out to do.
My body moves just as I imagine it.
That joy outweighs everything else.
Back in those days when I’d climb onto a concrete block wall and walk it like a balance beam, believing I’d never fall.
Just like back then, I’m convinced I can catch that butterfly.
“Hup!”
I grabbed a branch, leaped forward, and overtook the emerald green butterfly.
The butterfly’s path is—straight ahead.
Szzzt! Landing with a sound, I spun around and readied my Monster Capture Net.
“Gooooo!!”
I swung the net to block the butterfly’s path.
And then.
Bwoom!
—The emerald green butterfly turned into a magic stone inside the Monster Capture Net.
“I did iiiit!!”
This might be the happiest I’ve ever been.
I gave it everything I had.
There’s a sense of accomplishment.
Following that, the Monster Creature Encyclopedia appeared in mid-air.
Monster Creature Encyclopedia No. 99/251
Name: La Mer Butterfly
Rarity: ★★★★
Capture Skill: Speed +10 (First-time bonus), Butterfly Dance (Automatic Evasion – 3 times – Activates when damage is confirmed)
Capture EXP: 1500
Drop Item: Magic Stone (Large)
Description: A butterfly bearing the name of the sea. It possesses beautiful wings and mesmerizes those who try to capture it. Can only be captured on the fourth successful capture attempt (Requires: Speed stat 110 or higher).
“Oooh!”
Following the Golden Scarab from the other day, this is my second 4-star rarity creature.
The capture skill is also an auto-activating evasion ability. If it can deal with traps and surprise attacks in the dungeon, the chances of getting blindsided and killed will drop significantly.
“This might finally be the time to get a license…”
It’s only been about a week since I got my 【Green】 License, limited to Private Dungeons.
I resolved to move on to the next step.
“Ah, right.”
When I dismissed the Monster Capture Net, the magic stone created by the emerald green butterfly appeared from beneath it.
“Let’s see…”
I picked up the magic stone.
It was about the size of a ping-pong ball and had a solid weight.
“Huh…?”
But it had a characteristic different from other magic stones.
—The magic stone born from the butterfly wasn’t the usual purple; it was a translucent green.