At the entrance to the PD, I faced a black wolf.
Who would have thought that a monster would venture into the dungeon?
I had assumed that if things got tough, I could simply retreat into the safety of the PD. But this situation was beyond my expectations.
How can this monster come in!?
Didn’t Danpon say otherwise?
『Others cannot enter through conventional means』
…Huh?
Others?
It never mentioned that monsters couldn’t enter!
「It’s a Darkness Wolf! Equivalent to level 80!」
「Twenty levels above an Evil Ogre. Danpon, can you lend a hand?」
「I can manage dungeon administration, but my combat abilities are nonexistent. Besides, that monster was spawned by Danpol—I can’t interfere.」
「No luck, then.」
The Evil Ogre on the 13th floor is roughly level 60.
Twice my level at 30.
I’ve already used Hellfire magic and it also has a cut on its leg that I didn’t notice earlier.
It shouldn’t be from my swallow reversal.
My sword is not that sharp.
Definitely not from a Self-Defense Force attack.
So, there was only one possibility.
(Gyuuzou-san…)
He must have inflicted that wound.
Without that injury, the Darkness Wolf would have entered the PD before I ascended the stairs to the surface.
If I’d been hit by that attack while resting, I would have died.
It seemed I was saved by him once again.
And now, the mystery of the monster’s movement was solved.
The Darkness Wolf was heading straight for Shizuoka Prefectural General Hospital.
Undoubtedly pursuing Gyuuzou-san.
This battle with the Darkness Wolf was a baton passed from him.
An opponent I couldn’t definitely defeat.
The Darkness Wolf had already taken a hit from Hellfire.
Its leg was injured.
While I no longer have any magic power, it seemed my opponent wasn’t at full strength either.
「Taira, we don’t have time to dawdle! The reason the Darkness Wolf isn’t attacking is to recover its strength.」
「Tsk, I know.」
In any case, my magic power won’t replenish until I can unleash Hellfire once more. So, I have no choice but to decide before it regains its strength.
I raise my sword and advance toward the wolf.
「Sure-Hit Slash!」
It connects. However, the Darkness Wolf’s body remains as immovable as a boulder.
In that case—
「Swallow Reversal!」
I slice upward in a fluid motion.
Just like how I deflected its attack earlier.
This time—
「!?」
The Darkness Wolf leaps sideways, evading.
Then it lunges at me, aiming to bite.
Instinctively, I pull out a D-can and shove it into the wolf’s mouth.
But my shoulder throbs with intense pain.
Its sharp claws grazed me; it wasn’t a deep wound.
Still, I can’t retreat.
If it regains strength while I wait, I’ll be at a disadvantage.
I threw the D-can.
The Darkness Wolf must have realized its hardness by now.
It dodges, with exaggerated movements.
And upon closer inspection, its fangs are broken—probably from biting the D-can.
The can absorbs the impact and transmits it beyond.
No wonder its teeth aren’t unscathed after biting that D-can.
It seems the wolf has developed an aversion to it.
Don’t let it rest.
I need to wear it down, even a little.
I use my stone-throwing skill to launch more D-cans.
Throw.
Throw.
Throw.
I’ve got plenty of D-cans here.
I’d gladly sacrifice an arm if it meant it would dance around a bit.
This stone-throwing skill was acquired precisely for this moment.
However, this won’t solve everything.
D-cans are hard but light.
Impact won’t cause significant damage.
The Darkness Wolf can’t be oblivious to that fact.
Soon—
(Here it comes!)
The Darkness Wolf charges at me, heedless of the D-can.
I throw a D-can.
In an instant, the lid pops open, and its contents fly out.
「Growl!」
For the first time, the Darkness Wolf emits something akin to a pained yelp.
Good. Howl.
Inside the can was a concoction I’d prepared—a potion, but not one meant for healing.
It was poison.
Among the mushrooms, I’d included toxic varieties.
And within those toxic mushrooms lay various effects: inducing poison, paralysis, and more.
What I threw was one of those—a foul-smelling brew, to be precise.
I’d hoped that when a monster approached, tossing this might alter its course. But I never imagined I’d use it within the PD….. Damn, I stink too.
Danpon is probably on the verge of crying.
「Unfair—Gah, ugh, bleargh.」
I can’t even deliver a dramatic line.
The overpowering odor invades my mouth.
It’s like a concentrated blend of a hundred packs of natto, durian, and surströmming.
Not that I’ve ever smelled surströmming.
I’m suffering too, of course.
But you, Darkness Wolf, with your sense of smell hundreds of times sharper than a human’s, must be truly miserable.
I grit my teeth against the stench and tighten my grip on the sword.
Yet, don’t mistake this for an easy battle.
The leg wound Gyuuzou-san inflicted, the Hellfire blast, and now this foul odor from the mushroom—any one of these missing, and I’d be the one defeated.
「Oh… I remember now.」
I say, recalling a line from a manga my father let me read.
「Don’t even have the strength left to pick your nose.」
And suddenly, I find it amusing.
The power of manga is truly something.
「Danpon, I’m going to rest for a bit. Wake me up in two hours—I’ll cast another spell.」
「Understood. But I don’t think you need to cast any more spells.」
「What do you mean?」
「Hmm, you’ll understand in two hours, I believe.」
Ah, two hours from now, then.
Guess I’ll take a short nap.
Oh, but before that, I really need to use the bathroom… Slimes will happily consume waste, but unfortunately, there’s no toilet paper here.
Wrapped in my sleeping bag, I notice Danpon spraying Fuzzy 〇ze all around.
Right, it’s still reeking in here.
Funny how I’ve become accustomed to the stench during battle.
At this point, I don’t care about smells anymore.
I just want some rest.
※ ※ ※
When Danpon wakes me, I ascend to the surface and see a group of retreating monsters.
Just as Danpon said before we emerged, the Darkness Wolf I defeated was the leader of these monsters.
Now that the leader is down, the monsters are returning to the dungeon.
We made it through safely.
The Self-Defense Force members cheer, and I raise my hand in response.
I glance toward the helicopter where Hime is.
Waving, I hope she gets the message.
Sure enough, the helicopter descends toward me, landing once again in the middle of the road.
The door opens, and Hime steps out.
「Taira, you’re amazing! Truly…stinky!」
「Eh??」
Instead of praise, I get criticized.
「What is this stench? It’s worse than the Époisses cheese I had in New Zealand!」
「I used a highly smelly poison to defeat the Darkness Wolf. It won’t harm the body, so it’s fine.」
「There’s no way it’s okay with something this foul! Take a bath! There’s a nearby Oshino Resort chain hotel. Other guests should have evacuated, so go cleanse yourself in their bath!」
「But I really just want to go home and get some proper sleep—」
「There’s no way I’ll let you board my chopper that stinky!」
I’ve gotten used to it, but with this smell, I feel sorry for Hime and the pilot.
Well, no choice—let’s start going toward the hotel.
Our mode of transportation: walking.
Suddenly, a Self-Defense Force member rushes over.
「Explorer, please wait. I’d like to hear more details—」
「Step aside. Haven’t you heard from the Minister of Defense? Don’t bother us. Or do you want to make King Campbell and the United States an enemy?」
Hime’s firm tone makes the soldier back off.
「Allow me to speak as an individual.」
He then saluted.
「We appreciate your efforts in saving us and the lives of citizens who were likely in the path of the monsters. We don’t know who you are, but you’re a hero in this country.」
A hero, huh?
Kind of embarrassing.
Now, let’s get going.
「Oh, and this smartphone has been ringing nonstop for a while now.」
Hime hands me my phone.
Seventy-five missed calls!
Mom, Dad, Milk, and even Ayame called!
First, I’ll call Mom.
『Taira, do you have any idea what time it is? Even if you’re a boy, disappearing without a word… Where are you now!? 』
「Ehto, Shizuoka?」
『Shizuoka!? What on earth are you thinking—?』
「Sorry, I’ll explain properly tomorrow.」
『Properly? You, it’s mother’s day….』
「Sorry, mom. I had an incoming call. See you tomorrow—」
And now, Milk’s incoming call.
『Taira, Papa woke up. Thanks to you—』
「Ah, yeah, that’s great.」
『So where did Taira go? Did you already leave? Papa wants to see you. 』
「Sorry, I’m heading to the bath with Hime now. After that, I’ll come over.」
『Hime!? Who’s that? The girl you said you were going to the dungeon with? Bathing together? That’s just filthy! 』
「I know I’m filthy. That’s why we’re going to take a bath. Oh, I have another call coming in; I’ll hang up.」
I thought it was mom again but it was Ayame.
『Ichino-san, the magic on TV—it’s your magic, right? Even though the face is completely different, the helicopter had the Oshino Group logo. 』
「Ah, yeah. Must be a coincidence. I’m actually at home, not in Shizuoka.」
『Really? But there’s a masked person on TV right now, and it seems to be you. 』
「What? On TV!? Sorry! I’ll explain properly next time.」
『Wait a moment, Ichino-san!? Ichi—』
Call ended.
Sorry, Ayame.
There are no TV cameras nearby.
So, someone using a telephoto lens from a distance?
「Hime, it seems I’m still on TV. We need to hurry and leave.」
「Understood. Self-Defense Force-san, this person doesn’t want to attract attention. Please inform all TV stations not to show this individual. And of course, no chasing after him either.」
As Hime speaks, the Self-Defense Force member nods and begins relaying the message via radio.
We head toward the bath once again.
「Returning triumphantly to the hotel’s bath.」
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