September had arrived, marking the start of autumn according to the calendar. Technically, autumn had begun with risshū in August.
Yet, the cicadas still chirped, we were still in summer uniforms, and the local diners hadn’t stopped serving cold Chinese noodles.
In other words, it was still hot. But inside the dungeon, such things didn’t matter.
With renewed determination, I plunged into the swarm of Silver Goblins in the PD recreation of the 31st level of the Tenshiba Dungeon.
「Release: Hellfire!」
The hellfire unleashed around me annihilated the surrounding Silver Goblins.
With my increased magic power stat, the power had significantly improved.
「Ichino-san, are you alright!?」
「Yeah, I’m fine. The Fire Rat Cloak has high fire resistance, and I’ve applied fire resistance through adaptability. No damage at all. See? Not even my hair is singed.」
The Fire Rat Cloak wasn’t just flame-resistant clothing. It also protected exposed areas like the face and hands from fire.
And then there was adaptability.
Once I took a fire attack, I gained fire resistance for a set period.
Even if that fire came from my own magic.
By lightly warming my hand with a simple ignition spell—no damage thanks to the Fire Rat Cloak—I could acquire fire resistance.
To top it off, by enchanting the Fire Rat Cloak with a fire resistance boost using enchantment magic, even the devastating Hellfire could be completely nullified.
「So, there’s no need to worry.」
「How could I not worry? Ichino-san, you’re always pushing yourself too hard.」
Ayame placed a hand on my back, replenishing my drained magic power through her magic power tank skill.
Ah, this gentle flow of magic power… it felt so soothing.
「Without Hime, I end up surrounded by enemies more often. Facing ten times the number of monsters is seriously intense.」
I laughed as I said it, but Ayame gripped my back firmly.
Even though there was a big gap between Ayame’s attack power and my defense power, and I didn’t feel any pain, I could tell she was upset.
「This isn’t a laughing matter. With Milk-chan and Oshino-san not here, I was looking forward to exploring the dungeon alone with you, Ichino-san… but this doesn’t feel anything like a date.」
「Sorry, sorry. Wait, was this a date?」
「When two people who like each other are alone together, it’s a date.」
So it was a date.
Hearing it said out loud made me a little self-conscious.
A guy surrounded by silver goblins using self-destruct magic hardly set the right mood for a date.
And besides, it wasn’t like we were truly alone—my eyes drifted up to Ayame’s head.
Floating there was Zen, her shikigami, who met my gaze with a look that said, ‘Don’t mind me.’
Even without Zen, Kuro was still lurking in my shadow.
「How about we stop thinking about this as a date and focus on the fight?」
「Ichino-san, are you saying you don’t want to go on a date with me?」
「No, absolutely not. I’d never say that. Ehto, how about we save the date for another time… maybe after school on a day without dungeon plans? Oh, right, you mentioned wanting to see a movie. How about we go together?」
「You remembered! Yes, I’ll go whenever you’re free!」
「Alright, then for today, let’s focus on fighting. Let’s find another goblin horde and unleash Hellfire――」
「That’s not happening.」
Ayame cut me off.
It was a pretty efficient tactic, though.
In the end, I called Kuro to join as our frontline support. Together with Zen, we formed a four-person cell and kept fighting until the Substitute Bracelet N finally broke.
Silver Goblins were far stronger than regular goblins—no, they were an entirely different breed.
Armed with metallic swords and spears, they attacked in coordinated groups like seasoned adventurers.
When their numbers reached a hundred or two hundred, it felt no different from battling an actual army.
「Man, I’m exhausted… grinding the Sarugami would’ve been easier than this.」
「But the experience points are incredible, aren’t they? I just hit level 117.」
「I’m at 123 now. Plus, I completed the Tuna quest for defeating 100 of the same species in a row. Got a group combat ability out of it.」
「I also finished a quest for defeating 100 enemies with wind magic. I gained a wind magic ability, so my spell power’s gone up again.」
Our stats had seen a significant boost.
But it still wasn’t enough… not nearly enough.
I needed more than just higher stats—I had to start cracking open D-cans to secure skill beads.
「…The reason you’ve been pushing yourself so hard lately, Ichino-san, is it because of Milk-chan’s――」
「Yeah. Milk’s dad—Gyuuzou-san—is coming back to Japan. I want him to see how much stronger I’ve become.」
Surpassing Milk’s father, Makino Gyuuzou.
It was a promise I made to Milk, and it had become one of my personal goals.
He was an explorer I deeply respected.
I wasn’t sure if I could defeat him yet, but I wanted him to see the progress I’d made.
And beyond that――
「That man dotes on Milk so much…」
Getting married is one thing, but if that ever got out… before I could save his life, mine would be forfeit.
If I don’t want to be killed, I’ll need to get even stronger.
「Alright, let’s have Danpon restore my magic power, and then we’ll go for one more run.」
「I said we’d stop after five runs today. We’re done.」
「But…」
「We’re done.」
「…Understood.」
With Ayame firmly putting her foot down, I couldn’t argue any further. Instead, I shifted gears to examining the unopened D-cans in my possession. Using detailed appraisal, I started checking if any were easy to open.
Ayame diligently took notes for me.
Let’s see… Win an Olympic gold medal while holding the can… Sink it to 3,000 meters below sea level… Take it to the moon… These are all completely impossible!
Isn’t there something more realistic?
「Oh, this one’s ultra-rare. I’ll save it for later.」
「I’ll put a sticky note on it.」
「Thanks. Hmm…『Throw the D-can, have a dog fetch it, and bring it back』… Maybe Kuro could manage that?」
In the end, I managed to open just three cans.
The results: one skill bead, one can of luxury dog food, and a kitchen knife.
[Luxury Dog Can: A high-quality pet food loved by dogs. Caution: Overeating may occur.]
Kuro, drooling at the sight of the can, had been watching me intently for a while. I gave it to him, and he devoured it happily.
As for the knife――
【Monster Dismantling Knife: Allows the user to harvest materials from monsters. 】
Curious about its potential, I used detailed appraisal again. Normally, when you sever parts from a monster, those parts vanish after the battle ends. However, if this knife is used, the severed parts remain intact.
It’s apparently a magical tool designed for harvesting materials.
「Would a knife like this count as a dagger? If so, Oshino-san might be able to use it.」
「I’m not sure. The difference in handling between a kunai and a knife seems pretty significant. Honestly, it might be better to trade it with Shizuka-san for one of her research items… Oh, wait! What about Zen? An oni with a knife—it kind of fits, doesn’t it?」
I suggested the idea, picturing a Namahage demon.
「This one prefers fighting with wind and yatsude leaves. Such a weapon does not suit me.」
Zen promptly refused.
Well, I guess I’ll figure out its use later.
The real question is the skill bead.
Now then, what skill will I gain from it?
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