Tanaka Jiro, 28 years old, with a girlfriend
Her Suela Hendelberg　
　　　Memory Tris
Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time)
Magical aptitude nine (quasi-magical grade)
Post Warriors



Phew.

Well, the supervisor said that, but I'll have a smoke first.
They made me watch that kind of battle.
I put myself in the ring, and I need to control my excitement to deal with things calmly.
I can't stop the smile on my face.
What was that fight?
It's like a natural disaster.
It's not like the Evoluiter and our training, where we're battling with equal power.
Oh, how exhilarating.
You inhale and exhale the purple smoke to let it seep into your lungs, finally letting your rage subside, but it doesn't fully subside.

You can't just think about the fun stuff, work, work, work, well, it's all good and simple.

I'll miss the excitement, but I'm a company man.
I know that if you skip work, you'll get into trouble.
I have to check my schedule against what I have to do, and then I'm going to do it.

I've got some chores to do first.

I've been sent to the dungeon for this race and I haven't gotten off to a good start yet.
You have to have a status that is at least two points above your head to even be competitive.

Hey.　Don't you think?
"Gulu.

You call out to the as-yet-unnamed monster with a wolf-like head, a bear body and a snake tail that has a different intention than the head, which has a low growl from a while ago.
And as soon as you meet it, its intelligence is not bad either, as its mood is visibly bad because you called it a small fry.
I knew there was a monster at the destination, but the supervisor seems to be very pleased with me.
I'm told by the lab that this is a monster that will be placed in the depths of the dungeon.
I think they said it was a good time to throw it at me.
On top of that, I'm told I can't take a shortcut by killing this thing.
I wonder how far behind I'll be if I'm pushed to the far end and I can't start until I kill this thing.

Well, I don't care. All I need to save is my savings and knowledge. Let's get the work done.

After all, I have other commitments besides participating in the race.
I can't finish if I don't finish it.
It's never going to be done if you stay on task.

Hey, come on.

I thought maybe an answer would come back, but that didn't happen.
It lowered its stance and made a leaping motion.
You'll be able to see that it's a little disappointing, but if you take the hilt of the mineral tree and beckon it to provoke you, it will spark a fight and the monster will attack.

It's not too fast, but Kaido will just barely duck or not.
"Gruaaaah!

The monster was quick to pounce on me, opening its mouth to bite me, and I only had to step aside to duck.
With that momentary intersection, I was able to get an idea of the opponent's strength.

"So does that mean he's quite powerful?

I calculate the force from the speed at which I stepped in earlier, jumped on and then crossed.
Looking away with a sidelong glance, I turn in place with one foot on my axis.
Position yourself to catch your opponent in the corner of your adjusted gaze as you face him.
The opponent continues to pounce on you, forcing you to change your posture as soon as you land, without letting your momentum fade.

"That's a move for a beast, a human would hurt your back.

While admiring its flexibility, you take the monster's attack with the mineral tree to test its offensive power.
You hear the sound of fangs rubbing against the mineral tree, and you can gauge the power of your attack by feeling your foot rubbing against the ground.

A little more strength would be nice, but I think it would be more effective if it was accompanied by a special ability.

It adds weight and a fair amount of weight to my arm, but I can blow it away just by cutting away the mineral tree with one hand.
If this was combined with a blitz, you'd have to change your response, so you make a note in the corner of your mind to write it down in your report.
Then, with a flash of lightning, you push the opponent's body away from you.
I don't want to hit him, but it's just a slash that's good for a profit.

It's responsive. It's got some offensive power. And a bit of wisdom.

I'm not sure if the beast's instincts led it to jump back and duck with its paws.
That's quite a response and a great way to fight.
Without hesitation, he pounced again, this time with a combination of sharp claws.

"More attack patterns, more trouble?

Take a sip of the cigarette and prevent by stomping on the tail of the snake that attacked by hiding behind a waving arm that shook the purple smoke and make a nonchalant assessment.
Am I fit to guard the dungeon?
We'll have to report back to you later, so we can't leave any stone unturned.

Next up is defense. It's going to take only one shot.
"Gah!

The fur itself, circulating magic, is likely to be harder than iron, but it's as good as iron.
It's not unbreakable.
You can add to it, but a wounded beast is tricky.
I'll just try to get this over with.



In general, it's a nuisance in numbers, but it's a poor individual. Its attack power is quite quick, but its defense is not so good.

This time I don't duck but intercept the attacking monster, turning the magic around to detonate it for a moment before it crosses.
I only have to take one step in and shake the tree, and the opponent flows backwards by the law of inertia.
That's the end of it.
The body of the unnamed monster slips off to the side behind me, and a final, heavy thud echoes around me.

"Well, you're a little late, but how far behind are you?

Give a glance at the motionless monster, put the mineral tree back on its back, check on its legs with a thump, and then run through the dungeon.
You run through the path of the cave with a gung-ho attitude, but

"To

Stop immediately.
A dungeon, but the structure inside it is completely different from anything you've ever seen.
The sheer cliffs, invisible valleys, hesitant swamps, and ivy hanging down like a curtain, make this an obstacle race of sorts.
This race has also become a test of the new dungeon structure.
We're looking for a structure that can be effectively obstructed and suitable for defense: ......

"I feel like I have a shot at flying magic.

Avoid the occasional falling tarai while tapping and attacking obstacles.
It's a vast space, albeit in a cave.
All of the obstacles can be cleared by the act of flying.
I can't help but plunge into that.
I think this would be more effective if it were purely a maze.

Is this area clear?

Looking back at the area you cleared with only your legs, you discover an uphill cave ahead.
It took me just long enough to run through to the next level.
If you include the first battle time, that's roughly three minutes.

"Partial release of monsters.

"I thought it would be easier if it was here or just like the one you just saw: ......

I had expected it to be time to release the monster, but the timing seemed to coincide with that.
I regretted looking back to see where it was coming from.
Something appeared from deep in the dungeon.
I stare at the object and the moment I realize what it is, I run as fast as I can.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, this isn't fair!


The top of the food chain, having found its prey, screams and moves its feet.
That's right, it runs as fast as it can, tossing the cigarette it had just lit.
Such a waste?
Life is more important!
I've dealt with all sorts of monsters, from golems to goblins, zombies, and even bizarre insects, but the supervisor has done it.
I was led to believe that I was the only one who knew what was going on behind the scenes, but there's no way that demon would do such a tame thing.
It's more than just a matter of not cutting him off.
Choosing to fight that thing is not right.

Why do you have dragons in here?

My wailing is probably heard by the supervisor.
Against the wingless but mighty, black-iron-scaled, quadrupedal being that has become synonymous with all manner of fantasy worlds, my instincts sound my greatest alarm.
I have work to do after this, so the only choice I have here is to retreat.
The magic I can feel behind me is not as strong as the instructors, but it lets me know that I'm not a match for a real opponent.

"Don't you dare!　When it comes to escaping, it's the first skill I've learned.

Okay, this won't be a sloppy race.
Just like in a relay race, if the taskmasters don't connect, the runners will start, and testers who fall behind will be trampled by that dragon.
On top of that.

"You can buy yourself some time by kicking out the other testers!

I'm trying to run through the dungeon as fast as I can, avoiding obstacles and choosing the shortest distance, but the dragon behind me isn't getting any closer.
The search and destroy behavior of the testers was so extreme that I could only guess what the dragon was up to.

"That demon is trying to make me work for it!

I swear at the devil who has sent me a too tough existence, but the tension drops a bit as I can imagine the devil smiling at me mockingly, saying that it doesn't matter.
This will ruin my plan to liaise behind the scenes and create a sense of solidarity.

"d*mn it!

Complaining will not change the status quo.
Therefore, the key to breaking the status quo is how to come up with a good idea and implement it.

Tut!

Feel the swell of magic behind you and follow your instincts without turning your gaze to the rear.
Avoid it by quickly sliding yourself into the shadows of the rock as an oversized bracelet flies by.
Work off the heat you feel at your back and start running again.
You have some distance to cover, but if you keep going, it's only a matter of time before it catches up with you.
Still, now you just have to run.
You'll spend one, two, and three layers just trying to escape.
Just when I was beginning to think that this game of tag, which I was playing faster than a car, would continue all the way to the exit, I finally caught the tail end of one of the other testers.

"No, it's-

The enhanced eye caught a figure far ahead, but it wasn't the tail end of the line.

'All the testers are here?!

The other testers are stuck in the square, which is reminiscent of the arena I was in earlier.
Looking at the scene of several testers in front of a solid iron grate, which seemed to be an exit based on the direction of travel, I imagined the scene that was to follow.
If I keep going this way, in a few minutes, or at least a dozen minutes, the dragon behind me will reach the square.
Then, if you encounter the monster in the square where the passage is blocked, there is only one thing that can happen.
The top of the food chain (the dragon) will begin to lay waste to the city.

Huh?　Forced combat?　Ah!　That's what I mean!　Oh, shit you got me!　That devil has upset the very foundation!



I understand the supervisor's intentions.
The race itself is a setup.
The moment I'm made to understand, I realize that I too was deceived.
I want to sigh as I realize that I have been playing into the hands of the supervisor from the beginning.
This time, the testers are not in a race.
The challenge is

"d*mn!　You want me to work together to slay this dragon!　Supervisor!

It's a defeating event.
Perhaps the dragon that comes after me is set to be strong enough to take down the testers if they work together.
And the reason for hiding this and assigning me alone to work behind the scenes is

"And now you're giving me a hard job!　You want me to put together a tester!

If we keep going, we will be wiped out.
This was the moment when the event planned to improve the poor coordination of the testers, but next thing you know, it was replaced by something else entirely.

Ah!　d*mn!　I'll do it, I'll do it!

With a full-blown rebellious spirit, I had to think with all my might about how to carry out the events that followed in order to take revenge on the devil who had hijacked this event.


Tanaka Jiro, twenty-eight years old, with a girlfriend
Her Suela Hendelberg　
　　　Memory Tris
Occupation Dungeon Tester (full-time)
Magical aptitude nine (quasi-magical grade)
Post Warriors

Word of the Day
Demand sugar!