Akatsuki Translations

The sun, which grants life and blessings to people while simultaneously taking them away, sinks beneath the horizon once again. Slowly and silently, the gentle darkness envelops the world. However, in this era of Great Dungeons, humanity had found a means to resist the darkness. The crystallized energy known as magic stones, harvested from the dungeons that had robbed humans of their land, ironically enriched their lives. 

Tonight, the notorious Dungeon of Sin, Greed, boasting the highest quantity of magic stone excavations on the continent, pierced through the darkness with its brilliant radiance, illuminating the vibrant cityscape. 

“Oi, Move it! Adapt your body to magic!!” -Glen 

As a result, even during the night, Glen’s harsh voice echoed through the training grounds. 

Will it not become a nuisance to the neighborhood? That’s what Ur thought. 

“Why the fuck are you just standing there? Move it motherfucker!” -Glen 

“Arrgh!” 

Glen kicked the back of a fallen beastman. Ur couldn’t help but think how long it would take for Glen to quit. It felt like an indifferent observation about someone else. Then, Glen seemed to notice Ur’s presence as well. 

“Oh, you’re back… What the hell is that?” -Glen 

“That woman you introduced me to was really weird.” -Ur 

《…That woman, scary. 》-Akane 

Ur caressed Akane, who had transformed into a slimy substance and clung to his head. Since Glen knew about Akane, Ur’s sister who was a spirit-possessed, he wasn’t particularly surprised by the peculiar appearance of the girl with a golden crimson complexion. What mattered was… 

“So, did you gain anything from that woman?” -Glen 

Glen inquired, and with slightly weary faces, both Ur and Shizuku nodded in agreement. 

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《…Zzzzz~~》-Akane 

“…It sleeps? This creature.” -Glen 

“How adorable, isn’t she?” -Shizuku 

Glen gazed at Akane, who was peacefully asleep in the form of a cat, with great interest. It seemed that accompanying Magika with her work took a toll on Akane. After drinking a glass of clear water, sleepiness quickly overtook her. Currently, she was comfortably resting on Shizuku’s lap. 

To avoid disturbing her sleep, Ur explained the details of their negotiation with Magika to Glen. After listening to everything, Glen fell into a momentary silence. 

“I see. It’s a tricky situation.” -Glen 

He commented on the information obtained from Magika. 

“Tricky?” -Ur 

“In reality, as Magika said, it’s honestly uncertain whether you’d be able to get the ring through mouse extermination. At least compared to the usual bounty hunting, the evaluation might be lower.” -Glen 

“Might be…” -Ur 

“This time, what you guys are aiming for is an unconventional path separate from the regular route to acquiring the ring legitimately. As a result, the conditions are bound to become vague.” -Glen 

It all depends on whether the act of discovering the weakness of the crystal golem, the mouse, and exploiting it would be appreciated and evaluated highly. Whether it would be focused on or not, Glen himself didn’t know. 

“Then let me ask, if Glen were to be in an evaluating position, would you give us rings?” -Glen 

“No.” -Glen 

“Harsh.” -Ur 

“There’s ain’t a point if I don’t speak honestly. If it were me, at most, I’d call it being lucky bastards.” -Glen 

In reality, they had Glen who in turn had a connection with Magika, and furthermore, she just so happened to be engaged in weapon crafting, and Akane just so happened to have the ability to resolve that issue. They were fortunate. There was nothing else to say. If one were to question whether this was the strength of adventurers, most people would raise an eyebrow. 

“Well, if ya’ll just rush into the crystal golem as you are, you’d simply die….” -Glen 

“Just killing the mouse doesn’t guarantee obtaining the ring, right?” -Shizuku 

In response to Shizuku’s confirmation, Glen nodded. 

“By the way, defeating a crystal golem in a dormant state results in obtaining a small amount of magical power. When the golem is in a dormant state, it becomes like an ordinary object, and the magical power dissipates. It won’t contribute to Shizuku’s desired physical enhancement.” 

“Ur-sama…” -Shizuku 

Having heard Glen’s words, Shizuku turned to Ur. 

“I disagree. We shouldn’t defeat the crystal golem using this method.” -Shizuku 

It was a carefully chosen set of words, ones that Glen hesitated to utter directly yet hinted at as a possibility. For Ur and Shizuku, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, a choice that could either be seized or cast off like a discarded object in the gutter. The method Magika had proposed may have offered a straightforward path to defeat the golem, but it would not even fulfill Ur’s objectives, not to mention Shizuku’s. Therefore, no matter how brilliant of a solution it appeared to be, it had to be cast aside, forsaken. 

However, if they were to do that, another problem would arise. 

“…Then how should we defeat the crystal golem?” -Ur 

“We’ll aim to defeat it in its rampaging state.” -Shizuku 

Shizuku immediately responded to Ur’s question. She then directed another question to Glen. 

“Glen-sama, is there a possibility that we can defeat the crystal golem when it goes into a rampaging state?” -Shizuku 

“It depends on the level of its rampage, the readiness of your equipment, and the tactics employed at the time. Can’t say it’s impossible, but it’ll be tough.” -Glen 

“Which has a higher possibility, obtaining the ring by defeating a dormant crystal golem or by defeating a rampaging one?” -Shizuku 

“The latter. However, that’s just my opinion. Luck also plays a role.” -Glen 

While listening to Glen’s words, she stared at Ur. One could even say she was glaring. Perhaps it was because Ur was being overwhelmed by her presence. 

“Ur-sama, we should choose the option with a higher possibility.”  -Shizuku 

“Low risk, high return, and high risk, high return.” -Ur  

“No, you’re mistaken. The risks are almost equal. Magika-sama’s proposal surpasses yours.” -Shizuku 

“It’s a matter of bearing the risk of death or not, isn’t it? Or is it the opposite?” -Ur 

“In this case, the risk is whether we can achieve the goal or not. ‘Life or death doesn’t matter.’” -Shizuku 

Shizuku stated firmly, leaving Ur at a loss for words once again. 

There were so many things he wanted to say. Shizuku’s opinion was too extreme. There was no way that life and death were equal. She was losing sight of the right judgment for her own purpose and even trying to impose it on Ur. That’s what could be said. 

But then, why couldn’t he say it aloud? Why couldn’t he retort? 

Because Ur was attempting the impossible. Ur didn’t know Shizuku’s goal. However, at the very least, Ur was trying to achieve what could be considered an impossible difficulty in order to regain his sister. 

Yet, what use was speaking within the bounds of common sense? 

In the world that Ur was about to plunge into, his logical arguments were wrong, and Shizuku’s extreme statements were right. Ur understood that. However, understanding it and easily accepting it were different matters. 

Are dying and not dying the same? Of course not. 

During his journey of wandering, Ur had witnessed numerous deaths. He had even witnessed the deaths of his own parents. 

The priests and the townspeople believed that when they died, they would be welcomed by The One True God, the Sun God Zerudia. But Nameless were not even allowed a funeral within the temples. Their bodies were discarded outside the city, their flesh returned to the earth, and their magical power traveled the world on the wind, ultimately returning to nothingness. 

There would be nothing left. Therefore, death was terrifying. 

The values that Ur had cultivated throughout his life, which could be deemed as naturally innate, the undeniable preciousness of life itself, had caused him to recoil. His throat quivered, rendering him speechless. He couldn’t bring himself to nod in agreement with Shizuku’s words. 

“——-” 

Shizuku, neither scornful nor sorrowful at Ur’s state, simply continued to gaze silently.