Akatsuki Translations

My new smartphone was specifically designed for explorers. Its price was an astounding 500,000 yen. It was impressively costly. This explorer’s smartphone, developed jointly by Japan and the USA, was expensive but highly efficient, greatly speeding up dungeon exploration.

This was because wandering around this vast space without a map could easily lead one to get lost. And getting lost meant the end. It was quite common to never be able to leave this circular space with a diameter of 100 km.

Furthermore, this smartphone comes with a map application that shows your position within the dungeon. It also shows the relative positions of party members, so with this, there’s no worry about getting lost.

Since getting lost in a dungeon is a very serious issue, buying this smartphone was the first priority. New weapons and such were not needed anymore since reaching the level cap of 3 on the first floor, so it was decided to buy them after Evie arrived.

“Misuzu, let’s try to get at least 10 km away.” -Yuuta

“Understood.” -Misuzu

The dungeon is cylindrical, with a diameter of 100 km and a height of 10 km.

There’s an invisible wall above 10 km, which, it is said, doesn’t even let radio waves pass through. The map app utilizes this by detecting radio waves reflected off the invisible wall, allowing it to capture the space in three dimensions.

“This is really easy to understand.” -Yuuta

“Well, it did cost 500,000 yen. It better be good.” -Misuzu

“We’re now 6 km away from the entrance.” -Yuuta

“Seriously? It doesn’t feel like we’ve made much progress at all.” -Misuzu

Misuzu slumped. Even now, constantly moving while fleeing from goblins had accumulated a lot of fatigue. Doing this with just the two of us was quite exhausting. However, the fact that she could still run showed vastly improved stamina compared to before.

We managed to run another 10 km from there. Both of us reached our goal of 10 km away, breathing heavily. We used a lot of energy escaping from the goblins, making sure we weren’t found, and if we were, making sure we didn’t kill them.

“We should be safe now unless something really bad happens.” -Yuuta

“I’d like to think so.” -Misuzu

After all, Hazumi’s group are above level 100.

Rather, there are no newcomers in the dungeon right now, and it’s said that apart from Hazumi and his group, there are no people below level 100. Everything is different for us, who are only at level 3.

It took us about an hour to get here, but for someone at level 100, it would probably take less than 5 minutes to reach this point. And for a mid-level explorer, it would take less than a minute.

“Let’s take a break then.” -Misuzu

Misuzu sat down, saying she couldn’t go any further. I was also quite tired and sat down.

“Yuuta, I wonder why they killed a woman.” -Misuzu

“Yeah me too. Even though reaching level 100 means being wealthy, there was no need for that.” -Yuuta

“Hey, do you know how many people in the world are at level 100?” -Misuzu

“I think it’s about 120,000. Since there are about 6,000 dungeons in the world, it means about 20 people per dungeon have reached level 100. Japan seems to have about twice the world average.” -Yuuta

“Hazumi is pretty amazing, isn’t he?” -Misuzu

“Definitely. At level 100, you can draw from the Bronze Gacha, and just by easily collecting gacha coins, you should be able to earn over 100 million a year.” -Yuuta

“Maybe they weren’t satisfied with just that.” -Misuzu

They sat back-to-back on the ground in a place with a good view.

“Yuuta, the air feels nice.” -Misuzu

Misuzu reached out and held hands again. She moved a bit and then sat facing him. They could see in opposite directions, but also see each other’s faces.

“So, how shall we go about exploring the staircase?” -Misuzu

“We’ll check every nook and cranny using the map app.” -Yuuta

The map app was excellent, worth the 500,000 yen. It showed the places you’ve been to. Additionally, it automatically displayed the most efficient route when you input your conditions. In a place like the savannah, where there are no paths, this was incredibly helpful.

“Checking every nook and cranny, huh?” -Misuzu

“Well, in beginner dungeons, you can use a helicopter carried in to search from above, and you can even rent a jeep with a driver. A lot of people use them on January 1st, the global level-up day. But, the easier you make it, the worse the stat gains when you level up next time.” -Yuuta

“That’s tough. But stats are important, aren’t they?” -Misuzu

Misuzu suddenly opened her status.

Name: Kiriyama Misuzu

Race: Human

Level: 2→3

Job: Explorer

Title: Rookie

HP: 12→18

MP: 9→14

SP: 11→16

Strength: 12→17

Agility: 12→17

Defense: 12→17

Dexterity: 14→19

Magic Power: 12→16

Intelligence: 14→16

Charm: 43→46

Gacha Luck: 1

Equipment: Bronze Grade 【Aristo】 (Barrier Value 100)

Magic: Stone Grade 【Level Down】 (MP3)

Skill: Stone Grade 【Precise Shot】 (SP2)

“I wonder if I’ll get more magic and skills if I keep running around in the dungeon.” -Misuzu

Misuzu grinned at her status. She was pleased when she got magic and skills at level 3.

“I didn’t get anything this time.” -Yuuta

“I got the Archer Job’s 【Precise Shot】 and the debuff 【Level Down】. Nice, right?” -Misuzu

“Yeah.” -Yuuta

“Hehe, Yuuta. Our efforts paid off well.” -Misuzu

“Right. 【Precise Shot】 increases accuracy when shooting an arrow, and 【Level Down】 decreases the enemy’s level by one.” -Yuuta

“Well, neither is as convenient as your abilities, Yuuta, but I think they’re useful in their own way.” -Misuzu

Misuzu was still grinning, obviously very pleased. Seeing Misuzu so happy made me happy too.

“Misuzu,” -Yuuta

“What?” -Misuzu

“Let’s explore together today, and from tomorrow, let’s split up and search individually. The map app will guide us. Though we’re splitting up only from tomorrow, you’ll be fine alone, right?” -Yuuta

To thoroughly search this vast cylindrical space, splitting up was necessary, otherwise it would take an absurd amount of time. It was said that it’s better to explore separately once reaching level 3.

“I’ll be fine. From here on, I don’t need to raise my level, so I can use my gun as much as I want.” -Misuzu

“About Hazumi’s group…” -Yuuta

“Whether we find them together or alone, it’s the same. To those over level 100, even a bunch of level 3s are insignificant. Our only options are to apologize and be forgiven, or die before anything strange happens.”  -Misuzu

“That’s true.” -Yuuta

I thought about it again. Kofu is a place where people who couldn’t ascend in beginner dungeons linger, and many explorers there are frustrated. On the other hand, in Ikebukuro, it’s said that there are only those aiming higher, and just being an explorer there is admired.

But… No, it’s still unclear which is right.

Most explorers search for stairs alone. Once they reach the stage of stair searching, they’ve usually hit their level cap, so monsters are no longer a threat for those who have skillfully raised their stats.

Since there’s no need to level up, guns can be used. I’ve entrusted Misuzu with Aristo, so she’ll be okay even if caught off guard.

“I’m thinking of practicing close combat as a form of battle training.” -Yuuta

“I understand. But I think I’ve become an archer since I got an archer’s skill. So I want to specialize in archery, shooting with a bow rather than engaging in close combat.” -Misuzu

What your job actually is remains unknown until the occupation and title sections change, which happens at level 100. Only then does your true job become clear.

However, you can somewhat predict your job based on the magic and skills that emerge, and that’s how you decide how to develop yourself.

“So we each have different things we need to do.” -Yuuta

“Yep. So, how far do you think we can get in a day with this method?” -Misuzu

“A level 3 human can travel 150km in a day.” -Yuuta

“150km!?” -Misuzu

Misuzu seemed surprised by the number.

“Even without leveling up, a trained human can run that much in a day. At level 2, you’re on par with an athlete, and at level 3, you surpass human limits. It’s normal to be able to run that much once you exceed those limits.” -Yuuta

“Won’t we be fatigued tomorrow?” -Misuzu

“There are potions. A 100,000 yen potion can fully recover the fatigue accumulated in the body. I have a gacha luck of 5, and Misuzu has the mythic level of 1 in a million, so we can afford that expense.” -Yuuta

“Oh, right. Yeah, I forgot.” -Misuzu

She blushed, perhaps embarrassed by her own words.

“With a daily travel of 150km, it takes about a week to 15 days to explore one floor.” -Yuuta

“So, we’re going to be running for over a week looking for stairs. It’s like club activities.” -Misuzu

“The scary thing on one floor is goblins, the tough part is the marathon.” -Yuuta

After that, we started searching for stairs, keeping an eye on the map app and being vigilant of goblins. Most of the goblins that attacked us were taken down with a gun.

As soon as we spotted them on our path, we ran while shooting with handguns. At level 3, even shooting one-handed felt effortless. As part of our combat training, we regularly left some goblins alive so I could engage them in close combat while Misuzu shot them with arrows.

If I easily beheaded a goblin, Misuzu would effortlessly shoot another in the head right next to me.

“Still, were goblins always this weak?” -Misuzu

“We’re level 3 now. Stronger than a heavyweight boxing champion.” -Yuuta

“Ah yeah, that was bad.” -Misuzu

It was a story from a famous American TV show. The show conducted experiments to demonstrate how humans change with leveling up. At the time, the media, mostly opposed to dungeons, intended it to show that leveling up was meaningless.

The fight was between a heavyweight champion and a 46-year-old housewife at level 3.

Everyone thought the housewife, who had just reached level 3, was about to be publicly executed in a tasteless show. However, the result was the complete opposite. The one-sided violence, which could hardly be called a fight, left a vivid impression on everyone.

『【Level Down】』

『Hey, what’s that? A curse? No, wait, my body feels heavy! 』

『How does it feel to go from level 1 to level 0? 』

『You, explorer! What did you do to me? 』

『I could win without this. Forgive me for being a frail woman. 』

『Hey! Magic and skill use was prohibited! 』

『This is ridiculous, stop the match! 』

『Continue! 』 『What proof is it if magic and skills are banned!? 』 『Fight! 』 『Fight! 』 Fight! 』 Fight! 』 Fight! 』Fight! 』

The outcome was overwhelmingly one-sided. The 46-year-old housewife at level 3 easily knocked down the heavyweight champion. The shocking scene led to suspicions of a fix, but it was later proven in various sports that normal humans stood no chance against someone at level 3.

“Gyagya!”

“Take that! It’s scary how the initial guilt is fading.” -Misuzu

Misuzu shot the attacking goblin’s body at the last moment. It’s dangerous if they gang up, but that’s easily handled with a gun. As we got used to it, we started taking down more at a time.

Our search progressed smoothly, and then we took a break. During breaks, we kept watch for each other, staying close even when nature called.

It became easier to relieve ourselves, and Misuzu finished up and pulled up her pants right next to me. Not that I was calm about it.

“I’ll take over the watch, Yuuta. Finish up quickly. So, how many did we take down?” -Misuzu

“Oh, uh, Misuzu took down 35 goblins. I got about 40, I guess. Including those shot with a gun, we might have taken down 300 together.” -Yuuta

“Is the forest area over there safe?” -Misuzu

The savannah isn’t just grass; there are bare ground areas and dense shrubbery forests. Misuzu asked while I nervously relieved myself nearby, tense despite her presence.

“Probably. The stairs leading down are supposed to be about the size of two tatami mats, and they rise about 2 meters above the ground.”  -Yuuta

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Huh?” -Yuuta

Suddenly, we heard the sound of a gun.

“Who’s shooting? It’s not you, right, Yuuta?” -Misuzu

“It’s not me.” -Yuuta

Our search had been going smoothly. There was no problem with taking down goblins. But this complacency was our downfall. The gunfire wasn’t ours. We looked in the direction of the sound.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Gunfire again?” -Yuuta

It was barely visible, but a goblin was crouching in the bushes, shooting at us with a gun. I looked at my arm. A bullet had lodged in, and blood was seeping out.

“Shot? …No way?” -Yuuta

I didn’t even realize I had been shot until I saw the bullet wound and felt the pain.

“Yuuta, are you okay!?” -Misuzu

Bang! Bang! Bang!

“Misuzu!” -Yuuta

I quickly covered Misuzu with my body. I felt something hit my back, but the polycarbonate shield tied to my backpack protected me. I hurriedly lay down, using the backpack as a shield, and pushed Misuzu down, hiding both of us in the grass.

“Idiot! I’m fine because of my necklace!” -Misuzu

“Sorry, sorry for clinging to you.” -Yuuta

“I’m not worried about that! Are you okay?” -Misuzu

“Ha ha, seems like the bullet hit my back. I’m fine, I’m wearing a shield, and the body armor will protect me. But yeah, my arm hurts. Ouch.” -Yuuta

“Wait, let me get a potion, a potion!” -Misuzu

Misuzu hastily took out a potion from her backpack. It was one we received from Nagumo-san.

“Misuzu, I’ve only been shot in the arm. Using a 10 million yen potion is a waste.” -Yuuta

“But you said it hit your back!” -Misuzu

“I blocked it with the shield. It didn’t hurt me at all. The potion that woman victim had is enough.” -Yuuta

“Oh, right, yeah. Yuuta, you’re okay, right? You’re not going to suddenly die, right?” -Misuzu

“Calm down. I’m not going to die from a gunshot in the arm. But it looks like there really are Goblin Gunners.” -Yuuta

I had thought there weren’t any goblins with guns since they were rarely seen. But it seems there were. I took out a potion from my backpack, thanking the woman victim in my mind, and drank it.

The potion tasted slightly sweet and my body glowed pale blue. The bullet came out from my arm, and the wound closed beautifully. Misuzu looked relieved.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of a gun again. It seemed they couldn’t see us anymore, and this time they didn’t hit us. Most importantly, they were too far away. At that distance, a handgun would hardly hit.

“It’s definitely a goblin. They keep shooting even though they’ve lost sight of us, and they’re out of range. They’re not that smart. Misuzu, I’ll go take down the Gunner.” -Yuuta

“I’m coming with you.” -Misuzu

“I have higher stats, I’ll be fine.” -Yuuta

It was embarrassing to be shot in such a clumsy way. I wanted to look good in front of Misuzu.

“If you always take the dangerous jobs, Yuuta, our stat difference will keep growing and I won’t be able to keep up with you. Let’s do this together. We’re in the same party, right?” -Misuzu

Misuzu looked at me determinedly.

“What if there’s another one with a gun?”  -Misuzu

“It’s unlikely that so many with guns would suddenly appear…” -Yuuta

I started to say it wouldn’t happen but stopped when I noticed Misuzu glaring at me.

“Okay, okay. Since you haven’t been hit yet, your necklace’s barrier is still at max. Use that to your advantage. Stand up and shoot arrows from there. They’re more than 50 meters away, they’ll hardly hit at that distance.” -Yuuta

“Got it.” -Misuzu

“I’ll guard with this shield and try to get closer.” -Yuuta

“Are you sure? You won’t die?” -Misuzu

“I’m sure. Trust me.” -Yuuta

Seeing Misuzu nod, I stood up from crouching in the grass. Holding the shield in front of me, I ran zigzagging towards the goblin. I could see the goblin a little. It was about 100 meters away, hiding in the low bushes, aiming a handgun at us and shooting.

As I got closer, the shots started hitting, but I deflected them with the shield.

“【Precise Shot】”-Misuzu

 Whoosh

Misuzu’s voice.

A sharp sound rang out.

I could see the arrow, propelled by the skill, flying straight. The Gunner noticed Misuzu standing up and shot his handgun. Five gunshots sounded, but her necklace’s barrier protected her. There should be no worry.

The arrow struck the goblin’s forehead. The skill improved its accuracy significantly.

“Got it!” -Misuzu

Misuzu made a triumphant gesture. After the Goblin Gunner was downed, the other goblins, six in total, stood up from the grass. They were all preparing to attack at once.

Whoosh

Misuzu’s arrow hit another one. It seemed she didn’t use the skill this time, but her accuracy had improved since reaching level 3. She hit one of the goblins running towards us, making it fall over backward. It seemed like a chance, but one of the goblins tried to pick up the Gunner’s handgun.

Whoosh

Whoosh

Whoosh

She didn’t let that happen, sending more arrows towards the goblins. In the ten seconds it took for me to get close, she had fired more than ten arrows, downing three goblins. Two were coming at me, and another was trying to pick up the gun. Her arrow took down the one reaching for the gun.

“【Double Strike】【Stone Bullet】” -Yuuta

I didn’t hold back on skills and magic. If the goblin got the gun, it could be dangerous for me, being closer now. So I chose a surefire way to kill. The goblin was cut into three pieces, and another was pierced in the chest by a stone bullet.

“Alright! Misuzu, that’s all of them!” -Yuuta

“Yeah! Yuuta! We did it! My arrows hit so well!” -Misuzu

Misuzu called out to me, sounding happy. Her smiling face running towards me made me happy. When she hugged me, it made me feel like she might have feelings for me. My heart raced – I really do like Misuzu.

“It seems there are fewer Goblin Gunners than I thought. I read on D-rank’s SNS that they appear quite often.” -Yuuta

“Oh, right.” -Misuzu

She kept talking while hugging me. Ah, this position, it’s happiness. I wish it could last forever.

“Yuuta, are you listening?” -Misuzu

“Oh, yeah. But Goblin Gunners are mostly reported in D-rank and not much elsewhere.” -Yuuta

“Really? Why?” -Misuzu

Even though we’re both wearing body armor, which doesn’t feel that great, Misuzu is surprisingly touchy-feely. I think that’s really nice.

Meanwhile, her words caught my attention. Gunners are rarer than I thought. It was our first time seeing one. That means there are almost no explorers in the Ikebukuro dungeon using handguns. But what about D-rank?

“Do they often use guns?” -Yuuta

“Something wrong?” -Misuzu

“No, just thinking that in D-rank, explorers probably go dungeon diving with guns and leave them there. That would explain why it takes a whole semester to level up.” -Yuuta

“Huh?” -Misuzu

Misuzu seemed puzzled by what I said, so I shrugged.

“Ah, you just thought I was dumb! You definitely thought I was an idiot!” -Misuzu

She’s hopping up and down so close to me, it’s making my heart race.

“No, no, it’s not like that. It’s just that beginners hardly enter dungeons in Ikebukuro. So, there are fewer goblins with guns. But in D-rank, they probably encourage students to carry guns. As a result, those who panic and flee the dungeon leave their guns behind. Then goblins use them.” -Yuuta

“So, D-rank could be full of Goblin Gunners?” -Misuzu

“I don’t know. Nagumo-san said that using a gun doesn’t increase levels. It’s unlikely they don’t know that. But, for someone using a combination of guns, swords, and bows like us, there would be a lot of guns brought into D-rank due to the larger number of people.” -Yuuta

“And the goblins use them in large numbers.” -Misuzu

Misuzu seemed to have calmed down from her excitement and casually moved away from me. I was a bit disappointed but also relieved as the proximity was making me too tense.

“Ah!” -Misuzu

“What’s up?” -Yuuta

“I found a Gacha Coin!” -Misuzu

Once again, Misuzu had found it. She may have bad luck with Gacha draws, but she seemed to have a knack for finding Gacha Coins.

“We can pull another Gacha now.” -Misuzu

“Misuzu, I’ll do the pulling this time.” -Yuuta

“But I found it.” -Misuzu

Misuzu looked as if the coin was rightfully hers.

Still, I resolved not to give in this time. After all, explorers need as much money as they can get. The more money we have, the better items we can buy, increasing Misuzu’s chances of survival.

“We’ll probably be on our own from tomorrow, so whoever finds them then can pull. Of course, I’ll do it if Misuzu needs money.” -Yuuta

“Well, I want to get my own exclusive equipment, so I have to pull for myself. But maybe I’ll give just one coin to Yuuta.” -Misuzu

“Okay, okay.” -Yuuta

Exclusive equipment refers to gear that is uniquely tailored for an individual and is the strongest type available from the Stone Gacha. Unbelievably powerful equipment like Agni can’t be obtained from the Stone Gacha no matter how hard one tries. However, there is a separate category in the Gacha known as the rainbow capsule.

Interestingly, it’s said that those with worse Gacha luck have a higher chance of getting a rainbow capsule, which is not limited by any constraints. There are almost no reports of anyone getting it, but the one famous instance was by “Oni” Tanaka. It’s said that he reached level 1000 by getting a rainbow capsule.

My Gacha luck is probably quite good, so I might be able to get my own exclusive equipment. I’m really looking forward to it since I heard exclusive equipment comes with unique skills. I wonder what my exclusive gear will be named.

I sincerely hoped that Misuzu would get at least one piece of exclusive equipment. In any case, we took a break for lunch and then continued our search for the stairs to descend to the lower levels.