Akatsuki Translations

“Let’s move on, you two,” I said.

“But Yuuta…” Misuzu began.

Evie cut in, “Misuzu, we may have gotten stronger as humans, but we’re still too weak in the world of explorers. We absolutely can’t afford to antagonize other explorers right now.”

“Yeah… I guess you’re right,” Misuzu admitted reluctantly.

I thought to myself: We can’t rely on Nagumo-san. I have no intention of asking her for help inside the dungeon. While Yonezaki may be hostile without reason, there are people living communally with goblins in the settlement of their own free will.

I don’t see a problem with that itself. Of course, if it were Misuzu and the others, it would be a huge issue. I’d risk my life to save them. But how many people like that do you think there are in the world? Are we supposed to go around saving everyone?

That’s impossible. But what about our humanity? Is it inhuman not to help here? No, that’s not it. The real question is whether we’re capable of helping. It’s clearly impossible, so there’s no point in dwelling on it.

“It’s just not possible,” I said aloud.

Misuzu replied, “Yuuta, I’m sorry. You’re right, there’s nothing we can do.”

“Yeah.”

“But somehow, I felt like maybe you could figure something out,” she added.

I wondered how Misuzu saw me. I know better than anyone that I’m no Superman. I can’t even be a manga protagonist. More than anything, I realized I could somewhat understand Yonezaki.

The fact that I could understand that madman would probably make me hated if I were a manga protagonist.

Evie chimed in, “It’s impossible. That man would use every dirty trick in the book the moment he thought we were against him. He’s the type who doesn’t care about fighting fair or not. If we became complete enemies, we probably couldn’t win even at the same level. That’s the kind of person I sensed he was.”

“I agree with Evie,” I said. “And I have no intention of doing anything. To me, you two are more important than the misfortune of strangers. So I don’t plan on provoking Yonezaki.”

I sensed something truly dangerous about Yonezaki. His logic seemed to operate on a different level from common sense. I felt that if he judged us as enemies, we’d be cornered and killed in an instant, like in a game of chess.

Would Yonezaki try to contact me again?

No, I need to stop thinking about this.

We need to refocus – from here on out, it’s a matter of life and death again. Misuzu seemed to understand that there was nothing we could do for those women in our current state, so she didn’t say anything more. We decided to head for the goblin settlement first.

We donned our ghillie suits and, rather than using Mark’s foul-smelling perfume, we sprayed ourselves with a homemade concoction of animal dung and other materials.

“It stinks…” Evie complained.

“Bear with it,” I said. “I spent over three hours making this stuff.”

“This is the closest I’ve ever come to losing my will to go on,” Evie grumbled.

Of our group, Evie seemed to have the hardest time with the smell…

I hadn’t been too concerned about it. As Kunimaru-san was finally graduating from being a low-level explorer, many people were sending support messages and donations. On impulse, I used the pocket money Evie had given me to send a million yen worth of support messages. After four years of hard work, Kunimaru-san would reach Level 200 the next time he emerged from the dungeon.

I felt as if I had walked alongside him on his journey. A million yen was probably pocket change to Kunimaru-san now, but I hoped it would make him happy.

“What a waste that turned out to be,” I muttered.

To think he’d end up fighting with such a scary person, of all things. That wasn’t like him at all. He was always careful to avoid conflicts with other explorers, considering the safety of his party members.

In his videos, he often cautioned against getting into disputes with other explorers. So why did he pick a fight at the very end, when he was so close? Was there a reason?

“Yuuta, are you okay?” Misuzu asked.

Evie added, “Kunimaru-san was someone you were a fan of, right?”

They both remembered and looked at me with concern. We were running under the scorching sun, with temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius. We had temporarily stowed our ghillie suits in our bags.

“I’m fine,” I replied.

Back when I couldn’t enter the dungeon, I used to take notes on Kunimaru-san’s videos, watching them over and over to prepare for when I could explore. I listened with bated breath to his stories about nearly dying against goblins.

I sent him messages many times too. I was overjoyed when he responded to one of my messages. That’s why I had always wanted to support him, even if just with 1000 yen.

“I’m rich, you know,” he once said. “I understand the feeling of wanting to support, but kids who want to become explorers should use that money on themselves. But if you really become an explorer and get rich, I’d be happy with a donation of about a million yen.”

I knew he was joking, but I actually did it.

“Damn it,” I cursed under my breath.

Kunimaru-san was such a great person. Yonezaki, you’re really starting to piss me off. That smug face of yours – I’ll punch it hard someday.

“We need to make sure we don’t get cocky even if we reach Level 200,” I said aloud.

“Y-yeah,” Misuzu agreed.

Evie added, “Yuuta, if you really can’t forgive Yonezaki, we’ll help you when we reach Level 200.”

“Yeah, I’ll help too,” Misuzu chimed in.

Evie was telling me it was clearly impossible now.

“It’s okay. Strangely, I’m not that angry,” I said.

“Really?” they asked.

“Let me tell you both something. Including Imari, you two – Misuzu and Evie – are what’s important to me. To be honest, I can’t imagine risking my life for anything else. So, even if it might seem wrong as a human being, I don’t intend to do anything right now…”

It’s a contemptible attitude. If I really thought about it, I might come up with something. But either way, it would be life-threatening. It would be incomparably more dangerous than the situation with Ikemoto. That’s why I didn’t want to think about it.

“Yuuta, that’s okay. You’re right,” Evie reassured me.

Misuzu added, “Yeah, I think that’s fine. More importantly, we’re almost there.”

Misuzu, who had been running ahead, came to a stop.

“We’ve arrived. From here on, let’s move carefully and stay hidden,” she said.

We put on our ghillie suits. We had wiped out all the lion mounts with keen noses that the Goblin Riders used yesterday, and we’d just eliminated any stragglers earlier. Still, there might be more, so we masked our scent with perfume and concealed ourselves in the ghillie suits.

We began to walk through the grass, keeping our posture low.

Looking ahead, I could see about 20 buildings made of grass bundles and wood. There was one particularly large building where the Goblin General was said to reside. There was also a wooden cage.

When human women are captured, they’re reportedly forced to live communally in this cage to prevent escape. Other animals, oddly enough, don’t seem to mind being kept by goblins and live together peacefully without trying to escape.

That’s what we’re aiming for first.

Yes.

When we say we’re fighting the Goblin Army, we’re not going up against them at full strength from the start. We’re using a method similar to Misuzu’s quest. Even Nagumo-san, when she first saw the Goblin Army on the third floor, said:

“I ran away immediately. I thought, ‘Seriously, this already on the third floor?’ I had no choice but to properly strategize, as that old hag suggested. It was the first time I ever made a battle plan.”

So I decided to do the same. To be honest, I wanted to outdo Nagumo-san and considered a head-on battle, but the more I researched about the third floor’s Goblin Army, the more I realized it was impossible.

“We’ll start with the settlement,” I said.

The goblins seemed to be living peacefully, going about their ordinary lives. Animals other than humans didn’t seem to hate goblins that much. After all, goblins don’t kill creatures for pleasure. The only beings they kill for reasons other than food are humans.

And basically, they don’t act violently towards females of any species unless provoked. They might kill if attacked, but otherwise, they do nothing. That’s why goblin settlements are generally peaceful.

As long as humans don’t come.

“I’d heard rumors, but this is something else. And we’re going to attack this?” Misuzu said, frowning.

She seemed to sense it too. Right now, these creatures aren’t doing anything wrong. However, if left unchecked, they’ll overflow from the dungeon and come to kill humans.

“Goblins are gentle with females, you know. Even with human women, apparently,” I said.

Evie replied, “Yuuta, there’s a condition to that gentleness. As long as you’re obedient, they’ll be kind. If you accept everything they do, they’ll treat you well. But if not, they’ll turn on you in an instant. Especially if you resist their advances – I hear they’ll tie you up immediately so you can’t move.”

Goblins, despised by society. Does Yonezaki really think these creatures can live happily with human women?

“Well, let’s kill them efficiently,” I said. “You two aren’t going to say you can’t kill them, right?”

“Of course not,” Misuzu replied.

Evie added, “Sorry, but we’ll have them help us level up.”

We’ve killed so many goblins already. Neither of them seemed to have any hesitation at this point. Normally, killing the Goblin Riders would alert the settlement. When alerted, the goblins immediately deploy.

The goblin settlement becomes understaffed, and you can use that opportunity to set traps and wipe them out. That’s the easiest way to annihilate a Goblin Army. However, this method doesn’t seem to increase your stats as much.

But at Level 10, confronting goblins head-on is suicide. It’s far too difficult. That’s why we’re targeting this place directly. We’ve already wiped out the Goblin Riders who come out to scout this area yesterday. We’ve finished mopping up the stragglers too.

“Alright, let’s go,” I said.

“Okay,” they both responded.

First, Evie summoned Lean and Rai, whom she hadn’t called out before. This time, Lean and I will move together. Rai, being white and conspicuous, will wait here. Evie, who can’t move without Rai, will also stay behind. Misuzu will be our sniper.

Goblin Soldiers are guarding the perimeter. They’re said to be Level 15. These guys use the skill 【Great Strength】. There’s also a watchtower with Goblin Mages. They’re supposedly Level 16 and can use 【Fire Ball】.

Goblin settlements are often composed of 50 Goblin Riders, 30 Goblin Soldiers, 20 Goblin Mages, and 2 Goblin Generals. In dungeons where proper culling is carried out, the numbers don’t change much, they say.

On this floor where Yonezaki is involved, there’s a possibility that humans are breeding new Goblin Generals. If that’s the case, the difficulty will skyrocket.

“I’ll handle the Goblin Generals, Lean. Don’t touch them under any circumstances,” I instructed.

“Okay. All steps, in head,” Lean replied.

Lean lined up beside me as we crawled forward. In this open savanna, my heart raced thinking the Goblin Mages in the watchtower might spot us. I glanced at Lean beside me, who didn’t seem particularly tense.

This little girl definitely doesn’t understand the situation fully. But for infiltration, only Lean and I, who excel at close combat, are suitable. I’m not sure how well our ghillie suits covered in dirt and grass will work, but Lean and I slowly advance while staying hidden.

The settlement is surrounded by a fence of logs about two meters high. We need to reach that without being discovered first. We’re advancing through a grassland with nothing but grass and acacia trees, me and this little girl.

“Yuuta,” Lean whispered, unusually initiating conversation.

“What is it?”

“Master, bully. Not good.”

“…”

“Yuuta, pack leader.”

“…I’m sorry.”

It’s the first time Lean has scolded me. Perhaps she chose this moment because it’s the only time we’re alone. Despite her low intelligence stat, Lean is sharp. Is it some kind of animal instinct?

“It’s okay. I also, can’t meet Master’s expectations.”

Lean was using words in an unusual way. She’s not the type to say things like this. Seeing her every day, I thought she seemed carefree and unbothered. So these words were unexpected. For some reason, I suddenly remembered how Lean nearly died recently.

“Lean, just to be clear, don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“I know.”

I hope that’s true. This little girl tends to overexert herself, so I was worried.