Akatsuki Translations

“Hmm…” -Nagumo

Watching the kid head into the bath, I thought to myself. No matter how you look at it, that’s not okay. Seeing something like that on one’s first dive into a dungeon would be traumatic.

I did think about helping him out, but from experience, to do so would mean being ready to kill every single one of the perpetrators.

I’ve witnessed such scenes a few times. After all, the dungeon is a lawless zone. The first time I was driven by a sense of justice to help, things went really bad for me.

I ended up having to kill every single perpetrator. Then, the families of the perpetrators sought revenge against me, forcing me to kill them too.

“You murderer! What you did is murder!” -Girl

“Your father did wrong. That’s why I killed him.” -Nagumo

“My dad wasn’t a bad person! By what right did you do that?!” -Girl

I still can’t forget that voice. A girl, about high school age, came to kill me. At that time, I was still low-level and had no room for error.

Moreover, she had leveled up in the dungeon and was quite strong. I couldn’t hold back and ended up killing her. It wasn’t a crime since it happened inside the dungeon, but that experience made me decide never to help anyone again.

“I thought those who can’t fend for themselves should just die.” -Nagumo

“Who is that child?” -Woman

Although I’m only 20 and not really an adult, I was pondering how to provide mental care for a 15-year-old when the woman I slept with last night woke up.

“What was your name again?” -Nagumo

“It’s Haruka. I’ve been in this room quite a few times, you should remember my name by now.” -Haruka

Since becoming strong and suddenly popular with women, I’ve stopped remembering them as individuals but rather as just ‘women’. I’ve been feeling worn out recently, and seeing an innocent child after so long, I ended up finding him endearing.

“Sigh, it’s interactions like this that make me not want to get involved with people. But I guess I’ve grown attached.” -Nagumo

“Pay attention to me.” -Haruka

“This kid’s name is Yuuta, probably. Can you console him?” -Nagumo

I recalled the name I saw on the status screen. The reading for the kanji should be Yuuta.

“Huh? Is it okay? With a child that young?” -Haruka

I remember she was around 30. She seemed willing, if not eager. This woman… there’s something wrong with her.

“Nah, never mind. It’ll just add more trauma.” -Nagumo

If he’s going to lose his virginity, his first time should be with a woman who’s also inexperienced. Being with an experienced woman will warp his view on women. I, who was devoured by a woman in her thirties in the spring of my 18th year, can vouch for that.

“Aww, I’d be gentle with him~.” -Haruka

“Quiet. That’s enough for today. I’ll give you some money, so go eat something.” -Nagumo

I took out some money from my item box and handed it to her. She left in a cheerful mood. Every time I see women like her, I wonder if this is what I imagined when I wasn’t popular.

“I should have a proper romantic relationship. But the kind of women who approach me now…” -Nagumo

No matter which woman I see, it feels like they’re only after my money and power. How can I have a relationship where I genuinely love the person, and they love me back?

“I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of things, but I still don’t quite get it.” -Nagumo

Click

Just as I was deep in thought about life, the door to the bath opened.

“Nagumo-san, my clothes are covered in blood. Is there a change of clothes anywhere?” -Yuuta

Yuuta, peeking only his head out, possibly because he was embarrassed about being seen naked, asked.

“Don’t be shy about it; we’re both guys. It’s creepy. And why don’t you have any change of clothes?” -Nagumo

He came to the dungeon unprepared.

“I wasn’t planning to enter the dungeon in these clothes.” -Yuuta

“Seriously, you…” -Nagumo

I almost thought that he was cuter than any girl but quickly shook my head to dispel the thought.[1]

“Damn, I’ve been so worn out; my mind is playing tricks on me. About the change of clothes…” -Nagumo

I opened the closet and pulled out pants and a shirt.

“Whoa, this is from the Black Label[2]. I don’t need brand-name stuff; something cheaper will do.” -Yuuta

“I don’t have anything other than branded clothes. Would Louis Vuitton be okay?” -Nagumo

Was Louis Vuitton even a brand? At some point, traveling salesmen started visiting my room, and I’ve just been buying whatever they recommend. I don’t care if it’s branded or not.

I remember being scolded by my sister, to whom I had delegated all accounting responsibilities, saying, “You’ve spent over a billion yen on clothes!”

“This will do.” -Yuuta

For some reason, he looked at me with a resentful glare.

“Sorry. I was planning to accompany you a bit longer, but we should probably avoid the first floor of the Ikebukuro dungeon tomorrow.” -Nagumo

The Hazumi guys probably thought that, unless there was a culling of goblins, nobody would enter the first floor of the Ikebukuro dungeon. Even though we say ‘dungeon collapse’, it has never collapsed from the second entrance onwards.

The second entrance leads to the 11th floor and below, where monsters get stronger the deeper you go, but their reproduction rate decreases. The weakest, goblins, have the highest reproduction rate, and if left unchecked, they would deplete the herbivores in the dungeon and come outside.

That’s why there’s a regular culling in the dungeon. It’s always on the first day of the month, and whoever wants to do it can. Other than that, no one is on the first floor.

Especially since the D-ranks were established, beginners have been scarce, and it’s become a place where people rarely visit. That’s probably where the crime took place. Well, it’s not even a crime in the dungeon. It’s just a killing, and there’s no guilt associated with it.

“Is it only if we stop only tomorrow?” -Yuuta

“It’s complicated. If I say it’s not okay, then it’s not okay. If I say it’s okay, then it’s okay. That’s all there is to it. No matter where you go, there will always be dangerous people. If you keep being scared, you’ll run out of places to go. If you don’t like that, then just go to a D-rank. Can you still do it after seeing that?” -Nagumo

“Y-yes. People are people. I am me. I’ve decided not to go to a D-rank, and I want to be an explorer. I intend to firmly walk this path.” -Yuuta

“I see.” -Nagumo

He’s surprisingly steadfast. Maybe I should give him 2 or 3 more potions. I was considering that, but then I remembered the words of that damn old hag. I’m still only 20.

There have been several times I’ve suffered because I didn’t listen to that old hag who knows the ups and downs of life.

“Then do your best.” -Nagumo

I gently pat Yuuta’s head.

“By the way, can I call you Yuuta?” -Nagumo

“Uh, yes.” -Yuuta

“Well then, Yuuta, first, you need comrades.” -Nagumo

“Do I really need comrades?” -Yuuta

“You do. First of all, you can’t go to the lower floors alone. If you do, you’ll die. Do you play games a lot?” -Nagumo

“I play quite a bit.” -Yuuta

“I do too. Especially those super hard games. In those hard games, just having comrades can make things a lot easier, right? Splitting the agro and all.” -Nagumo

“Yes, it makes a big difference. Especially in the highest difficulty levels. Enemies that were impossible to beat even after trying for 10 hours can be cleared in about an hour with comrades.” -Yuuta

“You’re simplifying it a bit. But I get it. In the highest difficulty levels, even the weakest enemies are strong.” -Nagumo

“It’s basically a terrible game. I want to sue the creators.” -Yuuta

“It’s the same with dungeons. They say there’s a creator, but the deeper you go, the worse it gets. You’d want to sue. That’s why two people are better than one, and three are better than two. Ideally, you want four. Of course, more would be safer, but the experience points get spread out and it’s harder to level up. My party has four.” -Nagumo

“Is that the woman from earlier with the impressive rear one of them?” -Yuuta

“No, if a woman from my party was in my room like that, I’d run straight to Antarctica. Anyway, comrades, especially in a dungeon, are mysteriously easy to find when you need them. You’re probably one of those people. Believe in fate.” -Nagumo

Taking care of him was just a whim.

Still, there was a seriousness in his eyes, a determination that wouldn’t be swayed no matter what anyone said. If that’s the case, I should give him proper advice.

“Comrades, huh…” -Yuuta

“I entered the dungeon alone and found comrades in a strangely quick manner. I don’t know why, but the creator has a habit of pairing up those they like. For me, three people who had exactly what I lacked appeared mysteriously. It’ll probably be the same for you. Don’t let them go when you find them.” -Nagumo

“…Understood.” -Yuuta

Friends, comrades. If he had those, he wouldn’t have come to the dungeon alone. I know because I was the same. Even so, to survive in the dungeon, you need comrades. I hoped that he would find such people, and that he would have even a 1% chance of surviving.

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TL Note(s)

[1] The raw has Yuuta end this sentence “I wasn’t planning to enter the dungeon in these clothes” with 「もん」, which is very feminine-sounding, so Nagumo has that thought about Yuuta’s way a phrasing that sentence making him seem cute.

[2] Black Label as in Ralph Lauren’s “Black Label” of clothing (I assume)