Episode 52: A Long-Awaited Dungeon Trip

When I stepped into the nameless Dungeon, an entire otherworld unfolded before my eyes.

An endless forest stretched out in every direction, dominated by a gargantuan tree standing at its center. It was a sight I had seen back in the other world, and it immediately brought a certain companion to mind.

No, no way. Someone on his level is the stuff of mythology, surely.

I was thinking of Jormungand, the World Snake—one of my former companions. That guy had used a massive tree just like this as his home. He was at the top of my "Never Want to Fight Again" list, so I sincerely hoped I wasn't about to run into another entity like him.

"...No, he's not here. I don't feel a presence, and even if it were a different entity, I’d know if a monster of his caliber were around."

Besides, based on the intel I’d received from Rin and the others, this was an [Otherworld-type] Dungeon—supposedly one of the safer varieties.

"From what I can detect... there are only Kobolds around. Talk about a familiar face."

According to the information provided by the government, the difficulty of D-Ranks has been steadily climbing in recent years. However, the threat level of this particular Dungeon seemed remarkably low so far.

"Originally, this request was supposed to go to some old guy they call the [Guardian]."

They’d apologized for the short notice, explaining that the intended contractor had gone off on a warrior’s pilgrimage or something similar. That was how the job landed in my lap. From what I’d heard, this [Guardian] character was around sixty-five years old. Wasn't that a bit late in life to be that energetic?

It was pointless to dwell on it, but I suppose a [Hero] from an era where magic power was nearly non-existent must be something special. Forgive my lack of vocabulary, but I found it impressive that anyone could have saved Japan while working with so little information.

I’d like to meet him once, but honestly, I think I’ve had my fill for now.

Between reuniting with Laura and getting tangled up with that lunatic scientist, I felt like I was constantly bumping into [S-Rank] individuals. While I appreciated learning more about this world, the sheer "caloric intake" of these encounters was exhausting. I wanted a break. I didn't need another high-profile meeting right now.

"First order of business is confirming the monster spawns. They told me this isn't a conquest mission, but it still feels weird. Anyway, what’s the word, Lycoris? Finished with the right side?"

"Yes. I’ve defeated a fair number of them, and it seems this place is a composite with a cave-type. Unlike the [Otherworld-type] I visited with Luna, these ones spawn directly out of the ground and walls."

"Got it. Or rather, as expected of you, Lycoris. You recorded everything?"

"Mhm. And they seem to have dropped a [Teleportation Stone], so we can head back whenever we want. Shall we go deeper?"

"The word 'competent' doesn't even begin to cover you."

"Praise me more. And if possible, pet my head."

I couldn't exactly let my guard down and start petting her in the middle of a Dungeon, so I settled on promising her a good meal once we were finished. We decided to push further in.

"So far, we've seen moth-like Big Moths, plus Kobolds and Goblins. There are a lot of monsters here that seem to just live naturally in the environment. The highest we've seen is [D-Rank], so it's considerably safe."

At most, we ran into two Orcs. The Dungeon was almost too safe. That realization only fueled my anxiety, but since Lycoris and her sharp intuition remained silent, perhaps it really was just a walk in the park.

"People might call me overly cautious, but let’s face it—I hadn’t exactly had the best of luck with these things lately."

The moment those words left my mouth, it happened.

I felt a sudden, pure intent to attack. There was no bloodlust, no malice—only the singular, focused will to cut. A strike was unleashed directly at me.

The move was so sudden that my reaction was a split second behind, but it wasn't unavoidable. I arched my body to dodge, and as I moved to enter a combat stance, a second slash followed immediately.

Unlike the first, this one carried clear killing intent. I judged it too dangerous to simply dodge, so I summoned a sword and parried the blow.

"Oh? What's this, a human?"

The clash of blades was followed by a voice—dignified, yet carrying the weight of age.

The moment our opponent's position was revealed, Lycoris prepared to release her poison. However, I signaled for her to stand down. There was no hostility left in the man's tone.

"A ridiculous mass of mana came walking my way, so I figured you were a monster. My bad."

"...I nearly died because of that 'mistake,' you know."

"I held back enough in case you were human, didn't I? Besides, there’s no way someone with that much mana and presence wouldn't be able to block it. Well, all's well that ends well!"

"That's incredibly reckless. So... what are you doing in an uninvestigated Dungeon?"

"Huh? Well, this place is under my jurisdiction. I'm just doing my job. But why are you here, kid?"

"It’s my job, too. Wait, jurisdiction? Are you the [Guardian]?"

Before me stood a man wearing a kinagashi. He carried a single katana and looked far too youthful to be called an old man. However, having seen even a glimpse of his true capability, I knew he had to be the one.

"That’s right. Wait, is this a double-booking? I'm sure I told the government people I was coming here."

"I was told you were away on a warrior's pilgrimage."

"...Drop the polite talk. Ah, I did tell them that, but I’m pretty sure I mentioned I was hitting an uninvestigated Dungeon first."

"Communication is a vital skill, you know."

"Yeah... this one’s on me. It’s a pain, but I should’ve just filed the paperwork. Well, whatever. Anyway, sorry about that."

He apologized with an incredibly light, breezy attitude. I quickly realized this was just his personality. He continued in that same casual tone.

"As for introductions, I'm Yamato Kusanagi. I've got a grand-sounding name, but I'm still just a swordsman in training. Nice to meet you, [Summoner] kid."

That was my first meeting with the man known as the strongest of the modern era.

In hindsight, I would soon learn—whether I wanted to or not—just how terrifyingly "strongest" he really was.

"Right. Nice to meet you, I guess?"