It had been about three days since the world turned upside down. School was closed for a five-day stretch, leaving me with nothing but time—and yet, absolutely nothing to do. I spent most of it holed up in my room.
Actually, it was more like I was under house arrest. The "Black Robe" was the only thing anyone talked about on SNS or DanTube. Stepping outside would have been a death sentence for my privacy.
"The influence is insane," I muttered.
I spent my day practicing magic, wishing the hype would just die down already. I needed to reclaim the skills I’d possessed as the original Reima. I’d begun to understand the mana I brought back from the other world, but it still hadn't fully synced with this body. Honestly, it might have been better if it never did, but if Behemoth-class monsters were going to keep popping up, I needed to reach my peak again—and fast.
To call the Summoned Beasts I consider my real trump cards, I need the same level of mana I had when I took down the Demon King.
I needed to use more magic to force the acclimation, but I wasn't sure if this body could even handle the strain.
"Whatever. I’m bored out of my mind. Let’s see who I get. [Random Summon]."
Ever since Behemoth unilaterally forced a contract on me, I’d been too terrified of the others' reactions to call anyone. But I was curious about how that girl was settling into her new life, and I figured I’d call someone to get the lay of the land. I rolled the dice.
"Reima! You finally called me! You’re late!"
A beautiful girl appeared, her floor-length purple hair tied back in a high ponytail. She wore glasses and possessed golden, serpentine eyes. Her features were so perfectly proportioned they could have been a work of art, though she radiated a restless, hyperactive energy. She was dressed in a chiton—ancient Greek attire, if I recalled correctly. The second she manifested, she tackled me to the floor.
"...Oh, it's Algol."
"Hm? What’s with that reaction? Are you dissatisfied with me?"
"No, not at all. I’m just glad you’re actually wearing your glasses."
"Of course I am. It was my turn for the next [Summon] anyway... and the collateral damage is a nightmare when I’m looking with the naked eye."
"Good. In this world, you probably would have turned the entire neighborhood to stone."
"Hey, I’m one of the sensible ones. I’m the self-proclaimed conscience of the snake-types you’re contracted with, you know?"
Self-proclaimed or not, Algol really was the most rational of the bunch. I couldn't argue with her. Since I’d used a random summon, there was a high chance I could have pulled someone truly dangerous. In terms of getting a situation report, she was the perfect choice.
"Wait... what do you mean by 'your turn'? This was supposed to be a random call."
"That’s a secret. I’ll explain the rest, though... Oh, but before that, do you have any sweets? I’m starving for something sugary."
"Sure. I think I got some cake yesterday. Let’s eat that."
I headed down to the first floor, grabbed two slices of cake from the fridge, and brought them back to my room. One of them happened to be a fig cake—Algol’s favorite. I handed it to her, and we settled in to talk.
"Okay... so, the story starts when the newcomer arrived," she began.
"Ah. Behiko."
"Yeah. Because she forced that contract, a few people got pissed. Baal Wild Hunt tried to pick a fight with her... and, well, he got wrecked. Obviously."
Baal... you idiot.
Among my Summoned Beasts, Baal Wild Hunt was a man of severe delusions, even if he was generally sensible. He was one of the few males in the group and usually reliable, but his actual track record was... lacking.
Algol continued her report between bites of cake, twirling her fork as she described the chaos that had unfolded inside my Soul World over the last three days.
"Then, the shockwaves from their fight woke up Ouroboros and Jormungand. They started rampaging, which triggered a full-blown Ragnarok. Apophis and that Azi bastard thought it was hilarious and egged everyone on to hold a tournament. It turned into a war—a regular Titanomachia. That idiot Meryl and her crew even built an arena. They decided the winner would be the one you called next."
"What the hell are you guys doing inside my head? Wait... does that mean you won, Algol?"
"Not a chance. Even if I stood on my head, I couldn't beat the top tiers. You can probably guess how it ended. Baha-nee woke up because everyone was being too noisy, trampled every single participant, and that was that."
"......Gram didn't overdo it, did she?"
"Well, she’s Baha-nee. Of course she overdid it."
Baha-nee—also known as Gram—was one of my ultimate trump cards. It was a relief that the strongest individual in terms of raw combat power had settled the dispute, but the idea of a war that would make the Apocalypse look pale happening inside my own body wasn't exactly funny.
"Wait, if she won, shouldn't Gram have been the one summoned?"
"You know how she is. When the time came to be called, she got cold feet like she always does. I just came in her place."
"That sounds... exhausting. Good job, Algol."
"It was fun to watch, and I got to see you, so no complaints here."
"That’s very you."
"Oh, right. A message from Behiko: apparently, a nasty Dungeon is about to appear. She called it a Mythology Dungeon."
"A 'Labyrinth of Myth'... sounds bad. Is it?"
Behiko didn't talk much, but having been birthed from a Dungeon herself, she knew things. The problem was that she had a hedonistic streak; she rarely shared information unless it amused her.
"Who knows? But... my origin is aching. If that Dungeon shows up, call me. I might be able to figure something out."
"Got it. If you’re asking, I’ll do it. Though I really didn't need another bombshell like a new Dungeon appearing."
"Well, it can't be helped. Anyway, according to Behiko, it should be starting just about—"
The moment the words left Algol's mouth, my smartphone erupted with a high-volume alert. It was an Emergency Dungeon Bulletin. A mysterious Dungeon had just manifested in the airspace above Shibuya.
"...Safe to assume that's the one."
"Yeah... looks like it. What’s the plan, Reima?"
"...For now, we watch. Diving in now would be a mistake."
"Roger that. Give me the signal when it’s time to go out, and I’m there."
I sent Algol back to the Soul World and booted up my PC to start gathering every scrap of information I could find on the new arrival.