"—!?"
Just as I was basking in the incredible euphoria of Metakin’s massive experience point yield, Danger Sense Sensei screamed a warning.
Following Sensei’s guidance, I kicked off from my head-bridge position and performed a sharp backflip.
Upon landing, I immediately stepped to the side, dropping low to the ground on all fours like a beast. Several Flying Blades whistled through the air right where I had been standing. They slammed into the floor and the wall behind me, kicking up thick clouds of dust.
"————"
It seemed there would be no immediate follow-up.
I stood up and stepped out from the dust screen. I could immediately see the people who had attacked me; they were standing there with their swords leveled in my direction.
It was Oishi and his group.
I had no idea why they were attacking me, but I was furious. I roared at them.
"When a man is trying to feel good... a sneak attack is a total breach of etiquette!!"
The afterglow—it was ruined!
When you’re savoring a moment of bliss, you need to be undisturbed and free. You need to be, how should I put it... saved. You need to be alone, silent, and at peace. And yet!
To be interrupted while basking in the lingering heat of a level-up cuts the pleasure in half. No, personally, it’s worse than that. When you achieve that state, the afterglow is the most important part!
And they had ruined it with a tasteless ambush. This was utterly unforgivable.
However, I decided I would at least hear their excuse, so I glared at Oishi—
"—!? Hinata-san...!"
Then I noticed that Hinata-san was being held captive by one of Oishi’s companions.
"I'm sorry, Takeo-kun...!" Hinata-san apologized, looking mortified. A thin trail of blood was trickling down her neck. She had likely been nicked by the knife held ostentatiously against her throat.
Hinata-san was apologizing, but she wasn't the one in the wrong. No matter how you looked at it, Oishi and his group were a hundred percent at fault.
That said, with Hinata-san being held hostage, I had to be extremely careful with my words and actions.
But... this again? Ever since I became an explorer, it felt like I was being targeted constantly. First by Lecherous Kanzaki and his goons, then by that Dungeon Terrorism Old Man. I’d run into deep-floor monsters on Floor 3 and been jumped by a Special Variant in a Monster Room... Is dungeon security really this bad? Or is it just my luck?
"First, let me offer my congratulations on slaying the Metasla, Leveling Junkie Bro," Oishi said.
"Thanks for that." I knew it wasn't a genuine compliment, so I gave him a half-hearted response. "So... what’s the plan, Oishi-san? Isn't doing something like this going to cause major trouble for you?"
"Rest easy. No one outside of those in this room will ever know what happened here."
I scanned the surroundings. One of Oishi’s companions was holding a spherical magic item that looked somewhat familiar. Furthermore, the drone that usually followed its target automatically was nowhere to be seen. That meant...
"Magic-comms jamming?"
"Oh, you knew? That makes things simple. Do you understand now that you have no choice but to obey us?"
"...I suppose I don't. In exchange, if I listen to you, you'll release Hinata-san safely, right?"
"Of course. I promise." Oishi nodded with a smile.
Phew, what a relief. It seemed that if I obeyed, they would release us—like hell they would!
I could say with absolute certainty that he was lying. If they released us, their crimes would be exposed to the Japan Explorer Association or the police. There was no way Oishi and his group would let us walk away.
Still, for the moment, I had to play along.
"So, what do you want? Don't tell me... you're planning to do something lewd to Hinata-san? Because if you are, I’ll stop you with everything I’ve got."
"Relax. Our goal isn't something so vulgar."
"Then... Ha!? Don't tell me... I'm the target!? You're planning to do something lewd to me!!?"
I’ve already decided to save my virginity for Headshot Yakuza! There’s no way I’m giving it to some beefy guy like you! No lewd stuff allowed!
"...You seem awfully relaxed, but you'd better watch your attitude, Leveling Junkie Bro," Oishi said in a low, dangerous voice.
It seemed I had actually made him angry. And I wasn't even joking...
"Ahem. So... what do you want me to do?"
"Nothing difficult. Just stay right where you are."
"...That's it?"
"I'm afraid we'll be taking the drop from the Metasla you defeated. That's all we've wanted from the start."
The Metasla—meaning, Metakin’s drop?
I didn't know what had dropped, but if there was an item, I was fine with giving it to Oishi and the others. It wasn't worth more than Hinata-san’s life.
"I see... Go ahead. If something dropped, it's probably down in that hole."
From this angle, I couldn't quite see the bottom of the crater. Still, if there was a drop item, it should have fallen down there.
"Heh, I see...! Sorry about this, Leveling Junkie Bro."
Oishi spoke with a face that didn't look sorry at all as he approached the crater. His companions stayed where they were, keeping their eyes on me and the entrance to the boss room.
Looking toward the entrance, I could see Mayurin-san, Ikegami-san, and the others. Judging by the way they were confronting Oishi’s group, it seemed Mayurin-san and the rest weren't his accomplices. That was a relief.
Oishi stood at the edge of the crater and peered into the hole. Then...
"Hey, what is the meaning of this...!" He glared at me, his face twisted with rage. "Where did you put my Fragments Weapon!?"
"Huh?"
Fragments Weapon? What the heck was that? I tilted my head, genuinely confused. "I don't know what that is. I'm not hiding anything."
"Don't lie!! There’s nothing here but a magic stone!! That means you must have the Fragments Weapon!!"
It seemed that, unlike the Metaslas, a magic stone had actually dropped. Maybe because it was the main body? Regardless, his accusation was absurd. I spread my hands to show I was empty-handed, though I was still clutching my sword in my right hand.
"Whether I have it or not, you can see for yourself, right? Where exactly would I be hiding it?"
"If you're a Special Crisis Case Explorer, you must have an expansion bag!! You hid it in the bag, didn't you!?"
"No... didn't you see me on the way here? I haven't been wearing a backpack today."
To prioritize speed, I had left all my gear inside the expansion bag Hinata-san was carrying. I had nothing but my sword; even if I had hidden something, it would have to be small enough to fit in a pocket.
If he wanted to search me, he was free to try. That would prove I wasn't hiding anything. However, Oishi didn't move to search my pockets. I didn't know what this "Fragments Weapon" looked like, but perhaps it wasn't something small.
"—!? T-Then, where is the Fragments Weapon...!?"
"Who knows? Maybe it just didn't drop?"
"Don't give me that!! It's a guaranteed drop!"
Don't look at me...
I was genuinely perplexed. Then, a thought occurred to me. I thought the possibility was extremely low, but...
"Then... maybe it was obliterated by my attack when I defeated Metakin?"
"............"
Drop items appear after a monster dies. Normally, they aren't destroyed by the attack that kills the monster... but there are exceptions. For example, when a monster is killed by an area-of-effect spell with a long duration, it can drop an item that is then immediately destroyed by the continuing magic.
My Explosive Blade didn't last that long... but when the flames cleared, the Metasla had already vanished. It wasn't impossible that the item had dropped during the height of the blast. At the very least, I couldn't think of any other explanation.
Apparently, Oishi couldn't either. He stared into the bottom of the crater, trembling violently.
"Ah... ugh..."
He collapsed onto his knees.
"Ah... aaah... aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!! Mine! My Fragments Weapon!! My... my power is aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
After a look of utter despair, he started bawling like a baby. Watching a grown man wail like that left me completely stunned.
Wait. Was it really that important? And he kept saying "mine," but shouldn't it have belonged to me since I was the one who killed Metakin? Also, it seemed Oishi knew exactly what was supposed to drop... but anyway.
"Um, Oishi-san..." I spoke to him tentatively. "Um... I'm sorry about that, I guess. Did you really want that Fragments-whatever thing that much?"
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!!!"
"Um, if it's any consolation, I'll let you have the magic stone, so please stop crying..."
"Shut up!! Shut uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuup!!!"
He was a lost cause. He was screaming like a child throwing a tantrum. I suppose I just have to wait for him to calm down... or so I thought.
"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhh—ghk!!?"
"—!!?"
In that instant, me, Hinata-san, Oishi’s party members, and even Mayurin-san’s group—everyone present was frozen in shock.
Suddenly, something reflecting a dull light dropped from the ceiling above Oishi. It impaled him from the crown of his skull straight through his jaw. The object was a conical shape with a lethal point.
It killed Oishi in a single strike. As his body slumped forward, the object melted into a sludge. Like an amoeba, it spread across Oishi’s body, wrapping around him as if to devour him.
It looked like a Metasla. Had it survived? Had it been sticking to the ceiling the whole time? Or was it one that had split off? Since it hadn't been targeting me, even Sensei hadn't reacted, and I hadn't noticed it until Oishi was impaled.
Judging by the stunned expressions of Oishi’s companions, this was definitely not part of their plan.
...Wait, what are we supposed to do now?
●◯●
"Oh? Well, well...!"
"Hm? What's wrong, Sensei?"
"No, I was just using Magic Remote Vision to observe Leveling Junkie Bro and his group after the stream cut out..."
"Is that so? Is it okay? Won't the Master reverse-track you?"
"Well, it should be fine. Even if he realizes he's being watched, he shouldn't be able to detect who is watching or from where. We are on the surface, after all."
"I see. That's good then. So, did something interesting happen?"
"Yes. Leveling Junkie Bro defeated the metal slime's main body, and afterward, a shield-type Fragments Weapon dropped..."
"Uh-huh."
"That Fragments Weapon... it actually started moving on its own! It changed its shape just like a metal slime!"
"No way!? Seriously!?"
"Yes, it's true. Furthermore, it seized an opening from Leveling Junkie Bro... or rather, while he was performing a head bridge for some reason after the battle, it jumped up and hid by clinging to the boss room's ceiling..."
"A head bridge? Why?"
"I don't know. Is it a human habit? It's not in my Vessel's memories..."
"Hmm, it's not in mine either. Maybe individual variation?"
"That may be it. Well, we can look into strange human habits later."
"Right."
"In any case, it’s rare for a Fragments Weapon to move. It most likely became capable of movement due to the Skill Seed it possesses... this might serve as evidence to support the theory that Fragments Weapons can have a will of their own."
"A will, huh... I've never felt anything like that."
"Our spirits are distinct from our Vessels, so that might be why we cannot communicate. Or perhaps a Fragments Weapon simply lacks the organs for communication..."
"Hey, hey, so was that the interesting thing you were talking about?"
"No, no. This is where it gets even more interesting."
"Hmph."
"Believe it or not, that Fragments Weapon... it killed the individual that was supposed to be its host and instead began absorbing him! I’ve never seen a case like this before!"
"Heh... so what happens then?"
"I don't know. That’s why it’s interesting...! I can't take my eyes off how this develops...! If possible, I’d like to secure it before it dies... but if I teleport there now, the Master will find out. Regrettable as it is, I suppose we have no choice but to watch how things play out...!"
"Hmm. (Sensei looks like he’s having fun.)"