Chapter 19

Chapter 19: Because She’s a Beautiful Girl, Brain Destruction Cannot Be Forgiven

In front of the Dungeon, we were at a loss.

“We’ve found the Dungeon, huh?”

“Yeah.”

Wait, is it okay to challenge it? With these two? Without buffs and with timid Toa-chan?

“Ah, the Magic Depth is equivalent to D. The difficulty might not be that high.”

“Is that so?”

Toa-chan, who was measuring the magic at the dungeon entrance with her Dive Gear, said with a hint of happiness.

Indeed, if they said it was a B difficulty, I’d be in trouble. If it were just me, I could cross-dress and try again, but Toa-chan is here…

As I was thinking this, I felt someone’s presence behind me.

Is it a fellow explorer? I turned around, and at that moment, a straight sword flew right into my field of vision.

“?!”

A red armlet appeared under my long sleeves, enhancing my reaction speed.

I dodged the sword and swung my dagger at the handle, but it was avoided just before landing a hit.

“Oh man, I missed my chance.”

“…What a greeting.”

I took a stance with my dagger, standing in front of Toa-chan.

There were three students in front of us. Judging by their unfamiliar uniforms, they were likely mob characters who didn’t appear in the original work.

What should I do? Should I beat them up?

“Hey, could you hand over that dungeon to us? We have a quota to meet, you know?”

“I don’t care about that. You should just buy it from us quietly.”

“If you officially have the rights to challenge it, then I’d consider it. But you haven’t set up a beacon yet.”

The beacon that indicates the rights to a dungeon has been extensively mentioned in the original work. It reveals which academy is challenging the dungeon, the number of participants, their names, and can occasionally relay communication between the dungeon and the outside world, sending out rescue signals.

By establishing this at the entrance, the rights to challenge that dungeon are granted. However, we were still unsure about what to do, so we hadn’t set one up.

Moreover, I don’t actually have the beacon from Factom General Academy. It’s a paid feature.

“…Toa, by the way, the beacon…”

“Oh, I have it. But in this situation…”

There’s no way we can set it up.

That leaves us with two options: a fierce conflict or fleeing.

“You guys look unfamiliar and weak. I think it would be better to quietly escape than to take on three of us here.”

“Haha, Yuu-kun’s scary. This guy’s seriously strong. You should just leave him alone!”

What a textbook mob line…

Should I just charge in randomly and get blown away? That way I could become Solciera.

But for that…

“Ugh…”

Toa-chan was shaking, trying to hide behind my shadow.

I can’t leave her alone, unlike Mizuki-senpai.

Playing it safe and backing down seems like the smarter choice. It’s a dungeon that’s estimated to be D. The rewards won’t be that great.

It would be a significant blow for Factom General Academy, but in the grand scheme of things, letting them go wouldn’t be a loss.

“…I understand.”

“Great! I like someone who understands! Now get lost, guys, I’m not interested in any boys.”

“Huh?”

Huh? My heart is a beautiful girl, though?

“We only have guys here, so we’d like at least one pretty girl with us. If you let one of your girls come with us, I might part with a magic stone or two. What do you say?”

“Hahaha, Yuu-kun’s at it again! Hey, you’re such a heartbreaker!”

“Come on! Those girls they abandoned just think they were left by Yuu-kun, right? It’s not Yuu-kun’s fault!”

“That’s true. Hahaha.”

Aha, so these guys are mobs and brain destruction factors.

…So, can I kill them?

“――”

“What!? What’s this guy!? Suddenly swinging his weapon!”

“Damn it, our attacks don’t land!?”

I won’t forgive those who destroy lilies. I’ll kill you all, and in the end, I’ll die as a man.

Or, I could turn you all into girls.

“You guys absolutely shouldn’t exist.”

“Did you really just say that!?”

“Yuu-kun, this guy’s dangerous!”

I swung my dagger relentlessly at the opponent’s throat. I specialize in evasion, so I don’t have sword skills, but I’m prepared to keep going until I hit.

“He’s strong! Yuu-kun, you can use your ability!”

“Okay, understood!”

The scenery around the leader of the students warped in intense heat.

The next moment, flames burst from various parts of his body.

I quickly leaped back and re-aimed my dagger.

“Hahaha, once I use my ability, it’s over for you! As long as I have this fire wrapped around me, you can’t get close!”

That is indeed somewhat troublesome.

“■■■■■■”

Well, yes, if I let you loose, I’ll win, but…

I can’t cross-dress in time.

“But even more! I have connections with that Kisou Academy… Once you go against me, your life as an explorer is over.”

“…Is that so?”

That Kisou Academy, it will weaken before the next Battle Festival (spoiler). Tourak-kun, who battled against Kisou Academy in less than a year, is the real protagonist.

“You only have flames around you. That doesn’t mean this blade can’t reach you.”

“Yeah, but how about this?”

The leader charged at me.

Hahaha, what a pathetic charge. Coming from someone who dodged Rokuhara-san’s attacks, this is like a baby level.

I thought that as I effortlessly sidestepped.

“You fool! I’m not aiming for you!”

“…Huh?”

The leader kept charging without slowing down, heading straight for the frightened Toa-chan.

“Toa-chan!? Damn it!”

What a coward! What a model villain act…

I immediately tried to rush forward.

But two students stood in my way.

“Do you think we’ll let you through?”

“Yuu-kun’s hugs are intense. You might get burned.”

“…Huh?”

Toa-chan getting burned?

That can’t happen.

“■■■■■■”

I can’t cross-dress. I don’t have time for that.

But I can’t ignore this rush of feelings.

“■■■■■■”

I know what I need to do. I don’t know how far I can go, but I’ll tear these guys apart.

“――Huf.”

I exhaled.

Just a second.

And then, I opened my mouth.

“Solciera…”

“Wait a minute! Aaaaah!” …Huh?

“■?”

At my voice, the two students halted.

But in the meantime, the leader was approaching Toa-chan…

“Gecko.”

The mechanical sound of a frog echoed.

I looked, and before Toa-chan was a mechanical frog.

“Hahaha, I’ve won!”

The moment the leader tried to step over the frog without noticing it, it exploded dramatically.

I heard a scream from the rising flames.

“Gyaaaahhhh!!”

“Yuu-kun!?”

The leader, who was blown away by the explosion, rolled on the ground. Given the distance, I could tell the power was considerable.

“Toa-chan!”

I dashed through the stunned students towards Toa-chan.

“Cough cough… Kei-kun.”

Toa-chan, caught in the explosion, only had a bit of dust on her but not a single injury.

I felt like she had been right next to the blast…

“—Maa-chan’s explosions are freely controllable. Because they have directionality, this explosion is unique and one of a kind.”

I heard a girl’s voice.

Someone new appeared in the wasteland of the special zone. A girl from Kisou Academy, wearing a black uniform, with flashy blonde hair and purple mesh.

That student, Toa-chan and I recognized all too well.

“Upon hearing the name of Kisou Academy, I immediately arrive! I am the dedicated exposure-type streamer of Kisou Academy—Jouka-chan!”

Here stood the cause of the current situation surrounding Factom General Academy and the benefactor who elevated my Solciera’s fame.