Magical Hunter Girl Decorates the Dungeon! Episode 010
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A Black Rotten Dragon?
Every single word set off "Danger! Danger!" alarms in her head.
"Um, do I have to fight a dragon?"
[Don't worry about the clear conditions. We aren't here to conquer this dungeon.]
"What? But then I can't leave the dungeon, can I?"
[That only applies to newly generated dungeons. Since we can come and go as we please once we find the entrance, just think of it as visiting a neighboring country and follow me.]
As Iji hesitated, Grimoire didn't urge her, but added softly.
[You are my precious contractor. I would never put you in danger.]
"……."
[Above all, I trust that even if an unexpected situation arises, you will handle it well.]
There was a sense of trust in Grimoire's tone. Iji slowly straightened her shoulders and followed the path Grimoire was leading her down.
A beautiful trail unfolded.
The sunlight was soft, and wildflowers swayed in the breeze.
It was a peaceful landscape that naturally melted away her tension.
……Though the mushrooms growing up to her shoulder height were a bit concerning.
'This place, it's just like the world of .'
If so, she could guess the tea party scene mentioned in the quest.
The participants of the tea party in the fairy tale were the Mad Hatter, the March Hare, and the Dormouse.
'Is the Black Rotten Dragon crashing that?'
Her heart burned at the thought of the poor mouse and rabbit trembling in fear.
That was the reason she had hesitated earlier instead of following Grimoire right away.
Even if she didn't have to conquer the dungeon, if small animals were in danger……!
'I have to find a way to help!'
Maybe she could use her conversation skill to buy the animals some time to escape.
While she was steeling her resolve and moving forward, she heard a strange sound from a little distance away.
The sound of dishes clattering, and even someone shouting at the top of their lungs.
[No need to pay attention, Iji. It's just a tea party.]
Grimoire's attempt to dissuade her only made her want to find the source of the noise more.
Beyond the bushes, the tea party site came into view. The large table and the dozens of teacups were exactly as described in the fairy tale.
The problem was the massive creature settled in the middle of it all.
She knew the moment she saw it.
'It's a real monster……!'
An information message popped up.
[Black Rotten Dragon]
An adult dragon covered in black scales.
It emits a foul stench from its mouth.
Due to its scales, attacks below C+ rank are ineffective.
It was large enough to fill a classroom, and its body glistened. The blue protrusions sprouting all over its body made its rugged muscles stand out.
But what bewildered Iji even more than that was…….
"Would you like some wine? No, I didn't mean for you to eat me! What does a dragon who wasn't invited want? I won't even let you smell the black tea!"
"Grrr……!"
The March Hare shook its head wildly, slapping the Black Dragon's cheeks with its ears—*thwack, thwack, thwack!*
Next to it, the Mad Hatter was no less intense.
"Guest without hair, you're here to buy my hat, aren't you? If you're going to try it on, sit properly! If you keep stretching out, I'll have no choice but to stack hats on top of your hat!"
"Kuaaaa!"
"It looks good on you, a hat wearing a hat! How about a hat wearing a hat wearing a hat? Bow your head more!"
The Mad Hatter placed hats one by one on the Black Dragon's head.
The pressure seemed to be quite significant, as the dragon's chin hit the table every single time.
*Clang! Clang!* All the teacups rattled.
Every time that happened, the Dormouse would wake up from its sleep—truly living up to its name—glare at the Black Dragon with its tiny eyes, and then fall asleep again…….
'What kind of situation is this?'
Iji asked Grimoire, who had come up beside her.
"Is it true that the tea party was attacked?"
It looks more like the dragon is the one being attacked by the tea party.
[It is an attack, yes. That dragon is an uninvited guest from another dungeon.]
"Another dungeon?"
[Yes. Do you know what a Dungeon Break is?]
She had learned about it during safety training.
"It's when a dungeon that failed to be conquered explodes. I learned that monsters pop out, so it's dangerous."
[It's similar. The remnants of a broken dungeon sometimes mix into other dungeons…….]
Grimoire pointed upward.
Square holes were visible in various places in the sky.
[Because this dungeon has the characteristic of 'Wonderland,' uninvited guests are particularly prone to getting stuck here. That dragon is one of them.]
"Like Alice falling down the rabbit hole?"
[Exactly. Of course, the initiative lies with the original dungeon. Even a monster that struck fear into others in its own dungeon is treated as a mere guest here, according to the laws of the 'Wonderland' dungeon.]
Treated as a guest?
'Does Grimoire not know what a guest means?'
Regardless, the residents seemed safe.
And it didn't look like the dragon would get hurt, either.
'Though its heart might be hurt…….'
[You can look around the tea party when you have time. Our real destination is further inside.]
Feeling a bit relieved, Iji left the tea party behind and followed Grimoire.
On the path they were taking, things that didn't fit in with 'Wonderland' were rolling around.
Drills, flat tires…….
'Isn't that a Bacchus bottle? There's a mix-coffee packet, too.'
As if noticing Iji's question, Grimoire explained.
[These are traces of ruptured dungeons. Objects, monsters, and even unlucky people are scattered everywhere.]
"P-people too? What happens to them?"
[If they are lucky, they might fall back into their original world, but…….]
Grimoire stopped flapping its wings in front of a giant zelkova tree.
Iji immediately realized what happened to the 'unlucky ones.'
Under the zelkova tree.
A man was trapped inside a massive crystal formation.
Perhaps due to the crystal's structure, the man's body looked distorted, like a broken puzzle.
Beneath black hair sparsely mixed with gray, only his expression of gritting his teeth remained vivid.
She knew it instinctively.
He was still alive in there.
[It seems he fought until the very end in the collapsed dungeon.]
"……Huh?"
[I don't know his name, but that will—]
"I think this person is a Hunter named 'Jin Sihun'."
[Do you know him?]
"I saw him on the internet."
He was in a post on a Hunter community board she had seen while searching for 'Hunter, colleague' at school.
Title: Is Jin Sihun actually dead?
— — —
No updates for three months now.
[Comments]
- If the #1 ranker died, the Association would have said something. It's an emergency.
- You can't announce a death rashly without witnesses...
- He only did solo play, who would know if he died?
- Let's watch the awesome statement Schrödinger's deceased left in the Hunter world.
In the video attached to the reply.
A man so handsome that even his mixed-in gray hair looked like silver dust stared down at the camera and said.
— — —
"Stop telling me to stop hogging dungeons. The Association's official stance is 'we recommend activities with colleagues,' not 'solo play is prohibited.' The problem is probably your own skills, where you can't even earn your keep unless you swarm around together."
— — —
[Comments]
- The deceased has gone to where his personality sleeps...
- He definitely has zero friends.
- ↑ I'm reporting you for defamation of character.
- Please correct it to 'defamation of the deceased.'
- Everyone's happy because Jin Sihun isn't seen anymore lol.
At that time, Jin Sihun's existence had left a deep impression on Iji's memory.
A Hunter who cleared A-rank dungeons alone without a single scratch.
But a man who went missing at some point.
To summarize briefly—
"He's a Hunter famous for having no friends."
[He must have had quite a lack of friends. Anyway, this is our destination.]
'Wait? Is this person going to become a colleague?'
Her first human colleague is the 'mean words' uncle!
'I wanted my first colleague to be a kind magical girl……!'
I guess reality and cartoons are different after all.
While Iji tried to accept reality like an adult.
Grimoire pointed unexpectedly beneath the crystal.
[Look here.]
At first, she thought flowers had bloomed, but looking closely, translucent pebbles were sparkling.
"Are these, by any chance, Magic Stones?"
[Correct. This is the answer to your first question, 'How do I earn money?']
"Wow, thank you!"
Iji carefully reached out toward the Magic Stones.
Meanwhile, Grimoire explained.
[Since they grew by using a Hunter as nutrients, they must be high-grade Magic Stones.]
Her hand, reaching toward the Magic Stones, stopped.
'It feels gross.'
[You can mine them later. If you leave them, they will eat the nutrients and grow even larger.]
'That's even grosser!'
Iji stayed crouched and lifted her head.
Jin Sihun's face was visible more clearly.
'He's about the same age as my sister.'
They said you get gray hair if you suffer a lot when you're young.
'My sister doesn't have any gray hair, though…… Living without friends must be really hard.'
Thinking that, she felt even more sorry for this uncle.
"Grimoire, what happens if I break the crystal?"
[The Hunter's magic power is absorbed by whoever breaks the crystal.]
"Not that the uncle gets freed?"
[Abandon such vain hope. Just as a hunted beast becomes food, those who fail to conquer a dungeon only become fertilizer for the System.]
"……."
[Pick up the Magic Stones. It would be nice to consume his magic power, but breaking the crystal with your own strength would be impossible.]
The Magic Stones sparkled as if tempting her.
Magic Stones were expensive items.
She could only mine a little with her small hands, but if she gathered those and sold them, bought equipment, and mined more Magic Stones in better dungeons…….
'The Magic Stones I pick up now lead to a two-story house!'
……Nevertheless.
Iji stood up without touching the Magic Stones.
"I'll mine them later."
[Not in a few days, but 'later'? Don't tell me…… are you trying to help this man?]
"Yes."
[Why on earth? He's not your friend or anything!]
"I have a sister at home who's about his age."
[……? I don't know what that is, but is it an important reason to you?]
"Yes."
[What are you going to do?]
"First—"
Iji shouted with all her might, saying the words she had wanted to say for the last 24 hours.
"Magical Girl Shin Iji, Trans-form!"
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