The Last Piece Right Before Escape - And Reunion
I finally found the doors leading to Parallecia after opening hundreds. Two of them.
One has time that progresses with mine, the usual flair of door.
I can get back to my previous timeline if I spend 624 years in that clock room and then pass through this door.
I did entertain the idea of leaving earlier but Menu advised against it as there's no telling what that will entail, so we decided to leave five days after I entered the dungeon back then.
The insides were like ruins made of stone. Wonder what that place was.
...The issue is the other door.
It's Parallecia tens of thousands, no hundreds of thousands? Or maybe even million of years? in the future.
Everywhere is a wasteland as far as eyes can see. The finality of a planet.
There's nearly zero life reading around. Or so I thought before I found several reading and found out they were 'Those Kids' according to Menu's Analysis.
...No idea what they were doing there but I went and met them all the same.
Only after listening to their situation I could say with confidence I finally got nearly all the pieces required to beat Demon King.
It was very lucky of me to find this door. We'd have hit a dead end if I didn't.
Very plot convenient, or more like my Luck Attribute really clinched it at the most crucial time. Almost unbelievable how fortunate I am. In a way, it's the strongest of cheats.
...Now then, let's match up the timeline.
I've got to lead the way for 'them' too.
I moved further into the clock room in question with 'them', spending 620 seconds in a spot where 'one second here one year outside' before stepping back to 'one second here one week outside' and then to 'one second here one day outside', gradually fine tuning the time.
It would be disastrous if I were too late for even one second in the deeper room. Gotta be mindful about the passage of time.
Ah, someone came in before immediately leaving. Wait, that's me. Looks like I'm finally back at my original timeline.
I exited the room, leaving them behind. Do your best, guys.
Afterwards, I passed through the 'Real Time Parallecia' door, saying goodbye to Floor 21 for good.
Good job, me. Good job, Menu-san. And, what are these ruins anyway?
...Hm? Someone's coming this way....
"Uwaaaaaaaaaaagyaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"
"Noooooooooooooooo!!"
"Waaaaaaaaaaaaan!! I don't wanna do this anymoooooooooooore!!"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
~~~~~~~~~~Hero's POV~~~~~~~~~~~
Hello, good day to you all!
It's me, hero, smack dab in the middle of clearing the trial!
The haunted house part was tougher than expected but we finally managed to clear that just yesterday!
The next room is a huge maze, like a really really big one! It's so spacious a theme park's attraction can't even compare!
And of course it's chockful of lethal traps, how exciting! Or more like, eccentric! The designers can die for all I care!
Right now we're currently being chased by an iron, no, an adamantite ball!
It's hard, heavy and big, not to mention the narrow passage that leaves us with no cover to hide! Destroy it? No way, there's no way, it's too hard.
Help! Someone help us! We'd waste so much time if we were to die and had to restart from the beginning agaiiiiiiin!
"Ruuuuuuuuuuun!! Run for your life, giiiiiiiiiirls!!"
"Every single one of these past heroes is just the worst! The people from your world are brutes, all of them!"
"Hii, hii, hii...! I'm starting to recall Aina-san's special training...!!"
We'd have long been squashed flat if not for Aina-san's special training.
But we've been running from the super persistent metal ball all this time, we're nearing our limit.
We gotta think up a breakthrough, or some sort of gimmick that could help. Heck, I just wanna find the exit at this point.
As I was wracking my cornered mind, I noticed a figure of person ahead of us.
...Is that? Eeeh? Don't tell me...!?
"Kajikawa-san!!?"
"Hm, oh? It's Neora-kun. What's up... Wait, there's something's rolling this way!?"
"Now's not the time! I don't know why you're here. Move your legs if you don't wanna get crushed!"
"I-I can't anymore...! I'm at my limit...!!"
It's an unexpected reunion with both of us looking confused.
He was supposedly clearing a dungeon somewhere. What's he doing all the way here? He's as incomprehensible as ever.
Wait, hey! Why's he just standing there!?
"K-Kajikawa-san, what're you doing! Run, you're gonna get flattened!"
"That thing's made of adamantite, not iron you know!? Your weapon's gonna break trying to destr--"
"Move it."
The adamantite big ball broke into pieces with a kick from Kajikawa-san's sole.
He made it look so easy like he was kicking Styrofoam.
"A, a, e...?"
"That adamantite big ball, from, a light kick...!?"
"Hm, yeah that was harder than iron for sure. Forget that, how you been holding up, Neora-kun."
"O, ou, I'm, fine?"
He greeted me nonchalantly like it was nothing.
...I said he was incomprehensible but let me correct that.
This man has gotten even more insane. There's nothing same about him. I can feel his strength far above what he was just half a month on my skin.
His base specs are probably stronger than that White Demon now... If he buffed himself with Mana and Energy Control...
"So, where is this place anyway? I opened a door on Floor 21 and found myself here in this world..."
"I-I don't really get it but this is the middle point of the Ruins of Trials. We're trying to clear it."
"Ah, you're not done yet huh. It's been rough I see."
"I have no excuse..."
"Can you blame us?! Every single gimmick in this place is a stupid trap of the highest degree made by weirdos!"
"I can no longer remember how many times we died... Neora-san might have crossed four digits even..."
"O-ou. My bad."
He shrunk back faced with snapped Levia and Olivie.
I get him. Angry women are scary no matter how strong you are after all.
"But Neora-kun, things are gonna get ugly if you don't Job Change soon. Menu told me all Demon Chiefs besides the one on Continent 3 are dead."
"Eh, that's so fast!? Wait, Kajikawa-san, you can use Menu? I can't use mine in these Ruins..."
"It's prolly cause I'm not a hero or there was an ON/OFF switch at the entrance. Not sure though."
Yep, the biggest hurdle here is my Menu no longer being active.
It leaves me no way to tell the traps or magic beast traits.
Instructor Dukeris's gonna get mad at us at this rate, 'You told me you'll finish in a few days. How are you this late.'
"Welp, fine. Let's get this over with using a little trick."
"Eh, what do you mean trick...?"
"Fshhhh.......!"
"U!?"
"Hiii!?"
The air around us fizzled as Kajikawa-san took a long breath.
His presence is gradually getting bigger. He's raising his Attributes by consuming energy the same way Alma and Reina did during the tournament.
But, what those two did is nothing compared to this.
There's this overwhelming presence that makes you gasp for breath just by being in the same space.
Levia and Olivie couldn't help whimpering after facing this head-on. And then the ruins itself rumbled hard.
Zugagagagagagagaaaaaaan!! It was so loud I thought were being carpet bombed.
"Whaaaa!?"
"Kyaaaa!! H, hey! What are you do...ing...?"
"...T, the wall...!?"
Something made a crumbling sound as the surrounding area got filled with a cloud of dust.
Once the dust settled, I saw the wall connected to the next passage near Kajikawa-san collapsed.
No, not just the next passage. Walls upon walls beyond that one have crumbled down, opening up a straight path to the next room.
...That's weird. The walls in these ruins are supposed to be super sturdy even my full powered strike didn't make a dent.
He just casually broke through so many... I can't with this person.
After a minute, Kajikawa-san swiftly returned.
"I'm back. Went and got this path connected to the deepest point somehow. Let's move on and get you Job Changed quickly, shall we."
Forget about next room! This man bored through the entire ruins!
"Ha, hahaha... What was all that hardship for..."
"Don't say it... It's this old man that's weird..."
Two girls are making an orz pose with lights gone from their eyes.
...Um. Yeah, let's just get this done and spare them from any more suffering.
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