Sousetsuka

650 Where To Go

So yeah, I got them to sell me a side sword someday.
Of course, I didn't ask for one right away. Told them to work on it once they've got free time.
I'll drop by again one of these days to fetch it.
Yet the two of them were eager to start on my request right off the bat. So I stopped them.

"Err? Aren't you still working on that shield? I bet you have a lot of back orders once you're done with that too. I don't need mine anytime soon really, feel free to work on it whenever you've got time. Actually, I'd rather you don't get too eager on it."

"Mumu? Oh yeah, we got plenty of stuff left. Slipped my mind. Neglecting our current job is a sign of third rate craftsman fer' sure. Alright! I'mma put my back onto it! Gonna get it all done in a jiffy!"

"But I can't make a progress if I can't finalize the design... So! There you have it! I'd like to hear your opinion, please Saito-san!"

Makiru dragged me by my arm to her workshop.
She's far stronger than her young girl appearance would suggest. Dunno if it's cause she's fired up or that's her default power level.
She shoved the round shield in my face in the room.

"Err, do you mind settling down? I can't get a word in otherwise."

"Ah, pardon me! I got too enthusiastic. If you would please over here."

Makiru put the round shield back on the table and started pouring tea.
Dongoro didn't come with us to calculate the final tally.

"Come now! Have a long and good look! Saito-san's opinion! Opinion! Let me hear lots of it!"

Despite settling down, she didn't really.

"Err, uh? Mine's no big deal really. So you want to make a decorative round shield? Or is it for practical purpose? Which is it?"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
I noticed two types of equipment in Dongoro Workshop. Extravagant ones and simple yet practical ones.
Hence my question.

"Which, you ask. It will serve as a work of art on display when it's not in use, while also be sturdy with magical enchant for when it's put to use for combat purposes. Thanks to all those mana cores you supplied, we can fulfill the latter."

"What's the client's preferences? What kind of design, or pattern they like?"

"Hmm? They didn't have a particular request, they left it up to us. That's the source of my stump. I could have come up with a design immediately if there was a direction."

Ah, the old troublesome 'up to you'.
This type of people will rev their engine to max on their own if you just give them a nudge in a direction. They'll run off without ever stopping.
An artisan through and through if you may.

"Is this client a man? A gallant type that relishes in battle, or someone who focuses on guarding?"

"Is that necessary now? Hmm? The impression I got from that person is that of a gentle person who relaxes at home watching painting while sipping black tea, I suppose?"

"Then, let's go from there. Combats mean war after all. Normally you don't want that to happen. So how about a war goddess that rules over peace? They're a fair maiden at times of peace and transforms into a gallant yet beautiful object of yearning to those who march into combat. A goddess of war that leads the way to victory."

That's quite chuuni of me if I do say so myself.
By the way, I was gonna blurt out stuff like a stern brawny old man, or a hero that challenges a dragon. Kinda like a reference to Draque 1 though. Vaguely.

I spoke with a bit more flair than usual but Makiru had stopped reacting. 
She kept staring at me with an open mouth. I might have gone overboard. Kinda regretting a bit.
But that only lasted a few seconds, Makiru was on the verge of exploding as I was worrying over her.

She ran around gathering papers and pens from all over and started drawing on them, ignoring me altogether. She ran through five, six papers in less than a minute.
I'm no longer reflected in her eyes.

(Let's scram... I'm gonna get dragged into it if I stay here. Drowned even...)

And thus I left the room as Makiru's mind steadily spat out more and more content.

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649 Squeeze the Chance

There were 509 in total. Mana Cores placed neatly on the table.

"Ou, this one here's a teensy bit short on mana. We'll hafta lower our offer a tad. Any problem with that?"

Dongoro's quite discerning. I'm familiar with that core.
Must be the first skeleton I sliced. I let it revive once as an experiment.
This made me recall one other thing of which I fetched.

"Can you make it even with this one. This one's a tad bigger than the rest."

"Eh!? Are you sure? Even the slightest difference in size can result in a considerable price difference. Just one or two cores won't cut it. Something that big should net up to triple the price!"

Makiru was being foolishly honest. She should have accepted my offer if she were a merchant. 
However, craftsmen appear to be a type that can't lie as Dongoro also weighs in.

"We're thankful bout it, we really do lad, but y'know. We don't wanna feel bad. Getting good stuff for free makes sitting on yer arses a pain. We're gonna pay ya the proper amount for that."

"Ah, please don't worry about it. To tell you the truth I'm actually financially stable. Just regards them as a sort of tips for agreeing with this deal. Truth is, I don't know other places to pawn these off. I'm thankful enough that you two took it up. So I don't even mind if you lower the prices below the market prices. In fact, that can work as a hush money."

"Man, you're really something else lad. Eeh? Oy... You ain't gonna mind will ya? No really, we're gonna take up yer' offer for real."

"Yes, well. Tell you what, I'm not familiar with market prices. I really don't mind whatever the final amount is gonna be. Heck, I'm not even gonna complain if you deceive me."

Makiru put her hand on her forehead after hearing my stance.

"Err, I don't get it... You really don't think this is a big deal? Now that I've regained my composure. Just who are you?"

That phrase again now of all time. How many times would this be.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"Who cares about that. It doesn't have anything to do with this, does it."

I brushed it over. Dongoro joined in.

"Ain't no craftsmen place to pyr on their customers. Not unless they're criminals, but ya lad didn't do a crime did ya? Then all is swell. We'll gratefully take 'em off you."

"...Ha~. You have a point. I can tell Saito-san is not a bad man from our conversation. I won't pry further. It'd be a huge loss to us if you turned away because of my remarks. Especially for this many cores."

"Ya don't get to purchase this many every day 'fter all. Heck, our side shoulda pay extra ordinarily. Uumu..."

"You don't... Mind if we took up your offer on the prices of these cores, right? ...You're absolutely sure?"

These two are quite the kind souls it seems. Gratitude, the workshop finance and their pride as craftsmen seem to be in conflict as they're having some sort of inner struggle.
The huge loss part is probably less about the workshop's finance and more to do with missing the chance to get this many cores.
Something like 'We won't get another chance like this in our lifetime!'

Then I offered them to buy the cores cheaper since I don't really need the money.
There must be lots of but but but and but then racing in their mind right now.

That's where I come in to push their back. The result is obvious even without such long deliberations.
The two of them won't ever cancel this transaction.
And thus, I made a simple request and got them agree to close the deal.

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648 Counting

I crushed the army of skeletons. Beat the troublesome dungeon master. The dungeon proceeded to collapse on itself and then here I am.
Thus I explained the chain of events before showing the content of a bag full of mana cores as a proof.

"I couldn't afford to take the Dungeon Core out so I had to destroy the thing on site. I know it's a bit of waste. So, how about it? Is this considered illegal?"

"I find yer story hard to believe lad... Also, I ain't gonna tell this to no one. It ain't nothing illegal long as nobody's the wiser. Besides, not like what ya did was a crime there, I see no fault. Ya haven't said a pep bout this to anybody else yeah? Then, ya don't hafta worry."

Wonder if dwarves are all this broad minded.

"Dungeons are mainly dealt by registered adventurers, however the situation was such that manner of process wasn't feasible. I believe it should be fine... Your story does indeed sound like a tall tale, but considering the amount of these cores... There can be no other explanation."

Makiru kept staring hard at the bag filled with the cores. Like she's charmed by it.
As for Dongoro, he's been muttering something nonstop, seemingly making some sort of calculation.

"Can I get you to buy them off me then? Ah, I don't mind if you can't afford everything."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"Ye dumb or what! Look all these cores! They're even of uniform quality! Who knows how long we gonna find another chance like this! Nay, there ain't gonna be another in this lifetime! We takin' errythin'!"

"That's right! We won't leave a single one behind! All of it! All of it! Let us purchase them all!"

The two suddenly went in my face.
Losing to their zeal, I could only say 'yes' meekly and agreed to have this transaction. The two immediately started counting the cores and sorting them out by quality and size. 
They have this frantic look on their eyes.

"Oooou! Wel I'll be damned!? Every single one of these cores have got uniform size and internal mana!"

"This will make it easier to use them! Ah, if I superheat the mana furnace and process the surface, then the enchant... or we could cut them and use them as gems... But that's much harder than it sounds!"

Looks like these cores really do have a lot of use, the two of them keep imagining what they'd do with them out loud as they count the cores.

"Truly craftsmen and their crafts... It's all beyond me..."

Right after I muttered that, Makiru suddenly turned her head in my direction.
It was so shocking, almost terrifying even.

"Let me hear your thought on the sword and shield later, okay! Please wait a moment! I'll finish counting this first! We'll get right to it afterward!"

After which she went back to counting.

(Craftsmen are scaaary... Thought she'd eat me or something...)

Thus I was reminded again about the terrifying nature of craftsmen.

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647 Suddenly Poofing Out and In

Fortunately there wasn't a single person on my way so I didn't have to worry about bumping into someone in the narrow passage.
And then I got back to the spot I crushed the skeleton army at and saw around thirty soldiers smashing the bones on the ground.

(This looks like a stop challenge...)

I recalled an image I saw on the internet. Everybody stops in their tracks while I'm under Accelerated State.
I found them interesting as I left the place behind. I have no more business here.
I legged it to Dongoro Workshop. The ground shook the moment I undid Acceleration.
I put a calm face on as I knew it must be from the dungeon collapse.
Someone called out to me as soon as I decided to wait outside the workshop for Dongoro to come back.

"O, ou! Yer' the katana guest from earlier! Why'd you suddenly went poof? Then poof, there you are again. Does it got to do... with this tremor?"

Someone suddenly vanished and suddenly appearing out of thin air, immediately followed by an earthquake.
Of course anyone's gonna link them.
A string of utterly unexplained phenomenon happening right before your eyes is gonna make even the most dimwitted person to put two and two together.

"Ah, I'll tell you all about it. I've also got a request if you will. Please keep everything to yourself. Please."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Then I asked Dongoro if I could go in.

"Yer'... Nah, I ain't gonna ask. Come on in. Judging from yer' demeanor, it's already safe... ain't it?"

Good guess. He's quick on the uptake. No wonder his workshop's hailed as this dwarf kingdom's finest.
Makes things easier for me too.

"E, err, are you alright? This tremor... is over it seems. But, what are you?"

Makiru who came with Dongoro looked at me worryingly. But she doesn't seem scared.
I wouldn't even blame her if she suspected someone as shady as me. Wonder what she saw me in me.

Thus we got in the workshop. By the way, their disciplines have all already taken shelter in an acquaintance's workshop far away from this place.
That's convenient. The less people who know about my story, the better.

We returned to Dongoro's workroom where I showed them my katana.

"So, lad. I ain't gonna ask what yer deal is, but I'mma say this to ya. Will this request of yours get us in hot water?"

Dongoro glared at me right away. Naturally. Some suspicious fellow is asking them something after all.

"Err, can you buy cores, you know mass of mana, off me? I don't really get how that stuff works."

I started from the least friction one.

"...Here I was wondering what ya got in store. Yeah sure, we can. Got lots of uses for that stuff. How many and how's the quality? They ain't from illegal channels are they?"

Dongoro pointed that out which I should explain.

"Ah, err. I'll tell you how I get my hands on them if you can promise you won't tell anyone. And I'm not really sure how to deem their legality, so please point it out for me."

"Err? What are you going to tell us? ...Ah, also on an unrelated note, we never get to finish our business didn't we? Please let me hear your thoughts later."

Makiru who came with us shrewdly reminded me about the matter with her sword and shield while pouring tea.
I smiled wryly at that before I narrated everything I did from the time I went poof to now.

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646 Exit, Entrance, Wall

I may have gotten down but I can't dilly dally.
I've still got to get back to the place where I first entered this dungeon.
It's quite a long trek. It may haven't been that long in real world thanks to Acceleration but it's already been a few hours for me.
I wanna take a break but I can't afford it. So yeah, I break into run once again.

(Aah, I've been doing nothing but running the past several days. Wonder what went wrong? Oh man.)

It's a long straight road through all the walls I broke down. Lots of crumbling walls embedded with wreckage I flung on my way here.
I jogged lightly while glancing at those. A question popped up on my mind.

(The exit's been blocked off, but it should connect outside if I dig out right? The space itself can't have been shut off, and digging should get me out right?)

Dungeons are a sub space created by mana or something. Meaning that someone was behind that blockade. Which could have a chance of the space itself being severed off.

And yet I don't have any choice but to go back there first.
I'll start fretting over after I've given it a try. It might break off to outside world right away. 
There's no harm in trying. Yet, it might very well be a wishful thinking.
Either way, that's the only venue I have now. I'm not this dungeon's master, no way to know the truth.
Might as well just smash and go from there.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
I keep running toward the entrance. I've already made a plan if that didn't pan out.
I'm gonna destroy the entirety of this dungeon till I find the exit. That's the only way.
I'm not worry free about having to stay so long in Accelerated State. But, no pain no gain.

(The exit must be somewhere in here. I gotta believe in that. Hopefully it's that place I came in, no really.)

I have no idea how vast a floor in this dungeon is.
But it's obvious it's quite big. Even this straight path is pretty long. Can't imagine the whole maze.
Thus I kept running on the tedious straight path. I kept thinking about what ifs, but nothing will be done if I don't get to it.
I'm limited on my options as someone who knows nothing about this dungeon.

I arrived at the place I got in this dungeon. It's been transformed into a wall.
I cut open a door sized hole with my sword based on memory.
The wall easily fell apart as if it was made of pudding.

I breathed a sigh of relief at the end result. The part I cut into fine pieces revealed a path connecting outside.

(Ah, that was tiresome. Now then, what do.)

I never thought what I'd do after leaving this dungeon.

There may be no avoiding the dungeon collapsing, but I don't want to let people find out it's my handiwork.
Which is simple. All I need to do is to stay in Accelerated State until I've gotten far away. Nobody will be the wiser.
This whole dungeon collapse business might have a domino effect but it's none of my business as long as nobody died.

Next up is dealing with the pile of magic cores I got from that skeleton army.
Selling them as is will only invite suspicion linking me to this incident.
Once the news spread, I'm definitely gonna get myself involved in a mess that will ultimately force me out of this Dwarf Kingdom.
No way. I just got here. Therefore, I have to dump these cores to someone I can trust.
Someone that doesn't exist.

(No wait. What about Dongoro Workshop?)

That's the only place I can rely on. I have no connection in this new land besides there.
These cores are a compressed form of mana and can't go in the magic bag. You need a special bag to store them.
I don't want to carry around a bag full of pebbles like this everywhere.
So yeah, I'll be heading for Dongoro Workshop.

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645 Peering Inside

I groped the walls in this dungeon core room to see if I could find a hidden door.
But I found nothing. Or rather, it'd be way too plot convenient if there were one. Reality is a harsh mistress.

"What do I do? Go with yet another primitive method for the return trip? Like retracing my path here."

That's gonna involve shoving aside the pile of blocks I used to get up here somehow and go down.
I'm getting depressed. It took me so long just to get here. I don't wanna have another go.

I regained my composure and undid Acceleration for the first time since I reached this room.
The fatigue hit me all at once.

"So I really have no choice but to destroy the core here, and face the dungeon collapse. No other way out. It's no sweat with MAX Acceleration but if I want to go back, I'd have to, ugh...."

I can't think up of any other choice or tricks. Still holding on to hope, I ended up cutting up the entire room and found zero hidden passages. Same with the ceiling.
The ceiling is pretty low here, less than 170 centimeters. Inversely, it's got a lot of horizontal space, quite a badly balanced room.
Groping in the dark ended up taking more time.

"...That's enough. Let's just accept it."

I gave up and entered Acceleration. Then I sliced and diced the core into fine fragments. A way to vent my pent up stress.

What if I didn't ride on Griffon like I was taking a field trip to the dwarf kingdom?
My on-foot speed is way faster than Griffon. Wouldn't that small difference result in me avoiding this situation?

What if I delayed leaving the Coliseum City by a day?
The Dwarf Kingdom would have suffered more and I probably wouldn't be able to have my katana maintained.

Heck, what if I declined Makiru's request and left their workshop early?

I traced my way back while thinking all kinds of 'what ifs'. I threw the blocks I used as my foothold into another pile and sometimes cut some up before hurling them somewhere else to get back down.
Of course it's all done in Accelerated State. The Dungeon Core has been destroyed already. Undoing Acceleration would start the dungeon collapse and drag me in it. Who knows what fate await if I do that.

(At the end of the day, this is the price I have to pay in order to be burden free from carrying on avoidable regret in my future life.)
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
If only I did that, if only I was faster, if only, if only.
I'm stuck in this situation to avoid that future of me.
This 'power' affords me to not overlook these situations.

Most problems can be solved if I just wield this power. Things that happen outside my awareness are one thing, but I can't just look away when it's right in front of my eyes.
The problem is solved if I meddle in. People are saved if I jump in. Grave issues are no biggie if I agree to help.
Apparently I can't just pretend to look the other way.

I don't need power, I just want to be 'ordinary'. That wish of mine will never be fulfilled no matter how hard I hope.

If I were ordinary, I could have just said 'it was inevitable', 'there's no helping it' no matter how sad or pitiful the conclusion is.
There's no doubt in my mind that's how most people live their life until their demise.

But I can't cut myself from this power which is precisely why I keep poking my nose in these businesses nothing to do with me.

(Most risks become risk-free with this power.)

My sense of crisis and alertness have certainly gone down the drain due to this power.
I was originally never the kind of person that'd put myself in danger. Me thinking all this is the proof that shows how much this power has changed me.
The power in me is abnormal enough it could easily alter someone's mindset. It's just that hugely influential.
I bet nobody can oppose the change.

Thus, I progressed through the way back as I was having a look back internally.
Then, I finally reached the room below.

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644 Primitive Tech

I sliced off dungeon wall into the shape of a block. Then I bring the block to the room earlier. All done in Accelerated State of course.
More and more blocks gradually pile up. Into the shape of a stairway.
I made a simple calculation before starting to stack these blocks enough to reach the ceiling.
I couldn't come up with any less primitive tech.
I diligently keep at the routine. Normally this would have been a hard labor. This stuff can't be done in an hour or so too.
Yet I eventually piled enough blocks to reach the hole in the ceiling.

(This is where things start getting annoying. My work is far from over... What a pain.) 

I stacked enough blocks to reach the hole. But I don't want climb up the hole the same way. Hence I cut.
I slice and dice the hole walls into blocks and stack them into another scaffold. I stack and stack and finally get it tall enough to reach my current foothold.
The square hole is around 150 cm big. I cut the walls in all directions into blocks and turn them into my foothold.
It's hard to stack them right. The confined space means there's a limit to it as well. And yet I couldn't think up any other plan.

I'm not going to rock climb these walls. Falling could mean my death considering there's no lifeline.
This is the best idea someone with no modern and handy tools on hands like me could come up with.

If the space is limited, then I just gotta expand it. Despite not really knowing what I'm doing, I'm somehow managing to simultaneously cut the walls into blocks which get stacked into a scaffold while enlarging the hole in the process.
It worked even when the stack almost got toppled over due to the bad balance yet the blocks somehow stabilized themselves when they knocked into one another inside the hole.

As you might have guessed, I spent too long in Acceleration my thought process went haywire again. I got too absorbed in the routine.
I had another idea once I was around two third done. The plan changed to carving the walls into stair steps till the end.
Block stacking is over, it's now time for a new play, I mean, work routine.

In Accelerated State, my sword slides through the walls like they're made of tofu.

(Aa, I wanna eat cube tofu in cold water. White rice and curry exist here. Meaning that too should, right? I can't wait.)

I don't know the full extent of this world's culinary progress.
But there's no harm in having an expectation.
I continued carving walls into stairs while mulling over unrelated topics.
I carefully and steadily carved stair steps one by one as I come closer to the room with the core.

Once I carved out the last perfectly shaped stair step, I finally made it into the dungeon core room.
I couldn't help but ridicule my own childishness.

(I'm here and all now, but what do? Destroy the core and then get outta here... But how?)

I am now faced with the fact that I never considered about my way back.
Yep, my head was full of reaching the destination, nothing about returning. I'm dumb.
I finally snapped back to myself as I stared at the volleyball-sized core shining blue.

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643 Ceiling

Well now that I inspected closely, I couldn't find a single suspicious spot on the ceiling.
Of course. It's supposed to be hidden after all, can't have it be out in the open.
Anything obvious must be either a fake or a trap.
And even if I find a path, I gotta make sure it's the real one.

(Now then, let's get this done. Here you go! There! Whoopsie! Hnng!)

I picked up handy looking debris and kept throwing them at the ceiling.
In Accelerated State of course. The moments those debris got off my hands, they stopped mid air. They should sink in the ceiling right after I undo Acceleration.
The spot that comes off should be the hidden corridor.
Then the core must be deeper inside.

(Alright, think that about covers all? Time to undo Acceleration... or maybe, not so fast.)

I'd likely get crushed under the falling ceiling if I did that.
As such, I retreated to the entrance of this room before undoing Acceleration.

I forgot to close my ears. The ceiling wreckage fell down the ground virtually all at the same time.
The loud booming sound assaulted my ears. I yelped 'Hie!' and crouched down reflexively.

It was over soon, and I timidly looked up. I saw a spot where the ceiling is holey.

"Oh, guess that means I was right on the money? But man, I'd hate it if it was a fake to lull me into a false sense of security and lead me to a sea of traps."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
I don't want to deal with that kind of attraction.

Also, looking again, the hole is going straight above endlessly. I'm not climbing that.
It's so tall I could barely make out the debris I threw stuck in the ceiling of the hidden room at the very end.
The only silver lining is the glimpse of blue glow which indicates the existence of the core there.

"Ah, how do I go about this? Scale it? How? The hole walls don't even look grab-able by hands."

I'm seriously stumped here. How do I even get up there without an elevator.

"...Ah, guess I gotta do that. But... Yeah, it'll work. Alright, guess I'll give it a try. But what if I failed? Don't think I'd... die. But man, it's gonna be a huge pain, a real huge pain."

I'm mulling over executing a certain plan I had in mind.
Leaving this place without doing that plan is a bit, then again the labor that plan demands is way too much.

"Eeei! I've come this far! Tough it up! Gotta tough it up! Why the heck do I even gotta tough up here!?"

I'm under no obligation to get this desperate. I might have poked my nose into this mess myself, but it's not like this duty falls squarely on me.
Yet, I've made the decision already. I'll never get over it if I don't see this through the end.

"Dammit! Have I always been like this? Saving people...? Nah, it's because I wanna. That's right, I'm not doing this for other. I do this because I don't want to have a lingering regret in the future."

I forcibly convinced myself as I made my way back to the maze above.

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642 Springing, Fluttering About

It's one thing if the core is hidden somewhere in this room. But I'd throw in the towel if it were located someplace else in this dungeon.

"Psychologically speaking, you'd rather keep something that important close to yourself. I have no idea how that guy's mindset works though so the possibility of it being hidden in another spot is not zero."

Finding the thing would be an ordeal if so.

I mulled it over for about five minutes. Then I noticed how dumb it is to even worry.
I might as well start working my way with this room.

"I'll dig up all the walls here first thing first. I'm not gonna leave it be anyway. Might as well look in every nooks and crannies till I find the thing."

The idea of asking for help never crossed my mind.
Normally, the more manpower helping the faster you'd find something.
But my head was full of that 'Happy Time' on my way here so that idea just never manifested.
I would have come up with it if I only I cleared my head, but I spent a long time in Accelerated State to defeat Dyulden as well. It's inevitable.
I never managed to collect my thoughts back.

And thus the theater of destruction begins. The walls in this room are gradually crumbling down. They're mostly five meter thick.
I went straight to digging after entering Acceleration.

(A hidden door should be pretty sturdy, it's gotta be camouflaged to look indestructible.)
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
My effort would be for naught if it was the 'transport by a magic circle' type like you often see in fantasy work.
But I'm not stopping. Whenever I destroy a portion of wall and find there's no more, I move on to the section next to it. I got too much into this repetition.

Eventually the room became almost twice as large than it was initially. Yet, I couldn't find any hidden path.

(Could it be, like you know? Guy was hiding it in a blind spot... The ceiling perhaps?)

That line of thinking should naturally bring you to the ceiling.
People don't tend to focus their attention upward. Up or down, anything that's not in front of their vision easily gets ignored.

(Alright! Let's try the ceiling next! But how do I reach it, my jump won't be high enough.)

I undid Accelerated State for now. Which prompted the wreckage I had set aside to start shooting off randomly in all directions.
I shoved aside all the sections I dug out without thinking, so there is no order in their trajectories.

"Oh craaaaaaaap! Uoo! Uoo! Uoo! Oooooo!?"

I shoved the wall I dug backward when I was digging a straight path in the upper floor but the wreckage flying here kept hitting each other and changed trajectories which added to the chaos.

I really had to sweat until the chaos subsided.

"T-thought I was a goner there... I was about to get offed by my own doing, an incredibly stupid one at that...?"

My body may be monstrously strong but I never want to test how far can it take.
I don't want to get hurt. It's probably never happening all my life.
Luckily, none of the flying wreckage hit me. It wouldn't be a laughing matter if a random debris hit a vital spot and killed me. Like, seriously.

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641 What To Do? What Do?

(What have I done... Well, whatever, I guess?)

I have to take care of this thing if I want to keep going anyways. I'm just doing it sooner.
Another question pops up in my mind. How many times have I hit this giant boss's chin?

I have never hit the same place for so many times in Accelerated State before.
I can't imagine how will it end, and this Dyulden Second Form is pretty tough.
No telling how much tougher he is compared to ordinary men. You can't really tell someone's endurance without testing it firsthand.
Yet I'm sure the end result won't be less even against a monster like this thing. I shiver at the the possible outcome of someone eating this many hit.

I'm afraid of undoing Acceleration. But I can't progress if I don't.
I steeled my resolve and undid Acceleration.

The scene was straight out of a nightmare.
His neck instantly twisted off and spun high into the air.
Then it stopped mid-air before it immediately, BAM!, popped off.
The leg I used as a foothold broke into pieces and the arm I one-two punched crumbled down.
Having lost its support, the gigantic body fell down with a loud thud.

"The expression he had when the head stopped was like... 'Ugeeeh'... It looked so gross."

I'm sure he couldn't understand why he was suddenly spinning or how he died.
I feel bad for doing something so cruel. Yet I don't regret it.
Just gotta be careful next time.

"Ah, figured that killed him off for good. They're starting to vanish."

Dyulden's body turned translucent as it crumbled down into blue light particles.
Same goes with pieces of his organs that got splattered everywhere.
It looks beautiful especially after that grotesque showing.

"Ah, right, this doesn't solve everything yet. What to do about... The dungeon core?"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
The most important thing had slipped my mind. That is how to take care of the Dungeon Core.

I can't opt to just leave it alone.
Best thing to do is to take Dungeon Core out and let the dungeon collapses on itself but that's gonna draw all the attentions to me. I don't want that.

I alone went in the dungeon, beat the Dungeon Master and took the Dungeon Core out even though I'm not an adventurer.

I can't even imagine how much problem would that cause. One thing for sure though, nobody else has ever done the feat.
There will be no stopping the news from traveling far and wide, which includes my existence. Rumors about Griffon have probably spread, but I don't want to bolster that further.

What do then?


"...Destroy it I guess? But then, this dungeon will self destruct, no? I'd probably get caught in it if I don't get away right after..."
This space will turn into nothing. Me included if I'm still inside.

"Ah, but I do posses the 'Power' to avoid that."

After realizing that, I come face to face with another snag.

"So, where is he hiding the room that houses the Dungeon Core?"

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640 Usual Word

After about a minute, his broken leg shined blue and started healing.
The torn leg is returning to its original state before my eyes.

"Restoration? Recovery? Healing? ...Ah, guessing it's mana related cause he's connected to the Dungeon Core."

I murmured when that classic setting crossed my mind.
He must have overheard me. Dyulden replied once his pain was gone.

"...Indeed, that is correct. Nobody can kill me! I'm the only being able to open the passage to the Core! Weep in despair! You shall forever be locked up here unless I lie defeated! Yes, as a punishment for hurting me, you shall become my plaything for the rest of your life!"

Where did he even get all that confidence from? He couldn't even dodge or bear the pain from my attack.
I can't even begin to fathom how his mind works. This guy can't win against me. Is he incapable of processing that fact from what just elapsed?

"Don't get ahead of yourself just because you managed to land a low blow on me! Ugaaaa!"

Looks like this guy is averting his eyes from reality. He greatly swung his arm at me while still on his knee.

There's no way such a large swing can hit me. But the range was surprisingly huge, I couldn't guarantee it wouldn't graze me even if I easily dodged.
Therefore, I entered Acceleration to be safe.

(Well now, where should I aim next?)

I can't get my mindset out of the game, I'm now deciding which parts to destroy next.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
(It's gotta be the arm. But the swinging one is out of range. Guess I'll go for the one touching the floor.)

Dyulden has got one knee and one arm on the ground which is my next target.
I walked up to it and went with a kick. A low kick if you will.
But just that is gonna give the same end result as earlier which is boring. So I jump and hit his arm from the elbow above as well.
Still not feeling enough, I turn my sight at the knee.

(This guy won't be able to perceive my attacks anyways. It'll be same old torrent of questions like 'Why?!', 'How did you do it!?'.)

As a Dungeon Core is supposed to be a crystallization of mana, this guy will probably keep regenerating until the core runs out of mana. 
And as he keeps getting wrecked and regenerated, he'll eventually say 'Who are you really!?' as his last word.
Might as well send him to the afterlife while the guy's still ignorant.
With that decided I jump on top of his knee.
Then I jumped lightly and punched his chin once.

(Whoopsie! And land... Hm? Is one punch enough? Maybe another?)

I got on the knee again and let out a full powered jump kick.

(Hyatts! And land! 100 points!)

I had already spent a long time in Accelerated State by this point. Yep, I was in a state of euphoria.
Also, I still couldn't shake off feeling like I was in a game, like it was a fever time.

Second Form Dyulden was already wrecked beyond belief by this point.
I had forgotten all about my earlier feeling of pity for him.
It was like a child in an amusement park, I didn't stop hitting his chin for ten more times afterward.

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639 This Is My True...

His skin turned purple, bat wings grew on his backs and his face became demonic looking.
Two horns popped up on his forehead, large fangs grandly poked out of his mouth.
The white on his eyes turned black with vividly red pupils.
He's now a three meter tall muscled gorilla macho.

"This is my true form! You're the first ever person who made me assume this form. You can pride yourself on that. I always took my time tormenting all the people I caught as an entertainment, but you, I will kill you right away. I cannot imagine getting bested in this form but you are a risk. I shall make sure you're dead."

His second form looks kinda the lord of a castle, vanity-like.

(I'm no Belm*nt though? I don't even got a vampire killer as my weapon.)

I looked up at my opponent while recalling a certain orthodox Gothic action game.

"I shall hold nothing back! Eat this!"

His voice was clear, sonorous and grating to the ear.
Dyulden opened his mouth wide where a flame swirled. Dunno how it works, but he's probably gonna shoot out a torrent of flame or a fire ball.
Targeted at me. Of course, I'm not gonna take it lying down.

(He's gotten so big his head is grazing the ceiling huh... How do you even move around like that...)

I have enough composure to nonchalantly think that. Since I've entered Accelerated State already.
I had Accelerated the moment he was charging flame in his mouth.

(Well then, since it doesn't seem like he's willing to talk anymore what's with wanting me dead and all, guess it's time to end this once and for all.)

A bit late for that since I'm here to clear this dungeon in the first place.
Guy can't complain dying. The being before me is no longer human anyways.
Meaning, I just gotta beat him up like a monster in a game.
Just see him like an RPG boss.

My mindset immediately turned game-like.
I am the protagonist. In front of me is a giant boss.
I felt like I was playing a 3D action game.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
(Alrighty! The first thing you do to giant bosses like this is 'aim for their legs'!)

I walked up to his right leg and unleashed a full powered straight punch with. The punch caved in for about 4cm.

(Yeah! Let's undo Acceleration and see how it goes for now. Next up...)

I turned off Acceleration to see monster Dyulden's reaction.
I didn't wait at all before a splitting shriek filled the room.

"Gyoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!"

The right leg I punched bent weirdly, or more like it broke apart. Like crack crack, creak creak.
The monster fell prostrating on the ground and started groaning.

"Ah, did I go overboard? Hmm? I did put my all into that punch cause I dunno how much damage was enough. Guess this is to be expected."

Ordinary humans would have died. I figured a being this big would survive, and I was right.
Yet, the damage was grave enough to this monster. He's groaning in agony trying to contain the pain.
Looks like it's gonna take a while till he gets over his pain and back on his feet.

"Hmm, normally I should aim for the vital to deliver huge damage while he's down... Maybe not."

The way he got downed so anticlimactically and so pitifully made me decide to give him a time out for now. 

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Chapter 638 Moment One Stops Being Human

"That's right! I am no longer on the side of the deprived anymore! From this moment on, I shall be the one depriving you lot for all eternity!"

Sounds like this Dyulden guy has gone off the deep end after staying in this dungeon for so long.
From where I stand this man wasn't always like this originally.
He mentioned something about blood sucking. Guessing he's a vampire of some sort now.
He must have been a human originally if he was a founder of this city.

The same incident that happened 100 years ago was probably this Dyulden guy's doing too.
Dunno how he got to become a Dungeon Master but the enormous mana he received from the dungeon core likely transformed him into an inhuman being.
It's probably the same mechanism that turns normal animals into magical beasts when they're fed with powerful mana.
Humans are ultimately an animal. That possibility is not off the table.

"Nobody can stand against me and this power! Hahaha! That's right! You must be here to plunder my fortune as well! You're dead! None shall plunder from me ever again!"

There's no logical connection to that. He's incoherent. He doesn't care about my circumstance at all. Dyulden can never go back to his old self.

"We could communicate at first though... Guess it's inevitable. But how do I deal with this? Can't decide..."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Dyulden sprung up and lunged toward me. 
His arm was raised high, ready to claw at me. His nails look unnaturally sharp like small knives.
I swiftly swatted it with my left hand. A karate move, 'Uke'.
His lunge might have been moderately fast yet not quite at a level that necessitated Acceleration.
He might manage to take out those who have never been trained or unprepared but not me.
I raised my alertness level to max the moment he declared he's gonna kill me. Yet, his weak attack was a let down.
He might be fast but the way he grandly swung his arm far is a no no.
That's amateur hour. As someone who was trained in martial art, it was nothing more than a simple swing.
The gap in our experience afforded me to deal with him in Normal Mode.
One thing is clear now. Dyulden obviously knows nothing about fighting.

And yeah, I didn't just stop his swing, I swatted it away. My swat which I put some power into and his full powered swing clashed.
I came out on top. Dyulden had a look of shock on his face as he lost his balance and exposed himself to attacks.
I gave him a get well straight fist to the torso. With a pared down strength.
I put less power into my fist here than the swat earlier.

You could tell it was a critical hit. It felt good to unleash an attack with a satisfying impact for once.
Dyulden got sent flying in a bent position and crashed on the seat he was sitting on earlier before rolling on the ground.

Dyulden stood up after about ten seconds. His eyes weren't looking straight ahead.
They look unfocused.
I stayed on my toes while Dyulden stayed still.

(His arm, doesn't look broken. He took a hit from me head on, ordinary humans would have gotten their arm broken.)

I'm well aware of my super strength. Dyulden's arm is intact despite getting hit by my relatively strong swat.

"And that was a clean hit on the torso too. I get that it's not ineffective, but it's kinda shocking how he managed to endure that."

My initial guess is spot on. Dyulden is no longer normal.
Guy might believe he has transcended.

"I didn't put too much strength in that punch sure but you can't be human anymore if you could stand up after taking that on."

As if proving that, Dyulden's body started growing in size before my eyes.

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637 Outwardly That

I lost track of the distance I walked. I stayed on course onward without looking back once.
I slice and dice any wall in my way. I dig and dig walls upon walls no matter how thick they are.
Who even is a maze. The walls I cut have the same soft texture as a pudding, I've gotten addicted to the sensation of cutting them. Can't stop, won't stop.
I got so much into it I was hoping I'd come across more walls when the path had none.
It's the adverse effect of staying too long in Accelerated State. It messes up my mind.

(Hyahhoi! Wall, it's wall, wall! I'mma scoop you out~~)

I can no longer deny being called a weirdo. Nobody is present to objectively denounce me here so I've got no brake right now.
The goal is to go straight ahead and nothing else.
My method would definitely send this maze's maker, the dungeon master or something, scream in terror but I don't care.
I'm gonna clear this dungeon my way.

I eventually ran into a stairway after breaking who knows how many walls.
That was when I came back to senses and undid Acceleration.

"Ah, it's already over huh~. It was so much fun too."

My mind was still being weird. I even felt disappointed after getting to the stairway.

"No choice. Guess I'll go down. Wonder what's lying in wait there?"

I recalled my original goal and climbed down.
The next floor was a small room 10 meter wide in all directions.

A chair shining gold lies at the furthest end of the room. Alongside a man sitting on it.

"Ho? I was wondering why my skeletons never came back, now this is unusual. An uninvited guest at this room."

His face looks pale, he's got fangs and he's wearing a white shirt with black trousers. A black mantle is hanging by his shoulders. The underside of the mantle is fashionably red.
His hair is short golden colored, straightened to his back. Red colored eyes.
Yup, one being immediately came up on my mind when I saw him. It blanked me out for an instant.

"What's the matter? You will not name yourself? Hmph, such insolence. Such arrogance before me. I shall drain all the blood in you after giving you plenty of time to regret your conduct."

"Ah, sorry for that. My name is Saito. I'm here today to ask you about the dungeon that got connected to the Dwarf Kingdom, if you would."

I'm used to these sudden declarations of murder. No, I mean, I really shouldn't but let's let it slide for now.
Getting straight into battle would not answer any of my question. As such, I opted for a greeting for now.

"Hmph. It's too late for you. You have slighted me. Your death is all but assured. But I am magnanimous. I shall give the answers to your insignificant questions. Be grateful of my magnanimity. For I have shown a cur like you leniency. This shall prolong your soon to end life if only for a short while. You may thank me."

I paid his word no heed and threw my question.

"Err? Then, I take it you're this dungeon's master?"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
I thought of confirming things one by one and started with the most basic one.
Gotta get all I could out of this being while he's still in a good mood.

"Indeed! I am the very master of this dungeon! Korek Drasor De Dyulden... Oy, why are you not falling to prostrate yourself with the utterance of my name?"

"Ah, sorry I come from a really rural village, you see. I don't know anything about great men and their names. And I won't bow or prostrate. I don't know why should I do that after all."

"Kuh! Has the world forgotten about me!? ...Hmph, inevitable. I shall teach you, ignoramus. I am the very pioneer who founded the town in this land. As well as the lord of the city that was built afterward."

"Okay. So, why are you a dungeon master now?"

"...Your attitude remains unabashed after hearing my great feat... Fumu? You must be looking down on me, do you not? Unforgivable! I never forgive anyone who looks down on me!"

The guy's getting all fired up on his own. His extreme mood swing is kinda taking me aback.

"Eh, no I don't. I literally have no idea what, how and why should I revere you. I mean, building the town is impressive I agree but that was in the past right? Why should I lower my head to you considering your current action? You sent out skeletons to outside world and endangered the populace, no? How is that great? So, any chance you're willing to tell me why a past lord of the city is here and doing that kinda stuff today?"

"Every single one of you... Making a mockery out of me... None of you knows the hardship of pioneering, yet all you do is trying to siphon my wealth... Failures, the lot of you..."

"Err, can you not go off into your own world?"

This Dyulden guy started muttering to himself while facing upward for some reason.
I tried to remind him again, but he wouldn't listen to a word I said.

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636 How to Clear an Annoying Dungeon

I punched the wall ahead of me with all my might. Yup, punched.
A hole opened in the around 20cm thick wall. I kept punching over and over again until there was a big enough hole to snugly fit a person.
Of course I'm not in Accelerated state. Normal mode.
THUD, pieces of wall fall every time I hit it. Once I thoroughly destroyed the wall that stood before me and the dungeon passage beyond it, I resumed my trip deeper into the dungeon.

Why am I doing this you ask, it's cause of that first image.
An endlessly straight passage connected to the entrance with no end in sight. I bet that would get me to the stairway to the next floor.
From that hypothesis, I arrived at this conclusion: I might as well just recreate the passage by breaking all the walls in the way.
So yeah, I punched the wall with all my rage like I was venting.
And sure enough I was right. I murmured 'Jackpot', when I saw the straight passage revealed beyond the broken wall.

"To begin with, it's not like I have to follow the rule just because it's a maze. I've got the power to easily break these walls, I'd be dumb if I didn't make use of it."

Yep, normally this is not possible. You don't come up with this kind of plan even if you've got the power either.
Psychologically, people stop when they hit a dead end. A psychological blind spot.
But what if they're equipped with the right tool to break walls? I'm sure they'll consider that option.
But what about if they're empty handed. Most people won't reach this kind of conclusion.
But I have the strength. A monstrous strength capable of breaking these walls bare handed.
Couple that with my perverse mentality that affords me to break the rules.

"I remember how dumbfounded I was when I read that character breaking maze walls in Trial of Ha*ta."

An out of the box line of thinking of the unrestrained. That left a huge impression on me which gave me this solution.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Afterward, I kept going straight ahead.
I kept bumping into left turns, right turns, T junctions along the way which I all ignored by wall breaking into the straight path.
By the tenth right turn, my punches could no longer break the wall in one hit.

But that didn't stop me. There was no stopping me. If Normal Mode doesn't cut it anymore, I'd just slice and dice these walls in Accelerated state.

(Even iron feels like tofu in Accelerated State, these walls have no chance.)

I took a sword from my magic bag.
Then I cut, and cut in Accelerated State before undoing it.
The sword sunk into the walls easily but it wasn't long enough to connect to the other side so I had to keep entering and exiting Accelerated State to check how it went.
I repeated the routine for some time before I got fed up with it and opted to push the cut walls away with my hands.

Eventually I arrived at the other end, to another straight path. The wall I cut was four meter thick.
I couldn't be bothered to punch these walls anymore and kept walking ahead in Accelerated State.
Nobody else is here anyway, no need to fear dragging someone in it.
I was already fed up when I came across yet another wall and repeated the above routine.

(I absolutely won't take any turn until I reach the goal. I just know I'd lose my bearing if I took even one turn. Forward and onward.)

My mindset has turned to that while feeling so done with anything mazes.

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635 Worrying, When You Worry, If You Worry

I thought to myself as I kept walking straight ahead. Did I make the best choice here.
I tried recalling what I did one by one.

Asking someone to do maintenance work on my katana isn't unreasonable. Neither is me agreeing to give my opinions to Makiru.

It's what came after that. The disciple guy broke the news about this state of emergency and then, I rushed to the scene instead of running away.
Did I really have to do that? Was that the best choice to make back then?

"Dunno what that gang of skeletons were planning to do but they were carrying weapons and all, they must be dungeon-borne monsters. Getting rid of them all up in one spot instead of having to look for them after they're scattered everywhere can't be a mistake."

Dongoro said it too. A similar incident happened around a hundred year ago which caused a lot of casualty.
Logically speaking, things wouldn't have gone differently this time around either so me springing into action must have minimized the amount of victim. The heap of white bones at that place is the end result.
I bet the soldiers who have been dispatched to that place are at their wit's end trying to figure out what happened.
They surely would have engaged those skeletons in battle if it weren't for me.

"I didn't do anything wrong, did I? Yup. I really, didn't."

But what about after that? What will become of me here locked in a dungeon?
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"I can't use carelessness as an excuse. Besides, I willfully poked my nose where it doesn't belong. Most people absolutely won't choose going in. I should have stayed around the entrance and made sure no more monsters come out instead."

I shouldn't have gone in this dungeon out of curiosity, haphazardly into the depth at that.
'It's just a straight road ahead. I could just use Acceleration if anything seems amiss', that thought led me to this stupid blunder.

"But still, who could have thought the exit would be blocked off and the insides would get turned upside down into a maze."

I proceeded through the corridor while grumbling. I haven't come across a single trap so far. I'm just keeping on keeping straight ahead.

To the right or straight? Straight of course.
To the left or straight? Straight of course.

And then I hit a standstill. A T junction.
Ahead of me is a wall, the only paths forward are to the left or right.

"Should I put an end here... Or not? Hmm, I'm not exactly obliged to play along with this dungeon, am I?"

If dungeons are left alone, the monsters produced inside will eventually break out and flood the surface.
It's adventurers' job to prevent or minimize damage from that by deleting these dungeons. 
I'm not an adventurer. But I can't just leave this be either.
It's just, this particular dungeon feels more manmade than a naturally occurring one.

"I mean the sudden shift into a maze stinks real bad. Guess I'd better take care of it before anyone falls victim. I mean I've come all this way."

Ha~, I let out a sigh before pulling myself together.
Nobody will help me clearing this dungeon even in this situation. The entrance's been sealed off.
I should be the only human in this dungeon. I don't think there's anybody else. Neither will there be more coming later.

"That sudden turn of event can't be a coincidence. The so called dungeon master... is probably around."

Screwing with me, I'm getting more and more annoyed inwardly.

"This dungeon is nothing but trouble anyway. Seeing as this dungeon master sent hostile weapon-brandishing skeletons out, they can't be decent, can they? Methink there's no real need to hold back."

I clenched my fist before my chest.

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634 If and When You Waver

It looked like an entrance to somewhere.
The spot that was dug out is connected to a dungeon wall with an arched entrance.
I peeked inside, the interior got neatly lined up brick walls, like it was manmade.
You don't get a proper entrance like this digging rocks with pickles.
There's a mastermind behind this. My intuition is convinced that this was part of some scheme.

"So you're telling me, I've got to get to the bottom of this huh... I have absolutely nothing to do with all this though, surely."

Even if I'm not obliged to stick my neck in this, I can't help but worry about it.
Maybe things will turn real bad if I back off here. Or the opposite.

But I lost to my curiosity and stepped inside the dungeon.
The interior is about 3 meter tall and 2 meter wide. The corridor is endlessly straight ahead.
It's long enough I can't see the end from where I stand.

"There's... no trap is it? But man, I'm poking my nose somewhere I don't belong instead of unwillingly getting dragged in one for once."

That realization only came after I took a step inside. I kept walking deeper into the dungeon to forget about it.
There really is no trap, no wall spears or anything popping up.
But I still can't see the end. I turn around thinking this space must be made with mana.

"Geh! The exit's been blocked off!? ...Am I trapped here? It can't be... A trap for intruders?"

I could still barely see the exit from where I stood so I immediately noticed the change.
It's been transformed into a wall as if there was nothing from the start.
Just when I was about to go back and break the wall, the dungeon shook.
Think it's around 4 in seismic intensity? I stopped moving to figure out what was going on.
I kept hearing sounds of something colliding and rubbing off against each other.
A wall got projected in front of me to clinch it. I wondered if the path ahead has been blocked off as well to seal me off completely. But then I turned around and got greeted with a crossroad that popped up out of nowhere.

"Oy oy, you can't be serious."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
This place seems to have been turned into a maze.

"...This would have activated by anyone who entered, not just me right? Since I went in without consulting anybody, they won't send a rescue party... Of course. I mean they don't even know that I'm here."

The survey team would only find a blocked off entrance before opting to leave it alone. There's no way they'll proactively attempt to destroy the wall either.
Nobody outside knows I'm in here therefore, I shouldn't expect rescue.

"Aah, is this a checkmate? But I'm still alive. Maybe I might as well clear this maze? What do~."

In for an inch, in for a mile. I might as well see it through the end.
That was the idea before I got stumped at the first barrier, the crossroad. Which way should I go.

"Hmm? I should pick the straight path ahead and walk to the end."

The situation is nothing like before. Yet I couldn't shake off the impression I got from it and chose to go straight ahead.

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633 Labor, Mess, Leftover Heap of White Bones

The result was superb. The split skeleton crumbled down before turning transparent and vanishing altogether.

"Ah, that did the trick. Then... I guess I gotta do this to all of them to get their cores. Wonder how much will they fetch."

I mean the price of these skeleton cores. Dunno what's the market price but I can somehow tell it's a lot.
I took a biggish bag. To put the cores in. It's just your normal everyday bag. Nothing special about it.
Monster cores can't get in the magic bag. I learned how a dungeon core can't be stored inside a magic bag unless it's inside a specially made bag first from my time with 'White Fang' party. These cores probably fall under the same rule. Or rather, this one literally looks like a mini version of a dungeon core so it must be.

The army of Skeletons deemed me an enemy and rushed here all at once.
They're not at all sluggish. They may not be quite acrobatic but their swiftness made me wonder how they moved so well without muscles.
The very existence of these Skeletons are weird though. They maintain their forms through cores.
I can't even begin to imagine the mechanic behind their living-ness.
They're comprised of nothing but bones. They don't have anything to support them like puppets nor are they linked by muscles yet they're capable of great mobility.
Mana is some pretty terrifying stuff.

But I have no reason to play along.
And so I entered Acceleration and got ready.

(Now then, I need to take the cores out and then smash these bones. That's gonna take a while.)

It's just a blink in reality.
But that doesn't apply to me who moves normally in this state. There's no telling how long it's gonna take me to neutralize all these skeletons.

(I probably gotta have some break along the way. Let's think up ways to speed things up while I do this.)

Thus I began this tedious work starting with the bones in front of me.
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
About 15 minutes after I started. I found out I need about six to seven seconds to deal with one skeleton.
First I cut up the ribs with a knife, takes the core out and then stuff it inside the bag.
Ad infinitum.
The skeleton dying from that loop is a bonus.
All is well if this method works at killing them. Otherwise, I just gotta smash them all later.
That may mean double the work but I can just go all out then.
Eventually I got to the last commander-looking big skeleton with its nice-looking equipment.

(It's the same old though. Welp, here goes. Oho, this one's a bit bigger.)

This skeleton was apparently special, its core was a bit bigger than the others.

(Let's set this one aside. Gonna be a pain to look if it gets mixed up.)

I kept it in my hand before putting some distance from the army of skeletons.
Then I undid Acceleration.

The skeletons started cackling like they were having a spasm where they stood.
Apparently losing cores isn't enough to kill them but neither can they maintain their form, hence they just crumble down the ground as bones like some sort of system error. Every single one of them.

I think as I gaze at the heap of bones.

"Ah, good thing these things never managed to run around all over this kingdom. Would have been a huge pain."

Melee, free-for-all, pandemonium. I might be stuck having to tour the entire kingdom if these skeletons ran off.
There would be more victims as well. How'd you deal with practically immortal enemies that only die once their cores are destroyed.
It's gonna take a lot of effort to do that against opponents that are actively trying to kill you. Casualty would have been enormous.

Gotta be thankful they stayed in this place.

"But, something feels off. Like it's manmade somehow. Something brewing behind the scene maybe? It stinks."

The intuition I sharpened in this world tells me there's more to this than meets the eye.
I walked up to the entrance of the dungeon where it all began.

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632 Skeleton, Skeleton, Skeleton

And here I am before rows of neatly lined up skeletons which are neither marching nor moving randomly in all directions.
Each has got a sword and a shield on hands. Guess you could say they're the typical game-like Skeleton Soldiers?
And in the furthest back is a big skeleton double the size of a normal one wearing a nice looking armor. It looks like it's commanding the rest.
But that doesn't matter to me. I don't need to know the how and why when I can just deal with them all.

(Now then, if I recall right, monsters move outside a dungeon by expending their internal mana.)

Just like those goblins I saw near elven village back then. They dispersed into mana when they took fatal hits.
That must be applicable with these skeletons as well.
I drew the knife on my waist and cut the nearest skeleton in half.

That was when a weird blue glimmer caught my eyes. I looked for the source and found a 3mm small blue stone inside the skeleton's breastbone.

(...Is this a mana core? Are you telling me these things will keep reviving back?)

It's gonna be a pain if every single skeleton is like this.
Monsters like undead tend to have an immortal setting. Stuff like regenerating wounds or reanimating from getting smashed into smithereens.
There's a high chance of them reviving from dead if they have ways to refill their mana outside dungeons.

(There's around... 500 of these skeletons. Judging from their line of sight, their destination must be the square. Isn't that too plot convenient?)
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
I undid Acceleration and observed the skeleton to check on that hypothesis.
Every single skeletons turned their skulls toward me all at once.
It looked so eerie from where I stood. They made that move in a perfect unison without the slightest delay despite their number.

Then I observed the skeleton I cut. Sure enough, the wound I made regenerated.
Its blue stone shone all the while which confirmed my suspicion.

"Aah, I was kinda hoping I got it wrong ever so slightly at least. But nope, it's exactly what I think it is."

This means there's no end to them if I don't do something about their cores.

(Should I just crush them along with their cores? No wait, I'm sure these stuff fetch a lot. What a waste.)

I want to end this ruckus asap. I got nothing to do with it originally.
But there's no turning back time if some people fell victim. I am aware about my capability to end this problem. Not by choice.
It would fill me with regret later on if some people got hurt or died because I didn't bother sticking my nose into this mess.

(Wait, maybe it's usually impossible because these cores are inside the skeletons? Can't I just grab and pull them out?)

As someone who lacks common sense about this world, I always choose the path with the least resistance.
I'd save coming up with more complex plans for when they're needed. I entered Acceleration.

I shoved my hand in the abdomen of the skeleton I cut earlier and took the core out.

(Ah, there's no way I could have done this if this was a creature with flesh and blood.)

Afterward, I cut the skeleton with my knife from its head down once again.
Next up, I gotta undo Acceleration and observe the fate of this skeleton.

(If things go well, I'd profit off this while dealing with the problem... But all 500 of these skeletons?)

I let out a sigh when I think about the labor awaiting me if this experiment goes well.

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631 Gotta Run Now

Someone barged in the room just before I could speak a word.

"Dongoro-san! We must get away now! Master Makiru too! T-t-they came out! Skeletons from the mine! Lots of them!"

The person saying that must be one of the disciples.
His urgency stopped me from vocalizing my idea.

"Oy, the heck you're on 'bout!? Speak clearly!"

The disciple gradually regained his composure and started explaining orderly.

Apparently the unit in charge of digging out minerals today hit a dungeon. A huge amount of skeletons flooded out of that dungeon while the diggers barely escaped with their life.
The disciple was on site for an errand by chance and instantly realized the ongoing situation. He rushed over here to notify his master to take shelter.
The emergency evacuation alarm should start blaring soon. They gotta run now before they get caught up in a crowd of people.

"Well I'll be damned. Ain't that the same thing happening a hundred years ago. It's real bad news!"

"We should leave as soon as we can. You too, Saito-san."

"Err? Are dungeon walls so easily broken just like that?"
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
"Aa? What good is knowing that crap now. We gotta get outta this place. Ora! You go and tell the men!"

The disciple left the room to notify other disciples.
Followed by Dongoro and Makiru who then left the workshop.
Just when I also got out following them, an alarm sound could be heard deeper into the district.

"We gotta scram before we got caught in the flood of peeps! I ain't wanna be in there!"

Dongoro and Makiru were about to run. Meanwhile I stood still.

"What's the matter!? Is there anything you forgot to bring!?"

Makiru turned around and asked me. But I assured her there was no problem.

"Ah, you two can forget about me and go on ahead. Ah, but It'd be nice if you could answer my question. Are dungeon walls that fragile?"

"The hell kinda dumbarse question izzat. What's yer nerve made of!? Ah whatever! Ya see here! Dungeons got some real tough interiors. But the walls connecting them are easily smashed from outside. Dungeons are made of mana space. S'why nobody got a clue where a dungeon is connected to. Us dwarves been living in this mountain range for ages! Far as I know, this sorta stuff took place a few times in the past! Good enough for ya? We gonna leave now, you good yea?"

"Ah, thanks for the explanation. And yes, do go ahead. I'll go see the site for myself."

"Umm? By yourself? What are you planning to..."

I entered Acceleration without replying Makiru and started making my way to the accident site.

I stayed in Accelerated State as I looked for the source of this ruckus.
I should have asked where that place is, but it's too late to go back now. I made a beeline deeper in while surveying the surroundings.
All the people trying to escape in a hurry have stopped moving like they are mannequins.

(Well this is normal in Accelerated State. The way they all got this look of terror on their face reminds me of some certain famous horror manga...)

I figured those skeletons must be in the opposite direction of these people and headed there.

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