Let's be an Adventurer! ~Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board~

Hello everyone,

I’m back. ?

I’m sorry for the delay.

Now, I have recovered and will continue the translation.

Anyway, enjoy the chapter.

——–

It was past noon when he left the dungeon while holding carapaces of the House Centipedes and the Centipede.

The evening sun settled slowly to the other side of the field, dyeing everything red.

Even the transparent air looked somewhat reddened.

“Wow…… it looks nice.”

Karen passionately watched the scene.

Haruki was unimpressed.

If you look at the same scenery every day, you will not be impressed that much anymore.

He might have been impressed if there were sake and snacks here.

Impression also depended on the environment.

……But, such a thing didn’t matter.

Haruki turned his attention to a small prefab located in a corner of a field.

“What is that?”

When he came back from Chikaho, there was no such prefab.

Perhaps it was brought while I was in the dungeon.

The prefab’s type is often seen in construction sites.

It is just a substitute used to withstand wind and rain, and not a comfortable place.

Who the heck did bring such a thing to this place?

Haruki felt curious and quietly approached it.

He looked at the signboard on its entrance.

“Mitsubishi Weapon Dealer and Material Purchase Station – K Town Branch”

It is a branch shop of Mitsubishi.

I was sure they would build it someday, but it never came to my mind that they would open the shop within a week of the dungeon’s appearance.

In the normal case, they would do a preliminary investigation about the supply and demand conditions before opening up the store… after the marketing.

Otherwise, their store, especially in a remote place like this, would collapse soon due to lack of profit.

But, regardless of the reason, it is very appreciated for them to open both, an arms dealer and a material purchase station in this town.

Without thinking too long, Haruki brought the carapaces of House Centipedes and Centipede to the store.

The shop interior feels like a wake. (TLN: Wake (or otsuya) is a social gathering associated with death, usually held before a funeral.)

No, it seems like a wake ceremony’s venue, though Haruki.

There were only a counter and a chair in the shop.

On the chair, there was a woman who hummed like she was in sorrow.

“La la la la laa laa la la laa.”

The red-haired woman with swollen eyes was the armor dealership’s clerk in Sapporo.

“Welcome, please look around as you please, even though we have nothing to see in this shop.”

He knew she had a beautiful face. But it had no expression…… and she addressed him while muttering.

What do you mean me to see?

As Haruki’s face twitched, he said.

“……You worked at a shop in Sapporo, right?”

She turned her dead eyes to Haruki.

Then,

“Uwa haa ha haaa! Why, why should I come to this place?” (TLN: The first part is crying SFX.)

She suddenly started to beat the counter while crying some huge tears.

This is bad.

This is extremely bad.

I should retreat immediately.

He turned around while thinking like that.

“Please wait, there is a girl crying in front of you, so please wait!!”

*Grasp!* His shoulder was caught.

He felt a ferocious aura from his back.

Her eyes were like those of a drunken person.

She is really influenced by sake.

“For them to throw me into this kind of place when I have struggled with all my might for the company and did various things for customers, don’t you think it’s cruel!? You think so too, right!? Right!?”

“Uwa, haa…….” (TLN: Crying SFX)

“My performance has improved compared to the previous year. Even though I really did my best! Just because I bought materials without permission in the Material Purchase Station, isn’t it too cruel!”

“I see. So, you are demoted.”

“No!! I don’t want to remember that word!!”

Apparently, he hit the mark.

*Uwaa ha haaa* She started to brawl again.

Her tears completely drenched his back.

“……Haa.”

Haruki took a sigh and turned back.

“Can you purchase them?”

“I can! Of course, I can! Even though I was thrown away to this remote place, I still have the ability to do it!!”

Why does she pick a fight with me?

Somewhat troubled, Haruki gave up and handed them over.

“I’m a customer, right?”

“Ah, yes, yes. Welcome. So, should I purchase them?”

Like a tap that was closed, her tears suddenly stopped flowing.

This woman…….

She doesn’t even pretend to be friendly like last time…….

However, Haruki was also using a rough tone from the beginning as he knew her true nature.

“House Centipedes’ material and…… wow, is this a Centipede’s? Wait a moment.”

Because now there was a work in front of her, she moved swiftly and not sloppy like before.

She took a disposable glove from the counter’s drawer and wore it.

She put materials on the counter and examined their minute details using a magnifying glass.

*Nod nod* “There are 96 House Centipedes, and because there is no scratch, it will be 1,000 yen per carapace.”

“Oh……”

It is worth to aim at their heads so as not to scratch their carapace as much as possible.

“As for the Centipede’s, do you truly want to sell it?”

“……Is there a problem?”

“The armor made by using Centipede’s carapace is better than your current armor.”

Because it was her words, he guessed it was better to handle it that way.

However, Haruki shook his head.

“I choose to sell it.”

“Why?”

“I just barely survived that battle.”

I’m sure I will not be able to master the equipment as it won’t approve of me. (TLN: Equipment made by using monsters’ material can choose its master. You can’t equip it if you don’t have enough power.)

If I want to use Centipede’s carapace armor, I have to raise my level further.

“Well, then I’ll leave two carapaces and then buy the rest.”

“Huh?”

“You better keep them. You might not able to make the equipment because there are some cases in which materials can’t be obtained in the future.”

“I see.”

He accepted her proposal.

She showed how excellent she is by naturally giving the right proposal like that.

As for why she came to this kind of place…….

It was probably because of her ability.

Without thinking of the opponent’s pride or territory, she can bluntly step in to do the right thing.

No matter how much you stand on the side of justice, you will be confused if you can’t honor your opponent.

Therefore, the company that just got information about the newly appeared dungeon politely sent her.

She must have been told , “Well, you are an excellent employee, so, I’m sure you can work in a remote area, right?”

……Well, it is possible.

To be honest, she just reaped what she sowed.

However, the store of a big company in the adventure industry usually don’t like areas with unpredictable sales.

So, let’s accept and use her misery with gratitude this time.

“Eight Centipede’s carapaces are 40,000 yen. If combined with House Centipedes’, the total is 138,000 yen. Is it okay?” (Akane)

“Ah, please set the distribution to 50:50 this time.” (Haruki)

“Roger that.” (Akane)

“Wait a minute.” (Karen)

When everything was decided, Karen who had been quiet all of a sudden interrupted them.

“Karaboshi-san should take more than me!”

“It was Karen who killed those House Centipedes this time, and I was only there as the coach.”

“I can hunt those House Centipedes thanks to Karaboshi-san, I couldn’t fight them by myself.”

Ah, this is troublesome, thought Haruki.

Even though this is a party, it should be fine for her to silently receive 50% of it regardless of the excess portion.

Of course, he could understand Karen’s words.

If you don’t do it precisely, it will cause problems in the future…….

However, it was troublesome.

“So, how do you want to settle it? The setting sun is too hot, could you make it fast?” (Akane)

The red-haired clerk fanned her face with her hand.

Shut your mouth…….

She became really rude.

But, she looks more natural than when she pretends to be friendly, and it’s good because she seems interesting.

Haruki leaked a bitter smile to the clerk’s too unreserved attitude.

“Please accept half of today’s earning, and I’ll listen to Karen’s story instead. Is that okay?”

“…………okay.”

It seemed that she immediately knew what Haruki meant by “story.”

As her face became tense, her jaw opened slightly.

When they came to an agreement, 69,000 yen was transferred into Haruki’s IC-card.

“I want you to appraise something, is it okay?”

“There are a simple appraisal and detailed appraisal, which one will you choose?”

“……What is the difference?”

Haruki tilted his head.

Of course, Haruki understood the difference between simple and detailed.

What he would like to know was the extent to which each appraisal could be done, the price, etc.

In fact, the clerk knew that.

She raised her beautiful black eyes to the upper right and said.

“Well, I will be the one doing the simple appraisal. It will take 1 minute and cost 1,000 yen. As for the detailed appraisal, it will be done by an inspection machine and an appraiser from headquarters. The appraisal time depends on the request but it may take 1 month. The price is 100,000 yen.”

“100 thousand!?”

“Of course, the detailed appraisal will be done personally by the appraiser from Mitsubishi’s headquarters.”

I see, Haruki nodded silently.

There is without exception one appraiser in every large company shop that sells goods in the dungeon.

Appraisers are people who gain their power through enlightenment or those who get an item with appraisal skills from a dungeon.

On “Let’s Be” some say that a certain Nakajima Sensei acquired that kind of ability in a dungeon.

Appraisal is a rare skill and there is a cost to transport the item to the headquarter, so it can’t be helped if they charge 100,000 yen.

Rather, it’s cheap if it costs only 100,000 yen.

However, if this is a magic bag, it should be distinguishable even without a detailed appraisal.

“Then, I’ll take the simple appraisal please.”

Haruki took out the pouch which he found in the Centipede’s stomach from his bag.

Of course, it had been lightly rinsed by using water from his canteen.

Even though it was somewhat wet, it was not as awful as when it was taken out of the stomach.

*Burp* However, Karen felt nauseous when she recalled its source.

“Hmm, it is…… a pouch-shape magic tool. Could you lend it to me for a while?”

When she received it, the clerk looked at the pouch from various angles while humming.

She opened the cover and put her hand in.

Then, *smooth smooth*.

Wow, even her shoulder could go inside the bag.

“Congratulations, this without a doubt is a magic bag. Its opening is small, so you can only insert items with a diameter of 20 cm. But, you can use it in various ways as its size is as big as a school’s classroom. By the way, do you intend to sell it?”

“Sorry, but selling it is-”

“I will buy it for 100 million yen.”

“What!?”

Haruki surprised when he suddenly heard the amount of money offered.

Karen choked next to him.

“You don’t need to be surprised. Just by having this item, you can easily carry many small items and make huge profits from the current stupidly high transportation cost.”

Certainly, if I have this item, I’ll not suffer from transportation cost and I’ll benefit from various aspects.

Even if I invest 100 million yen, I’ll definitely gain it back.

“One hundred million is attractive, but…… we will keep it as we will use it from now on.”

“Well, I guess that’s better. There’s no way to have too much space when preparing emergency stocks for what-if situations.”

“Oh, I understand.”

However, for such an outrageous thing to suddenly appear.

This is probably because I allocated a point to Karen’s Luck.

It was due to her devil-luck that we still survived even after encountering a strong rare monster.

And it was due to her good-luck that we’ve gained a rare item from the monster.

She must have pulled both lucks.

Nevertheless, I don’t have the desire to allocate more points to luck.

If I increase it to maximum, it seems we would meet the Centipede on the first floor every day…….

Haruki left the store and returned home with Karen.

“Oh, is this your house, Karaboshi-san? Wow…….”

Is there something unusual that makes Karen admire this ordinary two-storied house?

“There is a solar panel.”

“Oh, it is because I can’t use electricity freely without it.”

After the stampede, the electricity price has risen, and moreover, households have been constantly subject to electric power restrictions.

It is enough for the minimum standard livelihood, but it is necessary to install a private power generator if you really need to use a PC.

The solar panel was installed in Haruki’s house before the stampede. As the price of raw materials soared after the stampede, it became valuable equipment that can’t be obtained by common people.

During that confused time after the stampede, many panels were stolen.

Thanks to that, Haruki had to strengthen his house security so that the panel would not be stolen.

Haruki let Karen sit in the living room while he prepared some water.

Water was pumped up from a well in the garden.

After he presented the water, he fixedly looked at Karen’s reaction who tried it.

“Gulp, gulp…… ha!”

It seemed she liked it. She drank the glass of water with tears in her eyes.

Well, water purification facilities are unable to catch up with the demand for tap water due to a lack of manpower, materials, and electricity. If compared to the time before the dungeons’ appearance, the current tap water’s quality is quite low.

There are some areas where tap water can’t be drunk directly. (TL: I think well water also could not be drunk directly.)

(EN: There are a couple save to drink wells; it mainly depends on the depth and region of the well. https://www.epa.gov/privatewells for more info.)

Only after new experiences can I see how blessed my environment is.

At the same time, I don’t get why no one used well water before.

Even though, it’s easy to obtain fresh water from it……’(TLN: But, you still can’t drink it directly. EN: Depending on the well.)

“Well then, let’s talk.”

Karen’s expression that wanted to ask for a refill became tense.

For some reason, the Centipede was hit by something when it wanted to bite Haruki.

He knew that something struck it.

But, it wasn’t a physical attack.

Haruki’s eyes couldn’t catch anything.

If so, there was only one possibility.

“You can use magic, right?”

“……Yes”

It was Karen’s magic which attacked the centipede.

Although I allocated those points with any chance in mind, I didn’t think that chance would come this soon.

It was quite a quick flag recovery.

“Um……, please don’t tell anyone.”

“I know. It isn’t interesting if you suffer some danger when it spread.”

“Interesting?”

“Ah, we as adventurers want to enjoy the adventure as much as possible, right?”

“Are you a game-mind?”

“Perhaps, I am.”

*Chuckled*

Karen chuckled because of Haruki’s answer.

As it sounded funny and embarrassing, Haruki covered it by pretending to drink.

-But, *thud* something was in the way.

“Ah.”

I’m still wearing the mask.

It is good that I don’t feel anything as it doesn’t disturb my sight and breath. It’s not good if I keep forgetting that I’m wearing it.

Karen, who could no longer hold back when she saw Haruki’s small mistake, chuckled again.

“In that dungeon, there are no other adventurers beside us. Therefore, it’s okay to use magic as you please. If your attack proficiency increases, you can break away even if you fall into a situation like that again.”

“I see……”

“Are you going to use magic on tomorrow’s adventure?”

“Is it better to use it?”

Karen upturned her eyes like she was asking about Haruki’s mood.

“You should do as you like.”

“……I understand I think I will use it tomorrow.”

Karen moved her eyes up and down to hide her determination.

“Can I ask you something else?”

“……Yes, please.”

“What sense do you use for magic? Do you feel it when your mana decreases?”

“I don’t know whether it is mana or not……. But, I feel fatigue was collected in my body.”

“In your body?”

“Yes, it is different from both mental and physical fatigue. It makes me feel like I don’t want to move for a while.”

“Hmm.”

I can’t understand it at all.

“How did you become able to use magic?”

“I don’t know. I got a feeling that “I can use it?” when I tried to hunt in a dungeon. It came out from the tip of my weapon as I tested it by building it up.”

“From your weapon?”

“Yes.”

“Is it due to club-type equipment?”

“Yes, this weapon can channel magic better.”

I see.

It seems that she releases magic spawned from her body after gathering it up on her weapon.

Perhaps, she was enlightened.

However, it seems I can’t use her story as a reference.

“By the way, can you demonstrate the magic now?”

“………… Actually, it is hard to use magic outside the dungeon.”

Karen expression became listless at Haruki’s question.

It seems like the dungeon is her magic’s source.

It was similar to Haruki’s circumstance, but it caused her fighting-power to fall in her case.

It made her unable to resist people with bad intentions outside the dungeon.

It is probably the reason that information about magic doesn’t spread at all.

“You may be able to use magic outside dungeon normally if you raise your level.”

“I hope so…….”

A heavy silence fell between the two of them.

“……Is that all you want to ask?”

“Ah, that’s all.”

For now, I have nothing more to ask.

Haruki raised her jaw slightly.

“……Ah, there is something that I haven’t asked.”

“Yes.”

Karen straightened up her back when she heard Haruki’s words.

“Where are you going to stay today?”

“……It is here.”

“What?”

“Here.”

“No…….”

“There is an unused room, right?”

“There is, but–”

“Well, I’ll stay over.”

Karen’s pressure strength overwhelmed Haruki.

No no, the other party is a girl while you are an old man, right?

“Why do you keep refusing? Is there something I shouldn’t see?”

“There’s not such a thing!”

…….Yup, there is nothing like that, right?

Nothing, definitely nothing!

“That’s okay. Even if the walls of Karaboshi-san’s room decorated with a large number of masks, I’ll act as if I didn’t see anything.”

“Wait a minute, what the heck do you think of me?”

“A mask-maniac.”

“Absolutely no!”

I equip it to increase my defense and presence. It’s definitely not because I like the mask.

“Karen, you are a young girl. So, it’s better if you stay in a hotel.”

“This house with a dungeon around the corner is better.”

“But.”

“I am an adventurer.”

“…….Well.”

What’s wrong with this girl?

She is as stubborn as before she got into the car.

Haruki let out a small sigh.

“Anyway, I will introduce a 5,000 yen a night accommodation to you. So, please stay over there.”

“…………”

*Gu nu nu,* Karen chewed her lips.

She might have done it to increase her persuasion to Haruki.

It was unusual to ask a person of the opposite sex who she knew only since yesterday to sleep over.

In addition, Karen was 18 years old.

On the other hand, Haruki was 27 years old.

If a girl entered and left the house of Haruki who has lived alone until now…….

Without a doubt, it would be noticeable (in a bad way).

Haruki removed the mask and opened his mouth to drink water.

“Karen, do you know where you are right now?”

“In Karaboshi-san’s house.”

“That is not wrong, but you only get 50 points. In addition, this is in front of a dungeon. If a stampede happens, this house would be the first target.”

“……Ugh.”

It seemed she finally realized it after Haruki said it.

How dangerous this place was.

It might be unavoidable as Karen had accumulated her frustration for not being able to hunt properly in Sapporo’s Chikaho.

But, it was not good to forget that the dungeon is the habitat of monsters that eat and kill humans.

And its location is in front of Haruki’s house.

“I’m the only adventurer in this town. If a stampede happens and the house is attacked when you are sleeping, who will help the people in the town?”

“……But, is Karaboshi-san not living here alone?”

“It’s necessary to have a guard, right?”

Haruki smiled wryly to Karen’s feminine objections.

“It is an adventurer’s responsibility to help the ordinary. If there are two adventurers, one can watch the entrance and the other can prepare for an emergency in a safe place. So, Karen as an adventurer, please stay at a hotel in the town while thinking of it as a job.”

“…………I understand.”

Karen reluctantly nodded to Haruki’s persuasion.

Of course, Haruki’s words were just for persuasion.

There was only one adventurer in town, but there was an organized Self-Defense-Group, too.

It was not necessary for Haruki to do it alone.

His reasoning was close to lying as he was scared to let an 18 years old girl stay after all.

In the countryside, rumors spread quickly.

Once a strange rumor is created, some people would spread and embellish it before you know it……. it would make you get into trouble easily.

Just being a suspect can cause a man to (socially) die.

You need to be ready for combat at all times.

I feel bad for Karen, but to protect myself.

Please give up on living together, I’ll allocate some extra for the hotel’s fee.

Chapter end

Proofread for Asian Hobbyist by Fenring