Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 22

Chapter 22: Searching for Someone

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『Hello everyone! It’s time for Ururun’s D-Tuber News! Today, we have a follow-up on a certain news story and a little lesson for you!』

『First, let’s start with the news. Do you remember the Dungeon Ojisan who made huge news before? He’s the mysterious awakened man who appeared out of nowhere while idol D-Tubers Yune, Yinling Jones, and Mimimi Amanogawa were doing a collaboration stream.』

『Dungeon Ojisan was also a topic of discussion because his photo was missing from the list of registered awakened individuals available through the Ministry of Dungeons. However, it has now been announced that he has been registered as an S-Rank awakened individual.』

『His name is Jiro Hasegawa. He is 35 years old. The standard medical exams conducted by the government and local authorities include an awakening aptitude test, but only for individuals between the ages of 15 and 30. Since it was believed that no one awakens past the age of 30, this news has come as a shock.』

『However, the reason why people over 30 don’t awaken is not actually understood. It’s just a conclusion drawn from statistical data. So, there may be others who awaken later in life. If you’re curious, you can apply for a test through your local government—for a fee, of course!』

『Now, what makes this person noteworthy isn’t just that he’s a late bloomer. He is also Japan’s fifth S-Rank awakened individual.』

『If you’re a regular viewer of Ururun News, you probably already know this, but let’s take a moment to review the ranking system for awakened individuals.』

『According to the official explanation, the device used to assess awakened individuals measures both their current mana capacity and their maximum potential mana capacity. If we compare this to an RPG, it’s like measuring a person’s current level and their maximum possible level, then using that data to assign them a rank from E to A, with S as the highest.』

『Some of you may be wondering—if someone who was initially ranked as E reaches their maximum level, does their rank change? The answer is no. Think of it like a balloon: even if a small balloon is inflated to its limit, it will still be smaller than a large balloon that can expand even further.』

『For reference, an A-Rank awakened individual’s initial strength is said to be about the same as an E-Rank awakened individual at their maximum potential.』

『Reality is harsh, isn’t it? Well then, see you in the next video! This was Ururun!』

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The next day. I headed alone to a certain university. Apparently, the person who had made Mio-chan’s pickaxe had been a student at that university. However, Mio-chan refused to go herself.

Well, since I don’t have much to do unless the Ministry of Dungeons calls for me, I guess it’s fine for me to go in her place.

The university she had attended was a well-known women’s university. From an outsider’s perspective, it had the image of a prestigious school for young ladies, but I didn’t hear any “Gokigenyou” (refined greetings) being exchanged between the young ladies. At the same time, I had been on guard for people giving me questioning looks, wondering why a man was there. But that didn’t happen either. I found the university’s administrative office and showed my newly acquired awakened registration card to the receptionist.

“Huh? S-Rank?!”

I figured this was the best possible way to introduce myself, and the effect was immediate. The receptionist, looking surprised, quickly covered her mouth.

“I apologize for my rudeness. How can I help you?”

“I’m looking for a student named Reiko Minashiro. She was enrolled as a second-year student last year.”

“I’m sorry, but we cannot disclose personal information about students.”

“She is an awakened individual in the production category. I have business regarding her abilities.”

“Even so, I’m afraid we cannot provide that information.”

“I figured as much.”

I had anticipated this outcome. So, I decided to use hypnosis. My journey as a monster had started as a goblin. Through repeated evolutions into different species, I had eventually reached the form of a dragon. During that process, I had once evolved into a monster called a “Psycho Ruler,” which had the ability to control others at will through hypnotic attacks. That ability still remained within me. Using illusion magic to make it appear as though I was doing something else, I covertly extracted the information from the receptionist.

Reiko Minashiro was still enrolled at the university.

“Oh, it’s Dungeon Ojisan!”

Since I had also learned which class she was currently taking, I waited outside the lecture hall for it to end.

She was the one who spotted me first. It seemed the name “Dungeon Ojisan” had some degree of recognition, as the other students also turned their attention toward me.

“Reiko Minashiro-san, correct?”

“Huh? You’re looking for me?”

“Yes.”

She looked at me in disbelief.

“But I’m just an E-Rank.”

“Rank doesn’t matter when it comes to production-type abilities.”

“That’s not true at all.”

“Regardless, I need to talk to you. Would you mind accompanying me?”

“…Where did you even hear about me?”

“From Mio Ayukawa-san.”

“Ayukawa… I see.”

She agreed and led me to a café on campus. Although officially called a cafeteria, it was more like a coffee shop based on its menu.

“So, what do you need from me?”

“First, I need you to repair this.”

I took out the broken pickaxe from my item box.

“This is…”

“It’s something she cherishes. You’re the only one who can repair it since you’re the one who made it.”

“She’s still using it? If she’s working as an awakened individual now, she could easily buy something better.”

“It seems to be a precious keepsake for her. She was devastated when it broke.”

“A keepsake, huh… Come to think of it, you became famous because you appeared in her video, didn’t you?”

“You knew about that?”

“…Well, yeah.”

Reiko Minashiro dropped the pretense of not knowing almost immediately, then turned away, looking slightly embarrassed.

“I felt guilty, like it was my fault she left university.”

“Is this something I should be hearing? I don’t want to pry.”

“It’s not that complicated. She was shy, and I was the one who got close to her. I awakened first, and then she did later. She ended up as a B-Rank, while I was E-Rank. During that difficult time for her, I felt like she started looking down on me because of our rank difference.”

“Didn’t she become an awakened individual after leaving university?”

I remembered her telling me that before. 

“She was first identified as an awakened individual during our university’s health checkup. You know, she’s, uh… Quite big after all.”

“Big in what way?”

“I mean, you know… That.”

Reiko gestured vaguely toward her chest in an odd manner.

What?

“You’re a man, aren’t you? You should know what I mean.”

“Not really?”

“Her bust! Her chest!”

“Oh!”

Now that she mentioned it, Mio-chan might have been on the larger side. Even though I was living as a human, but inside, I was still a monster. 

I wonder if the day will ever come when my libido returns.

“I never really thought about it.”

“Wait, are you okay? Like in the head?”

“I didn’t expect to be worried about that.”

“Well, whatever.”

Back in her university days, Mio-chan didn’t wear the kind of makeup she used in her videos, nor did she dress in a way that stood out. She tended to slouch a little, so people didn’t really notice her overly bountiful bust. But during the university’s health checkup, the truth came out. She actually had an incredible figure. By that time, she had probably already awakened. Even though she hadn’t done anything in particular, her body had naturally become well-proportioned.

Her curves were exactly where they should be—perfectly balanced. Personal preferences aside, in terms of sheer physical attractiveness, she was regarded as objectively attractive. The moment she realized it, everything else about her faded into nothingness.

I wasn’t sure if that’s what the other female students thought about it, but after that, their attitude toward her turned cold. She got fed up and left university. Whether she received the results of her health check before or after dropping out, I wasn’t sure.

“And then?”

“I kept in touch with her after she left. When I found out she was in the miner class, I gave her that pickaxe. That was the last of it. I haven’t contacted her since.”

“Why not?”

“Why…? The person who made me feel inferior ended up in a miner class, one that people consider useless. Honestly, at that time, I was like, served her right! Or something.”

“Mio-chan didn’t see it that way, though.”

“…”

She had treasured the pickaxe, used it constantly, and even cried when it broke.

“I think she still cares about you.”

“…Fine. I’ll fix it.”

“Thank you. Oh, and if possible, I’d like you to give it back to her personally.”

“Huh?”

“She would be happier that way.”

“…Fine.”

She agreed, but her face turned bright red despite her words. By the way, my real reason for coming here wasn’t just to get the pickaxe fixed. I wanted the recipe for the alloy used in making it. Only the original creator could repair it, but if I had the recipe, I could share it with others. That was the loophole.

Reiko didn’t seem to think much of the alloy, but in terms of magic power conductivity, it was actually superior to the well-known mithril. If combined with the right materials, it could be used to create powerful magic tools. I planned to use it to enhance golems, and my intuition had been correct. Perhaps because I showed interest in it, Reiko started researching the alloy’s potential.

A few years later, she became a renowned magic tool craftsman.

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