Dungeon's Final Boss: Banished by My Boss, the Goddess, to Earth—So I'll Continue My Past Life - 94

Chapter 94: Business Trip to Shikoku

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The person who contacted me on my phone was a staff member from the Ministry of D. They were someone who frequently called regarding emergency dungeon raids.

“Excuse me, Hasegawa-san. You’re in Kyushu right now, correct?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I’m not sure if you’re with him or not, but this would normally be a case for Tougo Shimazu, based on the region…”

“I was with him just a little while ago. He was summoned and went.”

“I see. And so…”

“Did multiple problems come up at once?”

I cut off the typically roundabout, bureaucratic phrasing before it could begin. It might not have been the most polite approach, but I was probably being a little impatient myself, perhaps slightly tipsy. Realizing that, I used 【Detoxify】 to clear the alcohol from my system.

“Yes, that’s exactly it. I apologize.”

“No, I’m not angry. So, what’s the problem?”

“Well…”

Basically the situation was like this. A dungeon had been discovered in the mountains of a certain prefecture in Shikoku. It had been found after a report from a nearby resident, but since the time of its appearance was unknown, no one could tell how far it had developed. On top of that, a young boy with an awakened ability had gone missing inside that dungeon.

“That does sound urgent.”

“Yes. We’re currently selecting members to—”

“No need. If it’s an emergency, I’ll go alone. Just prepare transportation for me.”

“But, that’s…”

“I’m not going to act entirely on my own. I just need help with the transportation, so, please arrange it accordingly.”

Once before, I had left Self-Defense Force members behind and returned to Tokyo on my own.

That kind of thing shouldn’t be repeated often. Still, with a child’s life at stake, it was clear that urgency was needed—but even so, my rational mind told me I shouldn’t do things that even other S-Ranks couldn’t or wouldn’t do.

This incident hadn’t been made public. In that case, there was no need to create more witnesses unnecessarily. I only asked them to agree to let me go alone and had them send a helicopter for transport.

After explaining the situation to Mimimi and the others, Nobori-san arranged a taxi for me, since I wasn’t familiar with the area. At the designated spot, I boarded the helicopter and headed out. As there was no landing site in the mountains, I descended alone.

This much was something any other S-Rank should be capable of. They all had the physical capability for it. At the entrance to the dungeon, the police had already taped off the area.

“Sorry to startle you.”

There were startled cries as I dropped down from above, and I offered an apology to those around me.

“I’m Jiro Hasegawa, an S-Rank Awakener. I’m here at the request of the Ministry of D.”

“Isn’t Shimazu-san supposed to be here?”

A police officer asked.

“He had already left for another emergency dungeon raid, so I came since I was nearby.”

“I-I see. Um, will you be alright then?”

It seemed they were worried about me. Was it because Tougo was that trusted, or because they knew I was support-type and were uncertain about my capability? Or maybe both.

If they only knew the publicly available information, I couldn’t really blame them for being worried…

“There’s no problem. Please leave it to me.”

Still, in a situation like this, one must appear confident. They were just waiting there, filled with anxiety as it was. There was no need to make that worse.

“E-Excuse me!”

Just as I was about to enter the dungeon, a woman clung to my arm.

“My son is the one who went inside! Please, I’m begging you! Please save him!”

“It’ll be okay. Please don’t worry.”

I gently pried off her hand and finally entered the dungeon.

The interior was like a cave. As I went deeper, I saw Manascum flying around. Their presence suggested the dungeon hadn’t been around very long.

“In that case, monster threats should be minimal.”

This wasn’t a raid—it was a rescue mission. I couldn’t afford to cause collateral damage that might harm the rescue target. Conscious of my strength, I advanced by blowing away the black orbs of the approaching Manascum with intimidation.

“…Hmm?”

Focusing my hearing as I moved forward, I quickly picked up on a voice besides my own.

◆◆◆

The awakened boy Satoru, who had obtained the skill 【Monster Master】, ended up gaining control over a true ancestor-class vampire through an unexpected encounter. However, his natural ability would only have allowed him to control a single Pull Slime at most. He still had a long way to go in his training.

That day, too, after returning from school, he lied about going out to play and instead snuck into the dungeon in the back hills.

“Alright, come on out!”

At Satoru’s command, the skill activated, and Green Kid the Pull Slime, along with the vampire Angelina, appeared from the shadows.

“Pluki!”

“Good evening, Master.”

Seeing Green Kid bounce around happily made him feel cheerful, while Angelina’s silky voice gave him a strange, squirmy feeling. Not that he disliked it. He didn’t dislike it, but… Something about it felt dangerous.

What is this dangerous feeling?

“A-Alright, time to get serious with training today too!”

“Plukiii!”

“Yes.”

Shaking off the squirmy feeling, he psyched himself up and headed deeper into the dungeon. As soon as they got away from the entrance, Manascum began to gather. They moved slowly, not quite an “attack,” but getting touched still hurt and left burn-like marks on the skin—so they couldn’t be ignored.

As usual, Satoru had Green Kid handle them.

When Satoru had acquired the 【Monster Master】 skill, he’d also gained a baseline set of intuitive knowledge. A portion of the magical energy earned by subordinate monsters from battle would be absorbed by the skill owner. In other words, just having monsters fight would make their master stronger.

However, the monsters themselves had to earn their own experience to grow and evolve. Experience couldn’t be shared between subordinate monsters. Though Satoru had managed to obtain a high-tier monster right off the bat, he wasn’t about to abandon training his first companion, Green Kid.

Angelina, formerly known as Surami, appreciated that about him. She used her support-type skills to enhance Green Kid’s abilities. Angelina had never forgotten what Gobujirō had taught her—that buffing allies and debuffing enemies was a key strategy.

Remembering Gobujirō’s face was irritating, but when Satoru looked at Green Kid and said, “Thanks, Angelina!” it made her heart flutter. Back when she’d accepted Satoru’s control, she’d accidentally done what she’d seen dungeon explorers doing in the safe zones, but now, seeing Satoru’s happy face made her want to continue where they left off.

Still, the 【Monster Master】 skill that governed her warned against doing anything that might seem like coercion. She didn’t know what “R12!” meant, but apparently, she had to obey it, frustrating as it was.

“Hey, I think Green Kid’s color looks brighter.”

“That’s because the magic accumulating inside him is affecting his appearance. He might be close to evolving.”

“For real!? That’s awesome, Green Kid!”

“Pluki!”

“Okay, we might be able to go even deeper today.”

“Go as far as you can handle. If you get tired, I’ll carry you back.”

“U-Um… Okay.”

Just yesterday, he had gotten too deep, lost track of time, and almost missed his curfew—only to be rescued by Angelina. Angelina had carried Satoru, who was carrying Green Kid, back through the dungeon at astonishing speed… At that time, something much larger than Green Kid had been pressed right against Satoru…

Wait, just remembering that makes my head… My head… Huh? You want to do that again today? Is that okay? Is that really okay?

As Satoru moaned in the throes of a youthful dilemma, something blocked his path. It was Angelina’s arm.

“Who’s there?”

Her voice had turned sharp, and Satoru snapped out of it, turning to look ahead. But there was no one there.

No…

“Tch. You saw through my 【Invisibility】? Impressive.”

With that voice, a human figure oozed into visibility from the air.

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