I Was the Supporter of a Popular Dungeon Streamer, but the Power Harassment Was Too Much, so I Quit. I’m Useless Anyway, so It Shouldn’t Be a Problem, Right? Huh? The Views Are Dropping Like Crazy? - 72-73

Chapter 72: The Enemy’s Objective

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Back at the Odd Cat headquarters.

After sending Yako to the medical room, I visited Abisu’s room. Both Abisu and her partner were there. I had already given them a summary of the situation on the way back to headquarters. Now, I would provide the finer details myself.

“Kisaragi-chan was kidnapped, but in exchange, we found out where the enemy’s hideout was? Not bad.”

“……”

“Oh, I suppose that comment would make you angry. My bad, my bad.”

Abisu sat atop a pile of books, typing on a laptop resting on his knees.

“Pyramid-type labyrinths aren’t all that rare, but when cross-referencing them with the general coordinates you identified, this should be the one.”

Abisu showed an image of a pyramid-shaped labyrinth.

“C-rank Labyrinth: Argo. Ten floors in total. Unlike Amatsugahara, it has no spatial expansions. In other words, what you see is exactly what you get in terms of internal area.”

It was an exact match with what I had seen through 【Hide Bee】.

“Which guild is in charge of it!?”

“Don’t rush me. I’ll check now—wait… No way…”

Abisu froze. Her mouth was slightly open from shock.

“Hm? What’s wrong, Abisu?”

“…This is shocking. No, really. This is downright unbelievable. It seems I had underestimated her. No, no, I truly didn’t expect this.”

“What? Stop dragging it out and just tell me already.”

“I mean, come on. When you see this, I’m sure you will understand why I feel the itch to drag it out a little.”

Abisu turned her laptop screen toward me.

“…The hell!?”

C-Class Labyrinth: Argo—Assigned Guild: Fenrir.

“This has to be a joke…!”

Assigned Seeker: Mia Naruse.

“Impossible!! I mean, Fenrir didn’t have any timed labyrinths under their control before! And after the whole Iizuka incident, their guild ranking should have dropped significantly! There’s no way the Guild Association would have entrusted them with a timed labyrinth! So why…?”

“Appaarently, A-rank Seeker Shinzan Samebuchi joined Fenrir recently. Look.”

Abisu showed me a picture of a man with jagged teeth and a shark tattoo inked on his arm. The image was accompanied by an article about him.

“His OOPArt is ‘Arazame.’ A boomerang with serrated edges. Doesn’t seem like he’s very active in livestreaming. That means there’s not much detailed information on him.”

“So you’re telling me that with just him joining Fenrir, they managed to boost their ranking high enough to be entrusted with a timed labyrinth…?”

“Abisu-sama, when is the expiration date for this timed labyrinth?”

Isshiki asked the question.

“In ten days. The labyrinth itself has been around for twenty days already. Yeah, it’s definitely not their base of operations. Using a timed labyrinth as a base would be financially unsustainable. No matter how many resources you pour into it, it’ll disappear in a few months at best.”

“So it’s just a temporary base?”

“A relay point, more likely. OOPArts with teleportation capabilities usually have distance restrictions. Most likely, they’re using this labyrinth to establish a warp connection to their main base and transport resources.”

“…Which means there’s a chance Kisaragi has already been moved somewhere else.”

Even if she wasn’t there anymore, we had no choice but to go there. That place was our only lead on Kisaragi’s whereabouts.

“At least it doesn’t seem like the enemy’s full forces are gathered there. That works in our favor. If it’s just the tip of the iceberg, Odd Cat should be able to handle it on our own and those artificial OOPArts users aren’t much of a threat, right?”

“Yeah. As long as they don’t resort to any underhanded tricks, any B-rank or higher Seeker should be able to deal with them without much trouble.”

“OK. In that case, if we call in Aotsuba-kun and Utsugi-san, this should be a piece of cake—”

“Ah…!”

Isshiki suddenly let out a small gasp.

“Isshiki-san?”

Her face was frozen in fear. It was clear to see that she had thought of something bad.

“What is it?”

“Well… Artificial OOPArts alone might not be much of a threat to Abisu-sama. But, what if…”

She spoke the next words as if she was reciting a summoning spell to summon the devil.

“What if the artificial OOPArts could cause its user to change into a monster?  Wouldn’t that be very bad for us?”

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Chapter 73: Assault Team

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I see, why didn’t I realize it sooner?

“The basic essence of transforming into a monster is OOPArt. If they can create an artificial OOPArt to fill in the missing gap, then…”

A chill ran down my spine. If this theory held true then the enemy’s combat strength would become completely unpredictable.

“Shuuren Araki, who became a Red-Eyed Minotaur, was a C-rank Seeker. Yet, the Red-Eyed Minotaur had power equivalent to an A-rank Seeker. Iizuka, who was at the lower end of A-rank, gained upper-tier A-rank power after transforming into a monster too.”

Considering the increase of power the monster transformation could give…

“Those artificial OOPArt users felt like E to D-rank Seekers at best. If they were to transform into monsters, then every single one of them would be as strong as a  C-rank Seeker. That’s seriously bad…! If they can instantly modify ordinary people into C-rank or higher monsters…!”

Despite my growing anxiety, Abisu remained composed.

“…Even so, we won’t change our plan. The elites of Odd Cat will strike with a surprise attack.”

“Aren’t we going to ask the Guild Association for help?”

“We could, but who knows how long their preparations would take? Depending on which Seekers they select, there’s also the risk that they might just decide to destroy the entire labyrinth along with Kisaragi-chan.”

“That won’t be good…”

“Especially since Arashiki tends to favor that kind of strategy. He has both the ability to execute it and the likelihood of being selected for an operation like this. Relying on the Guild Association is too risky.”

Abisu shut her laptop and stood up.

“Isshiki-chan, send a message to Aotsuba-kun and Utsugi-san.”

“What should I tell them?”

“Have them use Seal Crystal to set up a barrier around Argo. That will cut off their ability to teleport. They’ll stay stationed at the Seal Crystal and guard them. The operation begins three days from now at noon.”

“Understood. I’ll send the message now.”

I understood what Abisu was trying to do.

“You’re trying to lure the enemy forces out of the labyrinth?”

“Exactly. They’ll concentrate their forces on the crystals to break the barrier. Aotsuba-kun and Utsugi-san will handle those coming outside and in the meantime, we’ll raid their now lightly guarded base.”

“And you’re going to have them defend the Seal Crystal separately?”

“Yeah. Those two are more effective as individual units rather than as a team.”

Aotsuba, I could understand, but Utsugi-san was that type too?

“As for the assault team, we’ll exclude D-rank and lower members, as well as non-combatants. We’ll mobilize 32 B-rank Seekers, 51 C-rank Seekers, and the three of us. Yun-san and the remaining members will stay behind at the guild headquarters. This is an all-out war. Odd Cat’s time-limited labyrinth will be left completely exposed, but it can’t be helped. Offense takes priority over defense.”

I swallowed hard. Odd Cat, one of the top ten guilds in this labyrinth city, was going all in… This was going to be a brutal battle.

“What about the Asahina sisters?” 

Isshiki-san asked.

“Yuna-chan won’t be able to return in time, and Yako-chan is currently at the level of a D-rank explorer or lower. We can’t bring her along.”

“Wait!”

Yako-chan suddenly stepped out of the elevator. 

“I heard everything. I’m going too!”

I glanced at Isshiki-san and she showed me her phone screen. On it, the words “Call in Progress – Yako Asahina” were displayed.

“I can’t turn down a request from someone I consider as my own little sister.”

“Isshiki-chan…”

“No. You’d just be a burden.”

I said it outright.

“That’s…”

“I’m right though. The reason I lost my important partner is because you rushed in without even assessing the enemy’s strength first. Stay put in the infirmary—Wha-!?”

I was caught off guard. Yako had dropped to her knees, pressing both fists against the floor and bowing her head.

“I’m sorry! That was my mistake. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I saw those bastards in front of me and I admit, I wasn’t strong enough. But! If I do nothing now… I’ll never be able to forgive myself!”

I had thought Mia and Yako were alike, but it seemed I was completely wrong. Unlike Mia, Yako was a pretty reasonable person. 

“Let me help rescue Koyuki! I swear I won’t get in the way. I will be useful!”

I looked to Abisu for help, but she just shrugged and said, “Why not?” As for Isshiki-san, she was already fully on board with bringing Yako along…

“…Fine. Do what you want. Not like I have the right to stop you anyway.”

“…! Thank you!!”

“Isshiki-chan, I want you to support Yako-chan this time. With you by her side, we should be able to rely on her as part of a usable fighting force.”

“Understood.”

“Alright, then that settles it. Until the mission starts, you’re free to do as you please. Make your preparations and ensure you’re in top condition. That’s all. Dismissed!”

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