Infinite Competitive Dungeon Society Chapter 108-110

Chapter 108. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (1)

I was right in trying to use the Giant Wolf to develop a battle strategy against giant monsters. Although the Giant Wolf's movement patterns were almost too simple, he certainly had disaster level speed and strength. With its size, it had boundless life force, and I had to train my patience and holding my focus for dozens of minutes to fight against it. Although fighting the Giant Wolf could not give me a heart-pounding thrill, I shouldn't just be seeking thrill in fights for my growth. I considered it a chance to steadily grow my abilities.

Another ability I have to improve was my communication with Ruyue. I had to strengthen my bond with her by being more intimate. Although Peika complained that I only materialized Ruyue and was more intimate with her, I couldn't help it as Peika was much stronger when she was infused into my spear with Spirit Aura than when she was materialized. To make it up to her, when I was training and not having a real battle, I had Peika materialized. Calling the elementals, materializing them, and making contact with them more often to increase our closeness were the easiest way of letting them grow.

[s.h.i.+n! I love s.h.i.+n!]

[That's enough! You're always sticking close to Master. You need to learn to share from time to time!]

Ruyue stuck to me excessively, and although Peika tried to stop Ruyue, Peika wasn't too different from Ruyue. Since how much the elementals liked me would only help their growth, I simply made a bitter smile and hugged them both, but I did find it a bit strange. They liked me more than what my Elementalist skill levels would suggest… Though, I knew emotions couldn't be reflected by skill levels. I also couldn't understand why Ruyue, who I only met recently, seemed to like me more than Peika. Perhaps it was because of the circ.u.mstances of how we met.

Coming back to the subject of the Giant Wolf, his unexpected partial gigantification attack was undoubtedly dangerous. Although I didn't feel threatened due to my excellent senses, ordinary explorers without sufficient detection abilities would find the attack fatal.

Even in the boss fight I had with explorers who were stuck on the 45th floor, two explorers died from the gigantification attack even though they were on their guard. The other explorers who survived also thought it was strange how I could dodge the Giant Wolf's attack so perfectly. Because it was frustrating, I tried to explain simply.

"There are signs. You can see how his muscles move, right? When muscles that have nothing to do with his current movement suddenly expand, you know that part will gigantify. Easy, right?"

"Crown Prince sucks."
"d.a.m.n it, I want to kill him."

I had gotten haters for the first time. d.a.m.n, they hated me even though I explained so simply…!

In truth, I wasn't really looking forward to the strengthening elixir that the Giant Wolf would drop. Strengthening elixirs raised two stats up to 10 times, totaling 12 points into each stat, equivalent to about 5 levels worth of stat points. Skin Strengthening Elixirs and Soul Strengthening Elixirs both increased my charm stat, which didn't have much impact in direct fights. However, I recently found out that the charm stat played an important role, so I wasn't that dissatisfied about it increasing. I suspected that the Giant Wolf's strengthening elixir would be something similar.

However, I was surprised by a completely unexpected outcome. Even the elixir's name was different.

[1. Wolf's Tattoo Invigoration Elixir]

The moment I saw it, I smacked my knees. Tattoo Invigoration Elixir! It wasn't worth anything to people who couldn't defeat the Giant Wolf alone! It was absurd. I felt strongly that the dungeon was changing the higher I went.

The dungeon was expecting something from the explorers and encouraged them to perform certain actions. Was I meeting its expectations? I felt happy every time I was a.s.sured that the path I was walking on was the correct one, but I also felt bad that I was playing in the hands of someone I didn't know. If I could attach a name to that someone, it would be the 'Lord' that members of the Fairy Garden talked about. Would he know everything about this dungeon? Will I be able to meet him one day? Of course, I didn't have any answers now.

In any case, since the secret reward was the Giant Wolf's Tattoo, it seemed the normal solo reward was just the Wolf's Tattoo. I felt a sense of pride, then shame from doing so as I ate the elixir.

[Your Giant Wolf's Tattoo becomes more invigorated. Your speed increases by 0.5% and dexterity increases by 1. Additionally, since you have the Giant Wolf's Tattoo, your speed increases by 0.5% and dexterity by 1.]

I wish it didn't use another sentence to say the same thing. It could have just said my speed increased by 1% and dexterity by 2. It seemed the ordinary Wolf's Tattoo only increased speed 0.5% and dexterity by 1. Thus Tattoo Invigoration Elixir could only have its full effect on me.

I despaired slightly at the fact that my speed increased by another 1%, when I had just gotten used to the 15% boost. Feeling that I would be fighting myself for a while, I sighed. My premonition came true, as every time I got used to the speed increase the Tattoo Invigoration Elixir gave me, eating dozens of Tattoo Invigoration Elixirs in the process, the elixir gave another 1% increase. Not to mention, the light the tattoo gave off increased every time to the point it stuck out like a sore thumb if I didn't cover it with my pants. Although it was fine during the winter, it seemed I wouldn't be able to wear shorts during the summer. Though, my body's temperature no longer fluctuated because of the length of my pants.

One month had pa.s.sed since then. March was right around the corner, and I had to go back to school for the second semester. As I made the extreme decision of taking four online cla.s.ses, I only had to go to school for four days! Heh, being a college student was really only to disguise my real ident.i.ty. What was important to me was not at the college. Ye-Eun, I chose to abandon my grades!

During that time, the Field Dungeons were taken care of one by one, and only America and j.a.pan were having trouble with theirs. j.a.pan seemed to have made some progress, but Antelope Valley's Field Dungeon, Wyvern's Nest, was expanding its territory, just like people feared. The U.S. government gave up several benefits and requested every country for help. As ability users were now the greatest resources a country could possess, it was doubtful that any of them would accept their request so easily. Of course, a country didn't function with only ability users, and some countries had negotiated to send their SS rankers with the condition that they escape when a dangerous situation occurred.

If the matter with Brightman had not happened, Britain with their two SS rankers would have been able to trade with America more easily, but because they covered for Brightman's indiscretions, they had completely lost Hwaya's trust and were most likely panicking, trying to regain her a.s.sistance. It served them right.

That aside, I did want to try hunting wyverns… Since I had several escape tools in my a.r.s.enal, I thought about going there someday.

In any case, no matter how much everyone was having trouble with the Field Dungeons, I was focusing on the 45th Floor Master, Giant Wolf. Today was the day the grind would end.

[Krrrruuuaang!]

"Crown Prince-nim, be careful!"

"This much is nothing!"

The Giant Wolf could gigantify any part of his body. When it gigantified just a single claw and sent it flying, I was almost shocked to death. Today, it even gigantified its head and tried to swallow me whole. As Ruyue had leapt right in front of him, she couldn't evade the attack unless she could freely fly.

Without a shred of hesitation, I leapt up on Ruyue's back and dematerialized Ruyue. The Giant Wolf's mouth chomped down on the area Ruyue and I had been in, and I landed on the Giant Wolf's nose bridge. After gigantification, its eyes were bigger than my own body. Being stared down by his eyes sent a chill down my back, but I used Ruyue's power to fix my feet onto the nose bridge and grinned.

Ruyue's power froze my boots completely and prevented me from falling off the Giant Wolf no matter how much he shook his head. That said, staying like this would get dizzy, so I had to end it fast!

"It's time for firework! Uaaaaak!"

[You used Crimson Roar. Everything blazes as flames.]

In an instant, everything within my sight became flames and burned violently. Even knowing that the flames would not hurt me, I could not help but close my eyes shut. Naturally, attacked by the large flames directly, the Giant Wolf's two eyes also received irrecoverable damage, burning completely.

"Uwah, I heard about it already, but it really is a vicious skill!"

"The barrier is going to get broken through! Reinforce it!"

As I had already warned them, my party members had dug a hole for themselves in the distance and were hiding under a barrier. Even so, the flames were affecting them. Wasn't that the army's gas chamber training? With the rather useless thought, I raised my spear and aimed it at the Giant Wolf, who was in pain from having lost his eyes.

"Alright, let's end this!"

[Kruaaaaang!]

You can cry all you want! I won't stop hitting you because of it!

[You consumed Wolf's Tattoo Invigoration Elixir to the limit. The Giant Wolf's Tattoo has been invigorated to its peak. Your speed increases by 6%. You dexterity increases by 6.]

[You learned the skill, 'Gale Track,' from invigorating the Giant Wolf's Tattoo to its peak! It is a charge type skill, using extreme speed and seeking only destruction! When used, you will become super-armored for the duration, pus.h.i.+ng away every in your path. Every time an enemy is pushed away, your attack power increases by 5% up to 100%. The skill's power will increase with speed. If you have a riding skill, you can use it while riding. When attacking the enemy at your destination, wind attribute will be imbued to your weapon, amplifying its power. The charging speed and power will increase with skill level.]

"Oh."

I was wondering where the charge skill was hiding, but to think it was in my tattoo! Plus, it even dealt a final blow after the reckless charge! It was just my taste. I waved my hand and sent my party members off, then went to report what happened to Loretta.

"Really? Well, s.h.i.+n-nim is the first one to obtain the Giant Wolf Tattoo, and I haven't seen anyone other than s.h.i.+n-nim consume Tattoo Invigoration Elixir to the limit… So, what was the skill that the Giant Wolf Set had?"

"That's…"

At Loretta's question, I could only make a strange smile. I was secretly hoping for Blood Howl, which converted all defense to attack power, but…

[You equipped the Giant Wolf Set. Your dexterity and magic increase by 20. When the Giant Wolf Set is equipped, you can use 'Gigantic' once per day. Gigantic is a strong skill that enables you to enlarge and wield a body part, or weapon or equipment connected to your body. However, without the strength to wield the enlarged target, this skill may be catastrophic to you.]

"You don't have to make that face, Loretta. I already know."

"Ahaha, well not all Floor Master skill can be to your liking. Um… Do your best."

"Who knows, maybe a day will come when I will use this skill."

For reference, I tested it out by gigantifying my spear, but as it became dozens of meters long, I couldn't even grab and swing it. Although my strength was enhanced by the elixirs I had eaten, I would need at least twice my current strength to wield it properly. Since I had received an unexpected gift from the tattoo, I would have to deal with the lackl.u.s.ter set equipment skill.

"Then are you going to the 46th floor now? Before you go, play with me for a bit. Please?"

"Loretta should be cheering on the warrior, not being spoiled by him … is what I want to say, but…"

When I lengthened my words, Loretta's eyes sparkled and she held my hands tightly.

"You'll play with me?"

"School starts today."

"… Tsk."

Loretta's eyes quickly lost their light. She clicked her tongue and let go of my hands. I laughed helplessly and left the dungeon. Since it was only the first lecture, I probably didn't need to go, but I felt it was wrong to miss even a single day of lessons.

But when I went down to the 1st floor, an unexpected sight entered my eyes. Mother was serving tea to Walker, who had his real face showing. Yua was also eating a toast with jam, getting ready to go to school.

"Walker, why are you here?"

"Your mother invited me. Your family really knows what manner is."

"That sounds like you're saying I don't have any manners."

"There's a letter for you. I didn't think you had any overseas friend other than Mastiford."

Huh? What? I tilted my head and accepted the letter from Walker. It was from America, and the sender's name was also in English. Ciara Kenex…? On the other hand, the receiver's name, Kang s.h.i.+n, was properly written in Korean. I ripped open the envelope, and read the small, pink letter.

This was the first line.

'Dear Earth's Hero.'

Author's Note: N/A

Chapter 109. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (2)

After reading the first line, I folded the letter as naturally as I could and put it in my pocket. Then, I casually asked Walker.

"Walker, have you read the letter?"

"No, so don't kill me."

To think he saw through my poker face, it seemed Walker had gone through much training. I smiled at him, signaling him to not say anything, then patted Yua, who was eating her toast.

"Yua, oppa's off."

"Okay. Make sure to tell me if something happens."

Since Walker noticed, there was no way that Yua didn't. With a bitter smile, I patted her head again.

"Of course. It's nothing, so don't worry about it."

"Ehehe. That tickles."

"See you later, son."

"Yes, mother."

Yua smiled innocently and mother saw me off as if nothing was wrong. The women in my family were all really thoughtful. Although I didn't want to admit it, they were much more refined than father or me, who were the same on the inside as the outside. Though, I was sometimes scared from being unable to read their thoughts!

[Dear Earth's Hero.
You must be surprised by the sudden letter, but electronic forms of communication can be intercepted, and I was afraid to send you a telepathic message out of the blue, so I've decided to send you this letter using my acquaintance in Korea.
I am Ciara Kenex, S+ rank Awakened residing in America. It is not that I am strong. The reason I became S+ rank… though it's a bit embarra.s.sing to say myself, is because I have a special ability.
Hero-nim, the reason I know about Hero-nim is also because of my ability.
It has already been a year since the world changed. I know, I know that you are slowly becoming complete. It is also why I chose to contact you now.
I want to meet you. I know about the dungeons that have invaded this world and wish to prepare for it with Hero-nim.
If it's okay with Hero-nim, can you visit America's S rank Field Dungeon as Thunder Knight, under the pretense of helping out? In that case, I will be there and visit Hero-nim.
I apologize if it sounds like I am trying to use Hero-nim's strength. Since I am not in a position to do anything with my body, there, unfortunately, isn't a way for me to visit Hero-nim myself. I only barely got the permission to visit the Field Dungeon this time. Usually I'm…
Please. I want to meet you. The second wave will arrive soon. Before it becomes difficult to move again, I want to meet with you.
I know you are already busy with something. You can come after you have taken care of it. If you contact the address in this letter, I will make the preparations for you to secretly enter America. Of course, be careful not to reveal too much information.
If you do not wish to enter the S rank Field Dungeon after meeting me, I will take measures for you to go back immediately. So please, trust me and come.
With respect and love, Ciara Kenex.]

Ciara Kenex. I searched her name immediately, but there wasn't any information about her. An S+ ranker should be well known globally. As there was less than 200 S rankers on Earth, it was only obvious that information about them was widespread. However, there was no info on Ciara Kenex. Almost as if she didn't exist.

Almost as if someone had erased any information about her.

No one from Earth should know that I'm Earth's Hero. Then how did she know? Was she related to the dungeon? No, there were still only 6 dungeon explorers, and I was fourth in the rankings, behind Hwaya, father, and Walker. Below me should be j.a.pan's Minami Violet Sumire, and my friend, Su Ye-Eun.

This ranking system didn't care which dungeon we were in, and only estimated our ranking based on the floor we had reached. It was why I was in fourth place. Hwaya was clearly highest, father had recently broken through the 50th floor, and Walker was on the 48th floor. Walker seemed to be climbing fast, as he focused his entire afternoon on climbing the dungeon.

In any case, this Ciara Kenex wasn't connected to the dungeon. According to her, she knew I was the Hero because of her ability. Then should I meet her?

'It's a bit iffy, but…'

I didn't know how much she knew about me. Not to mention, she knew about my house address and could deliver a letter through an acquaintance in Korea. I couldn't just say, 'Oh, you know I'm the Hero? Let's meet!' However, if she found my ident.i.ty and my house address through her ability, she would undoubtedly appear again unless I went and killed her.

After thinking about it for a bit, I concluded that it wasn't something I should be afraid of or back away from. Not to mention, I wanted to visit Wyvern's Nest eventually. Did this woman know about that too and was trying to bait me with it?

"s.h.i.+n, cla.s.s is over."

"Ah, yeah, you're right."

Unless the professor was incredibly strict or the cla.s.s was incredibly difficult, the first cla.s.s usually ended early after a short orientation. When my head was full with the name Ciara Kenex, Ye-Eun pulled on me.

"Let's go eat."

"Alright, but not Korean food."

"But that's cheaper…"

"Even if I have to pay ten times more, I'll eat something else."

Exchanging small talk, we left the lecture room. When the ma.s.sacre happened at the business department's MT, everyone was incredibly shocked, but it seemed it was slightly better now after winter break had pa.s.sed. As a hundred people had died, many people were undoubtedly friends with the deceased students. Of course, that wasn't the case for me. Though I shouldn't be happy about it, I was truthfully happy that I did not have to mourn the death of someone I knew.

We had to get used to the world we were living in. Pus.h.i.+ng away cancer, heart disease, and other causes of death, 'monster encounter' has become the number one cause of death. We were living in a world where it wasn't weird to hear that a friend had been killed by a monster after waking up in the morning. No matter how active Guardian and Freedom Wing were, they couldn't take care of monsters immediately after they appeared.

"Hey, do you want to enter a student group?"

"I'd rather focus on the dungeon."

"s.h.i.+n, don't you think you should enjoy life a little more?"

"In my life, there's only been training and dungeon… Though, other things are beginning to fill up my life, but college life just isn't for me."

"Ehew, really, I'm saying the two of us should spend more time together!"

"I'm going to have to refuse."

"I hate you!"

Student groups are just people with similar hobbies hanging out and going for drinks. Every break, they'd go to an MT and drink together.

If that was all, I was already doing something similar. I fought the Floor Master with people of similar levels, and drank potions when my HP or MP fell low. When Event Dungeons happened on Earth, I'd go there with my allies and drink potions. It was the same thing.

"Kuuu, I'll catch up to you soon, just you wait! I'm almost on the 40th floor!"

"You're defeating all the bosses solo, right?"

"Yeah! Although I'm in a party these days, I temporarily leave it and do it alone first!"

Ye-Eun complained about Dullahan being tricky to deal with. Listening to her, I estimated her strength, and was sure she reached S rank by now. Even so, the 40th Floor Master was different than the previous Floor Masters.

"40th floor is especially tricky so be careful. Even if you're hiding, he'll suddenly appear behind you and slash down with his scythe."

"It'll be fine if s.h.i.+n teaches me everything! So, how about tonight, the two of us- ow."

"You can come back if you die once. Since you can't get the first achievement anyways, it's fine if you die once."

"Chet, can't you just nicely teach me? You know, this and that…"

Seeing Ye-Eun pouting like a duck, I grinned. I felt stupid for worrying about the matter with Ciara Kenex. These days, whenever I talked, I kept finding darkness lurking everywhere and turned gloomy, but I liked Ye-Eun because it wasn't like that with her. She didn't hide anything, and was simple, honest, and straightforward. Moreover, she genuinely liked me. Maybe meeting Ye-Eun was the best thing that happened to me from coming to college.

Ye-Eun's murmuring monologue was continuing.

"We can drink together deep into the night… do this and that… and it'll be the next morning."

With a smile, I pinched Ye-Eun's cheeks and pulled on them.

"Hey, confess your criminal plan now. The severity of your punishment will change depending on your answer."

"I-It's not a criminal plan! It's a family plan!"

"That's even more dangerous!"

She was also dangerous! Forget darkness, she's pitch black!

Dinner time that night, I received a message from Ye-Eun.

[It's weird. My party members aren't coming in.]

"Unlike our world, their continent might be busy with something. They might have been called to battle or something, so don't worry too much."

[Okay, but they aren't responding to my messages, so I can't help but worry.]

I told Ye-Eun that she didn't need to worry that much. The moment we ended our conversation, I realized I was anxious myself. d.a.m.n, it seemed s.h.i.+na was already inside my fencing.

"Haa, I wonder if that princess is okay… I should probably send her a message.

I immediately messaged s.h.i.+na, but there was no answer. If it was the usual s.h.i.+na, she would have replied regardless of whether she was sleeping or in the shower, so this was definitely strange.

I was currently in the dungeon's 47th floor. Starting from the 46th floor, the dungeon had become similar to a snowy field. Thanks to my contract with Ruyue, I broke through the 46th floor without much difficulty, and was currently breaking through the 47th floor, while fighting ice worms and frozen penguins. However, once I started being concerned about s.h.i.+na, the spirit in my spear had lessened. Why did I feel so uneasy? I already knew the answer. It was because I remembered the dream I had.

'No, it can't be. A dream is only a dream. s.h.i.+na's fine. She has to be.'

When I calmed myself and arrived at the 48th floor, a friend had sent me a message. It wasn't long, but it was enough to change my heart for the worse.

[Luke continent's Hero… died. The Demon Lord… took s.h.i.+na. s.h.i.+n… what do I do…!?]

The moment I read the message, I had a hunch. That my peaceful life would soon come to an end.

That the unpreventable change was not only happening on Earth.

Author's note:
Whew, did I succeed in pretending today was about s.h.i.+n's everyday life and surprising the readers!? Who is Ciara Kenex and what will s.h.i.+n do!?
Look forward to the development, everyone ^^

Chapter 110. Requirements of a Dimensional Mercenary (3)

"What… What about you?"

[D-Dungeon. I ran away to the dungeon. Most of the explorers in the battlefield died, and only Shuna and I managed to escape to the dungeon. I'm scared, I can't go back. E-Even though I'm the crown princess. Even though I have to be at the battlefield…!]

"… And the Demon Lord?"

[He got heavily injured from fighting the Hero before squeezing out the last of his strength and turning everyone into stone. s.h.i.+na was there. I ran away… while watching everything happen.]

"So s.h.i.+na isn't the only one that got captured."

[Yeah… S-s.h.i.+n… I, I'm scared. I can't go back to my world…]

Even over the dungeon's messages, her trembling voice reached me perfectly. I bit my lips, not knowing what to do. After a bit of pondering, I thought that I needed to see her.

"Where are you?"

[In my house at the Residential Area…]

"Let's meet first."

[… Okay.]

I wouldn't be able to focus on breaking through the dungeon in this situation anyways. I immediately headed to the Residential Area and received her invitation to go to her house.

The moment I arrived, Ludia b.u.mped into my chest. No, she had run into my embrace. Thankfully, I wasn't wearing my armor.

"Ludia…"

"Hic… hic…."

Without bursting out into tears, she eked out whimpers as she stayed in my embrace. I could feel my s.h.i.+rt getting wet from her tears. Fl.u.s.tered, I didn't know what to do and could only pat her back as she cried. Ludia stayed like that for a few minutes before she calmed down and got off.

"… Sorry."

Ludia's eyes were bloodshot from crying. She then sat on the chair without any strength. Her usual self resembled a cat ready to fight with its hair raised, but she currently looked completely powerless. 'She must have had no one to turn to if she contacted me…' For an instant, the absurd thought crossed my mind, but I erased it immediately. I shook my head as if to shake away my delusion and asked her,

"What about Miss Shuna? Is she also in her house?"

"Shuna's the princess of a small kingdom… she doesn't have the money. She's sleeping here for now, but… because she isn't a family member, I can't register her. If her vitality hits zero in the dungeon…"

"She'll go back to the Luka continent."

"Ut…"

When I said that, Ludia bit her lips. She then covered her face with her hands, and a hot sigh came out between them.

"The Hero died… W-What do I do? The continent's hope has disappeared. Although the Demon Lord got weakened, it won't stay weak forever. What about s.h.i.+na? What about father and mother? Our empire's people…? They're only looking at me…!"

"What about the other explorers?"

"Anyone who survived ran away. The Hero was the strongest, but he died. The Demon Lord's army will finish getting ready soon and attack. Now is the only time to save s.h.i.+na… but I can't do it…!"

"Ludia, calm down a little…! Just because the Hero died, it doesn't mean your world is ending."

"It's ending, s.h.i.+n… If you die, your world will end too."

At her words, I became unable to breathe for an instant.

"What… do you mean?"

"I don't know the exact reason, but that's what everyone says… That if the Hero dies, his world will fall to ruin without doubt… The Hero is the world itself. He is its center and core. As long as the Hero is alive, the world can continue to endure, but it's over when he dies. There's no chance of survival. My continent will no longer…!"

I couldn't hear Ludia's words very well. The world will end if the hero dies? It sounded like a cruel joke. Can't there be another Hero? Can't someone else accept his legacy? Is that why the monsters targeted the Hero? To destroy the world?

Then if I die, Earth will end?

"That's why Heroes bear such heavy weights… That's why they're strong… That's why you're so charming…! Because you need to attract others to you in order to protect yourself… in order to protect the world…"

I finally understood why my charm stat increased on its own. I didn't want to know, but it was already too late.

I felt like something heavy was pressing down on my shoulders. Was I possessed by a ghost? I tried to make a joke, but it wasn't funny at all.

I began to realize. The daily life Loretta wanted was getting farther away. I was taken aback by the absurdity, and the strength in my body disappeared. I wanted to flop down onto the ground, but I couldn't because of Ludia, who seemed to lack even more energy. I gritted my teeth and put strength into my body. Ludia was looking at me. She was asking me.

"Should I go back? s.h.i.+n, tell me."

"I… can't be the one to tell you. What do you want to do, Ludia?"

"I don't know. Don't ask me such a cruel question. I really don't know… No, in truth, I want to run away…!"

There wasn't much I could do to calm down Ludia in her state of panic. However, because the appearance of lifeless dungeon explorers I've been seeing overlapped with the current Ludia, it was hard for me to leave her alone.

"Ludia, I can't give you an answer… but I don't want to see you die."

"Do… you…"

Ludia looked at me with a surprised expression. I nodded my head seriously.

"Right. You're a precious friend, so it's only normal that I'd worry."

Ludia's face turned red. Because of the state of her emotions, I wasn't sure how much it changed.

I continued.

"But I know words can't match actions. Ludia, think carefully. Take the entire day if you need to, and act on it."

"Are you leaving?"

"Do you want me to stay?"

She seemed to be deep in thought, then mumbled with her mouth closed.

"Stay for one night… no, two hours."

"… Okay."

"Closer."

When I approached her, Ludia grabbed onto my sleeve without a word. I pulled a chair and sat down next to her. I was also confused. I needed time to organize my thoughts.

Ludia seemed to have relaxed after holding onto my sleeve, as she fell asleep with her head down. Her sleeping appearance was extremely lovely, but it didn't enter my eyes.

I contemplated. About me, about the Hero, and about Earth. Starting from how I became the Hero to if the world would really end when the Hero died. I really pondered until my head felt like it would explode. After two hours, I barely managed to arrive at a conclusion. The answer was quite simple.

I wouldn't care.

I never asked anyone to let me be the Hero. I'd just been called Hero before I noticed. People might say, 'you're only strong because you're the Hero!' But to me, it was a load of bull. Plus, just because I was told that my world would end on the event of my death, it didn't mean that I needed to act any differently.

The world will end if I die? What, should I go hide somewhere? Should I just climb the dungeon without risking myself in Event Raids or Field Dungeons? No, not even over my dead body.

I will do what I want, and no one will stop me. I won't let them. I decided how to live my life. I won't waver because of some nonsense like the world ending if I die. Even if that were true, the world was over for me once I died anyway. Ah, but I still needed to ensure Yua and mother's safety. As for father, he would be fine on his own!

I had worried for nothing. Now that I thought about it, it was simple. In fact, I felt much better now that I had organized my thoughts, and I felt like I knew what to do from now.

First, break through the 48th floor! Then, find out if there's anything I can do for s.h.i.+na. I had a strong feeling that there was something I could do. Was this also the Hero's ability? s.h.i.+t, no, I needed to stop thinking about Heroes!

When I got up, Ludia opened her eyes, still half-closed.

She looked at me and slowly asked, "Are you leaving? Don't… leave me alone… Stay with me."

"You have Miss Shuna, Ludia. You're not alone. If you call me later, I'll come running for you. But for now, there's something I need to do."

I imbued mana into my bracelet and equipped my armor. In front of Ludia, whose eyes opened wide, I closed the visor of my helmet and grinned. Though, she wouldn't be able to see it.

"There has to be a way I can help."

"… Don't. You can't. You need to protect your own world. Don't involve yourself with other worlds, stupid!"

"Don't misunderstand. It's not just to help you. s.h.i.+na's also my friend, and I don't like seeing you the way you are. I hate seeing people so helpless. So I'll find a way to help you."

"I'm not doing this to get you to help me! What I want is something else! It was just your warmth! I don't want to drag you to h.e.l.l because of me!"

"I know. I also know… that people that aren't seeking help from others are the ones who want help most desperately."

"No! You're wrong!"

Because she thought it was a hopeless situation, she couldn't so unashamedly reach out for help. However, no matter how hopeless the situation seemed, it might actually be solved easily and simply with the help of others.

That had to be why they existed. I ignored Ludia's shouts and left her house. I thought to myself…

To look into Dimensional Mercenaries.

After breaking through the 48th floor, I arrived at the Floor Shop. Was she surprised that I arrived earlier than she expected? While Loretta was frozen for a moment, I asked what I need to. It was about Dimensional Mercenaries.

Loretta became silent at my question. Then, she asked me with a quiet voice.

"s.h.i.+n-nim now somewhat knows what kind of an existence the Hero is, right?"

"Yes, to a certain extent."

"Even so, you're trying to become a Dimensional Mercenary, whose lives can't be guaranteed."

"Yes."

"The possibility that you'll die in a dimension other than your own… you've considered it, right?"

"No. I won't die, Loretta. So I haven't considered it."

"Really… n.o.body can stop you."

Loretta smiled at my words, then pinched my cheek with a sulking expression.

"I won't forgive you if you die. I'll follow you to the ends of h.e.l.l and bother you, okay?"

"Like I said, I won't die. So hurry up and tell me about Dimensional Mercenaries."

"There are many requirements to become a Dimensional Mercenary. First, level. Explorers that aren't Gold ranked, or level 51, do not have the qualification to become a Dimensional Mercenary. Second, magic. You need the 'Dimensional Travel' magic, which serves as the basis of a Dimensional Mercenary, and the 'Return' magic, which acts as the safety device to let Dimensional Mercenaries return to their home in any situation. Without any of these magic, you cannot become a Dimensional Mercenary. Third, league. Without having made at least 10 achievements and being at least the incarnation of a G.o.d, you cannot become a Dimensional Mercenary. However, s.h.i.+n-nim has Hermes' true name and have made many achievements, so you already pa.s.sed this requirement.

"I'll become Gold ranked soon, so all I need is the Dimensional Travel magic."

She grinned and shook her head.

"There are a few ways you can obtain the Dimensional Travel magic… but there is one simplest, yet most difficult, method. It's to defeat the 50th Floor Master alone."

"Why is that the most difficult? That seems to be the easiest."

"s.h.i.+n-nim is the only one who would think that."

At Loretta's brusque words, I replied with a vague smile. However, my heart was burning. Dimensional Mercenary! I was only a step away from becoming one! Feeling like fate was guiding me… I felt dirty. However, there was no choice for now. I'd make use of anything I could!

First would the 50th floor. The day I would become First Dungeon's Gold rank explorer was approaching.