♥♥♥
Three weeks have passed since I came to the Beastman Kingdom of Bestier. There’s one week left until I return to Ifrus Magic Academy.
This week, we were scheduled to explore the ruins in Bestier. The interior of these ruins is a dungeon. Most dungeons in this world are generally free to explore, but entry into this particular dungeon was strictly forbidden. That’s because this is a dungeon for training Heroes.
But we were granted permission to enter the dungeon in the ruins. Leo, the Beastman King, gave me permission as the new owner of the country. I think Tina being with us was a big factor too. She isn’t a Hero, but she was a companion of the Hero who defeated the Demon Lord and saved the world a hundred years ago.
When I was given the key to enter the dungeon, Leo asked me not to needlessly destroy anything inside. Apparently, normal exploration is fine. And so, Tina, my classmates, and I came to the dungeon in the ruins.
“It’s been a while since we’ve been in a dungeon. Let’s get lots of treasure!!”
The Dragonoid girl, Ryuka, had sparkling eyes as she looked at the dungeon entrance. She was the same way when we explored the dungeon inside the World Tree in the Elven Kingdom of Alfheim; she seems to love collecting gem-type treasures. I heard from Ryushin that she often enters dungeons to search for gems. He lamented that he always has to put up with her hobby for hours on end.
But unfortunately for her, she probably won’t find what she’s looking for this time.
“This is a dungeon for training Heroes, so it might be a bit tough.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“Ryuka-san. There are two types of dungeons in this world.”
Tina explained in my stead. Since she’s our homeroom teacher at the magic academy, she always explains things carefully when a student has a question. By the way, our current trip to Bestier is also part of a class at the magic academy.
“The first type is dungeons for adventurers. These are managed by a being called a Dungeon Master and are scattered all over the world. The contents of treasure chests are periodically restocked, and defeated monsters reappear after a certain period. The dungeons Ryuka-san goes to for her gem-hunting hobby are all of this type.”
To add to the explanation about adventurer dungeons, they are easy for leveling up and acquiring items, so many adventurers continue to challenge them even now. Apparently, the Dungeon Master accumulates something called Dungeon Points to operate the dungeon. An adventurer who once conquered a dungeon and befriended the Dungeon Master passed that information on to the Adventurer’s Guild. I once read about it in a book called ‘An Adventurer’s Guide,’ and it sparked my interest in the existence of Dungeon Masters. Doesn’t running a dungeon sound kind of fun?
“Treasure chests are in every dungeon, but… so the Dungeon Master has been refilling them for us.”
“Leafa, have you been to dungeons other than the one in the World Tree?”
“Yes. There are several dungeons within Alfheim.”
“Bestier has a few dungeons that everyone can freely enter-nya.”
“So this place, with its restricted entry, really is special, isn’t it?”
“Yes, Luke-san is correct. The other type of dungeon, the one that isn’t for adventurers, was prepared by the God of this world to raise Heroes. As for its characteristics… Luna-san, do you know?”
Even in the middle of an explanation, if Tina thought a student might know what comes next, she’d let them explain. Tina’s style of teaching was to increase opportunities for students to teach each other, making it easier to share knowledge.
“Um, it’s said that Hero-use dungeons have a high concentration of ‘Mana’ inside. Because of that, strong monsters tend to spawn naturally. However, since they spawn naturally, the frequency of battles is lower compared to adventurer dungeons.”
“Correct. We haven’t covered this in class yet, but you’ve studied well. By the way, as for what mana is… shall we have the spirits, Mai-san and Mei-san, explain?”
““Yes. Leave it to us.””
Mai and Mei are spirit sisters with whom I have a summoning contract. Mai is a mid-tier fire-attribute spirit, and Mei is a mid-tier water-attribute spirit. As a reward for their hard work during the magic academy’s festival, I gave them a large amount of my magical power, and their rank as spirits rose. They’ve probably gained power on par with Spirit Kings like Sylph or Undine. These two explained about mana.
“Mana is the driving force that moves the world.”
“We spirits have the role of converting mana into various forms of energy.”
One of the most familiar forms of mana for the inhabitants of this world is magical power. Spirits convert mana into magical power. In other words, within every person who can use magic in this world, there is a spirit. Not a spirit with a will like Mai and Mei, though. Those spirits have no will and exist solely to convert mana.
Furthermore, spirits that convert mana into magical power exist not only within people but also inside the magic stones of monsters and in the massive rivers of mana flowing beneath the earth called Dragon Veins.
“Mai-san, Mei-san. Thank you. Sorry to trouble you, but could you also explain a little about spirits? About ‘contracts’ and such.”
““Yes~””
“When people use magic, they give attributes like fire, water, wind, earth, lightning, dark, and light to their magical power, right?”
“That attribute conversion of magical power is also our job as spirits.”
“Even will-less spirits can perform attribute conversion.”
“But sometimes, we spirits with wills lend a hand. That is—”
““A summoning contract.””
Spirits rarely form contracts with humans, allowing them to wield magic on a scale humans cannot handle.
The price humans pay for this contract is magical power. Spirits can convert mana into magical power on their own, but by receiving it through a human, their growth as a species can be accelerated.
“Thank you both very much.”
““Not at all. If you have any questions about spirits, please ask us anytime.””
After finishing their explanation, Mai and Mei came over to my side. They’re probably expecting that.
“Good job explaining, you two.”
As I said that and patted Mai and Mei on the head, they looked satisfied. Youko, who was watching, became a little grumpy.
“Hey, Tina. Is there no need to explain about the demon races? If it’s about the Kijin or the Nine-Tailed Foxes, I could explain it.”
“Youko-san, let’s save that for another time. Today, I wanted everyone to learn about things related to dungeons.”
“Muu. I see…”
Youko looked at me with a regretful expression.
Too bad for you. If there’s a chance to contribute to Tina’s class in the future, I’ll praise you then.
“Let’s return to the explanation about the dungeon. This ruin’s dungeon is one of the things prepared by the Creator God for the purpose of helping Heroes grow.”
“One of them? Does that mean there are other dungeons for Heroes besides this one?”
“Yes. That’s right, Ryushin-kun. This one, in particular, seems to have been made for low-level Heroes.”
“Low level…? How do you know that-nya?”
Bestier manages the dungeon in these ruins, and Meldy is the princess of this country, Bestier. However, it seems she wasn’t told much information about this place.
“That’s because the Hero who conquered this place with me was level 100 or lower.”
“““Huh!?”“”
Voices of surprise rose from my classmates.
I already knew because Tina had told me, but it’s pretty shocking if you don’t know.
“It was designed to be just right for a level 70 Hero to conquer while growing. That’s why it’s for low-level Heroes.”
“U-um, Tina-sama. That’s not what we’re surprised about…”
“Sensei, you’ve cleared this dungeon before!?”
“Yes, that’s right. …Oh, did I not mention it?”
Yeah. I don’t think she told anyone but me.
Conquering a dungeon is considered a great feat in this world. Even in popular dungeons swarming with adventurers, only a very select few can reach the final floor and have their names engraved on the ‘Monument.’ By the way, the Monument is a giant stone slab on the final floor of every dungeon, and the names of those who defeat the dungeon’s last boss are automatically carved into it. For an adventurer, having one’s name carved on a dungeon’s Monument is the greatest honor.
“Does that mean Tina-sama’s name is on the Monument here?”
“It is. I worked together with the Hero to defeat the Redstone Dragon that was the last boss here.”
“S-Seriously-nya?”
“Meldy-san, you didn’t know either?”
I understand why Luna would question that. Beastmen are a race drawn to the strong. There’s no way such a race wouldn’t be interested in a powerful figure like a Hero. If they knew that a Hero and Tina had challenged and conquered this dungeon, the Beastman race would pass down the story for generations as a tale of valor.
“It’s an embarrassing story, but at the time, we were unable to gain the recognition of the Beastman King and couldn’t get permission to enter this dungeon.”
“What? B-But, Tina-sensei—”
“Well, you see… We sort of entered without permission. Teehee.”
She’s so unfair. That’s just too cute.
When Tina told me the story of conquering the ruins’ dungeon before, she glossed over it in the same way. Her ‘teehee’ was so cute that I could only forgive her. Back then, I was in no position to forgive or not forgive Tina for trespassing in the dungeon, but…
But now, I’m the owner of Bestier, which manages the dungeon in the ruins.
“It can’t be helped. It was necessary for the Hero to become stronger, right?”
“Y-Yes. That’s right!!”
“Then, as the owner of Bestier, I’ll forgive Tina and the others for their past transgression.”
While I’m at it, I’ll pardon the Hero’s crime as well. And I think the beastmen will accept my arbitrary decision. Because the beastmen are a race that will follow the strong.
“Come to think of it, Haruto is the owner of this country, huh?”
“Why are you ranked higher than the king?”
Luke and Ryushin looked at me with exasperated faces. It’s a bit late for that, so just get used to it.
“If Haruto says it’s okay, then Father and the War God probably won’t complain-nya.”
I even got the seal of approval from the beastman princess, Meldy. So it’s fine.
“Haruto-sama. Thank you.”
“Yeah, it’s fine.”
And with that, the matter is settled. Well then, shall we finally enter the dungeon? I started to head towards the dungeon.
“Um… I think you were in the middle of explaining why we can’t get gems and such in this dungeon.”
“Ah.”
I’d forgotten. Sorry, Ryuka.
“That’s right. I haven’t explained yet. There were treasure chests in this dungeon. The equipment and items we obtained were all of much higher quality than those in adventurer dungeons. But now, their contents are mostly not being replenished.”
“Not replenished… Is that because this is a Hero-use dungeon?”
“Does that mean it’s no good unless a Hero comes?”
“It’s a little different. In a Hero-use dungeon, once someone takes the contents of a treasure chest, the next item won’t be restocked unless the item is consumed or the equipment is broken. That doesn’t change even if the next Hero comes.”
Apparently, no one in this world knows why it’s like this. So this is just my speculation, but maybe the gods are trying to maintain a balance. If too much high-performance equipment for Heroes gets out into the world, the damage would be immense if it were used in war. To prevent that, the gods are making adjustments. That’s what I think.
The Heroes who came here via transfer from another world all return to their original worlds without exception after defeating the Demon Lord. And the equipment they took from the Hero-use dungeons becomes the property of the country that Hero belonged to. Most of that equipment apparently becomes national treasures. That’s how amazing the quality of the items obtainable in Hero-use dungeons is. However, since most of that equipment is carefully stored as national treasures and never breaks, the gods don’t replenish the treasure chests with new equipment.
Having heard this much, Luna seemed to have realized something.
“U-um… If Tina-sensei knows that the equipment wasn’t replenished after she conquered this dungeon, does that mean—”
“Yes. I believe your guess is correct, Luna-san.”
“Hm? What do you mean-nya?”
“It means that Tina-sensei still possesses the equipment and items she obtained in this dungeon.”
As expected of Luna. That’s correct.
“What!?”
“To personally own national treasure-class equipment…”
Ryushin was surprised, and Ryuka looked at Tina with envious eyes.
“Tina-sama is a hero, so it’s not surprising that she possesses multiple pieces of national treasure-class equipment.”
Leafa, who adores Tina, looked proud for some reason, as if it were her own achievement.
“By the way, Haruto, have you seen that equipment?”
“Yeah, I have.”
I’ve had Tina show me the national treasure-class equipment and items she got from this dungeon before. The most insane one was a sword with a pitch-black blade. Even now, a hundred years later, it’s still her main weapon. I’ve had the chance to swing it during my swordsmanship training, and its sharpness was incredible.
Since she entered the dungeon without permission and took the equipment, it would technically be theft, but… Since I’ve absolved her and the Hero of their crimes, Tina can remain the master of that black blade. She can probably handle it the best, and I have Hagoku anyway.
“So, that’s why you can’t expect much from the treasure chests in this dungeon.”
“I-I see.”
“Ryuka. I’m sorry for bringing you along without telling you that.”
“Haruto-san, you knew about this?”
“Yeah. Tina told me. But conquering a dungeon has a lot of meaning beyond just collecting items.”
Like leveling up, or carving your name on the Monument… This time, the main purpose for bringing everyone is probably for leveling up. By the way, if everyone hadn’t come with me, I was planning to enter this dungeon alone.
Because I wanted to know the name of the Hero that Tina loved.
There were five Heroes who came to this world a hundred years ago. The story passed down in this world is that Tina guided those five Heroes to defeat the Demon Lord Beret and save the world. Naturally, information about them is recorded in various books. However, for some reason, the name of the Hero Tina loved was not written in any book. He was called the ‘Guardian Hero’ by the people, and it’s said that he became stronger when he had someone to protect behind him. But there was almost no other information. Despite being one of the heroes who saved the world, there are no portraits or statues of him. Is there some special reason for this?
Actually, I once asked Tina the Hero’s name before.
──＊＊＊──
“Tina, can I talk to you for a second?”
“What is it?”
“The Guardian Hero who traveled with you. His name isn’t written in any books… Do you know why?”
“Ah, that’s because no matter how many people he saved, he stubbornly refused to give his name.”
“He didn’t give his name? Why?”
“…I told you before that the Hero I traveled with came to this world without receiving sufficient skills or stats from God, right?”
“Yeah. I remember that.”
A hundred years ago in the Elven Kingdom of Alfheim, there was a group that espoused Elven Supremacism, the belief that pure-blooded elves were the most superior race. Tina, a descendant of the Hero, and her family are half-elves with human blood. That group of Elven Supremacists attacked Tina and her family. Her parents were killed, and Tina was sold to human slave traders. On the way to a human country, the slave trader’s carriage was attacked by monsters. Just as Tina was about to be killed by a monster, the Guardian Hero rushed in to save her.
To save Tina, that Hero transferred to this world before receiving the cheat skills and overwhelming stats he was supposed to get from God.
“Because of me, the Hero came to this world without gaining the power of a true Hero. He decided that he couldn’t protect many people alone, so he chose to work with me to defeat monsters. I didn’t mind at all, but it seems he thought of it as something shameful.”
Tina had the divine protection of ‘One Who Inherits the Hero’s Blood.’ It’s a rare protection that appears in the Hero’s bloodline, and those who have it can apparently grow to be as strong as a Hero. In fact, Tina is a level 250 Magic Swordsman, one of the strongest beings in this world.
It’s said that Tina, who carries the Hero’s blood, and the Guardian Hero, who didn’t have his original power, grew stronger together, saving many countries and towns from the threat of monsters.
“I see… But surely you heard his name, Tina?”
“Of course. He—”
Tina’s expression stiffened.
“He is, the Hero-sama’s name is… W-Why? Why!?”
“H-Hey! Tina, are you okay!?”
Tina’s face turned pale. Even when she opened her mouth, the Hero’s name wouldn’t come out.
It didn’t seem like she had simply forgotten. She was agitated, as if her memory of the Hero’s name had been forcibly stolen by someone. And then—
“Tina!?”
She lost consciousness and collapsed. She was sweating an abnormal amount.
After that, Tina regained consciousness, but she didn’t remember our conversation. I checked her status, but there was nothing wrong. But Tina’s condition just now…
It was as if something was forcibly sealing her memories of the Guardian Hero.
──＊＊＊──
Since then, I’ve avoided asking Tina about anything related to the Guardian Hero. Of course, I was curious about the Hero’s name, but I was more worried about Tina.
However, today, I was determined to find out the Guardian Hero’s name. My ‘intuition’ was telling me that today would be fine.
Since the school festival, I’ve been working on strengthening my mind-reading ability. Being able to know what the enemy is thinking is an overwhelming advantage. The enemies I’m anticipating are the minions of the Evil God. In other words, beings like demons and majin. They’re cunning, tricking people, laying traps, and casting curses… They’re strong not only in such crafty ways but also in direct combat. Mind reading is a reliable weapon when fighting such enemies. It’s also useful for getting on the good side of everyone in the Eleanor family.
In the process of strengthening my mind reading, I might have sent too much magical power to my brain. My brain became quite activated. It was completely unintentional, but my intuition started working. My intuition is inferior to my brother Cain’s super intuition and even to the cat beastman Sally’s skill, but it’s extremely useful. When faced with small choices, I’m naturally guided to the better outcome.
That intuition was telling me it was okay to bring Tina along.
If we conquer the ruins’ dungeon, the Hero’s name should be carved on the Monument on the final floor. For some reason, I had a feeling I’d find information about Tina’s memories here too.
“Everyone, are you ready?”
“““Of course!”“”
The entire class, including Tina, will challenge the ruins’ dungeon. With these members, we should be able to clear the dungeon that took the Guardian Hero and Tina a month in just one week. I heard that after the Hero and Tina conquered the dungeon, their levels had risen to around 100. I judged that we, with several members already well over level 100, would have no problem. If we can’t conquer it in a week, we can just use transfer to return to Ifrus Magic Academy for a bit and try again when we have time.
“Alright. Let’s go.”
I opened the dungeon entrance with the key I received from the Beastman King Leo and stepped into the ruins’ dungeon with my companions.
We proceed through the dungeon’s interior.
I don’t think there are any very strong monsters, but just in case, I’ve summoned and equipped Hagoku from the Spirit Realm. According to Tina, this dungeon has ten underground floors. On the first floor where we are now, monsters around level 30 appear, and the deeper we go, the higher the monster levels become.
The dungeon has a relatively simple structure, with a wide passage continuing straight from the entrance, and occasionally, narrower passages appear on the left and right. Following these leads to several rooms where monsters or treasure chests can be found. If we stick to the wide central passage we’re currently in, not many monsters will appear. If you don’t want to fight monsters, you can just stick to the wide passage.
Tina remembered the layout of most of the rooms and the monster spawn locations in this dungeon.
“No strong monsters will appear until the third floor. Also, you need to be careful of traps from the fifth floor onwards.”
“No treasure chests and no interesting enemies, huh…”
“It’s boring if there are no enemies.”
“Ryushin. You’re always careless and fall into traps, so worry about that more than the monsters. Were you listening to Tina-sensei? We have to be careful from the fifth floor on.”
“Ugh… R-Roger that.”
Scolded by Ryuka, Ryushin’s enthusiasm visibly dropped. By the way, when I decided to enter this ruin’s dungeon, the person I invited after Tina was Ryuka. She is a ‘Dragon Priestess’ who has received the divine protection of the Dragon God and excels in healing abilities. I intended to rely on Ryuka if anything happened to Tina in the process of learning the Hero’s name.
And then, for the dungeon conquest, the next person I invited after Ryuka was Luna. She has a wealth of knowledge about items and equipment, and it’s no exaggeration to call her a walking item encyclopedia. Her powers of observation are also sharp, and she notices even the slightest abnormalities. She’s one of the members I’d definitely want to bring along if going to a dungeon where something might be hidden. And this time in particular, my intuition told me it would be better to bring Luna.
So, when I invited Luna to conquer the dungeon, she happily came along. And since Tina was going, Leafa, Mai, Mei, and Meldy came along too, saying they would as well. Since I invited Ryuka, I invited Ryushin too. At that point, it felt wrong to not invite Luke, so I invited him too.
And so, the entire class came to conquer the dungeon together.
“It seems like there’s nothing much until the third floor, so let’s just push through quickly.”
“I agree.”
“Let’s get going-nya!”
We proceeded straight down the central passage, occasionally defeating level 30-ish monsters that came out from the side passages.
We reached the deepest part of the first dungeon floor.
A heavy-looking stone door blocks our path. The boss monster of the first floor is beyond this, and we can’t proceed to the next floor without defeating it. When Tina challenged it before, the boss was a level 40-ish Goblin Fighter, accompanied by several goblin minions.
Yeah. If that’s all, it shouldn’t be a problem.
As we all advanced, the door began to open on its own. Beyond the door was a large room, and in the center, we confirmed the figure of a Goblin Fighter about two meters tall, with two goblins by its side—
““Fire Lance!””
““Flying Fist!””
Two spears of flame pierced the Goblin Fighter, and the flying masses of magical power blew away the goblin minions. The moment we confirmed the boss’s presence, Tina and I unleashed Fire Lance, and Meldy and Ryushin unleashed Flying Fist almost simultaneously.
By the way, we didn’t plan this or anything. For some reason, I just wanted to try something like, ‘We beat the boss before even entering the boss room!’ I was a little surprised that there were five others who thought the same thing.
“Everyone’s magic activation is too fast…”
Leafa, who couldn’t activate her magic in time, said as she lowered her jade-green bow.
“Yeah. That speed is impossible.”
Luke was wondering what to do with the magical power he had released for his magic activation. It seems they were trying to cast magic too.
Hey, Luke. Isn’t that too much magical power for a mere Goblin Fighter?
It wasn’t a high-tier spell, but he was about to cast a spell that was among the stronger mid-tier ones.
“Luke. If you don’t need that, may I have it?”
Youko wanted the magical power Luke had released. Youko is a Nine-Tailed Fox, a demon, and can absorb others’ magical power and store it in her tails. She consumes a lot of magical power just by living day to day, so either I or Shiro, the divine beast Fenrir living with the Eleanor family, periodically give her magical power.
“Yeah. It’s a waste, so take it.”
“Thank you!”
When Youko held out her hand, Luke’s magical power was absorbed. For some reason, I feel like Youko’s bust got bigger. Could it be that the reason Youko consumes a large amount of magical power daily is to maintain her physique when she’s in human form?
While having this exchange, we entered the boss room to move to the next floor.
Upon entering the boss room, the charred corpse of the Goblin Fighter was turning into light and disappearing. In this world, when you defeat a monster, its corpse remains. Adventurers harvest materials like skin and fangs from the corpse and sell them to make a living. On the other hand, monsters defeated in a dungeon disappear into light after a while. You can still harvest materials, but you have to be quick.
However, for us magic-based combatants, the materials from a Goblin Fighter aren’t very appealing, so we didn’t bother harvesting. The real fun of defeating a dungeon floor boss is yet to come. I look behind where the Goblin Fighter was. There, I found a small treasure chest.
In a Hero-use dungeon, the contents of treasure chests within the floor are often not replenished, but the treasure chest in the boss room is replenished every time the boss is defeated. You can get pretty good items from the boss room treasure chest. Though you can’t really expect equipment to drop…
When I opened the treasure chest, inside was a small vial filled with a purple liquid—a High Potion. A High Potion is an item that fully restores both HP and MP. I think it’s a pretty good reward for the first floor of a dungeon.
As per our own rule, items found in a dungeon belong to the person who found them. However, for items obtained from the boss room treasure chest, we decided to distribute them all together after we leave. For now, I’ll hold onto this High Potion.
Now, let’s move to the second floor.
In a dungeon, you move to another floor via stairs or a ‘Transfer Stone.’ A Transfer Stone is a stone that automatically transfers you to a specific location when touched. It seems this dungeon uses Transfer Stones to move between floors. Further behind the treasure chest stood a white monument. This is the Transfer Stone. It’s much smaller than the Transfer Stone in the dungeon inside the World Tree, but the patterns carved on it are somewhat similar.
By the way, in dungeons with stairs, there’s often a Transfer Stone on the final floor to return to the surface, but for moving between other floors, you have to go up and down the stairs. For example, if you conquer a dungeon up to the fourth floor and want to go back midway, you have to go through the third, second, and first floors to get back.
In dungeons with Transfer Stones, there’s a stone in each floor’s boss room, allowing you to travel to any floor you’ve conquered. That’s why dungeons with Transfer Stones are more popular with adventurers. For me, who can transfer almost anywhere as long as I’ve placed a magic circle in a place I’ve been to, it doesn’t really matter.
Everyone gathered around the Transfer Stone.
“Haruto-sama. May I have a word?”
Called by Tina, I moved away from the Transfer Stone to her side.
“What’s wrong?”
“When you use that Transfer Stone to move to the next floor, there’s a possibility that only you will be sent to a different room, Haruto-sama.”
Tina whispered to me.
“Eh, why?”
“Because that’s what happened when the Guardian Hero-sama and I challenged this dungeon. I was sent to an empty room, and the Hero-sama was sent to a room with several items.”
This dungeon is for training Heroes from another world. So, it seems there’s a system in place for transfer Heroes to receive benefits when they arrive. But I’m not a Hero. Besides, the one who reincarnated me was the Evil God. Will that transfer Hero bonus even apply to me?
Tina knew that, but she told me just in case so I wouldn’t panic if I was suddenly separated from everyone.
“Got it, thanks for telling me. Can I get out of that room quickly?”
“Yes. The Guardian Hero-sama was sent to a room I couldn’t enter, but he said it was easy to get out of that room. If we get separated, I’ll wait with Leafa-san and the others, so please don’t worry.”
I could detect everyone’s magical power even inside the dungeon. So even if we get separated for a bit, we should be able to regroup quickly. In the worst-case scenario, there’s a transfer magic circle drawn on a magic stone I gave Tina, so I can just use that as a landmark to transfer.
“Okay. Well then, shall we go?”
“Yes.”
Tina and I returned to the Transfer Stone, and we all touched it at the same time.
