MTLNOVEL Chapter 9
Asakawa was fighting so hard against the Frost Wyvern that I hesitated to step in—after all, as an explorer, interfering and stealing a kill would be bad manners. But before I knew it, she had already taken it down.
Thinking she was safe, Asakawa collapsed onto the ground. But there were multiple Frost Wyverns. Just as I had suspected, the one she had been fighting was small. The size difference was obvious. As I was considering this, another Frost Wyvern of a more familiar size emerged from the staircase.
“Raijuu, go.”
Among my shikigami, excluding special ones, Raijuu is the fastest. The distance between Asakawa, who was about to be attacked, and me was several dozen meters. But with Raijuu’s speed, it could close the gap in an instant.
“Kyah!?”
With a deafening boom, like a thunderclap, Raijuu dashed forward and kicked the nearest Frost Wyvern square in the face.
My role was to summon enough shikigami to take down the remaining Frost Wyverns while advancing.
“Mezuki, Gozuki—come forth.”
From the magic circle, I summoned two ogres—one with a horse’s head and the other with a bull’s head. Standing over two meters tall, they each gripped massive battle axes and charged at the Frost Wyverns.
Mezuki and Gozuki are known in Buddhist mythology as underworld jailers who punish sinners in hell. Though they are not technically yokai, for some reason, they are often treated as such in Japan.
“A-A monster!?”
“Are you okay?”
“Hyai!?”
Asakawa probably had no idea what was happening in front of her, but first, I needed to get her to safety.
The Frost Wyverns seemed startled by the sudden appearance of Mezuki, Gozuki, and Raijuu. Taking advantage of their distraction, Gozuki swung his axe and decapitated one of them. Among my shikigami, Mezuki and Gozuki are some of the strongest, so Frost Wyverns shouldn’t pose a challenge.
“W-who are you…?”
“Hold on tight.”
Her body was covered in frost, and if she moved carelessly, she would likely suffer more than just a few cuts. The only option was to gradually melt the ice while healing her. But first, I needed to get us out of the Frost Wyverns’ attack range.
“A-an icicle is coming this way!”
“It’s fine.”
A simple magic spell was enough to block something like that.
I cast a fire spell, instantly vaporizing the incoming icicle. The Frost Wyvern, momentarily distracted as its gaze shifted toward me, was swiftly bisected by Mezuki’s axe. That left just one more.
Just as I was about to focus on it, Mezuki and Gozuki restrained its body, and in that instant, Raijuu lunged forward and tore into its head, ending the fight.
“All done. Now, let me heal you.”
“W-wait, give me a moment to process all this…”
“Hm? I’ll continue healing while you do.”
I didn’t think there was anything that needed processing. A Frost Wyvern appeared, her life was in danger, and I saved her. That was all.
“Onmoraki.”
To deal with her frozen body, I summoned Onmoraki. Said to be born from the souls of the unburied dead, Onmoraki is known to breathe blue flames. Inspired by that legend, I designed mine to breathe actual fire.
Whether due to that or something else, its body emitted intense warmth, making it perfect for melting ice.
“Don’t move. Kasha.”
I summoned Kasha, my designated porter, and retrieved a healing potion from the bag it carried. It was dungeon-grade—extremely effective but also extremely draining.
“Mezuki, Gozuki, thanks.”
After collecting the Frost Wyverns’ magic stones and fangs, I dismissed Mezuki and Gozuki, storing the loot with Kasha.
Ignoring Asakawa, who still seemed completely lost, I focused on healing her injuries. As Onmoraki’s warmth melted the ice, I applied the potion.
This stuff worked outside of battle, too, but using more than two bottles made you so drowsy you could barely stay awake. That was its only downside.
“U-uh… Kisaragi-kun?”
“Huh? You know me?”
“W-we’re classmates, aren’t we?”
Well, yeah, but… This was actually my first proper conversation with Asakawa.
“…You got here pretty fast after school.”
“Huh? Well… I’m still in my uniform, aren’t I?”
“Oh, you are.”
I had changed into proper gear before coming, but Asakawa was still in her school uniform. Was she dungeon-addicted or something?
“So, you’re the kind of person who comes this deep into dungeons, huh, Kisaragi-kun?”
“Well, yeah. I come here pretty often.”
Though I usually pass straight through and head for the deeper levels.
As I absentmindedly continued chatting while healing her, Raijuu approached. It seemed there were no more monsters nearby.
“I’ve healed your wounds… You should head back now.”
“Th-thank you… I guess I will.”
The conversation felt oddly stiff. Well, I was a socially awkward introvert, so that was to be expected. But I wasn’t sure why Asakawa wasn’t acting like her usual self either.
“W-wait!”
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to dismiss Onmoraki, Kasha, and Raijuu and head back to report, I was suddenly called out.
“U-uh… those… monster-like things from earlier… what were they?”
“Ah… Can we talk about it some other time?”
For some reason, I didn’t really feel like explaining. Maybe it was just my introverted nature.
“‘Kirin.’”
Before Asakawa could find the right words, I summoned Kirin and quickly mounted it to escape the conversation.
Kirin is a mystical creature with the head of a dragon, the body of a deer, the tail of a bull, and the hooves of a horse. Technically, it’s not a yokai but a divine beast—but that hardly matters.
“Wait!”
Asakawa called out again, trying to stop me, but Kirin paid no attention and followed my command, dashing forward. Though not as fast as Raijuu, Kirin still moved at incredible speed, swiftly ascending from the middle layers to the upper and then the topmost layer, reaching the entrance of the Shibuya Dungeon in no time.
“W-wow, welcome back! That was… really fast?”
“Huh? You mean Kirin?”
“No, I meant you. You got back so quickly.”
“Did I? I thought I took my time on the way here.”
Compared to how slowly I had arrived, I didn’t think my return was particularly quick.
“Well, well, as always, I appreciate your hard work.”
“…Do you really mean that?”
I was guided to the branch chief, who greeted me with his usual suspicious smile. I summoned Kasha and handed over the Frost Wyvern’s magic stones and fangs.
“That shikigami technique of yours… It’s truly impressive, as always.”
“All I did was summon them.”
“I actually tried it myself the other day, but it didn’t go well at all.”
He chuckled to himself, but honestly, I just wanted to wrap this up quickly and leave.
I was sure I had already explained before that shikigami summoning requires a natural compatibility with magic. If someone’s magical affinity doesn’t align with it from birth, they’ll never be able to use it. So why does this guy keep trying?
“Three magic stones… So you fought three Frost Wyverns?”
“No, four.”
“Then what happened to the other one?”
“Another explorer took it.”
At that, the branch chief narrowed his eyes slightly. What’s with that look?
“So… a Frost Wyvern, huh?”
“Something wrong?”
“I was just wondering if there was anyone in the Shibuya Dungeon today capable of taking down a Frost Wyvern.”
“…Why are you asking me?”
“Sigh… Are you really a high school student? You should pay more attention to popular trends.”
That was annoying. Like I had time for that.
I’d gone straight to the dungeon right after school—I didn’t exactly have the luxury to keep up with whatever entertainment he was talking about.
“We had already confirmed that one of the Frost Wyverns was defeated.”
“Hm? A broadcast?”
Without warning, he turned his monitor toward me. The screen showed footage of a Frost Wyvern—and Asakawa.
“It’s called dungeon streaming. It’s been trending among young people for the past few years.”
“Huh… Is that so?”
“You don’t sound interested.”
“Because I’m not.”
“Well, regardless, your face and abilities have now been exposed to the public.”
“Oh.”
“…Then again, you never really tried to keep them hidden, did you?”
I had been leaving my name blank, which led to people calling me “UNKNOWN,” and I hadn’t bothered registering any personal information. It had never caused me any trouble, so I didn’t really care.
“Well, anyway, good work on completing the request. The reward will be transferred to your account, so no worries there.”
Once again, my money kept piling up.
Maybe it was time to commission someone to craft some ridiculously expensive weapons or armor.