Awakening to a Special-Grade Explorer - CH 87

Chapter 87.

New items were added to the Hell Granny’s store.

For now, one new item is added for each level up, so Tenji couldn’t help but fantasize about the 103 items that would eventually be available at the store.

“Let’s see, ….. It’s called ‘Speed-Up Demon Lantern.’ Maybe it temporarily increases speed?”

“Speed up? Wow, can I have one?”

“Uh, yeah.”

It has already been proven that the effects of the Demon items can be experienced by others. Therefore, if Tenji passes on the item, Chigo could also use it.

Tenji purchased two speed-increasing demon lanterns from the store and summoned them to his palm.

It was a yellow hozuki (Japanese lantern plant).

Chigo picked up one of the demon lanterns with her hand and slowly brought it to Tenji’s mouth. Then, without hesitation, she made a noise, “Aaahhh!”

For a brief moment, Tenji was confused, but he quickly opened his mouth, “It’s only for Chigo-chan,” he said.

Chewing and crunching, Tenji tasted as if he were confirming something.

“Hmm… a bit like paprika? It might be a little sweeter than the recovery type.”

“Really? Then me too, here I go.”

Chigo is not someone who hesitates to try unusual foods or objects.

She is relatively relaxed and imposing. Perhaps that is why she believed Tenji’s words and swallowed the yellow Demon’s lantern without hesitation.

“Oh, it’s true. That’s just a little bit sweet. Is there any change in status?”

“Hmmm………, sort of, I think.”

——————

[Name] Tenji Amagi

[Age] 16

[Level] 2/100

[Experience] 12/25,000

[H P] 2030（2014+16)

[Calling] Hell Beast Summoning (Lv.2/100)

[Skill] ‘Book of Enma’

[Experience] 12/25,000

————————-

[My speed before eating the lantern was 2025, so… It’s probably gone up by around 500. Oh, I should measure the time.]

Tenji, who had forgotten to measure the effect time, hurriedly took out his phone and activated the stopwatch.

He stares at the ‘Book of Enma’ and time alternately.

Clearly, he was verifying something, so Chigo quietly watched him. Occasionally, he would run around to see if he had become faster.

And since Tenji had become a little bit faster, Chigo laughed happily.

[TLN: Oh, Chigo, how sweet are you… I’m simping her.]

Exactly five minutes had passed since Tenji had swallowed the demon lantern.

“Oh, it looks like the effect has worn off. Chigo, I understand the detailed effects.”

“Ohh, really?”

Chigo was working her body around. After hearing Tenji, she strolled to Tenji’s side, sweating from her neck.

Then she waits for Tenji’s next words like a loyal dog.

“Yes, the effect lasts exactly 5 minutes and seems to temporarily increase the speed status by 1.25 times. In my case, it increased by a little over 500. Maybe it’s similar for you, too, Chigo-chan?”

“Oh! Just as I expected! I was thinking roughly 1.2x or 1.3x too.”

A professional explorer like Chigo knows her own abilities very well.

That’s why, just by moving her body a little, she could instantly measure what her condition was at that moment. However, Chigo’s sense of this is exceptionally high, so it would be difficult for other general explorers to derive such accurate figures.

“It might be easier to use if you eat it before fighting a boss monster or something. Or maybe you could wear a stealth pouch around your …… waist to store and eat at any time during battle.”

“Oh, that sounds great! Why don’t we take the whole day off tomorrow? I’ll go to the market on the first level and look for a nice pouch. Or maybe belt-type small storage that won’t bother me during combat.”

“Is it okay?……… Then I guess I’ll try HellQuest tomorrow.”

“Yes, Okay, it’s settled. Tomorrow is my first day off in a long time.”

Of course, with this level up, the ‘Book of Enma’ also had the “Hell Quest” added.

Knowing this, Chigo suggested taking tomorrow as a whole day off.

[Alright, I’ll warm up lightly today for tomorrow’s hell quest… After all, I’ll probably get shackled again, like in Hell.]

Recalling the hellish experience of being mentally driven into a corner on two separate occasions, Tenji couldn’t help but make a face as if biting a bitter bug.

Remembering the experience of being mentally driven to the brink, like in Hell, Tenji involuntarily made a face as if he had just bitten a bitter worm. He made an ugly face.

Chigo, who noticed Tenji’s expression, also felt pity for Tenji in her heart as she had heard about Tenji’s bitter memories of the hell quest, “Ah, I guess you recalled,”

She slowly stood next to Tenji and gently patted his head.

————————–

— The Next Day.

Chigo woke up unusually early and headed to the “Central Entrada Pablo,” a central street on the first level, after finishing breakfast.

She seemed to remember the shopping she had promised with Tenji yesterday and went to the market while stifling a yawn early in the morning.

On the other hand, Tenji was stretching carefully on a small lawn outside the house.

He was stretching his calf and thigh muscles while looking at the page of the hell quest in the ‘Book of Enma.’

[Executable Hell Quest]

Quest Name:

[The Challenge from the Red Demon – Level.2]

Condition #1.

25,000 squats

Condition #2.

15 hours of shadowboxing

Destruction of Bronze Bell

[Quest Reward]

Fifth-grade weapon “Red Demon Gloves.”

The fifth-grade item is the “Red Demon Necklace.”

[Condition #1 is not a noteworthy change, just five times more than the previous one. …… Well, I guess there will be some hidden conditions like before.]

The first squat Tenji did in the hell quest was 1000 times, 5000 times, and now 25000 times. It’s simply five times more each time. It will be challenging, but Tenji can always get through it with his never give up spirit.

Tenji read the text of the next condition…

[The shadow boxing time has increased by 5 hours. Honestly, there’s no other way to get through this than with spirit. But..huh …..Destruction of the bronze bell? What does that mean?]

No such condition existed before.

Tenji could only speculate that he needed to break a normal bronze bell. For a regular person, breaking a bell with their fist would be impossible. Still, for Tenji, who had developed physical abilities close to 40 times that of an average person, it did not seem like such a difficult task.

“Well, probably not a normal bell, I guess.”

He can’t help but chuckle dryly.

— and then it was time.

Tengu heard the sound of rustling grass coming from behind.

“Laughing to yourself, what’s so funny?”

The source of the sound was —

“Oh, Fuyuki-Kun. Good morning.”

“Good morning. I rang the doorbell, and no one was home. Is Chigo not home?”

“Chigo-chan headed to the market on the first level early this morning.”

“Oh, really? I was a little late. Yesterday I fought a boss on the 59th floor, and I was too tired to wake up. I failed to wake up… I was thinking about getting some training today.”

“I think Chigo will find what she needs, buy it and come back soon. Maybe around lunchtime?”

“I guess I’ll just wait here then. There’s nothing to do until noon anyway.”

With a fresh smile, Fuyuki sat down on a small white wooden swing in the garden and paddled it lazily.

It seems that Fuyuki was also taking the day off today. Tenji was relieved as Fuyuki was always too serious and would usually ask him to train every time they met. Tenji started preparing for his quest again.

“What’s up with you today? You’re putting a lot more effort into your warm-up than usual.”

Fuyuki asked Tenji, noticing that Tenji’s back was covered in sweat. He was curious as to why Tenji was working out harder than usual.

“Oh, I haven’t told you yet, Fuyuki. Yesterday, I finally leveled up to level 2.”.

“Really! Oh …… that’s why you were stretching that hard?”

Fuyuki smiled with some satisfaction.

He is one of the people who know more about Tenji, if not as much as Chigo. He can see the status, summoning-type abilities, special calling, the existence of Hell, the ability to buy items at the store, and converting magic ore into points.

He knows about Tenji being able to see the status, about being a summoner, about being a special grade, about the existence of Hell, about buying items at stores, and about converting demon ore into points. He’s not as detailed as Chigo because Tenji roughly explained everything. But after Chigo, Fuyuki was the third person who knew most about Tenji’s Hell Beast Summoning.

“I’m about to go on a hell quest now.”

“Oh, I remember… isn’t it the one with really tough conditions that could kill you?” Fuyuki asked with a concerned voice.

“Yeah, it’s really that intense. I might break myself trying.”

“What are the conditions this time?”

“25,000 squats, probably with some heavyweight added. And 15 hours of shadow boxing and breaking a bronze bell.”

“Wow… Good Luck!!!”

Fuyuki said it hesitantly.

Even for Fuyuki, who is a serious training baka, the exercises seemed crazy.