Awakening to a Special-Grade Explorer - CH 89

Chapter 89.

“Oops. …… I’m not going to butt out this time.”

After being sucked into the ‘Book of Enma’ and transported to the hell realm, Tenji managed to land on the ground on one knee without falling.

[TLN: The Superhero Landing, haha]

[This is the third time Tenji has come here. Every time Tenji fell on his butt, he felt like a loser, so he was determined from the start to land this time.]

A deep forest like a sea of trees that were now familiar to Tenji. A place where he can look up and see the bright red color spreading across the sky, the Hell Realm.

As Tenji did so, he checked his surroundings and noticed a minute sense of discomfort that he had felt before.

“Oh, …… there’s some kind of open space again. And …… there’s also a shack, albeit a shabby one. I wonder if the Goblins are building them to pass the time?”

When Tenji first came here, the forest did not even have a suitable open space for exercise.

The second time, an open space had been created where Tenji could just barely exercise.

And the third time, a small shack had been built.

“I thought those Goblins didn’t sleep and just earned their experience, but I guess they like …… this kind of thing too.”

‘Maybe if I give them instructions, they will build a village here’, Tenji thinks.

Well, thinking about it, now Tenji wants as much experience as he can get to level up, even a little, so it’s better if they continue to gain experience without sleeping.

He huffed a sigh to change his mind and put the bag he had brought on the ground.

— It was at that time.

That voice echoed inside Tenji’s head.

[[The “Hell Quest” has begun. The time limit is 90 minutes.

Condition #1: Perform 25,000 squats.

If the condition is not accomplished in time, this quest will be discarded.]]

“Roger that.”

Tenji didn’t even have time to consider it and started squatting before the announcer could say anything else.

At the same time, A shop and the blue imitation ‘Book of Enma’ appeared in front of him, and the count started.

While squatting, Tenji was thinking.

[Last time it was 5000 times in 60 minutes. This time it’s 25,000 times in 90 minutes. …… I wonder what additional conditions they’ll add when it’s so hard to just do it even normally.]

Waiting with bated breath for that moment, Tenji squats as fast as he can.

Tenji makes sure not to extend his knees too far beyond his toes and keeps the image of lowering hips in mind as he continually bends his legs. Tenji puts strength into his core abdominal muscles and tries not to bend his back as much as possible.

With all this in mind, Tenji just mindlessly teases his muscles.

And then —

The real hell quest begins.

[[Count: 100 passed. Hidden condition #1: The addition of 8 tons of barbell weights will be done.

Count: 100 has been passed. Hidden Condition #2: Darkening of the field of vision is executed.]]

At that moment, two conditions were added.

Super-gravity pressed down on this entire body from above, and furthermore, the bright vision Tenji was seeing switched to total darkness.

[Whoa! I can’t see…..my eyes!!!  It’s hard, this one: ……]

The added weight due to gravity is certainly tough, but with determination, it can be overcome.

But being deprived of vision is another story. It is like doing super-intensive muscle training while deprived of some of the sensory organs that measure equilibrium or that make sense of the world.

The first part of the Quest can be done without any problems, as he is not breathing and his muscles are energetic. However, it is toward the end that the darkening of vision really comes into its own.

As his muscles scream and his breathing becomes erratic, he gradually loses his sense of his own position and equilibrium when he is blindfolded, and he is unsure of what he is doing and in what position he is in.

“Keep Going!”

Tenji’s spirited roar echoes through the forest.

The only time he raises his scream is when he is on a hell quest.

He can’t do it without shouting.

Thus began the third hell quest.

Sweat splashes vigorously as he bends and stretches his legs.

Tenji has already taken off his upper body clothes, and his muscles are screaming, more toned than they were in the early days. Clothes absorb sweat, so he took them off in the middle.

If Dr. Nanasei were here, she would be snickering and admiring Tenji’s muscles up close. Tenji’s muscles were growing so well.

[TLN: I remember Dr. Nanasei liked ripped Tenji before.]

The numbers in the ‘Book of Enma’ showed ‘Remaining: 296 seconds’ and ‘Count: 24999’.

“Fiiinallly…… laaaasstttd!”

He forced his thigh muscles, which were shaking with pulls, to work, and managed to make it through the last one.

At that moment the darkening of the vision ends and light returns to the eyes.

Tenji watches as the count reaches 25,000 and the ‘Book of Enma’ scrapes away in front and without time for a gut-punch, he falls backward in a heap.

Looking up at the bright red sky and moving his chest up and down violently, he enjoys a sense of accomplishment in the name of victory.

Tenji does not have enough energy left to shout in triumph.

“…… Tired. Oh, yeah. …… I have to eat the Demon Lantern.”

He unbuttoned the belt pouch that Chigo had handcrafted, and a shrooming demon item fell out of the small pocket and into his hand. Tenji swallowed it before the start of the next quest.

Immediately his body begins to fill with strength, and he feels that his stamina is at full capacity.

In the past, Tenji did not use Demon items because they were considered valuable points, but now that points are in a saturated state, he decided to use some without hesitation, following Chigo’s advice.

Then it would be a minute or so.

As Tenji lay on his back on the ground, catching his breath, that voice echoed in his brain again.

[[I have confirmed the completion of the first condition and hidden conditions #1 and #2. Thank you.]]

[[Then, Condition no. 2: 15 hours of shadowboxing. If your limb stops even once, the count will return to zero. If the executable count is more than three times, this quest will be discarded.

In parallel, Condition 2: Perform the destruction of the bronze bell. You must not touch it at any point until the quest is over. If the number of attempts is reset, the state of the bronze bell will also be initialized.]]

[The count will begin in 10 seconds, 10, 9, 8—]

After the announcement, a bronze bell appeared before Tenji’s eyes.

It was 2 meters high and nearly 70 centimeters wide and looked like a bell that one often sees at temples on New Year’s Eve during New Year’s visits to the temple.

“What?  How can I destroy this without touching it… What kind of joke is this?”

It is ironic that it is ‘shadow boxing’, and the fact that it can’t be touched.

Because of these meanings, it was easy to figure out just how to complete the quest.

The wind pressure alone from a swinging fist is supposed to destroy the thickly armored bronze within 15 hours.

Tenzi did not understand this, and that is why he could not hide his confusion.

Still, the announcer would not respond.

“Ha… I guess there’s no other way.”

The fact that it’s been set as a condition means that it’s not impossible.

But the idea of breaking a bronze bell only with wind pressure is something he couldn’t even imagine.

But if he has to do it, Tenji is determined to go through to the end.

Wiping the sweat off with a towel he had brought, he replenished water and salt with a sports drink. He waited until I could catch my breath.

Then again the ruthless voice echoes.

[– 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.] The count moves.

“Okay, come on hell, shadows, bells, …… whatever.”

Quietly, Tenji takes a fighting pose.

Then with ‘Book of Enma’,  familiar numbers appear.

[Remaining: 54,000 seconds.]

[Bronze Bell HP: 10,000/10,000]