[Reberu] ga Arunara Agerudesho? Mobukyara ni Tensei Shita Ore wa Gēmu Chishiki o Ikashi, Hitasura Reberu o Age Tsudzukeru - CH 118

[Some Things Cannot be Bought with Money]

Not wanting to disturb in the way of his work, I left a message for Amanai to Akano “Let’s meet up later, I have something to talk about”, and went to kill time until Amanai’s done with the request by preparing for the journey to the elves’ territory.

Unlike in my previous life, this world doesn’t have bullet trains, let alone normal trains. The main means of transportation here is horse-drawn carriages, so it generally takes several days to move between regions.

Depending on the destination, you may even have to camp. So, you have to make appropriate preparations— shopping for things such as change of clothes and foodstuffs.

When it comes to shopping, women tend to take much longer at it than men, so I’d left Iris, who was very excited about coming along the journey, to Higaki and went by myself.

Ethel seemed to have rebooted too. While complaining non-stop, she went back to the dormitory to prepare for the departure.

“Hmm~, there’s that as well.”

Having finished with the shopping, now I’m at a coffee shop that is supposed to be the meeting place with Amanai – which I should’ve mentioned earlier in the message, if I remember correctly – and am writing on a paper with a writing brush.

After arriving at the elves’ territory, I must enter the cathedral’s great library and the restricted access area in the inner part to collect information.

It’d be nice if I get the permission smoothly, but that’s unlikely to happen.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the elves’ territory is the stage for Ethel’s individual episode in the game.

Just like how Iris’s event was triggered back in the ‘Netherworld’ even with the absence of Amanai, it’s highly likely that Ethel’s event will be triggered in the elves’ territory.

So, I’m preparing for countermeasures in case the information gathering doesn’t go well by writing down the information in my head while raising and lowering the dumbbell-like thing I bought while shopping.

“Sorry I made you wait.” (Amanai)

“Hm? You’ve come, Amanai… what’s with the bananas?” (Sakurai)

“The owner gave them to me as a souvenir. Here, I’ll give you a hand.” (Amanai)

“A finger is enough.” (Sakurai)

“C’mon, don’t be shy.” (Amanai)

“You’re actually troubled because they’re too many, aren’t you? Just give them to the guys at school or Julia.” (Sakurai)

“Ahaha… I’m not reckless enough to charge into a princess’s mansion just to share some bananas with her.” (Amanai)

Amanai who came in his uniform is holding lots of bananas in his hands. He takes a seat with a troubled face.

I clear away the paper and tell Amanai I’ll be going to the elves’ territory with Ethel as he waits for the drink he ordered.

And I tell him he can stop doing the request I handed over to him for the time being because it is acknowledged as community service.

Geez, I’m really impressed of myself for proceeding in a logical manner!

“I see. But I’ll continue to do the requests.” (Amanai)

“Why? You don’t need to have a strange sense of responsibility from a job I forced on you, y’know?” (Sakurai)

“Until now, I’ve only been seeing this world by sticking through the game, so this time, I kinda want to face it properly. In order to remove the rose-colored glasses called ‘game’, I’ll receive requests like these, which doesn’t exist in the game, but does in this world. I want to know more about the people living here.” (Amanai)

Saying that, Amanai chews a banana.

Does his smiling face come from the taste of the banana, or perhaps another reason? The answer may be the latter, but I don’t really get the subtleties in what he said.

To me, this world has both game-like aspect and clear reality aspect, so I think it’s better to think that it is what it is without concluding whether it’s a game or reality; in fact, it doesn’t matter which.

The only important thing is that you can raise your level— nothing else matters as long as that fact stands.

So, I’m not going to say anything about Amanai’s choice and thinking. If that’s what he wants, then just let him — so is the final piece from me.

If anything, I hope he get a satisfactory result, as long as it doesn’t get in my way.

“Hm? Eh? So you’re not coming along to the elves’ territory?” (Sakurai)

“Nope. I want to keep accepting requests, but beside that, there’s something I’m worried about, so I don’t really feel like leaving this city.” (Amanai)

“Something you’re worried about?” (Sakurai)

“The ‘Black Sword’.” (Amanai)

Immediately, Amanai’s eyes turn serious.

“As you know, while you were captured, under Julia-san’s lead, we and the Sword Saint, Sanuki-san, succeeded in killing the boss of the ‘Black Sword’. I think it can be said that the original ‘Black Sword’ has collapsed with it. And also, the nation seems to be going around to get rid of the people involved with them so, there’s nothing much we can do at the moment.” (Amanai)

“The original… ahh, there’s still the lot led by Nanashino, huh.” (Sakurai)

“That’s right.” (Amanai)

When I first encountered Nanashino, he boasted about what he had been doing, and in the middle of it, he did say something about creating his own faction and doing whatever he wanted.

I don’t know what sort of information Amanai and co have gained, but they probably have come to notice the existence of the faction.

“For convenience, we call them ‘Nanashino Faction’, and the members are Pygmalion and Asanaga, with Nanashino at the top. They have a large number of combatants and more than a dozen researchers who know the demonization technology as subordinates. They, whom total 73 people, are taking different actions from the ‘Black Sword’ we knew. And they’re in this city, hiding somewhere.” (Amanai)

“Don’t you know where they are?” (Sakurai)

“There’s no positive proof, but I think they’re in the academy dungeon. Moreover, at the undersurface floor.” (Amanai)

Undersurface floor, those words make me recall, “Come to think of it, there’s that.”

The academy dungeon consists of 50 floors, but there are two types of those floors, the surface and the undersurface.

What I usually dive in is the part called ‘50 surface floors’, which are floors that anyone can dive in during normal gameplay.

Now then, what is the undersurface floor?

To put it simply, it is a ‘bonus dungeon that will be opened after the game is cleared’.

However, undersurface floor is just the name for the dungeon; it is actually a stage for testing power where you can fight strengthened monsters that represent each floor.

Each floor on the undersurface floor is a large open space with the boss of the floor waiting in the center.

And by winning the battle that can be initiated by talking to the boss, you’d be able to advance to the next floor.

By repeating that process, you progress to the deeper floor — that’s how the undersurface floor is designed, but on top of having the restriction where you cannot get out unless you reach a specific floor once you start the challenge, the undersurface floor also has the terrifying characteristic of ‘not yielding experience points’.

Although the strengthened monsters in the undersurface floors do have the advantage of dropping valuable items, many of the items have some big negative effects – they’re all items that are rare, but I’d prefer not to use.

So even if I were to look for items, I’d never have a particular reason to go there. When I reached the 50th floor at the end of April, I suddenly recalled it, so I went to make sure if the entrance worked. After that, I lost interest in it and forgot all about it since.

By the way, the entrance to the undersurface floor is a hidden door disguised as a wall on the 50th surface floor, but when I went to confirm it, it was completely shut; I remember it was so sturdy that even when I used ‘Sword Saint’s Slash’ and a bomb on it, they did nothing, not even leaving a scratch.

Just in case, I also tried to confirm if the hidden, one-way escape door from the undersurface floor that existed in a specific floor of the surface floor could be opened, but that one didn’t budge in the slightest, either.

Perhaps it is possible to enter the undersurface floor by some meansnot through the regular entrance on the 50th surface floor, like when I obtained the Star Seed on the 1st surface floor, but there’s no use thinking about it now that the dungeon is closed.

That being said, I’ve concluded that the fact that I didn’t get the chance to get into the undersurface floor was ultimately the fault of it having the characteristic of not yielding experience points, but hearing from Amanai that Nanashino might possibly be in the undersurface floor makes me frown slightly.

“Well, I didn’t look into it in detail, but as far as I checked, the door to the undersurface floor couldn’t be opened. With the game turning into reality, there should be something beyond the door physically, so if you can somehow get in, it should be possible to open the door from the inside, but… is there any way to do so?” (Sakurai)

“It may be possible with ‘World Intervention (System Command)’.” (Amanai)

“……Ah~, by ‘phasing through the wall’ or something of the sort, huh. I see.” (Sakurai)

‘World Intervention (System Command)’, a skill that Nanashino happily said can only be used by reincarnated people.

He said he used it in conjunction with the concept of ‘Phenomenon Tampering (Cheat Code)’, which disrupt game balance.

Although I never seen it in practice, he said that turning invincible, boosting up speed, warping and multiplying self were few of the applications, so I think he could probably use those foul skills.

If that’s the case, he could ‘warp’ inside the wall to get behind the door, then operate the lever inside to open and close the door freely.

And if he could really use cheats, I could think of many ways other than warp that would allow him to do the same, so I’m convinced that Amanai’s point makes sense.

“From what I heard from Sanuki-san about his fight with Nanashino at Obsius Co, it seems that the guy could at least permeate into the surroundings, multiply, and warp. So I think it’s not impossible for him to get inside the wall and open the door by pulling the lever inside.” (Amanai)

“And the fact that he brought the researchers along means that he wants to do something with demonization technology. If that’s the case, he’d need a large space for equipment and stuffs. Which is why you guessed that they went into hiding in the undersurface floor, huh.” (Sakurai)

“If the undersurface floor works the same as it was in the game, the defeated boss won’t be revived until re-entry, so I think he can take advantage of that to use the place as a base. Actually, the nation is still combing through the whole city in search of him, so it’s just my personal guess at the end of the day, but it’d be easy for him to get in the academy dungeon with the help of Vice-Principal Milia Heikkila. And if he’s wary of me, it wouldn’t be strange if he’s holing up in there. That’s why I suspect that they’re maybe lurking in the undersurface floor.” (Amanai)

“……If your suspicion is correct, then there’s nothing can be done about him, ain’t it?” (Sakurai)

Even if we are to assume that Nanashino and his cohorts are lurking in the undersurface floor, the academy dungeon itself is currently blocked. There’s nothing we can do unless we can get inside.

No, come to think of it, I heard that Amanai can now use ‘World Intervention (System Command) as well.

If that’s the case, couldn’t he get through the wall and check the actual situation?

“I can’t, my ‘World Intervention (System Command)’ only has the effect of enhancing my stats and canceling magic, so I can’t get through the wall.” (Amanai)

“Then, don’t you just have to learn that ‘Phenomenon Tampering (Cheat Code’ or something?” (Sakurai)

“I tried a few times, but it never works. Maybe I can’t use it. I think you need to be… ‘selfish’ to the point of ‘anything’s fine as long as you benefit in the end’ to be able to use it.” (Amanai)

“Then, won’t it work if I can learn it?” (Sakurai)

I have the pride of being a child who can do it if he puts his mind to it, so I say that thinking that there won’t be a problem if I can learn ‘World Intervention’ from Amanai who can already use it.

However, hearing that, Amanai’s complexion turns bad and he mumbles,

“No, umm, err—” (Amanai)

“What?” (Sakurai)

“If Sakurai were to learn ‘World Intervention’, you’re likely going to abuse it.” (Amanai)

“I swear I won’t ever use ‘World Intervention’ for doing acts that, in my subjective opinion, are evil, though?” (Sakurai)

“That sounds to me like you’re absolutely going to abuse it. And, to begin with, can you even use magic?” (Amanai)

“Can’t use it, and I don’t have the necessary skills, either. I’ve only been using swordsmanship, after all.” (Sakurai)

“Have you ever perceived magic power?” (Amanai)

“Not even once. I mean, I’ve never got to feel magic power since I was born in this world.” (Sakurai)

“……I think it’s impossible for you. Just give up.” (Amanai)

“Sure, I don’t have talent for magic, but I’ve just been putting off learning magic-type skills; I can learn them if I feel like to!!” (Sakurai)

Well, what I feel about magic power is along the line of “Does it really exist? For real?”, so I’d have to spend several of years to focus on acquiring magic power-perception skills so as to prepare the groundwork to be able to use magic to some extent.

The saying of many a little makes a mickle is especially true in this world where you can accumulate experiences to level up. As long as you have the time, there’s nothing you can’t do!

Eh? Even several years might not be enough, you say?

……True.

“Anyway, I believe that those guys are lurking in the academy dungeon, and I suspect that they have something to do with the blockade. I don’t know Nanashino Katsumi’s purpose, but I figured that I better stay in the city just in case something happens.”

“I see.” (Sakurai)

It looks like, as I planned at the academy festival, Amanai has become a splendid lightning rod that will be up for the task when something troublesome happens. I’m glad that the result of my hardships in treating him came out this quickly.

However, Nanashino may be involved in the blockade of the academy dungeon, huh… I can’t affirm nor deny that possibility with the information I have now.

When I first encountered Nanashino, he went on and on about ‘what he has done’, but he never talked about ‘what he’s going to do’.

Since I don’t know what his purpose is, I can only make the decision “The next time we meet, if I see a chance to kill him, I’ll do it”.

Eh? My killing intent to Nanashino is so high, you say?

We’ve fought to the death once, after all. Since we’ve already had bad blood between us, a suspicion is just enough for me to want to get rid of him.

Anyway, there is no change in what I have to do.

Go to the elves’ territory and collect information about dungeons to get a foothold to resolve the situation with the academy dungeon.

And if I discover the culprit behind the blocking of the dungeon in the middle of it, I’ll carry out a lynching to prevent the culprit to reoffend. I’ll accept no plead of mercy.

(Un, nothing’s wrong with it. Now, let’s just leave the rest up to chance.)

If Amanai’s worried about them, it can’t be helped he doesn’t come along to the elves’ territory, then.

If he doesn’t come, Akano wouldn’t come either, and at present, only Ethel and Iris are confirmed will be accompanying me.

The client, the academy director, cannot come due to work, and Luisina tends to do as she pleases, so I can’t bring her.

The only one left is Higaki, but she’s in no position to go because she’s currently occupied with handover to resign as the chairman of the Disciplinary Committee.

It seems that she herself wants to resign already, but the people around her are trying to stop her.

The reason seems to be that no one want to be the next chairman and having to deal with me. Just what am I to those guys, really?

“Then, I’ll borrow Ethel for a while.” (Sakurai)

“I won’t say anything if she has agreed to it, you know. But lend her a hand if something happens over there for me, will you?” (Amanai)

“Well, she’s necessary for me to get information about dungeons from the other side, so I’ll at least do that much.” (Sakurai)

“That’s good, then.” (Amanai)

That soft smile that comes out of his excellent face is so picturesque that it seems to give off a halo.

And catching sight of Amanai’s smile, the group of girls who are sitting in a seat a little further away from us are stunned and fascinated to the point of them muttering, “So cool”. Looking at them, I unconsciously sigh.

“Haah, if I had your looks, it would’ve been easier for me to level up my communication skills by hitting on girls.” (Sakurai)

“Why would you level up your communication skills by hitting on girls?” (Amanai)

“You don’t know? The art of hitting on girls is packed with all the elements essential for communication skills, you know?” (Sakurai)

“……By the way, what would you do if you succeeded in hitting on a girl?” (Amanai)

“Of course, I’ll give her money as thanks and say her a goodbye.” (Sakurai)

Having heard my reply, Amanai’s smile suddenly disappears and he looks at me with eyes filled with pity.

What, you’ve got something to say about my hit-on-girls-style communication skills leveling method?

If you want to argue, I will put you in your place with a perfectly logical reason behind it, you know? Wanna give it a try?

“No, if you only want to do that, you can just go to a hostess club, then.” (Amanai)

“Huh? Why hostess club?” (Sakurai)

“I mean, the people who work there are conversation professionals who make money by attending and conversing with customers. Wouldn’t it be more beneficial to learn under such people than to hit on girls randomly?” (Amanai)

“——!?” (Sakurai)

Those words strike me stunned like a bolt out of the blue.

As Amanai says, those who work in hostess or host clubs are, in short, people who use the art of conversation to legally take away people’s money.

Their conversation skills must have surpassed those of the common people, and if it’s number 1 hostess who works in the finest club,

(Her communication skills must be at Sword Saint(Uncle)’s class——)

Thanks to learning the proper way of swinging a sword from Uncle and graduating from my self-taught way, my experience points gain efficiency increased by 25 times.

If the same can be applied to communication skills, wouldn’t I be able to expect 25 times increase in experience points gain efficiency by going to hostess club than using my self-taught hit-on-girls leveling style?

(Besides, when it comes to gathering information that I’ll be doing in the elves’ territory, I’ll have to talk to get it out of those elves. I’m handicapped in that regard, so it’s better to know how to make up for that shortcoming, no?)

From learning swordsmanship, I knew that the growth rate of a skill would change drastically just by finding out one key point about it.

Especially to me now, I’m sure that the growth rate of my conversation skills has been raised as my humanity has improved.

If that’s the case, there is only one thing I should do before Ethel and Iris are ready for the journey.

“Shall we go then. To the finest hostess club!” (Sakurai)

“My bad, Sakurai. I know I said that, but please don’t take my joke seriously.” (Amanai)

Now that’s decided, let’s find out where the club is first!

If it’s money, Amanai here have lots of it, so we have to go the best place we can go!

“Hey, wait, Sakurai!? Don’t pull me! Let go!” (Amanai)

“I can’t go to a hostess club without money, can I!” (Sakurai)

“What do you take me for, your wallet!?” (Amanai)

After throwing the money to pay for the bill on the table, I stand up with a jump, grab the screaming Amanai, and run to the city.

My aim is the best hostess club in the city, and the no. 1 hostess there.

To get its whereabouts, I head to the Adventurers Guild, where those familiar with places like hostess clubs are hanging out.

By the way, at the end of the day, we couldn’t enter the hostess club because we were underage and we didn’t have the introduction from a regular customer. And then, we both got preached by Iris and Akano, who heard about it all.

I learned that in this world, there were things you couldn’t do even if you have money.