The Dungeon Seeker

Chapter 1 - Skill Hunt ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ ▼ (Part 3)

The A-Rank adventurer Eureka Madonel is in a great mood.

His weekly salary is about 2 to 5 gold coins, 1 million yen to 2.5 million yen when converted to Japanese yen.

Keeping that in mind, the special bonus that he got in the pub earlier could be considered as a decent sum. It was fortunate meeting that boy.

It looks like that boy although he looked dirty, he is a very rich kid.

*Pe*, Eureka spat out.

「Damn, I failed……I should’ve gotten closer to that brat……and extorted him to the limit. He’s a coward who would throw away that much money just for his woman. It should’ve been possible to extort him……」

He is an adventurer who is always beside danger.

He was able to continuously advance his career up to A-Rank, but his true feelings could be described as……he does not want to take quest at all.

He has seen tens, hundreds, no, maybe a few hundreds of martyrs up until now.

That is why he knows that it is a job that has a high income. However, he thinks that rather than leaving for an expedition where he would need to bet his life on, it is better to extort or threaten someone and get a lot of money.

In that meaning, for Eureka, getting a huge sum without risk and hard work is no other than good fortune that is why today, he is quite loose.

If one were to ask what is the most important ability that an adventurer must have, anyone would answer that it is the ability to sense danger.

Masters of swords and masters of magic, it is not like they are masters from the start.

They all had times when they were trainees and if they have encountered a strong monster at that time……there is no doubt that their lives had ended before they became masters.

Anyways, be it skills or sixth sense, or maybe from experience, the ability to sense danger is what an adventurer must have.

Of course, Eureka who is an A-Rank adventurer has the ability to sense danger that is above average.

In his case, he uses all the experience and knowledge that he has to dodge encounters with dangerous monsters, butーー

ーーit is just, today, his ability to sense danger did not work at all. And Eureka met the worst class of demon.

It might be because he is drunk.

Or maybe, he thinks that nothing would happen inside the city.

Adding to that, he might have the thoughts that there is no way that someone would attack an overwhelming strong existence like an A-Rank adventurer inside the city.

Or perhaps, the demon’s evasion status that transcends human sense might have evaded even Eureka’s ability to sense danger.

Anyways, he has been struck by a disaster.

In a corner at the back alleys, a god of death clad in his cloak with his back to a dirty wall that looks like it would collapse anytimeーーappeared in front of Eureka.

「Yo. Hello to you again」

Eureka narrowed his eyebrows dubiously to Junpei’s words that he said leisurely while raising his had.

「Oi, you……the air around you is very different, but……are you that rich kid from earlier?」

「Rich kid……? Ahh, you mean that……you took it like that huh……well, that’s fine too?」

Eureka places his hand in his pocket and took out a calling card.

「Do you……or your father, or someone you know have interest in artifacts? From rare rank S to……National Treasure Class items and equipments, I have them in stock. I’m searching for guys who are interested in them. Ahh, of course, I know that I don’t need to say this but, it is a deal with ridiculously rare items so inevitably, I’m searching for ridiculously rich guys」

「What do you mean?」

Eureka took out a gold colored necklace from his pocket.

「This is an artifact with a rarity of the National Treasure Class. It has the effects of nullifying the status ailments of Sleep」

Junpei immediately activated【Appraisal Eyes】.

And there, Junpei laughed.

Not mentioning being a rare item, it was not even “gold”. It is a copper necklace with a gold coating.

Most probably, it’s something like a present for low-class women.

In short, Eureka is planning on selling that trash for a ridiculously high price.

「Alright, that’s enough. Don’t get near to me. You’re smell of too much alcohol」

「Oh……what happened to you?」

「Also, you? Give me back the money from earlier」

With those words, Eureka made a dumbfounded expression.

「Unfortunately, I’m not that rich you know?」

「Stop joking. There’s no way that a guy who would immediately pay 6 gold coins would be not wealthy. You’re a kid of a huge merchant or a noble right?」

「What a stupid bastard. There’s no way that a well-groomed guy would eat food in a dirty pub like that」

Eureka got silent for a while, then sent hostile looks to Junpei.

「You just got a huge some money today by chance…………and you really need to recover it huh? Unfortunately, I won’t give you a single cent?」

「What an oblivious bastard……」

Junpei shrugged his shoulders while rolling his eyes.

Eureka looked around then said to Junpei with a smile.

「This place doesn’t have many people and there’s no light as well. There would be no witnesses. Even if guardsmen appear here……there’s no way that I would fail and get caught. There’s no way that I would get caught red-handed, and even if I did, I have connections with the law enforcers」

「……well, that must be true」

「Let’s say that an unfortunate murder case happens here……in that case, who would be the most troubled?」

「Well, it would be the side who gets kills. A witness wouldn’t exist after all……」

Junpei continued almost laughing.

「……it’s exactly as you say, it’s impossible to get caught red-handed」

「That’s right. In the case where a murder case happens here, the one who would be most troubledーー」

Junpei and Eureka both held their laughs.

And the two, pausing for a very long time……said these words at the same time.

「「You would get troubled the most」」

Eureka made an imposing face, but he started to laugh at Junpei’s unexpected reaction while he shook head.

「This is so funny, you brat! Are you a masochist or suicidal?」

「Ann? I’m not a masochist or suicidal you know?」

Eureka made a dubious expression to Junpei who was full of composure.

「I can’t understand……I can’t understand at all……」

「What?」

「I’m an A-Rank adventurer you know?」

「Of course I know?」

With an expression that shows confusion from the bottom of this heart, Eureka asked Junpei.

「Why……why are you not afraid of me? Why are you not in awe? You don’t look like just a fool……I can’t understand……」

「Ahh, you mean that……this will be on a different topic, but」

Saying that, Junpei made a mischievous expression.

「Do you want to play a quiz with me?」

「A quiz?」

「Yeah, right now, there’s this on me」

There was something in between Junpei’s right thumb and pointing finger.

ーーthat, it is a finger.

It is a human’s middle finger that was cut with something sharp.

「……eh? A finger? What’s the heck’s with that?」

Junpei answered with a cool face.

「As I’ve thought, you couldn’t even react huh……well, I even used【Acceleration】after all. U〜n……let me see. For the meantime, I could only say. If you look at your left hand, you’ll get happy you know?」

A second later, Eureka checked his own left palm, and lost his words.

「What the……?」

A fountain of blood was gushing out of Eureka’s middle finger.

「I’m just saying that your middle finger was cut off」

To Junpei with a composed face, Eureka asked with great surprise.

「What……what did you fucking do?」

「Well, it’s very simple. Just right now……I approached you with a super high speed. And took away one of your finger」

「What……the fuck are you saying? I couldn’t even see it? There’s no way that that would happen, unless the highest rank of SSS-Rank class adventurer does it」

By the way, in the system of the adventurer’s guild, the highest rank is only up to S-Rank, and the rank SSS does not exist.

「I just said, the facts though?」

There finally, Eureka took out a cloth from his pocket, and started to exert pressure on his wrist’s veins to stop the bleeding.

While doing that, he was using his head the best he could to analyze the current situation, but he could not come up with an answer after all.

「What the heck is really happening? With me not noticing it during a conversation……unless, it’s a high tier illusionist……」

「The answer is simple. I exceed the S-Rank class. The SSS-Rank adventurer that you’re talking about……you could just say that I’m at the same level with that?」

Eureka finally started to feel fear to Junpei who said that as if it was nothing.

His drunkenness disappeared in an instant and his senses and his sixth sense sharpened.

「Ah……」

「n? What?」

「You……what……are you……?」

In this instant, it looks like he finally realized correctly that this is a place of death.

Junpei who saw that frightened expression

「In a few words, a god of death」

「God of……death……?」

Cold sweat would not stop coming out of Eureka’s back.

All the hairs on his body stood up, and he could not move as if he was frozen. His body would not move at all.

That, he feels a difference between their strength just like when he was only a rookie adventurer……like the shock that he got when he first saw an A-Rank adventurer, no, the difference might be more than that.

「And so……you?」

Asked by Junpei, *Biku!*, Eureka answered with the back of his voice.

「Yi……Yis!!」

「For the meantime, can you get tied up?」

「Eh?! Tied up?」

「You don’t want to?」

Eureka got silent for a while.

Eureka’s sixth sense was telling him to listen to what he says, listen to him and not make him angry because it is already over for him.

On the other hand, his pride of being able to reach the rank of A-Rank adventurer was saying that a A-Rank adventurer who feels defeated to an unknown small-fry looking bastard……there’s no way that an idiot like that would exist.

「……」

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

Four seconds.

Those two feelings contested.

When his silence had passed five seconds, in Eureka’s eyes, the start of Junpei’s movementsーーalthough very faintly, he saw it. Or rather, in that mere instant, Junpei’s body blurred……or maybe, he felt that he saw him overlapping, twice or thrice.

Fearfully, slowly, he looked at his own left hand feeling something bad……then looked up to the sky.

Following his middle finger, it was his little finger that he lost.

On top of that, it was just because he did not reply for five seconds that his opponent made him lost that unhesitatingly.

「Haha, there’s no doubt then」

「No doubt?」

What Eureka is thinking right now. That isーー

「Today’s a ridiculously unlucky day. This is worst than the time when my back was dug up by a veteran senpai, when I took my first quest from the guild that needed to stay out」

“Yeah”, Junpei nodded.

「If it’s me, I won’t let you off with just your butt hole. I can take your balls in an instant after all」

Receiving those words, Eureka made crosses in his head many times.

「Yes, yes, I understand alright. I should just get tied up right. I’m not so stupid that I would fight a battle without a chance on winning」

Seemingly have given up, he kneeled down, then took a prone position.

What Junpei used to tie him up were the chains that he took from the torture-loving pervert that he met in the labyrinth.

Its material is orihalcon that is even called as the “God’s Metal”.

Even Sakakibara who used the skill【Acceleration】before and exceeded the ranks of S-Rank class was not able to do anything about this chains.

Well, Junpei himself who is far stronger than them was not able to do anything when he was tied up by this so you could say that it is only normal.

That orihalcon tied up Eureka’s hands and feet making him like a caterpillar that could only creep forward.

「Your skill……it’s called【Rise of the Herculean】right?」

The instant the Eureka’s heart broke completely, light particles appeared from the surface of his body and made one card.

Junpei nodded with satisfaction and opened his mouth.

「I’ll gratefully use it for you」

At the same time, he places the Cerberus’s Canine to his left wrist.

「Also……I’ll leave your right hand so be thanks okay」

Saying that, he cuts off his wrist.

Blood flowed out like a fountain but Junpei immediately took out a string from his waist, ties it up to Eureka’s artery around his elbow, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.

Following that, Junpei removed the chains that restrained him. And while he did that, he did not forget to take out a cloth bagーーthe wallet from Eureka’s pocket.

「I’ll take back my money……n? You even have 36 gold coins in total huh. Well, whatever. I’ll take out the exceeding sum. Also, it would be better if you go to a doctor. What I did right now is just an amateur treatment. If you let it as it is……you’ll probably die. Well, that isn’t something that I need to remind an A-Rank adventurer-sama though」

After saying just that, Junpei left that place while waving his hand backward.

「I don’t need to say this, but……it’s just my kindness that I didn’t kill you right now. If you tell anybody about me, you know right? I hate standing out」

Eureka shook his head vertically many times to Junpei’s slowly leaving back.

And finally, Junpei disappeared into the darkness.

If the words Junpei said is true……thinking of that, Eureka checked his own status plate. And then, looked up to the sky.

「……my skill……my best skill……the【Rise of the Herculean】……it……it isn’t……here? T-That guy……he……he ate……the skill?」

Not knowing the concept of Skill Hunt, all that he could do was lose his words.

He looked down to the end of his left hand that wouldn’t move from his wrist.

「Really, what an unlucky day. My adventurer rank……how far would it go down」

ーーthe reason that he fell down to that place, it was not only because of losing blood.

Name : Takeda Junpei Thesaurus Points : 100

Level Up : 1158 → 1160

Bonus Points Gained : 10

Status

Job : Skill Hunter Level : 1160

HP : 1840 MP : 180

Attack Power : 300 (Junpei's basic stat : 5) Defense Power : 425 (Junpei’s basic stat : 5)

Evasion Efficiency : 4400 (Junpei’s basic stat : 3855)

Equipments

Main : Magic Beast's Canine (Mythological Class)

※Infused with God Killer attribute

Sub : S&W M57 Forty-one caliber Magnum (National Treasure Class)

※Bullets replenished using magic powers. No strengthening

Armor : Sword Saint's Light Armor (Rare : Rank S)

※Defense Power +145 / Attack Power +45

Shield : Aegis’ Shield (Legendary Class)

※Defense Power +250 / Evasion Efficiency + 300

Mantle : Cloak of Evasion (Rare : Rank A)

※Passive that increases the basic Evasion Efficiency to 1.5 times

Shoes : Tenma no Tabi (National Treasure Class)

※Defense Power + 30 / Evasion Efficiency + 245

Skill (Skill Slot: 6 Remaining)

• Appraisal Eyes (Super-Class)
• Trash Box (Ultimate)

———————————————————————————————-

• All Status Ailments Resistance
• Butcher (Super-Class)
• Monster Tame (Beginner Class)
• Mimicry (Super-Class)
• Acceleration (Special)
• Rise of the Herculean (Heroic-Class) / Attack Power + 650

Attributes

Undead King

※Changing Body Composition. Just like an undead, its body fluid, blood, and, meat would become a very strong neurotoxin.

Tamed Monsters

• Pure Slime
• Pandemic Slime
• Sand Slime