Chapter 123.1

123 Part 1

Let’s be an Adventurer! ~Defeating Dungeons with a Skill Board~ 123

Let’s Go Through the Formalities of Accepting the Request!

After confirming that Karen’s breathing had gone back to normal, Haruki and the others resumed their running toward Hakodate.

She said she had had a stomach ache, but it didn’t seem to be due to fatigue.

Haruki sighed with relief.

However, he was worried that Karen’s appearance after regaining his breath was a bit strange.

He couldn’t understand why, but it seemed she was stubbornly refusing to look at him.

(I wonder if I did anything to make her like this…)

Was she angry?

Was it a terrible idea to have Karen run all the way to Hakodate after all?

Haruki pondered about this for a bit.

While running, Haruki tried pouring his energy into another piece of armor.

Among the armor that Haruki is equipped with, he was only able to pour energy into his Scale Coat and his Kokko Feather Necklace.

(When I poured energy into the feather necklace, Karen was so quick to turn away. What on earth happened?)

Perhaps the rest of his equipment wasn’t suitable for receiving his energy.

Just like when he tried with his Werewolf Short Sword, he got no reaction from other pieces of equipment, no matter how hard he tried.

The Scale Coat was a drop from the Lizardman and was also Haruki’s most prestigious piece of equipment.

No wonder he was able to pour energy into it.

However, his Kokko Feather Necklace was something he got as a drop in the upper section of the garage dungeon. It was hardly a high-ranked piece of equipment.

Could it be that he was able to pour energy into it because he had enhanced it?

Haruki made a mental note to compare how a piece of equipment behaves before and after it’s enhanced next time.

＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

[Flying] Reporting on Mr. Masked Man’s appearance 1 [And Vanishing]

12　Name: Anonymous on the lookout for Mr. Masked Man

I’ve just seen someone who looks like Mr. Masked Man!!

He’s so cool!

His mask really does shine lol

13　Name: Anonymous on the lookout for Mr. Masked Man

>> 12　Give us some details!

14　Name: Anonymous on the lookout for Mr. Masked Man

His mask was shining

And he was heading towards Oshima

But he was flying in the air…

15　Name: Anonymous on the lookout for Mr. Masked Man

Psh lol

16　Name: Anonymous on the lookout for Mr. Masked Man

・His mask floats in midair

・Feathers grow from his neck

・He carries a wriggling plant with him

・His body is covered with scales

・He has a white face on his back

・He has tentacles coming out of his waist

・A centipede parasitizes his abdomen

・He can split his body in two

・His mask shines

・He can fly through the air ← NEW

17　Name: Anonymous on the lookout for Mr. Masked Man

Flying in the sky lol

18　Name: Anonymous on the lookout for Mr. Masked Man

A new story about Mr. Masked Man lol

How lovely

＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊　＊

Haruki and others move south through the inner bay side since it was a shorter distance that way.

They passed through Yakumo Town, Mori Town, and Nanae Town, and finally arrived at Hakodate.

Haruki and the others arrived at Hakodate after dark.

They had expected to arrive two days after departure, but they arrived earlier than that.

It seemed that their physical level surpassed Haruki’s imagination.

Haruki slowly moved from the suburbs of Hakodate to downtown together with the exhausted Karen.

Hakodate was the last battlefield of the once-wound Boshin War.

The Boshin War was a battle in which each side clashed with one another, having their own justice in their hearts.

The former Shogunate army, including the Shinsengumi Hijikata Toshizo, landed from Washinoki (now Morimachi) and marched toward Hakodate, where they occupied Goryokaku, a five-sided fortification held by the rebel army.

Needless to say, the result was an overwhelming victory for the army of the new government.

Haruki visited Goryokaku on a school trip when he was in junior high school, but Goryokaku was then more of a star-shaped park than a fortress, since it didn’t have any rampart walls or towers.

It was a magistrate’s office, so though it looked like a natural spot, it wasn’t a place that would attract the interest of junior high school students.

The clock tower in Sapporo was the same. Goryokaku was one of the many disappointing spots in Hokkaido for Haruki.

“Can you take care of the hotel, Karen?”

“Sure. Where do we meet?”

“I’ll be at the Ichibishi armor store, so give me a call from the hotel.”

Ichibishi armor stores had telephones that customers could use.

Even Akane’s store, though small, had a phone. (However, it was only a satellite phone).

Those were stores affiliated with a large company.

Whether you had a landline telephone or not, there was nothing to worry about.

“Got it. See you later then.”

“Yeah, see ya.”

After a short briefing, Haruki and Karen parted ways in front of Goryokaku.

Karen headed for Yunokawa to secure their lodgings for the night.

Haruki had no intention to head to the dungeon on Mt. Hakodate that same day, so he stored Rhea and Esta inside the magic bag and gave them to Karen to take with her to the hotel.

Haruki headed towards Mt. Hakodate to report his arrival at the Ichibishi armor store there, and to discuss his future plans.

The Mt. Hakodate district, where a foreign settlement was located, used to trade with foreign countries during the Edo period. Therefore, buildings with colors and building styles different from those naturally seen in Japan decorated the city, similar to Yokohama and Nagasaki.

Haruki went up Hachimanzaka and headed for the Ichibishi-affiliated armor store in front of the Old Public Hall of Hakodate Ward.

The area was furnished with so-called high-collar buildings, which Haruki’s eyes feasted on.

Colors not seen in Japan, but brought from overseas…

And they also had the different features seen in each country.

For example, in Japan, the color blue has an appetite-decreasing effect, but in some foreign countries, it has an appetite-promoting effect.

The usual coloring of American cakes comes from the difference in how they feel the colors.

A broad smile began to appear in Haruki’s face as he imagined the various activities of foreigners at that time, based on the difference in the many buildings’ colors and shapes.

This is good.

How wonderful!

In more peaceful times, Haruki would have enjoyed looking at the buildings at his leisure. But he didn’t have such time now.

Haruki mustered up his resolve and finally took his eyes off the buildings that appealed to him so much.

Unlike those in K-town, the Ichibishi stores in Hakodate were open until 8 pm in the summer.

This was the same as in Sapporo, and the bigger the city, the later at night those stores would close.