Chapter 27

Ossan, enters the abandoned mine *DISCLAIMER: I DON'T REALLY KNOW j.a.pANESE, THESE ARE MACHINE TRANSLATIONS THAT I TRY TO PUT INTO PROPER ENGLISH. READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.*I HAVE A DISCORD SERVER IN CASE YOU WANT TO BE NOTIFIED WHEN I'M ABOUT TO POST A NEW UPDATE. 

Contrary to what one might expect, the inside of the mine wasn't completely dark, as it contained some sort of light-emitting ore. 

A pale blue hue illuminates the surroundings all the way to the depths of a tunnel.

The clanking sound of steel hitting a hard surface, the indication that there's someone fighting, reverberates from time to time. What will decide whether the monster or the mercenary wins is, ultimately, strength and luck.

So they don't end up attacking each other by mistake in such a narrow pa.s.sway, Zeros' group is divided into vanguard and rearguard, but somehow he ended up in the former position despite being a magician.

Although that's not particularly problematic for him, he was placed there after Jane grumbled: "I can't help being anxious that this old man will try to s.e.xually hara.s.s me from behind.". In the end, the formation consisted of Zeros and Jane as the vanguards, plus Rena and Iris as the rearguards.   

Rena's role is to protect Iris, and she's certainly the right person for the job considering she's equipped with a tough-looking shield.

And, it would've been perfect if only she didn't have a slovenly grin plastered on her face, seemingly immersed in her questionable thoughts…

"… Is she okay?"

"Ah, yeah. That's the usual, don't worry about it, mister."

"I-Is she really always like that? She's bound to get reported if people see her like that though……"

"Well, she's been reported several times, actually. Honestly, I think I should really start thinking about whether is good to keep a.s.sociating with her."

(It's just her dangerous delusions, right? To be honest, I'm kind of afraid to ask, but…)

The mood wasn't particularly comfortable. She had a strange ecstatic smile while murmuring weird things.

Although he could understand their content if he listened more closely, he stopped himself from doing so. His intuition told him that it might make him an accomplice to a crime.

There are things in this world that are better left unknown.

"She has to return to sanity in case a monster really appears. Shouldn't you guys be concerned about that?"

"Well, she'll probably return on her own, besides, I don't think she'll listen even if we ask her, just look at her…"

"I wish monsters would come out already."

In other words, Zeros will have to keep going forward while hearing the occasional coquettish panting from behind him, though in all honesty, he would've liked to be spared from it.

Then, Zeros suddenly stops. His enemy search skill picked up a reaction, and when he focused his awareness towards the end of the tunnel, he could indeed feel a presence heading towards them.

Incidentally, these types of skills are intuitive and don't appear as images in one's mind.   

While a.s.serting that feeling in his mind, he sighs and proceeds to look around.  

"What's wrong, mister?"

"I sensed monsters' presences just now. I'm not entirely sure about their number, but they're … Kobolds, maybe?"

"Rena, get back to your senses! Monster attack incoming!"

"Hah!? Where's my cute little boy!? I had him tied to my bed with a rope… huh?"

(What kind of crime were you committing in your delusions? You totally sound like a convicted criminal…)

She seemed to have been thinking about a variety of dangerous things in her head. There are things Zeros would've liked to ask, but he felt like he shouldn't listen for some reason. He doesn't want to end up in prison with her.

He takes his mind off such silly topics and focuses his attention forward, where there's a shadow approaching. 

Its dog-like head, accompanied by a developed sense of smell, is certainly the distinctive feature of Kobolds.

Perhaps it has noticed them as well, as it's preparing for battle. 

Apparently, it was only a scout, given that there were multiple groups also approaching behind it.

"… Should we attack first?"

"Are there more of those guys coming from behind it? If not, then I'll rush in…"

"Who has the lowest level here?"

"Hmm? I think both Rensan and Jane are around level 50."

"Iris, it's a crime to tell someone about other people's levels, you know?"

Reincarnators generally have a higher level than the natives of this world. It appears that it was necessary to work towards raising their battle potential.

"I'll stop their movements. You two, go ahead and defeat them to raise your levels."

"And the magic stones? Is it alright to take them? It's common sense for mercenaries to get the magic stones of the prey they defeat."

"Sure, I don't mind. I have enough to last a lifetime."

Zeros, who obtained a large number of magic stones during the time he was surviving in Far-flung forest, is not particularly looking to expand his collection. If he sells them all at once, he might single-handedly collapse the magic stone's market and crash the kingdom's economy as a whole.

"Alright, let's do this. So, Jane will rush at the enemy, and I will follow after, are you okay with that?"

"Roger. You won't complain later if I take them all for myself, right?"

"I won't. Rather than that, please don't get me involved."

"Let's go!"

The attack formation has been decided. They start moving at once. 

"〖Area Paralyze〗"

(*T.N: changed it a bit, and I think the author made a small typo;「『ゾーン・パライズ』 and it should be パラライズ.)

A ball of light is formed in Zeros' left hand, who then proceeds to shoot it towards the depths of the tunnel. Soon after, 'Gyah!', a monster's scream echoes in the tunnel.

At the same time, the two break into a run, and soon the Kobolds' death throes could be heard. 

Zeros and Iris immediately headed towards their companions, not expecting, however, the pitiful state of the monsters' corpses. 

Rena and Jane were cutting their chests open and taking out their magic stones.

"As always, it's a disgusting thing to see."

"Is that so? I don't really mind anymore."

Walking alongside Zeros, who's smoking a cigarette, Iris holds her head.

"How could you adapt so easily, mister? I don't get it."

"I've dismantled wild boars while hunting before. There's not much of a difference, right?"

"Mister… so you were really brave."

"Did you know that a bear's paws have a gelatin-like consistency? They are very tasty, and they also have collagen, so it's definitely good for your skin."

"You make it sound as if they are like pig's trotters. Disgusting. I really don't wanna eat something like that."

In fact, Zeros had eaten pig's trotters and pig heads before.

(Hmm, I would actually love to eat some again, offal too. And with a cold beer, it would be the best…… Oh, and pig ears* too…

[*T.N: ミミガー, okinawan dish of pig ears. I dare you to google that.]

… In this world, the alcohol they have is mostly wine and fruity ale. Surely they must have beer somewhere, right? I'd really like to at least have a cold beer one of these days.)

The old man really missed Izakaya bars*.

(*T.N: informal bars that serve alcohol and snacks. Typical after-work drinking places https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Izakaya)

Ale, which is the precursor of the modern-era beer, is not chilled, so it's not a particularly delicious summertime drink. He, who knew how the beer in his former world tasted like, wasn't satisfied by the warm ale produced in this world.

Today seemed to be one of those days where he really missed a cold beer.

"Hmm, should I try making a refrigerator? The problem is that they only sell ale in small barrels. I'd like to be able to buy it already bottled."

"A refrigerator, you say… Mister, are you planning to introduce modern technology?"

"No way, I'm going to make it for myself. I would like to be spared from having to deal with some sly, greedy merchant."

"Unfair! Why are you only making it for yourself?"

"Naturally, I'm not planning to interfere much with this world."

Those words come out, despite being responsible for a major revolution in the field of magic.  

He wants to live a normal life, though there might be a gap between what's 'normal' for him and for other people. But, humans are creatures that choose to live their lives according to their own values, and at the same time, don't find worth in the things they're not interested in.

What is perfectly natural for some people might be considered insane for others.

In fact, he doesn't consider himself to be a farmer, still believing to be unemployed. One might say, that at that point, his sense of value was already quite strange. 

"Well then, I'll continue to search for enemies… though it doesn't seem like there are more monsters close by. The Kobolds from earlier were scouts, and I have the feeling that there will be more the deeper we go."

"I'm just taking it slow right now, okay?… Because of mister and everyone else, I haven't had my turn, that's all."

"It's the level difference, isn't it? When your skills' levels are also high, it feels like you're just messing around, right? Compared to that forest's monsters, this is a child's play. I can one-punch all these small fries."

"Uuu… that's too much of a cheat, it's so unfair, mister."

He fully understood that fact. That's why he wanted to live in peace.

—

While he was talking to Iris, the girls finished collecting all the magic stones. However, they didn't look all too happy.

"The magic stones are too small. These won't give enough money for a new sword, we're gonna need a lot more."

"They're not very high quality, but well, at least we can cover part of our living expenses."

"What about the Kobolds' bodies? Shall I burn them?"

"We can just leave them as they are. By the time we're back they'll probably be gone, you know?"

"……eh?…"

He felt something odd in Jane's words.

"Please wait a moment, what do you mean by that…?"

"Because other monsters will dispose of them, isn't it?"

"That's impossible. Are Worms wandering around these parts?"

"Supposedly, Worms appear in the lower layers, while, there are only Kobolds near the entrance, and Giant Ants after them."

"So, monsters won't take care of the corpses? What a lousy ecosystem."

Monsters are living beings. And, as such, they will fight to secure food. The strong will naturally have priority in doing so, by means of attacking and eating the weak, and in turn, the weak fight amongst themselves for whatever leftover food remains. 

However, such a food chain hasn't been established in these tunnels. 

If Jane's and Rena's story is to be believed, that would mean monsters settle down in each layer, just fighting the mercenaries that come inside the mine. 

However, if there isn't a food chain in place, all monsters will eventually die. Obviously, such a ridiculous thing is impossible.

"I have a question, does the type of monster you encounter changes according to the layer you're in?"

"Hmm…? Ah! Yeah, that's right. Giant Ants from the third level, and Big Spiders and Mount Scorpions starting from the fifth level."

"All of them are monsters that don't predate on each other… Impossible!"

"Ah! I get it! This mine is a dungeon, right?"

"That is probably the case. For the dungeon, monsters and mercenaries are nothing but fodder. No matter whichever survives, it will get food in the end."

Dungeon. It's a field-type monster that is sometimes born when the concentration of mana of a place exceeds a certain level.  

The core is generated by condensing the mana from the ground, transforming the surrounding land into its own body, and then proceeding to summon monsters, which in turn, attracts their natural enemy: humans; thus, securing its food.

Ores, precious metals, jewelry, and so on, are produced to attract them and make them fight against the monsters.

In addition, the dungeon absorbs the bodies and souls of both humans and monsters after they die (though for some reason only the magic stones remain), and converts them into its own mana, allowing it to expand its scale and summon more monsters. 

Though it doesn't have an ego of its own, dungeons instinctively summon monsters and attract people just to maintain themselves. In other words, the mine is practically the belly of a huge monster. 

Incidentally, the weapons and armor of the people that die inside it, are not absorbed, and by taking in the mana of the surroundings over a long period of time, they might get transformed into powerful equipment. 

Such equipment is usually worn by the dungeon's monsters, and since they receive a mana supply from it, they don't become hungry and are able to breed indefinitely. 

Even if too many monsters are produced, the balance is regained by releasing them outside the dungeon. This is a phenomenon known as 'stampede', which towns and villages near dungeons are always on alert for. 

The dungeon's core is always shifting, and it's hard to pinpoint its location. 

To humans, it's a place where they can make huge profits from, and at the same time, is an incredibly deadly danger zone.

The Mercenary Guild is always monitoring the situation around them, and other trade guilds help manage the surrounding areas, sometimes building gigantic towns nearby them.

Although it brought many business opportunities, it was also a dangerous place with a lot of trouble attached. 

Currently, only three dungeons have been found so far, but they are all low-leveled ones with only relatively weak monsters inhabiting them, which has also contributed to the weakening of the knights and magicians over time.

They can't put to test their abilities and raise their levels in those places, leaving only the dense Far-flung forest as a place to train. 

There are records of people from the old era who have managed to reach the depths of these dungeons, but in the present time, there aren't any people capable of doing that, which is also due to their average level becoming lower compared to the past.

(*T.N: Take this paragraph with a grain of salt, it was very confusing, and I'm not sure whether the narrator is talking about the dungeons in general, this mine dungeon in particular, or far-flung forest. I just went with dungeons in general.)

If the mine were indeed a dungeon, Ahhan village would have the potential to develop into a city. At the same time, a lot more reckless people will die, though that's not something the guilds care about, as they claim it's the mercenaries' own responsibility. 

"I've read before that dungeons are not hard to find. They're attractive places if we only look at the amount of money you can make, but at the same time, there are a lot of troublesome things to find there."

"Like what for example?"

"It is unclear right now, but the monsters at the lowest layer might be increasing their numbers indiscriminately given that this dungeon hasn't been conquered yet. Worst case scenario, those monsters might ascend from there and go outside the mine."

"Eh? Is this mine really a dungeon? Is there gonna be a stampede?"

"It's still just a possibility. We may need to go to the bottom layer to ascertain the truth."

Suddenly, the air froze. 

They don't understand what Zeros is saying… Well, they understand but don't want to believe it. 

"… Naturally, I'll go alone. Haah… what a pain, honestly."

"Oi, old man, are you sane!? There are only high-leveled monsters in the bottom layers, you know!?"

"How can you casually say such a thing!?"

"Ehh? I initially only came here to mine metal ores, but we may have found an undiscovered dungeon, you know? Most likely, we wouldn't be able to get a good amount of ores unless we get closer to the bottom layer, and in the meantime, we'll get swarmed by monsters…… which is almost exactly like the time I was lost in the forest. Monster parties* are really depressing…"

(*T.N: モンスター パーティー; I only found pictures of Halloween parties when I googled that, so I'm not exactly sure what it means, it's probably some kind of pun.)

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"So, you're just feeling like exterminating monsters while mining!? You are insane! What are you gonna do if it's an actual dungeon!?"

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