Chapter 75

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

Chigo, who is coming toward us, is walking a little faster. She was still biting into the freshly made muffin she just bought.

From time to time, she seems to drink some kind of drink from her right hand to make sure she does not choke on the muffin.

"What's that drink?"

"What......this..? It's milk with a special blend of tea from the muffin store over there. It's delicious. Do you want some? Just a little?"

"Sure, give me some."

Fuyuki is an aspiring explorer, so he doesn't mind indirect kissing. Of course, neither does Chigo.

Even so, he stays a little closer to Chigo than usual, and instead of holding the drink himself, he puts his mouth directly on the straw of the cup Chigo holds and takes a small sip.

"How do you like it? I think I like the milk here."

"Yes, it's delicious. I think I'll buy it next time."

"Heh heh - fine. I'm the one who found it!"

"Yes, Chigo is great."

Tenji watched them gently from the side as they engaged in such sweet conversation.

Even Tenji, who was inexperienced in love and has never even been in love for the first time, has noticed Fuyuki's feelings in the past week.

Little by little, Fuyuki began to appeal to Chigo. His gentle eyes change into eyes of love only when he is having an ordinary conversation with Chigo.

But Chigo is still Chigo.

She was a natural and is always pouting. She is not yet aware of Fuyuki's feelings as a matter of course, and enjoys her daily Mallorcan time leisurely.

"Are you two done?"

Chigo asked the two men who were standing.

Tenji already holds the iron sword in his hand, instead of on his shoulder. But of course, they are still in the city, so it is still in his weapons bag.

Fuyuki is the type of person who does not use weapons very often, and wears fingerless yellow gloves on both hands. It was a gift from Leon.

Normally, armor items do not exist in this world, but those of Fuyuki are a bit special and apparently have valuable effects.

[I think it improves mobility a lot, right? I heard that you can also create sharp and translucent blades with your skills. ...... I haven't seen it yet...]

Tenji was unintentionally impressed by the fact that there are so many interesting things sleeping in the world that students don't know much about.

Chigo told him that if the item were to be auctioned, it would be worth billions of dollars.

It's amazing that Leon can give such a thing as a gift with just a plop.

"Yeah, I'm fully prepared. Or maybe I moved a little too much this morning? Haha."

"You came to my house in the morning and said, 'Give me some practice'. How can I say no to that?

"Haha, I sure got bumped off."

Dirt-like stains are noticeable in places on Fuyuki's clothing.

It was probably a stain created by being rolled over and over again in the yard of the house by Chigo in the morning when he was not strong enough to handle it.

Conversely, there is not a trace of sweat or dirt on Chigo's body, and one can feel the difference in talent between the two up close.

"What about you, Tenji?"

"I'm fine too. I ride my bike every morning to begin with, so if I can do some light stretching, that's all I need."

"I see. Let's go then. We're a little later than everyone else."

The students and teachers were already gone from the surroundings, and this Japanese group was the only one left behind.

This is partly the fault of Chigo, who was leisurely shopping, but there was no stupid enough to blame Chigo.

The three of them proceeded toward the transition gate, matching Chigo's stride.

Half of the door is white and half of the gate is black. Surrounded by a series of fountains, it is a kind of art space. At the top is a sculpture of a naked woman holding a water bottle.

Several camps were carved into the ground around that fountain, and they stood in one of them.

"Go to the--11th level."

Chigo has a full muffin in each hand, so they both placed their hands on Chigo's shoulders.

Then, as they verbally chanted the desired level, the three bodies glowed.

Blink.

They found themselves in a forested area on the 11th level.

It is a forested space that can be found anywhere, somewhat like the sea of trees at Mt. Fuji.

Thick ivy crawling on the ground, tall trees, the thick scent of nature, and fresh air full of negative ions. The weather is just right for June in Japan, with a sense of season that lasts for a long time.

This 11th level is a very comfortable space for Japanese.

On the other hand, it seems to be a bit of a difficult place for foreigners who come from near the equator or the Northern Part to study abroad.

There, Chigo swallows a piece of muffin that was still in her hand.

"I'll search for a less public place then. Until then, please be the incharge, Fuyuki."

"Roger that."

"Yeah, we got it."

To summon the Goblins, Tenji must head deep into the isolated dungeon field.

Up to that point, Tenji rests his body and Fuyuki handles all the monsters.

Fuyuki also does not believe that he can elevate himself at such a low level, and to be honest, it is like a trivial game for him.

And so the three of them began to advance toward the edge of the huge elliptical field.

Hopping over the enormous ivy crawling on the ground and listening to the rustling of leaves, Tenji and the others had reached the edge of the field on the 11th level.

The dungeons in this Mallorca could roughly be divided into two main categories.

The first to fifth levels are often called "Mallorca resort dungeons" because there are very few dangers and fifth-grade monsters are the main type that appear. As the name suggests, it is a dungeon with a strong resort atmosphere. It is also known to offer tours to tourists.

And from the sixth level to the 75th level, which is the highest level reached today, is simply called Mallorca Dungeon.

From the sixth level and below, the dungeon is an ordinary field-type dungeon, an elliptical field with a maximum distance of approximately 20 km on the long side and 15 km on the short side.

Of course, there is no such thing as a flat field; some fields are uneven like mountains, and others, such as this 11th level, are all covered with deep forests, making it impossible to see what lies ahead.

It is in these fields, where visibility is not penetrable, that Tenji will be able to demonstrate his abilities to the fullest.

Understanding Tenji's situation, Fuyuki is also working with him as a member of the group.

"Oh, there's one coming from 800 meters ahead."

Fuyuki searched for the enemy and informed them of the results.

"What?"

"It's a makisnake. There's no mistaking the distinctive sound it makes as it rubs its body."

Fuyuki listened carefully and said so.

On Fuyuki's head, there were cat-like ears, which humans are not supposed to have. The way they move in response to the sound is a bit endearing.

Fuyuki is a young man with the zero-grade calling "Phantom King," which is said to be held by only seven active explorers.

Because he is still in the process of development, he is a second-grade explorer, but he is said to be a zero-grade searcher in terms of potential alone. Even so, it is rumored that he has already attained the level of a first-grade explorer within the past year.

As the name suggests, the "Phantom King" is a calling that deals with the abilities of multiple creatures called "phantoms," which are neither animals nor monsters that originally existed on earth.

Now, Fuyuki is using a cat-shaped ability called the phantom "Entrecat".

It is said that the sensory organs in their ears are so superior that they can distinguish sounds from several kilometers away. Others say that their speed becomes many times faster than usual and their body flexibility becomes squishy like an octopus.

The attack power itself is not that high, but it is a very useful phantom ability in an environment with poor prospects.

"It's been a while since I've seen that one from Fuyuki!"

"Huh?"

"Oh yeah, the one that strikes like a sniper!"

"Oh, you mean the "Shadow Sniper"? Oh, I don't really like it because it looks a little awkward."

"What? I like that one, it's so cool!"

"Oh, yeah? Well, then, I'll just do it this one time, since we are out of the public eye."

Fuyuki smiled bitterly, as if he was a little troubled, and decided to respond to Tenji and Chigo's request, waiting with a twinkle in his eyes.

He exhales, and at that moment, the bushy ears on his head and the two cattails growing out of his tailbone are scratched away. At the same time, the cat's eyes return to normal human eyes.

Then, as he exhales to concentrate again, the atmosphere that Fuyuki is clad in changes completely.

"'The Shadow Sniper', as the Phantom King would have it."