My Instant Death Ability is So Overpowered, No One in This Other World Stands a Chance Against Me! - Volume 14 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4 — Too Bad! Your Adventure Ends Here!

“Although it’s known as the ‘Prison Area,’ this is simply an ordinary dungeon, is it not?”

Daimon Hanakawa, Ryouko Ninomiya, and Carol S. Lane made their way through the interior of the pyramid in their pursuit of Yogiri.

Hanakawa wore a kung fu uniform to match his class of Monk. Ryouko wore the traditional Japanese formal wear of her Samurai class, while Carol wore bright red ninja gear that seemed rather ill-suited to actually sneaking around. Since they received a boost to their abilities for wearing equipment that matched their classes, they couldn’t turn down the equipment, even if it did look a little strange.

“I guess it’s called a prison because once you enter, you can’t leave,” Carol replied offhandedly.

“It is strange to me that monsters would be attacking us in a simple prison,” Ryouko added, slicing an attacking lizardman in two as she spoke.

“Hm. Prison guards, maybe?”

“It feels like they’re just attacking us at random. It doesn’t feel like they’re trying to manage this place or anything.”

“It does seem like a bit of an anticlimax for the final dungeon, does it not?” Hanakawa said. “There do not appear to be any significant gimmicks at play.”

“There’s also so much space. It doesn’t feel much like a dungeon,” Carol added.

The corridor was ten meters across and ten meters high. The path split here and there to create something of a labyrinth, but there were nothing like traps or other mechanisms. On top of that, holding a Philosopher’s Stone allowed one to tell where the entrance to the next level was, so they couldn’t really get lost either.

You could say needing a Philosopher’s Stone to pass through the gates was kind of a dungeon mechanic, but a single stone in the party allowed everyone to pass through any number of gates, so it didn’t require any thought on the part of the players.

“It does appear the monsters are growing stronger as we progress,” Ryouko said. “We need to stay vigilant.”

“Indeed. No matter how simple our journey thus far, this is still the last dungeon—and in fact, there are monsters attacking right now!”

Following the lead of the Philosopher’s Stone, their path was blocked by five skeletons. According to Hanakawa’s Discernment skill, they weren’t any stronger than the monsters they had encountered so far.

“Why don’t you try fighting, Hanakawa?”

“I believe the teamwork you two have shown far outshines any contribution I might make!”

Ryouko sighed. “Carol and I aren’t some dream team that can read each other’s minds while fighting, you know.”

“Oh, come on, Hanakawa!” Carol said. “Don’t make me show you my Fourth Dimensional Killing technique!”

Thus far, Ryouko and Carol had been so efficient at dispatching monsters that Hanakawa had yet to get involved in fighting. Though he obtained a reasonable level of fighting power as he gained Monk levels, he felt that trying to contribute would only slow things down. So instead, he kept a careful watch on their rear while the two girls cleaned up the monsters.

“I suppose I have let the current draw me this far,” Hanakawa mused, “but do we really want to continue on this path? Sir Takatou intends to return to our world, killing anyone he needs to on the way...but I do not especially feel a desire to go back there.”

If their goal was to get home, sticking with Yogiri was their best bet. They had no idea how many people Takatou would be able to bring home with him, but at the very least, being around him was their best chance of getting back. As cold as he acted, Yogiri had quite a soft side. If they doggedly stuck with him, though he might complain, it was unlikely he would force them to leave.

But Hanakawa was more interested in enjoying his life in this new world. He had been summoned twice, but he doubted fate would bless him with a third trip. It was most realistic to assume this was his last chance.

“Yet, staying here has its own...challenges,” he continued.

This world was extremely dangerous. Having a few cheat powers up your sleeve wasn’t enough to survive. Even if Hanakawa achieved his dream of finding a quiet place to settle down and enjoy a harem life, the chance of a sudden inexplicable event ruining everything was quite high.

“This is no doubt the turning point of my life. If I just go with the flow here, it may be too late for me before I know it!”

Hanakawa decided to think through the possible scenarios. First, the case where Yogiri actually managed to make it home. In that case, all the powerful people currently involved in trying to exterminate him would have been slain. The Sages and the Great Sage would be unlikely to allow him to return home, so they would likely be killed as well.

“Hmm...that is a rather good outcome, is it not? If all the monstrous beings are taken out together, there may be some room for me to have a quiet life.”

However, assuming Yogiri would kill all of them was being too optimistic. There were likely plenty of people who were content to watch events here unfold from the sidelines. In that case, Hanakawa would need the power to survive in a world under their influence.

“Perhaps returning with Sir Takatou is the best option. There are plenty of anime, manga, and games yet to come, which I would like to see... No! That future is still too dark! Living balanced on that eternal tightrope is far worse than the danger this world offers!”

So how would he obtain the power needed to survive in this world? Simply speaking, he could continue to expand his powers as a Monk. He now possessed the Limit Break skill, so he would continue to get stronger without restrictions as he trained.

“But even so, such power only looks excellent in comparison to my past as a Healer...”

The people he had met along his journey so far made the powers available even to a high-level Monk seem next to useless. Any encounter with a godlike being would put an end to him.

“Perhaps I should make an attempt at the power offered by the Great Sage? Would such a power persist after the Great Sage’s death? On that note, is Sir Takatou actually capable of defeating the Great Sage?”

There was one other possibility: Takatou being killed by someone and the world returning to its previous state. The question there would be, exactly which point would the world revert back to?

“That would result in time rewinding to a point before our bus arrived, wouldn’t it?”

The Great Sage had learned that the problems had all started when Yogiri first appeared in this world. Currently, Yogiri’s presence was preventing him from resetting the world properly, so if he reset the world to a point where Yogiri just ended up coming back, it would all happen again. That meant it was likely the Great Sage would arrange things so that their class had never come to this world.

“No, no, no! That is a terrible possibility! Perhaps Sir Takatou returning home is the best option after all! Or wait...is there room for me to negotiate with the Great Sage to maintain my place in this world?”

“What are you mumbling about?”

“Wah! How much have you heard?!”

The battle over, Carol was now standing at Hanakawa’s side.

“I can’t say I cared enough to listen to any of it. I just thought you sounded gross, mumbling to yourself like that.”

“Perhaps you should take a bit more interest in me. Who knows? I may be plotting something horrible!”

“Yeah? The moment I see anything like that from you, pop! Head come off!”

“Again, please stop with the fake bad Japanese...”

“Let’s go.” Ryouko set off alone, Hanakawa and Carol hurrying to catch up with her.

After a decent stretch of time, they came up against a pitch-black wall. This was one of the gates that required a Philosopher’s Stone to pass through. Inside was a staircase heading to the next floor. Once you passed through, the gate behind you would turn into a solid wall, so there was no going back. In short, it was the same as all the others.

Climbing up the stairs and through the next gate, they could feel the atmosphere around them change. Something was clearly different here.

“It feels like there’s something here, doesn’t it?” Ryouko said, raising her guard. It wasn’t just an abstract feeling. A musky, humid air lingered around them.

“Is this the midboss, perhaps?” Hanakawa guessed. “I thought our progress was too smooth...”

“Not that you did anything to help,” Ryouko replied.

“I am always prepared to assist should the need arise!”

“Then fine, here’s your ‘need.’ Take it away.” Carol stepped back, pushing Hanakawa forward.

“Uh, wait, you’re serious?”

“I’m sure you’ll be fine. It’s been easy so far; why would there be a sudden difficulty spike now?”

“Well...I suppose you are correct. Though Cavern Quest has its fair share of failures, the balance seems more or less reliable.”

Hanakawa looked around. They were at a dead end in the corridor, so there was no option but to move forward. Farther ahead lay a T-junction, so they would soon have to choose to head either left or right. The next gate appeared to be to the left, so normally, that would be the direction they picked.

“Do you not have any kind of detection skills, Hanakawa?” Ryouko asked.

“I am afraid not. My only information skill is Discernment. I must clearly see my target to read their stats with it.”

With no knowledge of where the enemy was, he had to proceed carefully. Slowly, he inched towards the intersection, peeking around the wall to look. To the left, he saw only red. Without even time to be confused by the sight, he soon learned all too well what was in front of him, as searing flames roasted his face. It had been fire. His eyes burned out, his throat was incinerated, and his entire face was charred black. Unable to stand such an injury, he immediately flopped forward.

Th-This is bad!

Normally, he would have had no time to entertain such thoughts, but his resilience as a Monk had enabled him to avoid dying instantly. Thanks to his resistance to pain, he could still think somewhat rationally even in this state.

Carol pulled the collapsed Hanakawa back to safety. As she did, Hanakawa’s Auto Heal skill restored his face.

“My...were I still but a Healer, that would have been the end for me!”

In order to use magic, one had to either call the commands verbally or use the Battlesong UI. With his throat and eyes destroyed, neither would have been possible. He would have had no way of activating his healing powers. As a Monk, however, he possessed a skill called Auto Heal, which activated of its own accord.

“That was gross!”

“That is the first thing you have to say after I risked my life to discover the danger ahead?!”

“Seeing the blackened skin peel back to reveal fresh skin underneath... Ugh, I never want to see that again!”

“More importantly, what was that?” Ryouko asked, ignoring Carol’s complaints.

“Well...I had yet to see much of anything before it incinerated my face.”

“You’re useless!”

“I disagree,” Ryouko countered. “Now we know that something will attack us the moment we enter the intersection. It was not entirely for nothing.”

“As expected of my Ryouko! You truly understand my worth!”

“So, what now?”

“It looked like a fireball. I don’t think it was too fast for us to dodge it.”

As Carol and Ryouko discussed their plan of action, they could hear footsteps. The floor shook with each one, meaning whatever was around the corner must have been considerably large. Before they could make a decision, the creature stepped around the corner.

It was a dragon. Five meters tall, walking on four legs, it was like a giant lizard with a pair of wings folded on its back. Even now, fire was flickering around its mouth, indicating where the previous fireball had come from. It was clearly a level above any of the monsters they had encountered thus far.

“Your turn, Hanakawa!”

“Up until now there have been nothing but zombies and skeletons!” Hanakawa cried. “What kind of horrible game suddenly throws a dragon at you?!”

The dragon opened its mouth wide, launching another ball of fire. Ryouko and Carol leaped away, leaving Hanakawa alone to take the blast. This time, however, he had seen the attack coming and was able to take defensive action. Lifting both hands in front of him, he concentrated his energy into a blast of his own. Though it hadn’t been powerful enough to neutralize the incoming attack, it was enough for him to survive.

Before he could so much as open his mouth to complain, the two girls had jumped into action. Ryouko closed in, slashing at the dragon’s forelegs, while Carol threw kunai at its eyes. Ryouko’s blade bounced off the dragon’s tough scales, and she was forced to retreat as it stomped towards her. It was surprisingly quick given its bulk. If she had been a hair slower, she would have been crushed. Carol’s kunai struck the dragon’s eyes, but that was it. They didn’t stab through, instead bouncing off harmlessly.

“You wouldn’t happen to have any dragon-slaying skills, would you?” Carol asked with a strained smile.

“I’m afraid not. Even my iron-cutting slash skill failed to have any effect.”

“Huh? Then, are we actually in trouble?” Hanakawa asked.

“I’m just a Ninja. We’re specialized in killing human beings, so my skills are only that of a well-trained normal person. Do you have any secret techniques, Ryouko?”

“You ask too much of the Samurai class. At best, we can handle fighting youkai.”

“I guess I should expect a message like ‘Too bad! Your adventure ends here!’” Carol laughed. It seemed she was thoroughly convinced by their short exchange that they stood no chance.

“Is this really the time for laughter?!” Hanakawa snapped. “Even if we cannot defeat it, surely we can find an opening to run past!”

“Uh, I don’t think so. Oh, maybe if we leave someone behind as bait!”

“Huh?”

Carol suddenly vanished. A moment later, Ryouko did the same. That was most likely one of Carol’s Ninja skills at work.

“Wait, hold on! Surely your skill can handle hiding a third person!” Hanakawa shouted after her.

“It would be weird if all of us disappeared, don’t you think?” Carol’s voice echoed from the empty air.

“The two of you disappearing is strange enough already!”

“But it’s still natural for it to attack the one it can still see!”

“Gah! Spiritual Refinement, then!”

Spiritual Refinement was a Monk skill used to gather energy. This energy could be put to use in a number of ways, so if he was not yet committed to taking action, this was a safe option. The gathered energy only persisted for a short time, however, so he couldn’t maintain it constantly.

Now that I think about it, can Spiritual Refinement be used to find enemies?

Hanakawa noticed that as the energy accumulated, his senses sharpened. As his sense of hearing improved, he could tell something was moving some distance away. Focusing on the sound, he recognized it as footsteps retreating. Though the sound had been hidden, it hadn’t been completely erased. In other words, Carol and Ryouko had already retreated behind the dragon.

“Hey! I thought you were pretending to leave me behind as you snuck behind it for a sneak attack!”

The two gave no response to Hanakawa’s shout, fleeing down the corridor at top speed.

Space distorted around him. Hanakawa leaped upward, narrowly avoiding the dragon’s swinging tail. His sharpened senses had predicted the attack.

“Oh? Is it possible that—”

With the Monk class’s skills, he might be able to handle this dragon. The moment he thought that, a fireball came to teach him it was but a fleeting fantasy. He instantly used the gathered energy he had prepared to defend against the attack. Taking the fireball head-on, Hanakawa was sent flying backward but narrowly managed to avoid any serious burns. Impacting the ceiling, he then dropped to the floor. He immediately jumped to his feet, only to see the dragon’s claws above him. It really was fast for its size.

The dragon swung its huge leg down. He had exhausted his gathered energy. He no longer had time to evade or defend himself.

“S-Someone, help!” Hanakawa howled, knowing full well that nothing so convenient would happen.

“Okay.”

So when a reply came, Hanakawa was thoroughly shocked.

An explosion sounded as the dragon slumped down sideways. Its raised leg flopped to the ground, missing Hanakawa entirely. He scurried backwards, looking for the source of the voice. Standing behind him was a girl in a stage idol’s uniform.

“How cruel of them to abandon one of their own classmates.”

“Hmm. I get the sneaking suspicion that might be a crime we are all guilty of...” Hanakawa mumbled.

It seemed, however, that his classmate Sora Akino had entirely forgotten how they had abandoned Yogiri and the others on the bus at the beginning of their journey.