Chapter 14: The Price of a Finishing Move

We’re currently on the 29th floor of the Underground Belfry Dungeon.

With the addition of Yuria (a heavy warrior) to the party, our front line is now a bit overloaded.

Right now, we’re focusing on dungeon crawling while also earning some money on the side. Still, I was honestly surprised to learn that, despite her gentle appearance, she’s a power fighter who swings a massive battle axe. She’s really living up to her image as a cow, huh.

“It went that way!”

“Alrighty~!”

A translucent jellyfish-like monster, a Jelly Wraith, comes floating down from above. While Yuria, who still isn’t strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with Master and Lulu in the front, guards me, I line up my fingers to aim and begin casting a spell.

“O noble light, heed the prayer that pierces confusion—release your radiant beam from my fingertips!”

It’s a basic light-element spell called Flash Ray. A glowing bolt of light shoots out from my fingertip, softly flying forward and colliding with the jellyfish. With a dazzling burst of light, it vanishes completely.

Not a trace left behind. That was a breeze.

Even a monster from the 30th floor is nothing to me—me, of all people! Hmph!

Meanwhile, Master and Lulu are battling a knight-like monster clad in black armor with horns all over. They’re taking out the Jelly Wraiths appearing alongside it with nothing more than the shockwaves of their attacks.

Watching their heroic forms, I puff out my chest in pride.

Master may be the embodiment of words like “pervert,” “sadist,” and “lewd,” walking around in the prime of his youth with libido gushing out like a broken faucet—but he’s definitely strong enough to deserve the title of a cheat.

“I feel like I’m being seriously insulted right now… is it just my imagination?”

“It’s just your imagination.”

According to Yuria, who used to be an adventurer, Master’s strength ranks at the upper tier of advanced, possibly even the very top. As for Lulu, she’s probably mid-tier intermediate. For reference, if I were alone, even a goblin—which is practically the mascot of weak monsters—would be too dangerous for me to handle. I can go on a rampage if I’m far enough away… but only then.

“This party is seriously absurd…”

While sipping tea during our break next to the staircase leading to the 30th floor, Yuria lets out a grumble. Apparently, our way of life is unthinkable for a typical adventurer.

She explained that over half of adventurers are basically jobless people who couldn’t get stable work, living hand-to-mouth while desperately trying to make ends meet. Only once you hit the intermediate ranks can you manage a lifestyle comparable to that of an average citizen. Most people hit a wall, give up, and end up turning to crime.

Back when she used to work in a pair, her childhood friend would spend all their money on weapons, and they’d have to split a single loaf of bread on an empty stomach just to survive. That’s seriously tragic…

“Fufufu. Being with Master really makes me realize just how utterly useless that guy was.”

That ominous smile must be a sign she’s finally moved on. And honestly, she’s not wrong, so I won’t deny it. When you see him again, feel free to slap him across the face and chew him out.

If anything goes wrong, Master will protect us. I’m basically a hugging elf—not a body pillow but close enough—so I’m combat-useless. It’d be like expecting a famous cartoon mascot cat with a helmet and sword to win battles. Totally misguided. Not that it makes me sad or anything…

“Break’s over. Let’s go beat the boss and get out of here.”

“Got it~!”

At Master’s call, we quickly pack up the resting spot and head down the stairs.

The boss room is, as always, a large chamber. In the center, having apparently noticed us, a skeleton stands poised for battle, six arms each wielding a weapon. Just looking at it gives off a strong enemy vibe. And it’s gold-colored, despite being bones.

“I’ll go up front. Lulu, hit from the sides. Yuria, guard Sora. Sora, stay in the corner and behave.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

“Roger! …Wait, no! Why am I the only one getting that kind of order!?”

I object! I’ve learned some basic light magic and I’m getting used to fighting. I’m not just dead weight anymore. I won’t stand for being underestimated—I’m fighting this with resolve!

“If you don’t behave, it’s the basement when we get back…”

“I’ll behave!”

I shuffle to a spot in the corner where I won’t get in anyone’s way. As I hide behind Yuria, who gives a wry smile, and glare at Master, the battle begins. Master takes the skeleton head-on with his sword, while Lulu darts in from the sides or behind to slash at it with her longsword.

But this skeleton’s no slouch either. It uses four of its arms to defend against Master’s strikes, while the other two keep Lulu at bay. Still, there’s an obvious gap in raw power. Once Master starts mixing in ice magic, the tide turns in our favor.

The three right arms swing down simultaneously—holding an axe, a sword, and a mace. Master dodges the axe, blocks the sword, and jumps back before the mace can land. As he retreats, he scatters ice magic at the skeleton’s feet. The golden skeleton slips on the sudden frost—right into Lulu’s thrust.

Her sword shatters two of its left arms trying to guard. The broken bones clatter to the floor, along with a short spear and dagger. Even as it falls, the skeleton tries to retaliate against Lulu—but Master, having crept close, slams a kick into its exposed ribcage.

He must’ve used body reinforcement magic. Several ribs break as the skeleton goes flying into the wall. Lulu moves to finish it off, but the last remaining left arm stabs at her with a rapier, halting her advance. Then the sword in one of the right hands swings down—but Master grabs Lulu by the collar and yanks her away just in time. Even watching from the sidelines, that was pretty tense.

“Th-thank you, Shuya-sama…”

“Don’t force the follow-ups. Be cautious.”

As the skeleton tries to move again, Master hurls a spear of flame at it while shielding Lulu with his back and creating distance. That casual act of protecting a girl—it’s annoyingly charming, right? Like, it makes you want to punch him even more than usual, just because he’s already handsome.

“Well, since we’re here… may as well give this a try.”

Master mutters, then reverses his grip on his sword with his right hand and lowers his hips into a deep stance, twisting his arm behind his back as he prepares.

…Wait a second. Are you really a high schooler, Master? You didn’t actually get isekai’d here in your thirties and de-aged or something, right?

Well, I may not be one to talk. In my case, a friend from the manga club once loaned me the entire series, saying, “It’s old, but it’s a masterpiece.” So that’s how I know about it. Even if some older folks hate it like poison, I say manga is an essential part of modern Japanese culture.

“Master… no way, you’re going to use that move!?”

For now, I decide to play along. Once I see Levatein begin to glow red-hot, I raise my voice so that Lulu and Yuria—both wide-eyed in shock—can hear me clearly.

Because, well, this sort of thing is just fun, isn’t it? If you’re a guy, you get it. And I’m not imagining it—Master actually cracks a small grin at my perfectly timed comment. I did good work today.

“Wait, Senpai, you know what that is!?”

“W-what even is that? I’m sensing some kind of insane magic power from it!”

Both of them are reacting beautifully. We’re really starting to sync up as a team. It’s wonderful.

“It’s a legendary finishing move said to have been created by a hero of old. They say it could even tear the heavens and earth asunder.”

I’m not lying, you know. After hearing my explanation, the two of them glance at Master with looks of awe.

“Haaaaaaaah!!”

In that instant, Master’s sword swung down with incredible force at the charging skeleton. A radiant flash of light swallowed everything in white. And when it faded, all that remained was Master, frozen mid-swing, and the skeleton—cleanly bisected and vanishing into particles.

So he didn’t call out the name of the technique after all. I guess even he found that too embarrassing. But you know, now that it’s over and he’s had a moment to cool down, I can see just a hint of bashfulness in his expression. Honestly, if he’d just followed through and struck a pose, it wouldn’t have been so awkward.

This cannot go unteased. He always bullies me, so this is karma—my chance to get back at him.

“A-amazing, Shuya-sama!”

“R-really incredible…”

…By the way, is it okay that there’s now a giant slash mark running straight through the dungeon wall? Is that just going to fix itself or something? Well, I suppose no one’s really managing this place, so let’s just not worry about it.

“Nice work, Master. Wanna try fusing flame magic with ice magic next?”

“…Let’s not. I can’t even begin to imagine what kind of power that would unleash.”

True. If it did work, it’d probably be insane. Though personally, I’d love to see him go all-out and create a legendary embarrassment. I’d tease him for the rest of time. Beybeh beybeh beybeh~.

“We’ve got the medal, so I guess it’s time to head home…”

Still looking just a little embarrassed, Master activates the direct-return portal located at the checkpoint. I’m in a commanding position here. This is my moment. Victory is mine. And I must say—it feels delightfully refreshing.

“What are you going to do once we get back? Practice a cooler pose and a dramatic catchphrase? Maybe go with, ‘Oops, I’ve cut yet another worthless thing’? C’mon, c’mon!”

“Let’s just get out of here…”

So tell me, how does it feel? Getting a cheat ability in another world, letting it go to your head, and busting out a finishing move in front of a bunch of girls—how does that feel? And then having a fellow Japanese person witness the whole thing—what’s that like? I really want to know. Please tell me~

“Oh my, what’s wrong, Master? Did trying to look cool only halfway through just make it even more embarrassing? Your face is bright red, you know~?”

Master’s got some unexpectedly cute sides, doesn’t he? He’s always spouting cringey lines like “It’s only borrowed power” in full-blown chuunibyou mode, but then he pulls something half-baked like that. That’s what happens! Today, I’m going to pugyaa him into oblivion!

“Senpai, you’re totally riding this high, huh.”

“Is it really okay to be talking to Master like that…?”

“Tell me how it feeeels, tell me how it feeeels~?”

“…………”

Fufufu. With this, I won’t be running out of teasing material for a long time.

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇
【EXP】
MAX Combo 30 <<New Record!!
BATTLE TOTAL 30 <<New Record!!
◆【Sora Lv.15】+30
◆【Lulu Lv.6】
◆【Yuria Lv.0】
◇―
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.15 [156] → Lv.18 [186] <<Level Up!!
Lulu Lv.6 [62] → [63]
Yuria Lv.0 [0]
【RECORD】
[MAX COMBO] >> 30
[MAX HIT] >> 30
【PARTY】
[Shuya] Lv.38 HP 542/542 MP 830/830 [Enraged]
[Sora] Lv.8 HP -60/32 MP 0/140 [KO'd]
[Lulu] Lv.6 HP 422/422 MP 28/28 [Stable]
[Yuria] Lv.0 HP 440/440 MP 32/32 [Stable]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
【Comment】

“………………………………”

“So this is what they call ‘stupidly adorable’. Impressive as always, Senpai.”

“(Yikes…)”