Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?, Vol. 5
Page 27
No one said a word, only tried to remember every single detail of this spectacle.
“…He…cut it down.”
Time flowed once again as those words fell out of Welf’s awestruck mouth.
Bell lost his balance and his knee hit the ground. Using the broken sword as a cane, the boy watched as the Goliath’s legs and left arm disintegrated into ash in front of him.
The monster’s magic stone had been destroyed along with its upper body. Its remains slowly started to fall apart and disappear.
SHHHH. A light breeze started carrying a portion of the large amount of ash into the “sky,” revealing a drop item—Goliath’s Hide.
“UUWWWAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”
Cheers rang out a moment later.
The adventurers surrounding the battlefield raised their fists triumphantly, embraced their allies, and shed tears of happiness as they yelled as loud as they could. Flashes of silver light filled the area. They were waving their broken swords, spears, axes, and shields as their song of victory echoed throughout the eighteenth floor.
The great plain shook with their waves of sound that were too distorted to form words.
Everything that had just transpired in the Dungeon felt like a lie in this moment of jubilation. The walls and ceiling were silent; there was no threat of any new monsters appearing. The residents of Rivira celebrated alongside Mord’s adventurers, their faces red with excitement and joy.
“Bell!”
“Mr. Bell!”
Hestia was the first to run to his side, wiping away tears as she went. It didn’t take long for Lilly, Welf, Lyu, and Mikoto to reach him as well. Even some of the other adventurers gathered around.
What remained of the crystal flower in the middle of the ceiling shined a blue spotlight down upon him.
Bell and his allies were surrounded by continuous congratulatory cheers as the entire eighteenth floor seemed to embrace them.
“Ahhh…ahhh, glorious!”
Hermes was alone after Hestia left the southern supply base.
His orange eyes sparkled as he watched Bell at the center of the children’s celebration.
The deity laughed as if he’d been intoxicated by the excitement that was swirling around him.
“These eyes have seen it! I, Hermes, have seen it all! Your grandson, your parting gift to this world!”
Hermes’s fervor grew more and more as he called out to someone, somewhere.
He thought back to the boy’s grandfather’s words.
“The boy has a backbone. The boy has patience.—However, he severely lacks character.”
Bell’s grandfather had told him that the boy didn’t have what it would take.
“Have you gone blind, saying things like that?!”
Would you still make that claim if you saw this?! The deity laughed to himself as he gestured toward the boy in the distance.
Hermes threw his head back toward the sky, mouth wide open, laughing in a way that could be called crazy.
“Rejoice, Great Lord Zeus! Your grandson is the real deal! The last hero your Familia left behind!”
Hermes’s enthusiasm had yet to subside as he continued.
“Well, I’m no Oracle but…Ahhhh! I can’t keep this to myself!”
Hermes looked out over the great plain filled with adventurers, as if he were watching a play, and yelled out.
“It’s coming, it’s coming! A new era is coming! Could be ten years from now, five years, one year, or even tomorrow! But something will happen in Orario to usher in the new era!”
It was his divine intuition.
It had been a thorn in his side for some time.
“Seriously, has there ever been a better group of heroes alive at the same time since the prehistoric days?!”
“The Brave” Finn Deimne.
“Nine Hell” Reveria Riyos Ahrve.
Oujya “Warlord” Ottar.
Kenki “Sword Princess” Aiz Wallenstein.
It was hard to find a better collection of valiant individuals throughout all of history.
Each of them had a level of character and strength that would measure up well with the greatest heroes of all time, and they were all here at once.
“No, definitely not! With so many worthy children so close together, there’s no way something huge couldn’t happen!”
Add the Little Rookie into the equation, his untapped potential on top of all of the others’ proven strength and power, and Hermes’s intuition became firm conviction.
“And I’ll see it, I’ll see it all! These eyes will watch all of them as they carve their names into history, until the day they die!”
Their humanity, their praise, their joy.
Hermes’s vision of the future came together in his head as he watched the adventurers gathering around the white-haired boy.
The deity’s eyes opened even wider.
“The story they will create, bound by the love of their gods. The Familia Myth!”
It would become the ultimate show.
The most charming of charms.
The pastime to end all pastimes.
“Aaaahhh—”
It was so exciting.
“Coming down to this world was the best decision I’ve ever made!”
The children were still dancing, fist-pumping and yelling with glee. He opened both of his arms toward them and sang a song to praise the heroes.
EPILOGUE
THE ONE WHO TARGETS THE RABBIT
Bell and the rest of the group went back to the surface a day after defeating the Goliath.
By some miracle, every member of their group survived the ordeal. Each of them went their separate ways, to inform those closest to them of their safe return. One went to his goddess to express his gratitude and buried the remains of a weapon; one went to bring their group members up to speed; and still another removed the hood and went back to working at a bar without anyone noticing.
At the same time, a gag order was issued to all of the adventurers who had witnessed the events on the eighteenth floor.
The appearance of the floor boss at a safe point was an Irregular beyond comprehension. The Guild declared it to be an “act of the gods”—henceforth classified as a “Calamity.” To avoid excessive confusion, Hestia and Hermes received a strict warning, as well as a penalty—their explanation of the circumstances was ignored—and forbidden to speak of it ever again.
However.
It was impossible to keep voices silent forever. That’s the way of the world.
“You are sure of this?”
“Completely. A Goliath appeared on the eighteenth floor. Adventurers in the town of Rivira engaged it in combat and prevailed…While I do not know how, it is highly likely that it was the Little Rookie who delivered the final blow.”
“Ku, fu-fu, ha-ha-ha-ha…Is that so? You have done well, Hyacinthus.”
Suppressed laughter echoed throughout the dark chamber.
The master of the room reached out and lovingly stroked the cheeks of the young man named Hyacinthus.
The master’s gaze left the kneeling man, looking off at nowhere in particular with a twinkle in his eyes as if someone were on his mind.
“Bell Cranell…He is indeed superb. As Apollo, I claim him as my own.”
The deity’s lips curled into a smile as what little light that entered the room illuminated his smooth blond hair, which matched the color of sunlight.
USHIWAKAMARU
• FORGED BY WELF, FIRST OF ITS KIND
• SHORT, CRIMSON BLADE. NICKNAME: “MINOTAN”
• CREATED FROM THE MINOTAUR HORN DROP ITEM. STRONG WEAPON WITH SLIGHT FIRE ELEMENT.
• SURPRISINGLY DESTRUCTIVE DESPITE SMALL SIZE, CURRENTLY MORE POWERFUL THAN THE HESTIA KNIFE.
• BELL HAD A DREAM WHERE HE WAS ALMOST KILLED BY A RAGING MINOTAUR WHEN HE FELL ASLEEP WITH THIS WEAPON UNDER HIS PILLOW.
• IT
SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN FORGED WITH BELL IN MIND.
Afterword
“Pure Dungeon Fantasy”—I forget where, but I have a feeling I’ve seen my books advertised with this catchphrase. But to be honest, I don’t think that all that much has transpired inside the Dungeon itself. Adventurers venture into the Dungeon to gain experience points by slaying monsters and repeating the process. That’s about it.
So, I wanted to go all out inside the Dungeon before the story transitions back to the surface. That idea is what led me to write Volume 5.
When most people hear the word “dungeon,” images of a dark labyrinth with some kind of valuable treasure hidden in its deepest room and guarded by a strong monster probably come to mind. Therefore, I felt there had to be a large monster at the end. Something big enough and powerful enough to push these adventurers to the brink of despair—a dragon would’ve worked well, too. This may just be my opinion, but whether the heroes fight or flee, I feel it’s an important part of the fantasy genre. I was finally able to make this a reality in Volume 5. I get the feeling that some people out there are saying, “Shouldn’t that have been in Volume 1?” But I’m not listening.
Whether the monster stares down at you while breathing fire, physically attacks you with its arms and legs, or has a piercing gaze that turns everything to stone, it needs to be far stronger than any of the heroes alone. However, I believe that the heroes of the fantasy stories are at their absolute coolest when they overcome injuries and setbacks to band together and defeat a powerful foe.
No matter how old I get, I will never forget how excited I felt as a kid when heroes moved into action.
Nothing would make me happier than if you experience the same kind of rush while reading this book.
And now, please allow me to express my gratitude.
First, to my supervisor Mr. Kotaki, thank you for all of your helpful advice. Next, I need to thank Mr. Suzuhito Yasuda for all of the beautiful illustrations. Both of you helped to make this book what it is today. Also, I would like to acknowledge all of the hardworking employees of GA Bunko. This series would never have been possible without your help. I am extremely grateful.
And above all, I would like to thank you, the reader. I will do my best to keep writing stories that are worthy of being described as “interesting.” I would be honored to see you again in the next installment.
Until then,
Fujino Omori
Thank you for buying this ebook, published by Yen On.
To get news about the latest manga, graphic novels, and light novels from Yen Press, along with special offers and exclusive content, sign up for the Yen Press newsletter.
Sign Up
Or visit us at www.yenpress.com/booklink
CONTENTS
Cover
Welcome
Insert
Title Page
Prologue: The First Omen
Chapter 1: The Middle Levels
Chapter 2: How Many Meders to a Safe Return?
Chapter 3: Dungeon Death March
Chapter 4: Dungeon Resort?
Chapter 5: The Outlaws’ Party
Chapter 6: Praise to the Heroes
Epilogue: The One Who Targets the Rabbit
Afterword
Yen Newsletter
Copyright
Copyright
IS IT WRONG TO TRY TO PICK UP GIRLS IN A DUNGEON?, Volume 5
FUJINO OMORI
Translation by Andrew Gaippe
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
DUNGEON NI DEAI WO MOTOMERU NO WA MACHIGATTEIRUDAROUKA vol. 5 Copyright © 2014 Fujino Omori
Illustrations copyright © 2014 Suzuhito Yasuda
Cover illustration by Suzuhito Yasuda
All rights reserved.
Original Japanese edition published in 2014 by SB Creative Corp.
This English edition is published by arrangement with SB Creative Corp., Tokyo, in care of Tuttle-Mori Agency, Inc., Tokyo.
English translation © 2016 Hachette Book Group, Inc.
All rights reserved. In accordance with the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, the scanning, uploading, and electronic sharing of any part of this book without the permission of the publisher is unlawful piracy and theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), prior written permission must be obtained by contacting the publisher at permissions@hbgusa.com. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.
Yen On
Hachette Book Group
1290 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10104
www.hachettebookgroup.com
www.yenpress.com
Yen On is an imprint of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The Yen On name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
The publisher is not responsible for websites (or their content) that are not owned by the publisher.
First ebook edition: April 2016
ISBN 978-0-316-39419-2
E3-20160324-JV-PC