Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 233

TN: Please read my translations only on my website since I never give my permission to any site to host my translations. And if you like my translations, please support this site on Ko-fi and Patreon to read several chapters ahead!

Sponsored chapter by our Patreon. Enjoy~

TL: ALT

Chapter 233 – Conquering the Underground Station Part 1

◇Honoka Shinozaki’s Point of View

“All right, Honoka-chan, you wait here.”

With these words, Yuto-san entered the boss’s room.

His steps were light as if he were saying, “I’m just going to the grocery store.”

“It’s an impregnable S-rank dungeon, isn’t it?”

I am now standing in front of the boss room on the first floor of the S-rank dungeon, “Shinjuku Station Underground Dungeon,” located in the basement of Shinjuku Station in Tokyo’s Subcenter.

It is known that each floor of an S-rank dungeon has a floor boss.

In a game, they would be like mid-level bosses, but this is an S-rank dungeon.

The floor bosses in S-rank dungeons are much more powerful than the dungeon bosses in A-rank dungeons.

No matter how high your level is, they are not opponents you should take on alone.

And yet, there is no sign of nervousness on Yuto-san’s face.

It’s as if he’s saying that it’s only natural to be able to defeat an opponent of this level―no, it’s as if he doesn’t even doubt whether he can win or not.

When Yuto-san said that we were going to escape to that underground dungeon in Shinjuku Station, I couldn’t believe my ears.

Of course, at first Yuto-san said something like, “I’ll clear the nearest dungeon and then teleport to another dungeon from there.”

…First of all, I don’t understand what he means.

Clear the nearest dungeon…

I can understand that.

There are a lot of dungeons around Shinjuku Station.

If it’s a C-rank dungeon, Yuto-san should be able to clear it easily by himself.

Also, I think I’ve gained enough strength to be able to keep up with Yuto-san in a C-rank dungeon.

Even in a B-rank dungeon, I think Yuto-san, who is feared by the country because of his strength, would be able to defeat it by himself.

I also think I wouldn’t be much of a hindrance in a B-rank dungeon, although there are some things I’m not so sure about.

I’m not so sure about an A-rank dungeon.

Even an S-rank explorer―or Serika-san, for example―would not dare to tackle an A-rank dungeon alone.

No, Serika-san is now the highest-ranked explorer in the country, so she should be able to handle an A-rank dungeon on her own.

Me?

If I were to form a full party with everyone from the En no Ozuno explorer guild based at Tengumine Shrine, I might be able to count as a fighting force.

But even though they are both A-ranked, the level range between the lower-level dungeons and the higher-level dungeons is completely different.

The lower-level dungeons start at level 100. The highest-level dungeons are just below level 1000.

At my current level, I can just about keep up with the lower level dungeons.

If it’s an S-rank dungeon, it’s not even a question of whether it’s difficult or not.

First of all, there are still no official records of anyone completing an S-rank dungeon anywhere in the world.

Whether you’re solo or in a party, it’s the same.

To be precise, there is a case where a North Korean military explorer declared that he had conquered an S-rank dungeon called Mt. Paektu Dungeon, but the international community says that this was probably a fake to boost the country’s prestige.

It is said that the weight of an S-rank dungeon is the weight of the history that the country has accumulated.

It is said that to challenge famous S-rank dungeons overseas, such as the Terracotta Army, the Library of Alexandria, and the ruins of Machu Picchu, is to challenge the weight of human history accumulated in that land.

In Japan, the Azuchi Sky Castle Dungeon and the Shuri Castle Dungeon are famous.

Only explorers of a level comparable to heroes and great men who have left their mark on history can conquer such S-rank dungeons…

It is said that this is the case.

It is true.

S-rank dungeons are incredibly hard.

To put it more bluntly, they are considered hopeless to defeat.

Yuto-san decided to try to conquer the Shinjuku Station Underground Dungeon, which is one of the S-rank dungeons and is famous around the world for being easily accessible, simply because it was close by.

At first, I thought that Yuto-san had become desperate because he was cornered.

But that wasn’t the case.

My unique skill, Empathy, is a skill that automatically reads the emotions of others with whom I have a connection―or, more precisely, a skill that synchronizes my emotions with those of the other person.

When I read someone’s emotions with Empathy, I feel the exact same emotions in my own heart.

Although it is convenient, receiving the emotions of others directly is a dangerous act.

I used this skill to help the people who had been turned into objects while still alive by the unique skill of Clovis, the elf king who had targeted my mother.

I synchronized their emotions with my own and then rewrote them to be warm.

It was an almost traumatic experience for me.

Even though they were the victims themselves and I was merely receiving their emotions, I still felt a soul-freezing fear, and I had nightmares for some time afterward.

It was a trial that I was able to overcome thanks to my mother’s spirit magic, the special exorcism for ascetics taught at Tengumine Shrine, and, of course, my feelings for Yuto-san.

Other than that, there was no hint of fear in Yuto-san’s heart when he declared that he was going down to the underground dungeon of Shinjuku Station―commonly known as Ekichika. [T/n: “Ekichika” refers to the shopping areas directly inside or under train stations in Japan, and Shinjuku is a major station in Tokyo with a large and well-known Ekichika area].

Yuto-san said:

“They won’t be able to follow us into the S-rank dungeon.”

That’s what he said.

I guess it’s true, but that’s not the point!

Besides, even if you manage to defeat the “nearby dungeon,” what exactly does it mean to go to another dungeon?

Yuto-san took me under his arm, and we jumped the ticket barrier at Shinjuku Station and approached the heavily guarded area.

The entrance to Ekichika is not a black portal like the other dungeons.

The entrance to the dungeon is located inside Shinjuku Station, which is a very dangerous structure that leads directly from the station to the inside of the dungeon.

Naturally, the entrance is closely monitored by the police and the Explorers’ Association.

If this entrance were left unattended, there is a danger that station users could wander into the dungeon.

In fact, during the last flood, a new opening appeared on the station grounds, and students on a field trip are said to have wandered into the dungeon.

Fortunately, I heard that the explorers of the Association – or rather Serika-san, whom I know―were dispatched in an emergency and rescued all the people involved. (*1)

Of course, the opening that appeared at that time is now under surveillance as well.

At the back of the Shinjuku Station building, there was a large machine that looked like an enlarged version of the electronic card reader at the ticket gate, with a barrier pole attached to it.

Entry and exit seem to be controlled by electronic cards, so in terms of functionality, it’s just a big ticket gate.

It seems that people get used to everything, and people who look like tourists are taking pictures of the new “famous” “Dungeon Ticket Gate” at Shinjuku Station with their smartphones.

However, their eyes were much more intense than usual.

“One day I’ll…”

“I’ll form a party with immigrants from another world…”

“It’s more reliable than buying a lottery ticket…”

“If I’m successful as a treasure hunter, I’ll make a lot of money. Even if I die, it’ll only take a moment if I’m killed by a monster…”

I don’t think they were planning to enter the S-rank dungeon right now, but their eyes were different from when I passed by before.

Even the policemen guarding the dungeon entrance looked more alert than usual, with stern expressions on their faces.

However, we didn’t have time to watch them closely.

“Excuse me, but we’re coming through!”

Yuto-san shouted, still holding me in his arms.

“Stop! You have to report to the Association before entering…”

The policemen suddenly became hostile and tried to block our way.

But before they could block the way, Yuto-san broke through the dungeon’s ticket barrier.

That ticket barrier was originally designed to stop explorers who tried to sneak into Ekichika out of overconfidence, desperation, or suicidal intent.

It was not designed to stop people from breaking through by force.

“Lower the bulkhead!”

I heard a sharp voice behind me as I ran.

At the end of the dungeon ticket barrier, at the end of the passage leading to the dungeon entrance, I heard the sound of something heavy moving.

A thick bulkhead began to descend from the ceiling of the passage to the floor.

There is more than one thick bulkhead to prevent a monster flood from the dungeon.

There are many along the passage―more than you could ever imagine.

“Damn, this is so annoying!”

Yuto-san increased his speed even more.

He easily slipped under several of the bulkheads and slipped through one of them, but he didn’t make it to the last one in time.

Yuto-san held up the bulkhead that had fallen completely with his hand that wasn’t holding me.

“I’m going to be accused of a crime…!”

With that, the bulkhead flew backward.

The bulkhead disintegrated in mid-air, turning into nothing more than a cloud of dust floating in front of the opening.

I think it was magic, but I’m not sure.

Yuto-san didn’t chant anything.

The existence of a skill that makes magic chanting unnecessary has been predicted, but no explorers actually possess it.

Some explorers may keep it a secret, but as far as is generally known, it doesn’t exist.

“…Did it buy us enough time?”

Yuto-san looks back over his shoulder and mutters.

There are several layers of bulkheads behind us.

I suppose it would be possible to raise the bulkheads, but they seem to be firmly attached to the floor, so it won’t be a quick process.

Even if these Special Forces guys have special authority, it will still take time to talk to the police at the dungeon gate.

“T-This is the dungeon from here.”

Yuto-san said as he put me down on the ground.

“A-are you sure you’re okay? It’s an S-rank dungeon, you know?”

Even though I know Yuto-san isn’t worried, I can’t convince myself.

Yuto-san is strong.

I thought I knew that.

Still, I don’t think he can do an S-rank dungeon practically by himself, without any preparation, with me as a burden.

If that’s the case, it would make more sense to think that Yuto-san has made some kind of big mistake and has a false sense of confidence.

Of course, I don’t think that’s the case.

“Don’t worry. I’ve cleared S-rank dungeons before. …Not in this world, though.”

Yuto-san’s words didn’t sound like he was full of confidence; rather, he simply referred to the facts.

“Let’s move on before our pursuers catch up. If we go a certain distance, they won’t be able to catch up with us.”

Yuto-san said this, and without hesitation, he continued into the depths of the dungeon.

And so I was forced to witness it with my own eyes.

Earlier, I thought that Yuto-san might have misunderstood something.

But I was wrong.

I was the one who was wrong.

Yuto-san is strong.

My perception of him was wrong.

This is how I would describe him now.

Yuto-san is incredibly strong, beyond belief.

If you like my translations, please support me on Ko-Fi and subscribe my Patreon to read several chapters ahead!