Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 32

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TL: ALT

Chapter 32 – Charge! Dinner at Elf-san’s House

Exploring the Tengumine Shrine dungeon was easier than I expected.

However, by the time I reached the seventh floor, the sun had already set.

It was a good thing I had booked a place to stay.

I went to the hot spring to wash off the sweat from the exploration and got out of the hot spring,

“Ah, thank you for your hard work, Yuto-san.”

There was a girl in a casquette hat.

She was not wearing sunglasses because of the time of day.

She was a beautiful girl who stood out, but the inn was deserted, and no one looked at her.

“What is it, Honoka-chan? How is Haruka-san?”

“She’s calmed down, thanks to you.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“My mother said she’d like to invite you over for dinner if you don’t mind.”

“I hope Haruka-san isn’t pushing herself too hard.”

“She’s always pushing herself, but she seems to be in really good shape today.”

“If that’s the case, I’ll be happy.”

I’m glad if that’s the case. Anyway, there’s nothing to do today but go back to my room at the inn and go to sleep.

I’m inclined to explore how to use the skills I’ve acquired and how to plan for future skill increases, but there’s no need to rush into it since the amount is so large.

Besides, Haruka-san is an experienced explorer. I might be able to hear something helpful, right?

Of course, even without talking about exploration, there would be no reason to refuse an invitation to dinner from a beautiful elf mother and daughter.

…For some reason, Serika’s scary smile is on my mind, but I’m not her lover, so there was no problem…or should be.

“This way.”

I was led to the house where I met Haruka-san yesterday.

The Japanese-style room with tatami mats was lined with elaborate items that looked like sophisticated traditional Japanese cuisine.

“Good evening, Yuto-san.”

Haruka-san greeted me with a strangely similar phrase.

Yesterday, she was dressed as a shrine maiden, but today she is wearing a kappogi. [T/n: Japanese cooking clothes].

The image of an elf is a slim one, but Haruka-san has a very good style.

Her silky blonde hair, blue eyes, and long ears, which are characteristic of elves, should be a mismatch with her kappogi, but the gap between the two accentuates her charm.

“Thank you for inviting me.”

It was only a few minutes ago that Honoka-chan called me over.

It’s not that we had made an appointment before.

But I know that the dish in front of me is not something that can be prepared in a short time.

“Fufu. Don’t be so harsh. Please think of us as a family.”

“If such a beautiful woman were my mother, I wouldn’t be too excited.”

“Ara? Wouldn’t it be better if I were your wife?”

“Please stop teasing me.”

“I am not teasing you. If you want to talk about it, I’ll be happy to oblige. Right, Honoka?”

“Y-yes…”

Blushing, Honoka nodded her head.

“N-no, let’s not talk about it.”

“You’re right. It would be inappropriate to do it when Serika-san is not around.”

“I don’t think it has anything to do with Serika. Besides, I’m younger than you, so you don’t have to be polite or anything like that.”

“Ara, really? Then you don’t have to speak politely either, Yuto-san.”

“I understand. No, I get it, Haruka-san.”

“Ufufu. Let’s enjoy the meal before it gets cold.”

The dishes are all Japanese, including grilled sweetfish, wild vegetable tempura, soup, and savory egg custard…

“Delicious.”

“Ara, I’m glad it’s to your liking.”

“Is it Haruka-san’s cooking, by any chance?”

“It’s me and this girl.”

“Oh, I see. Thank you, Honoka-chan.”

“N-no, it’s nothing at all! It’s nothing considering the kindness Yuto-san gave me.”

It’s unexpected… that Haruka-san, who is an elf, would cook such a purely Japanese dish.

She came here when Honoka was still in her womb, so it’s not surprising that she remembers the food here.

…..No, really?

Before Honoka-chan was born, I would have been in elementary school.

And yet Haruka-san told me that she found herself in a dungeon in this world.

Does that mean the first dungeon had already been born?

But I never heard the word dungeon at the time before I was shut in.

I don’t even think Haruka-san is lying…

This seems like a case of God.

“I’m going to ask you a strange question… but have you ever met God, Haruka-san?”

“God? No, I haven’t, but…”

“Do you think there is one?”

“There is a God. In my former world and in this world as well.”

“Even in this shrine?”

“God is not in any particular place, so where God is is a meaningless question. God is everywhere and nowhere. That is the way the elves think.”

“Do all elves believe in God?”

“Yes. There are different degrees of belief, but there is no one who does not believe in God. For the very existence of the elves is blessed by God.”

“The elves themselves?”

“Think about it in the common sense of this world. How is it possible for a person to live for hundreds of years without aging?”

“That’s… true, isn’t it?”

If regenerative medicine or gene-editing technology develops in the future, that might happen, but it’s not possible, at least not at this point.

“It’s not as if the Gods love the people who honor them and keep them from aging and dying―whether it’s true or not, that’s what the Elven folklore says.”

…What a very benevolent God, huh?

Well, even the Gods of the Earth are usually very kind.

Haruka-san herself is probably not that religious, judging from the way she talks.

She lost her beloved husband in a dungeon collapse and was sent to another world.

It is not surprising that her faith in God has waned.

Not wanting to delve too deeply into this story, I asked her what was bothering me.

“You were an explorer here, weren’t you, Haruka-san?”

“Yes. Before people knew about the dungeon.”

“You must be the most senior explorer.”

And she also has a career in her former world.

“Hey, you make it sound like I’m old.”

“I thought elves didn’t care about age.”

“Elves don’t care about age, but I’d like to be proportional to you, you know?”

“I-I see.”

“Mother. Are you seriously trying to have Yuto-san?”

“No, that’s not true. He’s Honoka-chan’s precious supporter, you know. But young human males have strong sexual desires. He might not be satisfied with just one, right?”

“It’s probably Mother who has a strong sex drive…”

“Did you say something, Honoka?”

“N-no, nothing.”

Honoka clears her throat and turns away.

I broke into a cold sweat at the disturbing atmosphere,

“I’m looking for a dungeon with special conditions. Specifically, a dungeon with as many Hobbit monsters as possible and a Hobbit dungeon boss.”

“Those are very unusual conditions, aren’t they?”

Haruka-san thought for a moment,

“I’m sorry, I don’t know of any dungeons that meet those criteria.”

“I see…”

“I can think of a few dungeons with Hobbits along the way, but that’s not enough, is it?”

“Oh. There’s always a way to make it work without Hobbits in the way, but the bosses have to be Hobbits.”

“Hobbit bosses are rare. At least, I have never seen one.”

Haruka-san’s words made me feel discouraged inside.

Why am I so obsessed with Hobbits, you ask?

Of course, it’s because of the special requirement of defeating 400 monsters of the same type (at least one of which is a boss) in a row.

The Treasure Hobbit I was targeting in the Black Swan Forest Water Park dungeon had the Steal skill.

If the special condition of defeating the Hobbit-type continuously could be achieved, the Steal skill could be obtained as a reward.

I had been wondering for some time why the third slot of the drop item was not dropping.

Thanks to my high Luck, the second slot dropped a lot, but I have never received a single drop from the third slot.

It could simply be that the odds are extremely low, but it could also mean that the items aren’t dropping in the usual way.

For example, you may need a skill that increases the level of the dropped item to get it.

Or maybe it can only be obtained by using a skill like Steal.

When I asked God at the shrine about this question, the answer was, “Look back at what you know so far.”

As a new explorer, my knowledge was limited.

If there was any information that could lead to an answer, it was the only thing I could think of.

“I’m sorry I can’t help you.”

“Oh no, please don’t worry.”

“Ara, you’re talking like you used to.”

“Oops, sorry. Never mind.”

“Ufufu. You’re talking so much nicer that way.”

“Don’t I sound cocky?”

“You’re an explorer. It may be an anachronism in this world, but it’s part of the job to be proud.”

“I see.”

It is good to be polite, but if you are foolishly polite, you will be treated lightly.

There are many people who will do anything to get their way and make unreasonable demands if you are too polite.

I don’t like to be overbearing, but I think it’s necessary to have a certain amount of dignity.

“As for the dungeon story you mentioned earlier… have you asked Serika-san about it?”

“No, not yet.”

“Since there is someone close to you who knows a lot about it, why don’t you ask her for her wisdom? Yuto-san may not want to bother her, but I’m sure Serika-san won’t feel bad about being asked for help.”

“I suppose so…”

I didn’t have time to ask because I thought of it earlier… but actually, I tend to avoid relying on Serika.

If you don’t understand something, you can ask, and if you want help, you can ask for it.

It’s a false seriousness as if you shouldn’t escape your own problems.

If it is faster and more reliable to rely on others, then do so.

The worst thing you can do is to hold on to your problems alone and collapse.

The worst thing is to hold on to the problem, thinking you can’t escape, and then, when you can’t help yourself, you have no choice but to escape.

I thought it was some kind of harassment that they gave me the unique skill of Escape, but maybe it’s the opposite.

――When you fight, you think about the escape option first.

Maybe that’s what this unique skill is warning me about.

“Thank you, Haruka-san. I feel a little better now.”

“I didn’t say anything. It’s Yuto-san’s power.”

I was shot in the chest by the softly smiling Haruka-san, and I ran to the grilled sweetfish.

“Well, good night, Yuto-san.”

Honoka-chan says as she sees me off to my room.

It’s a smile that excites me in a different way than Haruka-chan’s.

…I wonder if this mother and daughter know their own charm and use it?

Haruka-san is absolutely convinced, but Honoka-chan is probably not yet.

It’s frustrating, but I’m happy when they do it with conviction, and I’m happy when they do it naturally. It’s not fair.

“Oh, that’s right.”

I remember one item when I just managed to tear my eyes away from the girl who is still in eighth grade.

I took it out of the Item Box and said,

“Here, I’ll give you this.”

I gave Honoka-chan a ring with a blue stone in it.

“A ring?”

“Yes. I got it today, but I don’t plan to use it.”

What I offered was the Ring of Protection.

I already have one from the Gigant Rock Golem drop in the water park, so the one I pulled out of the treasure chest today was just sitting in my Item Box.

It would probably fetch a decent price if I sold it, but it was the first item I got from the treasure chest.

If someone could use it, it would be better.

“I thought it would suit Honoka-chan.”

Just the other day, Honoka-san was being harassed by a scum explorer.

This ring only increases the defense, but the difference may live on when the time comes.

“Does it suit me?”

“Yes. It’s the same color as Honoka-chan’s eyes, so it would be easy to match.”

“M-match my eyes…”

“This ring could even protect you. You can use it if you want. Oh, and of course, if you don’t like it, I won’t force you to.”

“Th-that’s not true! I like it very much!”

“I-I see…”

“Thank you very much! I will treasure it! I’ll never lose it!”

“N-no, you don’t have to think that much about it…”

Honoka-chan seemed to be in a fever and left the corridor in a daze.

…Of course, I didn’t know that at the time, you know.

Elves have a custom that when a man proposes to a woman, he gives her a jewel… the same color as her eyes.