Worthless Skill Escape (WN)

Chapter 99

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TL: ALT

Chapter 99 – Puncture the Sea

I rode on Kudave’s head, and we came to the sky above Lake Okutama.

Before we left the shrine, Serika said, “I’m going too!” And there was a little argument, but I managed to convince her to stay.

Serika is a very capable person, but what Kudave and I are about to do is not the kind of “battle” that explorers usually imagine.

My heart is stirred by the contact from Seiji Tozaki.

Aside from the content of the conversation, when he looks at me with cold eyes that don’t consider this person as a person, I feel as if a cold metal has been inserted into my gut.

…I have my doubts about some things.

Seiji Tozaki never mentioned Clovis.

Of course, this is natural.

If you think about it normally, there can’t be any connection between a fallen elf king from another world and a Japanese politician.

The fact that an elf from another world was behind this incident should still be known to only a few people around me.

However, Tozaki correctly recognized that the dungeon was a “black hole of the soul.”

Tozaki hinted that he had his own sources of information, but is it too much to say that… it was Clovis?

But I got that knowledge from Haruka-san, who is from the same hometown as Clovis.

It’s quite natural, isn’t it?

The fact that Clovis was too skillful in eliminating the Association’s Explorers also parallels the fact that he had Tozaki’s cooperation.

He was a politician and a former corporate executive, and most importantly, his daughter, Junko Tozaki, was the head of an explorer guild.

Some of the former members of Rakan may have been under the influence of Seiji Tozaki, not Junko Tozaki.

It would not be surprising if information about the explorers that the explorers’ guild had requested to be dispatched due to the recent series of floods had leaked to Tozaki.

If there was a connection between Tozaki and Clovis, there is a possibility that he passed on the Association’s information to Clovis…

If so, does that mean that Tozaki was also the one who planted the Brain Eater in Clovis?

In the Brain Eater drop slot, there was an item called Brain Eater Dried Eggs.

Did Tozaki get the dried eggs through his contacts in Rakan and somehow plant them in Clovis?

The reason Tozaki contacted me was to make sure Clovis wasn’t talking about something else… or something?

Actually, the Brain Eater is the perfect monster to keep information secret.

“…Am I really overthinking this?”

The idea that the mastermind behind this dungeon collapse is Seiji Tozaki… is it a delusion created by my reaction to that guy?

Even if there was no connection to Clovis, I think that by using Rakan and the government agencies, it is possible to get information to the extent that he told me.

“Even if he had a connection to Clovis, what would be his motive for cooperating with Clovis?”

He told me not to block the passage between the two worlds.

Does that mean his goal was to create a corridor between the other worlds?

Is he trying to make up for his daughter’s mistake by selling the results to the Prime Minister’s office?

…No. Even if Tozaki was politically backed into a corner, letting the dungeon collapse would still be going too far.

If the result were a nuclear attack by the U.S. military, it would have been more than just a mistake by his daughter.

“I guess I can’t help thinking about that now.”

I leaned over Kudave’s head and stared at the scene on the ground.

The mountainous area was originally poorly lit, but there was one area that was even darker than the rest.

“Lake Okutama… seems to have been almost completely swallowed by a dungeon.”

The dungeon was collapsing as I walked back and forth between the Tengumine Shrine and the lake.

The black sphere had swallowed most of Lake Okutama and was about to spread around it.

The few remaining waters of the lake, the buildings on the ground, and the collapsed soil were floating around like planets orbiting the sun.

Fortunately, the Okutama Lake Dam seems to have been swallowed by the dungeon in a single gulp of lake water.

If only part of the dam had been swallowed by the dungeon and the dam had burst, there would have been extensive damage downstream.

“Kudave. Are you sure you can break through?”

“Of course I am.”

Kudave says, sounding dismayed.

There is no entrance to a collapsed dungeon.

If anything, the entire surface of the dungeon is the entrance.

But the inside of a collapsed dungeon cannot be normal.

It is no longer a dungeon with a guaranteed entrance and exit but a prison for the soul that, once entered, cannot be exited.

It would be suicide to enter such a place.

“With my breath, I can wipe out a collapsed dungeon.

“But you can’t erase everything, can you?”

“Yes, I may be able to gouge it out, but I cannot make the whole thing disappear. After you gouge it out, you push it in, and after you gouge it out some more, you push it back in. And so you get to the core of the dungeon and somehow fill the hole left in the world.”

“Who is stronger, you or Splefnir?”

“Me… That’s what I’d like to say. It depends on your definition of strength. For the way of existence between us is too different.”

“What is the difference?”

“Well… it’s like deciding which is stronger, a meteorite or the ocean.”

“You mean you’re a meteorite?”

“Yes. I’m probably better than him in terms of the destructive power I bring to the table. But he has an overwhelming amount of power that he can ignore. Meteorites may damage the ocean, but it is no ordinary feat to dry it up. Meteorites that fall into the ocean erode over time and eventually become part of the ocean floor. Now, this is just a metaphor. It is not possible for me to be so easily reduced to a piece of ocean debris.”

“On the other hand, is it difficult to dry up the sea?”

“Yes. That’s why I need your help, Yuto.”

“What can I do in the battle between the meteorites and the sea?”

“Don’t be so condescending. The dungeon is a prison for the soul, but that is why only the soul can truly break through it. If you are ready, let’s go.”

“Yes, let’s go.”

The dungeon is collapsing as we speak.

The problem is not just the collapse of the dungeon.

Before the dungeon collapses, the towns in its path will be nuked.

Even in areas where the Dungeon has not yet spread, nukes are being dropped as a precautionary scorched earth strategy in preparation for the dungeon’s collapse.

In a scorched earth strategy, only food and facilities would be burned, but this nuclear attack is designed to exterminate the human soul, the “food” of the dungeon.

If carried out, it could be the most genocidal attack in human history.

…Why should I stop such a thing, I might think.

I don’t see why I should be the one to stop it.

At best, I can think of Serika’s face and make up my mind.

If I prevent the dungeon from collapsing, the Voice of Heaven will announce it to a wide audience.

Since I have announced that the dungeon has collapsed, it should also announce that the collapse has been stopped.

In fact, I’ve heard that when there’s a flood in a dungeon, the Voice of Heaven always announces the end of the flood.

There would be no need to worry about me stopping the collapse and the U.S. military not knowing about it, and nuclear missiles flying…

By the way, my current equipment is the Staff of the World Tree, the Elven Cloak, the Falcon Shoes, and the Ring of Protection that I plundered from Clovis.

The accessory that Clovis had equipped was the Ring of Slaughter, which greatly increases attack and magic power but dramatically decreases defense, mentality, and luck.

The Ring of Protection, stolen from Clovis’ (unequipped) belongings, is probably a safer choice.

The Ring of Protection is an excellent item that reduces damage by 10% across the board and has a reasonable chance of negating stagger, knockback, and stun caused by physical attacks.

If Clovis had equipped it, the recovery time from my attacks might have been reduced.

I wonder if Clovis did not choose the Ring of Protection because he thought Pride would be enough to protect him.

In any case, all the equipment in my body was replaced with something powerful all at once.

It’s an unexpected byproduct of saving the explorer.

The increase in ability is in the range of 10,000 to 30,000, so it is better than nothing as far as my current status is concerned.

However, the Staff of the World Tree has a great effect on the flow of magic, and the Elven Cloak and Falcon Shoes increase dodge speed and make me lighter.

Even in this crazy modern world, it would be hard to find better equipment than this.

Even though I feel that I have been forced to work for free because of the emergency situation, Clovis’ equipment alone seems to be enough to make up for it.

Holding my Elven Cloak, which flutters in the night wind, I stare at the black sphere.

Kudave unleashed a black-purple dragon breath.

――Megiddo Breath.

From what I have heard, it is a Breath of Destruction that destroys all things, both material and spiritual.

Kudave’s true nature is destruction.

Its power is to destroy all things and return them to emptiness.

The reason why Kudave uses only roars is because this Megiddo Breath is too powerful.

Another principle is that this Breath of Destruction also makes a hole in the world itself, just as the collapse of a dungeon makes a hole in the world.

Kudave’s Megiddo Breath and the dark sphere of the collapsed dungeon――

The two forces, both nightmarish to humans, did not compete with each other.

The Breath of Destruction tore into the sphere of darkness from above.

“Tch, it’s still impossible to destroy it.”

Kudave spat and began to swoop down on the sphere whose top had been gouged out.

Whatever force he used, the plunge was many times faster than free fall.

“What a momentum…!”

I clung to Kudave’s horns to keep from being swept away.

Kudave maintained his descent speed,

――Vuaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

He spits out his second Megiddo Breath.

Kudave plunges into another ripped sphere.

The gouged sphere slowly returns to its original shape, gathering darkness from its surroundings.

No, “slowly” is a misnomer.

The sphere is so large that it appears to be slow, but the speed of its regeneration is quite fast.

Kudave spits out a Megiddo Breath, dives into it, spits out more breath――

The top of the sphere was closed by the darkness that covered us as we entered the sphere of darkness.

The surrounding darkness expanded as well, coming close to swallowing Kudave and me.

“Eeii, impertinence!”

Kudave also had no choice but to slow his descent.

As he spun around, he cleared the darkness with his Megiddo Breath.

This secured the room but slowed the speed at which he moved forward.

“Yuto! Can’t you do something?”

“I don’t know any skill that works against dungeons themselves!”

“I don’t care if it’s just a temporary solution!”

“Even if you say so… Well, if you just want to prevent it, maybe I can use this!”

What I remembered was this skill.

Skill──────────────────

Pseudo-Invincibility Barrier 1

A pseudo-reproduction of the invincibility barrier that can only be used by ** in the other world. Consumes all MP and nullifies all attacks on the target for (S.Lv x 5) seconds. It cannot be used when MP is less than the maximum. The user cannot perform any other action while using this skill.

────────────────────

The question is, if I use this on Kudave, will I be included in his nullification range?

“Yeah, we’ll just have to try! Pseudo Invincibility Barrier!”

I felt my eyes almost go black.

Because all my MPs were taken away in an instant.

A feeling of weakness hit me, like anemia, many times worse.

Instead, I felt a terrifyingly strong wall of magic power rise up to cover Kudave.

I clung to Kudave and was caught in the barrier.

“Kuhahaha! This is good!”

Kudave power dives toward the center of the dark sphere covered by the Pseudo Invincibility Barrier.

The reason he’s not spitting out breath is… I see, so the barrier blocks breath as well.

I mean, can this barrier even prevent Kudave’s Megiddo Breath?

“Kudave! This barrier will disappear in five seconds!”

I shouted as I clung to Kudave’s horns.

I wanted to take the elixir from my Item Box and drink it, but somehow, I couldn’t use my Item Box skill.

No, not somehow.

The description says, “The user of the skill cannot perform any other action while using it.”

So, I can’t use the elixir to restore MP and restore the barrier before it expires.

“What? It’s too short!”

Exactly five seconds later, the Pseudo Invincibility Barrier lost its effect.

Kudave shot his Megiddo Breath forward.

I drink the elixir quickly.

When I see darkness approaching, I use the Pseudo Invincibility Barrier again.

Another 5-second power dive.

Megiddo Breath.

Elixir.

Barrier.

Kudave and I repeated the cycle over and over.

“…Isn’t this way too long!”

Kudave dives at a speed that even leaves the sound behind, but we still can’t see the bottom of the dungeon.

“It’s a dungeon of this size; of course it is!”

“Oh, right, it was a dungeon.”

It was so unusual that I forgot that we were in a dungeon.

It is only natural that it is much bigger than it looks from the outside.

Looking closely, I could see that the darkness was mixed with what appeared to be dungeon structures and shadows that looked like monsters.

Mixed, as the word implies.

The dungeon structure and the monster’s body are multiplying like amoeba in an undifferentiated state.

Were they crushed by the internal pressure of the “black hole,” or were they still developing?

Either way, it was hard to believe that a dungeon in such a state could be properly conquered.

It was a good thing I took Kudave’s suggestion to (physically) attack the whole dungeon.

“Do you know how much further we have to go?”

“I have a feeling it’s going to get a lot “deeper”! We’re not even halfway through!”

“Then it looks like we’re barely halfway there.”

I’ve been stocking up on elixirs, stealing some from the bosses in the Water Park Dungeon.

I also stole a few from Clovis, but that’s about it.

We used Megiddo Breath to pry open a path and jumped there with Pseudo Invincibility Barrier.

I didn’t feel alive.

Just when I was starting to worry about how many elixirs I had left,

“We’re going to get out of here! Get ready!”

Kudave and I slipped into a space where black and white collided.