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TL: ALT
Chapter 23 – Haruka Explains to Us, “What is a Dungeon?”
“M-more importantly, you were talking about dungeons, right? If I remember correctly, the dungeon in the world where Haruka-san was ‘collapsed.'”
With a red face, Serika tries to come back to the topic.
“Yes, that was it. Collapsing is a phenomenon not unlike a flood. A dungeon grows to its maximum, and as a result, its ‘weight’ becomes so great that it creates a ‘hole’ in the world itself.”
“A hole in the world?”
“Yes. It is difficult to understand the world in three dimensions, so please remove one dimension and imagine a two-dimensional, flat world.”
“…Huh?”
“Yes, that’s right. Can you imagine a very large rubber membrane stretched taut?”
“I can imagine that.”
“On top of this membrane, there are many grains of what looks like sand scattered about. Think of each grain of sand as a human soul.”
“Yes.”
“The rubber membrane is elastic, and the grains of sand have a slight gravitational pull. So over time, the membrane will bend, and the grains of sand will roll down its slope.”
“I guess so.”
“However, compared to the size of the membrane, each grain of sand only weighs a fraction of a pound. Even if the membrane bends, it will only be a very small unevenness. The countless grains of sand move randomly along these uneven surfaces.
“I think I can understand that.”
“This is the state of human society, where grains and grains are involved while maintaining a moderate distance from each other. Sometimes, however, the grains collide violently. As a result, one or both of them may be crushed.”
Just like I became a shut-in, I suppose.
“A crumpled soul means that a lot of energy has been applied to it. A crumpled soul has a lot of power built up in it.”
“Does that mean it has a grudge against the world?”
“Yes. Unlike matter, the soul is alive. Even if it is crushed, the energy inside it will always overflow. However, when its outer form is crumpled, it is unable to release that energy.”
“So if it is alive, the resentment will grow. The reason it doesn’t erupt is because it is crushed by its surroundings.”
“Yes. The energy that is not released is pushed inside the crushed soul. As this internal pressure increases, the energy takes on a kind of weight. That is, the soul gains its gravity.”
“Gravity… in your earlier metaphor, you’re saying that the rubber membrane gets pulled further down?”
“That is correct. The membrane, funnel-shaped and sunken around the crumpled soul, swallows up the souls around it.”
“Is that by any chance…?”
“Yes. An antlion’s nest of crushed souls. This is what we call a dungeon.”
“…Hard to believe, isn’t it?”
Serika said.
“That is true. I can’t show you any proof, so you’ll just have to assume that this is what the elves concluded from their research.”
“No problem. Please continue.”
“The dungeon is where the explorers will dive. Unfortunately, many of them will lose their lives. The souls of explorers who die in the dungeon are taken into the dungeon, which increases the dungeon’s ‘gravity.’ When this accumulates to a certain level, the dungeon ranks up and floods accordingly.”
“I didn’t know it worked like that…”
I was impressed,
“Then what is the ‘collapse’ of the dungeon?”
Serika delved further into the matter.
“The word “gravity” is just a metaphor. But in fact, it has properties very similar to gravity in this world of space science. In this world, you know what we call a black hole, right?”
“A celestial body with such extreme gravity that not even light can escape it, right?”
Not that I’m a space expert, but for a boy, a black hole is a romantic thing.
I can handle that level of foreknowledge.
“The same thing happens in dungeons. When a dungeon swallows too many souls, the ‘gravity’ becomes extreme. When that happens, it’s no longer a simple matter of increasing the dungeon’s rank. In a short period of time, the ranks of the dungeon will inflate so fast and furiously that they will reach astronomical ranks such as S-Rank, SS-Rank, SSS-Rank, S4-Rank… and even S10000-Rank, S10000-Million-Rank, S1-Billion-Rank, S1-Trillion-Rank, and so on.”
“”Wha…””
Serika and I were completely stunned.
The currently confirmed dungeon ranks are four, from S to C (except for the D rank, which is recognized by the Explorers Association).
There is no repetition of the existence of SS, SSS, and even higher ranks above S.
“In this case, the dungeon no longer resembles what we usually think of as a ‘dungeon.’ It is no longer possible to infer from the outside what is going on inside. No matter how highly ranked an explorer is, once he enters a dungeon, he will never come out. On the contrary, the dungeon undermines the outside world and turns it into a part of itself. The dungeon sucks in souls without limit, increases gravity, and eventually creates a hole in the world itself. That person and I have fallen into that hole.”
“Fall… Did you survive the fall?”
“Normally, it would have been impossible. But… that person let me live. His desire to protect me became a strong “gravity,” and created a small dungeon just to protect me. I was protected by that person’s dungeon and went through the hole―and when I realized, I was inside the dungeon of this world.”
“”…..””
The story is so great that Serika and I are speechless.
“I already had a new life in my belly. That is…”
“So it’s Honoka-chan.”
“That’s right.”
Haruka-san nodded.
“For me, Honoka is the most precious memory of that person. I would rather lose my life than lose Honoka. Yuto-san, Serika-san. You have saved my soul as well as Honoka. Thank you very much.”
Chapter 24 – Bombshell
“Come to think of it, is Haruka your alias here?”
Trying to get rid of the heavy air, I asked what I was wondering.
“That’s one aspect of it, but my original name is also Harukafia. It’s kind of a nickname.”
“I see.”
As I nodded,
“Haruka-san. We came here because we heard that Haruka-san was sick and needed an elixir.”
Serika then asked her the main question.
“I heard about it from my daughter. I am very grateful for your generosity… but are you sure? I have nothing to repay your kindness.”
“For me, it’s just something I can get once in a while, even though it’s precious to me. What is your illness?”
“This world has less magic than my original world. Until now, I’ve managed to get by by diving into dungeons and such… but I guess the years of overwork have taken their toll, and it’s getting harder and harder to maintain my magical power.”
“Were you an explorer?”
“Yes. I used to dive in the dungeon with my husband in that world, too. Besides, the magic inside the dungeon is more intense than outside, so it is a good place to store magic power.”
“…Surely, MP recovers naturally in the dungeon, right?”
Although I have never measured the amount of MP recovered outside the dungeon, I have a feeling that it is slower than inside the dungeon.
“However, there is a problem with the magic in the dungeon. The magic in the dungeon is tainted by the monsters, and it needs to be purified before it can be absorbed.”
“Huh, is that so?”
“I don’t know the reason, but it seems to be okay for explorers in this world. However, elves especially need the pure magic found in nature…”
“Oh, is that why you’re here at the shrine?”
“Yes. The priest and the head priest have kindly allowed me to live here. They are both former explorers, and we have known each other since shortly after I arrived here.”
“So there is both a priest and a head priest?”
“This shrine was founded by Shugendo, a sect of Shintoism based on the doctrine of the union of Shinto and Buddhism. It is a sacred place with an ancient connection, a land rich in magical power in this world.”
Haruka-san politely answers my irrelevant question.
“Do you use elixirs to cure the root of the disease?”
Serika asked.
“I don’t know. The symptom should improve for the time being, but it will never be completely cured. It is a matter of compatibility between the elven constitution and this world.”
“N-no way!”
Honoka exclaimed.
“There was a story once about getting an elixir in the dungeon of the Tengumine Shrine on the grounds of this temple… I dived into the dungeon several times but was never able to get it.”
“If it’s a constitutional problem for elves, what about Honoka-chan?”
Serika asked.
“Fortunately, thanks to the fact that she has half human blood in her body, it doesn’t seem to have affected her enough to make her physically ill.”
“Thank goodness.”
Serika patted her chest as if it were her own concern.
“The only thing is, it’s a bit of a mouthful for me to say, but elves basically have beautiful features. They also seem to radiate a unique spiritual energy that attracts humans. Humans in this world do not seem to be immune to the spiritual energy of elves, and even the mere sight of their appearance can put them in danger.”
In fact, that is exactly what happened.
“I thought it was too early for her age, but now Honoka has to learn how to protect herself as an elf. I really don’t want to live apart from her, but…”
Then Haruka-san looks at me.
“Yuto-san.”
“Yes?”
“Yuto-san saved Honoka’s life and soul.”
“Well, as it turns out.”
���The elven code says that you have to return the favor of life with your life and the favor of the soul with your soul.”
“No, I don’t want you to get all worked up about it.”
“From the looks of it, Yuto-san seems to have a tolerance for the spiritual power of the elves. That doesn’t mean that you don’t find this girl attractive, right?”
“That’s right; I think she’s beautiful. She’s out of this world.”
I was not sure where the conversation was going, so I answered openly.
Next to me, Serika glared at me.
…No, Serika is pretty good-looking in general. I’m sure she’s been popular for a long time.
I don’t know why she doesn’t seem to have a lover.
Nodding in satisfaction at my words, Haruka-san dropped a bombshell.
“If it’s okay with you, Yuto-san, would you be willing to marry Honoka?”