The Dungeon Seeker

At the same venue.

Fourth matchーーmeaning, Nakabayashi Yoshihiko who had finished the last match in the first round, was in a sulky mood inside the toilet room.

Since he had been summoned to this world, it was continuous misfortune.

He was originally a member of the delinquent group that has Kido as the center. Ever since they were teleported to this world, because of Kido having an extraordinary status, Nakabayashi’s standing changed as the world they are in change.

Described briefly, Nakabayashi is someone who has a personality that is unable to go against the strong.

ーーit was only that simple.

Nakabayashi acted like he had not seen the bullying that was done to Junpei, but he did not actively partic.i.p.ate as well.

He did bully Junpei while checking Kido’s reactions at the least that he could doneーーbut anyways; he did not have a bad preference of enjoying bullying the weak.

In fact, he was the only one who has objected the plan of throwing Junpei into the Interstice Labyrinth until the end.

And even now, he was still unable to forget Junpei’s expression of despair at that time, and spent his days seeing nightmares every day.

Nakabayashi had found an opportunity to leave Kido’s group, but although he was able to do so, he did not train himself very well, and the ridiculous skill called 【Appraisal Eyes】super-cla.s.s was not efficiently used, and he is still taking only a B-Rank examination.

「Haa……Kido had already gone with the Hero Party in the royal capital as a Magic Swordsman, after climbing up to the highest level of S-Rank, and Sakakibara seems to have awakened, and became an S-Rank too……」

Nakabayashi thought while peeing.

「As I’ve thought, maybe I’m not aggressive enough……well, Piggy……if Junpei wasn’t around, I’m sure that I’ll be the one bullied……I’m stupid after all……」

Nakabayashi continued while sighing.

「Even so……I’m really sorry about Junpei……literally giving me nightmares」

There is a reason why he is thinking of that right now.

Although Junpei looks completely like a different person with his【Mimicry】, even so, some of his features still remain. Because of that, it had shown effects to Nakabayashi’s unconsciousness.

「Ow……!」

And, there, Nakabayashi placed his hand to his ear.

「Inside my ear……eh……? Huh……uhh? Huhh? Huhh, uhh, hhu, uhh? This is weiiieeieiirrddddddーーーー??」

Halfway through his words, Nakabayashi started to drool and convulse.

Soon after, the white of his eyes showed and then vomited.

However, after a while, Nakabayashi stood up with a casual expression, took out a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped off the drool and fluids in his mouth.

Furthermore, he spat out annoyingly.

「……what the heck is this? It can only be described as the worst. This is really a s.h.i.tty material huh? I mean, this is really too ridiculous. Is this body really from Earth?」

The thing that possessed Nakabayashi’s body punched the wall as if to test something.

The wall was instantly destroyed, but Nakabayashi seemed displeased.

「Impossible……what’s with this spec……this is too ridiculous」

He clicked his tongue and continued.

「Well, whatever. Leaving that aside……it should become better after I steal that guy’s body」

The first match in the second round.

In the stage, Junpei’s bitter enemy, Nakabayashi Yoshihiko is standing in front of him.

「Well……what should I do?」

For Junpei, it is an opponent that he wants to steal its fighting ability instantly, chop of its limbs, and slice into pieces.

However, this is an only a match, so killing is prohibited.

「Well, it’s already decided what I’m going to do though」

The referee on the stage raised his hand, and declared the start of the match.

「Start!」

At the same time, Junpei raised his gear to his maximum speed. He instantly jumped up in the air above the stage, and took Nakabayashi’s back quicker than the eye can see.

「Alright, the end……」

It is possible to take revenge against Nakabayashi anytime. Junpei decided that he must prioritize ending the match, and gain an official B-Rank adventurer license.

Junpei was about to hit Nakabayashi’s neck with a chopーーbut a strange thing happened.

Nakabayashi instantly turned around, dodged Junpei’s chop, and grinned.

「It’s been a while? Right……Takeda Junpei? No……Piggy?」

Junpei lost his words. His【Mimicry】is working properly. He should have a westerner’s look that is very different from a j.a.panese look right now.

「……Takeda? What?」

“Haha”, Nakabayashi smiled.

「You’re acting dumb again〜……I really understand that you’re Takeda from the labyrinth……ya know?」

「Kansai-ben……?」

At the same time, Nakabayashi threw away the sword in his hand.

He then made a fist, and released a right straight with unbelievable speed.

……so fast!

The right straight directly hits Junpei’s nose.

It was an unbelievable speed.

It was an unbelievable attack.

And, an unbelievable dialect.

「【Acceleration】!!」

The action that the panicking Junpei took was simpleーーstepping back at his maximum speed.

However, Nakabayashi who had quickly caught up to Junpei hit him with consecutive blows.

「What the heck’s with that speed……are you saying, I’m only barely able to keep up even with my evasion proficiency?」

Junpei spat out.

He was dumbstruck by the reality shown in front of him, but Junpei was able to barely dodged the attack while sweating profusely.

「Haha! It looks like brother is really quite skilled? I mean, I’m really disgustingly amazed that I’m not able to take care of you with just that level of speed」

And there, Nakabayashi carelessly released a high kick. Does he not have a fighting technique? It was brute forcing of status that showed an opportunity although the combination was at high speed.

A fatal gap was made because of the high kick, and Junpei stabbed the Cerberus’s Canine to Nakabayashi’s flank.

「Ouch!!」

Fresh blood was gushed out of Junpei’s flank.

And thereーーJunpei finally understood the situation.

He took distance by jumping back once again, and while pressing his flank, he called out to Nakabayashiーーno, Harada.

「I see. I don’t really know what happened, but……Nakabayashi……youーーyou stopped being human huh?」

「What a rude guy. I’m a genuine human you know? No, well……I had long before stopped being human though?」

Junpei answered a sigh to Harada who said that with a joking tone.

「You’re……Harada right? It looks like you possessed Nakabayashi on top of stealing his memories, but……no, in this case, I guess it should be better to say that you’ve fused, not possess huh?」

“He〜……?”, Harada shrugged his shoulders.

「What a sharp boy you are……well, this is one of the answers that our boss made to create humans who will be able to clear the labyrinth. By continuously possessing in this way, we can fuse or combine the skills and experience points. It means, invincible super soldiers can easily be made」

Junpei narrowed his eyes after hearing that.

「However, if it’s like that……you should probably reach your limits of possessing? Human brains have a capacity limit, and to combine and fuse with personalities, that’s an ability that humans don’t originally have. You should be unable to……endure the burden from repeatedly possessing……」

Harada’s eyes widened and replied with a slightly trembling voice.

「Hey, brother……aren’t you a little, too sharp?」

“Huh……?”, Junpei felt something strange with his own words.

Basis does not exist with words that he had told right now. In the first place, why is he able to accept this, ridiculous situation……?

Harada asked Junpei jokingly after seeing him shut up.

「Haha, maybe brother has other stocked cheats, other than Skill Hunt?」

「……maybe」

Junpei had broken through the labyrinth many times using his intellect.

“But……”, Junpei thought. The person he was in j.a.pan was some trash that was being bullied.

Furthermore, there were many unexplainable things that happened up until now……

ーーthis, maybe, is it……?

When Junpei was about to realize something in his core, Harada clapped his hands.

「Well, because of that, members that are the same type like me, have a short lifespan compared to those guys living for several thousand, or several tens of thousands of years. My possessing limits should probably be up to five, I guess?」

“Yareyare”, Harada spreads his arms.

「……but, well, just like I’ve said before, it’s live devouring another person’s whole life. By continuously fusing with another person, we can easily get stronger」

Junpei asks Harada.

「……and then? Nakabayashi’s body is useless, so you came to take my body? Most probably, you got crushed by that brat……or that overaged loli?」

「You’re really frighteningly sharp you know?」

Junpei gripped the Cerberus’s Canine with his right hand, and readied himself towards Harada.

「But, I myselfーーdon’t give up easily you know?」

Harada grinned hearing Junpei’s words.

「Well, you need to do something about my Physical Reflection……or else, you can’t do anything?」

A dark red aura appeared on the surface of Harada’s body.

「The skills that I gained from eating four up until now. A total of seven physical strengthening type skills, I’ll use them alright? And so……with an overwhelming status with a level that reached 3000……」

He continued while laughing.

「Even if I don’t Reflect……you don’t have a chance to win?」

When Junpei noticed it, Harada was standing behind him.

「……this is bad」

Even though Junpei had placed almost all his points to his agility, he was still inferior.

Junpei immediately escaped from the area where Harada’s hands can reach.

He took distance, and thought of a way to win.

Even if he wants to shower Harada with his poisonous blood, he does not have the chance.

No, in the first place, even if Junpei was able to hit him with his blood, fluids should also be possible to be reflected back.

ーーhonestly, there are several ways to pa.s.s through his Physical Attack Reflection.

A few days before, ever Harada had carelessly shown that skill, Junpei had thought of ways to counter itーーeven so, there was nothing that he could do because the gap between their status is too huge.

“If there was only a situation where I can attack him, and with that skill……”, Junpei gritted his teeth.

「Un. What a good expression? It looks like you know yourself that you can’t do anything?」

Harada slowly walked towards Junpei while grinning.

Junpei tried jumping left and right to take distance from Harada, but Harada would catch up to him with speeds that exceeded his.

And, a leg sweep.

Harada raised his fist highly towards Junpei who he tripped to the ground beautifully.

「Well then, hurry up and lose your consciousness? Ahh, brother won’t die, no worries? I’m the base personality, but brother will live inside me」

Harada’s fistーーhowever, it was not shot towards Junpei.

Skill【Vacuum Blade】.

The blade of vacuum that was shot from Harada’s fist, it turned to a different directionーーtowards the audience seat.

【Vacuum Blade】is a mid-ranged attack that those who have melee jobs like swordsmen or martial artists prefer to use.

Screams were raised from the explosion point, and dozens of humans perished, scattering their viscera.

「A〜re?!」

Harada continuously shot【Vacuum Blade】towards the audience seat while saying that.

「A〜re?! Are?!!」

A death storm whirled around the stage.

「d.a.m.n it……my body won’t listen!! The personalities got f.u.c.king cheeky because of that defeat earlier……psychopaths of the labyrinth clearing group……are you satisfied as long as you see blood?! Ahhhhh, f.u.c.k it!」

Junpei was caught off guard, but immediately decided that it’s an opportunity.