Chapter 96: Futsu no Mitama, and the Worldview of the Girl Being Completely Shattered! (Patreon)

"Concerning his future?"

The girl looked at Rozz, whose face was set with firm certainty, and the weight behind that attitude came through clearly.

Magic belonged to an Adventurer alone. It couldn't be acquired by being taught.

So—

Maybe it was just as she'd guessed. Rozz, who had only just arrived in Orario, rarely dealt with other Adventurers and simply didn't know this.

If she was being honest…

Mikoto couldn't figure out what kind of matter could concern his future, and she buried the question in the deepest part of her mind.

Ask him later, perhaps?

From any other Adventurer, a request like this might have struck her as presumptuous. But she remembered the trouble the Monster Party had caused him, and she answered with unusual decisiveness: "No problem."

"Then let's go to the safe floor, the Under Resort, to discuss it. The magic I use isn't easy to cast here."

"Thank you!"

Rozz had fully braced himself for a refusal and never expected such a quick yes. And from the way she'd put it, he could tell—there was a hidden expert here?!

Gravity magic, absolutely rare, and capable of large-scale AOE attacks at that.

If it really came to a head-on clash with the Apollo Familia, he could use Myriad Phenomena to copy the magic Mikoto wielded.

He couldn't even imagine how he'd lose.

Rozz felt the pressure Apollo had put on him easing. He thanked her earnestly: "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know… how to handle this!"

"You don't need to thank me."

"The Monster Party caused you a lot of trouble, and besides… you're a friend of Lord Takemikazuchi. It's my honor to be able to help you."

Faced with the boy's hopeful gaze, Mikoto suddenly felt a little embarrassed. The gap in talent between them was plain for anyone to see.

Even so, she sensed no trace of arrogance or pride in Rozz. It was as if he were asking her for guidance with the utmost seriousness.

Her cheeks felt hot, and she said softly:

"Um…"

"Shall we head to the Under Resort first?"

*

Just as Lili had said.

There was good reason why the safe floor on Floor 18 was called the "Under Resort." If not for the towering walls of the floors around it, which constantly reminded Rozz that he was deep underground,

it would have been hard to connect such a dreamlike scene with the Dungeon, a place that ran on the Dark Forest Principle and swarmed with monsters.

Forests, lakes…

It had everything, forming a remarkably complete ecosystem, and the vast crystal veins overhead supplied light like sunshine.

As far as the eye could see,

in the distance ahead lay the streets of Rivira, built from makeshift shanties, and Adventurers could faintly be seen moving about there.

"Damn."

"This is a pretty big difference from the floors above, isn't it?"

Even Rozz had been hit by the sight when he arrived, never mind the thoroughly stunned faces of the other Adventurers traveling with them.

Lili, his Supporter, was a little dazed too.

But she snapped out of it quickly and warned Rozz:

"From what other Adventurers say,"

"unless it's a necessary expense, try not to shop on the streets of Rivira. Prices are several times higher than in Orario."

"Of course they are."

Transport had to be factored in.

Rozz got the gist. It was much like the tourist spots in his previous life: everything had to be hauled in by hand, so sky-high prices were guaranteed.

Understanding it didn't mean he wanted to be the sucker who paid up.

He had to admit that recruiting Lili into the Familia had truly been the best choice. He shrugged. "Good thing you stocked up on supplies in Orario beforehand."

"Mm."

"So if we stay in the Under Resort, where are we going to sleep?"

Rivira certainly had inns.

The prices were just far higher than in Orario, and as for the lodging conditions, they were barely passable at best.

But with a chance like this to be alone with Rozz, Lili would not let it slip by, no matter what. She fought down the faint curve tugging at the corner of her mouth.

The girl said calmly:

"Leave the lodging to me. I'll find an inn. Don't you have something to take care of? I'll come find you later."

"Sure."

Rozz looked at Lili and, before leaving, remembered to remind her: "It feels like this place is almost all Adventurers, so be careful, Lili."

*

The place they finally chose for the lesson was a wide-open stretch of forest far from the streets of Rivira, which even spared them the trouble of Adventurers spying on them.

Teaching a junior of the Familia practical combat techniques was, for the experienced black-haired girl, nothing more than stressing the details that needed particular attention.

But teaching magic?

"Mm."

Mikoto had truly never done it. Mainly, she knew there was simply no way to acquire magic like this. If there were, Orario would be crawling with mages!!

Still, remembering Rozz's earnest enthusiasm, she decided she should at least finish the lesson first, and tell him the truth afterward.

With that thought, the girl looked at Rozz again and said in a serious tone:

"The magic I use is called 'Futsu no Mitama.' Its effect is… to create a gravity barrier in a designated area."

"The range can be adjusted freely, depending on how much of your mind you pour into it."

A gravity barrier.

Isn't that a lot like Admiral Fujitora's "Hell Journey" move, which locked every Adventurer and monster in the target area in place?

Before Rozz could ask, Mikoto added: "This magic has a drawback. I'm affected by the gravity too, so I can't move freely."

"So I rarely use Futsu no Mitama in the Dungeon. It can restrain monsters, but it restricts me as well."

Through the girl's explanation, Rozz got a basic grasp of Futsu no Mitama. There was certainly some disappointment: it bound the caster as well.

That meant the magic leaned toward the support type.

What he'd be facing was quite possibly every member of the Apollo Familia. At best, this magic would buy him time.

It could never win by surprise.

But…

The Myriad Phenomena magic he had could replicate even Mana Burst and Chidori. Tweaking the effect of Mikoto's magic a little should work, shouldn't it?

As for the principle behind it, Rozz couldn't quite explain it either, but it seemed reasonable enough to him. After composing himself, he asked: "Could I trouble you to cast it?"

"No problem."

The girl turned her gaze to the empty ground ahead.

Since she was explaining the effect, she naturally couldn't skip the chant:

"O God of Martial Arts, whom we revere in fear and trembling, invincible in every strike, guide us from the exalted ninth heaven."

"Grant this humble body the power of a towering divine form. Here and now, I call it forth in my own name. Descend from the heavens and unify the earth."

As the incantation rang out,

her surging mental power set Mikoto's robes snapping and billowing. Her hands, fingertips locked together, rose in a single motion.

A short distance ahead,

a giant illusory purple sword, condensed from her mental power, appeared out of thin air as if answering a summons, its tip planted in the ground.

The barrier domain unfolded in an instant.

The girl gave a low, final command and began releasing Futsu no Mitama with herself at the center: "—Divine Martial Conquest!"

In that instant,

the gravity barrier that formed didn't just envelop the caster. Rozz, standing beside her, was swallowed up indiscriminately as well.

The flat ground cracked into spiderweb fractures at a speed the eye could follow.

"Boom!"

Not only that,

Rozz clearly felt the powerful restriction that the effect of Futsu no Mitama placed on his body.

Gravity.

When he tried a simple movement, all he heard was the creak of his joints, and any strenuous motion squeezed the air out of his lungs.

Where was this magic's limit?

As his Mana Burst Skill activated, the restriction from the gravity magic began to fade away.

At the very least, he could move normally.

Rozz looked at the black-haired beauty beside him, who was pouring everything into the spell, and noticed the beads of sweat on her pale forehead.

Maintaining Futsu no Mitama clearly put a heavy strain on her mental power.

He had to admit,

the magic was undeniably useful, but it had real weaknesses: the caster couldn't move, and the mental power drain was outrageous.

The chant was also remarkably long.

Besides that…

even at full power, it could probably only hold back Adventurers of up to Lv3, serving mainly to buy time.

If it could be improved, though.

For instance, by shortening Futsu no Mitama's chant, or by changing its indiscriminate friend-and-foe effect so it targeted only the enemy.

Hey, that might actually work!!

Rozz gathered his racing thoughts.

He turned to Mikoto beside him and thanked her again: "Thank you, Miss Mikoto. I think… I know how to use it now."

"?"

Hearing Rozz's sincere gratitude, the girl promptly dispelled Futsu no Mitama and raised a hand to wipe the sweat from her forehead.

Her eyes landed on Rozz, who was practically itching to try it.

Mikoto thought for a moment. Being bad at lying, she chose to come clean: "Maybe because you've only just arrived in Orario, you're not very familiar with this."

"But I have to tell you."

At this point,

the black-haired girl summoned her courage and explained in a gentle tone: "The truth is… Rozz, Adventurers can't acquire magic by studying."

But.

Her warning drew no response. Mikoto raised her eyes and looked ahead at Rozz, who was chanting the familiar incantation as though he hadn't heard a word.

The next moment,

as Futsu no Mitama was successfully reproduced, the girl felt an overwhelming pressure close in around her.

What's more—

the gravity barrier's effect far surpassed anything she could produce herself!!

She looked up and saw Rozz, who had just cast Futsu no Mitama, turn around and greet her as if nothing had happened.

Mikoto's pupils contracted sharply, and her entire worldview collapsed on the spot.

"Thanks."

"I think I've got it!"

*

Apollo Familia Home

Evening.

After the divine banquet held the night before, the Familia members had long since cleaned up every trace of the mess left once the revelry died down.

The orange-haired young god watched the vice-captain of his Familia in front of him.

As time passed, Apollo's fervor kept growing, both for Rozz's unprecedented talent and for his desire to add a "rare" Eastern-faced piece to his collection.

Especially now.

After learning what Hestia had done at his banquet last night, he realized he had to seize the little time that remained.

At present, the ones with reliable information were basically Familias with at least some strength.

If…

when the Council of the Gods began, the identity of the Familia member Hestia had recruited were fully exposed before the gods of Orario,

Apollo could foresee the obstacles to his plan.

His eyes burning, he looked at the man before him: a tall, upright figure in a black Familia uniform, with a face that could rival an elf's.

Hyakinthos Clio.

"Have you gathered anything on Rozz's movements? And that… fool of a goddess, Hestia, what has she been doing today?"

Hyakinthos was undoubtedly deeply jealous of someone like Rozz, who had appeared out of nowhere and won the favor of gods. But out of his extreme loyalty to Apollo, even reluctantly,

he carried out his assignment.

"According to the intelligence relayed by Commander Daphne Lauros, Rozz hasn't noticed anything unusual. After meeting up with his Familia's Supporter,"

"he began exploring the Dungeon."

So Rozz had simply not taken last night's threat seriously?

Apollo's usually composed face turned unpleasant at the news. He really didn't think his reputation in Orario was good.

Precisely because of that,

once Rozz asked around among the Adventurers near him, he should have understood what to do. Was becoming Apollo's own Familia member really so bad?

Truly…

Apollo believed the sincerity he'd shown was more than ample, certainly more than that Hestia could offer. "And what about Hestia!"

"We haven't detected any other movements for now. She's working part-time at Hephaestus's weapon shop."

Hearing this, the young god's expression shifted between clouds and sun.

The truth was, for an Adventurer with talent as great as Rozz's, Apollo certainly didn't want to resort to force to bring him in.

But he'd extended his invitation with full sincerity, and the boy refused to appreciate it.

So he had no choice but to force Rozz to choose in his own way. Whether a forcibly twisted melon was sweet was another matter, but at least he'd get to eat it.

When the time came, he'd win Rozz over with divine benevolence!

Apollo collected his thoughts and looked at Hyakinthos with nothing but resolve in his eyes. "Then… go and have a good talk with Rozz."

"I hope that before long, Rozz will be wearing the same Familia uniform you have on."

Hyakinthos's face showed no emotional shift. There were three ways to forcibly draw a member of another Familia into your own.

The gentlest, naturally, was to make the target feel the pressure and the position he'd be in down the road, aiming to complete the conversion without any fierce friction.

The second

was a full-scale pursuit, disrupting the target's Dungeon exploration and his ordinary life in Orario.

And if neither of the first two worked, then, with the god's consent, it would be enforced through a War Game.

After all, he was only a Lv2 Adventurer.

Rozz's talent was indeed outrageous, but in the end, standing before the Apollo Familia, he had no means of resistance at all.

Hyakinthos raised his head.

As he spoke, his loyalty to his god briefly suppressed his jealousy: "Lord Apollo, I know what to do next."

[Author's Note: PS: Update 1. Keep warm and avoid catching a cold!]

[Author's Note: Group announcement: Everyone, set your phone calendars to September 30. Tomorrow is still a holiday. Confirm receipt.]