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One day, at the underground battle arena of the Ikebukuro Berserkers.
Oh, hey, Player's here! Alright, Now I've got all the personnel I needed!
Andvari boisterously greeted the new arrival the moment they stepped in, arms spread wide in a welcoming gesture.
Behind him were an assortment of his fellow Berserkers: Bathym, Pollux and Nomad.
3 options
Huh....?
What's all this about?
It's the half-naked party...!
Player-chan came after all! I've been looking forward to this! And, my condolences!
Either say welcome or express your pity, stick to one...!
I'm fully clothed damnit! What the hell kind of name is Half Naked Party?!
What if we called ourselves the Nearly Nothing Team instead, Nomad-chan?
Don't lump me in with the likes of you!!
Hey, look what the dog dragged in. Andvari roped you into this too huh?
Dog? Do I look like Garmr to you?!
Anyway! Don't listen to them and just rely on me, Player!
3 options
Leave it to me！
You still haven't told me what you called me out here for.
Of course, there's the matter of my compensation fee...
Oho, now there's a good response... I respect that kind of business acumen, for real!
Well, that's Andvari for you. Anyway, don't you think you owe them a proper explanation now?
Are we going someplace dangerous? You're leading this expedition, so you don't want there to be any misunderstandings, right?
Ah, certainly. See, recently the guild's medical costs have been rising.
Well, to cut a long story short, we're dealing with an overworld shift.
dunno if you heard about the incident a few days ago, when the underground passages beneath the guild our boss Claude built--
...overlapped with dungeons from some other world.
reference to Nomad's character quest
Well, stuff like that ain't uncommon here in Tokyo. Something similar happened before in the underground shopping area in Shinjuku, and in this case--
-strange, snowy mountains have appeared in Minato-ku.
Well, skipping to the relevant part, those mountains contain dungeons that are supposed to be loaded with treasure!
It's a real gold rush situation! The longer we dawdle around the more booty other people are gonna find and depreciate the market value!
That's why I had to put this party together on such short notice! The early bird's gettin' this worm!
So the short version is, you need us to escort you? No sweat.
Worth noting, our destination is an unexplored dungeon. There's no telling what we might end up having to face!
I still have to find my brother. Who knows, maybe he was summoned along with this place.
Even if he's not though, maybe we'll run into a formidable new opponent! I'm getting hyped up already!
Oops, my bad, boss. What's with that face?
.....If we add more members to the expedition that means we have to split the payload even more, but then again maybe that means the curse will split targets evenly too... *mutter mutter*
You say something, Boss Andvari?
Eh? Wha? Wasn't listening. Did you say somethin'?
(I don't think they realize they're not on the same page here. But it's funny, so I'm not gonna say a word!)
Anyway, with your support, I have high hopes for this little endeavor!
Ah, this here's the contract. Just sign here on the dotted line, yes yes, you'll have to cover your own transportation costs out of pocket, but that's trivial compared to the bonus we'll make, for real!
2 options
I'll do my best!
I have a bad feeling about this.
You've got nothing to worry about Player, seriously! With this crew the expedition will be a snap! Would I lie to you?
1 option
Is anyone else coming along?
Ah, I did put some feelers out, but, I hit a few snags...
Macan has no interest in money, Garmr, Kengo and Taurus were busy with schoolwork...
Snow and Claude would be more trouble than they're worth, Moritaka absolutely refused to ever work with me and Horkeu Kamui is off in the mountains or something...
But hey, that's their loss! The rising stars of the Berserkers are all we need! Now let's make a huge profit!
Gradually, the party made their way into the dungeon. The trip proceeded smoothly and peacefully, with no notable dangers.
This was thanks to Pollux, and his sacred artifact
Wherever this light shines, disaster and misfortune will be warded away.
......Pretty handy, right Player?
2 options
Thanks a bunch, Pollux!
It's a tight squeeze, fitting everyone in here...
Haha, I'm glad you praised me!
Originally this was a "sacred artifact" my brother and I shared.
Guided by Pollux's light, the exploration party searched the dungeon relatively uneventfully, occasionally finding interesting objects to submit for Andvari's appraisal.
But eventually, the group hit a dead end.
At the end of the hallway, a lone chest was tantalizingly placed.
There! This one! This one's gonna be a big score, I can feel it!
We haven't found any magic items that suit me this entire time. Hnn, maybe this will be my lucky break?
All I care about is coins. The office is long overdue for renovations.
This is the last spot left to check, right? So no need to keep this ward up.
You idiot! It's too early for that! Wait til we're clear of the--
Good job, artifact. Aaaand, off you go!
SFX:
Ignoring Andvari's warning, Pollux unexpectedly dropped the ward of his sacred artifact.
Music:
SFX:
Slime:
Bloopbloop！
With the protection of Pollux's sacred treasure gone, several slimes began to appear from the inky darkness of the dungeon.
--in the path of the only exit.
Aaaaah,damnit！What did I tell you, dumbass! Now our escape route is blocked!
Agghh, finally. I've been itching for a fight, my body's been screaming for some action since we started!
It's fine, Boss Andvari. I can take a bunch of small fry like this all by myself!
Eat thiiis!
SFX:
Pollux intercepted the approaching slime, ready to blindside it with a punch.
Or, so it seemed.
Huh...?!
Pollux's fist made a squelching sound as it impacted, burying his arm in the slime's gooey body.
Whaaaaaa--!!
Bloop.
Pollux was sucked in by his arm, swallowed completely by the slime.
……………。
............
............
............
You meathead! You think you can just punch slime?!
My my, that's no good...! What should we do now?
--I'll burn them to cinders.
And destroy the treasure too? Don't be so hasty!
We have to deal with them carefully too, huh. Well, good luck with that, Andvari!
Sheesh... I'm not like you battle junkies, I'm just a regular old dwarf. For real.
Swinging a massive battleaxe nearly the size of his own body, Andvari cleaves his way through several slimes at once.
However, it is clear the blade has little effect on their amorphous, gooey bodies other than temporarily stalling their movement.
Nonetheless, you all have little choice but to stay on the offensive, or be overwhelmed by the slimes.
There seemed to be no end to the horde, and no escape in sight as more and more poured in.
At best, suffocation inside the slimes, or in the worst case, dissolving within the monsters.
Damnit! Nothing is working! Damn that idiot...!
You can be mad later, Andvari! This situation's getting worse and worse!
......This is getting out of hand. The situation won't turn around at this rate, so just let me burn them already.
No! We still haven't secured the treasure!
As he spoke, Andvari hurried back to the treasure chest at the hallway's end.
Hastily, he threw open the lid and looked inside, and--
--the earth shook beneath everyone's feet.
Ah, this treasure, this could be worth...!
Andvari's face suddenly turned pale as, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a familiar golden gleam. His sacred artifact twinkled brilliantly on his finger.
Run for it! Something's wrong, for real!!
What's going on?! Andvari, what on earth...!
An earthquake?! Now of all times?!
SFX:
The dungeon is... collapsing?!
Ah.
In the chaose of the quake, a huge brick was becoming dislodged above Andvari's head.
Even someone as sturdy as the dwarf would surely die if it fell on him.
SFX:
The moment the realization hit, Player's feet were moving on their own--
Of course, avoiding the retribution part doesn't mean it goes away
The "retribution" only counts when it's received properly.
In other words, you have to pay your dues one way or another even if you delay it.
That said, the power of the "retribution" also spreads evenly among the number of people around. I invited Bathym and Nomad to dilute the effects, but nobody else wanted to come along...
And thanks to that musclebrained idiot deactivating his sacred artifact too early, we got attacked by slimes!
But the cause of that rock that almost crushed me... was this.
Andvari reached to the bag of spoils the group had collected and produced a small, glittering trinket.
It came from that last treasure chest. It may look like nothing more than a pretty bauble to an untrained eye, but this is worth a LOT of money.
I'm absolutely certain my sacred artifact called this to me. The moment I got it, a compensating "retribution" happened.
We must have too separated for the curse to spread evenly, so only I was targeted.
According to the ring's judgement, this little beauty is worth more than my life.
Well, on the bright side, you can sell this for a ton of money, Player! Hell, I'll wear it for you if you want!
Is money all you care about?
You nearly got all of us killed for this?!
C'mon, everything turned out alright didn't it?
Dwarves are so greedy...
No, dwarves are insatiable.
It's so funny, for real. Is truth that much stranger than fiction?
I've heard they were considered nothing but fantasy for a long time in this world, but where I come from the Dwarf Tribe is commonplace.
It was a real surprise how accurate the stories were though. Besides being greedy, human stories also got details like the Dwarves' top notch smithing, magic not being our forte, they even nailed the appearance!
Elves, dragons, orcs, ogres... they were also common where I come from.
エルフどもは、池袋じゃあんまみねえけどよ。
暴力沙汰が嫌いな奴らだし、東や南の方にはいるのかもな。
What did you expect? It seems obvious to me.
Why are coins so important?
Well, there's various reasons. Maybe Dwarven instinct?
When I was first summoned to this world, I didn't understand a damn thing. Front and Back, Left and Right, everything was so alien to me.
So, I did my research on the new world. Thakfully, there was no shortage of material to read up on.
If the world changes, then common sense changes too. That's just how it works.
A country is made up of economy, goods, trade and culture. And what do you think is the underlying common ground in all that?
Money! Money's what makes the world go 'round!
強欲だとか、遠巻きに言うヤツらはいるけどな。
言わせときゃあいいのよ、あんなの。
ソイツらが、俺に何かをしてくれるか？
財を失えば、コインを恵んでくれるってのか？
バカ言ってんじゃねぇよ！ ガチで！
俺を助けるのは、俺が集めた財だけだ！
Remember it. Coins will never betray you. That won't change no matter if the world, or common sense, or whatever else changes. For real.
Isn't it lonely, living that way?
……You're just like this guy I used to know. A real meddler.
Who am I talking about? He was a brave guy. Real do-gooder type.
..... Don't give me that look.
In our world, there was a demon king.
この東京にゃ、魔王らしくない魔王や、
悪魔らしくない悪魔もいっから、ピンと来ねぇか。
ま、要は世界を破滅させるのが目的の魔王。
悪と言っても差支えのないヤツらだ。
俺のいたドワーフの国も脅威に晒されていてな。
何度も魔王軍の侵攻があったんだよな、ガチで。
その時に現れたのが、「勇者様」御一向ってな。
ほっっっっっんと、お人好しの野郎でな。
いやーっ、とことん利用させてもらったぜ！ ガチで！
……………。
……………。
It really bothers me when you make that face. Seriously.
Here, a special reward for you only.
We'll call it a token of appreciation for keeping my sacred artifact a secret.
Andvari removed one of the many rings on his fingers, tossing it to Player
A ring?
It's handmade. Just an ordinary ring though.
You might be able to get it enchanted, I dunno. Magic is out of my jurisdiction, for real.
You can't use magic?
You're dexterous even with that belly.
Belly's got nothin' to do with that! For real!
Why do you say 'for real all the time?
Aah, I guess it's a habit I picked up from the family. Our whole clan does it, so I guess it just got stuck in my brain? I've said it since I was a little brat. For real.
'Fraid not. Dwarves don't do magic. It's just how it is with our tribe.
Maybe if it was a half-dwarf... I guess in theory, a dwarf could use magic if they had some elven blood.
ま、そんな物好きはエルフはそうそういねぇわな。
コインの価値もわからねぇエルフ族が、
ドワーフ族と契りを結ぶなんざ、あるわけがねえ。
もしそんな混血なんぞいたら、
腹踊りでも何でもしてやるよ、ガチでな！
さってと――行くとすっか。
そろそろ、出口も見つかっただろうしな。
サボってる思われちまうのもなんだし。
立てるだろ？ ホラ。
Y-yeah, thanks.
二人きりだといいドワーフ？
なに笑ってんだよ……！
あ、勘違いしてんじゃねぇぞ！？
俺様は今回、間違ったことしてねぇからな！
てめぇまでいなくなったら、
俺一人が呪いひっかぶるじゃねぇかっ。
いいか！ 次からも一緒に来い！
指輪はその「呪い」だかんな！ ガチで！
Playerを起き上がらせると、
アンドヴァリはパッと手を離し。
丸い体と巨大な石斧を揺らしながら、
ドスドスと、勝手に歩きだす。
...And, muttered in a barely audible voice...
……助けてくれて、あんがとな。
With Player following behind, the two made their way home.
Transient Stone x1
Coins x2000
