After-School Dungeon Diver: Level Grinding in Another World Volume 1 E-Book

Gamei Hitsuji

• Herausgeber: J-Novel Club
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: After-School Dungeon Diver: Level Grinding in Another World
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024

Seitenzahl: 270

Beschreibung

Why not unwind in another world once in a while?

High schooler Kudo Akira happens upon the ability to travel between Japan and the fantastical world of Do-Melta. Not bound by any dire mission or duty, he leisurely enjoys exploring his way through the massive dungeon in the center of the world and all the trappings that come with it. The guild receptionist is trying to mooch off of him, his magic instructor has “rewards” for him, and he just might have some fun with a girl he saves...

A brand-new fantasy adventure from Hitsuji Gamei begins!

Leseprobe

Table of Contents

Cover

Floor One: Saving a Slave in a Dungeon

Floor Two: Chips at the Divers Guild and an Invitation

Floor Three: Black Pepper, Grated Garlic, and Soy Sauce on Steak

Floor Four: No Pain, No Pleasure, I Guess...

Floor Five: My Sensei Is Inhuman?

Floor Six: The Adventure Isn’t Over Until You Get Back to the Main Hall

Floor Seven: Can I Make Potions? No... Okay, I Lied; Yes, I Can

Floor Eight: Please Stop Harassing Me; That’s a Crime

Floor Nine: The Fate of Those Who Succumb to Horniness

Floor Ten: Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Braised

Extra Floor: A Certain Potion-Meister’s Battle

Floor Eleven: The Miracle Potion—Summon the Dark-Skinned Okama!

Epilogue

Afterword

Color Illustrations

About J-Novel Club

Copyright

Landmarks

Table of Contents

Color Illustrations

Floor One: Saving a Slave in a Dungeon

It all happened while I was leisurely hunting Blood Bats in the Gandakia Dungeon as usual.

“Everyone knows Flying types are weak against Electric moves,” I merrily joked to myself as I zapped the nimble, fanged bats flying toward me in the darkness.

Then, out of nowhere, a chorus of screams from farther down the floor reverberated along the stone walls.

Sounds like someone is getting attacked by a strong monster. I don’t really want to put myself in danger, but if the monster is injured already, maybe I can score myself some EXP—I mean, go help them... Yeah, I’m still in good shape, so I might as well go for that easy EXP—er, go help those people in need.

And so, having assessed the situation and decided on my next course of action, I ventured deeper into the dungeon.

I usually spent my time picking off Blood Bats, so I hardly ever set foot in the floors beyond. This area of the Gandakia Dungeon, known as the Dark Corridors, was dreadfully damp and dreary. Coupled with its peculiar putrid stench, there weren’t many places that could possibly be less pleasant. It was a well-known fact that the greatest obstacles for Divers venturing here weren’t the monsters but the heinous odor and sticky floors, which only grew worse as you continued forward. In other words, I avoided this area for a reason, though it wasn’t the first time I’d been here.

“Ugh... How can this place smell so nasty? It’s so much worse than the area I usually stay in. This is supposed to be a fantasy world, for cryin’ out loud.”

As my ideal image of the fantasy world came crashing down and my nose was just about ready to implode from the reeking stench, a dome-shaped area opened up ahead.

I turned the dial on the hiking lamp attached to my safari hat all the way up and readjusted my safari jacket. I gave my staff, which was adorned with a souvenir amethyst from Oshamambe, Hokkaido, two good shakes, and I walked down a path illuminated by a pale light.

In the area ahead, which seemed to be the boss room of the Dark Corridors, a monster and a silver-haired girl were in the middle of a deadly battle.

“Yikes... Guess I goofed.”

I was somewhat regretting getting baited by the potential EXP as I took cover at the side of the passageway and observed the boss. It was one of the several boss-class monsters in the Dark Corridors: a four-armed and goat-headed absolute unit of a fiend with muscles on top of muscles, its colossal form enough to send bodybuilders running in fear. It swung a giant halberd fitting for a beast of its size.

Facing the hulking boss monster was a young girl who seemed to be around my age. Her long silver hair was bound in a big ponytail that curled at the end, almost like a squirrel’s tail. She’d stepped into combat with nothing but her fists for weapons and thin, tattered clothes for protection. In fact, her shredded clothes didn’t even cover the parts they should’ve been covering, though now wasn’t the time to be concerned about that. Among her characteristics, one immediately stood out: her ears were abnormally long compared to those of a human. The tips of her long, pointed ears extended downward, about fifteen centimeters in length.

“A Long-Ears...”

Here in the world of Do-Melta, the Long-Ears Tribe was a race said to be particularly favored by the goddess of beauty and war, Sapphia the Blue. The Long-Ears were blessed with gender-transcending beauty, physical and magical prowess, and intelligence—pretty much everything you could ask for. Basically, they were the top race of Do-Melta. But it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows: they were so naturally well-off that the other races, especially humans, treated them with envy and jealousy. And with their breathtakingly good looks, they were, unfortunately, often targeted to be sold into slavery.

As I got a better look, I noticed the girl fighting before me had a collar around her neck and a ball and chain weighing her down. Judging by the fact that she’d been brought into the dungeon, she was likely a combat slave.

“So where’s her master?” I asked myself.

I scanned the room for the slave master, who would likely be even more of a pain to deal with than the boss, but I only saw bodies of fully equipped men and women sprawled across the stone pavement. I figured the screams I’d heard earlier had come from them. I could just picture their encounter with the massive beast and how their hopeless battle had come to an end. The Long-Ears girl must’ve been the last one standing thanks to her physical superiority.

Well, rest in peace and all that.

Anyway, as strong as the Long-Ears girl may be, she was clearly at a disadvantage. She couldn’t utilize her full power because of the magical restraints on her, and the boss was wearing her down.

“It’s not like I want to help her because she’s a cute girl...or because I feel sorry for slaves or anything like that. It’s the EXP. Yup, the whole reason I came here was so I could get a piece of that EXP,” I told myself as I charged up my mana.

The boss was still completely focused on its opponent and paid no mind to anything outside of the room. Although light emanated from my magic, it wasn’t noticeable thanks to the countless candles that conveniently lit up the boss room. All I had to do now was store up enough energy to unleash magic powerful enough to wipe out the enemy in one shot—and hope the girl would survive in the meantime.

Sorry if I don’t make it in time, I thought and continued to focus on my task.

Suddenly, the boss hit the girl with a powerful blow, sending her flying through the air and crashing into a wall. The girl fell to the ground, face down and unmoving. The monster raised its enormous halberd overhead, then swung it down toward its victim.

But as one might expect, I made it just in the nick of time.

“Charge complete. Quaternary Magic: Ameithys Bolt!”

A magic circle expanded from the tip of my staff, where a giant sphere of lightning surrounded by flashes of electric tendrils emerged. The supercharged blast of energy sped directly toward the boss and blasted right through it, scorching it from inside out. Bolts of lightning continuously zapped the monster, causing it to roar in pain until it eventually fell to the ground and crumbled away. All that remained were the monster’s crystalline core stone, the Long-Ears girl, face down on the ground, and me.

“All right, level up—wait, what? This makes hunting Blood Bats look pointless...”

My eyes widened at the sheer amount of EXP I’d obtained from taking the boss down as I—Kudo Akira—walked toward the fallen girl.

§

I suddenly awakened from a languid slumber. It seemed I’d fallen asleep. In a daze, I tried to take in the situation.

I didn’t recognize my surroundings. Looking around, I could tell I wasn’t in the Dark Corridors of the Gandakia Dungeon but a hollow space at the edge of the Yellow Wall Vestiges on the floor just prior. Apparently, this was one of the safe areas on this floor. Driven into the ground around the area were many crystal stakes for warding off monsters. These stakes kept monsters at bay so one could sleep here without fear of being attacked.

A chill went down my spine at the realization that I’d fallen asleep on the job as a slave; not to mention, we were in the middle of a dungeon. I curled up and wrapped my arms around myself, then I noticed I was under a thick and ridiculously soft towel.

As I was mesmerized by the towel’s softness, I detected someone’s presence nearby. I glanced in the stranger’s direction and saw a young boy boiling water with some sort of magical device.

“Oh, you’re awake. Gimme a minute, I’m making some corn soup,” said the boy with a smile.

I had no idea what this “corn soup” was, but the sound of an external voice began to clear the fog in my head.

“You should lay still for a while,” continued the boy. “I’ve used up too much of my mana, so I couldn’t heal you fully. I’m sure you’re still pretty sore.”

He was right. Pain still lingered throughout my body. I attributed it to the big hit I’d taken from the boss monster, whose image was still etched into my memory.

“Where am I?” I asked. “I thought I was fighting the boss.”

“The boss from the Dark Corridors had the honor of turning into my EXP. It’s in a better place now,” replied the boy.

“You beat it?”

“I was able to charge up my magic thanks to you drawing its attention. Easy one-shot,” he explained with peculiar phrasing.

If I was to take his words at face value, he seemed to imply he was a mage and had saved me from danger.

“Oh, there’s no need for hostility. Though, I guess I can’t blame you for not trusting humans,” he said.

“Shut it,” I snapped. “Who are you? Did you help me so you can enslave me?”

I thrust my fist toward the strangely dressed boy’s chin, and he began to panic and sputter like a coward.

“No, no, not at all! I just wanted the EXP. Honest! The thought of making you my slave has never even crossed my mind!”

“Really?” I asked hesitantly.

“Sorry, I did have some naughty thoughts about what it’d be like if you were my slave. Aha ha.”

Having heard his confession, I wrapped my hands around his neck and began to squeeze silently.

“Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait! Don’t kill me! I’m sorry. I’m sorry!”

The boy desperately screamed and flailed about.

Suddenly, a sharp pain from the lingering injury shot through my arm. Figuring I’d punished him enough for cracking a joke in bad taste, I let the boy go.

He gave me an accusatory look with teary eyes and said, “That was messed up... I did end up helping you, you know.”

“I do thank you for that,” I replied.

“Oh, and another thing...” he added.

“What?”

“It might not be the best idea to move around too much in your...current position. I mean, I’m not complaining, but I’m guessing you won’t be too happy if—oh, careful! I can almost see them!”

With that, the boy’s gaze shifted away from my eyes.

That was when I realized the towel was sliding off of my body and revealing my bare skin, all the way down to my chest and crotch. The clothes I was wearing originally, which were of poor quality to begin with, had been shredded so badly that they were practically pieces of cloth hanging on by mere threads. I was pretty much completely naked.

I grabbed the towel back up and used it to cover myself.

“Did you look...?” I asked.

“Just a little bit, when I was carrying you here.”

My hands clenched into fists.

“I-I’m sorry! It wasn’t on purpose, I swear!” he said.

“I suppose I can’t blame you when I’m in this state,” I confessed, noting that the boy was still courteously looking away. “But more importantly...”

“Yes?”

“Where are they?” I asked.

The boy seemed to understand who I was talking about right away.

“Ah,”—his eyes turned deeper into the dungeon—“they’ve all passed away. It was already too late by the time I arrived. Judging from the state they were in, they must’ve gone straight to the afterlife. Oh, what’s the phrase they use here? They were ‘embraced by Ornyx the Black’?”

“I see...” I said half-heartedly.

I was rather relieved to hear my masters had died. Now, I didn’t have to worry about fulfilling their vulgar demands, which had been my greatest fear since becoming a slave.

“Did they bring you here as a combat slave?” he asked.

I nodded. Indeed, I’d recently been brought to this town as a slave and had been purchased by that group of Divers. They’d demanded I fight in the dungeons until I’d grown accustomed to my restraints and had taken me deep into the Dark Corridors.

“That boss monster was clearly too much for them to handle,” I said.

“They must’ve gotten carried away just because you’re a Long-Ears,” replied the boy. “There are a lot of Divers out there who mistakenly think they’ve become more capable just because someone strong joins their team.”

“I suppose so.”

It sounded true enough. Those Divers had been under the illusion that they were unstoppable after acquiring a strong slave, and they’d failed to stay vigilant. Divers, as their names implied, made a living by diving into dungeons. Failure to stay cautious at all times was a rudimentary and critical mistake.

Even this strange-looking boy was staring at the path leading to the Dark Corridors with a cold look in his eyes. He seemed rather inept, but that was unmistakably the look of a true Diver. His eyes were hardened by battle—or, rather, there was a dryness in them that came from experience and repeated dives into dungeons.

In any case, there was still one thing bothering me.

“What do you intend to do with me?” I asked.

“Good question,” he said. “I am a mage, so what if I told you I’m going to force you into a slave contract with me?”

“I’ll rip you in half,” I shot back.

“I’m sorry it was only a joke I don’t know what came over me it just came spewing out please don’t hit me I’ll literally die if I get punched by one of the strongest races in Do-Melta!” he blurted out in a panic without pause.

I watched him in silence. First, he ran his mouth, then he groveled at my feet while crying and apologizing.

A mage could easily put a slave in their place, so I couldn’t understand what game he was playing here. Perhaps he was too much of a coward. It was hard to believe a coward like him could venture so deep into a dungeon all alone, but the fear he showed in response to my malice was clearly not an act.

As I remained stunned and confused, the boy suddenly raised his head as if a realization had hit him.

“Oh, that’s right. The hot water is ready. Time for some corn soup!”

With that, he took a cup out of his bag, dumped some yellow powder into it, and poured the boiling water on top.

“What’s that? Some medicine?” I asked.

“No. It’s a warm drink.”

He handed me the cup, and I leaned in for a whiff. An appetizing aroma had filled the air from the moment he’d added the hot water, and it was almost overwhelming now.

Saliva filled my mouth as if my body was desperate to have a taste. Come to think of it, I couldn’t remember the last time I had had a proper meal. I’d only been given meager food ever since becoming a slave. I couldn’t help but gulp audibly.

Looking into the cup, I saw what seemed to be bits of bread swimming in steaming yellow soup. The viscous liquid moved slowly as I tilted the cup to one side, and I couldn’t help but imagine how rich and creamy it must taste. My self-restraint began to crumble, and the apprehension I had toward the drink this stranger had given me was quickly dissipating.

“Help yourself,” he offered. “Don’t worry, I didn’t spike it or anything.”

“Fine...”

With that, I took a sip...then made a noise that was a mixture of a surprised groan and an amazed cry.

“Ooh, nice reaction,” said the boy.

The rich soup filled my mouth, followed by a savory sweetness, then pure bliss. Before I knew it, my cup was completely empty.

“Looks like you enjoyed the soup.”

“What is this?” I asked. “I’ve never had anything like this before.”

“It’s corn soup,” he explained, “a legendary drink that’s said to be created by Knorr, a god from another world, with the help of their people and gadgets. Corn soup and hot coffee are highly valued in the winter by many who commute to work or school by train.”

“Corn soup...”

The title of “legendary drink” sounded rather dramatic, but I didn’t doubt it for a second. It wasn’t at all unlikely that tales of such a delicious beverage would be passed down by the people. However, that did raise one question.

“Why would you give me something so valuable?” I asked.

“To be honest, I found these on sale yesterday. They were less than a hundred yen a box. What a steal, right?”

“You lied to me?”

“I-I’m sorry! Please lower your fist!” he pleaded. “Stop, stop! Here, let me refill your cup!”

With that, the boy poured more of the yellow powder into my cup and added some more hot water.

“This is delicious. I’m going to convert to Knorr’s religion,” I said.

“It’s part of the joke. Knorr isn’t actually a god.”

“You shouldn’t joke around about religion like that...uh...”

I was about to say his name, but then I realized I didn’t know what it was.

“I’m Kudo Akira,” said the boy, sensing my hesitation. “Kudo is my family name and Akira is my first name. I guess you’d say Akira Kudo here.”

“I’m...Scrael,” I said.

“Nice to meet you, Scrael. Though I guess we’ll only be together until we get out of here,” said Akira Kudo in his easygoing manner.

Something about him felt different from everyone else I’d met so far. People would always change their attitude and leer at me as soon as they found out I was a Long-Ears, but I didn’t sense such crudeness from him.

“Oh, and have some salted bread. You must be hungry, right?” he offered.

“Yeah,” I replied and tore into the bread as soon as he handed me some pieces. It was soft and tasty. Before I knew it, tears were rolling down my face. “It’s salty,” I said.

“Yup, sometimes you get one that has way too much salt on it,” he said, turning away from me as he made more soup.

“Thanks...” I breathed.

“No problem. Let’s get out of here once you’re ready. Yeah?”

I gave a small nod in response, then took another bite of the salty bread.

§

Having passed through the Yellow Wall Vestiges, which was around the middle level of the Gandakia Dungeon, we arrived at the Great Forest Ruins on the floor just inside the dungeon entrance.

Despite its name, the Great Forest Ruins wasn’t dense with bushes and trees like the other areas. There was a clear view through the groves here, and sunlight shone pleasantly through the leaves overhead. Unless you went deep into the forest, the ruins, or near a monster’s lair, there were relatively few monsters in this area. This was the perfect place for a leisurely stroll.

The girl I’d met in the Dark Corridors, where I usually farmed for EXP, was named Scrael. Long-Ears didn’t have surnames and only had a first name.

I couldn’t have her walking around in public wearing nothing but a towel like some exhibitionist, so I’d given her some of my spare clothes. Though, they were just some ordinary safari wear you could buy anywhere.

Her swaying silver ponytail reminded me more of a squirrel’s tail, and her ears moved with each stride as she walked beside me. Long-Ears were all beautiful, and Scrael was definitely no exception. She was a bit shorter than me, and because she was so charming, if I were to give her a nickname, it’d be “Little Squirrel.” Yet her breasts were anything but little. They bounced up and down with a savage weightiness to them, and they were far too provocative for an innocent young boy to handle. Honestly, I deserved a lot of praise for managing to simmer down when my head felt like boiling over. I’d also accept gifts as a reward, though I didn’t have a wish list to order from.

Anyway, Scrael had been incredibly lucky. If the Divers who’d brought her here had just waited for her to break under her slave shackles instead of challenging the boss, she would’ve ended up being their plaything without ever meeting me. They could’ve worn her out by making her fight strong monsters, then they could’ve had their way with her.

That was probably why she’d been so distrusting of humans, and she’d been wary of me since the moment she’d woken up. But her hostility was now gone thanks to the blessing of the god Knorr and the salted bread from my local bakery, and she was actually starting to warm up to me.

Salt was a valuable commodity in this world, so any food with lots of salt on it was considered a luxury. Thanks to the salted bread, a little warmth had returned to Scrael’s battered heart.

But seriously, I’d nearly wet my pants every time she’d glared at me with that murderous look in her eyes. I wished she wouldn’t do that anymore because I didn’t want to develop stomach ulcers when I wasn’t even in my twenties yet.

“This white thing feels cold,” said Scrael, curiously touching the white cloth stuck to her arm.

“That’s a medicated patch,” I explained. “If it’s cool to the touch, it means it’s working, so just leave it on for now.”

“Is this some sort of magical medicine?”

“No, it’s just a cheap pain reliever that costs around ten yen—I mean, an iron coin each. It eases up the pain, right?”

“I see...” said Scrael noncommittally.

“The adhesive will wear out if you peel it off, so try not to touch it.”

“Got it.”

It seemed medicated patches were foreign to her, or maybe it was their adhesiveness that she found so fascinating. The closest thing they had in this world was a poultice made by heating theas, herbs of this world, which would then be applied to the wound and fastened with a bandage.

I would’ve given her a healing potion, which was one of the many miraculous items of this world, but I’d recently used up every single one I had. I’d used up most of my magic reserves fighting Blood Bats and the Four-Armed Goat, so I had to leave any noncritical injuries as is and save my energy for any fights we’d encounter on the way out of here. After all, field trips didn’t end until you got home, and adventures didn’t end until you returned to the main hall.

The medicated patch I’d thrown into my safari bag for this dive had ended up coming in handy. Once we left the dungeon, Scrael would just need to rest up or get healed by a mage.

We began to see more and more people around as we approached the exit. We were also getting more and more curious glances, but we continued walking, pretending not to notice. Still, we couldn’t help but hear the whispers.

“Is that a Long-Ears?”

“That kid’s parents must be loaded if he has a slave already.”

“The Long-Ears is damn cute though. I would’ve bought her myself if she was still for sale.”

“He’s really running her into the ground, by the looks of it. And I’ll bet he’s gonna give her some more exercise once they get home. Cruel bastard.”

No, you all have the wrong idea. Scrael is not my slave; I just happened to help her. I don’t deserve the insults or finger-pointing behind my back.

The walk through the Great Forest Ruins was somehow more arduous than defeating the boss, but I endured. Eventually, a staircase came into view.

“We’re here. Man, it feels like I’m coming home from a long, exhausting journey. Especially the walk home, and the walk home, and the walk home. I’m pooped.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” said Scrael. It seemed the whispers had taken a toll on her too.

We continued walking toward the Gandakia Dungeon Divers Guild building, which was built around the dungeon entrance.

The Gandakia Dungeon was in the Free City of Freida, the city that ran the Divers Guild. The guild provided support for adventurers and their various jobs in many ways: they acted as a vendor for materials and food obtained in the dungeon, leased and rented out weapons, offered guides, determined rankings for Divers of all power levels, and so forth.

Just as usual, I headed toward the usual receptionist at the usual window, except this time I was accompanied by Scrael. Because of the ranking system, we were assigned specific receptionists, and we had to report to the same person each time.

There was a long row of windows to accommodate the many Divers and teams in the guild. I walked up to a specific window, which happened to have no one waiting in line.

“Ashley! I’m back!” I called out as I waved from a distance.

The red-haired woman at the reception window, Ashley Poney, smiled and waved back.

“Welcome back, Kudo. How did you do? Did you make lots and lots of money?”

“About the same as usual,” I replied, and the money-mongering Ashley’s happy expression immediately changed into blatant discontent.

“Aww. I was going to ask you to buy me something if you scored big today. Lame.”

“Um, you probably shouldn’t be demanding money from your juniors,” I said.

“What are you talking about? Age has nothing to do with it. A man has a duty to pay for everythi— I mean, treat girls every once in a while. Remember that.”

“You almost said we should pay for everything, didn’t you?”

“Did I? Anyway, what did you do today?”

I sighed at Ashley’s not-so-subtle attempt at changing the subject, then replied, “I was boring myself to sleep leveling off of Blood Bats in the Dark Corridor.”

“You might be the only person who does that like it’s no big deal,” said Ashley with a look that was a mixture of astonishment and exasperation.

“There are plenty of other high-ranking Divers who hunt Blood Bats,” I pointed out. “It’s a really efficient leveling spot.”

“But no one else does it solo!” she objected. Then she saw Scrael. “Wait...who’s that girl who’s way too cute to be hanging out with you?”

“Well, that was a casual verbal slap in the face. I have feelings too, you know.”

“I mean, your face is so ordinary and plain. A Long-Ears girl is way out of your— Oh?”

Midway through her barrage of insults, Ashley noticed the collar around Scrael’s neck.

“Oh no. You’ve gone down a dark and twisted path to adulthood. I know you don’t get any girls, but to think you’d stoop to such fiendish, evil, and inhuman methods—it breaks my heart.”

“Now hold on,” I objected. “She’s not my slave!”

“I know. I’m just kidding,” she said.

I could only imagine how sour my expression must’ve looked.

Ashley stuck her tongue out jokingly.

Of course she knew I hadn’t purchased a slave. We were required to check in at the receptionist’s window before and after diving into a dungeon, and there was no way I could’ve bought one while I was in there.

“I’ve actually seen her before. She’s the slave who was with the members of Kalanka’s Stars,” said Ashley before glancing at Scrael.

“The boss monster in the Dark Corridors, the Four-Armed Goat, killed them,” said Scrael.

“Is that so?”

“Yes. They were all wiped out by the time I arrived. Not that I feel any sympathy for them,” I confirmed.

“I see. I’ll have to report this later,” said Ashley. Then she asked Scrael, “So, what are you going to do now? Your owners are gone, but you still have your shackles.”

“I won’t go back to being a slave. Never.”

I turned around and saw that Scrael was trembling. Was it from anger? Or humiliation? Probably both. Just imagining a life of being toyed with and used by others sent a shiver up my spine.

“Let’s Dispel it then,” I said.

“Huh?”

“What?”

They both looked at me as if I was speaking a foreign language. They did know what a Dispel was, of course.

As the name suggested, “Dispel” was a generic magic spell that nullified the effect of other magic. I’d been refraining from using it because the amount of mana required depended on the strength of the spell it was being used against, but there was no more need for me to reserve my energy now that we were out of the dungeon. I did technically need some mana to go home, but I could recover it by resting a bit, so that wouldn’t be an issue.

As I was warming up by clenching my hands repeatedly and rotating my shoulders, Scrael said, “You can’t remove a slave collar with Dispel.”

“She’s right,” agreed Ashley. “I hate to say this, but once a collar is put on you, it won’t ever come off.”

“Says who?” I said. “It’s just another magic spell that’s keeping it on, right?”

“Is it?” she asked.

“Wait, why are you talking like you know what you’re talking about when you have no idea? How embarrassing,” I said as I dramatically hugged my shoulders and gave her a judgmental stare.

Ashley began to panic and make excuses right away. “I mean... Everyone knows a slave’s collar can’t ever be removed! It even says so in the guild manual...”

“That’s not what I’ve heard,” I shot back.

“According to who?”

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“I’m just telling you what I’ve read in the Divers Guild Basic Information Manual,” replied Ashley.

“Uh-huh,” I said. “Casting magic is the act of connecting the cause and effect to create extraordinary results. This collar is imbued with a magic that binds her. Since the fact that she’s bound by it exists, so too does its cause, its effect, the caster, the subject—and the line between them. If we can sever that line, there’s a chance we can eliminate the result.”

It was an unusually grand speech coming from me, but I was just retelling what I’d learned from my sensei. It was because of my master that a high schooler in modern Japan like me could use magic better than many others in this world—yes, “because of,” not “thanks to.”

Scrael, who’d been quietly listening the entire time, was now watching me with a worried look.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got this,” I said. “I’ve been saving up my mana potions just for this occasion.”

With that, I reached into my Dimension Bag instead of my safari bag, grabbed a handful of mana potions, then chugged them all at once. In case it wasn’t clear, mana potions recovered mana instead of health, unlike regular potions.

Glug glug glug.

“Ugh, gross. Man, I’ve never downed so many of these at once,” I said, trying and failing to stifle a burp.

“Whoa, whoa, those are high mana potions!” pointed out Ashley. “Those things are five gold coins a pop!”