“Hey, I have to ask: do we have to do this?” I asked Dan as we went down the long, hidden staircase. “It should be okay if we wreck the floor the magic circles are on like earlier, right?”
“It’ll be a temporary solution, at best,” Dan said. “Unless you demolish the entire dungeon, it’ll automatically repair itself after a while. There’s a lot of dungeons that have survived since ancient times by taking advantage of the mana from the dragon veins.”
“The issues just never stop with dungeons, huh?” I said.
All this talk of mana suddenly reminded me that I was the flow-valve of mana between this world and earth. Up until I came into the picture, the mana in Falyias was almost exhausted, right? So if this dungeon is keeping the flow of mana from getting back out into the world, and monsters can absorb mana to grow more powerful…
… There may have been a strong monster in this dungeon that wasn’t originally from the area and that hadn’t been a threat until I arrived.
{Ding! Ding! Ding!}
“Huh?!” I yelped.
“What happened, Ms. Shino?!” Dean asked.
“No, it’s nothing serious…” I replied. “I’m alright, I just slipped a little, is all.”
“I see…” Dean said, “but please, be careful.”
“I-I will…” I muttered.
I discretely checked the chat-like message from the [World’s Unnamed Overseer].
{Ding-dong, your answer is correct.}
Huh…? Maybe I can reply to them without having to talk aloud?
{Yes, there are others around, so please just keep it in your head.}
… So you’re still here. So nice of you to call after all this time…
{Well, I am just an observer… anyway, it’s almost entirely as you thought, Kagura.}
You mean it’s my fault there are so many strong monsters and the dungeon is active?!
{No, no, even if you weren’t involved, the mana here needs to be drained anyway, so don’t fret.}
Still… the monsters are causing all this damage…
{It’s all relative, is it not? It’s not only monsters that are benefiting from the mana flowing from you, but other beings like humans and the other sentient races are taking advantage, such as your darling Nellie.}
Do you mean Nellie’s level-up rate is abnormal?
{Well, to be specific about it, it seems the beings who form a party with you are 1.5 times more likely to level up. Even those that live in the same city as you receive a boost of about 10%. With that in mind… eventually, your mana will spread evenly throughout the world, and balance will return between this one and earth.}
Hmm… I wonder if that means I’m giving everyone a +50% EXP boost just by being around.
{Really, you don’t need to do anything at all… but if you really must insist, it’s enough to take on monsters for the guild from time to time.}
I see… thanks for the information.
“Hm…? Seems like we’ve arrived at Floor B3,” Dan said.
Whoops, seems like that conversation took more time than I thought.
“Oh,” I said, “sorry for being a little out of it.”
See you then, Overseer.
“… Hrm…” Dean hummed. “This floor seems empty… no passages nor doors.”
I can’t find any monsters, either.
“Wait, there’s something like an altar in the center,” Dan said. “Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”
It looked about as large as an apple crate and wasn’t concealed at all.
“Let’s investigate,” I said, “but before that, let’s make sure we’re ready.”
“Let’s,” Dan said, “it’s not unusual for there to be traps or a guardian at dead-ends like this.”
“Speaking of being ready: Nellie, is your MP okay?” I asked.
“I’ve used about 70% of it earlier, but I should be fine,” Nellie replied.
“Hmm…” I said. “Nellie, come over her.”
“Yes?” Nellie says as she does.
This was going to work… probably.
I gently hug Nellie.
“La-La-La-La-Lady Shino!” Nellie sputters. “There are others present!”
“Be quiet…” I mutter. “Unique skill, [Mana Transfer]… execute.”
Immediately, light overflows from my body, gradually transferring over to Nellie.
“Ah-ahh…” Nellie moans, her face flushed as she trembles.
“… Well?” I ask.
“Ah… I… feel very warm and fuzzy…” Nellie mumbles.
“And MP-wise?”
“MP? Ah… huh? I’m recovering… I’m recovering all of it,” she mutters, stunned.
Looks like it works. I wondered why I haven’t been recovering others’ MP by using [Mana Transfer] until now…
“Huh?” Dan said. “MP recovery by hugging seems like a joke…”
“Hmm, how about we try it on you?” I said. “Though, I wonder if hugging is necessary…”
I decided to hold his hand instead.
“Oi, what do you think you’re…” Dan started. “H-huh…?”
“Well?” I asked. “Is your MP recovering?”
“It’s… it’s recovering,” Dan said.
“Hmm, then just holding hands is fine…” I muttered. “Now, Dean, your turn.”
“Hahaha! Please, be my guest!” Dean says as he holds out his hand, face red.
“Oh, sorry, I wanted to test if I could do this remotely…”
“Ah… I see…” Dean says, suddenly depressed.
Sorry, Dean.
I try to activate the skill with my right hand over Dean. “Haa… well?”
“Hrm, nothing seems to be changing,” Dean replied.
“It seems like I’ll have to have body contact…” I said. “In that case, let’s hold hands after all.”
“Y-Yes!” Dean says, coming back to life.
I hold his hand. “Well? How is it?”
“Oh, oooohhhhh…!” Dean howls. “This is amazing, Ms. Shino! I feel the strength of your love!”
“Uh… huh…” I said. “’Love’ aside, it seems like it’s working.”
“Yes…!” Dean shouts. “I am at 100% once more! If there is a monster before me, I will slice it clean in two!”
… Did I inject something other than MP into him? Dean’s sudden adrenaline rush is strange.
“… Now that we’re all done, is your MP okay, Ms. Shino?” Dean asked.
“Oh, yeah, it’s fine, I haven’t spent any at all.”
“Huh…?” Dean and Dan go.
“Ah… I can’t explain it in detail, but I’m in a special state where no matter how much MP I use, the total doesn’t decrease.”
“Huh…? Huh…?” Dean goes.
“… A ‘special state’…?” Dan mutters.
“You two…” Nellie said, “please understand that Lady Shino is on a completely different level compared to us.”
“Yeah, figured as much…” Dan muttered.
“… I am convinced…” Dean mutters. “Ms. Shino was an angel sent down from the heavens after all… a beauty unlike any other! With a heart of boundless compassion! A miracle made flesh! I am now aware of my life’s purpose: to become Ms. Shino’s champion and slay evil in her name…!”
“Calm down, idiot!” Dan yells.
Thunk!
He hits Dean over the head again.
“… Don’t be so loud…!” Dean whispers.
“… My mistake, I was making a ruckus,” Dean muttered, cowed. “Shall we continue preparing for battle?”
“I’m already good,” I say.
Hm… I wonder if I’ll change to my boss-killer set for now.
[Evasive Maneuvers] [Decoy Transformation] [Divine Blessing] [Total Barrier] [World-Shattering Strike] [Thousand Cuts]
[Multi-Barrier] [Sword Parry] [Shuriken Parry] [Twin Sword Style] [Steel-rending Double Slash]
Right, this should be good. But just to be sure–”Please, all of you take one,” I said as I handed out rainbow-coloured pills from my inventory.
“… What is this?” Dean asked.
“A [Celestial Pill] which doubles STR, VIT, DEX, SPD, INT, and MID for about 1 hour,” I replied.
“… I’ve never heard of such a drug,” Dan muttered.
“Yes, because I made it,” I replied.
“… Yeah, not to say I’m tired of your surprises, but…” Dan said.
“Don’t be worried about side-effects,” Nellie said. “I used Lady Shino’s medicine before, but it had excellent effects with no ill consequences.”
“Yes, but this time it’s hard to get the materials unlike that batch,” I said. “This is just for insurance, so if there’s a strong enemy in the future, please feel free to use it.”
“Got it, thanks for giving me this,” Dan says as he pockets it.
“A gift, hand-made by Ms. Shino…” Dean mutters, probably impressed by the drug.
“So, are we all ready?” I said. “Then Dan, the altar, please?”
“Right, I got it,” Dan said.
He crouched in front of the altar and started examining it… he knocks on places, rubs his hands on them, then inserts some kind of tool into a gap. “Hmm, where is that control device… wait, what is this?”
“What did you find?” I asked.
“Go see for yourself,” Dan said as he lifted the top of the altar like a lid, gestured to the contents inside.
“This… is this a model of the city?” I asked.
It was a rather rough representation without any colour.
“No doubt about it, this is a model of Port Sazan,” Dan said. “… And this is the land you bought,” he said, pointing to something like a chess piece. “Maybe it’s connected to the entrance and exits.”
“Then if we remove it…” I said.
“Hold it,” Dan said. “If we do that, we won’t be able to use it to get home, either.”
“Ah, right,” I said. “So what should we do…?”
If worst came to worst, we could just use the right path back at Floor 1, but then again, we also didn’t know how far away we were from Port Sazan.
“This whole altar is like a single magic tool, so we could probably bring the model of the city with us and remove the piece back in the city,” Dan said.
“I see…” I said. “Now that you say it out loud, it would have been inconvenient for Baron Dowan otherwise.”
“Right, so let’s see what this does…” Dan said as he touched the piece. “OW!” he cried as he pulled his hand back. “What the hell?”
The altar was now covered with a shining barrier.
“Shit! Did I set off a trap?” Dan cried.
A magic circle appeared in the center of the hall. However, it’s not like the ones that summoned the horde of monsters earlier…
“What is this…” I mutter.
“The mana is overflowing and it’s warping the air around it…?” Dan muttered.
“Lady Shino!” Nellie cried. “Please watch out! This is…”
Bronze skin and two large horns.
A crocodile’s tail.
Giant bat wings.
A mouth overflowing with fangs.
A giant body close to 3 meters.
And magical power so gigantic you can see it radiating with the naked eye.
No one has to tell me what it is: it’s a Devil.
“Everyone!” I yell. “Take the pills I gave you!”
It’s strong… probably higher than me level-wise, but much higher than humans where base abilities are concerned.
I’m not afraid, but the others are in danger. No, even if I’m careful, one-on-one with this might be dangerous.
“Grea… Greater Demon… S-class?” Dean mutters.
“Right,” I say, “I’m… ready…?”
“Lady Shino…” Nellie whispers.
Everybody’s looking too scared to move—was it because of all the magic?
“Gah…” I mutter. “[Multi-Barrier]! [Total Barrier]!”
I have to get in the first strike—before this situation gets any worse. I jump up high and attack it in mid-air. “[Steel-rending Double Slash]!”
Ga-gngg!
“Tch, it has a barrier!”
Just like mine—no, even more complex!
The greater demon swung its massive arm at me, I dodged it. Seems it wasn’t that fast. But we had to deal with its barriers first. If there is a chance for me to use [World-Shattering Strike] then maybe–
“Roaaaaarrrrrr….!”
The greater demon continues to attack me, furious it can’t hit me. It swipes at me with both claws, sweeps its tail, and shoots lasers out of its mouth. But even if each attack is slow, the reach is massive and it’s difficult to get within striking range.
I slipped up, it looked like it was about to hit me.
“Lady Shino!” Nellie cried as she shot a fire ball at the demon’s back.
“Nellie!” I yell. “Nice!”
The greater demon barely seemed unscathed by the fire ball, but it was distracted which was all I needed.
“[World-Shattering Strike]!” I yell, my [Namikiri Kodachi] piercing through all its defenses.
Pan…!
An explosion echoed in the hall—the greater demon’s barriers have been shattered.
“Evil Breakerrrr….!” Dean screams as he activates charges in with his divine longsword, making a shallow cut on the greater demon’s bronze skin. “This is just the beginning! Ms. Shino… as someone who was supposed to protect you but needed protecting himself… please look forward to this!”
Good, it seems Dean’s back.
“[Bullseye], [Weak-Point Scan]…” Dan cries, strengthening his crossbow. “Eat this!”
The arrow he fires sinks deep into the greater demon’s chest.
“Uraaaahhh….!” it howls in anger.
“… Ms. Shino…” Nellie mutters. “Your medicine worked—it’s helping us fight an S-class!”
Alright, everyone is ready! Let’s see this to the end!
But when I dived into striking range—the greater demon opened its mouth in a way I hadn’t seen yet. Isn’t this like the sea dragon’s breath before?
“Goohoooo….!”
Super-heated gas fills the room instead of its laser.
We weren’t prepared for that. [Multi-Barrier] can’t prevent magic and breath attacks… nearly 30% of my HP is gone. Most of Nellie’s will be gone as well. But based on the greater demon’s attack patterns, he’d be vulnerable for some time after such a massive skill…
… Then this is the decider!
“[Divine Blessing]!” I cry, my physical abilities rising exponentially. “And to stop you for good… [Thousand Cuts]! Ha! Hiyaaah….!
My body is enveloped in mana as is my spirit. My hands perform dozens of slashes. The body of the greater demon was getting torn to pieces as it was completely immobilized.
“Hah…” I huff as the skill ends. Then I noticed something off. “Wait, what is that? Nellie, treat everyone! … Walter?!”
“Even I’m just me…” he cries as he charges at the demon with a dagger. “I’ll show you how useful I can be!”
“No, stoooppp…!” I yell as I rush towards him.
Unsurprisingly, Walter’s dagger bounces right off the greater demon’s skin. Then, it brings its massive arm down on him.
Just before it connects, his summoning item activates, the Silver Fang appears and takes the blow for Walter alongside me.
“Growl…!” the spirit roars.
“Aahhh…!” Walter screams.
“Ugh…!” I grunt.
Walter is just scratched.
To everyone else, however, it looked like the greater demon just ripped my chest apart.
“Lady Shinoooo…!” Nellie screams, running after my “body”.
“M-Ms. Shino!” Dean cried. “Noooo…!”
Then:
“Well… you hate persistent bears, right?” I said.1
I hit the greater demon from behind with [Steel-rending Double Slash] then stabbed it for good measure. Its body burst into light then disappeared, leaving only an incredibly large magic stone behind.
“Huh?” Dean goes. “Huh?! Ms. Shino?! Then who’s this Ms. Shino?!” he said, looking between me and my dummy.
“Lady Shinoooo…!” Nellie cries, in tears as she rushes over to me and clings onto my body, violently shaking.
“Hehe, did you really think that was me?” I said. “Take a closer look.”
“Huh… what?” Dean mutters. “This is a doll! A wooden doll!”
“Hehehe, it’s my ninja technique, [Decoy Transformation]….”
We used this all the time back when I was working for the ninja show, so I explained the actual mechanics to him. Skill-wise, it was a one-time way to voluntarily negate damage received if it equaled 50% of your HP or higher. Good thing I had that bad feeling about this boss and slotted it earlier, just in case.
“By the way, Walter?” I said, turning to him. “Didn’t I tell you to wait patiently at the inn? Because it’s dangerous down here?”
“Ah… no… it’s just that…” Walter mutters as he sweats bullets.
“Just wait till we get home ♪,” I hum. “You’re going to get a real punishment for this.”
“Understood,” Nellie growled, her eyes cold as ice. “My Lady Shino… ah, no, my Mistress Shino, I’ll make sure he pays for putting your life at risk.”
“B-Big Sis Nellie!” Walter stammers, terrified. “Your aura is so intense… hiii…!” he squeals.
“Well, young man, I hope you don’t get angry at us for this!” I say.
“I won’t,” Walter stammers. “I’ll own up to my mistake.”
It seemed Walter was no help in dungeons.
- See the Silver Fang manga from 2 chapters ago.
ruff Translations 
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