“Is this also a cave-type dungeon…? Is it because the dungeon has collapsed? It has a strange atmosphere.”

It feels a bit more suffocating than the usual dungeons.

I don’t know if it’s just my imagination or how I’m feeling, but the air feels heavy and stifling. The pressure weighs down on me more than it does in a regular dungeon.

And then, right in front of me…

“…Of course, they’re here.”

The moment I entered; a group of orcs was there.

They didn’t seem to have noticed me yet, but there were five of them, each with 70 magical power.

In total, their combined magical power was equivalent to 350, easily surpassing mine.

So, without hesitation, I ambushed one of them, leaping from behind and decapitating it. Another one, though surprised, barely managed to raise its weapon, leading to a brief clash. However, I managed to overpower it with the superiority of my weapon.

In an instant, I successfully killed two of the orcs.

But the remaining three, naturally, readied their weapons.

From here on, it’s not an ambush but a head-on battle, and a tough fight is inevitable.

I can’t let my guard down, but there’s no time to waste.

I take a slightly risky gamble.

With a razor-thin margin, I dodged and slashed the three orcs.

Although I took some hits, the difference in our stats meant I only suffered minor bruises, which was fortunate.

“Phew… I think I can manage this. Good thing I’ve grown to a certain extent.”

I continued running, staying cautious and trying to minimize the noise.

When I found orcs, I would primarily kill them by ambushing, or if there were multiple, I would lure them out and kill them one by one.

I pressed forward through the dungeon head-on.

“Nagisa… where are you…?”

I had already killed more than 20 orcs.

Yet, there was no sign of Nagisa. I searched for her.

Perhaps because I was in a rush, I didn’t even have the presence of mind to add the honorific “san” to her name, calling her without it.

The fact that her name was similar to my sister Nagi might be part of the reason, but honestly, it didn’t matter.

“Damn it! This is the path I came from. She’s not here!”

There was no map of this dungeon, as the village chief had kept it hidden.

Because of that, the clear wasn’t going smoothly.

However, after about an hour of running around, I found the boss’s room.

A door that was one size larger and more ominous compared to the E-Rank door.

“…Is this the boss’s room? This is the end.”

But I still ran at full speed to search the unexplored areas.

At least, if I could hear her voice somewhere…

“Please, be safe.”

◇

“…UuUu”

Deep within the dungeon…

There, Nagisa was captured.

She had been taken to a small room-like area within the cave.

Surrounded by stone walls on all sides, there was only one entrance and exit.

And there, standing like guards, were three orcs.

“No… I don’t want this…”

Trembling, Nagisa curled up, hugging herself with both arms.

She was scared.

Would she be killed like the village chief?

And like her parents back then?

Her memories were still vague and faint, but just remembering that day made her tremble uncontrollably.

“Mom, Dad… help me…”

She had heard that among monsters, there were those who would brutally assault women, forcibly violate them, and when they grew bored, devour them.

Orcs and goblins were among those species.

Just imagining it made her want to end her life right now.

If she had to experience such terror, she would rather it all end here.

Fear gripped Nagisa so much that her tears wouldn’t stop.

Yet, without the courage to do anything, Nagisa could only tremble and stare at her own fate.

“Hehehe…”

An orc at the entrance drooled as it looked at Nagisa.

Reaching out, it grabbed her with its thick arm.

“No, no!!”

Nagisa, who possessed the same D-Rank magical power as the orcs, tried to shake off the orc’s grip and escape with all her strength.

The orc grimaced at her resistance, and its fellow guards entered the room one after another.

Nagisa was forcibly restrained by the three orcs.

“No, no… help me… help meee!!”

With her last ounce of strength, she screamed for help, even though she knew it was meaningless.

The orcs seemed to be excited by her voice, shaking their bodies. Nagisa desperately resisted, pushing the orcs away and screaming.

Her last stand, she cried out for help with a loud voice. It might be futile, but she wanted to be saved.

“Someone!! Help me!! Help meee!!”

Deep within this Cube…

There should be no one there, but just maybe.

“Nagisaaaaa!!!”

There might be someone who wouldn’t miss that voice.

“Huh?”

The grip on Nagisa’s arm weakened.

Immediately afterward, one of the orc’s heads fell.

The remaining two orcs turned around, wondering what had happened.

But in that instant, another head fell.

“Gaaaaa!!”

The last remaining orc howled, not understanding what was going on.

However, a sword pierced its head from the jaw to the brain, ending its life.

It all happened in an instant.

Nagisa couldn’t even understand what had happened.

But one thing she knew for sure.

“…Thank goodness. It’s alright now. I’ll save you.”

She knew that someone had come to help her.

Kai crouched down and gently stroked the sobbing Nagisa’s head, just like he would do for his little sister when she was scared and on the verge of tears.

“It’s going to be okay.”

Nagisa immediately burst into tears and clung to Kai while crying loudly.

“Waah, it was so scary!!”

“It’s alright now, big brother is going to protect you.”

“Big brother?”

“…My apologies. Please forget I said that.”

I accidentally called myself her big brother, just like I would with Nagi.

To hide my embarrassment, I lifted Nagisa up in my arms.

『Condition 2 has been achieved.』

(That makes 50 now, huh? I defeated quite a few… I wasn’t counting because I was so focused.)

“You’re not wearing shoes, so please bear with it for a bit. I’ll defeat the boss and get out of here quickly. Otherwise…”

I carried Nagisa in a princess hold and immediately headed outside.

A large number of orcs were running towards us, targeting me—there must have been at least 20.

When I heard Nagisa’s voice, I ignored all the orcs and ran towards her without defeating them.

As a result, many orcs were chasing after me.

“Gumomoooo!!”

I ran with all my might.

My destination was the room with the boss’s door.

I remembered the way, so I wouldn’t get lost.

It would have been better if I could have left through the entrance of the cube, but a large army of orcs was in that direction. Facing that many of them would be harder than dealing with the boss.

“A- Amachi-san… Amachi-san…”

Nagisa gripped me with her trembling hand.

She must have been truly terrified. I held her tightly to reassure her. It’s not unreasonable for her to be scared, considering she’s still in middle school.

“Nagisa, I’m going to defeat the boss now. I’ll have to leave you alone for a bit… Can you manage?”

“Eh?… Y-yes, I’ll do my best.”

While carrying her in a princess hold, I asked Nagisa for her cooperation.

Her face turned slightly red.

With tearful eyes, a flushed face, and unable to meet my gaze.

“Alright, we’re here.”

We arrived in front of the boss’s room while still holding Nagisa. A large number of orcs were making a roaring sound as they chased us from behind.

Even though I had defeated 50 of them, which should have been enough for a complete clear, there were still more.

I opened the door to the boss’s room. Nagisa and I entered, and the door closed behind us, signaling that the battle with the boss was about to begin.

“A white orc… It looks strong, but…”

I checked the orc’s status.

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

Name: White Orc

Magic Power: 100

Attack Power: Reflection rate▶30%=30

Defense Power: Reflection rate▶20%=20

Agility: Reflection rate▶10%=10

Intelligence: Reflection rate▶40%=40

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

“What? It’s just a small fry.”

In an instant, I crouched down in front of the orc subspecies.

It was slightly stronger than a regular orc, but only about 1.5 times as powerful, not a significant opponent.

“Ngaaah!?”

A single flash.

I immediately decapitated the white orc with a single blow, killing it.

There’s no way a D-Rank monster could stand a chance in a one-on-one fight.

『Conditions 1, 2, and 3 have been confirmed as achieved. Complete clear rewards will be granted.』

“Huh? I thought that since Nagisa was with me, it wouldn’t count as a solo run, but I guess that’s not the case?”

Immediately after, particles of light enveloped Nagisa and me, and we were teleported back inside the white Cube.

Probably, the dungeon collapse had ended upon defeating the boss, and we had returned to the original white Cube. I stared at the Cube.

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

Remaining magic power：30/100（+1/24hr）

Clear Difficulty：D-Rank

※In Sleep Mode

◆Reward

First Clear Reward（Complete）：Magic Power +50

・Condition(s) 1　While the dungeon hasn’t been cleared before, defeat the boss.

Complete Clear Reward (Complete)：+100 magic power, Class Upgrade Ticket (Beginner)

・Condition 1　Clear while solo.

・Condition 2　Defeat a 50 or more orcs.

・Condition 3　Defeat the boss within five minute(s)。

−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−−

“Oh, there’s a ticket too…”

I picked up the bronze-colored ticket at my feet.

With this, I finally have ten of them.

“Amachi-san… Thank you so much.”

“No, no, you’re welcome. I’m really glad you’re safe. Are you hurt?”

“No, I’m fine. It was really scary, but I’m not injured! Oh, uh please forget about me crying!”

“I see, you did great. You’re a good kid. Well done.”

“Since a while ago, haven’t you been treating me like a child!?”

“Eh? Is that so…?”

I reached out to pat her head again but quickly withdrew my hand.

Nagisa seemed a bit disappointed, but it must have been my imagination. I almost committed sexual harassment.

“Oh, it’s opening.”

The white box that had enveloped us slowly opened, and it seemed that the dungeon had transitioned into sleep mode.

Immediately afterward, a roaring sound came from the sky, and a tremendous wind blew.

“W-what’s going on? Such a loud noise… Huh!?”

I looked up to see what was happening, and there was an imposing military? helicopter flying overhead.

And then, one after another, clearers who seemed to be overwhelmingly stronger than me descended, followed by a magician clad in a robe at the front.

“Ta-Tanaka-san!?”

“Kai-kun, I’m glad you’re safe. …Wait, d-did you clear the dungeon? The D-Rank collapse? By yourself?”

The person I had called for help was Tanaka Issei, the vice president of Japan’s top guild, Avalon.

——————————————————————-

Translator notes: 渚は無事でよかったですね！