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Tl: Sam

…

Meanwhile, at around that time, Yui Hoshino was advancing through the dungeon’s lower level together with the explorers who had become her companions.
Along the way, several more explorers had regrouped with them, swelling their numbers into quite a large party.

“Hoshino-san! The path continues over here!”
“Please leave this monster to us!”
“If it’s traps, leave it to me! I hold a Pre-1st Class Trap Disarming Certification!”
“Ah, haha… thank you very much.”

Supported by her eager companions, Hoshino and the group advanced smoothly.

The monsters of the lower level were strong.
Even for seasoned explorers, a moment of carelessness could prove fatal, and plenty of people had lost their lives down here.

However, their current morale was remarkably high, allowing them to hold their own even in the lower level.
The biggest reason for that was likely the shared desire among everyone to support their leader, Hoshino, and make themselves useful to her.

「She’s crazy popular lol」
「When on earth did they develop this kind of relationship?」
「Circle princess of the explorers」
「They have better coordination than before they got stranded, which is hilarious」

Hoshino had launched a stream using her drone.
It was the drone she always used for her own streams, brought along as a spare just in case.
By streaming, they could communicate their current situation to the outside world.

「Saw on the news that a rescue team is trying to enter the dungeon」
「Ah, saw that too」
「It’ll take time though. This is Hokkaido after all」
「Supposedly a few Ministry of Monster Control personnel are on standby nearby, but a small squad won’t be enough」
「Well, but Shachiken is there for times like this」

Hoshino checked the comments from time to time as she walked.
As she did, the information she had been searching for caught her eye.

「Come to think of it, Tanaka was safe too」
「The only one sent down to the deep level, but he was totally chilling lol」
「He just saved Mikami earlier. He was slicing up Salamanders so smoothly it was hilarious lol」
「Hope they regroup soon」

“Tanaka-san… is safe…!”

Hoshino murmured softly enough that no one else would notice.
She had believed all along that Tanaka would be fine, but knowing for sure brought immense relief.
He would surely make his way back even from the deep level. In that case, she had to do everything within her power as well. Hoshino steeled her resolve in her heart.

Moving forward with a lighter step, the Gold Leo explorer scouting at the very front suddenly shouted.

“Monster ahead! That’s… a Lava Dragon, an S-rank monster!”
“An S-rank monster!? Even though this is the lower level…!?”

Hoshino shuddered at the unexpected report.
It wasn’t impossible for monsters to appear outside their native floor. Normally, though, encountering a monster far beyond one’s abilities left the option to run away.

Right now, however, that wasn’t an option.
As long as the monster blocked the path back, there was no choice but to fight. On top of that, another reason not to flee presented itself.

“The Lava Dragon is currently engaged with an explorer! There are people down as well!”
“No way…!”

Though she couldn’t tell who it was from a distance, the Lava Dragon was fighting humans.
That person was battling while shielding the fallen, clearly struggling in a difficult fight.

Grasping the gravity of the situation, Hoshino narrowed her eyes, switched into combat mode, and kicked off the ground with tremendous force, sprinting forward.

“I will take the lead. Everyone, provide support!”
“Eh!? Hoshino-san!?”

Hoshino dashed at full speed, closing the distance to the Lava Dragon in a single burst.

「Wait, that’s way too dangerous!」
「An S-rank is way too dangerous」
「Let’s wait for Shachiken!」
「Stop, Yui-chan!」
「Run away!」

Faced with Hoshino’s seemingly reckless action, the viewers cried out in alarm.

『Goa?』

The Lava Dragon noticed the approaching girl and turned its gaze toward her, but it was already too late. Carrying all her rushing momentum, Hoshino unleashed a flying kick with everything she had.

“Haaaah!”

Launched at blinding speed, the kick buried itself straight into the Lava Dragon’s flank, lifting its massive ten-meter body clean into the air.

『Gogu!?』

Letting out a pained groan, the Lava Dragon was blown backward, tumbling across the ground.
It still had enough strength left to move, but it had clearly sustained serious damage.

「Huh?」
「Insane」
「Eeeeeh!?」
「Way too much brute strength lol」
「Yui-chan is so strong it’s not even funny」
「My oshi is too strong, this hurts」
「Tanakaaa! Just how much did you train her?」
「Wait? Isn’t the person fighting the Lava Dragon that person?」

Having repelled the Lava Dragon, Hoshino approached the explorer who had been fighting it until now.
It was someone Hoshino recognized.

“I thought it was Tanaka-chan… but to think it would be Hoshino-chan. You saved me.”
“You’re… Yuki-san!?”

The one who had been fighting the Lava Dragon was none other than Yuki, Yukinoshin Busujima.
Having been locked in an extraordinarily grueling battle, wounds marked their entire body, and their clothes were frayed and torn.

“Such terrible injuries… Are you alright!?”
“You saw me looking pathetic… I managed to take down five of them, but I slipped up. Maybe it’s the aftereffects of the hiatus.”

Looking around, five Lava Dragons and numerous other monsters lay scattered across the ground. It appeared Yuki had brought down that many monsters all while protecting the fallen explorers.

「Took down all that alone? Returnees really are built different」
「Even without being able to use weapons properly」
「For real that this is after a hiatus?」
「Well, Yuki-san has the Rapier Kick after all」

“Please don’t move. I’ll treat you right away.”
“My bad, Hoshino-chan. That helps.”

Hoshino treated Yuki’s injuries with practiced skill.
Soon after, the companion explorers caught up as well.

“Everyone, please rescue the fallen! If your hands are free, secure the perimeter!”
“Understood!”
“Got it, Leader!”
“Didn’t even have time to provide support…”

Following Hoshino’s instructions, the explorers moved briskly.
Watching their coordinated actions, Yuki blinked in surprise.

“I’m surprised. What on earth did you do to them?”
“I didn’t do anything. Everyone is just being kind.”
“Zero self-awareness… noted. Not just cute, but possessing a touch of bewitching charm too, what a dangerous girl.”
“?”

Not understanding what was meant, Hoshino tilted her head.
Yuki let out a soft chuckle watching her.

The taut tension relaxed for a moment, but as the Lava Dragon kicked by Hoshino rose back to its feet, tension flared up once more. Yuki gripped their rapier, intending to face it, but Hoshino stopped them.

“Please rest. I will handle that monster.”

Readying her greatsword, Hoshino took a battle stance.
The opponent was an S-rank monster; Yuki tried to stop Hoshino from being reckless, but faster than that, Hoshino dashed forward.

『Gaah!!』

The Lava Dragon spat a sphere of molten lava from its mouth, attacking Hoshino.
That super-heated sphere would melt a person upon mere contact.

Yet Hoshino did not dodge, meeting the attack head-on.

“Hmph…!”

Poising her greatsword like a baseball bat, Hoshino batted the molten sphere right back with the flat of the blade.
Batted back at high speed, the molten sphere flew straight back into the Lava Dragon’s face, dealing massive damage.

『Goaaah!?』
「Eeeh!?」
「lol」
「Nice batting!」
「Her fighting style is getting more and more like Tanaka’s lol」
「Way too insane」
「If they ever have a domestic dispute, the building’s gonna collapse… lol」

Closing the distance while the Lava Dragon flinched, Hoshino hoisted her greatsword and brought it down with all her strength.
That decisive blow easily severed the Lava Dragon’s tough scales, dealing a fatal wound. The shockwave was tremendous, sending massive fissures tearing through the ground beneath the dragon’s feet.

『Ga… a…!』

Letting out a faint, powerless sound, the Lava Dragon collapsed.
Having defeated a formidable enemy, Hoshino landed gracefully and wiped the sweat from her brow with a soft breath.
Witnessing her overwhelming strength, not only her fellow explorers but Yuki as well stared in utter shock.

(Taking down an S-rank monster in a single blow…! This girl isn’t just an unpolished gem…!)

Faced with such extraordinary young talent, Yuki felt their heart throb with excitement.
Had she not been alongside Tanaka, they would have invited her into their guild on the spot to offer help in honing that strength.

“Splendid, Hoshino-chan. If you hadn’t arrived, it would have been bad.”

Yuki offered their thanks as Hoshino came jogging back.
In truth, had she arrived even slightly later, protecting the explorers would have been nearly impossible.

“No, no, it was no trouble at all!”

After saying that, Hoshino turned her gaze toward the other explorers receiving treatment behind Yuki.

“Yuki-san, you regrouped with the others as well?”
“Yes, I secured everyone who teleported near me. Combined with the ones accompanying you, that makes almost everyone accounted for. Teleporting to clustered areas was a blessing in disguise.”

The only ones missing from this location were Tanaka and Mikami, while all the other explorers were safely assembled. Leaving Mikami to Tanaka, all that remained was to escape.

“Hoshino-san… was it? Thank you for saving my people. You are our lifesaver.”

The one who approached saying that was Kumaiwa, president of the Obsidian Bear Guild.
He had regrouped with Yuki early on and helped rescue their comrades, but had been taken down after being injured in battle against a monster.
Thanks to the treatment, he had recovered enough to move.

“Kumaiwa-san, your injuries are severe too… Were there that many monsters after all?”
“Yeah, that too… but there was one truly monstrous beast. I took these injuries while escaping from it.”

Kumaiwa exchanged a glance with Yuki, who gave a silent, firm nod.

“After running from that monster, we got tangled up with the Lava Dragons. Already exhausted, we were cornered in no time, leading to the situation just now. We made quite a ruckus, so that thing might notice us… we should leave here quickly.”
“There is a monster like that…? Understood. Once first aid is finished, let us move immediately.”

Hoshino made the decision and prepared to move out.
Then, in the very next moment, the entire dungeon shook violently.

“Eh, an earthquake!?”

Planting her feet, Hoshino managed to keep her balance.
Wondering what was happening, a terrifying voice reverberated throughout the dungeon.

『GOOOOOOOOOHHH!!』

A deep, massive, terrifying roar.
Shortly after that voice, the monster slowly revealed itself from deep down the path.

『Ruru…』

That monster was an enormous dragon. Red scales, white horns, and long whiskers.
Unlike Western dragons with wings, it was an Eastern dragon with a long, slender, serpent-like body. Despite having no wings, it leisurely swam through the air, looking down upon the humans below.

It was in an entirely different league. Hoshino sensed the dragon’s overwhelming strength at a single glance.

“Yuki-san. That monster is…”
“Yes, that’s what took us down. The dragon’s name is ‘Kagutsuchi.’ The supreme existence among flame-attribute monsters. Its rank is EX, above S… a genuine monster with no recorded subjugation.”

Yuki’s words sent a shiver through Hoshino.
Hoshino had never fought an EX-rank monster before. She had only seen footage of Tanaka fighting one.
It had looked terrifying on video, but seeing it with her own eyes, the horror was on an entirely different level.

And the fear felt by the explorers who had been with Yuki was even greater.

“Th-That’s him… it chased us!”
“No way! We barely managed to escape…!”

The explorers trembled in terror.
That was how overwhelming Kagutsuchi’s strength had been.

“Hoshino-chan, what should we do? If we flee now, we might still be able to escape.”

Kagutsuchi was still some distance away; running at full speed might allow them to hide once more.

However, doing so would prolong their escape from the dungeon, and worst of all, several people still could not move properly. Carrying everyone while fleeing was impossible; running meant abandoning them.

And naturally, Hoshino would never take such an option.

“I will fight. I don’t know if I can win, but I should be able to buy some time. In the meantime, please take the injured and escape.”
“Wh-What are you saying!? Its strength is out of this world! Challenging it alone means certain death!?”
“Kuma-chan is right. There is no reason for you to throw away your life.”

Yuki agreed with Kumaiwa’s words.
Both of them knew the monster’s horror all too well. Sending Hoshino out alone was out of the question.

“Thank you for your concern. But… I am going. If I run away here, I won’t ever be able to catch up to that person.”

The eyes of the girl speaking held a color of absolute resolve.
Seeing that, Yuki and Kumaiwa realized persuasion was impossible.

“Please rest assured. I am quite sturdy, you know. I can at least stall it!”
“Hoshino-chan…”

As Yuki struggled for an answer, the other explorers who had remained silent until now gathered around.

“Hoshino-san… no, Leader! We will help too! If one person can stall it, we might win if we all fight together!”
“We would have died if not for Hoshino-san! Please use our lives too!”
“Everyone…”

Hearing the passionate voices of her companions brought warmth to Hoshino’s eyes.
To be honest, challenging an unknown monster alone had been terrifying. Knowing they would stand beside her eased her anxiety considerably.

“Thank you, having everyone with me is so reassuring! Let us win together and return safely!”

At Hoshino’s call, the explorers shouted in agreement.
Watching the scene, Yuki murmured, “Youth is wonderful…”, gripping their rapier once again with renewed resolve.

“If I leave it to the youngsters and run, I won’t be able to face my employees. Not sure how much I can manage with an injured body, but maybe I’ll push myself a bit more. What about you, Kuma-chan?”
“I don’t particularly want to die, but… if our employees are this motivated, I have to go along with it. If I run here, everyone will probably just follow Hoshino-san anyway.”

Kumaiwa said that with a laugh, readying his large circular shield. Despite having taken a beating earlier, his body felt strangely light.

“Good answer, Kuma-chan. Let us show them the stubborn pride of veterans.”
“Good grief… I’m well past the age where muscle soreness goes away quickly, though.”

Inspired by the youth’s bravery, the two rallied.
And so, the curtain rose on their battle for survival.

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