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Tl: Sam

…

　After the battle with the Minotaur, we continued to go deeper and deeper into the Hachioji dungeon. The dungeon used to be rich in nature, but it has become much less natural and more like a cave.
　Still, the concentration of magical elements is quite high for the middle level. My skin started to tingle a little.

　The concentration was close to that of the deep level. It is unusual for the concentration to be this high even though it is still in the middle layer.
　When the concentration of magical elements is high, it is easy for vicious monsters to appear. No wonder the lower levels are off-limits.

“We are almost at the place.”
“Okay.”

　Hoshino walked quickly.
　She looked impatient. It was Hoshino who chose this dungeon as the location for this delivery. She told us at the meeting that she chose this location because it was close to her home, but it seemed that wasn’t the only reason. What on earth is she trying to show us?

「What’s beyond this point?」
「Well, I thought this area was supposed to be off-limits.」
「Why is it supposed to be off-limits?」
「I’ve heard that the lower level of the Hachioji Dungeon is dangerous.」
「Oh, I thought there was some kind of dangerous monster in there before?」
「You guys know a lot, don’t you?」
「You’re moving along so smoothly, have you been here before, Yui-chan?」

　A few dozen minutes of walking later, we finally arrived at our destination.
　We finally arrived at our destination.

“This is …….”

　It was a dead end.
　There seemed to be a dungeon still ahead, but the way was tightly closed with an iron door. There were several locks on the door so that it could never be opened.
　It seems that the area below this point is quite dangerous.

　In front of the door, there was a large white stone monument.
　The monument was inscribed with the words 『Cenotaph 』 and about ten names were carved on it.

“…………”

　Hoshino took out a flower from the luggage she had brought and placed it in front of the cenotaph.
　Then she put her hands together and bowed her head as if in prayer.

　After doing so for a while, she raised her head and turned to me.

“Several years ago, an incident occurred here. Suddenly, an SS-ranked monster appeared in the middle level.”
“An SS-ranked monster in the middle layer?　That’s unusual…….”

　SS-rank monsters are stronger than S-rank monsters. There are only a few of them, and they are rarely seen even in the deeper levels.
　It is difficult to meet them unless it is a “dungeon boss” guarding the dungeon core, for example.

　Their strength is not comparable to that of S-rank monsters, and even a party of S-rank explorers would have a hard time defeating them. It is easy to imagine the trouble that would ensue if such a monster appeared in the middle level.

“Unfortunately, several parties happened to be exploring this dungeon at that time. There were a few A-ranked explorers among them, but they were no match for that monster.”

　It would be natural if the opponent was an SS-Rank monster.
　Even if there had been S-ranked explorers, they would not have been able to defeat it.

“The monster killed several explorers. Seeing its unstandard strength, the explorers fled, but the monster relentlessly pursued them. In the midst of all this, one explorer confronted the monster and bought everyone time to escape.”

　Saying this, Hoshino traces the name written in large letters on the cenotaph with her hand.

“Tsuyoshi Hoshino …… is my father. Dad was a B-rank explorer. My father fought that monster with his sword alone. And in exchange for his own life, he protected the lives of those who …… escaped.”

　Hoshino’s face looked sad, yet somehow proud as she said this.
　She must be proud of her late father.

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