Another Event Dungeon Cleared

ICDS Universe, Earth, Japan, Osaka.

*Swish!* *Swish!* *Boom!* *Crumble!*

The battle inside the Event Dungeon continued at a furious pace. Every second, dozens of terracotta statues were cut, pierced, burned, or blown up. However, no matter how many Tatsuo, Sumire, and Hwaya destroyed, they never seemed to end.

Even so, the trio of Dungeon Explorers continued moving towards the interior of the ruined castle without slowing down.

"Are you guys alright?" Tatsuo asked as he cut the hands off of a terracotta statue wielding a naginata. "Mastiford-San, you're not running low on mana, are you?"

*Clang!*

"I'm fine, Tatsuo-Kun." Sumire replied as she slammed her shield into the torso of another terracotta statue, causing it to crumble.

"I'm fine, too." Hwaya replied while melting several terracotta soldiers and their armors into molten puddles. "Pocket change flames like these don't take up much mana."

As Hwaya said, even though she started out using her white flames, she eventually switched to comparatively, more normal yellow flames, which used much less mana to produce, when she realized how weak the terracotta statues were.

"Good." Tatsuo replied while ducking an arrow. Then, he stood up quickly and fired a needle from his wrist guard at the terracotta statue who just fired at him. "We're coming up on the center of the castle. I'm hoping the boss will show up when we do."

As if to prove Tatsuo right, after only a few more minutes, the group could see what looked to be a martial arts stage in front of the remains of a large, ruined building. Surrounding the stage were eight terracotta statues with fiercer expressions carved on their faces and more exquisite armor and weapons. Though, they was still rusted.

There was also a solitary terracotta statue standing atop the stage. However, unlike the others, this one was that of a human riding a horse. Also, it's armor was not rusted in the slightest. In fact, it was so shiny that one would think that it had never seen battle. It also carried a horse lance in its hands and a katana on its hip.

And as soon as they saw these nine, clearly stronger, terracotta statues, a Dungeon Nitifcation rang out in their ears.

{General's Honor's Boss Monster, Terracotta General has appeared. Defeating Terracotta General will clear the Dungeon and grant special rewards.}

"That must be the boss on the stage." Sumire said.

"Probably." Tatsuo replied. "It definitely looks like a general, doesn't it? And that armor is kinda sick."

"Yes." Hwaya said. "But it's still just a weakling."

"Well, this is just a B+-Rank Event Dungeon." Tatsuo replied. "Anyway, now that the boss has appeared, there's no reason to keep playing around."

'Playing around?' Sumire and Hwaya thought simultaneously. 'He's killed more than half of all these statues by himself. Yet, he said he was just playing around before.'

With that, the [Thunderclap Daggers] were covered in sparking, purple-tinted, black [Energy]. Then, Tatsuo spun once in place with his arms spread to either side. And with that motion, he decapitated all the terracotta statues surrounding him with a [Spatial Slash].

'Oh~, now I get it.' Sumire and Hwaya thought simultaneously once again after realizing that Tatsuo had not used any mana, other than a few [Blinks], since they entered the Event Dungeon.

"Alright, let's see how many I can get with this." Tatsuo said while smiling at the stage.

In the next moment, the [Energy] coating Tatsuo's weapons grew denser as he channeled as much [Energy] into them as he could handle. Then, with all the strength he could muster, he swung his arms at the stage.

"[Spatial Rend]." Tatsuo muttered as his [Spatial Energy] flew through all the terracotta states standing between him and the stage.

Seeing that, both Sumire and Hwaya widened their eyes in surprise. Up until now, the only time they had ever seen Tatsuo attack from a distance was when he used the needles hidden in his wrist guards. Neither of them knew he had a ranged attack skill.

"Wow..." Sumire muttered as she watched the large number of terracotta statues crumble into piles of clay.

"He actually cut the fabric of space!" Hwaya blurted out in a dumbfounded tone. "There's no way he's only SS-Rank!"

As a matter of fact, by New Moon's standards, Tatsuo did not have enough mana to qualify as an SS-Class Awakened. However, because his ability was so rare and versatile, they bumped up his rank. ON top of that, Japan really wanted its own SS-Ranker. That way, they could stand on the big stage with all the other countries who had one.

As Hwaya said, behind the energy that was flying forward, there was a gash that remained in the air. On top of that, there was a kaleidoscope of colors shining through it. Even so, that gash was slowly closing as time passed.

A moment later, the [Energy] slash reached the three stronger terracotta statues standing on the side of the stage facing Tatsuo. Unlike the other terracotta statues, they seemed to be prepared for Tatsuo's attack, as they raised their weapons, which were coated in mana, and swung down at the [Spatial Rend].

Unfortunately, just the three terracotta statues standing on that side of the ring were not enough to stop the spatial distortion. Instead, their weapons were cut off before clanging to the ground. At the same time the sound of the broken weapons falling to the ground could be heard, the [Spatial Rend] cut through their torsos, causing them all to fall to pieces, as well.

Eventually, the [Spatial Rend] moved past the whole stage before fizzling out. However, it left nine piles of clay rubble in its wake. Unfortunately, it was unable to kill all nine terracotta statues, as the Terracotta General was still standing in the center of the stage. Though, the horse it was riding had been destroyed.

"Amazing..." Sumire said as she swung her shield and sent three terracotta statues flying.

"Yeah..." Hwaya added absent-mindedly.

At the same time, Tatsuo frowned slightly after seeing the result of his attack.

"I thought that was a single statue." Tatsuo muttered discontentedly. "If I had known that they were a horse and its rider, I wouldn't have tried to kill them all at once. Instead, I would have just killed the General directly."

Hearing that, Sumire and Hwaya blanked out for a moment. Such an awesome moment was just a failed attempt at showing off. Just what was the world coming to?

"Oh well, no use crying over spilled milk." Tatsuo said while shaking his head. "I'll just end it so we can get our rewards and go home."

In the next instant, Tatsuo vanished from where he stood, employing another [Blink] to reappear behind the Terracotta General. Then, he stabbed his two bladed knuckle dusters towards the back of its neck.

*Clang!*

However, as if it had eyes on the back of its head, the Terracotta General slung its horse lance over its shoulder, blocking the stabs as it did so.

In fact, the Terracotta General did have a pair of eyes on the back of its head. Or rather, it had a pair of eyes on the back of its helmet. And those eyes, just like the ones on its face, were shining with a white glow.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Tatsuo muttered with an impressed glint in his eyes. "It won't stop me from cutting you up, though. But still, it was pretty impressive."

After saying that, Tatsuo initiated a flurry of [Spatial Slashes] at the Terracotta General's back. And the Terracotta General was unable to defend itself properly, since Tatsuo was so close and attacking furiously, thanks to the heavy horse lance it was carrying.

In a matter of thirty seconds, Tatsuo had cut through the Terracotta General's armor many times and carved many gashes into its back. All the while, the Terracotta General did its best to turn around and face Tatsuo. However, Tatsuo used exquisite footwork to stay behind the Terra-cotta General and continue his attack.

"And that's game." Tatsuo said as he finally cut through the Terracotta General's neck after its arms fell off. "It was fun, though."

{You defeated the Event Dungeon Boss Monster, Terracotta General.}

{80,000 Gold is distributed evenly among party members. You receive 26,667 Gold.}

{Soramoto Tatsuo-Sama's contribution is the highest. Please choose your reward.

General's Helmet Double Mana Potion 5,000 Gold}

When Tatsuo saw the list of rewards he was quite disappointed. Even if the Dungeon's level was way below the average level of the party, these rewards seemed terrible. In the end, he chose the [Double Mana Potion], as he did not need the Gold and the helmet did not seem to match his fighting style, as he figured it was probably a heavy metal helmet.

Meanwhile, as Tatsuo decided on which reward to take, all the other Terracotta statues crumbled to dust. Without the Terracotta General, they had no reason to exist any further.

At the same time, Sumire yelped in surprise after seeing that she was second on the contribution list. Though, saying that she was second was a bit misleading, as neither she nor Hwaya actually dealt any damage to the boss. So, it seemed their positions on the contribution list were chosen at random.

Seeing the remaining rewards, Sumire chose the helmet, thinking that it would be completely useless to Hway, who was a mage.

"Seriously? I got last place?" Hwaya asked disgruntledly. "This is the first time this has happened since I started climbing the Dungeon."

"Well, there's a first time for everything, right?" Tatsuo asked with a smile. "Besides, considering how terrible the rewards were, it really doesn't matter."

"That makes me feel a little better." Hwaya said with a small smile. "Thanks for trying to cheer me up."

Hearing that, Tatsuo raised an eyebrow in confusion while he approached the two ladies.

"I wasn't really trying to cheer you up, though." Tatsuo said with a shrug. "I mean, it's not like you did anything, anyway."

Those words caused Hwaya's smile to freeze on her face. A moment later, plumes of fire began to appear around her as she stared daggers at Tatsuo, who was smiling at her calmly.

"You're picking a fight, right?" Hwaya asked angrily. "Well, if a fight is what you want, then a---"

Before Hwaya could finish her sentence, the Tatsuo in front of her flickered before disappearing. Then, she felt a cold sensation on the side of her neck.

"What was that?" Tatsuo asked calmly. "Something about a fight?"

Just then, Hwaya remembered that this kid could teleport. As a result, her expression filled with fighting spirit turned into a pout. Then, without minding the blade on her neck, she turned towards Sumire and flung herself into Sumire's arms.

"*Sniff* *Sniff* Sumire~~~! Tatsuo is bullying me!" Hwaya cried.

In response, Sumire smiled helplessly as she patted Hwaya on the back. This time, Sumire had no idea how she was supposed to console Hwaya. Because despite the fact that Tatsuo's words seemed harsh, they were completely true. Neither she nor Hwaya had done anything to help defeat the boss. On top of that, Hwaya was the one who picked the fight... and lost miserably.

"*Sigh* Being invincible is such a lonely feeling." Tatsuo said in a feigned tone of lament as he stretched his arms over his head. "Anyway, we should all be pretty close to perfect condition, right? I mean, that was pretty easy."

"Yes, Tatsuo-Kun, I'm almost done recovering my mana.' Sumire replied while she continued to pat Hwaya's back.

"*Sniff* Me, too." Hwaya replied with her face still buried in Sumire's bosom, something that made Tatsuo a bit envious. "After I switched to my yellow flames, consumption and regeneration pretty much evened out. So, I'm almost full."

"Good." Tatsuo replied. "That means we won't have to wait here for too long."

Nodding in response, Sumire and Hwaya started chatting amongst themselves. Meanwhile, Tatsuo spread his perception to scan all the piles of clay that used to be Terracotta statues for mana stones. Unfortunately, no matter how carefully he searched, he could not find a single mana stone.

'*Sigh* I guess I should have expected this.' Tatsuo thought to himself while shaking his head in disappointment. 'This Dungeon is too low level to have mana stones like the last one.'

With that thought, Tatsuo decided he would not think about it anymore. Instead, he focused on recovering to his peak state.

"Don't forget to put up the anti-recognition barrier around you and Sumire-San." Tatsuo said as he glanced at Hwaya. "I get the feeling things are gonna get complicated when we leave the Dungeon."

"Really?" Hwaya asked. "do you think Guardian will try to do something?"

"Probably." Tatsuo replied casually. "They probably weren't very happy about the way I threatened them back at the school. And I wouldn't be surprised if Freedom Wing was here, too."

"Then, we'll help you if they attack." Sumire said resolutely.

In response, Hwaya nodded her head while Tatsuo shook his.

"Although I appreciate it, I can't let you do that." Tatsuo said. "Especially you, Mastiford-San. Even if you're wearing Otus' Secret, it would be obvious that it was you once you started attacking. And that would definitely cause an international incident. And no one wants that problem."

Although she did not want to admit it, Tatsuo was right. So, Hwaya nodded her head unwillingly. But Sumire, who still wanted to help was not so easy to convince.

"There's no way they would know who I am, though." Sumire said. "so, I can help you."

"*Sigh* Sumire-San, just let me handle this." Tatsuo said as he stepped closer to Sumire and gently stroked her hair. "I started this mess, and I'll solve it. And I promise, I won't get hurt. Though, you'll probably have to return to Tokyo without me."

When Tatsuo started stroking her hair, Sumire leaned into his hand with a blissful expression on her face. However, when she heard his words, she looked at him with an apprehensive expression.

"You promise to not get hurt?" Sumire asked in a solemn tone.

"I promise." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "In fact, if I didn't' want them to see me, they would never be able to. But if they do this once, they'll definitely do it again. So, I wanna nip it in the bud as soon as possible."

"*Sigh* Okay, then I'll see you in Tokyo." Sumire said as she went back to focusing on her recovery.

"Of course, if a Raid Boss shows up, this whole conversation will be pointless." Tatsuo said with a cheeky grin. "Because if one does, and it's A-Ranked, I'll be able to flex a little and show off my power, making those idiots too scared to try anything."

Hearing that, Sumire and Hwaya smiled as well.

Eventually, everyone was back in peak condition. Then, Hwaya chose the remaining 5,000 Gold reward. After that, the trio prepared themselves for a possible Event Raid. However, nothing like that happened. Instead, a fanfare rang out in all of their ears.

{You completely cleared a B+-Rank Event Dungeon, All party members receive 1 bonus stat.}

{You will now be returned to the place from which you entered the Dungeon.}

With that, the visions of the trio darkened as they were transported out of the Event Dungeon. At the same time, Tatsuo had a rather stupid thought.

'Hmm… It looks like Sherifina has been taking grammar lessons since the last time.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'She didn't end the sentence with a preposition this time.'

At the same time as that thought flashed through Tatsuo's mind, a [System] [Notification] also rang out in his head.

{[Missions]

-Mission# 1, Objective 4 – Cleared.}

Seeing that, Tatsuo cold not help but smile.

'There's only one objective remaining.' Tatsuo thought to himself. 'It's too bad there was no Event Raid after clearing this Event Dungeon, though. Otherwise, I could have gone home. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to wait until the Chinese clear their Dungeons. That shouldn't be too long from now. The only thing left to consider after that is… What should I do with Sumire-San?'

A moment later, Tatsuo, along with Sumire and Hwaya, who were hidden from the cognition of others by Hwaya's barrier, appeared outside of the Event Dungeon, in the exact same place as where they entered. And just as Tatsuo expected, the location was surrounded by a large number of Awakened from Guardian and Freedom Wing.

"Void, we request that you come with us." Lt. Colonel Yoshikawa said as soon as Tatsuo and the others appeared outside. "The government has determined that you are too dangerous to be left to your own devices. Therefore, we will be taking you into custody until countermeasures have been formed. We ask that you do not resist. And if you should decide to do so, we are authorized to use force… Lethal force, if necessary."