Chapter 9

Today was the day that I thought I was going to die.

I had run away in a last-ditch effort to survive. Despite the terror and anguish of seeing the ones I've known for my entire two-hundred-year lifespan be murdered in front of me. I had chosen to flee and live. But what could I possibly do?

I was nothing but a weak slime born. The weakest magical creature in the world. It was impossible for us to fight back. We had no offensive magic or physical skills. This weakness of ours ended up being my clan's undoing.

But instead of dying alongside my clan, I ran like a coward.

It didn't take long for the leader of the invading beasts to notice me fleeing. I could still remember that creature's glowing red eyes. The way they pierced into my very soul. As I ran, it quickly sent a small group of its beasts to chase after me to finish the job of leaving no survivors.

Why were they so adamant about making sure I didn't escape, you may ask. You see, our gelatinous bodies could create powerful health potions.

These specific potions were highly sought after by adventurers, mages, and high-thinking magical beasts. Potions that made me and my kind a highly sought-after resource. Yes, a resource. Despite our high intelligence and speech, we aren't seen as sentient beings in this world. Only a resource.

After I had fallen down the hillside, I was sure my end was all but assured once the red-eyed creatures' troops surrounded me. Despite my approaching death, I wasn't going to just sit there and take it.

Overwhelmed by fear but unwilling to die with a whimper, I gathered all the courage I had left and let out the most defiant roar I could muster.

And as if answering that roar, a miracle happened–

I saw all the hateful creatures that tried to kill me be defeated by something I've never seen before.

Efficiently, quickly, and without fear.

–There was a moment where I truly believed what I watched was nothing but a fantasy, that I was already dying, and my mind played out this delusion to comfort me in my last moments.

But as the last of my pursuers were slaughtered, it became all too real once terror enveloped me again.

The creature responsible for their deaths turned its baleful gaze to me.

I shrank back in fright, crying out my thoughts before I could help myself. I could not tell if it was a Terran or a Demon, but all I knew then and there was that it was dangerous.

"You're the one that I heard before, right?"

What? This creature answered my call? A weak and helpless slime-born like me?

More importantly:

He can understand me!

Hope began to fill me, slowly clearing out my fear.

We began to converse, and with every word we exchanged and with every action I observed from him, I could feel all of my terror wash away, and a sense of clarity replaced it.

He could have taken my life at any moment, but this powerful creature decided I was worth talking to instead. I still could not tell what he was, but he could speak the tongue of the magical beast, something I've never seen a Terran do before. There was no way he could be Terran with Demon blood; Demons would rather take their own heads than breed with a Terran.

Whatever he was, he was strong. Strong enough to kill creatures that I could not.

I saw the opportunity before me, and so I begged him with the sincere promise of my servitude. If I had to spend all of my life dedicated to him, it would be fine. Because…

I wanted to live.

It was the one feeling I've held onto since the beginning. It's the reason I ran away despite knowing deep in my soul that I would die.

But now, even from the jaws of certain death, I lived. And will take this chance to keep living, as pathetic as this method may be. I will live this new life under the protection of this creature in exchange for my servitude.

It was an unfair trade; I was a weak slime-born with no actual power, and he was already so powerful; what could I truly offer?

However…

"Very well. I am Hikigaya Hachiman. What is your name, slime?"

Riko.

That's the name my new Master gave me. And with this name, we cemented our partnership as the accords of this world dictated.

I was now the servant of this strange creature with oddly sharp and dead-looking eyes.

I was elated, overjoyed, and overwhelmed with relief.

Until he asked me something peculiar: The location of the troll.

"T-Troll?! Why would you want to know about that monster?"

"Why? Well… I want to fight it."

…perhaps I was too rash in making this stranger my Master.

x x x

"You… you did it. You killed the troll!"

Looking up from where I was carving one of the troll's large horns, I watched as my new servant jumped towards me. My servant. Yup, that feels wrong to think.

"That I did. He was a pretty tough opponent, had me sweating for a second…"

"What was that, Master?"

"Uh, nothing."

Riko bounced over towards me, being careful not to get too close to the troll despite its dead state. She looked at me with what I presumed were large, awed eyes. I finished carving the troll's resources and stretched my fully healed but somehow aching body. I looked down and saw her eyeing the corpse carefully.

"Master… may I request something." Riko said while looking up at me. I nodded, waiting to hear what she had in mind. "If you are done acquiring the resources from the troll, may I… may I consume the corpse."

"Hah?" I said while eyeing the corpse. "Are you… hungry?"

"Hungry? No! It's just that my kind consumes those with mana to amplify ourselves. Usually, I consume small insects to keep myself going. But if I'm able to consume this troll, I should be able to better serve you." Riko said with a slight, nervous tone.

"Ah, I see." Well, I already got everything I could get from this guy. "Sure, go ahead."

"Thank you, Master!"

I watched with fascination as Rikos body expanded slowly over the troll's mangled corpse as if she were a slimy, see-through blanket. She was sure to gather the cut-off leg and arm as well. The troll's corpse slowly began to disintegrate under Riko as she broke down its body into her own. The process lasted for two minutes, and when she was done. Her body gave off a bright glow as if she were charging up her energy like a certain warrior alien race. The glow soon died down, and Riko was left looking as she had when I met her.

I was expecting something. Anything. But nothing had really happened. Focusing my perception skill, I now saw that her change wasn't a visual. No, her magical levels had increased by at least ten times. If I had to guess, her mana was now on par with that of an average E-rank hunter.

"You've gotten stronger." I stated while Riko nodded.

"Yes, my kind can grow stronger as long as we can consume those stronger than us. But we never get the chance to consume anything stronger than insects or dead critters. We do run into the corpses of defeated magical beasts from time to time. But their bodies were too far gone to be able to absorb their mana into ourselves." Riko explained while looking around at all the carnage my fight with the troll caused.

From the numerous broken and uprooted trees to the long, gauged craters that littered the floor. Blood and gore decorated the grass and dirt as some of the troll's mushed eyes slowly slid down my shoulder.

"It only works on freshly killed bodies, then." I concluded with a slight nod, breaking Riko out of her wandering eyes. "How strong can you get?"

"I'm… not sure. There has never been a slime in my kind's history that had ever consumed anything higher than a goblin. If I continue on this path, I wonder just how strong I could become." Riko said with a nervous but excited expression. She shook in place, her body slightly rippling from either fear or excitement.

It looks like we're both on our way then. I grinned from behind my cloak's collar and began heading towards the troll's lair. In particular, the troll's mountain of loot. Riko bounced after me once she saw me moving. I wonder what treasures you've built up.

As we walked, I held my hand out and focused. Slowly, a small ball of light appeared over my palm. Riko made an "Ah" in amazement at the sight of the ball of light. I moved the ball around my palm, and after a while, I began to command it to fly around in front of me in zig zags and straight lines.

"That's amazing, Master! I wasn't aware you were capable of light magic! Only first-class mages are capable of it!" Riko said in amazement. Her words also let me know that there were also mages in this world alongside adventurers. "But… why didn't you use that in your fight? I'm sure the troll would have been defeated much faster if you had."

"Ah. Well, you see… I was simply testing my physical and combat abilities. A test, if you will." I said with what I hoped was a confident tone. This making-stuff-up-as-I-go routine is starting to get old.

"I see! I'm sorry for questioning you, Master."

"It's fine."

I turned back to the ball of light with interest. From what I know of the hunters back on Earth, elemental spells are a mage's specialty. The spells can range from fire, ice, and water, with lightning spells being only available to the most skilled and high-ranking hunters. This was my first time seeing a light-based magical ability. But in this world, it is an ability used by first-class mages, like Riko said.

I focused, and the ball of light began to glow brighter and brighter. To the point Riko and I had to look away. I quickly dimmed the light and dismissed the spell. Looking at my HUD, I saw that what I did took two mana points away.

I wonder what else I can do?

After walking through the ruined forest, we reached the troll's lair. I made my way to the large pile of loot and began rifling through it all. There were several chests and bags filled with gold and silver coins.

Most likely this world's currency.

Not knowing what to do with it, I stored it all in my inventory. Leaving me with around three thousand gold coins and 10 thousand silver coins. From there, I moved on to the random pieces of armor. Some of which seemed to still house the limbs they were placed over. Overall, all the armor was too mangled and rusted over to be of any use–

That is, except for an impressively crafted silver chest plate inside a wooden box lined with gold trim.

[Lovers Royal Chestplate | Rank: B | +20 Defense | A Chest plate crafted from titanium and gold at the order of the Princes of the Utrolux Kingdom for her lover. | If strength stat is below 75, overall speed will be reduced by 15%]

"Damn, I guess I'll hold off on this one for now."

I took the chest plate out of the box and put it into my inventory. As the piece of armor vanished, a small envelope popped into view at the bottom of the box. On the top of the envelope were odd characters I didn't recognize. Damn, I can't read this.

[Notification: Would you like the system to translate the foreign language?]

[Yes][No]

Eh? Seriously?

I stare blankly at the system screen for a second.

Wasn't this just a bit too convenient? Was the system truly that all-knowing? Even if it now treats my life like a character leveling up in a game, normally, I would go through a series of quests to obtain knowledge about a foreign language.

Game developers usually want people playing their game to become more immersed in their world. At least the more passionate ones.

Usually, an automatic translation means that the game developer just wants me to keep getting stronger by fighting monsters and not worrying about trivialities.

I felt my lips draw a thin line, starting to get a better feel for whoever it was that gave me my new powers.

Still, I suppose this does make things simpler…

"Yes." I answered the system prompt. Japanese characters floated over the squiggles and lines on the envelope immediately, giving me a complete translation of what it said.

[From your bride-to-be, Cynthia Morgan.]

I picked up the envelope and turned to the empty wooden box. It appeared that the troll must have intercepted the caravan carrying the gift from whoever this Cynthia Morgan was. Going off the item description, she must have been the princess who had the armor piece made. Curiosity began to take over me, but I quickly squashed it down. It wasn't my place to read what was most likely a very personal letter. In a flash, I placed the envelope into my inventory.

"Master! Look at this!" Riko said as she jumped repeatedly beside me.

In her hands, or the two elastic stubs that protruded out of her body, was a rolled-up parchment paper. I accepted the parchment and sat on one of the now-empty coin chests. I unfurled the parchment paper and found a drawn-out version of the world map for the Realm of Chaos. On the top of the parchment was a title that filled me with excitement and wonder.

Treasures of the King of Dragons.

It was an actual, honest-to-good treasure map. On five separate locations of the map were large red marks, each indicating the location of a different treasure.

[Notification: Would you like to add a treasure map to the World Map?]

[Yes][No]

Yes. Opening my map of the Realm of Chaos, I saw that the old drawn map was now on my crisp, HD map. I looked at the closest mark to my location and saw that it was located in the area I just unlocked. The Trion Plateau.

"Master?" Riko said with a tilt of her head, body? Let's just say head. "What… are you looking at?"

"Nothing, Riko. Just thinking about the map." I said while putting the treasure map in my inventory. After that, we dug through the rest of the pile and found nothing of note. There weren't any collected weapons in the pile, probably because the troll didn't find much use or interest in them. Which was disappointing, to say the least.

My bone-slashed sword was a good weapon, but it would soon outlive its usefulness. My opponents will only continue to grow in strength, so I'd have to find a stronger weapon or find the materials to craft one. Too bad I can't go mining for diamonds to make a sword.

"Haa… I guess it's time to head home."

"Oh? I wonder what type of home Master has."

Ah, I forgot about her. What to do, what to do? Can I just leave her here and have her wait until I come back? No, as her Master, I have a responsibility to her. And if something were to kill her while I was gone, then my guidebook to this world would be gone. How bothersome.

x x x

…Hunters Association Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan…

A middle-aged man with thick black hair and a black mustache-goatee combo leaned back on his expensive desk chair. He was dressed in a white dress shirt with a brown vest on top. The man's name was Matsumoto Shigeo, the chairman of the Japanese Hunters Association.

Shigeo was currently sitting in his office. Located on the top floor of the headquarters building, the office itself was large and extravagant. No expenses were spared in its design and construction. His desk was made of the finest mahogany wood with a glossy finish. The walls were lined with bookshelves and awards, alongside several of his achievements and photographs with several of the members of the Japanese DIET.

Standing on the other side of Shigeo's desk was another man dressed in a black tux. The man was Kitamura Kenji, the chief of the surveillance team.

"I'm sorry to say that we were unable to find any more remains from the raid team that entered the suspected double dungeon. Considering the amount of time that has passed, we are now calling off the search." Kitamura said with a frown. Regret and frustration were clear to see in his eyes.

"Very well. You've done all you could, Kitamura. Have the association finance all the funeral arrangements and expenses for the dead. As per usual." Shigeo said as he took a long drag of one of his favorite cigars. His words were calm and efficient, lacking any sadness or empathy for the fallen hunters. This caused Kitamura's eye to twitch slightly. "You're dismissed."

"Sir."

Kitamura bowed slightly to Shigeo and swiftly left the large office. Shigeo eyed the retreating Surveillance team chief leave with an amused expression. At the sound of the doors closing, Shigeo spun on his chair and stood to his feet. He walked towards the large glass doors that led outside to the building's roof patio. Walking past the outdoor bar and pool, Shigeo came to a stop next to a man dressed in a black sweatshirt and purple hoodie.

"So, Goto-san. What do you think of the so-called double dungeon?" Shigeo asked as he leaned on the railing. His eyes looked over the city of Tokyo as a king would their kingdom.

"A double dungeon hasn't appeared in Japan in five years. For one to appear now without warning and to leave so abruptly makes me doubt that fool's investigation." Goto Ryuji said as he looked on at the city with disinterest. "But then, if what he said is true, then there's something else going on."

"Is that right?"

"Yes. According to my contacts in Korea, another double dungeon appeared a few weeks back." Goto said, bringing Shigeo's attention away from the city. "Details behind it are scarce. It seems that the association there covered it up. But what I did find was that there were six hunters who survived the encounter."

"Six? Were they strong?" Shigeo asked with curiosity. Goto shook his head and frowned in annoyance.

"No, they were all B-rank and below." Goto said. "I'm beginning to think that the difficulty of the double dungeons has been blown out of proportion."

Goto turned away from the city and looked over to one of the outdoor tables nearby. A folder full of signed documents sat on the surface, a small glass of whiskey weighing the folder down. Shigeo turned to the papers and smirked.

"So, how is your wedding coming along? I hear the youngest daughter of the Yukinoshita family is quite the beauty." Shigeo said with a suggestive grin.

"The wedding is nothing but a means to an end. I have no interest in that child." Goto said while grabbing the glass of whiskey. The cubes of ice swirled around the glass as Goto swayed his hand. "Unfortunately, If I want to have the next Prime Minister in my pocket. I have to deal with that woman."

"Ah, Yukinoshita Haruno. S-rank hunter and the guild master of the Yuki-Ryoshi Guild." Shigeo said with annoyance. "If we want our future plans to succeed, we'll have to find a way to get that woman out of the picture."

"Easier said than done. She is second to me in strength in this country. Not to mention all her government contacts and allies, I'm even hearing talks of her working alongside the Scavenger guild on one of their current S-rank gates. Not to mention her ties with the Hunters guild in Korea." Goto said with a tense smile. "Her influence isn't something to underestimate. However…"

Goto drank his remaining whiskey and turned to the starry night sky. His eyes glowed white with power and malicious intent. A slow chuckle escaped his lips as the glass in his hand shattered into chunks.

"Perhaps now that I have her dear little sister in my hands, maybe it's time she learns to play by our rules. Less something unfortunate happens to my bride-to-be."

x x x

When it was time to leave the Realm of Chaos, I decided to bring Riko back with me to Earth. If it came down to it, I could explain the situation by calling her my summon. But for someone who's not classified as a mage, that explanation would be tough to believe. But I'd cross that road when I get to it. That meant the first hurdle I had to cross was explaining to Riko that I was capable of world-hopping; she didn't believe me at first, but when we crossed over to Earth…

"Ohhhh!"

She could only stand back and gawk at the new world she was now in.

Riko looked out at the city of Chiba in awe. But when she looked over to the far-off city lights of Tokyo, she was fully convinced that she was now in a completely different dimension.

I could have gone without her looking at me as if I were a walking deity. Then again, from her perspective, I just performed god-tier magic that transcended anything before seen in the Realm of Chaos. Safe to say, if she wasn't entirely devoted to me before. She definitely was now, for better or for worse.

All this brings me back to my current situation.

Just how am I supposed to bring Riko into my apartment without freaking Komachi out?

Being a hunter meant I was used to the sight of magical beasts and the magical aspects of the dungeons. But for regular civilians like Komachi, seeing a magical beast would be a shocking and terrifying experience. An average person would only see a magic beast during a dungeon break; this correlated in their minds that any creature they see from the other world would be a threat.

I looked down at Riko, her body moving back and forth on the roof of my apartment building while looking around in wonder. In terms of magical beasts, Riko was the most appealing magic beast to look at. Maybe even cute. If one wasn't looking close enough, Riko could be confused with a plushy.

Maybe Komachi would take it well?

"Master! Look at all those fast-moving creatures! They seem to have some sort of heavy armor." Riko said while watching the cars below drive through the city. "Are you going to fight them as well?"

Never mind. I have to teach her about how this world operates if I'm going to bring her back and forth.

I inspected Riko's size and figured she would fit inside the old backpack that I used for dungeon raids. Reaching into my inventory, I noticed that I hadn't stored my backpack in the infinite space. There goes that plan.

But before I could close the inventory screen, I saw something else that could work for my plan to sneak Riko inside. Pulling out an old laundry bag, I kneeled and opened the bag wide.

"Riko. I need you to jump inside."

"Pardon?"

After turning on incognito mode, I walked into the building and headed down the stairs to the floor where my apartment was located. All the while trying to look as inconspicuous as possible with a large laundry bag that occasionally moved. While I was walking through one of the halls of the building, I nodded at one of my neighbors, who was holding a paper bag with bread. She looked surprised to see me and smiled at me in greeting, from what I remembered from Komachi. This girl happened to be deaf but was a lovely person. I'm sure there was more to her, but I zoned out when Komachi made suggestive comments about her.

"Don't you think Shouko-chan is cute, Onii-chan? Why don't you go ask her out?"

"Master. Why am I inside this bag? Are we traveling through enemy territory?" Riko said, breaking me out of the memory.

"I'll explain later. Just try to remain as still as possible."

"As you wish, Master."

Reaching my apartment door, I made my way inside with the laundry bag in my right arm. I noticed Komachi cooking tonight's dinner. Closing the door as quietly as possible, I began making my way to the small closet where I stored my hunter gear.

"Onii-chan." Komachi said abruptly. Her arms crossed over her apron while looking at me suspiciously. Mission failed.

"Yes, my wonderful Imouto?" Nevertheless, I made sure to keep my poker face.

She directs her suspicious gaze towards the very noticeable big bag. Thankfully, Riko froze in her movements and remained as still as possible. "What is that?"

"Dirty laundry." I answered immediately, lying as naturally as I breathed.

"Don't we do that every weekend?"

"We do; unfortunately, I had an…accident outside."

"An accident."

"Yes."

The two of us stood still, simply staring at each other in an awkward silence. The only sound that filled the room was the boiling liquid inside the cooking pot. Komachi squinted her eyes at me with suspicion and slight disgust.

"...what kind?"

"I'd rather not say."

"..."

Komachi sighed and turned back to the boiling pot to resume her cooking. I felt the respect my sister had for me drop to dangerous levels. Please don't think too lowly of your foolish brother, Komachi. My heart won't be able to take it.

I opened the closet door and placed Riko down. Opening the bag, I looked down at Riko, who was staring at me with confusion. She began speaking in a hushed whisper.

"I wasn't aware Master was capable of speaking different languages. It doesn't sound like anything I've heard in the Realm of Chaos." Riko said, her voice laced with amazement. "Are you perhaps a scholar as well, Master?"

"What do you mean? I've been speaking Japanese this entire time." I said in confusion.

"But Master, you've been speaking the tongue of magical beasts this entire time. I am also fluent in Terrish, the language of the Terrans. So this is my first time hearing this Japanese language." Riko said with a tilt of her head.

Alright, this level of convenience was starting to disturb me.

It's one thing to give me a prompt to translate a letter written in a language I couldn't understand, but for it to automatically translate what I said without even letting me know?

I scowled deeply, not liking those implications.

"Eep!"

Oops.

I focused back on Riko and saw that she had shrunken away in fright. Forcing my scowl back, I gave her what I hoped was a sheepish smile in apology.

She shrank further back.

Oh, come on.

I then realized that I'd taken Riko from her world and into a place where no one else understood but me. The thought that I'd isolated her here made me feel awful.

"What are you doing, Gomi-chan? Looking over your accident?" Komachi's muffled voice suddenly called out from behind the closet door, thick with disgust.

"Ah! I'm just… cleaning my gear! I do have an upcoming dungeon raid, after all." I answered back quickly. I returned my attention to Riko with a sigh. "Listen, Riko. The voice you're hearing belongs to my sister. I need you to stay here and stay quiet. This world isn't used to magical creatures walking around freely. So she's not ready to meet you just yet."

The slime finally relaxed, giving me her version of a nod. "I see, very well. I'll do as Master says."

I nodded at her and closed the door. Kamakura jumped down from the couch he was on and pawed at the closet door with a curious meow.

I did feel slightly guilty about keeping Riko stored inside a small, dark closet. But it couldn't be helped at the moment. I'd have to figure out how to get Riko to learn Japanese and find a way to introduce her to Komachi.

I thought Riko would make my life easier, not more complicated. Hah… I need a shower.

After taking a quick shower and bath, Komachi and I had dinner. The dinner itself was fine, except for the suspicious looks Komachi would give me when she thought I wasn't looking. Soon enough, it became time to go to sleep. I lay on my bed, which happened to also be the family couch, considering this was a one-bedroom apartment, and stared up at the ceiling with tired eyes.

But before I turned in for the night, I pulled out my forgotten phone from my inventory to check my emails or any messages from the association. As soon as I turned on my phone, several, and I mean several, missed phone calls and text messages scrolled along the screen.

All from someone I knew was very temperamental, whom I just so happened to forget elucidating about the double dungeon. Nervously, I dialed the number of my mentor, Hiratsuka Shizuka.

"There's no way she knows... right?" I muttered as I walked out to my apartment's small balcony. I didn't have to wait long for the other end to pick up.

"Wataru's ramen bar. Right. Now."

Without being able to say anything in return, Hiratsuka-sensei quickly cut off the call. I stared off into space for a while and sighed deeply.

"Yep. I'm dead."

x x x

"Welcome!"

I nodded at the familiar cook working behind the counter. Taking a deep breath, I felt my mouth water and my stomach growl in hunger. The smell of the ramen shop's signature broth and freshly made noodles assaulted my senses. Despite how late it was, the ramen shop had plenty of customers slurping their food with gusto.

I went to a familiar corner of the restaurant, body heavy with the knowledge of my own impending doom. Hiratsuka-sensei is not a woman who likes being kept in the dark for important matters. Her fury is legendary, and I have been on its receiving end more times than I'd like to remember. It seems that today, I would be given a grim reminder.

Sure enough, I found her by our usual table, and I had to force myself not to run away once her dangerously cold and irritated glare landed upon me.

Calming my nerves by taking another—much deeper— breath, I quickly told old Wataru my order and moved over to sit.

For some reason, the sound of the wooden chair scratching along the floor was unbearably loud today. Even as I sat, I could not help but notice how the chair creaking was just a few decibels louder.

"S-Sensei."

"…"

"I see you ordered the tonkotsu ramen today. Looks delicious as always."

"…"

The tense silence stretched on for what felt like several excruciating minutes. Hiratsuka-sensei held her withering glare at me without saying a single word, and I shifted uncomfortably under its glacial intensity, waiting with bated breath for her to finally say something.

Eventually, old man Wataru placed my order in front of me. I thanked him, but I kept my attention on my mentor. She still refused to speak. I held back a sigh and continued to wait for her judgment upon me.

In many ways, this silence was also more agonizing than anything else she's put me through.

When I awakened my powers nearly a year ago, I knew it was only logical to pursue a career as a Hunter. Thus, it was with this train of thought that I deferred to Hiratsuka Shizuka, herself an accomplished hunter, for her wisdom and advice on how to be a successful hunter.

Let it never be said that Hiratsuka Shizuka ever does things half-cocked.

Indeed, Hiratsuka-sensei gave me more than just advice; she took me under her wing and–

–Made me go through months of hellish torture that she referred to as 'training.'

Example being:

"C'mon! Put your back into it, Hikigaya!"

"Damnit, I can't split this boulder with my bare hands! This isn't a shonen anime!"

"That sounds like quitter talk to me!"

And other unbelievable tasks that would put my body in tremendous pain

Naturally, with my body in extreme agony under her inhumane methods, I protested and questioned the need for it. Hunters never grew physically stronger. They were simply born with what power they had.

Sensei just punched me into the ground and told me to get back to work. Face full of dirt, I had begun to wonder if all of this pain was worth it.

She then proved to me why it was.

Her physical training simply laid the foundations of what came next; Hiratsuka-sensei began to teach me how to wield weapons of varying types: Short swords, axes, spears, and many more.

And yes, this included knowing how to throw hands. She told me this was a last resort, used only when my weapon broke or if I was disarmed.

With my body prepared because of her torturous training, I took to learning how to wield these weapons with better ease. She showed me the best ways to fight magical beasts in the lower levels, how I could spot weaknesses, and how I could best take advantage of them.

It was grueling, but I received her lessons with fewer complaints.

Alongside these practical lessons, Hiratsuka-sensei drilled into my cranium all the tips and tricks she learned during her time as a hunter, including how to traverse a dungeon more efficiently. She even brought me several books filled with every known monster type that could be found within C through E rank Gates.

Information like this was a weapon in and of itself; hence, while my strength was sorely lacking, I could substitute it with knowledge and timing. This obviously didn't make fighting the magic beasts any easier. Just more manageable.

It was thanks to her teachings that I could successfully collect the meager essence stones from the weaker enemies I encountered in my dungeon raids. Even if the battle was won by the skin of my teeth, I could safely say I wouldn't be alive or in one piece if it weren't for her.

That is to say, I owed her quite a lot.

"A week and a half." She finally said, after what felt like forever. "You encountered a double dungeon a week and a half ago. When were you planning on telling me you survived something like that?" Her voice was firm, her words delivered stoically.

And had I been anyone else, I probably would not have seen the tremble on her lips as she spoke. It was a small thing, barely visible to the naked eye, yet I could see it plain as day.

I knew what it meant. A woman of her stature was loath to show weakness so publicly, for even a tiny glimpse of that to be so visible shows that she was quite deeply concerned for my well-being.

Well, now I feel like a piece of shit.

In this past year, I've learned that life is cruel and unforgiving. Losing our parents meant that Komachi and I would only have ourselves to depend on. So, becoming a Hunter was in itself a rewarding but dangerous prospect; it would leave my little sister all by herself with no one to go to for help if anything were to happen to me.

I could come back home to Komachi because Hiratsuka-sensei had gone above and beyond to train me, and I lived through so many dungeons through learning from her. She became a constant in my life, never turning me away whenever I asked for more advice and help.

Perhaps it was true that I was heavily preoccupied by all the recent things that happened to me. Regardless, I should have been in contact with Hiratsuka-sensei.

Because I value my relationship with her, and I refuse to damage it with callous actions.

So, there is, of course, one simple recourse:

Standing up from my seat, I bowed deeply.

"I'm sorry, Sensei." I offered my apology sincerely. "I should have told you sooner."

There was silence once again. I did not raise my head, resolute in waiting for her answer.

"Hah… sit down, Hikigaya." Hiratsuka said with a tired sigh. I raised my head to watch her cold expression slowly melt into a relieved smile. "I'm just happy you're okay."

A wave of relief hits me with her response, so I simply nod and sit back down with a sigh. Her smile became more amused before she shook her head slightly and began to eat her ramen. I followed her, noting that while the ramen had cooled off a bit, it was strangely more delicious than I remember.

Once we were done, we caught up on what we had been up to, and Hiratsuka regaled me with her most recent success: Clearing a B-rank dungeon without a single casualty. It seems that being in charge of teaching the ropes to the new round of recruits had borne fruit.

"It seems like you'll never escape being a teacher, Sensei."

"Seems so."

I began to tell her how I'd reconnected with Yuigahama and our attempts to speak to Yukinoshita. Hiratsuka's smile grew very wide at that. Sadly, Yukinoshita was hard to track, so our grand reunion was put on hold. Hiratsuka nodded at that and sipped her third glass of beer.

"I'm happy that you three are willing to patch things together. I'm happy for you, Hikigaya. You'll see that as you get older, making friends will only get tougher and tougher. So it's important to treasure the ones you have now." Hiratsuka said with a small smile. A smile that soon melted away. "Hikigaya, have you gone on a dungeon raid since the double dungeon?"

"Ah… no, I've been taking it easy. Komachi's orders." I said while looking off to the side. Actually, I've been grinding away in another world in constant bloody battles on my own. But I'll keep that to myself.

"I see." Hiratsuka said with one final swig of her drink, emptying the glass cup. "There seem to be rumors floating around the fact that you were the lone survivor."

"Rumors?" I said in confusion. But how? No one other than the association and I knew about it. Could it have been leaked? Was it that woman, Nakano? She didn't seem to like me very much. "What kind of rumors?"

Hiratsuka thanked the young server who had been bringing her beer refills. She looked at me briefly as if to weigh whether or not to tell me what the tuner mill had cooked up. "There are some who are calling you a coward. That you left your raid team to die while you focused on saving your own life. Others are saying that it was a miracle you survived at all. Double dungeons are notoriously difficult, so some are sympathetic."

"In other words, it's a mixed bag." I said with an annoyed huff. "Just what I needed."

"Hikigaya… how are you? Really?" Hiratsuka asked and laid a comforting hand over my own. "Do you want to talk about what happened in there?"

Screams of my dying raid party resounded in my mind. Images of the flowing streams of lava cascading from the mouths of the stone dragons played over the massacre of my fellow hunters. Furutani's decapitated head fell in slow motion in the background as Sakura's lifeless body rested in my arms. The soft, meaty thuds of Mori's head filled my ears as blood ran down the freshly made slices on the palm of my hand. The torrent of flames that burned my skin, flesh, and bones. Filling my entire being with the most indescribable sensation of pain crawled up my skin like a ghostly touch.

"Hikigaya?"

"I'm fine, Sensei... just fine."