Chapter 42: The Thundering Beast and the Dreaming Girl 3
◆
A week had already passed since Jupiter was welcomed into the Shimizu family, thanks to Sister’s bold proposal.
At first, there were traces of concern in Jupiter’s actions due to the unfamiliar new life and the sealing measures of [Keraunos], but as time went by, her attitude gradually softened. Nowadays, it’s common to see her playing games cheerfully with Al in the living room.
This is largely due to the efforts of Sister.
Sister’s affectionate nature and Jupiter’s loneliness fit together perfectly, and the two quickly became close.
Relieved of the fear of the thunderous father figure, Jupiter is truly thriving.
This is a good sign.
I can’t thank Sister enough for becoming a place of belonging for the once-lonely girl.
Because I wish for these days to continue forever, there is something I must do.
The problem that needs to be resolved is, of course, [Keraunos].
The black thunder, a modified divine might, was installed with only the “paternal” emotion by the group of unscrupulous researchers.
If we don’t stop its rampage, true peace will never come to Jupiter.
The enemy is clear.
However, our current hand is not enough.
Even if we can predict its actions with game knowledge, without sufficient power, it’s impossible to make the thunderous father understand.
Wishing for someone’s peace while simultaneously seeking the power to defeat the enemy – why is the human existence so deeply burdened?
◆ In the Courtyard of the Dilapidated Shrine
“Gyaaaaaaaaaah!”
9 AM.
In the courtyard of the dilapidated shrine, a foul death cry echoes.
I’m kneeling on the ground, whimpering in agony from the backlash of the [Four-Dimensional Defense] and the excruciating pain in my groin, while the usual guy looks down at me, holding a bag of tortilla chips.
“Hmm. From your state, it seems you can still go on.”
“Like hell I can!”
The male symbol doesn’t get tougher, dammit!
Damn, when my specs are already down in various areas!
“Lamenting won’t help. Since the time-stopping technique I have applied to your sister, the performance output I can allocate to you has decreased. You’ll have to bear with it.”
“I know that, but still…”
I get up, panting heavily.
Yes.
This kind of drawback comes with the time-stop technique-based sealing.
Unlike the single-shot [Genesis Terminus], the time-stop technique requires continuous payment of costs to maintain the current state.
It’s like adding an extra faucet, in simple terms.
In addition to the spiritual power needed to maintain the current state, the spiritual power allocated to me, and the spiritual power to stop my sister’s curse, there’s now the spiritual power required to seal [Keraunos] – even the goddess of time cannot constantly pay such a hefty cost without some wear and tear.
Apparently, the capacity can be increased depending on the contractor’s specs and level, but in any case, it’s not an issue that can be resolved immediately.
Therefore, the current situation is that the amount of spiritual power supplied to me, the one with the least impact,
Compared to before the power has been reduced to about two-thirds of the pre-sealing level.
To be honest, it’s a significant decline in combat power.
Especially the weakening of the available time for the always-consuming [Four-Dimensional Defense] is a critical problem.
And yet…
“Isn’t it a bit too hardcore to aim for the longest record in this condition!?”
Despite the various specs being reduced to two-thirds, aiming for the longest record is quite dark, I think.
“I’ve explained this before. It’s precisely because the supply has decreased that this training will be effective.”
The demon god’s argument is this:
The difference between the skilled and the unskilled lies in the way they handle spiritual power.
The more skilled the sorcerer, the more efficiently they can construct techniques, while the unskilled waste spiritual power due to inefficient output methods.
It’s a concept similar to the [Proficiency System] that appeared in Dungeon Magic.
The Proficiency System.
It’s a learning-type growth element where improving the use of a target weapon or skill enhances its performance.
It’s a fairly common system in digital games, so I naturally got used to it when I was playing, but…when applying it to the real world, it becomes this gritty, messy specification, huh.
It would have been easy if the proficiency level just went up by defeating weak enemies, like in games, but… According to Al, “There’s no such convenient arrangement in the real world.” How harsh.
“No, I’m not trying to completely deny this training method. Through the process of maneuvering techniques with limited spiritual power, I’ve come to understand efficient technique construction a little, and I recognize that this training method is effective, especially now when the supply is reduced. … But still.”
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I hold my groin with both hands and say:
“Getting my manhood kicked up every time I fail to meet the target time is just plain wrong, don’t you think!?”
“Compared to the training where I had ruthlessly eliminated the master’s foolish son regardless of whether the goal was achieved or not, this is a considerable concession.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to kick me in the balls!?”
Ultimately, that’s the crux of it.
It’s not that I dislike the training itself.
It’s the getting kicked in the balls that I dislike.
At this point, they’ve literally kicked my one and only weak point.
Damn, it still hurts. It’s throbbing painfully.
“Are you whining again, Master? The outcome of the next battle hinges on how well you can maintain the ‘Four-Dimensional Defense’.”
“Guh…”
Calm down, kyouichiro.
The underling boss’s opinion is a sleight of hand that only appears to be stating facts.
There is no causal relationship between extending the maintainable duration of the ‘Four-Dimensional Defense’ and getting kicked in the masculine symbol.
There just isn’t!
“Don’t avert your eyes from reality. Records show that in order to escape the fear of being kicked in the testicles, Master has drawn out more than the limit of his power. You should start acknowledging that you are the type of person who gets motivated when your testicles are kicked.”
“Don’t call me a pervert!”
Even as I grumbled, my body was preparing for the training.
“Oh my, your body is quite honest, isn’t it? How obedient, Master.”
“If I’m so obedient, I’d have already escaped this hell.”
Ugh, I don’t want this.
I know it’s going to hurt like hell, but my body moves on its own anyway.
As much as I don’t want to admit it, there seems to be a part of me that prioritizes the well-being of my comrades over the worries about my crotch.
That part forcibly moves my unwilling body and rushes towards the path of death.
What a heroic way of thinking, I almost want to give myself a round of applause.
“Please, if possible, don’t kick me in the crotch.”
“Even as you plead pitifully, your determination to move forward is admirable. Well then, shall we be on our way?”
A pure white beauty with a perfect appearance dashes through the temple grounds as the morning sunlight filters in.
If I get kicked in that state with a running start, my crotch will definitely be outraged.
“AAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH!”
That’s why I deployed the ‘Four-Dimensional Defense’ to protect my manly dignity.
Ah, how merciless.
kyouichiro Shimizu has no days of rest.
◆ Dungeon City Sakuraka – 336th Dungeon [Eternal Darkness]
After completing the hellish training with Al, I headed straight for the [Eternal Darkness].
The purpose is a simulated battle against Haruka.
By using a simulation battle, I can experience the swordsmanship of the Tenrin swordsman without risking my life.
Haruka is a genius.
Moreover, she’s different from the ordinary prodigies.
She was able to perfectly copy the secret technique of a swordsman who was said to be among the top five in the history of DanMachi, just from my verbal explanation.
I was speechless at the time.
She was claiming something about the reproducibility with a serious face, but that technique was originally considered practically impossible, you know?
The fact that she succeeded in making it a viable technique is enough to change the history of swordsmanship.
It’s both terrifying and exciting to think about how much she’ll grow in the future.
As expected, the result of the simulated battle against this world-class master was a complete defeat.
“Yay! It was fun today too!”
Haruka happily drinks down a lactic acid beverage while stretching towards the evening sky with a beaming face.
As always, Haruka is in top form today.
“Good work. I’ve learned a lot from you today as well, Kyouichiro-sensei.”
“No, I’m the one who’s learned a lot from you, Haruka-san.”
We exchange solemn bows, only to burst out laughing immediately after.
Spending time with this person is always special.
No matter how hard the training was, being with Haruka somehow rejuvenates me.
“But Kyou-san seemed a bit off today. Did something happen?”
As she sits down on the outdoor bench, Haruka makes a keen observation.
…Can she really tell?
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