When I returned from exploring the dungeon to save the world, I found out that my lover had been stolen, and I was blamed for the failed expedition. Enraged, I quit Japan's strongest party—only for them to self-destruct on their own. - Chapter 17

And so, here we are, walking through the Pacific Dungeon.

We’re currently on the 80th floor.

The last time Effie and I came here, we reached the 79th floor. From there, I forcefully tore open a space and traveled to the 60th floor of the Tokyo Dungeon to rescue Haruka and Yokota.

Naturally, I had already marked the location at that time.

And no, before anyone asks, I didn’t mark it the way animals do by peeing in the shadows of the dungeon.

I use magic to leave a mark.

Then, when I return, I can just aim for that mark and teleport there in an instant.

“I still can’t believe it… How are you even able to do something like that?”

Apparently, this method wasn’t common knowledge.

I just did it because I could, but even when I tried teaching others, none of them could replicate it.

Having to progress through every floor manually or rely on magic tools for transportation just seems inefficient…

I honestly don’t know why it doesn’t work for other people, so I can’t explain it.

Chat:
Because it’s Sir Koichi.
Of course, it’s Koichi.
Koichi is amazing… right?
Why the question mark???
Koichi is amazing. After all, he managed to bring Haruka here while she was still in that reindeer outfit.

Stop bringing that up.

I already got slapped hard for that.

I convinced her to wear it, then told her we were heading to the Pacific Dungeon. While she was still processing the situation, I picked her up and teleported.

She’s only cooperating with this exploration because I reassured her about how popular she’s gotten on stream and how our viewer count has shot up.

I’m just relieved I didn’t give her the other outfit I bought—the sheer, risqué reindeer lingerie.

Earlier this morning, I dragged Effie out of her cozy, warm nap and forced Yokota—who had been gaming late into the night—to come along. Then, using my abilities, I transported us straight to the 79th floor of the Pacific Dungeon, crushed the monster that had attacked Effie last time underfoot, and started making our way forward.

I only recently learned that Yokota, despite rarely speaking even before and after we formed “Myoujou,” is actually an insanely skilled gamer who demolishes the competition while chatting at lightning speed.

Before I started streaming, I wanted to get a feel for it and asked her about it. That’s when I found out she had done gaming streams before. She showed me an old archive, and Haruka and I were left speechless.

She fully utilized her explorer-level reflexes. Her keyboard movements were too fast for the eye to track, she effortlessly crushed professional gamers, and, most unsettling of all, she had this gleeful smile as she mercilessly obliterated her opponents.

Anyway, that’s irrelevant right now.

She’s a streamer, but technically, she’s a Vtuber. She never shows her real face.

Chat:
Natsuki seems to have a great figure, maybe she could do cosplay—never mind, I was just joking.
She shot him a death glare in record time lmao.
I want to pet Effie.
I want to lick Effie.
Effie is too cute.

“What is this? It’s terrifying.”

“Hey, don’t scare Effie.”

Seriously… If she runs away, it’s on them.

Chat:
We’re sorry.
Our bad.
Please don’t erase us.
The pressure… Ugh…

“I’m not doing anything. Besides, I’m inside the Pacific Dungeon. How could I possibly pressure you guys all the way back in Japan?”

Chat:
You never said it was impossible though.
Yeah, remember that stream? I suddenly got chills, then a headache, then nausea, and I started questioning why I was even alive…
It was like a curse lmao.
The Curse of Koichi… terrifying…
Couldn’t you have erased Kazuno that way…?

“If I got caught using it on an explorer, I’d probably get kicked out of the Association.”

Chat:
He never said he couldn’t do it.
Kazuno really picked a fight with the worst possible person, huh…
Koichi, how did you even get this strong?

“Me? I dunno. I just locked myself in dungeons ever since I was a kid with the sword my uncle gave me, and here we are.”

“You started isolating yourself in dungeons all of a sudden, didn’t you?”

Haruka tilted her head and touched her cheek as she recalled.

She was right.

There were many reasons—I thought swords were cool and wanted to try using one, I enjoyed the feeling of getting stronger, I loved the idea of seeing places no one had reached before. On top of that, I had fun discovering new ways to use magic.

Then, one day, as I was blindly swinging my sword, I accidentally cut through something.

What, you ask?

Space itself.

A tear appeared in midair.

I was too scared to stick my hand inside, so I sent my magic through it instead. What I sensed on the other side was a place I had already visited within the same dungeon.

From there, I experimented. I kept channeling magic into the tears until I could control the destination. Eventually, I didn’t even need the sword anymore.

At that moment, I thought to myself: Maybe I’m a genius.

Chat:
No, you’re actually a genius.
I bet even the dungeon itself is baffled.
Normally, you need a teleportation stone to move between floors, right?
Even then, you can only travel to designated locations. Koichi, you can teleport exactly where you want. That’s insane.
You jumped from the 79th floor of the Pacific Dungeon to the 60th floor of the Tokyo Dungeon. That makes no sense lmao.

“Since I remember Haruka’s magic signature, I could probably teleport to her no matter where she is on Earth.”

“Oh my g—Koichi♡”

Chat:
For a second, I thought a full-blown stalker was born, but Haruka looks so happy that I can’t even be mad.
Dude, if he remembers your magic signature, he could pop up at any moment. How are you so calm?
This is terrifying…

“I’m not going to do that.”

The chat’s energy was infectious, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

Haruka, who had been holding my hand the whole time, seemed to be in a good mood again.

Even pointless banter like this had its uses.