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 20

We continued strolling along, cutting through whatever monsters got in our way.

Any edible ones were dismantled for meat, any useful parts were collected as materials, and anything worthless was reduced to dust beneath our feet.

That was when we encountered a massive, ominous-looking hatch.

Beyond it was nothing but a dungeon wall, which meant this was probably the entrance to the boss room on the 99th floor.

If it’s underground, that means it’s probably a mole, an ant, or a snake.

None of those sound like fun opponents.

Suppressing my growing annoyance, I grabbed the hatch and kicked it open, sending it flying into the air.

CLANG!

WHOOOOOSH…

THUD.

…Something hit the hatch and plummeted to the ground.

It landed with a loud crash—too quickly, in fact.

Turns out, there was no boss room beneath the hatch. It was just solid ground.

The thing that fell was a massive butterfly—or maybe a moth-like monster.

Mothr—? Batra—?

Wait, why’s there a fairy with it? Shouldn’t there be two of them?

“Why are you looking at me?”

“Not nearly as beautiful…”

“How rude! Effie is everyone’s beloved fairy idol!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

She’s a fluffy little mascot, sure, but idol might be a stretch.

Still, another bug-type monster?

Why the hell are there insects in the Pacific Dungeon?

This is an ocean—shouldn’t we be fighting fish or some kind of aquatic creatures?

Where are my elegant, sexy mermaids, damn it?!

…Actually, never mind. If I say that out loud, Haruka might actually cosplay as one.

She really does love cosplay. Not that I mind—I’d be happy if she did it more.

As I got lost in my thoughts, a barrage of shockwaves shot toward us.

Of course, I either dodged or deflected them.

Haruka, Yokota, and Effie avoided them as well, but in that moment, the monster took to the sky.

Its flashy, metallic body confirmed my suspicions—it was made of metal, just like the others.

Absolutely nothing about this dungeon screams “Pacific.”

And then—

‘To think I would encounter the accursed Zanmasei in a place like this! A stroke of fortune, indeed! My subordinates’ reports were accurate. Prepare yourselves, you wretched ground crawlers!’

…It talked.

Hold up.

No one in this world has ever encountered a monster that can talk.

And now that this is being streamed, at least 10,000 people just witnessed it.

Chat:
Did that thing just… talk?!
What the hell is a Zanmasei? Isn’t Effie just a regular fairy?
Maybe it’s talking about Koichi? He’s got his sword drawn.
Wait, Koichi isn’t human?!
I mean… he does slice through space itself like it’s nothing.

“Shut up. I am human. My mother was, too.”

Kamiya: Koichi. There’s never a dull moment around you, is there?

Chat:
LOL, the chairman is here.
The Association is already drowning in paperwork because of Kazuno, and now Koichi just dropped another bomb on them.

Mikawa Yumeno: Onii~~~! Koichi-kun’s oniiii~~~!

Chat:
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Man, I wanna hear a cute girl call me “onii~~” too…
Gross…
Mikawa: Gross…
Oof…
LOLOLOL

“I don’t know what this Zanmasei thing is, but I’m taking you down.”

‘If you think you can, human, then try!’

“See? He just confirmed I’m human.”

Chat:
I refuse to accept this…
You’re telling me the guy who casually obliterates high-rank monsters at speeds we can’t even see is human?!
The same guy who radiates real-life pressure through a screen?!
The same guy who shamelessly flirts with Haruka?!

“You’re all just messing around now, aren’t you?!”

Chat:
WE’RE SO SORRY~~~
Forgive us~~~
LOLOLOL

Seriously.

Well, whatever. It’s fun, and Haruka seems entertained.

The real problem is the monster in front of us.

Since it can talk, I should make it talk more.

I need to find out why it’s targeting Effie—and if it knows anything about the dungeon.

So, get ready—

‘Tremble before me, insignificant human! I am the mighty Insect Lord! Kneel before me alongside that wretched Zanmasei!’

Damn, that was dramatic.

But the moment I sent a slash flying at it, it dropped like a rock.

Of course, I didn’t just slice at it normally.

I sent my blade through space, embedding the attack directly inside its body.

It had no way to dodge.

Its wings were severed from the inside, and as it crashed to the ground, it just stared in shock—like, what just happened?

I followed up by punting it into the dungeon wall.

And for good measure, I walked up and punched it as hard as I could.

A spray of glowing green liquid burst into the air.

…Gross.

Chat:
Damn, no mercy.
I thought he’d capture it and interrogate it, but he just instantly wrecked it.
Haruka looks… slightly disturbed. Is she okay?

“Eh? No, I’m fine. I just… wow, he’s strong.”

Chat:
Oh, she’s totally smitten. No problem here.
“Headache is hurting” energy lol.
Haruka and Yokota didn’t even get to do anything. This party is too OP.
The god himself…

“Just so we’re clear, this thing isn’t dead yet. Now, start talking.”

‘Guh… this… this can’t be…’

Chat:
Wait, it’s alive?!
It got impaled, slammed into a wall, and beaten, and it’s still conscious?! That’s gotta be hell.
Damn… brutal.
And now Koichi’s forcing it to talk. LOL.

There’s no way I’d just kill something like this without making it spill everything it knows first.

I just needed to break its spirit first.

Otherwise, it might resist, and that’d be annoying.