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 49

By the time we had hunted every last Trent, a new type of monster appeared.

It was a Lizardman.

“GWAHAHAHAHA! DO YOU DESIRE THE GREATEST WEAPON IN HISTORY?!”

“…Huh? What?”

For some reason, it suddenly shouted dramatically.

“If you want it, then defeat me! Slay me, and you shall obtain materials greater than anything your pathetic kind has ever seen!”

“…Sigh.”

Why do talking monsters always act like this?

“DO YOU WANT TO FORGE A COOL AND STYLISH WEAPON?!”

“YES! The coolest! The strongest!”

…Why is Effie getting hyped?!

You’re literally the least weapon-compatible fluffball here!

Wait, did it say ‘materials’…?

Not the ridiculously badass sword it’s wielding, but just materials?

If that’s the case, the Trents we killed earlier already dropped black, metallic steel plates, which looked like decent weapon material.

Since this Lizardman had the same dark, glossy texture, maybe it would drop similar materials?

So, I beat the crap out of it.

Right before it vanished into mist, it let out a “Rameee~” scream, leaving behind a black steel plate.

“Wait, this is literally the same thing?!”

“No, check the appraisal. It’s different. The Trent’s material was Black Metal, but the Lizardman’s is Dark Steel.”

“…What’s the difference?”

I couldn’t tell at all.

To me, the only real difference was one was written in katakana, the other in kanji.

“THE COOLNESS, FOOL! THE COOLNESS!!!”

A second Lizardman appeared while we were still examining the materials.

So, in short… they’re basically the same thing.

Not wanting to waste more time, I sliced through all of them with my katana.

“Huh?”

“WHY?!”

The Demon God and the Lizardmen both looked shocked.

“Okita, I get that your physical strength is on a monstrous level thanks to magic buffs, but… how the hell are you cutting through them with a normal weapon?”

“That’s what surprises you?!”

Apparently, even I was unaware of how ridiculous my own attacks were.

But my katana isn’t even chipped.

According to KIJ’s analysis, this sword is made of Orichalcum, which is probably stronger than Dark Steel anyway.

“Let me see it for a second… Hmmm. I see. Hmm. Interesting. Alright, that’s enough.”

He inspected it for like five seconds before handing it back.

Did he figure something out?

“FAHAHAHAHA! DO YOU DESIRE A MIGHTIER WEAPON?!”

SLAASH—

I cut it down mid-sentence.

“MORE! GIVE ME MORE!!!”

“Ah…”

SLAASH—

A pale-colored one appeared.

SLAASH—

“SURPASS ME, IF YOU DARE!!!”

SLAASH—

I kept cutting down the obnoxiously loud Lizardmen one after another.

“Okita-san… you’re incredible… So cool…”

With Haruka cheering me on, I felt like I could keep going forever.

From then on, we encountered a parade of bizarre monsters:

• • A Golem that claimed it would drop gold if defeated.

• • A Dark Ruler that promised rare magic tomes upon death.

• • A Nightmare that insisted killing it would grant pleasant dreams—which completely defeated its own purpose.

• • A Succubus who tried to seduce me—only to get instantly obliterated by Haruka and Sakuya.

Seeing how much stronger the girls had become made me genuinely happy.

“If you’re gonna abandon your humanity, do it with me, alright?”

“This dungeon is full of weird monsters. It’s hilarious.”

Honestly, all talking monsters are weird.

I have never met a normal one.

Even the Demon God is a prime example.

“Glare…”

He actually said ‘glare’ out loud.

I wanted to call him out for it, but his divine pressure was real.

Guess we’re still a long way from reaching ‘godhood’.

Good to know.

Then, at last, we reached the 100th floor of the Moon Dungeon.

And there, we saw—

“…Papa?”

…What?

A figure almost identical to the Demon God, but older—a refined, well-built middle-aged man.

“Hoh… It has been a long time, Eldita.”

…That must be the Demon God’s real name?

BAAAAM!!!

Before I could react, the two of them started brawling.

The first loud impact came from the Demon God’s punch, which his so-called “Papa” caught effortlessly.

The shockwave alone sent us all flying backward.

Is this some kind of father-son deathmatch?!

Are they not on good terms or what?

I lost track of how long we watched them go at it.

It was clear that they were serious, but neither seemed to want to kill the other.

At some point, it started looking more like a professional martial arts match.

Neither of them went down.

Then, suddenly, “Papa” glanced at me.

“Eldita… so, you’ve started walking among humans?”

“…Uh…”

What kind of response was I supposed to give to that?

But then, he stared directly at me—and his expression shifted to shock.

“No… it couldn’t be… And yet…?”

“What is it?”

“Pff… Kuhuhuh…”

The Demon God started laughing.

What the hell is going on?

“Boy… are you, by any chance, the child of Ransetsu?”

“…Huh? …Oh. Uh, yeah…?”

“Then—you are my son.”

“…Excuse me?”