Chapter 105
Finger Man murmured in an exceptionally detached tone.
"Excalibur"
——Snap.
Finger Man activated his own divine fingertip, 'Finger Snap Lv6', a skill only he had attained. He burned away his own life, summoning the power of the divine realm. HP 10,000: ATK 30,000,000—an aurora of pure destruction. An inescapable flame that annihilates all. A massive explosion erupted, sending a towering column of fire into the air.
It blasted away the black mist and singed Finger Man's own skin. Of course, Trigger Happy's pale skin got a little scorched too. The only reason it was just a little was thanks to Finger Man's skillful control. If he hadn't been able to manage it, she'd be cooked to a crisp by now.
Trigger Happy squinted against the searing light. She sensed annihilation. In that wave of destruction, all beings were equally powerless. She was stunned by the fact that a single human had caused all this. It chilled her to the bone. This was calamity incarnate. Not something wrought by human hands. That's what she thought.
"Finger Man, so this is your ability... Excalibur (Even just the skill name gives off insane vibes...)"
Finger Man didn't answer.
He simply stared into the darkness ravaged by light and heat, his gaze hidden behind his sunglasses.
"The experience points..."
Finger Man muttered under his breath.
Trigger Happy couldn't make sense of what he meant.
("The experience points... keikenchi ga... W-wait... could it be—'Kill can't gone'... 'The hunt never ends'...")
Blood ties can't be denied.
Thanks to the keen deductive skills she inherited from her sister, Trigger Happy became certain that Finger Man had the soul of a wolf starving for battle with powerful monsters.
A silence that sent chills down her spine.
Time passed slowly.
The pillar of fire scattered and unraveled, fading away.
It looked like a meteor returning from Earth to the stars.
Threads of light and trails of heat. Melted earth. Only a red-hot crater remained, and given time, the sight they'd just witnessed would fade into the past.
But the image of light and heat was seared into the backs of Trigger Happy's eyes like burn marks. She would never forget it. That miraculous blaze. That heroic Finger Snap.
After the heat subsided, for a while, Trigger Happy couldn't speak. Even the birds and bugs seemed to sense the mood, exchanging glances but making no sound.
It was Finger Man who broke the silence.
"Happy-san, you should regroup with the other explorers soon. I think that fire pillar drew too much attention."
"......What about you?"
"I told you. I've got things to do."
Finger Man understood.
That somehow, he was meant to be the one protecting this girl named Trigger Happy. And that for her, this dungeon was an incredibly harsh place.
"Things to do... What exactly?"
"Oh, just hogging all the experience poin—uh, I mean, unraveling the mystery of this dungeon and smashing whatever conspiracy lies within... No, actually, never mind. That's it. We're done talking."
Finger Man lightly pushed up his sunglasses with his middle finger. His cryptic response almost let his true thoughts slip, but he managed to course-correct and tried to sound cool. Unfortunately, his brain couldn't keep up, and the result was a total reset.
The insect made a "gii..." sound, as if exasperated—though that was probably just her imagination.
(Finger Man... I'd heard he was a secretive guy. Figures. Looks like he's not going to give up any info that would help me learn who he really is.)
Trigger Happy tried to probe further, but suddenly remembered her sister. Her sister was like a perfect superhuman. She had every talent imaginable. But she was secretive and rarely spoke about herself.
Her sister had climbed to heights far out of reach. No matter how much time passed, she could never catch up. That overwhelming distance she felt between them—she now felt it with Finger Man too.
People on a different level are often unfathomable. Trigger Happy knew that. And so——
"Heh, ahahaha."
And so, Trigger Happy suddenly burst out laughing.
Finger Man didn't know what had gotten to her, but he was quietly happy to see her smiling after wearing a grim face for so long.
"This is so dumb. I give up. Can't believe someone like you exists. Fine, Finger Man. I'll leave everything to you."
That's what Trigger Happy said, and then asked in a suddenly casual tone, "Everyone's over that way, right?"
"Yes, Gii-san guaranteed it, so there's no mistake."
Finger Man proudly lifted the soft-bodied Calamity creature. Its surface was smooth and felt nice to the touch.
"Hehe, I see. Thanks, Gii-san."
"Gii."
"But I'm not going. I'll help you out."
She looked over at the corpse of the man impaled by silver roots.
"Explorers aren't allowed to interfere in the Archon Dungeon, and normally no one would even think of trying... But Finger Man, if you've got a goal, I won't try to stop you."
"Thank you very much."
(Finger Man... I thought he might be a wicked person the more I learned, but I was wrong. He's a good guy. He saved me twice. And he doesn't let his strength go to his head. But I'm sure he's hiding something. A depth no one else can know.)
Trigger Happy decided not to pry any further into the enigmatic urban legend himself.
She wanted to uncover every secret. To know the truth behind the rumors. Of course, she felt that urge. But she suppressed it all—because she wanted to trust this man.
"So what now? Normally we should be trying to escape as soon as possible, but..."
Trigger Happy asked with an oddly excited look. It was a kind of thrill that needed no reason. A pure, childlike hope she hadn't felt in ages. She felt like this superhuman in front of her might just lead her on an adventure she'd never experienced.
"I suppose the first step is retrieval."
"Retrieval?"
Finger Man pulled a lighter from his pocket, flipped it open with a 'chak', and held it up with a composed expression. As particles of light gathered from the glowing crater, they funneled into the lighter. The birds going "chee-chee-chee!" in excitement probably wasn't just her imagination.
After collecting the particles of light, Finger Man descended into the crater. At its center lay the silver monster's corpse, hideously exposed. Naturally, it wasn't breathing or moving.
Trigger Happy gasped.
(So the rumors were true. He really did kill it with just one finger snap... That's insane.)
"Found it. As I thought, they all carry one."
"Gii. (Translation: It would seem so, my master.)"
Muttering to himself, Finger Man picked up something and returned to the crater's edge. With smooth motion, he attached it to his arm. It looked like a bracelet-shaped anomaly. Trigger Happy had never seen anything like it.
"Is it safe to wear something like that?"
"At first, I felt a bit of resistance. But once you get used to it... not so ba—ugh!"
The bracelet unfurled into sharp tendrils, stabbed into his wrist, and began burrowing into Finger Man's body.
"I knew it was dangerous!" Trigger Happy shouted, grabbing his arm and trying to rip it off.
"What are you doing, Happy-san?!"
"That's my line! What are you doing, Finger Man?!"
"Stop it! This is where it starts to feel good!"
"Gii... (Translation: I made every effort to be considerate, and now I'll be labeled a pervert for sure, my master.)"
In the end, the anomaly fully entered Finger Man's body, and he once again gave up being human.
"Finger Man... you..."
Trigger Happy was speechless.
Was she terrified by his extreme fetish?
Or had she finally realized he was a complete pervert?
The soft-bodied Calamity creature slumped in dismay.
"......Cool."
"Gii......?"
"That fearless attitude, taking in power to challenge the dungeon... I get it now. What I've been missing is that hunger for more..."
"......Gii?"
As Finger Man twitched and spasmed in ecstasy, Trigger Happy watched him with eyes full of admiration. That burning gaze was what one gives their ideal mentor.
————
——Akagi Hideo's perspective
(A new skill has been unlocked.)
Oh my.
I was just indulging in this new tentacle-heartplay sensation, and somehow I ended up with a new skill. Is this what it means to open new doors? Nah, probably not.
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Akagi Hideo
Level 201
HP 74,236/101,741
MP 19,120/21,123
Skills
'Finger Snap Lv6'
'Phobia Syndrome Lv8'
'Single Strike Lv6'
'Steel Spirit'
'Probability Time: Coin Lv2'
'Super Metal Assault Lv8'
'Blue Pulsation Lv3'
'Black Swamp's Severer'
'Super Catcher Lv4'
'Until the Very End Together'
'Silver Shield'
Equipment
'Blue Blood Lv5' G4
'Proof of the Chosen One Lv4' G4
'Labyrinth Conqueror' G4
'Adolphene's Holy Shroud Lv4' G4
'Bloodstained Comrade' G4
'Metal Trap Room Lv3' G4
'EXP Lighter Lv3' G4
'Traces of a Dream' G4
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Huhhh? That's strange.
My 'Thousand-Style Metal Kit' is gone!
No, seriously. This isn't the time to joke around.
"No way, it should've still been attached to my heart...!"
"Wait, you embedded it into your heart?"
"Chii chii chii (Translation: That's what you get for using weird stuff, chii. Reap what you sow, chii. But don't worry, even if Hideo dies, chii will Revive him as many times as needed, chii!)"
Shimaenaga-san puffed out their chest with great pride. All fluffed up. That's not okay. Let's just be honest—so fluffy. Fluffy.
By the way, it looks like I've gained a new skill.
What's this, 'Silver Shield'? Is it like a 100k subscribers DungeonTube thing?
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'Silver Shield'
The ultimate characteristic of silver-colored grace
Fuses with a human to witness the beginning
A silver shield that protects from impact
Conversion Rate DEF10 : HP1
Unlock condition: Fuse with silver-colored grace
───────────────────
Ohh. So this is what you'd call a defense-type skill.
I get it. Yeah, I've studied up. Not like I've been DungeonTube-surfing for nothing.
The unlock condition says to fuse with silver-colored grace, huh.
So the Thousand-Style Metal Kit I put in my heart turned into a skill?
Did it adapt over time...? Or maybe it's because I shoved in three of them... Did I overdo it? I'm not sure. Kind of a waste if I could've sold them for cash. I still have to save up 10 billion yen...
"Gii... (Translation: It seems our master truly can absorb the power of the rulers of the old world...)"
"Chii! (Translation: This is bad, chii! If he got a defense-type skill, chii might not get to act as healer anymore, chii!!)"
"Gii (Translation: Don't worry. It's probably already gone, senpai.)"
"Chii...?!"
"Finger Man..."
"Yes? What is it, Happy-san?"
"...You haven't noticed?"
Huh? Did I do something again? (standard line)
I mean, I think Happy-san's a bit creeped out by me right now.
"It's really hard to say this... but you've turned into metal."
Yeah, I get why.
Whoa, she's right.
My arm's turned into metal. This is bad. It's all hard and stiff.
Who the heck could've predicted this?
No way to avoid going down the Metal Grandpa route now.
I'll try to recall Grandpa's words and avoid the route.
If I remember right, he said it'd go back to normal if I just willed it.
I don't want to be metal, I don't want to be metal.
"Ah, I think my skin texture is starting to come back...?"
"Gii (Translation: That reaction was because it was used without permission. It's just now fully adapted.)"
Apparently so.
Good grief, 'Silver Shield' really gave me a scare.
But this skill...
So it consumes 1 HP to raise DEF by 10.
And only for a short time.
When I tested the Thousand-Style Metal Kit on some monsters along the way, it blocked all the damage...
Um... 'Silver Shield'-san?
Is there any chance I could get the Metal Kit back, just a little?